Chico State’s Independent Student Newspaper since 1975
CIRCUS CAME TO TOWN
GLOBAL DAY OF ACTION
Chikoko unleashed the circus and fashion to Chicoans at CalSkate. Story C1
Activists participate in international peaceful demonstration. Video theorion.com/multimedia VOLUME 67 ISSUE 10
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 26, 2011
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Group attacks skater on campus bike path
CAMPUS >>
Juniper Rose STAFF WRITER
A Chico State student was assaulted with his skateboard about 2 a.m. Saturday on the bike path west of campus. The student, whose name is being withheld by police, was riding his skateboard northbound on the bike path along the railroad tracks behind Nettleton Stadium, Chico police Sgt. Rob Merrifield said. Five males were walking ahead of the student, he said. When the student attempted to pass the group, one of the men punched him, knocking him to the ground. “The other four guys jumped on him and started kicking and punching him,” Merrifield said. “One of the
A Dia de Los Muertos dance and celebration will be held
at 6 p.m. Saturday at Cafe Culture. The event will be put on by the Phi Sigma Iota International Foreign Language Honor Society, with funding by A.S. Sustainability. This festival will have many fun activities including a costume contest, dance lessons, live music and much more.
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on suspicion of assault suspects hit him in the face with a deadly weapon. with his own skateboard.” The victim had serious Witnesses ran to assist One of the bruising, but was not hosthe victim, leading the suspects pitalized, Merrifield said. group to jump over a fence The student who was and run off, he said. hit him attacked did not know the Officers responding to in the males and had never had the call found the group face with any previous encounters on Nord Avenue just west his own with them, he said. of the bike path, Merrifield “It is possible that they said. The five males were skateboard. had been intending to rob identified as being responhim,” Merrifield said. “Or it sible for the assault. could have just been a ranAll five males were ROB MERRIFIELD dom assault.” arrested, he said. Three Students who live on of those involved were Chico Police sergeant Nord Avenue are scared aged 18 to 19 and taken to use the bike path and to Butte County Jail. A 16-year-old and a 17-year-old were try to avoid it at night, said Corey taken to Butte County Juvenile D’Angelo, a junior pre-nursing major Hall. One suspect was arrested who lived on Nord Avenue last year.
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“Last year my parents did not want me to have night classes because they didn’t want me to ride home late,” D’Angelo said. “When I had night classes my roommate picked me up every time because I didn’t want to have to walk home.” Chico State students know the dangers of the bike path, but it can be difficult to avoid. “Either you go on a scary dark path where people can jump out and hurt you, or you go on a busy street where cars can hit you,” said Madison Lee, a sophomore liberal studies major. “Either way, I feel like it’s dangerous to get home if you live on Nord.” Juniper Rose can be reached at jrose@theorion.com
Source: Campus Announcements
Students sue CSU board over fee hike
BIG AIR Sasha Sinkevich, a sophomore pre-nursing major, competes during the Empire Wake Series Western Collegiate Regionals.
Andre Byik A SST. NE WS EDITOR
Chico will be participating in its third year of the international event “Thrill the World.” The event is open to all ages and will be held at 6:30 p.m. Saturday in the City Plaza. To participate you had to attend mandatory meetings. However, this will be a dance you will not want to miss watching. Source: Artoberfest.org
A unique dance group, Pilobolus, will be performing at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Laxson Auditorium. The dance group combines mime and acrobatics into their dance choreography to create an unforgettable performance that will leave you wondering, “How did they do that?” Source: Chico Performances
NPR’s Planet Money will discuss the economy and its ever changing situations at 7:30 Friday in Laxson Auditorium. They will be breaking down difficult economic theories so that every audience member can understand them, not just an economics major. Planet Money’s Alex Blumberg and Adam Davidson will be sure to leave attendees with some extra knowledge and also some laughs.
A class action lawsuit on behalf of about 175,000 California State University students could see the CSU dolling out tens of millions of dollars in refunds if students win the case. The lawsuit, Keller v. Board of Trustees of CSU, alleges that the CSU breached its contracts with students by increasing fees after initially requiring students to pay a different amount for the fall 2009 term, according to an email sent to students from a calstate.edu address. The CSU denies it was illegal to increase fees or tuition and “denies that it entered into enforceable contracts with the students not to increase fees or tuition, or that it violated the covenant of good faith and fair dealing,” according to the email. “It would be impossible to breach a contract,” said Erik Fallis, a spokesman for the CSU Chancellor’s Office. “There is no contract signed between the university and the students.” The CSU’s relation with students is statutory, not contractual, Fallis said. A fee increase of $336 was charged to most full-time undergraduate students in fall 2009 due to a cut of $584 million to the CSU, Fallis said. The CSU could pay millions is students prevail, Fallis said. Students from 19 CSUs would be eligible for refunds if they did not receive a Cal Grant or State University Grant that offset the fee increase, according to the email. Some may choose to opt out. Rena Brovelli, a senior nursing major, remembers the fee increase in 2009, but after working hard to get to Chico State, there’s no way she wouldn’t pay that additional fee, she said. “I don’t think anyone will opt-out,” said Arpit Shah, a junior computer science major from India. The CSU claims that “at least some students indicated that they preferred and consented to the increase in fees and tuition,” according to the email. Some students prefer higher fees to lowered quality of education, Fallis said. Meetings between the two parties will determine further proceedings this week.
Source: Student Announcements Andre Byik can be reached at abyik@theorion.com
INDEX >>
Flyin’ High
For more on the Empire Wake Series Western Collegiate Regionals, see B1
THE ORION • FRANK REBELO
Bidwell Mansion park closure looms Dani Anguiano STAFF WRITER
Bidwell Mansion may soon be closing its doors for good. The decision is based on the California budget crisis, which led officials to announce plans to close the state historic park May 2012, along with 70 other state parks. The mansion was once the home of Gen. John Bidwell, the founder of Chico, and his wife, Annie Bidwell. But recently, a “Save the Mansion” fund was created in hopes of prolonging the park closure by at least another year. Terry Duffert, a Chico resident, has toured the mansion several times and thinks it has brought him closer to Chico, he said. “It’s sad to see it close,” Duffert said. “It’s a real loss of the history of Chico.” Parks were selected for closure based on statewide significance, visitation and fiscal strength, according to California State Parks. With that methodology, Bidwell Mansion shouldn’t be closing, said Amber Drake, tour guide supervisor at the park. “Bidwell mansion is important not just to Chico, but to California,” Drake said. Though the mansion has a statewide
significance, it doesn’t do as well in the fiscal strength area, Drake said. The cost of running the mansion is around $200,000 annually, and in revenue the RELATED park makes around $57,000 annually. For editorial on More than half of Bidwell Mansion the budget goes closing, see A10 to staff expenses, though over time the staff has been reduced to include several part-time employees and Drake, the only full-time employee. If the park is closed, the government will still have to pay to maintain the park, which includes heating and air, landscape maintenance, security systems and pest control, Drake said. The staff will be laid off and the building will no longer be available to tour, but tax dollars will still be used. California State Parks are one tenth of a percent of California’s budget, Drake said. No decision has been made on what will happen to the artifacts if the mansion is closed as planned. Supporters of the mansion are hoping that the Save the Mansion fund can support the park for another year, said Michael Magliari, >> please see BIDWELL | A8
Zingg warns of $4.1 million cut to school Griffin Rogers STAFF WRITER
Chico State is preparing for a $4.1 million budget cut in the spring 2012 semester, a result of the California failing to meet revenue goals that would defer a $100 million cut. Chico State President Paul Zingg presented his university report at Thursday’s Academic Senate meeting and focused on the budget situation, which “remains totally in flux,” Zingg said. California has a trigger that would cut $100 million from the California State University system if certain revenue goals aren’t met by the end of the year. Since revenues in the current academic year have been inconsistent, the CSU is prepared for the cut, Zingg said. Chico State’s reserve funds would weaken the blow, but seeing that the reserve funds are already low, this defensive effort could diminish backup funds entirely, said Mike Kotar, the Faculty and Student Policies chair. Every year, the CSU hands the state a budget request to fulfill the needs of the system’s 23 universities, said Mike Uhlenkamp, a spokesman for the CSU Chancellor’s Office. This year, the CSU is asking for an additional $315 million that would take effect in the next academic year starting July 1. The proposed budget would be broken down in several ways, the most notable of which would be $100 million toward enrollment growth and $95 million toward increasing faculty compensation, according to a Sept. 21 CSU press release. Although California has been experiencing statewide cuts, asking for a multimillion-dollar budget increase is routine, he said. “We’ve been cutting so much that naturally we’ve been asking for more,” Uhlenkamp said. In the current academic year, the Department of Finance told the CSU that there would be no cuts in the beginning months of 2012 if the system reached $4 million in revenue by the end of 2011. In August, there was room for optimism, Uhlenkamp said. Now, he describes the CSU’s chance of dodging a $100 million budget cut as “not good.” Along with the discussion >> please see CHANGES | A8
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Five Chico State athletic teams stand in first place after this weekend’s competitions. Sports B1-B4
Features Learn to make cheap and original Halloween decorations and costumes. Story D2
Opinion Werewolves square off against vampires in a popculture battle of the sexiest. Story A10