Wounded veterans recognized
SVO members meet with Marines and families of the Wounded Warrior Battalion, Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012. | ANTONIO ZARAGOZA, PHOTO EDITOR
Antonio Zaragoza photo editor The San Diego State Veterans Center in conjunction with the Student Veteran Organization hosted members of the U.S. Marine Corps Wounded Warrior Battalion last Wednesday. This is the sixth year SDSU hosted marines and
sailors who have been wounded or disabled during combat operations. The Marine Corps operates two Wounded Warrior battalions — one in Camp Lejeune, N.C. and the other in Camp Pendleton — and has shared a partnership with the veteran community of SDSU. The event annually includes a barbecue dinner at the SVO house on Hardy Avenue and educational brief-
ings by deans and administrators of various colleges from SDSU. Guests receive information about opportunities available in the different fields of study as well as requirements and strategic planning for those service members and families interested in attending school after their release from active duty. Veterans Coordinator Nathaniel Donnelly hosted this year’s meeting.
According to Donnelly, the purpose of the event is to facilitate soldiers during their transition from service to education, but this doesn’t necessarily mean encouraging enrollment at SDSU. “This is the sixth year we do this event and every year it gets bigger and better,” Donnelly said. “It’s not just about getting these people into SDSU, it’s about helping them get into school, any school.” SVO President Tess Banko was also present to meet the service members and their families during the dinner. “Tonight the veterans of SDSU came together to do something really important for some really good people,” she said. “Every year we do this, it gets better and we get to reach more people. We are really grateful for their service and we are more than happy to do this for them. It’s the least we can do.” The wounded warriors are assisted with educational information by Camp Pendleton Academic Adviser Salem Berhanu who is an SDSU alumna. She also serves as a liaison to SDSU from the Marine Corps base for prospective service members interested in entering a four-year college. “We want to thank SDSU for doing this. It is so important to the veterans to be able to get these types of resources and be able to direct them in the direction they want to go and what’s best for them and their families,” Berhanu said. During the dinner, SDSU President Elliot Hirshman gave some remarks and thanked the service members for attending. Following the meal and briefings, the attendees were escorted to Viejas Arena for the men’s basketball game against Wyoming.
MONDAY February 27, 2012 Volume 97, Issue 80 W W W.T H E D A I LYA Z T E C . C O M
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Read about Jamaal Franklin’s career game on Saturday.
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Pay raise for city officials proposed Councilmember and mayoral pay could more than double Ana Ceballos staff writer Every two years, the City of San Diego’s Salary Setting Commission arranges a meeting to discuss the possibility of changing the salaries of elected officials. This year, City Council simultaneously proposed to increase the salaries of council members from $75,000 annually to $175,000 annually and increase the mayor’s salary from approximately $100,000 to $235,000 annually. According to political science professor Ronald King, the amount
taken from the general fund for this salary raise is miniscule to the entire budget, but he acknowledges state budgets are “through the floors” because of the recession the United States is in. “While we have made great strides developing fiscal reforms that have addressed our structural budget deficit, San Diego has other funding priorities than raises for elected officials,” council member Todd Gloria said. “While a higher salary could attract different candidates, City Council members earn more than many of our constituents.” Mat Kostrinsky, a City Council candidate for District 7, acknowledges democracy is based on the right to disagree, and therefore public comment is imperative and “salary should not be the reason to run for City Council.”
Multi-Cultural Caucus has its say in restructuring The San Diego State Multi-Cultural Caucus had a say in last Friday’s Associated Students restructuring meeting, ensuring the inclusion of diversity in the new government structure. Crystal Smith, the new co-chair of the MCC, spoke at the meeting and told the committee what she expects from her council and from A.S. Smith plans to increase MCC membership and involvement in
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“It is not a fiscal manner, it is symbolic,” King said. “I would be totally surprised if it passed, but it is still a terrible symbolic proposal in this economy.” Council members aware of the issue were reached; four of the seven council members opposed and rejected the salary increase proposal and the rest were unable to respond or comment on the offer. “I am strongly opposed to this proposal,” Council President Pro Tem Kevin Faulconer said. “I am committed to not giving raises to elected officials.” According to King, proposals such as these are made all the time without leading to any further action. More often than not, these salary-increasing proposals are made to attract the best candidates to run the city. “We keep hearing that they need raises to attract better talent,”
campus activities as it has not been very prominent throughout the last two years because of mismanagement. As for A.S., she said, “there’s a large lack of communication between most of the minorities on campus and A.S., so we definitely want to be that bridge of communication to let them know ... what (A.S. is) doing.” The meeting ended with an agreement the restructured MCC be composed of one elected representative from each cultural organization on
rhetorical writing studies graduate and activist for Occupy San Diego, Bo Elder, said. “But ordinary people won’t get raises because there is no more money available.” “If that motif is true, why doesn’t it work when dealing with regular people?” Elder said. “Why are they increasing our president’s salary rather than teachers and faculty?” Budget cuts severely affect access and quality across the school system. For the fiscal year 2011-12, San Diego State faced a cut of approximately $30 million, according to SDSU Budget Central. Although the council has not seen a pay increase since 2003, the Salary Setting Commission understands this proposal is not likely to pass. “It is not the time,” Kostrinsky said. “We should vote on whether or not to paint a wall a certain color before we vote on this.”
campus and one representative from each of the campus’ colleges. The college representatives will also sit on the University Council as MCC representatives. The chair of the MCC will be a voting member on the A.S. Campus Life Council. The Restructuring Committee plans to discuss the inclusion of liaisons to serve as communicants between the separate councils at Friday’s meeting.
—Compiled by Staff Writer Amy Williams
E N T E R TA I N M E N T “Chico & Rita” delivers a mature, nostalgic, animated adventure.
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“Men no longer walk down the street with the swagger that once graced our cigarette-smoking forefathers. And I think I’ve figured out the main cause of this social degradation: rats.” B A C K PA G E
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