RAMPAGE
THE AWARD-WINNING, STUDENT-RUN NEWSPAPER PROUDLY SERVING FRESNO CITY COLLEGE AND ITS COMMUNITY SINCE 1949.
JANUARY 30, 2013
Volume CXXIV Issue 1
COULD IT HAPPEN HERE? What the college is doing to ensure a safe campus
Impact of Prop 30 immediate BY TOMAS KASSAHUN
tkassahun@therampageonline.com
The spring 2013 semester at Fresno City College is off to an optimistic beginning, thanks to the passage of Proposition 30 by voters last November. The college is already seeing the benefits of the ballot initiative which generates revenue for education through increasing taxes on those who earn more than $250,000. “The impact was immediate. Classes were set to be cancelled this spring schedule and as a result were not,” said Cheryl Sullivan, Vice President of Administrative Services. “The only classes that were cancelled were due to normal scheduling issues, not budget.” Over the last four years, FCC has seen a decline in class offerings, tutorial services, supportive services and many more programs. Now the college is able to at least stop the bleeding. But the outlook is a slow economic recovery and suggests that it may take years to get back to the level of service provided to the community in 2007-2008. History instructor Paul Gilmore, says the college is now a quarter of the way out of the hole. “Over the last four years we have had $800 million in cuts. This [Proposition 30] restores about $200 million,” said Gilmore. “We were going to have another $300 million cut which was going to make it about a $1.2 billion cut. Instead of having $300 million more cut from that $800 million, we’re getting $200 million increase. In other words, we’re getting back about one quarter of what has been cut.” Gilmore added that Proposition 30 has brought some relief to Cost of Living Adjustments (COLAs). In previous years, the state approved COLAs because things would get more expensive every year. The legislature would pass a COLA of a certain percent right off the top and there would be an increase in funding. “We haven’t had those in four years either and that amounts to $900 million itself. So if you’re thinking of adjusting for the cost of living, it’s been a massive cut, which equals l SEE IMPACT ON PAGE 2
Photo by Karen West. State Center Community College District police respond to a signal from an emergency phone near the Free Speech Area on Jan. 29. Officers determined the call was a false alarm. BY TROY POPE
tpope@therampageonline.com
Winter has fallen in Connecticut. Snow covers the trees, the birds have migrated south and some halls in Sandy Hook Elementary School remain empty. The children have resumed class, but the building where 20 children and six adults were killed is still a crime scene.
Many are wondering if massacres like Sandy Hook are preventable, and what steps are being taken at Fresno City College to avert mass killings. Even before the shooting in Connecticut, FCC was in the process of upgrading security around campus through installation of additional technology and training for
security officials. “We’ve increased the ability to contact campus police from classrooms,” said FCC President Tony Cantu about the new phones that are being installed in offices and classrooms throughout campus. If there is a serious emergency on campus, l SEE SAFETY ON PAGE 2
E-Street encampments remain a concern BY COLBY TIBBET
ctibbet@therampageonline.com
The E Street encampment off of Santa Clara and E streets has been getting a lot of attention as one of the largest homeless camps in Fresno. Almost a block long and housing dozens of homeless and socially displaced, the encampment has been an area of contention for city officials and the community. The dispute pits local residents and businesses against those with no place to call home. “The neighboring residents and businesses have been very patient,” said Gregory Barfield, the city of Fresno’s Chief of Staff and former Homeless Prevention and Policy Manager. Barfield stated that he would like to see “all the encampments clear and people housed.” He,
however, added that this is a daunting task, and the city will be “assessing who is in the area and doing what we can to link to the housing very soon.” The camp borders a residential area close to the Poverello House and several recycling centers, which are focal points for many of Fresno’s homeless. “It [the encampment] is better than living in the Oleanders, and it’s close to where those people need to go,” said Dave Martin, a 56-year-old homeless Fresno resident. The Oleanders are large shrubs between Golden State Highway and the railroad tracks that are used by some as shelter. The city has recently begun to remove the Oleanders, forcing many homeless individuals to seek new shelter.
“I see a lot of people helping each other, helping each other from within,” said Kevin Brown, a homeless man who frequents the camp. The city has attempted to implement programs to help the homeless, such as creating housing complexes, but has been met with some backlash. In 2008, hundreds of homeless won a $2.35 million class action lawsuit against the city of Fresno and the California Department of Transportation, after the city seized and destroyed their personal property. “I don’t get it. Where do they want us to go?” said Santiago Ruiz, who camps off of the canal close to E Street. “They shuffle there, shuffle here, shuffle us along.” Some homeless do not see the camp as positively as others. l SEE ENCAMPMENTS ON PAGE 3
Madec Wins 200th game as the head Fresno City College Basketball Coach. SEE PAGE 12