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Chico State’s Independent Student Newspaper since 1975
Chico State athletic department on its way to second Commissioner’s Cup. Package A6
“OKLAHOMA!” VOLUME 68 ISSUE 15
WEDNESDAY, MAY 9, 2012
Check out photos from the School of the Arts’ production of “Oklahoma!” over the weekend. Photo gallery at theorion.com
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NIGHT FIGHT First responders aid a man who was beaten and left unconscious about 11:50 p.m. Saturday at West Fifth and Ivy streets.
POLICE BEAT
Violence highlights holiday Editor’s note: Asst. News Editor Juniper Rose and staff photographer Frank Rebelo report from areas near campus during a crime-ridden Cinco de Mayo weekend in Chico. Juniper Rose A SST. NE WS EDITOR
A female student was attacked on campus and six people were sent to the hospital with injuries including gunshot wounds, internal head trauma and broken limbs during a weekend of violence that strained police resources. “Two shootings and a car crash in the span of just a few hours is quite a bit for us to handle in such a short amount of time,” Chico police Sgt. Greg Keeney said. Saturday, 12:51 p.m. Shots were fired in the midst of an assault on the 700 block of West Second Avenue.
Initially a reporting party told police that a victim had been shot in the head, but when police arrived at the scene they found a victim who had been kicked in the head in a fight, Chico police Sgt. Billy Aldridge said. The victim was transported to Enloe Medical Center but wounds were not life threatening, he said. Saturday, 11:50p.m. A man was kicked and punched until unconscious and was lying shirtless between two cars at West Third and Ivy streets as a group of partygoers looked on. Chico Police got a call that there was a fight at 10:50 p.m. Saturday, Chico police Sgt. Curtis Prosise said at the scene of the incident. Medics stabilized the victim, whose name has not been released, and took him >> please see WEEKEND | A4
PHOTOS BY • FRANK REBELO
WATCH YOUR HEAD Chico police arrest Butte College student Dominique Harris, 18, on suspicion of battery with serious bodily injury.
Faculty vote to strike To cope with cuts, college suspends graduate program who voted, voted in favor of the strike initiative, Ornelas said. STAFF WRITER “We don’t have exact numbers, but there Faculty members across the California were very few dissident votes,” he said. The faculty voted to give the CFA the State University system voted to authorize a strike in the fall if contract negotiations with authority to have a two-day rolling strike throughout the 23 CSUs, Ornelas said. It is the CSU don’t lead to an agreement. likely that a strike would roll through After three days of talks, negotiathe system, starting with one campus tions Saturday broke down, which and going through each CSU univermeans the fact-finding process sity before starting over. will now begin, according to a CSU When the CFA voted for the authorpress release. A neutral fact-finding panel will be appointed to make We don’t ity to initiate a strike in 2007, the a recommendation to settle nego- have exact CSU pulled through and came to the bargaining table 24 hours before tiations between the CSU and the numbers, the strike would have started, said faculty union. but there Susan Green, the CFA Chico State The CSU, the release states, chapter treasurer. believed it addressed faculty conwere The vote is still “significantly precerns including the appointment and very few mature,” said Mike Uhlenkamp, a evaluation of temporary faculty and dissident spokesman for the CSU Chancellor’s fee waivers for employees, accordvotes. Office. ing to the release. An exception was “This vote does not necessarily that the CSU said it would not pay mean they will go on strike,” Uhlenfor leave time used by the faculty VINCE ORNELAS kamp said. “There is still a long union president and Political Action Chico State CFA process to continue, and the next Committee positions to conduct chapter president part hasn’t begun yet.” union business. If the fact-finding process does not About 70 percent of approximately create a settlement, the CSU offers its 12,000 California Faculty Association members participated in the strike vote, best and final offer, he said. After that, the which took place from April 16-26, said Vince CFA can legally strike. Until the process is over, the strike Ornelas, CFA Chico State chapter president. About 95 percent of the faculty members >> please see STRIKE | A4 Aubrey Crosby
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Juniper Rose A SST. NE WS EDITOR
Eight students who enrolled in the geography and planning graduate program won’t be starting school in the fall as admission to their program has been suspended. The decision to suspend the geography program was made by the dean of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences in consultation with faculty in the program, Interim Vice President Phyllis Fernlund and Chico State President Paul Zingg, Wills said. Suspending admissions to the geography graduate program came after several years of self-study and a five-year review of the program, said Gayle Hutchinson, dean of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences. Department resources, the number of students entering the program, the rate at which students graduate from the program and budget are all taken into consideration when evaluating a program, she said. There are 25 graduate studies programs at Chico State and about 1,400
graduate students. The geography graduate studies program has about 40 students with about 10 new students enrolling each year, said Jacquelyn Chase, the chair of the geography and planning department. Graduation rates are even lower than enrollment, because many graduate students work during graduate school and take a long time to finish theses, Chase said. On average, one or two students graduate from the program each year. Low completion rates could have led to the suspension of the program, said Don Hankins, who became graduate studies adviser in August, after the program went through a review process. Hankins has been working to increase graduation rates by coaching students, and his counseling has helped to prepare eight or nine students to graduate from the program this year, Hankins said. The California State University system budget was cut by $750 million this year and $200 million in budget cuts are anticipated next year, said Joe Wills, the director of public affairs and >> please see CUTS | A4
Parade revives past ‘Pioneer’ name Luke Minton STAFF WRITER
About 5,000 people lined the streets to see more than 60 floats in the annual Pioneer Day Parade in downtown Chico Saturday. The theme of this year’s celebration, which dates back to 1917, was “Celebrating Northern California’s Resources.” The floats included a 12-person, self-propelled mobile cart from Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., performances from the Paradise High School marching band and the Chico Fire Department’s antique steamer, which was pulled along the route by five
THE ORION • ANNIE PAIGE
ALOHA Members of the Chico Hula Club dance downtown during the Pioneer Day Parade. Thousands came out to celebrate the traditional Chico event.
INDEX >>
Clydesdale horses. G-Rides pedicabs and the Chico Air Museum also marched in the parade. Chico State’s Delta Psi Delta fraternity members created a replica of their Third and Hazel streets house for their float. Fraternity members pushed the float from inside. Independent Living Services of Northern California members marched as pirates in a “Pirate Palooza” display, which made crowd members jump as replica guns were fired. Each float circled the downtown area and stopped at the judges’ booth on the
corner of East Fourth and Main streets. In addition to the parade, the event also hosted several areas for arts and crafts, local businesses, eateries and other shops surrounding City Plaza. Although student attendance at the event was low, many families and community members were there. “It seems like every year it gets bigger and bigger, because every year it gets better and better,” said Larry Scott, an announcer and judge of the parade. The Pioneer Day Parade was previously incorporated >> please see PARADE | A3
INSIDE >>
World News
A2
Arts
B1
Weather
A2
Features
B3
Police Blotter
A4
Service Directory
B5
Sports
A6
Opinion
B7
Arts
TODAY
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full week A2 >>
Two students debate the affordability of art purchases in college. Commentaries B2
Features Find out the most commonly lost items on campus. Story B4
Opinion Senior looks back on her time at Chico State. Column B7