All Americans
The fast and the furious
De Anza, home to both military veterans and elite runners| PAGES 7 & 12
La Voz Weekly THE VOICE OF DE ANZA Vol. 41, Issue 26
May 27, 2008
The Week Ahead
Kiss an iPod Contest Two member teams are invited to hold an iPod between their lips, kissing it as long as possible. Wednesday, May 28, Noon, outside the Bookstore
Drum for fun! Join the Jews, Israelis and Friends Club for an interactive drumming session with internationally renowned percussionist Jim Greiner. Wednesday, May 28, 12 to 1 p.m. in the Main Quad
ʻDeportation Across Immigration Communitiesʼ screening This film will be followed by a panel discussion focusing on deportation amongst Asian communities. Wednesday, May 28, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., in the California History Center
Careers in psychology The Pacific Graduate School of Psychology invites De Anza students to a talk on careers in industrial/organizational psychology by professor Mark Healy. Thursday, May 29, 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., in Room E 24.
Hip hop artist Rennie Harris Choreographer and UCLA, Columbia lecturer Rennie Harris will speak and give a hip-hop demonstration. Thursday, May 29, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., in Choral Hall Room A11
Find a complete list of campus events on PAGE 2
INDEX
Campus Snapshot...............p3 Weekly Notes.....................p3 Economics for Everyone.......p5 Arts and Entertainment.......p8 Editorial.......................p10 Sports.........................p12 La Voz Weekly is a first amendment newspaper, produced by students for the campus community of De Anza College. La Voz Weekly is printed on recycled paper.
Duel at De Anza Autocross enters its 39th year and draws in hundreds| PAGE 6
Wargames
Just which gaming console is the best: Wii, PS3, or Xbox? We report, you decide.| PAGE 8
GOOD GRIEF!
Allegations of offensive gestures, blackmail and excess spending fly back and forth at DASB Senate elections grievances meeting; announcement of election results postponed Aiselle De Vera and Audrey Barker LA VOZ NEWS
Here we go again … In a move reminiscent of the controversy surrounding the DASB senate elections of 2007, the elections committee has decided to postpone the announcement of results from the 2008 elections due to a series of grievances filed by multiple parties alleging campaign malfeasance. At the grievances meeting last Tuesday, the elections committee decided to strip the United Students Coalition of 10 percent of its votes for exceeding the DASB’s campaign spending limits. USC spent $700 on the campaigns of the 13 members in its coalition, eclipsing the $650 limit by about $4 per person. Adwin Ho, a member of the elections committee, proposed the vote penalty as a substitute for disqualifying USC altogether. Such a punishment would be too harsh, he said. David Hinault, USC’s presidential candidate, took issue with the ruling. “What happened was a financial error, it wasn’t a campaigning error, so we shouldn’t be penalized by votes. We should be penalized financially,” he said. According to Hinault, the coalition included unused materials in its expense report. Members reported an excess of 1,000 flyers, bottles of paint and stacks of undistributed business cards that were not used. “We didn’t have any unfair advantage. The only thing we did is that we screwed up on the report,” said Andre Fomenko, a USC candidate in the election.
All senate candidates can be reimbursed for up to $50 worth of campaign materials per person, whether used or unused. The honor system is used when it comes to candidates filling out expense reports. The vote penalization could significantly impact the results of the senate elections because the margins between first and second place are often close.
“We didnʼt have any unfair advantage. The only thing we did is we screwed up on the report.” Andre Fomenko, United Students Coalition candidate
The average difference between vote counts for running mates falls within a margin of five percent, Hinault said at Thursday’s follow-up elections grievance meeting, where he filed an appeal. “In trying to be lenient with us you did the same thing as disqualify us,” he told interim committee chair Monica Penn. “There’s at least one position – perhaps a few positions – where 10 percent would make the difference between winning and losing, and so would result in disqualification for certain candidates,” said Robin Claassen, former president of the senate and USC candidate for VP of administration. Claassen said that he was unaware of any excess spending. “We had the choice to not count anything we didn’t actually use in the campaign,” he said. SEE “DASB” PAGE 4
Advise and consent: DASB Senate candidates Robin Claassen (above) and Terell Sterling (below) ponder their options with advisers during Tuesdayʼs grievances meeting.
JOSE MARTE 2/LA VOZ
Environmental club pushes sustainability fee Matthew Larvey LA VOZ NEWS
WISE 37, a De Anza College environmental group, is working to give full-time De Anza students the option to vote for a mandatory sustainability fee to be paid every quarter with registration fees. WISE 37’s goal is to have the initiative on the ballot by next spring. The “green fee” would be added onto quarterly registration fees to help fund sustainability efforts around the campus. There is lack of funds for sustainability needs at De Anza College, said Seema Rupani, president of WISE 37. A group of De Anza faculty members, the College Environmental Advisory Group, is outlining plans for sustainability management around the campus. Improved recycling, efficient landscaping, increased usage of renewable energy sources and use of natural sunlight in classrooms are some of the many projects that would help De Anza decrease the impact on its own environment and the environment around it. WISE 37 has not yet decided on an
DE ANZA VOICES:
Would you support a sustainability fee? COMPILED BY MATTHEW LARVEY/LA VOZ
exact figure for the proposed fee, but has been conducting surveys around campus to gauge the student vote based on various amounts. Students would be willing to pay between $1 and $3 per quarter, a WISE 37 representative said. Considering that roughly 8,000 full-time students attend De Anza every quarter, a $3 fee would raise as much as $24,000 in one academic year for sustainability efforts. Several colleges across the nation have already integrated sustainability fees into registration with their students’ approval, including UC Berkeley and UCLA. UCLA approved the fee on May 8 with 76 percent of the student vote – by far the highest margin of victory for any initiative at the school this past year. The fee at UCLA is $4, to be paid each quarter by fulltime students, and will bring in an estimated $300,000 per year. Lately, De Anza has been taking significant steps towards achieving environmental sustainability. It is the first community college in the U.S. to maintain three Green Building Council-approved buildings: the Kirsch Center, the Student and
Community Services Building, and the Visual and Performing Arts Center. GBC approval is a nationally accepted recognition of the design, construction and operation of high performance and environmentally friendly buildings. “Our overall goal is to minimize the footprint we leave on the land,” said Jeanine Hawk, vice president of Finance and College Services and CEAG member. “More than funding though, we need many people to get interested and involved, students and faculty.” WISE 37 contributed to getting locally grown organic food and biodegradable dining utensils in the De Anza cafeteria, and is also planning to institute a full-time or part-time sustainability coordinator to organize campus projects with students. For additional information or to contact WISE 37 go to their website at http://www.wise37.com or look into the sustainability project at http://deanza.edu/sustainability. Matthew Larvey is a staff reporter for La Voz. Contact him at mattlarvey@ lavozdeanza.com.
BY THE NUMBERS Results of the WISE 37 survey of De Anza students regarding an added sustainability fee:
15%
Would support fee > $3
35%
Would support $3 fee
29%
Would support $1 fee
12%
Would support $.25 fee
6%
Would not support fee 1 PERCENT DID NOT RESPOND. SOURCE: WISE 37
“With tuition costs rising the way they are, it seems like a small expense.”
“Itʼs long overdue.”
“Anything to get renewable energy on campus is great.”
Orin Cook, chemistry major
Mary Pham, English major
Rob Morrison animation major
@
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