La Voz de Aztlan, October 1 1979

Item

La Voz de Aztlan, October 1 1979

Title

La Voz de Aztlan, October 1 1979

Creator

Associated Students of Fresno State

Relation

La Voz de Aztlan (Daily Collegian, California State University, Fresno)

Coverage

Fresno, California

Date

10/1/1979

Format

PDF

Identifier

SCUA_lvda_00106

extracted text

,,

A Special Publication o_f the Daily Collegian

LA VOZ de AZTLAN
Oct. 1, 1979

Monday
College Union fees

Cultural, ethnic programming neglected .
by Ricardo Pimentel
La Voz Editor
Chicano students paid about $30,000
in college union fees for the 1978-79
school year, yet there has been no significant amount of college union programming for Chicanos.
Most of the Chicano events have been
sponsored by the Associated Students.
The $30,000 figure is based on Chicano
enrollment figures for 1978-79.
Gary Bongiovanni, director of CU
programming, said, "'There have not
been a big number o.f specific ethnic
programs, but alot of the programs we
do ai:e attended by all the demographics
of the campus." According to the College Union program calendar, in the past
two semesters there have only been two
events sponsored by the CU even remotely directed at the Chicano campus
community. This semester, according to
the calendar, there are no events aimed
at the Chicano community scheduled.
"'Our definition of minority is broader/ Bongiovanni explained. "'Generally
programs are judged_by their merit."
The CU programming committee is
responsible for aiding Bongiovanni
in selecting and presenting CU programs . Two of the fllembers of the 10-

member committee are elected by the
student body, the others are appointed,
according to Luis Sepulveda, AS legislative vice president.
In the Handbook and Manual of Procedures for the College Union Board,
the policy making body for the CU, the
program committee is charged with "the
responsibility of presenting a balanced
program that will appeal to the total
campus community.
The program
should also contain elements which will
expose the campus community to the
rich variety of cultural and ethnic
heritages represented in the student
body and staff of the university .•
Bongiovanni said that if minority
program desires were met it would result in •a large number of small programs ." He added, "Our trend has
been to present programs for broader,
wider audiences."
Bongiovanni suggested that if anyone
has a complaint about CU programming,
"they try to get involved." Jeff Watson,
echoed the program director's suggestion, but asked, "Why isn't there
enough outreach (by the program committee) to students to find out what types
of programs minorities want?" "They
should make an attempt to . find out,"

he added . Watson is also chairman of
the College Union Board.
Watson said there is enough minority representation on the committee
but that there is a need for "more input." He said there is also enough
money in the CU budget to accomodate
minority programs.
Watson said the Associated Students
sponsors almost all of the minority

.

-

Bongiovanni said that most of this
semester's programming has already
been set. Watson, however, said it
was not too late for more programs and
would support suggestions by the minority community.

Low Chicano enrollment
many faceted problem
This is the third in a series of articles
dealing with the wide disparity between
the percentage of Chicanos in the local
community, and at CSUF. The former
stands at approximately 30 percent, the
latter 9 percent of the total.

By Steve Le Vine
La Voz Staff Writer

Trying to nail down the reasons why
Chicano representation at CSUF does
not jibe with that of the local community
is difficult. But in talking to some involved in bettering the situation, what
comes to light is a multi-faceted problem
that turns the disparity into a selfperpetuating cycle--one that begins at
home and follows the child all the way
from kindergarten through high school .
Theresa Perez, an instructor in La
Raza Studies Department, outlined those
facets in this way:
--Many Chicano _children enter kindergarten knowing only the Spanish language and the Mexican culture. This
presents itself as a pro~lem in a system
not set up to handle cross-cultural
children .
--As a result of the language and cultural
barrier, the child is behind Anglo and
other children from the beginning and
has difficulty catching up. Many times
that problem is magnified at home,
where parents ' education may be
limited, and aspirations low. In that
case, Perez said , there is lack of a role
model, which many times limits the
child's own aspirations....
At that point, the child is labeled "disadvantaged" by the school system,
which, Perez said, turns the situation
into a "self-fulfilling prophesy ." _
She said that many times "it's like a
Catch-22 . In developing compensating
procedures, they (the school) decide
there is a problem and make the kids
. feel they are a problem .
"By the school system assuming that
Independence celebration
these kids are a problem, they turn it
Campus Chicanos celebrated Mexican Independence Day in the College Union
into a vicious cycle. They (the children)
Sept. 14. More photos CNI page 4.

programs . Jack Valencia, chairman of
the program committee was unavailable for comment.

don't know speaking Spanish and being
culturally different is a problem .
"It's difficult to have a really good
image of yourself if everyone views you
as a problem."
--Then self-image becomes one of the
principal aggravates to the problem.
"(The children) develop themselves from
what's around them . It's hard (for
them) to view themselves as intelligent
and bright when they are viewed as
fringe groups," Perez said.
Perez said that there is little acceptance of the Chicano culture in the
schools, and that educators view the
children as outcasts. That, she said ,
hurts the child's self-image, "making
them feel they are dumb .".
That is not a problem, Perez said, to
"some kids from really strong families"
who "don 't care what the teachers say. "
Those children, she said, maintain a
solid' self-image because of support at
home.
--By the time high school rolls around
and it's time to decide what classes to
take, "many kids in school don't believe
they can do it (succeed in college-prep
courses)."
The self-doubt, coupled with many
high school counselors who "only want
to deal with high-achievers," said Educational Opportunity Program Director
Manuel Perez, many times places the
student in the under-achiever slot all
through high school.
·
He said that counselors give the
proper attention to those high-achievers ,
and they "get into college, including the
minorities, " But those that need special
help, those under the high-achievers, he
said do not get the gu idance they need .
Theresa Perez said, "And with all
that's happened before that, I would be
surprised if they did achieve then ."
Manuel Perez said that many counselors "seem to lead them (Chicano students) toward stuff you do with your
hands , like mechanics, instead of
cellege."

(continued on page 2)_

Pa1e2

Octeber1, 1979

LaVoideAzdan

Commentario
(----~_
_ _ _ _ _,,___,) Chicano appointed LVP
Editorial

By Ricardo Pimentel
La Voi Editor
The appointment of a Chicano to a
. major policy making position on campus
has gone virtually unnoticed.
Luis
Chicanos have been dealt a big favor and many do not even realize it. Earlier
Sepulveda was confirmed associated stuthis year, Congress by a two to one margin defeated a bill sponsored by Sen. Sam
dents legislative vice president SeptemNunn, D-Ga., to reinstate draft registration.
ber 18.
The bill called for all 18-year-old men to register by Jan. 2. The President
Sepulveda, a social welfare senior,
would have had to determine deferment and classification categories. The bill did
dates his involvement in student polinot call for the resumption of the draft, but opponents argued that a peacetime · tics to the 1976 student budget hearings
at which, he said, •all hell broke loose.•
draft would have been the next logical step.
Chicanos have particular cause for rejoicing because traditionally we have come
It was the opposition by some conservain very useful in times of war as cannon fodder. Like !JI/ poor people, Chicanos
tive elements to Chicano programs that
have been among the first to be dra fted and the first to die, in disproportionstrengthened sipulveda' s conviction
ate numbers.
that "If you don't have any say, you get
At issue is the· alleged inadequacy of the volunteer forces. Draft supporters
screwed somewhere along the line,"
contend the armed forces do not have enough manpower to meet any type of
he said.
emergency and worry that Soviet military might is eclipsing U.S. military power.
~
So what else is new? Generals have always bemoaned the lack of funds and
manpower, yet it is no justification for reinstituting what amounts to involuntary
servitude. Even the sponsor of the bill said, during a closed Senate session, that
registration did not solve any of the "worst case scenarios• presented. We agree
with registration opponent Sen. Mark Harfield, R-Ore., who argues that a strong
reserve (volunteer) force is the best way to deal with a military emergency.
We particularly agree with Black activist Rev. Jesse Jackson who said recently
of poor people, "In a cold war, we are the first to starve. In a hot war, we are the
first to die.•

Thumbs down for draft

Help a little brother, sister
As college students we should realize the difficult path to achieving our goals in
a discriminating society. That's why we should take time out to help the large
number of chicanitas and chicanitos in desperate need of guidance, counseling,
and companionship.
The Big Sisters and Big Brothers program is one way to fill the needs of Chicano
and Black children. In order to strengthen our children, we must take time out
to share our knowledge, which starts with the importance of education.
As a big brother or sister you can clarify the clouded dream that many of our
children find extremely difficult to see through . With your support, Big Brothers/
Big Sisters can make a child's dream come true.
To qualify, you have to be over 18-years-old and able to relate to children. You
have to fill out an application and have an orientation and interview. Five hours
per week is the minimum you 're expected to spend with a child.
Wherever you go you should take the child.. If you go to a football game, let
the child tag along. If you go to a class, go ahead and take the child. If you throw
the frisbee, let him play with you. You don't have to change your environment or
treat him or her special. He or she can enjoy themselves and learn alot just by
enjoying your company.
You can choose the sex, color, religion and approximate age you would like he
or she to be; someone you can relate to.
There is a desperate need for both Bia.ck and Chicano big brothers and sisters.
There are hundreds of children waiting for one of you to volunteer. No hay ningun
hombre que se enderece tanto como cuando se cigacha a ayudar a un nino. If
interested phone 268-5737 or drop by the office at 1305 E. Olive in Fresno.
Yolanda Soto and Eli Garcia

a

• ,.

senator. So Sepulveda was first appointed to a senate seat and then to le~islative vice president.
Chicano involvement in student IOV·
ernment didn't start with Sepulveda,
however ... Here we know that MEChA
is the strongest political organization
on campus/ Sepulveda said. .. Alot of
organizations are just social rather than
political.. ..They
{Chicanos)
realize
they deserve a fair shake in the budget
and have always kept a political awareness as far as the budge't process goes.•
Sepulveda cited the amount of AS budget funds allotted to Semana de la Raza,
the Chicano Youth Conference, and the
EOP Institute as evidence of effective
Chicano input.
But there are still some areas in which
Chkanos and Blacks are unrepresented,
Sepulveda said.
In the area of College Union activity
planning, minority input is lacking,
Sepulveda said. "Chicano and Blacks
aren't being represented as far as programm ing," he said.
The college
union is supposed to sponsor some cultural events, according to the new appointee, but they aren ' t. "Like Pappa
Doo Run Run. How many Chicanos
we nt to that," Sepulveda asked .
Getting a voice in student government
is sometimes difficult, said Sepulveda.
..When you talk about electing anyone
with a Spanish surname ... they have a
drawback."

This resolve resulted ·in his appointm~nt to School of Social Welfare senator,
an office he ran for and won the next
year.
Sepulveda• gingerly described
his first colleagues :;n the senate as coming from totally different backgrounds
than himself. He didn't think it was a
big problem but acknowledged that
(continued from page 1)
"Before in student government, if you
"Students
have to believe they have
were Chicano it was pretty hard." He
added, .. I'm not saying there is no nar- the ability, and it's hard to have the conrowmindedness {in the senate) now but fidence that you can succeed at college,
especially without role models," he said.
it is not as evident as in past years ... .
"Kids who have parents with degrees
Sepulveda' s appointment by AS president Dave Ditora followed some debate end up in college," he said. The probon whether Sepulveda, who ran for the lem, he said, leads back to homes where
post and lost the election, was eligible :>arents have limited education.
Theresa Perez said that, "colleges are
for the office. The post was vacated by
Janet Sales who decided to travel abroad not doing a good job in teaching teachers
rather than serve her term. According that they can learn from these groups,
to the AS constitution,- an appointee that in fact there is something to be said
to legislative vice president ·must be a for people who don't speak the same as
wedo.
"We act as if schools are mass-production places. The system is so structured
that these kids can never catch up/
she said.
"We have to start rethinking educaThe humanities fellowships are available to students seeking doctorates in · tion. We have to start doing things
differently.
·American studies, art history, classics,
"We need to meet the needs of the
comparative literature, English, Gerdiverse population," she said. "'We
man, linguistics, m·usic, philosophy,
don't have to turn the kids into a probreligion, Romance languages, and ·
lem."
Slavic languages.
·

Enrollment

Minority doctorate fellowships available
Two fellowship programs designed to
increase the representation of minority
groups among doctorates in the social
sciences and the humanities are available. The program was established
by the Committee on Institutional
Cooperation .
Funded by grants from the Lilly
Endowment, Inc., and the Andrew W.
Mellon Foundation that total more than
$1 million, the program will provide
25 two-year fellowships in the social
sciences and 10 in the humanities for
the 1~1 academic year.
The Committee on 'Institutional
Cooperation (CIC) is the academic
consortium of 11 Midwestern universities--the Big Ten universities and the
University of Chicago. Recipients of
the fellowships may use them at any one
of the 11 CIC universities to which they
are admitted for graduate study.

The fellowships provide full tu.ition
plus a stipend of $4,250 for each of two
academic years. The .universities will
provide two additional years of support
if Fellows make normal progress towards
the Ph.D.
Ariyone who has or will receive a
bachelor's degree by September, 1980
is eligible to apply for the 1980 competition . Graduate students outside the CIC
may also apply.
Students are urged to apply as early
as possible in the fall; application deadline is January 15, 1980. A one-step
procedure combines application for the
fellowship with application for admission
to any of the CIC universities on a single
form.
Anyone desiring detailed information
about either fellowship program should ·
write to: CIC Minorities Fellowships
Program, Kirkwood Hall 111, Indiana
University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405.

Help Wanted
Artist that can draw a beautifully
artistic emblem that Las Adelitas
may use to rep~nt the organization. May use any (orm of paint or
ink drawing. Will leave up to own
discretion as to what would be
appropriate for the emblem. Drawing should fit on a 8" x 11 • sheet of

canvas or paper. A reward of $20.00
. will be aiven to the artist with the
most original emblem.
Dead' oc for all entries will be:
Novemher 5, 1979
.
Entries should be turned into La Raza
Studies, San Ramon 4, Room 118

1

PqeJ

LaV•·Adlan

sticide exposure poses peril for Campesinos
inted courtes~ of la Cucaracha
lo)
'
of the_greatest dangers facing
rkers in the U.S. is poisoning
exposure to pesticides which
s both immediate and l~ng-term
problems, according to Dr.
to Ortiz, whose 22-year medical
r has involved much work with
orkers.
have the dubious distinction of
g _tr-e~ted ,,two fatal cases of pestiporsonmg , Dr. Ortiz said .
Arizona physician is a faculty

member at the University of Arizona
School of Medicine in Tucson, and he
visited Pueblo last month at the request
of the Pueblo Neighborhood Health
Centers, Inc. (PNHC).
*The 'normal' way of life for farmworkers lends itself to serious medical
problems, with many doing work in
100-degree temperatures for 12-14 hour
work days, and without any kind of
healthcare benefits,... Dr. Ortiz said .
"'In some cases, their only shelter is a
tarp canopy over two rows of citrus trees,
and they must perform all of their bodily

functions in the field ....
The poor environment, lack of nutrition, and even the lack of adequate
housing for farmworkers lowers their
average life expectancy to "22 years
below the national average,"' Dr. Ortiz
said. He feels the *indiscriminate use of
pesticides in the field where farmworkers spend most of their time is the
most deadly peril facing them ."
The immediate effects of pesticide
poisoning are easy to diagnose : nausea,
skin damage and convulsions , among
others . But the effects of day-in , day-o~t

exposure to pesticides are more difficult
to detect, he said. When farmworkers
are exposed daily to pesticides, they can
develop liver damage, tissue damage,
and for women, a much greater chance
of stillborn infant death.

Failure to Regulate

.

Government agencies charged with
overseeing the use of pesticides have
failed to do their jobs, Dr. Ortiz said .
"The Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA), for example, has given the states
the authority to enforce pesticide control
laws . Allowing the states to implement
the laws is the fatal flaw, because the
states are very indiscrimi nate in enforceme nt," he said,
In several cases farmworkers have
sought relief in the courts from pesticide
poisoning. In Cr~eley, Hope Acosta and
Santos lira are suing a local farmer and
an aerial spraying firm after an incident
June 20, 1978, in which pesticides were
allegedly sprayed on a group of workers
in an onion field. Lira and Ms. Acosta
sought both individual damages and
relief for all farmworkers exposed to
pesticides, but Greeley District Court
Judge Jonathan W. Hayes dismissed
the class-action portions of the suit.
A two-pronged approach to the problem can help, Dr. Ortiz said . Easily
accessible health care is needed especially in those cases of large-dose exposure to pesticides. Government agencies
and community groups must be more
active in e nforcing the existing laws , and
supportive of new , stricter pesticide
t j ' ,.
control laws .

-------Jc •"All humans have the right to health
Radio Bilinaue fundraiser Sept. 14, Danny Valdez, earlier hits like •Brown Eyed Children of the Sun• and his clas, 1an1 a number of his sonp. Most of his sonp were sic •El Louie.• (Pheto by Tomas Uribes, SENTIMIENT.OS care, no matter what their economic
means," Dr. Ortiz said .
creations, but the show was sprinkled with some of his Mapzine)

.

ds fund bilingual training Chicanos in social ·services
provide insight, rapport
By Gina Ho11uin
La Voz Staff Writer

federal grant, aimed at estab1g a bilingual teacher program, has
ieen introduced to CSUF.
! federal government recently proI CSUF with a $117,000 grant to
bilingual cross culture specialists.
1Ction recognizes the fact that a proexists. The need for cross cultural
alists has also been recognized by
>mia. The state has taken action to
nnt the Bilingual Education Act
72 and the Bilingual Education Act
r6.
ingual teachers are needed to help
!Cl English-speaking (LES) and nonsh-speaking (NES) students who
special learning needs. The perge of Hispanic pupils in the four
ies are: Fresno - 34.S percent;
e - 3".2 percent; Madera - 33.4
nt; and Kings County -- 30 percent.
!resa Perez, director of the bilinteacher program, said Thursday,
s work with the people who are cloomeeting the needs of these kids."
! grant provides for a two year pro. There are requirements to qual· the grant. A person must be an in:e credentialed teacher, a pre-sertudent, or aides working in an area
! there is a larae number of Spanish
ing children. The aides must also
a <X>mmand of the Spanish Ian-

!.

Once the program is underway, the
staff will consist of Theresa Perez as director; Dr. Carl Stuizman of the CSUF
School of Education will serve as a liaison with schools and school superintendents; a full-time teacher; and a secretary. Their office win be in the School of
Education. The bilingual program is receiving support from school personnel
and from the School of Education which
will be receiving some parts of the
funding.
Theresa Perez is enthusiastic about
the program. The School of Ed,ucation,
La Raza Studies department, and the
linguistics and Foreign Language departments will work together to implement the CSUF bilingual teacher
program.

Latino ne·Ns in
September issue
The latest issue of Sentimientos
Magazine, the first Chicano magazine in
the Central Valley, is n<M' available.
The September iss.ue features articles
on Fresno's newest Chicana doctor, on
singer Anacani, and novelist-phtywrite
Luis Valdez. Sentimientos' 'regular
"Capirotada" is also featured. •
The magazines are available on
campus in the La Raza Studies department and in the EOP office. They sell

for SI each.

by George Aguirre
La Voz Staff Writer

A group which offers assistance to
Chicano students by providing insight into.their respective human service fields is the primary goal of one
organization in the Fresno area.
The Assoication of Chicanos in
Human Services (AOCHS), a volunteer group, gives the first-year student in human services knowledge
and provides rapport among students
with those already in the profession.
AOCHS tries to "develop a network
of communication amongst ourselves
and agencies involved," said Abel
Esquivel, one of the organization's
co<hairmen.
AOCHS has its door open to student participation and includes many
professionals in such fields as social
welfare, mental health, house care
and criminology. The organization is
additionally concerned with ensuring
the quality of services open to Chicanos.
Members contribute ideas, needs
and opinions for a '"more creative
and innovative" session when the
group meets the second Wednesday

of each month, said Esquivel. They
are held evenings at the Mosqueda
Center on Butler Ave .
Professional members are structuring
one of their aims around providing
peer support to J;tudents and "getting people at both ends of the c;ontinuum," said Esquivel.
. Al Arredondo, co<hairman, said
that support is . given to Chicanos
through such social agencies as the
Central Valley Regional Center and
the Fresno County Welfare Center.
The organization pulls together
members to bring about changes in
agencies, said Arredondo.
Organizations similar to the- Fresno
area group have been set up in the
Los Angeles and Sacramento areas.
Esquivel blamed Proposition 13 for
diminishing the quality of services to
Chicanos. Some of the first areas to
be cut back are "those considered
vital to the lives of many people,"
Esquivel said.
A fundraiser to welcome the CSUF
Chicano students enrolled in the human services is . tentatively planned
for Friday Oct. ~2. For more information, • contact Al A~redondo at
442-4600 or Abel Esquivel at 4883731.

La Voz de Aztlan

Page4

Mariachis, Teatro
highlight celebratio

.

r ..

La Semana Committee staged entertainment and speuen Sept. 14 in
bration of Mexican Independence Day. Mariachi de la Tierra, Teatn
Valle, Fresno City Councilman Leonel Alvarado, a poetry reading by
Torres, singing by Jose Flores (left) and an explanation of the ewm'
significance by Theresa Perez and Dr. Jesus Luna were featured.
little 1irf (above) preferred the photqrapher to the show, however.

Inmates' families helped by Friends Outside
by Margarite Martinez
La Voz Staff Writer

Friends Outside is a non-profit, community volunteer organization working
to help keep families of local, state and
federal prison inmates together in the
worst of times.
It serves inmate's
families without regard to race, nationality or religion. The group's main concern, according to . Natalie Phelps,
local director, is "being a friend."
The uniqueness of Friends Outside
is that it is an all volunteer effort of
members of the community who under~
stand the need and are committed to
help and work with families of prisoners.
There is only one paid staff position.
It is a state funded program.
Friends Outside is a statewide organization founded in 1955. A chapter
can be found in 20 counties throughout
California.
Friends Outside tries to help anyone
requesting their services . There are
virtually no eligibility requirements.
If the organization is not able to help,
people are refered to others.
Friends Outside provides many ser•vices to families of inmates. They communicate with the family upon request
of the prisoner. Friends Outside believes that the plight of the family is
just as tragic as that of the offender.
The family is left emotionally shattered
by the arrest and often in a financial
bind due to the loss of a breadwinner.
~stracized by the community, the family
,s Just as much a victim.
Friends Outside tries to work with
not for, prisoners and their families'.
Instead of complaining about the lack
of services, the group offers their services to prison officials in order to meet
the un111et needs of the inmate. They

arrange transportation for families of
the _inmate, upon request, to court hearings and jail visits . Many relatives
of inmates are from the outlying areas
of Fresno With no way of getting into
Fresno. Friends Outside also provides
emergency clothing and food .
Recently, Friends Outside was able to
help a woman and her child who had

been burglarized. They were able to
provide her with clothes.
If an inmate doesn-'t have suitable
clothes to attend court proceedings,
he or she is provided with clothes.
They have also organized an inmates'
wives club to serve as an educational and
social program.

A local goal is to develop a ·
l::enter within walking distance
downtown jail. · They intend to
a place for children to stay whi~
parents are visiting inmates.
Friends Outside is in need of b
volunteers and anyone
should contact the local
485-1432.

----Noticias de la Raza----New Mini Corps head
Starting out with only 13 students,
Mini Corps has now merged into a
nationwide program under the new direction of Manuel Sanchez.
Sanchez is from the Fresno area.
He was recently teaching in Hanford
until he was asked by the program's
ex-coordinator, Andy Rodarte, to take
over the position. Sanchez has both a
teaching credential and an admistrative credential. Sanchez has been
with Mini Corps since 1969.
Mini Corps is a federally funded
program. Its main function is to help
migrant students by providing camping
trips and history programs as aids ir;i
the education development. Mini Corps
also provides a teacher training program
for Chicanos.
Students planning to go into teaching,
can apply to the program . There are a
few requirements. Preferably students
must be juniors or seniors.
Those
interested can contact Sanchez in the
Ed-Psych building, 487-2067.

Pschology club formed
Chicanos interested . in Psychology
should know about a n,ew club on campus

geared toward their interests.

The club, Chicanos in Psychology,
was just formed this semester under
the guidance of Dr .. Alex Gonzalez,
a psychologist just named to a postion on
the La Raza Studies staff.
Chicanos in Psychology wants to attract many members because of the lack
of Chicanos in the field, said member
Jerry Gonzalez. Once on steady ground,
the group hopes to offer information
concerning graduate schools and fellowships, tutorial services, counseling and
to get involved in the Chicano community.
There· are no scheduled meetings as
yet. However, anyone interested should

contact Dr. Gonzalez at 487487-2848 or see him at San
room 238. Those interested
call Jerry Gonzalez, 673-0606 (

MEChA officers elect
Haro is chairperson
Elections for MEChA 's offian
held September 20.
Elected were: Silverio Haro,
person; Silvia Rodriguez, v·
person; Margarita M.
Treasurer; Maria Correa,
Elected as Sergeant-At-Arms
David Torres and Tony Villa.

La Voz Staff Box
Editor ... ............. Ricardo Pimentel
Photo Editor .... ... . George Aguirre
Staff .................. Gina Holguin
Scott LaFee
Dora Lara
Steve Le Vine
Margarita Martln~z
Arturo Ocampo

La Voz de Aztlan is publish.:
by the Associated Students
California State UnlversltJ
Fresno and the newspaper star.
Unsigned editorials are I
opinions of the La Voz staff an:
not neceasarlly the views c
the
Associated
Student!
CSUF or the State of Calif·
ornla.

1

Problem for the poor

College enrollment solutions elusive
This is the fourth in a series of artides
dealing with the wide disparity between
the percentage of Chicanos in the local
community and at CSUF. Those figures
are 30 and nine percent, respectively.

By Steve Le Vine
La Voz Staff Writer

Resolving CSUF' s Chicano enrollment
problem will not be easy. Just as the
problem is complex, so is its solution.
Because the problem begins in kindergarten and follows the student all the
way through high school, so must the solution.
CSUF Chicano instructors and administrators outlined the problem in this

way during interviews with La Voz:
Simply, many Chicano children who
enter kindergarten cannot speak English
at all, or they speak so little English that
language becomes a barrier to keeping
up with other children.
Because these children many times
· are considered a problem, and are treated as such, they begin to feel they are a
problem.
Now self-image becomes the difficulty. This follows them to hiRh school,
where they may not have the confidence
to take college-prep courses.
That, coupled with many high school
counselors who are not sensitive to their
special needs, sets them in a rut from
which it is v~ unlikely they will emerge

problem could be alleviated by working
to attend college.
Many times, because of sterrntypes, on students' s vocabulary -- using "'exthey will be counseled to enter vocational tensive"' oral-speaking exercises. United
training, thus virtually ending their pos- States' schools, he said, "'should take up
sibility of attending college .
the teaching of spoken English as a misThe end result is that Chicanos are not sion ."'
Orozco said that in a study he conducwell-represented in many professions .
That perpetuates the cycle, because ele- ted he found that students are made to
mentary school and high school-aged participate orally in class only one-half of
children do not have role models to pat- one percent of their school day .
The result, he said, is that students'
tern themselves after. "'They do not belingual ability is dwarfed, which causes
lieve that a Chicano can "'make it."'
Cecilio Orozco, CSUF Bilingual-Cross many of the Chicanos' later problems .
He thinks that each day kindergarten
Cultural Specialist, believes that poor representation at colleges is a problem that and elementary school teachers, after
is "'pretty common with people who are they have given their students a lesson,
should pair up Chicano and Anglo stupoor ."'
He thinks that much of the Chicano dents, and have them explain to each
other what was just learned .
In addition, Orozco said, after storytelling, the pairing should also be done
to help develop "'high lingual ability ."'
Because many Chicano children have
an underdeveloped vocabulary, Orozco
sa'id, teachers get a "'negative"' impression of them. "'Most pe')ple who aren't
bilingual don't perceive being bilingual
as being great, so they only see onehalf of you -- the English half . They
don't see you as being able," he said.

Special Publicatio~ of The Daily Collegian

La Voz de Aztlan
Monday

Oct 15, 1979

~

#

LaVozEditor

Supporters of the United Farmworkers Union boycott against select lettuce companies may inadvertently
be eating the boycotted vegetable on
campus. Of the several brands of lettuce the university's food services buys,
at least three are from companies on
the union's boycott list.

The university buys from two produce
firms locally, OK Produce Co., and
Baloians Produce Co. The non-union
lettuce is passed from the boycotted
companies to CSUF through the OK
Produce Co. Baloians apparently has
not been supplying boycotted lettuce.
OK Produce Co. lettuce sold to CSUF
is bought from D' Arrigo Brothers,
Crowers' Exchange and Eckel Produce

reinforces negative images ."'

The pairing "'would be more beneficial to Anglos," Orozco said. Using basketball as an analogy to the pairing, he
said the result would be that "the Anglos
would become professional basketball
player~, and the Chicanos college ball
players ."' That, he said, would be preferable to Anglos "'becoming college-players"' and Chicanos "'non-players ."
He thinks that the pairing should be
instituted nation-wide because, "America's original citizens need it," and "'in
Appalachia they need this even worse"
than do Chicanos.
But, Orozco said, "whether the psychological problems of the poor (selfimage, and in the case of parents, "resigning themselves to the futility, the
impossibility" of "making it") can ever
be resolved is a horse of a different
color."
The point, he said, is that "'the kid has
to have the idea that his education is being geared specifically to him, not something that he has to adapt to."'
"'Chicanos will have that problem (of
self-image),"' Orozco said·. "'What they
need first is social acceptance."'
He said that Chicano students do not
view their culture as accepted in their
schools, so they become turned-off,
which worsens the self-image problem .
He said that curriculum and programs
should be developed so that "the culture
is reflected in the schools, so the child
feels he is contributing to American life.
We need to teach all children in school
the value of other cultures ."'
Orozco believes, as do the other Chicano instructors and administrators conPhoto by Kipp Smith tacted , that counselors and instructors
Co. D' Arrigo Brothers and Crowers' play a major role in the problem, so must
Exchange are on the UFW's list of boy- also play a major role in the solution.
Esteban Soriano, Student Affirmative
cotted companies. Together, they supply CSUF with three different brand Action Coordinator tor the California
names of boycotted lettuce: Page Boy, State University system, said that "there
are some insensitive teachers and counAndy Boy and Toro.
·
The UFW' s lettuce boycott began in selors who just will not counsel ChicaJanuary and has forced some of the lar- nos ."'
Although there is a good number of
gest growers to come to terms with the
(continued on page 2)
(continued on page 3)

University serving boycotted lettuce

by Ricardo Pimentel

"'Most impressions are made ver~al-

ly,"' Orozco said, "'and a bad vocabulary

u Voz de Aztlan

Pagel

(

Oct. 15, 1979

'Ruling class determines
Jwhat is criminal act'
Editorial
Cuba troops: So what?

Commentario

American reaction to the presence of possible Soviet combat troops in Cuba is
something like the pot calling the kettle black. At last count, U.S . troops overseas
numbered about 400,000.
What the Carter administration is trying to prove is uncertain. It could be that
Carter merely erred in letting Sen . Frank Church, D-ldaho, who is up for reelection soon, release the news of the Soviet presence. Church, a liberal representing
a largely conservative constituency, is trying to link the Cuban issue with the Salt
II treaty to demonstrate to the homefolks how bullish he is on being hawkish.
The fact that the Russian troops have been there for quit~ awhile and that no
one has been able to prove that the troops are actually a combat brigade, seems
to matter to no one. Carter perceives the issue as just one more in a long line
of issues which make him appear powerless and not in control. Senate hardliners
see it as perhaps their last shot at crippling the Salt II treaty . The Soviets view it
as just more proof of the Carter administration's bumbling. And the Cubans,
who everyone seems to be ignoring, very correctly view it as unwelcome interference in their internal affairs.
Even if there is a Soviet combat brigade in Cuba, it represents no threat to
American security. American troops have been stationed overseas near Soviet
and Soviet allied borders for years. Americans ignore the U.S. military presence
in Cuba. The military base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba isn't manned by the Soviets or the Cubans. It's good ole' homegrown American boys who, we guess,
are there protecting the Cubans from themselves.
Carter did well in not jumping on the bandwagon of those wishing for a repeat
of the 63' Cuban missile crisis. It's doubtful whether the outcome would have
been the same anyway. Unfortunately, the president felt he had to indulge our
national macho tendencies a bit by beefing up American forces at Guantanamo,
establishing a Caribeen military task force, and planning military exercises off
the Cuban coast. The chest beating will impress no one but Americans, which
is probably what it was intended to do anyway.
The president's nationally televised news conference notwithstanding, the national uproar over Soviet troops in Cuba is still much ado about nothing.

by Ricardo Pimentel
u Voz Editor
"The law is not holy and pu~. It is
developed by men and being developed
by men -- the ruling class."
Hugo Morales, instructor in the Chicanos and the legal system class conaucted by the La Raza Studies department, said he is telling that to his students in order to "demystify" the legal
system.
Morales, a 1975 Harvard Law School
graduate, gained his legal experience
working on the legal staff of the United
Farmworkers Union and other legal aid
efforts for the poor. That experience
has taught him that "the legal system
was built for the monied class." He said
that the legal process in any country
is very much intertwined with the economy.
Because of the economy, Morales
said, Chicanos don't have as much access to relief under the law as is generally assumed. But it's not just Chicanos
he added, it's poor people in general.
"The system is controlled by the ruling
class."
Legal aid groups for the poor do help,
Morales said, but they fail to address
the real issue. "If you're talking about
real access, you're talking about changing the political system. In order to
get more access, you need political power," he said.
The things that can be done without
political power are only "bandaids,"
Morales said, "and are only effect_ive

to a degree." Lawyers are learning th!t
political power is the answer to push
through real relief, Morales said.
The dramatic increase in the past few
years in the number of Chicano lawyers
has done little to reverse the poor representation of Chicanos in the Bar Association, Morales said. "There can
never be too many poor peoples' lawyers." There is also ·a need for Chicano
lawyers to become actively involved in
the lawmaking process, he said, as legislators and legislative assistants.
Chicanos need more legal advocacy
because "a disproportionate number of
Chicanos find themselves in trouble with
the law," Morales said, which he blamed
on socio-economic factors.
"Society
·puts more emphasis on the types of
anti-social acts committed by poor
people," Morales said. "If there were
more -emphasis on catching white collar
criminals, they would be arrested more.'
Morales contends that it is the ruling
class that determines what constitutes
a criminal act.

Despite Morales' seeming pessimism
about the legal system, he does acknowledge that the system is not completely closed. But an ulterior motive
may be the reason. "It's wise to give
people hope, to address their concerns.
It legitimizes the system," Morales
said. In this manner, he added, society
is provided a "safety valve" which gives
the poor their day in court, even if the
verdict is almost always guilty.

Counselors: A need to become m·ore sensitive·
(continued from page 1)
teachers and counselors who are sensitive to Chicano needs, Soriano said,
there is a Hsignificant" number who fall
into the Hinsensitive" category.
There are many counselors that do
not counsel women, Blacks and Chicanos
to go to college; to go into professional or
technical work; or even to keep doing
well in high school courses," he said.
Those,counselors, Soriano said, Hperpetuate myths and stereotypes .
High school teachers and counselors
"have a tremendous tendency to ignore
the needs of Chicanos, he said, "or to
send them to junior colleges .
Hit is a problem because you are getting into deep-seated attitudes of basically redneck counselors ."
"There is a large t:,ody of high school
counselors that do not counsel Chicanos
to go on to" state colleges and universities, Soriano said.
The reasons for that, he said, are
"either that they (counselors) don't understand admission procedures; they
have a bias toward junior colleges" so
advise Chicanos in that direction· "that
they would rather work with stud~nts of
their own background or upbringing; or
they are just biased. and prejudiced "
The California State University system, consisting of 19 campuses, produces 70 percent of the counselors and
teachers working in California's elementary, junior high and high schools Soriano said .
'
Thus, he said, the system can "make
sure that it is producing teachers and
co~ns~l?rs who develop a sensitivity for
~rnont,es and under-represented individuals."
H

H

Soriano is helping to implement a program in the system to help accomplish
that goal.
The state legislature, Soriano said, appropriated $90,000 to each of six CSU
campuses to implement the program,
which does the following things:
--examines curricula offered, and allows
for reconstruction of that curricula.
--develops new classes in "cultural sensitivity and self-assessment. These classes
focus on the differences in the <:ulture,
and allows them to be doing some soul
searching on their internalized prejudices and biases," Soriano said .
--tries to get more minority students to
become counselors and teachers .
This, he said, is a long-range plan,
and "only speaks to several years down
the road, when they'll actually have
jobs."
CSUF is not part of the program, he
said, because the college already has received state funds for current programs
-- such as the Recruiting Students Via
Parents program, which attempts to increase Chicano enrollment by speaking
to students' parents .
The new program was instituted this
semester on six campuses, and Soriano
expects a preliminary progress report in
March, and a comprehensive report in
the summer of 1980.
He said that he will ask the legislature to fund the program for the entire
system for the 1980-81 school year.
'
The funding, he said, pays for student
assistants, graduate assistants and faculty members .
In addition, to help with the "shortrange problem," Soriano said, the program provides for "developing in-ser-

vice programs for those already in the
field to try to make them understand the
problems
of
minorities ."•
A shortcoming of the program, he
said, is that there are "not enough funds
to reach the freshmen and sophomore
students, to prepare them for counselors
who are not going to motivate them."
He said that he would have liked to
have enough money to develop programs
for those high school students to prepare
them to "do battle with the counselors."
When Soriano was in high school, he
said, he was counseled to enter the automobile repair field "because of my large
size (6 feet three inches tall)."
"They figured that I could lift transmissions easily," he said.
He called it "lucky" that he was forced
to quit high school to "work in the fields
so that I got out of there." He later was
convinced to go to college and eventually
received a PhD from Stanford University.
"I just hate to think that counselors are
doing the same thing to other students
who aren't as lucky as I was," he said.
He thinks that "bilingual-bicultural
education has had a big impact in terms
of its ability to help the Chicano function
in the English classroom. But it needs to
become more sensitive. It can do a far
better job.
"By the time students reach the ninth,
tenth and eleventh grades they are pretty much functioning in the English language, he said, "but high school presents an experience not conducive to the
retention of the Chicano student.
"When the student reaches high
school, he begins to challenge and question, becomes inquisitive. They become
H

frustrated when they read the history
text and find it culturally biased.
"History doesn't include the contributions of Chicanos. There is no supportive
environment. That is the key factor in
the Chicano high school drop-out rate.•
Both Soriano and Orozco believe that
the cultural and social experience at high
school has much effect on how Chicano
students deal with school.
"The high school experience needs to
be made more relevant to the needs of
Chicanos. The high school needs to take
a greater role in permitting the Chicano
to exercise cultural activities:"' Soriano
said.
"They also need an academically supportive environment. They make the environment supportive for Anglo individuals, but not for Chicanos. That's why
they don't feel high school is doing anything for them."
Chicano students, Soriano said, don't
think that their teachers understand the
"Chicano experience," so do not seek
help from them after class. HTeachers
should urge Chicanos to speak to them
after class, Soriano said.
Orozco believes that teachers, more
than counselors, need to become more
sensitive to these problems .
HTeachers also talk to counselors (in
addition to students). We need teachers
who believe they can do the job, and they
don't believe they can do it," Orozco
said .
"Until they believe they can do it,
counselors probably won:t deal realistically with the situation.
Because teachers many times view
Chicanos as underachievers, Orozco
(continued on page 3)
H

H

u

Od. 15, 1979

voz de Aztlan

Pa1e 3

Mexico on 'sea of oil'

Colussus of North turns eye southward for oil
by Scott ufee
La Voz Staff Writer
Far too long many Americans have
stnolyped Mexico as a cactus-studded
WISleland inhabited by too many
people with too few pesos.
But no longer. The wasteland has
brned into an ocean of oil and petrodollars tumble from Mexican pockets.
The days when·the United States could
alfard to ignore and stereotype its southern neighbor are over.
Since the discovery of oil in 1972,
Mexico has played an increasingly
i1111G11ant role in regional and global
politics. Mexican President Jose Lopez
Partillo's recent visit with President
Carter is evidence of that.
Carter, eager to improve America's
fraaile relations with Mexico and thus
lreepche oil flowing across the border,
aioed and coddled Portillo. It was a
distinct change from previous presidential policies which seemed arrogant
andmndescending.
Dr. Edward J. Williams, a profess« at the University of Arizona and the
llllhor of .. The Rebirth of Mexico's
Petnlleum Industries.. predicts even
morechanges in U.S.-Mexico relations.
Speaking to a crowd of about 150 people in the College Union Oct. 4, Williams
said that Mexico is changing rapidly
and American fortunes are inextricably

tied.
Secretary of State Cyrus Vance
agrees.
.
Vance, talking to the Foreign Policy
Association, said, .. The range and diversity of issues in our relations are probably greater than with any other country in the world. Because we share a
2,lW,mille border, because we share
democratic perspectives, because our
emnomies are both strong and interdependent, Mexico is one of the most
important countries in the world for us ...
Mexico is now the fifth largest oil
exporter in the world, behind the
U.S.S.R, Saudi Arabia, the U.S. and

Iran. It pumps 1.7 million barrels a day,
85 percent of which is exported to the
U.S.
..Mexico is a veritable sea of oil, .. said
Williams. ..It has 45 billion barrels of
proven reserves. The U.S. has 35 billion. Saudi Arabia has the most with 170
but Mexico's proven reserves run higher and higher every day ...
Indeed, officials of Pemex, the nation's- oil company, estimate Mexico
may be sitting on· more than 200 billion
barrels of crude.
All of which, said -Williams, makes
Mexico hard to ignore. Next year,
Mexico will earn nearly $7 billion
in oil exports. By 1990, that figure may
rise to as much as $20 billion.
But Williams said the inevitable
change that money brings will not come
easy. The Mexican government fears
that too much money will inundate the
economy as it did in Kuwait or spell
revolution as it did in Iran.
Williams said, however, thatthe chances of either happening are remote.
..Mexico is the 12th wealthiest country in the world. That's no backyard
banana republic. Money won't change
them like it did the Kuwaitis ...
The major problem facing Portillo's
government is a booming population
and lagging agricultural production.
Mexico's population is expected to more
than double its current 68 million by
the year 2000. But the country has problems feeding its people now and only
15 percent of the land is capable of growing crops.
According to Williams, Mexico imports nearly $1 billion a year in food,
mainly rice, beans and corn. Yet the
government allots only two percent of
its income for improving agriculture.
The bulk of the money goes into modernizing industry, particularly Pemex.
.. The ·idea of bigness is upon them, ..
Williams said. ..Bigness is industry.
You don't grow com, you build petrochemical plants. You don't nurture rice

Non-union· lettuce served
(continued from page 1)
Illian. Sun Harvest Inc., the largest
lettuce grower in the nation, signed
wiCh the UFW in August. At issue is
improved farmworker wages and bene-

fits.

Rick Finley, administrator of campus

food services, said there is no policy
dictating that the food services division
buy only UFW lettuce. He said there
hbebeen various campus endorsements
• the years recommending the purchase of union lettuce, but no directive
IDdoso.
In 1972, the Associated Student
Senate passed a resolution supporting
the efforts of the UFW to organize and
endorsed the use of the boycott as a
barp;ning tool. The resolution also
endorsed union lettuce for the university's food services. An endorsement
bybi the Associated
Students is not
'nding, however.
·
. Finley said it would be an .. almost
llllpossible burden .. to make sure that
the producers supply only union lettuce.
Thelhe only criteria for buying lettuce for
. campus is quality and cost, Finley
said. And if union lettuce fits those
lll!Uirements, then it can be bought.
Aflaa system was used in past years

to let students know if they were eating
union lettuce or not, Finley said. He
said efforts to reinstitute such efforts
today would be o1fficult .. because we
can't be sure we're telling the truth ...
.. We shift labels internally, .. he added,
"and none of the lettuce crates get
near the serving areas... Lettuce used
in one area may be moved to fill the
needs of other areas leading to mixing
of labels.
Marc Grossman, a UFW spokesman,
said Finley's claim that it would be too
difficult to ensure union lettuce is
served is ..crazy." ..They simply have to
tell their buyers what labels not to
buy," he said.
According to Grossman, uriion lettuce
is equal in quality to non-union lettuce
and the price difference is negligible.
.. Union lettuce may be a little more because there's more demand, .. he said.
Student supporters of the lettuce
boycott, then, may have some problems
picking out non-union lettuce from
union lettuce. ·1t would do little good to
ask food service employees because they
probably don't know.
Apparently, the only choice left to boycott supporters on campus is whether
to eat lettuce or not.

fields, you nurture steel mills. Petrochemical plants and steel mills are symbols of progress, not corn."
Consequently, the poor and hungry
seek aid elsewhere. That aid comes
from the U.S.
Illegal immigration is a prickly issue
that has plagued U.S.-Mexico relations
for years.
American labor unions
claim it keeps Americans out of work.
The Mexican government tacitly approves of it because it eases the country's chronic unemployment problem.
With an unemployment rate estimated
to be nearly 50 percent, the Mexican
government is happy to see Mexicans
working in the U.S. According to Williams, whole villages live off the income
sent to them from workers here and
crime in Mexico declines as .. troublemakers" leave the country to work in
American cities.
But Williams contends the U.S.
government purposely allows the immigration to continue. Illegal aliens provide a cheap source of workers for
farmers in California and elsewhere.
Often they do the jobs no one else
will do.
Williams agrees with Vance and
others that relations with Mexico will
not be easy. Mexicans still harbor a
deep resentment for outsiders. They
still have not forgotten that the U.S.
gobbled up half of their territory in 1848.
Said one State Department official in
a recent issue of Time Magazine,
"Mexicans are so sensitized by the past

that it colors any overture from the U.S.
They tend to see in normal conflicts
much more sinister aspects than are
really there."
This attitude affects nearly all aspects
of U.S.- Mexico relations, especially
when it concerns oil. Americans who
thought that *the Mexican 'oil bonanza
was going to save the U.S." are wrong,
according to Williams . Mexico is planning to cut back its exports to the U.S .
in favor of sales to Sweden, Japan and
France.
The U.S. doesn 't even get a cheaper
price.
Mexico charges about one dollar
more per barrel than OPEC, even though
it has no relation to the cartel. In the
past, it has considered joining OPEC
but has always decided against it.
Primarily because it would anger what
Williams calls "the colussus of the
North ."
The Mexican government cannot
afford to anger the U.S. Mexico's
foreign debt stands at $30 billion, second
only to Brazi I's. Nearly 85 percent
of that debt is owed to U.S. banks or
i_nternational organizations that Americans control.
But that situation could change as
Pemex cuts out a bigger share of the
oil-exporting pie. Williams said there is
little doubt Mexico will become a power
to contend with.
How much power Portillo wields will
depend on how many American cars
are running on Mexican gas.

Enrollment solutions elusive
(continued from page 2)
said, they become that way.
"If your teachers perceive you as incapable of becoming, you become incapable of becoming," he said.
"It's still happening," he said, "but
more and more Chicanos in schools are
beginning to bring changes in high
schools. Chicanos are beginning to think
that th_ey can make it."
He believes that "junior colleges have
been a great shot in the arm for minorities ...
Seventy percent of the minorities who
are attending college, he said, are enrolled in community colleges. "There is a
purpose for minorities to support junior
colleges," he said.
He opposes the label "disadvantaged"
that is given to Chicanos, because "it
gives the wrong impression to teachers
who need a good impression . The teacher t~inks you are disadvantaged, so you
become disadvantaged.

"They should call them bilingual or
linguistically different,,. Orozco said .
And he believes that if counselors
*took the time to get to know the student" they would be much more effective.
"They must be seen in community life.
The counselor needs to be an involved
member of the community," he said .
Orozco is beginning to believe, also,
that there ,.may well not be a low selfconcept problem. It may take a stronger
self-concept to renege on learning.
,.Perhaps they don't drop out because
of that (a self-image problem), but because-they have such a strong self-concept that it permits them to go to work.
"It doesn't let them stick with the
system.
"It might take more guts to drop out
than stay in."

La Voz Staff Box
Editor ................ Ricardo Plm_entel
Photo Edlt~r ........ George Aguirre
Staff.. .. , ............. Gina Holguin
Scott LaFee
Dora Lara
Steve Le Vine
Margarita Martinez
Arturo Ocampo

La Voz de Aztlan Is published
by the Associated Students at
Callfornla State University,
Fresno and the newspaper staff.
Unsigned editorials are the
opinions of the La Voz staff and
not necessarily the views of
the
Associated
Students,
CSUF or the State of California.

La Voz de Aztlan

Page4

Oct. 15,

The Aztecs did it, so did Mexicanos
Stude·nts learn
Chicano cultur
through dance
Music and dance of La Raza
(LR 121A), instructed by Ernesto
Martinez, explores the development and performance of Mexican
folk music and dance . Martinez
teaches his students of the impact
the Indian, Negro, Spanish and European cultures have had on Mexican
folk music -and dance . He also demonstrates the link of these past
influences on Chicano culture.
The class meets Monday, Wednesday
and Friday from 2:10 to 3 p.m . and
is offered each semester.

Olivia Guzman (top) readies for
a polka as part of a La Raza studies dance class. Another couple
(bottom) demonstrate that there
is more to life than disco.

Photos

by
George
Aguirre
Ernesto Martinez, instructor, gives some pointers to students
learning of Hispanic cultur.al dance and music. M.artinez traces Hispanic dance from its Indian origins to the present.
,,

A Special Publication o_f the Daily Collegian

LA VOZ de AZTLAN
Oct. 1, 1979

Monday
College Union fees

Cultural, ethnic programming neglected .
by Ricardo Pimentel
La Voz Editor
Chicano students paid about $30,000
in college union fees for the 1978-79
school year, yet there has been no significant amount of college union programming for Chicanos.
Most of the Chicano events have been
sponsored by the Associated Students.
The $30,000 figure is based on Chicano
enrollment figures for 1978-79.
Gary Bongiovanni, director of CU
programming, said, "'There have not
been a big number o.f specific ethnic
programs, but alot of the programs we
do ai:e attended by all the demographics
of the campus." According to the College Union program calendar, in the past
two semesters there have only been two
events sponsored by the CU even remotely directed at the Chicano campus
community. This semester, according to
the calendar, there are no events aimed
at the Chicano community scheduled.
"'Our definition of minority is broader/ Bongiovanni explained. "'Generally
programs are judged_by their merit."
The CU programming committee is
responsible for aiding Bongiovanni
in selecting and presenting CU programs . Two of the fllembers of the 10-

member committee are elected by the
student body, the others are appointed,
according to Luis Sepulveda, AS legislative vice president.
In the Handbook and Manual of Procedures for the College Union Board,
the policy making body for the CU, the
program committee is charged with "the
responsibility of presenting a balanced
program that will appeal to the total
campus community.
The program
should also contain elements which will
expose the campus community to the
rich variety of cultural and ethnic
heritages represented in the student
body and staff of the university .•
Bongiovanni said that if minority
program desires were met it would result in •a large number of small programs ." He added, "Our trend has
been to present programs for broader,
wider audiences."
Bongiovanni suggested that if anyone
has a complaint about CU programming,
"they try to get involved." Jeff Watson,
echoed the program director's suggestion, but asked, "Why isn't there
enough outreach (by the program committee) to students to find out what types
of programs minorities want?" "They
should make an attempt to . find out,"

he added . Watson is also chairman of
the College Union Board.
Watson said there is enough minority representation on the committee
but that there is a need for "more input." He said there is also enough
money in the CU budget to accomodate
minority programs.
Watson said the Associated Students
sponsors almost all of the minority

.

-

Bongiovanni said that most of this
semester's programming has already
been set. Watson, however, said it
was not too late for more programs and
would support suggestions by the minority community.

Low Chicano enrollment
many faceted problem
This is the third in a series of articles
dealing with the wide disparity between
the percentage of Chicanos in the local
community, and at CSUF. The former
stands at approximately 30 percent, the
latter 9 percent of the total.

By Steve Le Vine
La Voz Staff Writer

Trying to nail down the reasons why
Chicano representation at CSUF does
not jibe with that of the local community
is difficult. But in talking to some involved in bettering the situation, what
comes to light is a multi-faceted problem
that turns the disparity into a selfperpetuating cycle--one that begins at
home and follows the child all the way
from kindergarten through high school .
Theresa Perez, an instructor in La
Raza Studies Department, outlined those
facets in this way:
--Many Chicano _children enter kindergarten knowing only the Spanish language and the Mexican culture. This
presents itself as a pro~lem in a system
not set up to handle cross-cultural
children .
--As a result of the language and cultural
barrier, the child is behind Anglo and
other children from the beginning and
has difficulty catching up. Many times
that problem is magnified at home,
where parents ' education may be
limited, and aspirations low. In that
case, Perez said , there is lack of a role
model, which many times limits the
child's own aspirations....
At that point, the child is labeled "disadvantaged" by the school system,
which, Perez said, turns the situation
into a "self-fulfilling prophesy ." _
She said that many times "it's like a
Catch-22 . In developing compensating
procedures, they (the school) decide
there is a problem and make the kids
. feel they are a problem .
"By the school system assuming that
Independence celebration
these kids are a problem, they turn it
Campus Chicanos celebrated Mexican Independence Day in the College Union
into a vicious cycle. They (the children)
Sept. 14. More photos CNI page 4.

programs . Jack Valencia, chairman of
the program committee was unavailable for comment.

don't know speaking Spanish and being
culturally different is a problem .
"It's difficult to have a really good
image of yourself if everyone views you
as a problem."
--Then self-image becomes one of the
principal aggravates to the problem.
"(The children) develop themselves from
what's around them . It's hard (for
them) to view themselves as intelligent
and bright when they are viewed as
fringe groups," Perez said.
Perez said that there is little acceptance of the Chicano culture in the
schools, and that educators view the
children as outcasts. That, she said ,
hurts the child's self-image, "making
them feel they are dumb .".
That is not a problem, Perez said, to
"some kids from really strong families"
who "don 't care what the teachers say. "
Those children, she said, maintain a
solid' self-image because of support at
home.
--By the time high school rolls around
and it's time to decide what classes to
take, "many kids in school don't believe
they can do it (succeed in college-prep
courses)."
The self-doubt, coupled with many
high school counselors who "only want
to deal with high-achievers," said Educational Opportunity Program Director
Manuel Perez, many times places the
student in the under-achiever slot all
through high school.
·
He said that counselors give the
proper attention to those high-achievers ,
and they "get into college, including the
minorities, " But those that need special
help, those under the high-achievers, he
said do not get the gu idance they need .
Theresa Perez said, "And with all
that's happened before that, I would be
surprised if they did achieve then ."
Manuel Perez said that many counselors "seem to lead them (Chicano students) toward stuff you do with your
hands , like mechanics, instead of
cellege."

(continued on page 2)_

Pa1e2

Octeber1, 1979

LaVoideAzdan

Commentario
(----~_
_ _ _ _ _,,___,) Chicano appointed LVP
Editorial

By Ricardo Pimentel
La Voi Editor
The appointment of a Chicano to a
. major policy making position on campus
has gone virtually unnoticed.
Luis
Chicanos have been dealt a big favor and many do not even realize it. Earlier
Sepulveda was confirmed associated stuthis year, Congress by a two to one margin defeated a bill sponsored by Sen. Sam
dents legislative vice president SeptemNunn, D-Ga., to reinstate draft registration.
ber 18.
The bill called for all 18-year-old men to register by Jan. 2. The President
Sepulveda, a social welfare senior,
would have had to determine deferment and classification categories. The bill did
dates his involvement in student polinot call for the resumption of the draft, but opponents argued that a peacetime · tics to the 1976 student budget hearings
at which, he said, •all hell broke loose.•
draft would have been the next logical step.
Chicanos have particular cause for rejoicing because traditionally we have come
It was the opposition by some conservain very useful in times of war as cannon fodder. Like !JI/ poor people, Chicanos
tive elements to Chicano programs that
have been among the first to be dra fted and the first to die, in disproportionstrengthened sipulveda' s conviction
ate numbers.
that "If you don't have any say, you get
At issue is the· alleged inadequacy of the volunteer forces. Draft supporters
screwed somewhere along the line,"
contend the armed forces do not have enough manpower to meet any type of
he said.
emergency and worry that Soviet military might is eclipsing U.S. military power.
~
So what else is new? Generals have always bemoaned the lack of funds and
manpower, yet it is no justification for reinstituting what amounts to involuntary
servitude. Even the sponsor of the bill said, during a closed Senate session, that
registration did not solve any of the "worst case scenarios• presented. We agree
with registration opponent Sen. Mark Harfield, R-Ore., who argues that a strong
reserve (volunteer) force is the best way to deal with a military emergency.
We particularly agree with Black activist Rev. Jesse Jackson who said recently
of poor people, "In a cold war, we are the first to starve. In a hot war, we are the
first to die.•

Thumbs down for draft

Help a little brother, sister
As college students we should realize the difficult path to achieving our goals in
a discriminating society. That's why we should take time out to help the large
number of chicanitas and chicanitos in desperate need of guidance, counseling,
and companionship.
The Big Sisters and Big Brothers program is one way to fill the needs of Chicano
and Black children. In order to strengthen our children, we must take time out
to share our knowledge, which starts with the importance of education.
As a big brother or sister you can clarify the clouded dream that many of our
children find extremely difficult to see through . With your support, Big Brothers/
Big Sisters can make a child's dream come true.
To qualify, you have to be over 18-years-old and able to relate to children. You
have to fill out an application and have an orientation and interview. Five hours
per week is the minimum you 're expected to spend with a child.
Wherever you go you should take the child.. If you go to a football game, let
the child tag along. If you go to a class, go ahead and take the child. If you throw
the frisbee, let him play with you. You don't have to change your environment or
treat him or her special. He or she can enjoy themselves and learn alot just by
enjoying your company.
You can choose the sex, color, religion and approximate age you would like he
or she to be; someone you can relate to.
There is a desperate need for both Bia.ck and Chicano big brothers and sisters.
There are hundreds of children waiting for one of you to volunteer. No hay ningun
hombre que se enderece tanto como cuando se cigacha a ayudar a un nino. If
interested phone 268-5737 or drop by the office at 1305 E. Olive in Fresno.
Yolanda Soto and Eli Garcia

a

• ,.

senator. So Sepulveda was first appointed to a senate seat and then to le~islative vice president.
Chicano involvement in student IOV·
ernment didn't start with Sepulveda,
however ... Here we know that MEChA
is the strongest political organization
on campus/ Sepulveda said. .. Alot of
organizations are just social rather than
political.. ..They
{Chicanos)
realize
they deserve a fair shake in the budget
and have always kept a political awareness as far as the budge't process goes.•
Sepulveda cited the amount of AS budget funds allotted to Semana de la Raza,
the Chicano Youth Conference, and the
EOP Institute as evidence of effective
Chicano input.
But there are still some areas in which
Chkanos and Blacks are unrepresented,
Sepulveda said.
In the area of College Union activity
planning, minority input is lacking,
Sepulveda said. "Chicano and Blacks
aren't being represented as far as programm ing," he said.
The college
union is supposed to sponsor some cultural events, according to the new appointee, but they aren ' t. "Like Pappa
Doo Run Run. How many Chicanos
we nt to that," Sepulveda asked .
Getting a voice in student government
is sometimes difficult, said Sepulveda.
..When you talk about electing anyone
with a Spanish surname ... they have a
drawback."

This resolve resulted ·in his appointm~nt to School of Social Welfare senator,
an office he ran for and won the next
year.
Sepulveda• gingerly described
his first colleagues :;n the senate as coming from totally different backgrounds
than himself. He didn't think it was a
big problem but acknowledged that
(continued from page 1)
"Before in student government, if you
"Students
have to believe they have
were Chicano it was pretty hard." He
added, .. I'm not saying there is no nar- the ability, and it's hard to have the conrowmindedness {in the senate) now but fidence that you can succeed at college,
especially without role models," he said.
it is not as evident as in past years ... .
"Kids who have parents with degrees
Sepulveda' s appointment by AS president Dave Ditora followed some debate end up in college," he said. The probon whether Sepulveda, who ran for the lem, he said, leads back to homes where
post and lost the election, was eligible :>arents have limited education.
Theresa Perez said that, "colleges are
for the office. The post was vacated by
Janet Sales who decided to travel abroad not doing a good job in teaching teachers
rather than serve her term. According that they can learn from these groups,
to the AS constitution,- an appointee that in fact there is something to be said
to legislative vice president ·must be a for people who don't speak the same as
wedo.
"We act as if schools are mass-production places. The system is so structured
that these kids can never catch up/
she said.
"We have to start rethinking educaThe humanities fellowships are available to students seeking doctorates in · tion. We have to start doing things
differently.
·American studies, art history, classics,
"We need to meet the needs of the
comparative literature, English, Gerdiverse population," she said. "'We
man, linguistics, m·usic, philosophy,
don't have to turn the kids into a probreligion, Romance languages, and ·
lem."
Slavic languages.
·

Enrollment

Minority doctorate fellowships available
Two fellowship programs designed to
increase the representation of minority
groups among doctorates in the social
sciences and the humanities are available. The program was established
by the Committee on Institutional
Cooperation .
Funded by grants from the Lilly
Endowment, Inc., and the Andrew W.
Mellon Foundation that total more than
$1 million, the program will provide
25 two-year fellowships in the social
sciences and 10 in the humanities for
the 1~1 academic year.
The Committee on 'Institutional
Cooperation (CIC) is the academic
consortium of 11 Midwestern universities--the Big Ten universities and the
University of Chicago. Recipients of
the fellowships may use them at any one
of the 11 CIC universities to which they
are admitted for graduate study.

The fellowships provide full tu.ition
plus a stipend of $4,250 for each of two
academic years. The .universities will
provide two additional years of support
if Fellows make normal progress towards
the Ph.D.
Ariyone who has or will receive a
bachelor's degree by September, 1980
is eligible to apply for the 1980 competition . Graduate students outside the CIC
may also apply.
Students are urged to apply as early
as possible in the fall; application deadline is January 15, 1980. A one-step
procedure combines application for the
fellowship with application for admission
to any of the CIC universities on a single
form.
Anyone desiring detailed information
about either fellowship program should ·
write to: CIC Minorities Fellowships
Program, Kirkwood Hall 111, Indiana
University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405.

Help Wanted
Artist that can draw a beautifully
artistic emblem that Las Adelitas
may use to rep~nt the organization. May use any (orm of paint or
ink drawing. Will leave up to own
discretion as to what would be
appropriate for the emblem. Drawing should fit on a 8" x 11 • sheet of

canvas or paper. A reward of $20.00
. will be aiven to the artist with the
most original emblem.
Dead' oc for all entries will be:
Novemher 5, 1979
.
Entries should be turned into La Raza
Studies, San Ramon 4, Room 118

1

PqeJ

LaV•·Adlan

sticide exposure poses peril for Campesinos
inted courtes~ of la Cucaracha
lo)
'
of the_greatest dangers facing
rkers in the U.S. is poisoning
exposure to pesticides which
s both immediate and l~ng-term
problems, according to Dr.
to Ortiz, whose 22-year medical
r has involved much work with
orkers.
have the dubious distinction of
g _tr-e~ted ,,two fatal cases of pestiporsonmg , Dr. Ortiz said .
Arizona physician is a faculty

member at the University of Arizona
School of Medicine in Tucson, and he
visited Pueblo last month at the request
of the Pueblo Neighborhood Health
Centers, Inc. (PNHC).
*The 'normal' way of life for farmworkers lends itself to serious medical
problems, with many doing work in
100-degree temperatures for 12-14 hour
work days, and without any kind of
healthcare benefits,... Dr. Ortiz said .
"'In some cases, their only shelter is a
tarp canopy over two rows of citrus trees,
and they must perform all of their bodily

functions in the field ....
The poor environment, lack of nutrition, and even the lack of adequate
housing for farmworkers lowers their
average life expectancy to "22 years
below the national average,"' Dr. Ortiz
said. He feels the *indiscriminate use of
pesticides in the field where farmworkers spend most of their time is the
most deadly peril facing them ."
The immediate effects of pesticide
poisoning are easy to diagnose : nausea,
skin damage and convulsions , among
others . But the effects of day-in , day-o~t

exposure to pesticides are more difficult
to detect, he said. When farmworkers
are exposed daily to pesticides, they can
develop liver damage, tissue damage,
and for women, a much greater chance
of stillborn infant death.

Failure to Regulate

.

Government agencies charged with
overseeing the use of pesticides have
failed to do their jobs, Dr. Ortiz said .
"The Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA), for example, has given the states
the authority to enforce pesticide control
laws . Allowing the states to implement
the laws is the fatal flaw, because the
states are very indiscrimi nate in enforceme nt," he said,
In several cases farmworkers have
sought relief in the courts from pesticide
poisoning. In Cr~eley, Hope Acosta and
Santos lira are suing a local farmer and
an aerial spraying firm after an incident
June 20, 1978, in which pesticides were
allegedly sprayed on a group of workers
in an onion field. Lira and Ms. Acosta
sought both individual damages and
relief for all farmworkers exposed to
pesticides, but Greeley District Court
Judge Jonathan W. Hayes dismissed
the class-action portions of the suit.
A two-pronged approach to the problem can help, Dr. Ortiz said . Easily
accessible health care is needed especially in those cases of large-dose exposure to pesticides. Government agencies
and community groups must be more
active in e nforcing the existing laws , and
supportive of new , stricter pesticide
t j ' ,.
control laws .

-------Jc •"All humans have the right to health
Radio Bilinaue fundraiser Sept. 14, Danny Valdez, earlier hits like •Brown Eyed Children of the Sun• and his clas, 1an1 a number of his sonp. Most of his sonp were sic •El Louie.• (Pheto by Tomas Uribes, SENTIMIENT.OS care, no matter what their economic
means," Dr. Ortiz said .
creations, but the show was sprinkled with some of his Mapzine)

.

ds fund bilingual training Chicanos in social ·services
provide insight, rapport
By Gina Ho11uin
La Voz Staff Writer

federal grant, aimed at estab1g a bilingual teacher program, has
ieen introduced to CSUF.
! federal government recently proI CSUF with a $117,000 grant to
bilingual cross culture specialists.
1Ction recognizes the fact that a proexists. The need for cross cultural
alists has also been recognized by
>mia. The state has taken action to
nnt the Bilingual Education Act
72 and the Bilingual Education Act
r6.
ingual teachers are needed to help
!Cl English-speaking (LES) and nonsh-speaking (NES) students who
special learning needs. The perge of Hispanic pupils in the four
ies are: Fresno - 34.S percent;
e - 3".2 percent; Madera - 33.4
nt; and Kings County -- 30 percent.
!resa Perez, director of the bilinteacher program, said Thursday,
s work with the people who are cloomeeting the needs of these kids."
! grant provides for a two year pro. There are requirements to qual· the grant. A person must be an in:e credentialed teacher, a pre-sertudent, or aides working in an area
! there is a larae number of Spanish
ing children. The aides must also
a <X>mmand of the Spanish Ian-

!.

Once the program is underway, the
staff will consist of Theresa Perez as director; Dr. Carl Stuizman of the CSUF
School of Education will serve as a liaison with schools and school superintendents; a full-time teacher; and a secretary. Their office win be in the School of
Education. The bilingual program is receiving support from school personnel
and from the School of Education which
will be receiving some parts of the
funding.
Theresa Perez is enthusiastic about
the program. The School of Ed,ucation,
La Raza Studies department, and the
linguistics and Foreign Language departments will work together to implement the CSUF bilingual teacher
program.

Latino ne·Ns in
September issue
The latest issue of Sentimientos
Magazine, the first Chicano magazine in
the Central Valley, is n<M' available.
The September iss.ue features articles
on Fresno's newest Chicana doctor, on
singer Anacani, and novelist-phtywrite
Luis Valdez. Sentimientos' 'regular
"Capirotada" is also featured. •
The magazines are available on
campus in the La Raza Studies department and in the EOP office. They sell

for SI each.

by George Aguirre
La Voz Staff Writer

A group which offers assistance to
Chicano students by providing insight into.their respective human service fields is the primary goal of one
organization in the Fresno area.
The Assoication of Chicanos in
Human Services (AOCHS), a volunteer group, gives the first-year student in human services knowledge
and provides rapport among students
with those already in the profession.
AOCHS tries to "develop a network
of communication amongst ourselves
and agencies involved," said Abel
Esquivel, one of the organization's
co<hairmen.
AOCHS has its door open to student participation and includes many
professionals in such fields as social
welfare, mental health, house care
and criminology. The organization is
additionally concerned with ensuring
the quality of services open to Chicanos.
Members contribute ideas, needs
and opinions for a '"more creative
and innovative" session when the
group meets the second Wednesday

of each month, said Esquivel. They
are held evenings at the Mosqueda
Center on Butler Ave .
Professional members are structuring
one of their aims around providing
peer support to J;tudents and "getting people at both ends of the c;ontinuum," said Esquivel.
. Al Arredondo, co<hairman, said
that support is . given to Chicanos
through such social agencies as the
Central Valley Regional Center and
the Fresno County Welfare Center.
The organization pulls together
members to bring about changes in
agencies, said Arredondo.
Organizations similar to the- Fresno
area group have been set up in the
Los Angeles and Sacramento areas.
Esquivel blamed Proposition 13 for
diminishing the quality of services to
Chicanos. Some of the first areas to
be cut back are "those considered
vital to the lives of many people,"
Esquivel said.
A fundraiser to welcome the CSUF
Chicano students enrolled in the human services is . tentatively planned
for Friday Oct. ~2. For more information, • contact Al A~redondo at
442-4600 or Abel Esquivel at 4883731.

La Voz de Aztlan

Page4

Mariachis, Teatro
highlight celebratio

.

r ..

La Semana Committee staged entertainment and speuen Sept. 14 in
bration of Mexican Independence Day. Mariachi de la Tierra, Teatn
Valle, Fresno City Councilman Leonel Alvarado, a poetry reading by
Torres, singing by Jose Flores (left) and an explanation of the ewm'
significance by Theresa Perez and Dr. Jesus Luna were featured.
little 1irf (above) preferred the photqrapher to the show, however.

Inmates' families helped by Friends Outside
by Margarite Martinez
La Voz Staff Writer

Friends Outside is a non-profit, community volunteer organization working
to help keep families of local, state and
federal prison inmates together in the
worst of times.
It serves inmate's
families without regard to race, nationality or religion. The group's main concern, according to . Natalie Phelps,
local director, is "being a friend."
The uniqueness of Friends Outside
is that it is an all volunteer effort of
members of the community who under~
stand the need and are committed to
help and work with families of prisoners.
There is only one paid staff position.
It is a state funded program.
Friends Outside is a statewide organization founded in 1955. A chapter
can be found in 20 counties throughout
California.
Friends Outside tries to help anyone
requesting their services . There are
virtually no eligibility requirements.
If the organization is not able to help,
people are refered to others.
Friends Outside provides many ser•vices to families of inmates. They communicate with the family upon request
of the prisoner. Friends Outside believes that the plight of the family is
just as tragic as that of the offender.
The family is left emotionally shattered
by the arrest and often in a financial
bind due to the loss of a breadwinner.
~stracized by the community, the family
,s Just as much a victim.
Friends Outside tries to work with
not for, prisoners and their families'.
Instead of complaining about the lack
of services, the group offers their services to prison officials in order to meet
the un111et needs of the inmate. They

arrange transportation for families of
the _inmate, upon request, to court hearings and jail visits . Many relatives
of inmates are from the outlying areas
of Fresno With no way of getting into
Fresno. Friends Outside also provides
emergency clothing and food .
Recently, Friends Outside was able to
help a woman and her child who had

been burglarized. They were able to
provide her with clothes.
If an inmate doesn-'t have suitable
clothes to attend court proceedings,
he or she is provided with clothes.
They have also organized an inmates'
wives club to serve as an educational and
social program.

A local goal is to develop a ·
l::enter within walking distance
downtown jail. · They intend to
a place for children to stay whi~
parents are visiting inmates.
Friends Outside is in need of b
volunteers and anyone
should contact the local
485-1432.

----Noticias de la Raza----New Mini Corps head
Starting out with only 13 students,
Mini Corps has now merged into a
nationwide program under the new direction of Manuel Sanchez.
Sanchez is from the Fresno area.
He was recently teaching in Hanford
until he was asked by the program's
ex-coordinator, Andy Rodarte, to take
over the position. Sanchez has both a
teaching credential and an admistrative credential. Sanchez has been
with Mini Corps since 1969.
Mini Corps is a federally funded
program. Its main function is to help
migrant students by providing camping
trips and history programs as aids ir;i
the education development. Mini Corps
also provides a teacher training program
for Chicanos.
Students planning to go into teaching,
can apply to the program . There are a
few requirements. Preferably students
must be juniors or seniors.
Those
interested can contact Sanchez in the
Ed-Psych building, 487-2067.

Pschology club formed
Chicanos interested . in Psychology
should know about a n,ew club on campus

geared toward their interests.

The club, Chicanos in Psychology,
was just formed this semester under
the guidance of Dr .. Alex Gonzalez,
a psychologist just named to a postion on
the La Raza Studies staff.
Chicanos in Psychology wants to attract many members because of the lack
of Chicanos in the field, said member
Jerry Gonzalez. Once on steady ground,
the group hopes to offer information
concerning graduate schools and fellowships, tutorial services, counseling and
to get involved in the Chicano community.
There· are no scheduled meetings as
yet. However, anyone interested should

contact Dr. Gonzalez at 487487-2848 or see him at San
room 238. Those interested
call Jerry Gonzalez, 673-0606 (

MEChA officers elect
Haro is chairperson
Elections for MEChA 's offian
held September 20.
Elected were: Silverio Haro,
person; Silvia Rodriguez, v·
person; Margarita M.
Treasurer; Maria Correa,
Elected as Sergeant-At-Arms
David Torres and Tony Villa.

La Voz Staff Box
Editor ... ............. Ricardo Pimentel
Photo Editor .... ... . George Aguirre
Staff .................. Gina Holguin
Scott LaFee
Dora Lara
Steve Le Vine
Margarita Martln~z
Arturo Ocampo

La Voz de Aztlan is publish.:
by the Associated Students
California State UnlversltJ
Fresno and the newspaper star.
Unsigned editorials are I
opinions of the La Voz staff an:
not neceasarlly the views c
the
Associated
Student!
CSUF or the State of Calif·
ornla.

1

Problem for the poor

College enrollment solutions elusive
This is the fourth in a series of artides
dealing with the wide disparity between
the percentage of Chicanos in the local
community and at CSUF. Those figures
are 30 and nine percent, respectively.

By Steve Le Vine
La Voz Staff Writer

Resolving CSUF' s Chicano enrollment
problem will not be easy. Just as the
problem is complex, so is its solution.
Because the problem begins in kindergarten and follows the student all the
way through high school, so must the solution.
CSUF Chicano instructors and administrators outlined the problem in this

way during interviews with La Voz:
Simply, many Chicano children who
enter kindergarten cannot speak English
at all, or they speak so little English that
language becomes a barrier to keeping
up with other children.
Because these children many times
· are considered a problem, and are treated as such, they begin to feel they are a
problem.
Now self-image becomes the difficulty. This follows them to hiRh school,
where they may not have the confidence
to take college-prep courses.
That, coupled with many high school
counselors who are not sensitive to their
special needs, sets them in a rut from
which it is v~ unlikely they will emerge

problem could be alleviated by working
to attend college.
Many times, because of sterrntypes, on students' s vocabulary -- using "'exthey will be counseled to enter vocational tensive"' oral-speaking exercises. United
training, thus virtually ending their pos- States' schools, he said, "'should take up
sibility of attending college .
the teaching of spoken English as a misThe end result is that Chicanos are not sion ."'
Orozco said that in a study he conducwell-represented in many professions .
That perpetuates the cycle, because ele- ted he found that students are made to
mentary school and high school-aged participate orally in class only one-half of
children do not have role models to pat- one percent of their school day .
The result, he said, is that students'
tern themselves after. "'They do not belingual ability is dwarfed, which causes
lieve that a Chicano can "'make it."'
Cecilio Orozco, CSUF Bilingual-Cross many of the Chicanos' later problems .
He thinks that each day kindergarten
Cultural Specialist, believes that poor representation at colleges is a problem that and elementary school teachers, after
is "'pretty common with people who are they have given their students a lesson,
should pair up Chicano and Anglo stupoor ."'
He thinks that much of the Chicano dents, and have them explain to each
other what was just learned .
In addition, Orozco said, after storytelling, the pairing should also be done
to help develop "'high lingual ability ."'
Because many Chicano children have
an underdeveloped vocabulary, Orozco
sa'id, teachers get a "'negative"' impression of them. "'Most pe')ple who aren't
bilingual don't perceive being bilingual
as being great, so they only see onehalf of you -- the English half . They
don't see you as being able," he said.

Special Publicatio~ of The Daily Collegian

La Voz de Aztlan
Monday

Oct 15, 1979

~

#

LaVozEditor

Supporters of the United Farmworkers Union boycott against select lettuce companies may inadvertently
be eating the boycotted vegetable on
campus. Of the several brands of lettuce the university's food services buys,
at least three are from companies on
the union's boycott list.

The university buys from two produce
firms locally, OK Produce Co., and
Baloians Produce Co. The non-union
lettuce is passed from the boycotted
companies to CSUF through the OK
Produce Co. Baloians apparently has
not been supplying boycotted lettuce.
OK Produce Co. lettuce sold to CSUF
is bought from D' Arrigo Brothers,
Crowers' Exchange and Eckel Produce

reinforces negative images ."'

The pairing "'would be more beneficial to Anglos," Orozco said. Using basketball as an analogy to the pairing, he
said the result would be that "the Anglos
would become professional basketball
player~, and the Chicanos college ball
players ."' That, he said, would be preferable to Anglos "'becoming college-players"' and Chicanos "'non-players ."
He thinks that the pairing should be
instituted nation-wide because, "America's original citizens need it," and "'in
Appalachia they need this even worse"
than do Chicanos.
But, Orozco said, "whether the psychological problems of the poor (selfimage, and in the case of parents, "resigning themselves to the futility, the
impossibility" of "making it") can ever
be resolved is a horse of a different
color."
The point, he said, is that "'the kid has
to have the idea that his education is being geared specifically to him, not something that he has to adapt to."'
"'Chicanos will have that problem (of
self-image),"' Orozco said·. "'What they
need first is social acceptance."'
He said that Chicano students do not
view their culture as accepted in their
schools, so they become turned-off,
which worsens the self-image problem .
He said that curriculum and programs
should be developed so that "the culture
is reflected in the schools, so the child
feels he is contributing to American life.
We need to teach all children in school
the value of other cultures ."'
Orozco believes, as do the other Chicano instructors and administrators conPhoto by Kipp Smith tacted , that counselors and instructors
Co. D' Arrigo Brothers and Crowers' play a major role in the problem, so must
Exchange are on the UFW's list of boy- also play a major role in the solution.
Esteban Soriano, Student Affirmative
cotted companies. Together, they supply CSUF with three different brand Action Coordinator tor the California
names of boycotted lettuce: Page Boy, State University system, said that "there
are some insensitive teachers and counAndy Boy and Toro.
·
The UFW' s lettuce boycott began in selors who just will not counsel ChicaJanuary and has forced some of the lar- nos ."'
Although there is a good number of
gest growers to come to terms with the
(continued on page 2)
(continued on page 3)

University serving boycotted lettuce

by Ricardo Pimentel

"'Most impressions are made ver~al-

ly,"' Orozco said, "'and a bad vocabulary

u Voz de Aztlan

Pagel

(

Oct. 15, 1979

'Ruling class determines
Jwhat is criminal act'
Editorial
Cuba troops: So what?

Commentario

American reaction to the presence of possible Soviet combat troops in Cuba is
something like the pot calling the kettle black. At last count, U.S . troops overseas
numbered about 400,000.
What the Carter administration is trying to prove is uncertain. It could be that
Carter merely erred in letting Sen . Frank Church, D-ldaho, who is up for reelection soon, release the news of the Soviet presence. Church, a liberal representing
a largely conservative constituency, is trying to link the Cuban issue with the Salt
II treaty to demonstrate to the homefolks how bullish he is on being hawkish.
The fact that the Russian troops have been there for quit~ awhile and that no
one has been able to prove that the troops are actually a combat brigade, seems
to matter to no one. Carter perceives the issue as just one more in a long line
of issues which make him appear powerless and not in control. Senate hardliners
see it as perhaps their last shot at crippling the Salt II treaty . The Soviets view it
as just more proof of the Carter administration's bumbling. And the Cubans,
who everyone seems to be ignoring, very correctly view it as unwelcome interference in their internal affairs.
Even if there is a Soviet combat brigade in Cuba, it represents no threat to
American security. American troops have been stationed overseas near Soviet
and Soviet allied borders for years. Americans ignore the U.S. military presence
in Cuba. The military base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba isn't manned by the Soviets or the Cubans. It's good ole' homegrown American boys who, we guess,
are there protecting the Cubans from themselves.
Carter did well in not jumping on the bandwagon of those wishing for a repeat
of the 63' Cuban missile crisis. It's doubtful whether the outcome would have
been the same anyway. Unfortunately, the president felt he had to indulge our
national macho tendencies a bit by beefing up American forces at Guantanamo,
establishing a Caribeen military task force, and planning military exercises off
the Cuban coast. The chest beating will impress no one but Americans, which
is probably what it was intended to do anyway.
The president's nationally televised news conference notwithstanding, the national uproar over Soviet troops in Cuba is still much ado about nothing.

by Ricardo Pimentel
u Voz Editor
"The law is not holy and pu~. It is
developed by men and being developed
by men -- the ruling class."
Hugo Morales, instructor in the Chicanos and the legal system class conaucted by the La Raza Studies department, said he is telling that to his students in order to "demystify" the legal
system.
Morales, a 1975 Harvard Law School
graduate, gained his legal experience
working on the legal staff of the United
Farmworkers Union and other legal aid
efforts for the poor. That experience
has taught him that "the legal system
was built for the monied class." He said
that the legal process in any country
is very much intertwined with the economy.
Because of the economy, Morales
said, Chicanos don't have as much access to relief under the law as is generally assumed. But it's not just Chicanos
he added, it's poor people in general.
"The system is controlled by the ruling
class."
Legal aid groups for the poor do help,
Morales said, but they fail to address
the real issue. "If you're talking about
real access, you're talking about changing the political system. In order to
get more access, you need political power," he said.
The things that can be done without
political power are only "bandaids,"
Morales said, "and are only effect_ive

to a degree." Lawyers are learning th!t
political power is the answer to push
through real relief, Morales said.
The dramatic increase in the past few
years in the number of Chicano lawyers
has done little to reverse the poor representation of Chicanos in the Bar Association, Morales said. "There can
never be too many poor peoples' lawyers." There is also ·a need for Chicano
lawyers to become actively involved in
the lawmaking process, he said, as legislators and legislative assistants.
Chicanos need more legal advocacy
because "a disproportionate number of
Chicanos find themselves in trouble with
the law," Morales said, which he blamed
on socio-economic factors.
"Society
·puts more emphasis on the types of
anti-social acts committed by poor
people," Morales said. "If there were
more -emphasis on catching white collar
criminals, they would be arrested more.'
Morales contends that it is the ruling
class that determines what constitutes
a criminal act.

Despite Morales' seeming pessimism
about the legal system, he does acknowledge that the system is not completely closed. But an ulterior motive
may be the reason. "It's wise to give
people hope, to address their concerns.
It legitimizes the system," Morales
said. In this manner, he added, society
is provided a "safety valve" which gives
the poor their day in court, even if the
verdict is almost always guilty.

Counselors: A need to become m·ore sensitive·
(continued from page 1)
teachers and counselors who are sensitive to Chicano needs, Soriano said,
there is a Hsignificant" number who fall
into the Hinsensitive" category.
There are many counselors that do
not counsel women, Blacks and Chicanos
to go to college; to go into professional or
technical work; or even to keep doing
well in high school courses," he said.
Those,counselors, Soriano said, Hperpetuate myths and stereotypes .
High school teachers and counselors
"have a tremendous tendency to ignore
the needs of Chicanos, he said, "or to
send them to junior colleges .
Hit is a problem because you are getting into deep-seated attitudes of basically redneck counselors ."
"There is a large t:,ody of high school
counselors that do not counsel Chicanos
to go on to" state colleges and universities, Soriano said.
The reasons for that, he said, are
"either that they (counselors) don't understand admission procedures; they
have a bias toward junior colleges" so
advise Chicanos in that direction· "that
they would rather work with stud~nts of
their own background or upbringing; or
they are just biased. and prejudiced "
The California State University system, consisting of 19 campuses, produces 70 percent of the counselors and
teachers working in California's elementary, junior high and high schools Soriano said .
'
Thus, he said, the system can "make
sure that it is producing teachers and
co~ns~l?rs who develop a sensitivity for
~rnont,es and under-represented individuals."
H

H

Soriano is helping to implement a program in the system to help accomplish
that goal.
The state legislature, Soriano said, appropriated $90,000 to each of six CSU
campuses to implement the program,
which does the following things:
--examines curricula offered, and allows
for reconstruction of that curricula.
--develops new classes in "cultural sensitivity and self-assessment. These classes
focus on the differences in the <:ulture,
and allows them to be doing some soul
searching on their internalized prejudices and biases," Soriano said .
--tries to get more minority students to
become counselors and teachers .
This, he said, is a long-range plan,
and "only speaks to several years down
the road, when they'll actually have
jobs."
CSUF is not part of the program, he
said, because the college already has received state funds for current programs
-- such as the Recruiting Students Via
Parents program, which attempts to increase Chicano enrollment by speaking
to students' parents .
The new program was instituted this
semester on six campuses, and Soriano
expects a preliminary progress report in
March, and a comprehensive report in
the summer of 1980.
He said that he will ask the legislature to fund the program for the entire
system for the 1980-81 school year.
'
The funding, he said, pays for student
assistants, graduate assistants and faculty members .
In addition, to help with the "shortrange problem," Soriano said, the program provides for "developing in-ser-

vice programs for those already in the
field to try to make them understand the
problems
of
minorities ."•
A shortcoming of the program, he
said, is that there are "not enough funds
to reach the freshmen and sophomore
students, to prepare them for counselors
who are not going to motivate them."
He said that he would have liked to
have enough money to develop programs
for those high school students to prepare
them to "do battle with the counselors."
When Soriano was in high school, he
said, he was counseled to enter the automobile repair field "because of my large
size (6 feet three inches tall)."
"They figured that I could lift transmissions easily," he said.
He called it "lucky" that he was forced
to quit high school to "work in the fields
so that I got out of there." He later was
convinced to go to college and eventually
received a PhD from Stanford University.
"I just hate to think that counselors are
doing the same thing to other students
who aren't as lucky as I was," he said.
He thinks that "bilingual-bicultural
education has had a big impact in terms
of its ability to help the Chicano function
in the English classroom. But it needs to
become more sensitive. It can do a far
better job.
"By the time students reach the ninth,
tenth and eleventh grades they are pretty much functioning in the English language, he said, "but high school presents an experience not conducive to the
retention of the Chicano student.
"When the student reaches high
school, he begins to challenge and question, becomes inquisitive. They become
H

frustrated when they read the history
text and find it culturally biased.
"History doesn't include the contributions of Chicanos. There is no supportive
environment. That is the key factor in
the Chicano high school drop-out rate.•
Both Soriano and Orozco believe that
the cultural and social experience at high
school has much effect on how Chicano
students deal with school.
"The high school experience needs to
be made more relevant to the needs of
Chicanos. The high school needs to take
a greater role in permitting the Chicano
to exercise cultural activities:"' Soriano
said.
"They also need an academically supportive environment. They make the environment supportive for Anglo individuals, but not for Chicanos. That's why
they don't feel high school is doing anything for them."
Chicano students, Soriano said, don't
think that their teachers understand the
"Chicano experience," so do not seek
help from them after class. HTeachers
should urge Chicanos to speak to them
after class, Soriano said.
Orozco believes that teachers, more
than counselors, need to become more
sensitive to these problems .
HTeachers also talk to counselors (in
addition to students). We need teachers
who believe they can do the job, and they
don't believe they can do it," Orozco
said .
"Until they believe they can do it,
counselors probably won:t deal realistically with the situation.
Because teachers many times view
Chicanos as underachievers, Orozco
(continued on page 3)
H

H

u

Od. 15, 1979

voz de Aztlan

Pa1e 3

Mexico on 'sea of oil'

Colussus of North turns eye southward for oil
by Scott ufee
La Voz Staff Writer
Far too long many Americans have
stnolyped Mexico as a cactus-studded
WISleland inhabited by too many
people with too few pesos.
But no longer. The wasteland has
brned into an ocean of oil and petrodollars tumble from Mexican pockets.
The days when·the United States could
alfard to ignore and stereotype its southern neighbor are over.
Since the discovery of oil in 1972,
Mexico has played an increasingly
i1111G11ant role in regional and global
politics. Mexican President Jose Lopez
Partillo's recent visit with President
Carter is evidence of that.
Carter, eager to improve America's
fraaile relations with Mexico and thus
lreepche oil flowing across the border,
aioed and coddled Portillo. It was a
distinct change from previous presidential policies which seemed arrogant
andmndescending.
Dr. Edward J. Williams, a profess« at the University of Arizona and the
llllhor of .. The Rebirth of Mexico's
Petnlleum Industries.. predicts even
morechanges in U.S.-Mexico relations.
Speaking to a crowd of about 150 people in the College Union Oct. 4, Williams
said that Mexico is changing rapidly
and American fortunes are inextricably

tied.
Secretary of State Cyrus Vance
agrees.
.
Vance, talking to the Foreign Policy
Association, said, .. The range and diversity of issues in our relations are probably greater than with any other country in the world. Because we share a
2,lW,mille border, because we share
democratic perspectives, because our
emnomies are both strong and interdependent, Mexico is one of the most
important countries in the world for us ...
Mexico is now the fifth largest oil
exporter in the world, behind the
U.S.S.R, Saudi Arabia, the U.S. and

Iran. It pumps 1.7 million barrels a day,
85 percent of which is exported to the
U.S.
..Mexico is a veritable sea of oil, .. said
Williams. ..It has 45 billion barrels of
proven reserves. The U.S. has 35 billion. Saudi Arabia has the most with 170
but Mexico's proven reserves run higher and higher every day ...
Indeed, officials of Pemex, the nation's- oil company, estimate Mexico
may be sitting on· more than 200 billion
barrels of crude.
All of which, said -Williams, makes
Mexico hard to ignore. Next year,
Mexico will earn nearly $7 billion
in oil exports. By 1990, that figure may
rise to as much as $20 billion.
But Williams said the inevitable
change that money brings will not come
easy. The Mexican government fears
that too much money will inundate the
economy as it did in Kuwait or spell
revolution as it did in Iran.
Williams said, however, thatthe chances of either happening are remote.
..Mexico is the 12th wealthiest country in the world. That's no backyard
banana republic. Money won't change
them like it did the Kuwaitis ...
The major problem facing Portillo's
government is a booming population
and lagging agricultural production.
Mexico's population is expected to more
than double its current 68 million by
the year 2000. But the country has problems feeding its people now and only
15 percent of the land is capable of growing crops.
According to Williams, Mexico imports nearly $1 billion a year in food,
mainly rice, beans and corn. Yet the
government allots only two percent of
its income for improving agriculture.
The bulk of the money goes into modernizing industry, particularly Pemex.
.. The ·idea of bigness is upon them, ..
Williams said. ..Bigness is industry.
You don't grow com, you build petrochemical plants. You don't nurture rice

Non-union· lettuce served
(continued from page 1)
Illian. Sun Harvest Inc., the largest
lettuce grower in the nation, signed
wiCh the UFW in August. At issue is
improved farmworker wages and bene-

fits.

Rick Finley, administrator of campus

food services, said there is no policy
dictating that the food services division
buy only UFW lettuce. He said there
hbebeen various campus endorsements
• the years recommending the purchase of union lettuce, but no directive
IDdoso.
In 1972, the Associated Student
Senate passed a resolution supporting
the efforts of the UFW to organize and
endorsed the use of the boycott as a
barp;ning tool. The resolution also
endorsed union lettuce for the university's food services. An endorsement
bybi the Associated
Students is not
'nding, however.
·
. Finley said it would be an .. almost
llllpossible burden .. to make sure that
the producers supply only union lettuce.
Thelhe only criteria for buying lettuce for
. campus is quality and cost, Finley
said. And if union lettuce fits those
lll!Uirements, then it can be bought.
Aflaa system was used in past years

to let students know if they were eating
union lettuce or not, Finley said. He
said efforts to reinstitute such efforts
today would be o1fficult .. because we
can't be sure we're telling the truth ...
.. We shift labels internally, .. he added,
"and none of the lettuce crates get
near the serving areas... Lettuce used
in one area may be moved to fill the
needs of other areas leading to mixing
of labels.
Marc Grossman, a UFW spokesman,
said Finley's claim that it would be too
difficult to ensure union lettuce is
served is ..crazy." ..They simply have to
tell their buyers what labels not to
buy," he said.
According to Grossman, uriion lettuce
is equal in quality to non-union lettuce
and the price difference is negligible.
.. Union lettuce may be a little more because there's more demand, .. he said.
Student supporters of the lettuce
boycott, then, may have some problems
picking out non-union lettuce from
union lettuce. ·1t would do little good to
ask food service employees because they
probably don't know.
Apparently, the only choice left to boycott supporters on campus is whether
to eat lettuce or not.

fields, you nurture steel mills. Petrochemical plants and steel mills are symbols of progress, not corn."
Consequently, the poor and hungry
seek aid elsewhere. That aid comes
from the U.S.
Illegal immigration is a prickly issue
that has plagued U.S.-Mexico relations
for years.
American labor unions
claim it keeps Americans out of work.
The Mexican government tacitly approves of it because it eases the country's chronic unemployment problem.
With an unemployment rate estimated
to be nearly 50 percent, the Mexican
government is happy to see Mexicans
working in the U.S. According to Williams, whole villages live off the income
sent to them from workers here and
crime in Mexico declines as .. troublemakers" leave the country to work in
American cities.
But Williams contends the U.S.
government purposely allows the immigration to continue. Illegal aliens provide a cheap source of workers for
farmers in California and elsewhere.
Often they do the jobs no one else
will do.
Williams agrees with Vance and
others that relations with Mexico will
not be easy. Mexicans still harbor a
deep resentment for outsiders. They
still have not forgotten that the U.S.
gobbled up half of their territory in 1848.
Said one State Department official in
a recent issue of Time Magazine,
"Mexicans are so sensitized by the past

that it colors any overture from the U.S.
They tend to see in normal conflicts
much more sinister aspects than are
really there."
This attitude affects nearly all aspects
of U.S.- Mexico relations, especially
when it concerns oil. Americans who
thought that *the Mexican 'oil bonanza
was going to save the U.S." are wrong,
according to Williams . Mexico is planning to cut back its exports to the U.S .
in favor of sales to Sweden, Japan and
France.
The U.S. doesn 't even get a cheaper
price.
Mexico charges about one dollar
more per barrel than OPEC, even though
it has no relation to the cartel. In the
past, it has considered joining OPEC
but has always decided against it.
Primarily because it would anger what
Williams calls "the colussus of the
North ."
The Mexican government cannot
afford to anger the U.S. Mexico's
foreign debt stands at $30 billion, second
only to Brazi I's. Nearly 85 percent
of that debt is owed to U.S. banks or
i_nternational organizations that Americans control.
But that situation could change as
Pemex cuts out a bigger share of the
oil-exporting pie. Williams said there is
little doubt Mexico will become a power
to contend with.
How much power Portillo wields will
depend on how many American cars
are running on Mexican gas.

Enrollment solutions elusive
(continued from page 2)
said, they become that way.
"If your teachers perceive you as incapable of becoming, you become incapable of becoming," he said.
"It's still happening," he said, "but
more and more Chicanos in schools are
beginning to bring changes in high
schools. Chicanos are beginning to think
that th_ey can make it."
He believes that "junior colleges have
been a great shot in the arm for minorities ...
Seventy percent of the minorities who
are attending college, he said, are enrolled in community colleges. "There is a
purpose for minorities to support junior
colleges," he said.
He opposes the label "disadvantaged"
that is given to Chicanos, because "it
gives the wrong impression to teachers
who need a good impression . The teacher t~inks you are disadvantaged, so you
become disadvantaged.

"They should call them bilingual or
linguistically different,,. Orozco said .
And he believes that if counselors
*took the time to get to know the student" they would be much more effective.
"They must be seen in community life.
The counselor needs to be an involved
member of the community," he said .
Orozco is beginning to believe, also,
that there ,.may well not be a low selfconcept problem. It may take a stronger
self-concept to renege on learning.
,.Perhaps they don't drop out because
of that (a self-image problem), but because-they have such a strong self-concept that it permits them to go to work.
"It doesn't let them stick with the
system.
"It might take more guts to drop out
than stay in."

La Voz Staff Box
Editor ................ Ricardo Plm_entel
Photo Edlt~r ........ George Aguirre
Staff.. .. , ............. Gina Holguin
Scott LaFee
Dora Lara
Steve Le Vine
Margarita Martinez
Arturo Ocampo

La Voz de Aztlan Is published
by the Associated Students at
Callfornla State University,
Fresno and the newspaper staff.
Unsigned editorials are the
opinions of the La Voz staff and
not necessarily the views of
the
Associated
Students,
CSUF or the State of California.

La Voz de Aztlan

Page4

Oct. 15,

The Aztecs did it, so did Mexicanos
Stude·nts learn
Chicano cultur
through dance
Music and dance of La Raza
(LR 121A), instructed by Ernesto
Martinez, explores the development and performance of Mexican
folk music and dance . Martinez
teaches his students of the impact
the Indian, Negro, Spanish and European cultures have had on Mexican
folk music -and dance . He also demonstrates the link of these past
influences on Chicano culture.
The class meets Monday, Wednesday
and Friday from 2:10 to 3 p.m . and
is offered each semester.

Olivia Guzman (top) readies for
a polka as part of a La Raza studies dance class. Another couple
(bottom) demonstrate that there
is more to life than disco.

Photos

by
George
Aguirre
Ernesto Martinez, instructor, gives some pointers to students
learning of Hispanic cultur.al dance and music. M.artinez traces Hispanic dance from its Indian origins to the present.

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