Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Vol. 95, Issue 64
THE
DAILY
w w w. T h e D a i l y A z t e c . c o m
AZTEC
Tw i t t e r : T h e D a i l y A z t e c
San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper since 1913
I N S I D E T O D AY TEMPO
Bill could open sealed records
BOOB TUBE SCOOP Find out if Fox’s newest show “Human Target” is worth adding to your TV lineup. page 2
FOOD & DRINK
SECRET MENU Discover the secret menus of In-N-Out, Jamba Juice, Chipotle and Starbucks. page 4 David J. Olender / Assistant Photo Editor
SPORTS
Although SDSU’s auxiliary organizations conduct university-related business — purchasing land, governing the student body — many records remain closed to public inspection.
M E R E D I T H H A T TA M CONTRIBUTOR
LOFTY GOALS This season, the SDSU men’s tennis team has its eyes set on a higher accomplishment. page 6
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Each semester, journalism students across the state’s campuses learn about the California Public Records Act — but they may be surprised to find their own on-campus organizations are not subject to the law. Currently, auxiliary organizations on the campuses of the California State University system, the University of California system and community colleges in California are allowed to keep their records private, something some lawmakers seek to change. At San Diego State, these organizations include Associated Students, which operates an annual budget exceeding $20 million and is the largest auxiliary organization of its kind on all 23 CSU campuses; Aztec Shops, including the campus bookstore; and University Relations and Development, the philanthropic arm of the university. Senate Bill 330, formerly SB 218, aims to change this. The bill was introduced last year by Sen. Leland Yee, after a string of scandals occurred in the Bay Area involving auxiliary organizations — including some at Fresno State University — such as bribing donors with items such as luxury boxes at on-campus arenas.
Yee’s chief of staff, Adam Keigwin, said the bill would require auxiliaries to become part of the CPRA, and is designed to bring greater accountability to the UC and CSU systems. Despite passing in the state Senate 35-1, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed the bill in October. In his veto letter he said the bill would cause “a loss of private donations and volunteer activities,” and have a “chilling effect” on the support and service of volunteers. The bill was reintroduced as SB 330 on Jan. 5 and includes a more detailed privacy policy for hesitant potential volunteers. “We’re more than willing to exempt volunteer’s names,” Keigwin said. “(The reintroduced) bill aims to stop volunteers from working on a quid pro quo basis.” In the revised version of the bill, volunteers receiving more than $500 in compensation are no longer allowed to remain anonymous. A.S. Vice President of University Affairs Natalie Colli said that for her organization, the bill was not about the issue of transparency, but rather of time and money. “It would cost a lot of minutes to organize everything,” Colli said. “All of our auditing is already done and openly available online.” Colli said that if the bill had passed, legal and administrative
costs, including time spent printing and copying records, could potentially cost 1 percent, or $230,000, of the organization’s operating budget — money that would otherwise benefit SDSU students. “Everyone’s already losing money with the budget cuts and economic crisis,” Colli said. “If it wasn’t something that caused us an unnecessary use of student fee dollars that could instead go to student programs or services, we’d totally be open to it.” Colli said A.S. already strives to be “as transparent as possible” and the bill was not a big issue for the organization, which receives almost no funding from private donations aside from those given to SDSU sports clubs. Vice President of Finance Ignacio Prado said A.S. meeting minutes, agendas, financial statements, resolutions and audits are currently public and open because of the Gloria Romero Open Meetings Act of 2000, while private information includes personnel profiles and proprietary documents. “One proprietary document, for example, would be the A.S. negotiations concerning naming rights agreements (with Viejas),” Prado said. “If subject to the Public Records Act, it would be practically impossible to keep ongoing negotiations private and competitive.”
SDSU’s director of Government and Community Relations, Tyler Sherer, said that University Relations and Development’s main concern would be the bill’s effect on private donations. “In general, openness and transparency are provided by the state and federal reporting that our auxiliaries are required to perform,” Sherer said. “The fear is that (the bill) will hamper anonymous donations to SDSU at a time when state funding is being reduced, while not providing an additional benefit to the public.” However, Keigwin said that many philanthropists and private donors are actually proponents of the bill. “People want to make sure they know where their money is going,” Keigwin said. “Donors want to make sure there is transparency and they know exactly what the university will use it for.” Keigwin said he doesn’t know if the bill will pass this time around, but that Yee plans to keep it afloat until it is finally signed by the governor. The bill will hit the Senate floor by the end of the week. “If Gov. Schwarzenegger won’t sign it, then we’ll just wait until 2011 when a new governor takes office and propose it again,” Keigwin said. “We’re determined to get this bill passed.”
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INDEX TEMPO..............................................................................2 FOOD & DRINK............................................................4 SPORTS.............................................................................6 CLASSIFIEDS....................................................................7 THE BACK PAGE............................................................8
IFC elects president The Interfraternity Council will elect its new president during the IFC meeting at 3:15 p.m. tomorrow in the Presidential Suite in Aztec Center. The candidates include IFC Vice President Michael Matthew and IFC Judicial Director David Wendell, Matthew said. The deadline for applications is 4:30 p.m. today.
Greek Rush The IFC and Panhellenic Council chapters have been tabling this week on Centennial Walkway and will continue until tomorrow. Recruitment will start next week. All IFC chapters — except Sigma Alpha Epsilon — are recruiting new members, according to Doug Case, coordinator of Fraternity and
Sorority Life. Only Panhellenic chapters that have fewer than 130 members are allowed to recruit new members until they reach the 130 limit, Case said. Some United Sorority and Fraternity Council chapters will be tabling next week and recruitment will start the following week. The USFC will host its information night from 7 to 10 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 2, in Casa Real.
NPHC Yard Show The National Pan-Hellenic Council will have its annual Yard Show at noon on Friday on Aztec Center’s Free Speech Steps. Each of the chapters will share a presentation in which members will introduce themselves and their organization to the campus community.
Support group for victims Survivor Outreach and Support will be holding a peer-based support group for sexual assault and domestic violence victims from 5 to 6:30 p.m. every Tuesday in Student Health Services, according to SOS co-founder Breanna Piper. The support groups will be led by SOS’s adviser, Dr. Linda Smith, a counselor in Counseling and Psychological Services. The groups will be a safe and welcoming environment for victims to share their stories, make friends and come to realize that they are not alone, Piper said.
fundraising efforts are expected to last two weeks. Case said the sorority has already raised $500, which was donated by a fraternity.
New Student Life & Leadership member
Sorority aids Haiti
The Student Life & Leadership office has a new member. Caitlyn Zang was hired as the new assistant coordinator last week. Zang was a Panhellenic member at Cal State Fullerton, where she was an undergrad. She has completed two Greek Life internships, one at CSU Long Beach and the second at Cal Poly Pomona, giving her necessary experience, Case said.
Kappa Alpha Theta will start its “Hugs for Haiti” fundraiser this Monday, according to Case. The
–Compiled by Senior Staff Writer Reem Nour