Monday, May 8, 2000 -
Palomar College -
Volume 53, Number 22
Looking back
Off the deep end
Boxers or briefs?
Thirty years after the Kent State shootings, the Ohio college reflects.
Palomar's swim team makes strong showing at Conference Championship.
Everything you wanted to know about men's underwear.
News, page
Student building plans drawn
~0
Sports, page 16
Focus, page 6
Ravers Drug risks come to light as rave popularity grows
late
Erin Day Travis Usrey
Jo Appleton
Contribllting Writer
Staff Writer
Staff Writer
Palomar College officials hope a new Student Union will be completed for the fall of 200 l. That is correct, a new Student Union. Plans for the new building and a rough design are to be submitted to various committees, like the governing board, during in the coming weeks. Construction is expected to start in December of this year. "(The new Student Union) will have a large glass front and be very ,~attractive," said Bruce Bishop, inter·i.m director of student activities. The plan is to demolish the current building, except for the kitchen and meeting rooms behind the building, then build a two-story structure in its place. The front patio, dining area, restrooms, and offices will be new. The ATM and the game room are to oe relocated. The second story is expected to include a lounge area for students to study and relax, a new Intemalional Student Center, the Student Activities Office and the Transfer Center. The back of the Student Union will be new as well. "We are adding a 40 square foot patio in the back for students," Bishop said. There will also be clubrooms and other meeting facilities in that area. The budget for this project is $2.5 million dollars. In 1998, students passed a measure that increased student fees by $1 a unit, up to $10 a school year, to pay for the new building. The college plans to take out a loan to pay for all building costs now and use the incoming student fees to pay off the loan in the years to come, Bishop said. The budget of $2.5 million covers furnishings, such as new tables and chairs, to a certain extent. The college plans on receiving money for things of that nature from other undeclared sources in the future The current plans for the Student Union are not set in stone. They will · tl'! presented to many committees throughout the campus, including forums with students. The plans will be submitted to the State Department of Architecture, for closer inspection. This process will take several months. In 1999, it looked like there would not be enough money to build a new student union, let alone a two-story one, like the original plan students approved in 1998. The original plan called for a three-story building, two stories above ground, one underneath, a cyber cafe, and a relaxing area for students. But now it finally looks like a reality. The current plan is scaled down some from the original idea, but officials feel, when completed, most everyone will be satisfied with it. The current plan will also allow for "add-ons" to the new building, if more money becomes available in the future. Possibilities include various study, club and multi-purpose rooms. During the construction, the college will have to find a place to house students for lunch. Nothing is official yet, but when the time comes, Palomar has an1ple lawn and open space around the campus. The kitchen is expected to remain operactional throughout most of the construction.
An array of lights bounce through the smoke-filled room as disc jockeys spin their upbeat techno mix to keep kids dancing into the early morning. Teens have been attending the so-called rave scene for almost a decade, but within the last year the scene has grown tremendously among college students who are curious about the raves . Students may hear about them from a friend or even see a flier on campus. "I have heard various people talking about raves in my classes and I have even seen fliers around campus," said Amber Levins, a 19~year-old Palomar College student. "It kind of makes people curious as to what goes on at these all-night parties." Curious students attend these parties to find the drug Ecstasy is what keeps people dancing all night long. Ecstasy is an amphetamine-like drug and belongs to a class of drugs known as designer drugs. Designer drugs, especially "E," are often associated with raves. Ecstasy, or MDMA, can cause brain damage because it depletes an important chemical in the brain, serotonin. According to a study done by the National Institute of Drug Abuse, serotonin regulates mood, sleeping and eating habits, thinking processes, aggressive behavior, sexual function and sensitivity to pain. Many students who experiment with this drug, do so without knowing what it may do to their bodies. "One has to be particularly concerned about ecstasy because thousands of kids using the drug are not getting any clear indication or warning signal that they're experimenting with a highly toxic drug abuse," said Dr. George Ricuarte, a Johns Hopkins neurologist. Palomar student Jenni Mansour, 20, has been attending raves for more than a year. She said she has definitely noticed a rapid increase in the amount of college students attending. "I went to a party called 'How Sweet it Is' last year and only 12,000 people were there, but this year when I went there was almost
40,000 kids," Mansour said. "It was incredible. I talked to many people throughout the night and just in one night I met nine students from Palomar College." People are going to these raves and not really thinking about the long-term effects the drugs may have on them. Scientists from Johns Hopkins University said ecstasy use could trigger neuro-psychiatric disorders including anxiety and depression. "Our generation is going to kill itself off because of carelessness," Mansour said.
"We are the hippies of the millennium, only the drugs kids are taking now are much more dangerous and trendy." Ben Dung, 21, who attends Cal State San Marcos, said he believes that once a person goes and has a good time they want to keep going back for more. He said it is a strange compulsion among college students. "I believe many people our age go to raves whether they are from Palomar or San see Raves, page 3
It is approaching the one year anniversary of Palomar College's new People Soft program, and the Financial Aid Office is still ironing out problems in the system. Financial aid checks have yet to be mailed, but Mary San Augustin, financial aid director, said she exepects checks to be mailed Friday. San Augustin said all the disbursements to established students have been on schedule except the most recent. "It was scheduled to be disbursed April 14, but it's delayed by two weeks," she said. For new fi nancial aid recipients the delay is even greater. "The money is usually disbursed to students in two allotments, it is the second payout that's late," she said. "And until we get caught up, we can't issue checks to new people." Palomar's goveming board gave permission for an advancement of district funds in order to get the money to students on time, said Lois Meyers, director of the fiscal services. "We're basically loaning the financial aid program money until they fix their part of the problem," she said. Since last Summer, when Palomar installed the new computer program, there hasn't been a single check generated from the Financial Aid Office, Meyers said. "All the checks have been manually disbursed from the fiscal office." The two offices arc working together to get the problem resolved, but it's been difficult, she added. "We're doing everything we can to fix the problem," Meyers said. "It's either the program or the setup, we just don't know what it is." Meyers added that although the system was recently upgraded, student refund checks that were expected to come out of the same system April 21, never made it either. San Augustin said it's important to keep in mind that all the departments at Palomar
see Checks, page 3
Speech policy • • still up 1n a1r Jo Appleton Staff Writer
Complex and controversial, the future of Palomar's new symbolic expression policy is uncertain. The Associated Student Government rescinded its endorsement saying the language is too restricting of speech and not clear in some areas. At the April 26 ASG meeting, members moved not to pass the free expression policies and procedures packet put together by Bruce Bishop, interim director of student activities. They argued that one fraction in the draft implies that faculty free speech would be restricted. Members say that would ultimately mean the college would have to dictate how and what instructors can teach in their classrooms. Bishop, commenting on the fourth or fifth draft of the policy that's been circulated since last October, said by no means is it a finished product. It was presented to student government and all the faculty offices for feedback and
suggestions to the guidelines proposed, he said. "At the April 26 meeting student government pointed out how the policy can affect faculty in a way never intended. It could be interpreted that way, but there is no language in the California Education Code that allows us to restrict faculty. I have to make that revision," Bishop said. Mary Ann Drinan, political science instructor, said a number of is ues in the draft prompt a response. "The draft in part... seems to infringe on constitutionally protected speech," she said. Particularly in the visitors to campus section that states, "Where speakers are of a specific persuasion on an issue, or where controversial topics are presented, opportunities to present balancing viewpoints should be provided." Drinan said the statement implies a requirement for balance before a visitor can speak on campus. The guideline is very complex, see Policy, page 7
Robert Chavis I Tire Telescope
Palomar college performing arts students practice for their upcoming show "Dance Odessy 2000." The performance features tap, jazz, theatre dance, ethnic, ballet and modern dance. The show takes place May 12 and 13 at 8 p.m. and May 14 at 2 p.m. in the Howard Brubeck Theatre. General audience tickets are $10, seniors/staff $8 and $6 for students.