Chico State’s Independent Student Newspaper since 1975
WEEKLY WEBCAST
LIGHTS OUT Luma Theater illuminates Laxson Auditorium in an elaborate black light show. Story B3
VOLUME 68 ISSUE 6
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 29, 2012
Watch this week’s webcast to see the men’s basketball team’s CCAA championship win. Video theorion.com/multimedia
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FACILITIES FEES
Special Olympics bumping an ‘error’ Kjerstin Wood A SST. NE WS EDITOR
After 40 years, Butte County’s Special Olympics basketball tournament will not be held at Chico State because of a scheduling conflict that went unnoticed until three weeks before the event. Randall Stone, area director for Special Olympics Butte County, was notified that Chico State recreational sports had also booked Acker Gym for Sunday, the same day as the basketball tournament, Stone said. The request for the Northern California Collegiate Volleyball League Regional Tournament to be held in Acker Gym was made on Nov. 2, 2011, and confirmed on Nov. 11, 2011, said Drew Calandrella, vice president
the next big competition, said Paula Blair, an athlete who has participated in the tournament for 12 years. “I know it’s a mistake, but it’s really hard,” Blair said. “We count on Chico State to support the Special Olympics.” If treated as an outside or off-campus group, Special Olympics would have been charged more than $3,000 for use of the gym facilities, Stone said. Chico State offered Stone a lower price and then free use of the facilities because of the “unfortunate situation” that occurred, Chico State President Paul Zingg said in an email to Stone that the university provided to The Orion. CSUs must recover all costs of operating and maintaining campus facilities
for Student Affairs, in an email interview. Stone’s request was made in late November. This is the first time in many years that Chico State has received the bid to host the volleyball tournament and will be hosting other California State Universities, as well as Universities of California and private schools like Stanford University, Calandrella said. “This unfortunate error is not emblematic of any retreat by the campus to its commitment to the community,” he said. Athletes from all over the north state come to participate in the basketball tournament, and they used it as a warm-up for a similar tournament in Redding, Stone said. Athletes are missing out on the chance to observe other teams and their skills before
College shuffle hits wall after visions clashed
when they are used by an outside group, according to Executive Order 1000 from the CSU Chancellor’s Office. A piece of the issue is the budget challenges that come from CSU Chancellor Charles Reed’s office, said Rebecca Lytle, chair of the kinesiology department, which partners with Special Olympics for the on-site track meet. The track meet is directly related to a class, making fee issues irrelevant, Lytle said. “One of the challenges for the basketball tournament is that it is not reserved for a class,” she said. This has never been an issue before, but the campus is still sorting out the fee >> please see OLYMPICS | A3
Men’s hoops celebrate conference title, No. 1 seed
Juniper Rose ASST. NEWS EDITOR
The reorganization of colleges and departments at Chico State that started in August 2011 has come to an abrupt halt. The administration would like to offer faculty, staff, students and alumni a chance to participate in the discussion about the university’s future before proceeding with any type of reorganization, said Phyllis Fernlund, interim vice president for Academic Affairs. “At the moment, we are not going to move forward with forcibly rearranging anything,” she said. Fernlund accepted Chico State President Paul Zingg’s offer to temporarily head the department after the resignation of Sandra Flake, the former provost and vice president for Academic Affairs. Flake led reorganization eff orts until her resigAt the nation and move to the moment, we English department as a are not going faculty member earlier this month. to move Active reorganization forward discussions may resume in with forcibly the future, Fernlund said. rearranging Past reorganization discussions were successful anything. in many ways and discussions will continue to be built upon. PHYLLIS FERNLUND “If we could get people interim vice president for to share a common vision Academic Affairs of what our academic units needs to look like then we would be prepared to move forward, but right now I don’t think we have a shared vision,” she said. The efforts didn’t get to a place where people agreed that it would make academic and economic sense, Fernlund said. “Not having reached that point, it was necessary to pull back and rethink it — reorganize our thinking,” she said. Some colleges and departments were embracing the shuffle that could have resulted in fewer colleges, said Jennifer Fox, dean of the College of Agriculture. With more in-depth discussion of reorganization, Fox hopes faculty, staff and students will realize the possible benefits that could come with reorganization, she said. While it seems appropriate to put some discussions on hold for the time being, Fox wants to avoid losing the enthusiasm that has developed for increased partnerships. There could have been positive effects from reorganization, said Jed Wyrick, chair of the religious studies department. But Wyrick understood that other departments could be worried about being “sucked up” by another college, he said. If religious >> please see COLLEGES | A4
SEE PHOTOS, STATS ON A6 The men’s basketball team clinched the conference title for the first time and entered the playoffs as the No. 1 seed.
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THE ORION • FRANK REBELO
DO YOUR DANCE Chico State’s men’s basketball players celebrate their first California Collegiate Athletic Association title. The Wildcats joined the CCAA in 1994. The team’s win over Cal State East Bay 61-47 on Friday secured ownership of the conference title. The team entered the playoffs as the No. 1 seed against eighth-seeded Cal State Dominguez Hills Tuesday night.
Noise-fine changes bring police to BMU more than 70 people, mainly students. STAFF WRITER The meeting was held to gain Changes to Chico’s noise input on potential changes for ordinance would mean pay- residential areas and clear up ing up for turning up the stereo misconceptions students may have had, Dye said. system. Under the current policy, Chico police have been working to change the city’s when Chico police receive a noise complaint, offiordinance in order to cers have the ability eliminate the warnRELATED to give a warning, ing system and give EDITORIAL she said. If police are officers the ability to called back within 72 issue noise citations Turn to B7 for hours after a warnon the first call to a The Orion’s ing, a citation can home. take on probe issued. After the A noise ordi- posed changes 72-hour period, officers nance meeting was to noise citamust revert back to a held by the Chico tions. first warning. Police Department Changes are being Wednesday in Bell made because officers Memorial Union, where students were encour- currently respond to less than aged to provide their input half of the 2,000 noise complaints they receive each year, on the proposal. The meeting was headed Dye said. People can also get by Chico police Lt. Linda Dye away with disturbing the peace and hosted an audience of >> please see NOISE | A3 Natalie Eucce
INDEX >> World News
THE ORION • KEVIN LEE
SUSTAIN Catriona Lund, a junior recreation administration major, makes use of the Associated Students Sustainability office in Bell Memorial Union Room 301.
Coordinator’s exit leaves sustainability questions Lexi Brister Andre Byik THE ORION
An offer too good to refuse has left A.S. Sustainability interns trying to preserve their own future. Robyn DiFalco, the former A.S. sustainability coordinator, left her post Feb. 16 for a job as the Butte Environmental Council executive director.
DiFalco started as the A.S. recycling coordinator in 2006 and stepped in as sustainability coordinator in 2007, she said. The program provides internships, promotes “ecoawareness,” and pays for student-driven sustainability projects, according to the A.S. Sustainability website. Initially, it looked like Associated Students would hire a replacement rather quickly, >> please see EXIT | A4
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The baseball team has found its Friday night ace in pitcher Kagen Hopkins. Story A6
Features Freegans find food by digging through past-date produce. Story B1
Opinion Domestic violence should never be forgiven or forgotten. Column B7
full week A2 >>
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