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volume 70 Issue 9

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013

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Facilities Fees

party culture

University waives after-hour charges

Medical aid Chico police respond to the scene of a mugging at Mechoopda Street and West First Avenue Friday night. Although crime was down compared to previous Cesar Chavez weekends, there were still two stabbings and five DUIs reported.

Allison Weeks Asst. News Editor

the orion •PHOTOgRAPH BY Isabel CHARLES

Cesar Chavez Day sees violence, racial tension Nicholas Carr Allison Weeks Isabel Charles Staff Writers

Although Chico police report that the number of arrests was down during Cesar Chavez weekend this year, the holiday was marred by two stabbings and a fight that sent two people to the hospital. Students also found alternative ways to celebrate the legacy of Chavez by taking to the streets in a march for the labor organizer who fought for civil rights. Stabbings In addition to 33 alcohol-related arrests, two stabbings occurred over the three-day holiday weekend. A 23-year-old man was stabbed at a residence on Sunrise Court early Saturday morning. Chico police officers found the man lying in a driveway with multiple stab wounds, and he was taken to Enloe Medical Center. Police received varying suspect descriptions from witnesses and do not know why the man was stabbed. A second man was stabbed early Monday morning.

He was walking with a group of men when he knocked over a garbage can, which upset the can’s owner, said Sgt. George Laver of the Chico Police Department. The woman resident and the man began arguing before the man took a swing at her. She swung back in retaliation. A group of non-residents came to the woman’s aid and caused a large fight in the middle of the street, Laver said. One of the suspects is accused of beating up the 19-year-old who knocked over the garbage can before taking out a knife, according to the release. The 19-year-old’s hand was cut during the fight, and he was taken to the hospital. Police encourage anyone with information about the stabbings to contact the Chico Police Department. Overall crime decreases Despite the stabbings, crime decreased this weekend compared to previous years, according to a press release from the Chico Police Department. In 2011, 50 arrests were made on Cesar Chavez Day alone, compared to this year’s 38 total arrests between Friday and Monday

morning. Last year, police made 42 arrests between March 30 and April 1. While officers working overtime were required to stay on patrol Friday and Saturday nights, overtime staff members working Sunday night were released early. The fact that Cesar Chavez Day fell on a rainy Easter Sunday may have contributed to decreased criminal activity, according to the press release. Cesar Chavez Day march The student groups Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan and the National Brown Berets participated in a march Sunday and shouted down those partying in sombreros and ponchos. About 20 Chico State students marched through the south-campus area Sunday to peacefully protest what they saw as disrespectful partying. The route led from the courtyard of the Student Services Center down Ivy Street. From there, they marched up West Fifth Street to City Plaza, where a short ceremony was held onstage. Last year’s march was mainly focused on the downtown and >> please see chavez | A3

WEEKEND CRIME STATS

27 Drunk in public arrests

5 Driving under the influence arrests

2 Assault with a deadly weapon arrests

1 Minor in possession of alcohol arrest SOURCE • Chico Police Department

A new program policy now allows Chico State students and staff to use oncampus facilities for free, but off-campus groups will still have to pay. The policy went into effect April 1 after Chico State President Paul Zingg and his cabinet approved it, said Joe Wills, Chico State’s director of public affairs and publications. Under the new plan, university-recognized groups will no longer be charged for using campus facilities after normal business hours and during extended hours. The former policy charged student groups when they used facilities after normal business hours and on Saturdays. Normal business hours are 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, and extended hours are 1-7 p.m. Sundays. The university will now centrally cover the costs of the after-hours usage for state entities with funds from its general budget, but it is unsure how much it will cost, Wills said. State entities include programs, units, departments and college organizations of Chico State, the CSU and the Chancellor’s Office. Some CSU campuses that have this policy in place pay up to $1 million to subsidize facility usage, Zingg said. He does not want Chico State’s costs to reach a mark that high. The cost of renting a university facility varies depending on how much it costs Chico State to make the area available, Wills said. For example, recognized student groups were previously charged $190 for up to two hours in a standard-sized room in Tehama Hall after business hours and $546 for four or more hours, according a facility-use table posted on Chico State’s website last year. The fee table is now under review by administration. In many cases the university will discount the charges for a group that has a >> please see Fee | A4

2 fraternities suspended after hazing investigations Pedro Quintana Senior Writer

Chico State has suspended two fraternity chapters until the end of the semester after investigating three hazing allegations. Investigations of Sigma Pi, Kappa Sigma and Phi Beta Sigma began before Chico State President Paul Zingg suspended all social Greek organizations Nov. 15. The office of student judicial affairs began looking into whether Sigma Pi was involved in the alcohol-related death of Chico State student Mason Sumnicht, said Connie Huyck, student life and leadership coordinator. Sigma Pi was cleared of the allegation, and no sanctions were handed down. Allegations Two fraternity chapters were suspended within two days in November after members participated in events involving pledges. Active and alumni members of Phi Beta Sigma were involved in a gathering with

new recruits on the third floor of a parking structure, where new members were hazed, according to the letter sent out to the chapter. It was reported that new recruits were lined up while members and alumni hit the pledges, said CC Carter, director of student life and leadership. There was no fighting during the event, Phi Beta Sigma President Damaris Greer said. He called the event a “unity and strength show.” Greer, who participated in the event, invited other Greek chapters, faculty and university officials, he said. The incident occurred on a Friday, and Phi Beta Sigma was suspended Monday. About 100 people attended the event, and no one said they were hurt or embarassed, Greer said. “By law, I do think it was hazing because the new members participated in the event,” he said. Kappa Sigma, the other fraternity in question, was suspended Nov. 7 and held a social Nov. 9 without permission from university officials. >> please see GREEKS | A4

INDEX World News

the orion •PHOTOgRAPH BY Pedro Quintana

Suspended Kappa Sigma, a fraternity with a chapter house at 731 W. Fifth St., was suspended Nov. 7. Two days later, the organization’s members held a social event in defiance of university sanctions. The fraternity is not allowed to participate in or hold any social events, including formals and exchange, until the spring 2014 semester.

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