The S tate Hornet January 27, 2010 HORNET INSIDE TENNIS CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS
The men’s and women’s tennis teams were unanimously voted to repeat as conference champions. Find out why.
Sports B4 HAPPY HOUR
C alifornia S tate U niversity, S acramento
O ne C opy F ree
E st . 1949
Attorney General audits auxiliaries By Nallelie Vega nvega@statehornet.com University Enterprise Inc., a nonprofit organization affiliated with Sacramento State, is one of four auxiliaries in the California State University system being audited by the state Department of Justice for possible mismanagement of donations. On Nov. 5, 2009, Attorney General Jerry Brown requested financial, governance and other documents relating to loans for
Spring address draws protest
Sac State President Alexander Gonzalez dating back to 2002. The request included: copies of the original bylaws, Articles of Incorporation, fiscal policies, IRS forms, investment policies, copies of all board minutes and all documents showing the source of the money loaned to Gonzalez. The investigation began after the attorney general’s office received a letter in early July from California Faculty Association President Lillian Taiz. The letter
urged for the investigations of various nonprofit auxiliaries affiliated with Sonoma State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Sac State. “This is no time to allow the questionable actions of these foundations to continue,” she said in the letter. “The CSU needs every penny in donations that the foundations receive.” Universities do not benefit from loans made to high-ranking officials, Taiz said, adding that CFA does not support
such loans. She said there have been many controversial issues regarding the mismanagement of donations by auxiliaries in recent years. The letter cited the following examples: · A Sonoma State academic foundation made hundreds of thousands of dollars in loans to a board member. University officials are unable to explain how the unpaid loans came about. · A Fresno State foundation improperly used more than $450,000 toward athletics and
had been doing so for various fiscal years. UEI also came under fire for loans made to Gonzalez in 2003. The loans added up to more than $260,000 and were used for his relocation and housing as well as the remodeling of his kitchen in his Sacramento home. A $27,000 loan was used toward the purchase of a commercial stove and hood for Gonzalez’s home. Taiz said see AUDIT | page A4
Students and Faculty Protest on First Day of School
By Leidhra Johnson ljohnson@statehornet.com
Want to get sauced in Sacramento for cheap? We’ll tell you how.
Features B1 MAKE A DIFFERENCE NOW
Waiting for change isn’t working, says opinion writer Matt Rascher, so get out there and spread the word: We will not stand for a second-rate education. Read Matt’s column and make a change.
Opinion A5 STUDENT TAX CREDIT
Despite the state’s economic crisis, Sacramento State President Alexander Gonzalez expressed optimism for spring 2010 as he outlined the university’s financial situation at his annual spring address on Thursday. Sac State has responded well to challenges and taken the necessary steps to ensure quality education, Gonzalez said. He also discussed proposals being made in efforts to remedy the damage that has been done. Addressing Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s budget proposal, Gonzalez pointed out it is too early to form solid plans, since the proposal is still in its early stages and has yet to be revised. “Gov. Schwarzenegger’s budget proposal is just that, it’s a proposal,” Gonzalez said. “Likewise the constitutional amendment that he proposed to guarantee higher education a percentage of the state general fund has many hurdles to clear before it can be enacted.” The proposal, if passed, would restore $305 million in one-time cuts and provide $60.6 million for enrollment growth. However, the proposal is only a possibility. “The budget dance with the Legislature is just beginning and what is proposed in January, as you all know, may not be what is translated to us and passed later in the year,” Gonzalez said. Joining Gonzalez to discuss plans for handling academic affairs and enrollment at Sac State were Provost and Vice Presisee ADDRESS | page A3
Avoid paying taxes without all those messy fraud charges. For more information, see inside.
News A3 FIRST DAY OF CLASS VIDEO
To see the video of the address, visit www.statehornet.com
Many classes are crowded on the first day. See what students and faculty had to say.
Mia Matsudaria State Hornet
Issue 1 | Volume 62 | No. 15
The California Faculty Association of Sacramento State and the Sac State Coalition picketed against fee hikes and furloughs outside the J Street entrance Monday morning. To read the full story, visit www.statehornet.com.
Nursing receives $500,000 grant By Christine Bergholm cbergholm@statehornet.com Sacramento State’s division of nursing has received a $500,000 grant from the Frank M. and Gertrude R. Doyle Foundation to equip its new facilities in Folsom Hall, the former CalSTRS building. The money is being used to help furnish clinical simulation labs, which give nursing students the opportunity to practice real-life situations before interacting with actual patients. The simulators are mannequins that talk, breathe, have heartbeats and are programmed to react to medical conditions the way a real patient would. In addition to the simulators, computers to program the simulators, gurneys and other equipment will also be purchased to make the clinical simulation labs as complete and up-to-date as possible. For roughly 50 years, the
Robert Graham of the Sac State Coalition protests while President Gonzalez gives his spring address.
nursing program has been housed in El Dorado Hall, a location that was only meant to be temporary until a new building was built. It only has two simulation labs, which limits the space available to the program. Because labs are being used as storage space, equipment must to be moved out before students can begin a simulation. Due to shortfalls in Sac State’s budget, the university has had to cut back on enrollment, offer fewer classes and put furlough days in place. These cutbacks restrict the number of students who can be enrolled in the nursing program, said Ann Stoltz, chair of the division of nursing. The division admits 80 students per semester, and the larger facilities and the new equipment should help to increase the program’s capacity, Stoltz said. “I have been in classes of over 300 and every one of them
File photo
Nursing students crowd into a classroom in El Dorado Hall to work on a simulation dummy. A grant from the Doyle Foundation will provide more space for learning. is a pre-nursing student. I fear when I go into those classes, those students are taking my dreams away’” said Jane Stefan, a pre-nursing student. The Frank M. and Gertrude R. Doyle Foundation is a Nevada-based private organiza-
tion started in 1977 that offers scholarships to high school students and grants to nonprofit organizations, including universities. The Doyle Foundation had see NURSING | page A4
Young grads’ unemployment rate up By Timothy Sandoval tsandoval@statehornet.com
Online News statehornet.com
The State Hornet
Nallelie Vega State Hornet
Recent college graduates have an unemployment rate that is almost double the unemployment rate of older college graduates, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The national unemployment rate for college graduates 20 to 24 years old rose to 9.5 percent at the end of 2009, while the unemployment rate among college graduates 25 years and older has been at 5 percent. “It’s not much of a surprise,” said Todd Johnson, an economist for the Bureau of Labor
Statistics. “(Younger workers) tend to fall into the category of first hired, first fired.” Johnson said in the last few years, employment among older workers has been increasing. “There is a perception among employers that an older worker will be more stable and less prone to look for another job,” Johnson said. Candace McGee, Sacramento State’s Career Center Internship Program Manager, said professionalism is key to overcoming the perception that younger college graduates are less stable than older college graduates. In 2008, the average worker
aged 20 to 24 stayed with the same employer for only a little over a year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. “There is a greater likelihood that young college graduates will take a job that is available, find they don’t really like that job, and look for something else,” Johnson said. Some recent Sac State graduates have experienced the tough job market firsthand. Patrick Jennings, alumnus, applied for hundreds of jobs before he took a job as a staff accountant at the Northstar at Tahoe Ski Resort, in Lake Tahoe.
“You think college is the hard part and when you graduate you’re going to find a job right off the bat, but it’s not like that,” Jennings said. After graduating, Jennings said he aimed high when he applied for jobs, but eventually had to aim lower after finding he was not getting feedback from the more lucrative employers. “In the beginning of the process I was kind of cocky,” Jennings said. “But as it went on, I got more humble and learned to work harder.” see GRADS | page A4