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team finished eighth on
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Fresno State | Serving the campus since 1922
Features
The poetry festival
put out a call for
judges, Page 5
March 10, 2010 | Wednesday
collegian.csufresno.edu
Tuition, grants uneven
Comparing Pell grants and tuition
While university tuition has continued to spike, Pell grants have not
followed step-for-step. The average amount given has increased
slower than the maximum possible, and less so
than tuition.
By Mike Boylan
The Collegian
The federal government’s efforts to
improve access to higher education by
increasing Pell Grant funding has fallen short of supplementing the increases in college tuitions.
President Obama has vowed to make
higher education a priority, stating that
by 2020, he expects the United States to
have the highest rate of college graduates than any other country in the
world. The Obama Administration
has proposed a continued increase in
the maximum award allowed annually, as well as moving the Pell Grant
program – need-based government aid
for students that do not need to be paid
back – from discretionary to mandatory spending, otherwise known as an
entitlement program.
Despite the demonstrated commitment to minimize the burden of higher
education costs for Americans, the Pell
Grant’s purchasing power is not what
it was when the program was established in 1975.
According to Business Weekly, Pell
Grants covered 85 percent of college
See PELL, Page 6
Infographic by Michael Uribes / The Collegian
Credit card act restricts students
By Joe Bailey
The Collegian
An act aims to prevent college students and young Americans from
amassing loads of credit card debt.
The Credit Card Accountability
Responsibility and Disclosure Act of
2009, or Credit CARD Act for short,
went into effect Feb. 22.
Most importantly for college students,
the Credit CARD Act forces applicants
younger than 21 to have a co-signer,
who is older than 21, sign for the credit
account or prove they have the income
that can pay off any future debt.
The Credit CARD Act also limits the
ability of banks to market credit cards
on college campuses. Credit card companies who offer gifts, such as a free
hat or T-shirt for signing up cannot do
so within 1,000 feet of campus.
K.C. Chen, chair of the Finance and
Business Law Department, said these
provisions will benefit college students
and young Americans overall.
“The requirement of a co-signer for
adults younger than 21 years old is a
great idea that will reduce the delinquent rate and make young adults be
more financially responsible,” Chen
said. “I cannot think of one negative on
this regulation.”
However, Chen acknowledges that
these provisions will certainly not put
an end to students irresponsibly piling
up debt if young people do not control
their spending.
“Owing credit card debt is very expensive because the interest rates charged
by the credit card issuers are normally
very high,” Chen said. “Compounding
at a double-digit interest rate on the
existing credit card balance will deepen youngsters’ financial woes.”
Fresno State student Jason
Panganiban, 22, believes these new
regulations will help keep students
safe from
the ire
of credit
card companies.
“I think it’s
a good idea,
because when
yo u ’ re 1 8 yo u
don’t know everything about credit
cards,” Panganiban
said. “I know when I
first got my credit cards
I didn’t read the fine print
and know
all the rules. Hopefully it will keep
young kids from getting into trouble
with credit cards.”
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Panganiban has also seen the powers
credit card companies have when offering free gifts on a college campus.
“It’s good they can’t market on campus anymore,” Panganiban said. “I
know when my cousins went to college
they signed up for a bunch of credit
cards just to get the free stuff.”
James Highsmith, professor emeritus of finance and business law, said
the Credit CARD Act will prevent reckless students from piling up debt, but
may also preclude responsible students
from building up essential credit.
“This Act may make it a little more
dif ficult for
young adults
to get credit cards,”
Highsmith said. “Many of these
people are not prepared to handle credit in a responsible way, while many
See CREDIT, Page 6
Men in heels to
support women
By Brionie Dixon
The Collegian
In order to get men to empathize with
women, Walk a Mile in Her Shoes will
encourage men to dress in drag. The
event is one of many that will take
place for Women’s Herstory Month.
Walk a Mile in Her Shoes is an effort
to stop rape, sexual assault and gender
violence.
Men are literally encouraged to walk
a mile in women’s high-heeled shoes.
Women donate shoes prior to the festivities, and men wear them to literally
and figuratively understand what it’s
like to walk in a woman’s shoes. This
event will be held March 16 in the Free
Speech Area at 5 p.m.
The march asks men to join in the
efforts of making the world a safer
place and it provides an opportunity
for the community to talk about these
important issues.
The Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event
attempts to expand the dialo gue
between men and women on gender
differences, gender relationship and
gender violence. Also, it helps men to
better understand and appreciate women’s experiences, and teach children
respect for themselves and others.
Georgianna Negron, a senior psychology major, organized volunteers for the
event and contacted different organizations about tabling at the event for
the past couple of years. The Majoree
Mason Center and United Students
Pride will be among the groups in
attendance.
“Not only does this event bring
awareness but it also shows that men
are involved in the efforts of getting
the message out there,” Negron said.
Ne g ron also declared that the
Violence Prevention Project usually
solicits the help of Fresno State’s fraternities for this event.
According to a study by the National
Institute of Justice and Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, 1.5
million women become victimized by
rape or physical assault by their partners each year. In addition, each year,
more than 10 million American children witness family violence in their
homes. Forty percent of girls age 14
to 17 know someone their age that has
been hit or beaten by a boyfriend.
“It affects the community as a whole,”
Negron said. This event demonstrates
that sexual abuse is not just a women’s
issue. In fact this issue affects both genders, Negron said.
Jenny Whyte, coordinator of the
Women’s Resource Center, describes
her experience at last year’s Walk a
Mile in Her Shoes event as wonderful.
“Seeing the men put on women’s
shoes and stand up against violence
against women was inspirational,”
Whyte said.
Negron said she encourages all to
participate.
“People can really make a difference,
so I hope many will come out in support,” Negron said.
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Opinion
The
Collegian
That’s What the People Are Saying
On going to prison for gun possession
“I
Opinion Editor, Tony Petersen • [email protected] • Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Page 2
look at things as ‘Everything is meant to
be.’ I know it’s an experience that I need
to have if God’s putting me through it.”
— Lil’ Wayne, People
Editorial: Fill out census Letters to
A
the Editor
mid a torrent of massive
budget cuts and funding
reductions in California, a
10-question form could potentially
help restore much of what was taken
away in this past fiscal year.
If counted correctly, funding from
the 2010 census data will inject a much
needed stream of cash into California.
That means that the stakes, this time
around, are much higher.
Students have long been an underreported demographic in the collection of census data. Students should be
counted where they live for the majority of the year. For college students
this means where they go to school.
According to the Census Bureau, students living in on-campus housing will
receive their own questionnaires separate from their parents.
The population in Fresno County
was 909,153 in 2008, the tenth most
populous county in California. At
Fresno State, there are currently 20,640
students enrolled. However, in 2008
students living in college towns accumulated for the lowest response rates
of any demographic during the 2000
census.
It is important to make sure that the
entire student population be counted
this year, especially considering that
census data is used in the allocation
of federal tuition grant and loan programs; so, a thorough count of college
students in 2010 can potentially mean
more money for higher education in
California.
And at times like these, with students and faculty protesting for exactly
this, nothing can be more important.
The constitutionally mandated
census determines how seats will
be apportioned in the House of
Representatives, and helps to determine where the district lines are
drawn within each state. The United
States government surveys the population in order to gauge how many
people are living in the country at the
time.
Perhaps more importantly, the census will shift billions of dollars in federal funding over the next decade from
parts of the country to others because
of population-driven financing formulas. Annually, the government
disburses about $400 billion in federal
funds to state and local governments
for the next 10 years.
Filling out the census form this
spring could mean more money for
the university and the surrounding
neighborhood. But perhaps more
importantly, filling out a census form
bestows students with a fair voice in
government.
For we, the students, have no explicit control over the allocation of funds
in the state government. We cannot tell
President Welty which classes to cut
and how many furloughs to mandate.
We can, however, help determine how
much we get via the census.
Which means we must help the government take an accurate snapshot of
the college demographic. In an editorial last semester, The Collegian advocated that the state legislature pass AB
656, a bill that would tax oil extraction,
to help pay for higher education and
lessen some of our financial woes.
An accurate census would only help
California citizens get the education
they deserve.
If all 20,640 of Fresno State’s students filled out the census, odds are
that the many grievances that protestors have demonstrated against would
be, if not absolved, at the very least,
alleviated.
If we don’t at least do this much,
against what are we protesting?
C
To the editor:
Fortunately, the writer’s opinions
remind us why students should
continue to appeal to legislators and
administrators to equip us with the
adequate education we must put to
use upon graduation. If the protesters exuded a “palpable sense of
entitlement and the disillusioned
sense of priority that plagues this
generation” it’s because not everyone who makes up this generation
has the privileges and means that
allow for complacency and luxury
to pick which injustices they must
speak out against.
The campus is made up of individuals from different cultural upbringings facing a legacy of educational
institutions that are historically and
currently still apathetic to the diversity of students that attend these
establishments; consequently, creat-
COMMENT: The Collegian is a
forum for student expression.
http://collegian.csufresno.edu
“N
ot everyone who makes
up this generation has
the privileges and means that
allow for complacency and
luzury to pick which injustices
they must speak out against.”
The virtue of the elitism
R
obert Taft was not your average citizen. His grandfather
was Alphonso Taft, Attorney
General and Secretary of War under
Ulysses S. Grant. His father was
William Howard Taft, who served
as president and Chief Justice (and
has the distinction of being our
most rotund president). He graduated first in his class at Yale College
and Harvard Law School, editing the
Harvard Law Review at the latter
institution. He served three terms as a
Senator from Ohio, where a committee
after his death chose him as one of the
body’s five greatest senators.
Robert Taft was no common man.
In fact, while campaigning at a rally,
the Senator’s wife was asked if, indeed,
her husband was a common man. “Oh
no,” she quickly replied. “He is not
that at all. He was first in his class at
Yale and first in his class at Harvard
Law School. I think it would be wrong
to present a common man as a representative of the people of Ohio.”
Fast-forward to today. Robert Taft
could never be elected in the contemporary Zeitgeist. He’s an (gasp!) elitist.
Today’s political world decries elitism. Populism is the name of the game.
Candidates fight to be recognized as a
“man of the people.” All want to brag
about their “humble beginnings” and
how much they represent the “common man.”
This populism leads politicians
to promise bigger and better things.
Democrats prattle about entitlements
while Republicans go on about defense,
THE
The Right Tone
Tony Petersen
compromising by spending trillions of
dollars on both, keeping us on the path
to financial ruin.
This is folly. Our politicians dumb
themselves down to get elected; regardless of the strategy’s political effectiveness, it will lead to our eventual
destruction. This destruction won’t
come quick, for Rome wasn’t burnt in
a day, and it won’t come from without,
but from within. But it will undoubtedly come, slowly, if not surely.
The only way to stop our inevitable
cultural decline is to recognize our
natural aristocracy.
Nature “has ordained that no two
objects shall be perfectly alike, and no
two creatures perfectly equal,” John
Adams said. “Although, among men,
all are subject by nature to equal laws
of morality, and in society have a right
to equal laws for their government, yet
no two men are perfectly equal in person, property, understanding, activity,
and virtue, or ever can be made so by
any power less than that which created
them.”
What he’s saying is that some people
Collegian
The Collegian is a student-run
publication that serves the
Fresno State community
on Mondays, Wednesdays and
Fridays. Views expressed
in The Collegian do not
necessarily reflect the views
of the staff or university.
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are naturally better at some things
than others. Usain Bolt is faster than
any man alive. Eric Clapton knows
the blues like nobody’s business. Kobe
Bryant is the best basketball player
alive. (That just happened!)
These people are, dare I say, elite.
If I want to win a race, I want Bolt.
If I want to hear the blues, I call on
Clapton. If I want to win the NBA
Finals, I get Kobe. I don’t think it’s too
much to ask that our representatives
be elites also.
Returning to the voice of Adams,
who is most eloquent on this issue,
he said, “There is a voice within us,
which seems to intimate, that real
merit should govern the world; and
that men ought to be respected only
in proportion to their talents, virtues,
and services. But,” and this is a big
but, “the question always has been,
how shall this arrangement be accomplished?”
For Adams, indeed all of our founding fathers, the answer lied in the
United States Constitution. But this
document has been torn to shreds by
our supposed representatives who
have ceased trying to be elite and have
settled for populist blather, which
columnist George Will recently called
a “cathartic response to serious problems.”
The only way to stop our imminent
destruction as a people is to have the
best govern us. We need statesmen
who actually do right by the people.
We need the elites. We need men like
Robert Taft.
Letters to the Editor ([email protected])
All letters submitted to The Collegian must not exceed
250 words in length, must be type-written, and must be
accompanied by a full name and phone number to verify
content. The Collegian reserves the right to edit all material for
length, content, spelling and grammar, as well as the right to
refuse publication of any material submitted. All material
submitted to The Collegian becomes property of The Collegian.
Each member of the campus community is permitted one copy of
The Collegian. Subscriptions are available for $25, on a semester
basis. Staff positions at The Collegian are open to students of all
majors. Contact the Editor in Chief for details.
All content Copyright © 2009 The Collegian.
Editor in Chief
News Editor
Features Editor
Arts & Entertainment Editor
Sports Editor
Opinion Editor
Photo Editor
Multimedia Director
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Presentation/Graphics Developer
Online Features Reporter
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Videographer
Editorial Board
— Dalitso Ruwe
ing unrealistic homogeneous experiences augmented by statements like
“education is still massively subsidized.” If $500 isn’t too much for you
then we “with the demented sense of
reality” ask you to “recognize there
are other players, factors and consequences involved” that don’t always
allow for us, your fellow classmates,
to obtain an additional $500 for
tuition.
I applaud your candor and attempt
at a quasi-Freudian analysis on individuals and social problems by touting words like “narcissist-oriented”
and “degenerates.” However, legislators and educational institutions
as harbingers of hope must engage
in non-ethnocentric dialogues that
help us as a post-racial generation
removed from the day-to-day realities of civil rights marches, women
rights struggle, Jim Crow and Jane
Crow laws that discern the consequence of not understanding the
history and legacy that entitles this
generation.
Dalitso Ruwe
Brian Maxey
Thaddeus Miller
Michelle Furnier
Danielle Gilbert
Brianna Campbell
Tony Petersen
Matt Weir
Anna Jacobsen
Elisa Jimenez
Michael Uribes
Lacee Solis
Allie Norton
Sergio Cortes
Brian Maxey
Tony Petersen
Corrections:
• In the Web-Spe@k that ran on page
2 of The Collegian on Friday incorrectly
quoted a comment from online. The correct quote should have read, “...Rocky
Mountains or the Sierra Nevada...”
Local Advertising Manager
Advertising Coordinator
National Advertising Executive
Business Development Executive
Art Director
Assistant Art Director
Distribution Manager
Accountancy Assistant
Business Manager
Advertising Faculty Adviser
Editorial Faculty Adviser
Online Faculty Adviser
Tatiana Dindia
Shadia Salem
Landon Reda
Andrew Cabal
Brandon Ocegueda
Edgar Vargas
Savannah West
Anthony Samarasekera
Virginia Sellars-Erxleben
Jan Edwards
Reaz Mahmood
Don Priest
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
The Collegian • Arts & Entertainment
Arts & Entertainment Editor, Danielle Gilbert • [email protected]
The daily crossword
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis
Los Angeles Times
ACROSS
1 __ de deux
4 Therapy center, for short
9 Parts of fast food orders
14 Four-legged bugler
15 Where the ecstatic walk
16 Salt’s “Halt!”
17 National sport of South
Korea
19 Having a beanpole
physique
20 “Baseball Tonight”
station
21 Year-end mall temp
23 Jon Stewart’s “moment
of __”
24 Like drive-thru orders
27 Bosom buddy
29 Longtime skating partner
of Randy Gardner
33 The Trojans of the Pac10
34 Go hither and yon
35 Au __: menu phrase
38 Places to order tom yum
goong
44 “Xanadu” band, for short
45 __ time: pronto
46 Like some grins
47 Host of “Extreme
Makeover: Home Edition”
52 12 Tribes religion
55 Caesar’s unlucky
number?
56 Schooner filler
57 One of the Yokums
60 Pre-dye shade, perhaps
63 Open, in a way
Puzzle by Gary Steinmehl
C
PUZZLE SOLUTION: http://collegian.csufresno.edu
Copyright 2009. Tribune Media Services, Inc.
65 Overtime causes
68 Mother-of-pearl
69 In first place
70 Prior to, in verse
71 Tiny amount
72 Tack room gear
73 Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Le
Coq __”
DOWN
1 “Our Gang” dog
Page 3
2 Word of pity
3 Having one’s doubts
4 Heed the coxswain
5 Ambient music composer
Brian
6 Brinker of kiddie lit
7 Operatic slave girl
8 Old Ford SUV
9 Sub meat
10 In vitro cells
11 Tony of “Who’s the
Boss?”
12 Part of FAQ
13 “Gypsy” composer Jule
18 Door feature
22 Bricks unit
25 “Mr. Mom” actress
26 Instrument to which an
orchestra tunes
28 Big Indian
29 Word of rebuke
30 Big Apple tennis stadium
31 Drips in an ICU
32 Open the door to
36 Like 007’s martinis
37 Normandy battle site
39 Wee bit
40 Gothic novelist Radcliffe
41 Operating system
developed at Bell Labs
42 Rice-A-__
43 Roget entry: Abbr.
48 “Hooray!”
49 Non-commercial TV spot
50 Caveat __
51 Computer acronym about
faulty data
52 Quick trip
53 Of an arm bone
54 Bing Crosby’s primary
label
58 Bench material
59 Hairy mountain sighting
61 Musical prefix with
smith?
62 River of Flanders
64 Slo-pitch path
66 Zak, to Ringo
67 Early computer printer
speed meas.
C
Complete the grid so that every row, column and
3x3 box contains every digit from 1 to 9 inclusively.
SOLUTION: http://collegian.csufresno.edu
Word of the Day
Business buzzed
An acceptable level of intoxication for business situations.
Source: UrbanDictionary.com
Arts & Entertainment
The
Collegian
Page 4 • Arts & Entertainment Editor, Danielle Gilbert • [email protected] • Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Come on,
Rogue
By Amy Kaufman
McClatchy Tribune
The Academy
Awards are over:
The statuettes have
all been handed
out, the red carpet’s
been rolled up, the
sparkling gowns
returned or not.
So it would seem
there’s no more suspense surrounding
the Oscars ... and yet,
there are still some
moments lingering
from Sunday’s telecast
that have viewers confused.
There was the point,
now dubbed the “Kanye
West” moment, when infighting among filmmakers was
apparent during an acceptance speech. Then there
was Sean Penn, mumbling
something about Oscar night
omissions. Consider the
unexplained sign held up by
one of “The Cove” documentary stars just as the camera
hurriedly cut away. And how
about the quick mention of a
winner’s life-threatening illness and Tom Hanks’ rush to
name the best picture?
Oh, but the night was full
of such questions. Did George
Clooney really once throw Sandra
Bullock into a pool? And why was
Clooney looking so surly?
And while there was no admission of guilt, the “Up in the Air”
actor did cop to a certain poolside antsiness around the newly
anointed lead actress winner.
“Sandy and I have been friends
for 25 years,” Clooney said
through his publicist Monday,
“and I do stay away from pools
when she walks by.” A fear of
retaliation perhaps?
Meanwhile, the filmmakers
behind “Music by Prudence,”
the best documentary short
winner, declined to elaborate
on exactly what was happening
on stage as co-producer Elinor
Burkett seemed to steal the mike
away from director-producer
Roger Ross Williams during
By Danielle Gilbert
The Collegian
THEY CAME,
THEY DRANK,
THEY SANG
Photo courtesy of Victor DesRoches
With the patio of Veni Vidi Vici’s Restaurant
packed, Guinness on tap and a bar conveniently
located next to the makeshift stage — why wouldn’t
you want to spend “A Drunk in the Night Tank”
tonight with the Rogue’s favorite traditional Irish
band.
Song 4 Pints members Russell Noland, Kim
Hamilton, Deric McQueen and Sean McBrearty
have been performers at the Rogue for five years in
the bands six-year history.
The 45-minute performance is worth the $4
admission fee and a slainte.
THE TRUTH IS
BETTER THAN
FICTION
Photo by McClatchy Tribune
their acceptance speech.
Another unusual moment during
the show occurred when environmental activist Ric O’Barry held up a sign
on stage while someone was accepting
the feature documentary award for
“The Cove,” a film about the dolphin
harvest in Japan. Viewers hardly had
a chance to read the sign before the
camera panned away, leading many to
wonder what its message was.
“It was a number to text where
people can go to take action for the
dolphins,” O’Barry said. “It’s not a
protest sign, and I didn’t mean to be
disruptive, but there were a billion
people watching. As soon as I held
it up, they started playing the exit
music.”
Already more than 50,000 people
have sent in text messages of support,
O’Barry said.
Later on in the show, Sean Penn, the
lead actor winner last year for his
portrayal of Harvey Milk in “Milk,”
took the stage to present the award
for lead actress and delivered instead
one of the telecast’s most perplexing
moments.
“I never became an official member
of the academy, but the academy and I
do have in common that we neglected
to acknowledge the same actress in
our own ways two years running,” he
said, clearly not reading from the teleprompter. “So, I’m going to start fresh
with the academy and acknowledge
these wonderful actresses,” he said
and then read the nominees’ names.
So what actress was he referring to?
That would be his estranged wife,
surmises his publicist. “It would be a
reasonable assumption to say he was
referring to Robin Wright, because
he didn’t thank her last year in his
acceptance speech,” e-mailed Penn’s
representative Mara Buxbaum, and
he was likely making a statement that
“the academy failed to nominate her
this year for ‘The Private Lives of
Pippa Lee.’
As for Hanks’ rush to announce the
best picture winner, an explanation
came via tweet from Hanks himself
Monday morning: “OscarShow Flash
Nope, I didn’t hurry the Best Pic
bit,” he tweeted. “That’s how it was
planned and rehearsed from the get
go.”
Classifieds
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Photo courtesy of Victor DesRoches
The hopeless romantic, the cynic, the wife, the
slut — the truth about Katherine Glover. A bisexual
from Minneapolis who’s struggle with mistaking
passion for compatibility led her to the Rogue stage
once again in “A Cynic Tells Love Stories.”
Glover’s animated life unfolds through rated R
skits and monologues’, however, discovering what
relationship genre the solo performer is currently in
will cost $7.
The Collegian is not responsible
for nor does it assume any liability
for its advertisers. We caution our
readers to check out the legitimacy of all advertisers before doing
business with any of them.
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Wednesday, March 10, 2010
The Collegian • Features
Features Editor, Michelle Furnier • [email protected]
Page 5
Festival celebrates child poets
By Tara Albert
The Collegian
Several Fresno State classrooms will be filled with students a little younger than
usual next week.
“Over 6,000 students are
expected to visit our campus to
recite poetry and short stories
to our large panel of Fresno
State judg es,” said Jer ry
Marque z, public relations
coordinator for the festival.
Students will deliver their
poems and short stories in
various classrooms on campus, canceling the classes usually held at that time.
Stacie Mimura, the Peach
Blossom Festival director, said
students will come from 132
schools in the surrounding
area.
“The performers are from
elementary schools in the
Central Valley,” Mimura said.
She said the event is open to
the community, and “anyone
who wants to watch” is welcome to attend.
Mimura said the Peach
Blossom Festival is one of her
favorite events each year.
“Watching the students perform and seeing the smiles on
their faces is priceless,” she
said.
Marquez said the festival
was established to give young
students experience with
interpreting and performing
literature.
“The festival started over
50 years ago as a joint effort
between the communication
and theater arts departments
at Fresno State,” Marquez
said. “The Festival was created to help young people realize the importance of reading
literature aloud.”
The festival, now solely run
File photos by Sarah Gilbert
More than 6,000 students from 200 schools across the Central Valley came to Fresno State last Spring to take part
in the Peach Blossom Festival.
by the communication department, also provides students
with the opportunity to visit a
college campus.
Fresno State athletes will
be at the festival to meet the
young poets and give them
autographs. Fresno State’s
mascot Timeout will also
make an appearance.
“Most of the students get
really excited when they get
autographs from school athletes,” Marquez said. “The
children really look up to
them.”
Stephanie Hartvell, a judging coordinator for the festival, said they need about 200
judges to cover each classroom
during all of the sessions. She
said they hope to have three
judges per room.
Hartvell said the festival
depends on volunteers, especially Fresno State students.
“It’s good experience to get
involved with things that are
going on at Fresno State,”
Hartvell said.
Matthew Parkington, anothSee FESTIVAL, Page 6
College students play large part
Since 1988, more than $3.75 million has
been raised for the Children’s Hospital.
By Malissa Rose
The Collegian
More than 1,000 F resno
State students were involved
Tuesday in the largest charitable event within the Central
Valley -- Kid’s Day.
Last year, students from
almost 50 clubs and organizations raised nearly $30,000 for
Children’s Hospital Central
California by selling special
editions of the Fresno Bee for
$1 to motorists surrounding
the campus.
T h e s t u d e n t K i d ’ s D ay
Committee made up of 10 students recruited even more student volunteers to participate
in Kid’s Day 2010.
A.J. Coronado is a member of
the Kid’s Day Committee and
Sigma Nu Fraternity. Sigma
Nu has been the top seller of
Kid’s Day papers for the past
several years at Fresno State.
Sigma Nu raised nearly $15,000
through Kid’s Day for children
in need. This year, Coronado
and Sigma Nu plan on selling
4,000 papers to beat last year’s
record of $3500.
“It has become a point of
pride for our brotherhood to
be the top selling organization each year,” Coronado
said. “Our competitiveness is
a great thing, in the end it’s
Children’s Hospital that benefits from it.”
Katelyn Ashton, coordina-
in Kid’s Day
tor for the Children’s Hospital
Kid’s Day said Fresno State
students take Kid’s Day to a
whole new level.
“Fresno State does a phenomenal job of not only recruiting
hundreds of volunteers every
year, but also for the energy,
excitement and originality
that the students have while
selling papers,” Ashton said.
Ashton said students participating in Kid’s Day have
the opportunity to build their
resume. She said employers love to see that potential
employees have given back to
the community and that they
are motivated students.
“The biggest reward I get for
volunteering is the satisfac-
tion of knowing that Fresno
State’s Kid’s Day Committee
has put together a successful
event,” Coronado said.
Kid’s Day is a one-day event
where nearly 5,000 volunteers
from 20 communities hit the
streets starting at 4 a.m., to
sell Kid’s Day editions of the
Fresno Bee. Ashton said the
paper features compelling
patient stories and photographs about the vital pediatric medical care Children’s
Hospital provides.
The Kid’s Day edition not
only raises awareness, but also
much needed funds for families who cannot afford health
care.
Kid’s Day has raised more
than $3.75 million for the
Children’s Hospital since its
beginning in 1988. Fresno State
students have greatly contributed to the growing Kid’s Day
campaign statistic.
The money raised through
Kid’s Day goes to fund clinical programs, support services, community outreach
and charitable health care at
Children’s Hospital.
“I don’t think it would be
a stretch to say that all of us
have been affected, or know
someone who has been affected by Children’s Hospital,”
Coronado said. “Sacrificing a
few hours for one day a year
isn’t a huge price to pay to help
save the life of a child.”
Page 6
The Collegian • News
News Editor, Thaddeus Miller • [email protected]
PELL: Grants designed as need-based
government aid have not necessarily kept
up with university tuition fee hikes
CONTINUED from page 1
tuition in its first year, but by 2000 it
covered only 39 percent, at which point
the average annual cost of tuition at a
four-year public university was $8,500.
At Fresno State, the rise in tuition
has coincided with the number of student loans accepted.
According to financial aid director Maria Hernandez, the number of
subsidized Stafford Loans, a loan that
does not start accruing interest until
six months after graduation, accepted
“Congress has chosen not to peg
grant increases to tuition increases,”
Cummins said. “It is not fiscally feasible right now to do so when considering the deficit, but it hasn’t really been
attempted in a good economy either.”
The maximum Pell Grant award for
2009-10 was $5,350, and is anticipated
to jump to $5,550 in the 2010-11 year.
This is less than a 4 percent increase,
compared to the 20 percent increase in
tuition and fees for undergraduates in
“C
ongress has chosen not to peg grant increases to tuition
increases.”
— Jeffrey Cummins,
Assistant Professor
by students increased 13 percent from
2006-07 to 2007-08, compared to a 2 percent increase in Pell Grants awarded.
Some experts have agreed that the rising cost in tuition in relation to financial assistance programs provides a
dilemma for lawmakers. Assistant professor Jeffrey Cummins said Congress
has steered away from addressing the
fact that Pell Grants have not been able
to keep up with the inflation of tuition
costs.
the California State University system
for the fall of 2009, which went from
$3,354 to $4,026. The public university
system in California – the University
of California, community college and
CSU systems – are expected to have
continued tuition increases to combat
the reported $584 million in cuts to
higher education.
Under Obama’s proposed plan for Pell
Grant increases in January, starting in
2011 the maximum Pell Grant reward
CREDIT: Applicants under
21 years of age will likely
need a co-signer to qualify
CONTINUED from page 1
under 21 have adult responsibilities
that make credit useful in navigating
everyday life such as renting an apartment [or] getting a job.”
Highsmith joked about the idea that
many college students should be forced
to go through a course that will help
develop their life skills.
“S
o much for developing
goodwill with your
customers.”
— James Highsmith,
Professor Emeritus
“It could be called ‘Wisdom Without
Pain’ or ‘What’s Really Up.’ You would
not pay for it unless you didn’t earn at
least a B,” Highsmith said. “Yes, I know
I’m a dreamer.”
Highsmith also said that banning
credit card companies from offering
free gifts for signing up for a new line
of credit will have little effect on student credit debt.
“The T-shirt or other tangible item
only serves to attract the student to
listen to the pitch of the salespeople,”
Highsmith said. “Salesmen can be
very persuasive as there is no doubt it
makes sense to establish a good credit
rating in the U.S.”
Highsmith said the best way for college students to build up good credit is
by offering them low-limit, low-interest
credit cards where the issuer provides
special protections for the cardholder.
However, Highsmith highly doubts we
will ever see this in America.
“I don’t think you will find this very
often in the market because it does not
serve the profit interest of the issuer,”
Highsmith said. “So much for developing goodwill with your customers.”
Highsmith said that while this act
may not change the world, it is making
a step toward protecting vulnerable
college students.
“It is hard to tell whether the act will
significantly curtail the issuance of
cards to people under 21,” Highsmith
said. “If it prevents only a few unqualified young people from being handed a
card that could lead them to credit trouble, costly penalty fees, overage charges, high interest rates and bankruptcy,
the act serves a useful purpose.”
would coincide with increases in the
cost of living which is predicted to
reach $6,900 by 2019. However, tuition
costs have risen much faster than the
cost of living.
According to a College Board study,
“Trends in College Pricing,” the economic recession has allowed tuition
costs to increase just like any other
good or service, citing that tuition costs
have risen at a slightly higher rate than
the consumer price index.
Also, the fiscal restraints on state
governments have forced them to make
cuts to higher education, which supports a large portion of public education funding. The College Board
reports, that on average, 43 percent of
total revenues at public undergraduate
colleges are appropriated from state
and local governments.
The College Board reports that 22
percent of full-time students at fouryear public universities faced tuition
increases of over 9 percent last year.
T he public education system in
California has increased undergraduate tuition by 32 percent.
C
COMMENT: The Collegian is a
forum for student expression.
http://collegian.csufresno.edu
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
FESTIVAL:
More than
6,000 students
are expected to
attend this year
CONTINUED from page 5
er judging coordinator for the festival
said most of the judges are communication students, but many community
members also get involved with judging.
He said judging is a good learning
opportunity for Fresno State students.
“Being a judge gives you experience
with working with children and giving
them positive feedback,” Parkington
said.
Parkington said there are three, onehour judging sessions for each day of
the festival, and anyone can do as many
sessions as they would like.
He said a lot of the student judges
were Peach Blossom participants when
they were in grade school.
“It’s a neat experience for them to be
able to come and judge,” Parkington
said. “Now that they’re in college they
get to return the favor.”
Thousands of kindergarten through
sixth grade students will perform poetry at the 52nd annual Peach Blossom
Festival from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on March
18 and March 19.
Students interested in volunteering
for the event can call the Peach Blossom
Committee at (559) 278-4419.
Page 7 • The Collegian • Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Sports
The
Page 8
Collegian
This coming week...
Softball: Wednesday, at Bulldog Diamond
vs. E. Carolina at 6 and 8 p.m.
Lacrosse: Thursday, at Bulldog Stadium vs.
Detroit at 4 p.m.
Sports Editor, Brianna Campbell • [email protected] • Wednesday, March 10, 2010
‘Dogs blown away
Bulldogs finished eighth overall in their home
tournament in light of poor weather conditions
By Megan Morales
The Collegian
Matt Weir / The Collegian
Sophomore Bhavik Patel finished seventh overall in the individual play with a total of 214 par for
the tournament.
Battling through unfavorable weather
conditions and intense competition,
the Fresno State men’s golf team struggled in the Fresno Lexus Classic at San
Joaquin Country Club Monday and
Tuesday.
On day one of the tournament, the
Bulldogs as well as their competition,
were forced to end early due to darkness.
With about six holes still remaining, the
‘Dogs resumed their second round play
at 8 a.m. Tuesday before they were able
to start the final round in shotgun format, where all players tee off simultaneously at different holes.
“I honestly hate that,” Bhavik Patel
said. “You’re forced to rush and it’s just
a pain, but it happens.”
In addition to losing light, adverse
winds and temperatures took a toll
on just about everyone including the
Bulldog standout.
“It was brutal,” Patel said. “Especially
yesterday, it wasn’t as cold but it was
windier and the conditions were a lot
different than what the practice round
was like.”
Playing in less than suitable weather is something that the Bulldogs are
becoming familiar with.
“Every tournament there’s been a
chance for rain,” Patel said. “It’s been
windy and cold every time so far, we’re
pretty much use to it by now.”
Patel (73-69-72—214) headed into
Tuesday’s rounds 1-over par after playing 33 holes, and managed to finished
seventh overall. Teammate Adam
Barkow (76-71-74—221) placed 33rd and
Bryan Hogan (75-79-70-224) finished in
61st. The Bulldogs finished eighth overall.
Although the overall outcome of the
tournament was a success, head coach
Mike Watney wasn’t satisfied with his
team’s performance.
“It was not a good weekend for us,”
Watney said. “I think the weather played
a factor. We play this course all the time,
but not in these conditions. The advantage we may have had was gone.”
While Watney took note of the room
for improvement, he recognized Patel’s
performance respectively.
“Bhavik, our star of the future and
who I think will be a PGA tour player,
played good as usual,” Watney said.
Regardless of the way he played, Patel
enjoyed golfing in front of familiar
faces, but unwelcomed weather notably
affected his game.
“There’s pros and cons,” Patel said.
“Obviously it’s an advantage, but when
the weather gets like this anything can
happen. Even playing in front of your
home crowd can be hard if you’ve been
traveling too hard-it can have an affect
on your game.”
Coach Watney and the Bulldogs
were not completely satisfied with the
results, but respectfully accept the wins
and losses as they come.
“Overall, as far as the tournament’s
concern I’m happy with the way everything went,” Watney said. “As for our
team, we did not play well. But that’s
sports. Sometimes you’re good sometimes you’re not.”
WAC Championship Tournament, Reno, Nevada March 10-13
Bulldog Game Day
Fresno State Bulldogs
(15-17, 7-9 WAC)
&
Fresno State Bulldogs
(25-5, 6-0 WAC)
By Vogni Yang
The Collegian
Breakdown: Men’s
The men’s basketball team will seek
to win its first WAC Tournament Title
since 2000 as it heads to Reno, Nev., for
the WAC Tournament.
The fifth seeded ‘Dogs are coming off
a 66-59 win against Louisiana Tech on
senior night as it heads into the pool of
eight, playing a familiar foe once again
when it takes on No. 4 seed Louisiana
Tech on Thursday.
WAC Freshman of the Year Greg
Smith will look to lead the ‘Dogs finishing the regular season as the only player to start all 32 games while shooting
a team-best .573 percent from the field
and led the team in shots blocked with
40.
Sophomore forward Paul George,
a second-team All-WAC perfor mer,
will be the impact player for the ‘Dogs
during the tour nament. The allaround player led the team in scoring,
rebounds, steals and minutes. George
averaged nearly 17 points and is also
the team’s best free-throw shooter,
making more than 90 percent of his
shots from the line.
Senior forward Sylvester Seay will
try to go out strong as he hopes to add
a championship to his career. Seay
finished second on the team in scoring, averaging 14.3 points a game to go
along with 36 blocks, 31 steals and 192
rebounds.
The ‘Dogs will be trying to win its
first game in the WAC Tournament
since 2005 when it beat Louisiana Tech
84-81 in the quarterfinals.
Breakdown: Women’s
The regular season Western Athletic
Conference champions will look to
continue its dominance in the WAC as
it starts tournament play Wednesday
against Hawaii.
The women’s basketball team reeled
in 17 straight wins to start the new year
and finished the regular season 16-0 in
the WAC. The No. 1 seeded ‘Dogs won
a school-record 25 games. The team
will look to extend its quest for perfection in conference play as it shoots for
another WAC Tournament Title.
WAC Defensive Player of the Year
Jaleesa Ross and team will hope to
secure the team’s third automatic bid
into the NCAA Tournament as it tries
to add additional accolades for the
‘Dogs.
Ross was the team’s leading scorer,
averaging 17.6 points a game this season with 94 shots made from beyond the
arc. Ross now holds the school-record
for most three-point baskets made and
led the team in steals with 65.
Junior forward Hayley Munro, a second-team All-WAC selection, will look
to contribute as she did all year, finishing second on the team in scoring with
11.3 points a game.
Freshman Rosie Moult was selected
by WAC coaches to the All-Freshmen
team. Moult started 26 games as a freshman while averaging seven points an
outing. She finished third on the team
in rebounds with 149.
The ‘Dogs are hoping to win its third
straight WAC Tournament Title.