Volume CXII, edition 1
since 1949
August 30, 2006
FCC Launches “A Legacy Renewed” by Ife-Chudeni Oputa
Rampage Reporter
Outside, the grounds of the courtyard are overgrown with dying weeds. The dingy brick walls are covered in ivy, and the windows are cracked and shattered. Inside, pieces of falling ceilings, broken glass and trash litter the ground. In some places, the floor feels like it may give way under your feet. Layers of dust cover everything. This is the Old Administration Building as it currently stands. Fresno City College is now preparing for the complete restoration of this building, a project that will cost an approximated $41 million. In addition, FCC has launched a massive capital campaign to raise $4 million dollars to meet that goal. So why is so much time and effort being put into this run-down structure? The answer begins 90 years ago. The Old Administration Building, or OAB as it is commonly called, is Fresno City College’s own piece of history. Though the building is hard to miss on 2.3 acres of land, many students are unaware of its significance. Built in 1916, the OAB was the first home of California State University Fresno, then called Fresno State Normal School. In
Artist’s rendition of the ‘New’ Old Administration Building by Edwin S. Darden, Assoc. Inc 1921, Fresno Junior College joined Fresno State Normal School and they operated together in the OAB until 1948 when Fresno Junior College relocated. Shortly after in 1956, what was now called Fresno State College, moved six miles northeast to its current campus. This allowed Fresno Junior College to purchase the campus. The OAB was used for classrooms and offices on what became the Fresno City College campus until 1976. Sylvia Sanchez, an FCC counselor and former student, reminisced about her days as a student aide, working
across from the music department. “I remember they used to play every Friday and it was just a lovely atmosphere because you could hear the music; the roses were blooming, and it was just a very nice section of the Administration Building,” Sanchez recalled. Unfortunately, the OAB was declared unsound in the mid1970s because it did not meet earthquake standards. At risk of losing an important piece of history, the community rallied to save the building. “It’s history, it’s part of our history,” said Sanchez. With the community’s support, the OAB
was closed and left vacant until it could be brought up to code. It wasn’t until 2002, when the District voted through Measure E, that the renovation of the Old Administration Building could begin. The Measure E bond approved $25 million of the estimated $41 million total. In addition, $5 million has been approved by the Board of Trustees to meet the amount needed to stabilize the OAB and bring it up to code. This still leaves FCC $11 million dollars short of its goal. Fresno City College will have to wait to finish the North and East wings of
the OAB until the state approves $7 million dollars in funding. The “A Legacy Renewed” capital campaign plans to raise the last $4 million of the goal. At the forefront of this campaign are co-chairs Gurdeep Sihota, College Activities Director and Campaign Director; and Olga Quercia, music instructor. The campaign is now operating under the notion that “charity begins at home.” August 10, 2006 marked the kick-off of the “A Legacy Renewed” campaign. “At this point here, it’s what we call the internal campaign, or the silent phase, when we go to our family first, give them the first opportunity,” said Sihota. Faculty and Staff are being asked to donate one hour per month of their wages over the next three years. “We’ve set that as a sort of standard. Certainly there will be people who make contributions beyond the one hour and people who will have other opportunities to make contributions,” said FCC president Dr. Ned Doffoney. In addition, the Bookstore has created a system whereby faculty, staff, and students have an opportunity to donate $1 to the fund. The paper bricks along the Business Office and Bookstore walls represent their participation. The internal campaign is attempting to raise $1 million of the $4 million goal. This will be See Administration Page 5
Rachel Corrie: Fighting for her beliefs, even in death
Traveling exhibit dedicated to woman killed by Israeli bulldozer comes to FCC by Buen Moua Rampage Reporter “How does a mother react when her child just got killed in a war…?” asked Fresno City College Activities director Gurdeep Sihota. Rachel Corrie, a community college student from Olympia, Washington, was killed while volunteering with the International Solidarity Movement on March 16, 2003 when she tried to prevent the demolition of a Palestinian home in the Gaza Strip. She was only 23 years old. The home belonged to a Palestinian pharmacist and his family. In remembrance of Rachel Corrie’s life, a traveling exhibit founded by members of
her family will be displayed in FCC student Lounge on Aug. 29-31 at the south side of the cafeteria. The exhibit will include THE US SENATE READS of Corrie’s last emails and artworks by Peter Schumann portraying the US Senate’s involvement in the investigation of her death. Corrie’s parents, Cindy and Craig Corrie, will also be speaking today from 12pm to 7pm. The exhibit is sponsored by the Islamic Cultural Center of Fresno along with other cosponsors including Fresno City College-Social Science Division. Sociology/American Studies Instructor Gerry Bill said he knew of the Rachel Corrie story since 2003. “I was approached by Richard Stone from the Fresno Center for Non-
violence [a co-sponsor of the Corrie Exhibit] saying that the Islamic Center wants to display the exhibit,” said Bill. “The neat thing about college experience is it isn’t a one-sided experience,” Sihota said. “You should always get a balance…having exhibits allow for that opportunity.” It is important to know the Middle East conflict because it involves the U.S. financially and militarily,” said Bill. “And some students are in the military.” “Some of us, personally, have loved ones fighting in the wars. Some have families living in the Middle East,” Sihota expressed. A c c o r d i n g t o w w w. palsolidarity.org, the ISM Corrie was volunteering with is a Palestinian-led movement of Palestinian and international
activists who “use nonviolent direct action to free Palestine from Israeli occupation and violence on Palestinian territory.” Dr. Amnon Shor, a rabbi for the past 5 years at the Beth David Messianic Synagogue in Fresno and an expert on the Middle East, said that it isn’t
called the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, rather the Israeli-Arab conflict. “It is a conflict that goes back to Biblical times, all the way to the time of Abraham,” explained Rabbi Shor. “As a see CORRIE, page 5
Rampage Correction We would like to apologize to the Fresno City College football team, administration, and college community for the headline run in our abbreviated first edition. We strive to print factual information, and we want to let our readers know that we take this responsibility seriously.