September 19, 2012
AMPAGE Volume CXXIII Issue 2
FREE
The Student-Run Newspaper of Fresno City College
VIGIL HELD FOR SLAIN STUDENT Photo by Abel Cortez Katie Lung joined other mourners in a candlelight vigil in her honor of her mother, Lisa Gilvary, a Fresno City College student who was killed on Monday Sept. 10 near the college. Investigators say that Michael Crockell stabbed Gilvary, 20-year-old Jennifer Gonzalez and a Fresno police officer.
l SEE VIGIL ON PAGE 2
ASG Moves Toward Removal BY TROY POPE
tpope@therampageonline.com
Senator James Demaree of the Associated Student Government rebutted the charges levied against him by the organization during its meeting yesterday. ASG voted to start the formal process of removing Demaree during its Sept. 11 meeting. Legislative Vice President Rachel McKinley read the charges accusing Demaree of behavior that is “unbecoming of an elected student representative”; for not complying with the LVP’s request for information for placement in committees, office hours, and for not participating in ‘Welcome Week’, an ASG-sponsored event. In the open forum section of the meeting, some outspoken students voiced their opinions of the situation.
Like Grisanti Valencia, a former ASG senator agreed that Demaree’s conduct is unacceptable. “I think that could really turn some people off, and even turn some people against student government,” she said referring to Demaree’s YouTube videos. However, Scott Westman, a student at FCC, defended Demaree. “We are here to learn. He’s [Demaree] a student… What are we going to do? We’re just going to throw anybody out who disagrees?” He said. “I read the Constitution, there’s nowhere that it says an advisor can come in and just take him [Demaree] away.” Charge one -- “Behavior is unbecoming of an elected student representative.” In an elaborated form, the charge states that Demaree acted in a way which was “defiant and
disruptive,” and cited several instances in which he said things in YouTube videos that they felt were inappropriate. The charge states that Demaree referred to the “student body of Fresno City College as ‘dumbasses.’” However, in the YouTube video that ASG was citing, Demaree was describing the vote to create designated smoking areas as “a really dumbass decision.” The charges continuously use the term hate speech, claiming that Demaree’s speech in the videos “incites towards hatred”. Contrary to the ASG interpretation, hate speech is, in fact, a protected form of speech under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. In fact, the U.S. Supreme l SEE ASG ON PAGE 4
Fresno City College Seeks Recycling Program
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Academic Senate Rejects Accreditation Report BY JESSE FRANZ
jfranz@therampageonline.com
Fresno City College’s Academic Senate voted not to authorize its president to sign the accreditation follow-up report during its meeting on Sept. 12, in a move that, some say, could jeopardize the college’s accreditation future. “We run a big risk of not signing that [the follow-up report] and moving that forward,” Dr. Brian Calhoun, a vocal proponent of signing the report, said. Discussion of the accreditation follow-up report was listed on the agenda as item 8.7 – “Accreditation Report/Response – Review and Vote”. In the discussion and vote
Veterans Advocates Seek New Campus Program
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that followed, senators insisted that certain wordings be altered before they could authorize Dr. Claudia Habib, academic senate president, to sign the document. Habib’s is one of seven signatures required for the approval of the report. Others whose signatures are needed include chancellor of the State Center Community College District, Deborah Blue; H. Ronald Feaver, president, Board of Trustees, Ernie Garcia, president, Classified Senate, FCC; Kelly Fowler, interim VP for Instruction and Accreditation Liaison Officer for the college; Tony Cantú, president and Nathan Alonzo, president of the Associated Students Governl SEE REPORT ON PAGE 2