La Voz de Aztlan, October 7 1982
Item
Title
La Voz de Aztlan, October 7 1982
Creator
Associated Students of Fresno State
Relation
La Voz de Aztlan (Daily Collegian, California State University, Fresno)
Coverage
Fresno, California
Date
10/7/1982
Format
PDF
Identifier
SCUA_lvda_00143
extracted text
..
z
California State Univer•ity Fre•ao
.
T
.
IIIRIIUIIIIIHIIIIIIUIIIIIIIIIIIIUUIIUIIIIIIIRIIIHIIIIIHfflllHIIIHIIIHINIIIHIIHIIIIIIIHIOfffflllllllllllllllllllllltlllllllllDHJUIIIUllllffllHHIIIIHllllllllllfllllUR.al
.
Tla......y,\October 7 1982
IMBYUNWt-ewlPII
Financial Aids: An End of an Era?
By Jaime Juarez
Financial Aid Students at CSUF and
other campuses across the nation are
facing a bleak and uncertain future this
fall. Cuts in state and federal funds,
changes in administrationof funds, and
delays in funding have seriously crippled
many students' hopes for a higher
education.
Joseph Heuston, Director of Financial
Aids at CSUF, and Robert Hernandez,
Director of the Educational Opportunity
Program at CSUF, see the cutbacks as
mistakes. "Most people think that student
aid is a handout, but this is not true- it is an
investment and a damn good one," stated
Hernandez. "Reagan is putting millions
into defense and the economy, but what
he doesn't see is that these students will
graduate and pay higher taxes than if they
had to quit school for lack of funds
because they will have more skill and thus
a better job. Furthermore, we will have
engineers and physicistsamong these
students who will undoubtly contribute in
our nation's defense," added Heuston.
Heuston said that some programs are
being put to the ax, "Programs such as
the Social Security Education Benefits
(SSEB) are being fazed out ... while others
like the National Direct Student Loan
(NDSL) and Work-Study have been
subjected to heavy cuts." Heuston also were not complete, and we don't know
admitted that his office is behind schedule when our full allocation will arrive.at all,"
added Heuston.
in its disbursments of funds, "Monies that
In order to cope with the problems the
should have arrived at our offite (from the
fe_deral governement) in July weren't Financial Aid office is facing, Heuston and
received until mid Augustt stated Hues- his staff have devised a Priority List for its
ton. "Furthermore, some of the funds we students. According to Heuston, "A
did receive (Pell Grant-formally BEOG)
student is given a number from one to nine there is and who gets it first. According to
with one being the most needy while nine Heuston low income, married students
the least." The classification is withdependentsgetfirstpriorityfollowed
determined by the information a student by single parents; single students without
devolves in his SAAC (Student Aid parent contribution; single students with
Application for California) form and is little parent contribution, and finally single
used to determine who gets what money students with moderate parent contribution.
MO n ~
continued OD page 3
VMC Refuses ''Sale" Offer
By: Sylvia Caetro
The Fresno County Board of Supervisors turned down the proposal presented
to them Tuesday, September 21, on
whether to allow a non-profit corporation
to take over the administrative operations
of Valley Medical Center.
Concerned citizens, mostly Blacks and
Chicanos, filled the Wine Room of the Fresno
Convention Center during the public
hearing. The proposal, recommended by
the County Administration Office, would
give a non-profit corporation the responsiblity that the county now has.
Also among those in attendance were
employees of VMC and the consultants
who assured the Board that most persons presently employed would be "carried over" by the new management and
that wages would be "comparable to contract terms."
Supervisor WiHard Johnson
strongly opposed to the " sale of VMC "
and said that the real problem was that
present employees would 1-iave their
retirement benefits cut and Social Secur-
ity coverage would be cut entirely. He
prefered a joint program between the city
and county of Fresno to update the hospital and care facilities.
The consultants pointed out that the
county must somehow find a way to raise
$15 million to offset the cost of Social
Security for these employees, or the
coun_ty will go in debt when
they retire. Loans would be difficult to
obtain because the county is unable to
assure lenders that the money can be
repaid. However, they felt confident that
the non-profit corporation would have no
difficulty with finances.
There also was concern over whether
the new management would carry on the
responsibility of giving proper treatment
to poor patients. Again, the firm
assured the board there would be "no
discrimination· against any patient."
Howe·ver, they also added that VMC's
image has suffered because it is known as
a hospital for the poor. They felt that this
stigma h~ turned away insured patients The audience expressed their opinions
who provtde the larsest part of profit for to the Board which were basically the
the hospital.
same as those'expressed by Bronzan and
Johnson,
that they wanted VMC to
Supervisor Bruce Bronzan was hesitremain
with
the countv.
ant over the agreement terms between
the county and the new corporation. The
contract would be for 30 years, and the
Supervisor Sharon Levy favored handonly way the county c~uld change the ing over the hospital to the corporation
agreedment would be if both parties though she did have some conern about
agree
·, how th e contract was word ed b ut felt for
. · .
.
Jies wit~ the Bo~~d <?n pohcy would be the most ~rt that the new corporation
at an arm s length, said the consultants, would probably fulfill the responsiblilities.
and added that the Board could not
"legally" appoint any members to the new
board of directors but were free to make
The Board decided to turn down the
recommendations for consideration.
original proposal 3-2 with Supervisors
Bronzan disapproved of this section, Levy and Jeff Reich dissenting. The issue
and felt the new corporation could not be will continue to be dicussed when another
held responsible to the public if the Board plan is suggested and can be reviewed
could not have closer policy-making which will be set in a couple of months.
power. He felt that this was "too big a
price for -the county to pay," and that
there should be some way to make the
new corporation accountable to the
public.
·o ctol,er 7, 1982
La Voz •• Aztlaa
Unfair Draft Provision
Editorial=
What kind of political definition
would you give a government that
would want to control your ev~ry
decision once you turned eighteen
years old. Without giving it much
thought, you would probably say a
dictatorship or a communist government like the ki'nd that operates
in Cuba and in the USSR, right? ·
Well, you could be right, but your
best bet would be to say a capitalist
gouernement like the kind we live in.
That is exactly what the U.S.
House of Representatives is proposing by authorizing a provision in the
1983 Defense Department bill that
would m-ake registering for the draft ·
a requirment to receive federal
financial aid. How Much Closer can
we get to a dictatorship?
Somewhere buried in the 1983 billion do(lar Defense Department
budget exists $800 million used to to
make eighteen-year-olds comp{y
with the registrat~on draft.
The provision also authorizes the
defense department to use part of
the $800 million for basic research
within its own department and $30
million to upgrade university research equipment.
Center
.f
OJ
According to the Selective Service, 8.4 million men, or 93 pe~cent of
~hose eligible for the draft, have registered, while about 674,000 have
not. That means that our government is willing to spend close to
$85,000 on each individual that did
not register for the draft.
This is 9nly the beginning. The
author of the bill, Rep. Gerald B. H.
Solomon, New York Republican,
said he would also propose sinlilar
amendments to bar men who have
not registered from receiving other
benefits, such as job-training grants
and unemployment compensation.
The problem with the provision is
that it will affect minority students
since the majority of financial aid
recipients are Blacks, Chicanos,
and poor Anglo students.
Wouldn't the millions of dolla.rs
that will be spent to prosecute nonregistrants better serve to create
· jobs, help students, and provide
more social services. That would
certainly help young men be more
productive rather than destructive.
Pedro Perez
C h i ca n -o
Res ear c-· h
By: Bobby Rodriguez
EdThe Center for Chicano Research ,
ucation, and Community Serv1·ces, 1·s a
proposed plan currently being worked on
by the La Raza Studies Department
~~~!~o~~e guidance of Dr . Manu_ei
•
According to· Dr. Figueroa the plan is
new but has been in peoples' minds for
years. Last year MEChA and the La Raza
Studies Faculty thought it would be a
good idea to establish a research center
to deal with Chicano issues "Th C t
would be a place where st. d ~ en ~
learn valuable skills in e u enhs ~othu
r searc
a
more scientific approach"
D F wt
t1
said.
'
r. 19 eroa
f
The Resea re h C en ter 's final draft was
begun
by Dr. Manue J p ena, who after
.
taking a leave of absence, handed the
plans _to ~r. Manuel Figueroa. The final
draft rs still under revision and has yet to
be appr?ved. The main purpose for the
Center 1s to aid in the La Raza Studies
rol~ by creating a better awareness of the
social, cultur~l, political, and economic
prob!em~ facing Chicanos and to come
up wi th viable solutions. La Raza Studies
muS t keep ~~reast of re~earch on issues
th a.t are cntical to the interests of the
Chicano population and to relay that
research to the students and the
1 y. "W e nee d to get more
.commun·t
involve~: and t_h e Center can be a place
for that, Dr. Figueroa said. ·
Researc h w1·11 b e focused on issues
re Ia t·mg t o Ch.1canos, sue h as crime,
health, ethnic relations, and cultural
change. Dr. Figueroa noted that the
issues will change.
Other responsiblilities of the Center
will be to provide interaction between
faculty, students, and the community. Dr.
Figueroa said , 'The Center also wants to
. maintain good relations with other
university units such as the Learning
Cen~er, MEChA, the Office of _S tu,?~.nt
Affairs , and other student service. In
terms of the community we want to be
strong by organizing events to educate
th e pu bl'1c, th e s t u d en t s an d t h e comm_unity," added Dr. Fig~er?a. The Cen~er
will also attempt to maintain contact with
other centers, such as the Mexican Studies Center at UC Berkeley and the Center for Chicano Studies at UCLA.
The funding for the Center will come
partly from research and educational pro•
jects generated from the Center itself and
through individual donations.
The administration, says Dr. Figueroa,
has been cooperative, namely Academic
Vice President Dr. Arciniega and the
Dean of Social Sciences, Dr. Klassen. Dr.
Figueroa says the possibility of the Center's realization is good, and is "moving to
find momentum; we're in the final push. "
The final phase of the project will include a
physical place for the ceter and the nego·
tiation of specific conditions.
Onehr7,.INI
La Voz de Aztlan
Page!
DetectingBirth Dejects
By: Anthony Marquez
For every hundred births in America,
approximately four percent of the fetuses
will be born with some form of defect.
Amniocentesis is a prenatal (before
birth) test that can detect some of these
defects.
Valley Childrens Hospital has been
offering this s~rvice since Feburary, 1979.
The state -funded Amniocentesis
program is not available anywhere else in
the Central Valley.
The most common reason for having
the test is maternal age. The chance of
having a child with Down Syndrome
increases significantly after a woman
reaches the age of 35.
Some other reason for having an
Amniocentesis test are:
1) The mother has had a child with
Down Syndrome or another chromosomal disorder.
2) A parent is known to be a carrier of a
chromosomal abnormality.
3) The mother has had a child with a
nueral tube defect.
4) A parent is a carrier of a genetic
disease such as Tay-Sachs and Sickle Cell
Anemia.
·
5) The parents have had a child with a
detectable biochemical disorder.
6) The mother is a carrier of an x-linked
disorder s uch as Duchenne Muscular
Dystrophy and Hemophilia.
In order for a couple to qualify for the
test, they must meet one of the requirements listed above. "They have to have a
reason," said Pat O'Lague, a Genetic
Counselor at Valley Childrens Hospital.
Amniocentesis is performed by an
obstetrician, usually between the 16th
and 18th week after conception. It does
not involve hospitalization, and there are
no special precautions before or after the
test. Ultrasound (bouncing sound waves
that project a picture of the abdomen on a
screen) is used to locate the placenta. A
woman is placed under anesthesia, then a
needle is inserted into her uterus through
the abdominal wall. A small amount of
fluid, which surrounds the fetus, is extracted. The Amniotic fluid is then taken to a
Cytogenetics Laboratory where the cells
are examined for chromosomal
abnormalities.
The test takes 10 minutes, the results
take four weeks.
If an abnormality is found, the option of
abortion or continuation of the pregnanacy is explored with the family and with
the obstetrician. "We call the family and
tell them what we found and what it
means," said O'Lague, "We help them
with whatever they decide to do."
But according to O'Lague, the majority
of results are normal. "Out of about 1,000
tests that Valley Childrens has performed, only 13 had Down Syndrome."
Eleven of thse decided to abort .
An Amniocentesis test costs about
$660. "Insurance companies cover between SQ-100% of the bill," said O'Lague . The
state also provides back-up funding to
make the program accessible to lowerincome families. "If they have no money,
we refer them to the Regional Center in
Fresno,"' added O'Lague. The Regional
Center has state monies that fund the
Amniocentesis program.
O'Lague speculated on why some"qualified" parents do not use their service,
"The reasons are because of religious
beliefs, the small risk of miscarriage (1200), or because they just don't want to."
"The majority of clients are caucasian,
but we do get a significant number of Mexican Americans," said O'Lague.
Olivia Lucio of CSUF Chicanos in
Health pointed out a "generation gap"
among Mexican women in regards to
aborting if a defect is found. "Among older
Mexican women there's a tendency to
continue the pregnanacy even if an abnormality is found, while younger Mexican
women will go ahead and abort," said
Lucio.
Defect continued on page 4
Bill Still Uncertain
By: Anthony Marquez
The House Judiciary Committe has was a "pattern or practice" of violations,
approved, with a few changes, an immi- the employer could also be incarcerated
gration bill that now goes before the full for six months. An employer with four or
more employees would be required to
house for the final vote.
The bill, sponsored by Romano L. check the identity of a job applicant by
MazzoIi of Kentucky, is unlikely to be examining either a United States passvoted on before the October first port or two other documents, such as a
adjournment deadline. But it's probable driver's license and a Social Security
that it will be taken up when Congress card. Employers would be given a one
convenes for a special session after the year grace period in which only warnings
would issued. 3) The National identity
elections.
card provision would set a three year
The Justice Department has made it
deadline for the President to establish a
clear that the passage of the immigration
system of employment eligibility verificabill is the top legislative priority of Attortion. This could mean a revamping or
ney General William French Smith.
broadening of the Social Security card.
When the Simpson bill, which is basiThe House Judiciary Committe tacked
cally the same as the Mazzoli version,
on a amendment, offered by Barney
passed the Senate last month, a report
Frank of Massachusetts, guaranteeing
was issued claiming that the bill was "the
access to the courts by undocumented
first comprehensive immigration reform
workers, including those who entered the
effort" in thirty years.
united States illegally. The previous verThe Mazzoli bill contains elements of sion, supported by the Reagan Administhe Senate version including:
tration, would have restricted access to
1) The Amnesty provision whereby all the courts for undocumented workers
undocumented workers arriving before seeking asylum or challenging orders for
1977 would be granted permanent resi- their expulsion from America. Peter W.
dent status. Those arriving between 1978- Rodino Jr., Chairman of the Judiciary
80 would get a temporary resident status Committee, stated that such restrictions
and would become eligible for permanent were unacceptable. Rodino of New Jerstatus within three years. Undocumented sey was supported in his statement by the
workers arriving after !980 would be sub- Mexican American Legal Defense and
ject to deportation.
Educational Fund, the American Immi2) The sanctions against employers gration Lawyers Association and the
provision whereby fines and possible American Civil Liberties Union .
imprisonment would be Jevied against an
The Judiciary Committee also
employer for hiring undocumented
workers. An employer could be fined approved a provision that will allow
$1,000 for the first violation and $2,000 for Cuban and Haitian immigrants to become
each subsequent violation. Where there legal U.S. citizens via a special rule. The
rule consists of a one year extension on
the Amnesty provision of the Mazzoli bill.
These Cubans and Haitians will have legal
status if they arrived before January l,
1981, while all other undocumented
workers must have arrived prior to January I, 1980.
According to Mazzoli the special rule
and the Amnesty provision in general are
based on logic, "... the Mexicans, the
Cubans, and Haitians don't come across
the borders with guns blazing; they don't
come to rape our women. They're generally docil, they work , and they put roots
down."
President Reagan has asked
Congress to hold a special session so it
can pass appropiations bills, but once
Congress reconvenes, it could also act on
other legislation including the Mazzoli
Immigration Bill.
Money
continued from page 1 .
Hernandez believes the delays and
cutbacks in aid are disastrous for students, especially for minority students.
"The cutbacks are going to hurt mostly
Chicano and Black students because
they are the ones who traditionally lack
the support and reserves that are needed
at these times." Heuston agreed, "What
federal government (90% of all aid is
derieved from the federal government)
doesn't realize is that what may be a hardship for some college students in aid cutbacks is a disaster for students with low
income backgrounds." Hernandez added, 'With the job market being as it is,
moststudents are unable to find work and
must place themselves in heavy debt in
order to continue school." According
to Heuston a student can get a GuaranteedStudent Loan {GSL) to help him get
through school. However, the interest
rates are much higher for the GSL than
for the NDSL (5% for NDSLas compared
to 9% for GSL), and there are no deferment clauses in the GSL contract. "The
·xoblem with a situation like this is that a
:reshinan may borrow up to $2,500 to
-nal<e up for cuts in his financial aid and
end up owing over $10,000 in four years,"
;tated
Heuston.
Isabel Mejorado, Coordinator of Scholarships at CSUF, said that some studentsare turning to scholarships to fill the
void left by aid cuts. "Last year we had 900
applications; this year we have had over
1100," she said. According to Mejorado,
these students fail to understand that her
office has only 550 scholarships to award
and that competition is heavy, "We not
onlylook at G.P.A. but also at communit~
involvement. Community involvement is
an important consideration, and both are
requirements for awards," Mejorado stated.
Overall, Hernandez hopes that when
the ecomony improves, the cutbacks will
leveloff, but Heuston is less optimistic. "I
thinkthat the era of grants is over; now if
somebody wants to go to college, he will
not only need the amplitude but also the
personal resources," said Heuston.
Page4
October 7, 1982
La Voz de Aztlaa
Voces
How are you compensating
for financial aid cutba~ks?
Maggie Castro: S~~ior~ Education
Major Right now I m Just m the process
of trying to get my financial aid. I had to
get loans from various people, and I had
to borrow from my father. Right now
they're processing my Pell Grant. When l
finally get my aid, there wont't be_ much
left after taking out my loans. It will be a
tight squeeze this year.
Benita Hernandez: Junior, Criminology Major A lot of my financial aid
was cut back so I had to get money from
my parents. This put a big burden on
them. Ialso have tow sisters in college; so
it's really hard.
Defect
continued from page 3
The reason for the difference is that the
older generation seems to have stronger
ties to Catholicism. According to the
Catholic doctrine, abortion is the killing of
a human being, regardless of the reason
or logic behind the decision. "Some of .
these women will go ahead with a pregnancy knowing that there is an abnormality in the fetus," added Lucio.
The Amniocentesis test can also be
used to determine the gender of the fetus.
However, Valley Childrens Hospital will
not provide the test to parents who only
wish to determine the gender of the fetus.
But for parents who qualify for the test,
the gender of the fetus cannot be kept
from them. "That's information their
entitled to," said O,Lague.
Recent reports reveal that some parents pay for the test to find out the gender
of the fetus and abort according to their
preference. "It's never happened here,
but I know it's happened in other places,,.
said O,Lague. O'Lague summed up her
feelings stating, "Sex is not a birth defect."
La Voz de Aztlan ia
now accepting
applications for a
typeaetter. Wall Train.:
Contact
Loardea Villarreal.
Salvador Alvarez: Freahmaa, PreMed. Major I worked for Medi-Corps
By Yolanda Orozco
Manuel Ochoa: Senior, Criminology Corrections Major My financial aid came late; so I had to drop one of
my courses because of that. I couldn't buy
the book so I had no other alternative but
to drop the class.
during the summer; so I'm receiving
money from them. I'm getting money
from CAMP since I'm a freshman; otherwise I have to support myself . .
lrman Alcorta: Sophomore, Paycology Major I'm now on a really
tight budget . I have no money to !11yself.
All the money I receive goes to balls and
s~hool. I'm trying to look for a part-time
job to ~ompensate for the cutback.
Child Night Care Needed
By: Maria Perez
A survey conducted last semester concluded that evening students are in drastic need of child care services.
The survey, ~nitiated by several concerned students, was headed by Pam
Metzger, Reading Specialist _for P~SS
and by Mary Sims, an education maJor.
Dr. Teresa Perez also participated by
helping to develop the survey.
It was estimated that there were about
2,500 evening students during the spring
semester of 1982, out of which ten percent
of them were surveyed.
Of the two-hundred and thirty-nine
evening students surveyed, 67 of them
needed child care.
The survey also revealed that the evening students weren't aware of the service
which could account for the seemingly
lack' of concern by the students. The
evening students are willing to work a few
hours a week to form a cooperative, thus
reducing the cost of the services.
Having been a evening student herself,
Dr. Perez sympathizes with the problem
the evening students face.
"If the need exists then the University
community should look for creative ways
in meeting the needs of the evening student!' she said.
or: Lourdes Villarreal
Bob Lundal, staff advisor for the child
care center, said that evening child care
services were publicized during the 1982
spring semester, but that the center
received little response from the evening
students. He added that if evening child
care services were provided, this would
reduce the number of slots in day time
child care services.
On the other hand Metzger believes
that evening child care services weren't
well publicized. Had they been, the
response would have been greater.
.
-sias Eclitor: Larry Banales
o4actio■:
Maria Perez
oto Ellit~r: Pedto Perez
otograp. .r: Y ~ Orozco
eporten: Bobby Rodriguez, AntnonM
arquez, Gilbert Mosq~da.
Castro. Jaime Juarez
Cartooaiat: Adelaide Perez
La Voz . . Ania■ is Califo~ Sta
University Fresno's Chicano newspaper.
La Voz tie Aatlaa is located in
Keats Campus Building. Editorial: {209
294-2486. Letters to the editor ar
welcomed. ~ newspaper reserves
right to edit letters.
~
·
z
California State Univer•ity Fre•ao
.
T
.
IIIRIIUIIIIIHIIIIIIUIIIIIIIIIIIIUUIIUIIIIIIIRIIIHIIIIIHfflllHIIIHIIIHINIIIHIIHIIIIIIIHIOfffflllllllllllllllllllllltlllllllllDHJUIIIUllllffllHHIIIIHllllllllllfllllUR.al
.
Tla......y,\October 7 1982
IMBYUNWt-ewlPII
Financial Aids: An End of an Era?
By Jaime Juarez
Financial Aid Students at CSUF and
other campuses across the nation are
facing a bleak and uncertain future this
fall. Cuts in state and federal funds,
changes in administrationof funds, and
delays in funding have seriously crippled
many students' hopes for a higher
education.
Joseph Heuston, Director of Financial
Aids at CSUF, and Robert Hernandez,
Director of the Educational Opportunity
Program at CSUF, see the cutbacks as
mistakes. "Most people think that student
aid is a handout, but this is not true- it is an
investment and a damn good one," stated
Hernandez. "Reagan is putting millions
into defense and the economy, but what
he doesn't see is that these students will
graduate and pay higher taxes than if they
had to quit school for lack of funds
because they will have more skill and thus
a better job. Furthermore, we will have
engineers and physicistsamong these
students who will undoubtly contribute in
our nation's defense," added Heuston.
Heuston said that some programs are
being put to the ax, "Programs such as
the Social Security Education Benefits
(SSEB) are being fazed out ... while others
like the National Direct Student Loan
(NDSL) and Work-Study have been
subjected to heavy cuts." Heuston also were not complete, and we don't know
admitted that his office is behind schedule when our full allocation will arrive.at all,"
added Heuston.
in its disbursments of funds, "Monies that
In order to cope with the problems the
should have arrived at our offite (from the
fe_deral governement) in July weren't Financial Aid office is facing, Heuston and
received until mid Augustt stated Hues- his staff have devised a Priority List for its
ton. "Furthermore, some of the funds we students. According to Heuston, "A
did receive (Pell Grant-formally BEOG)
student is given a number from one to nine there is and who gets it first. According to
with one being the most needy while nine Heuston low income, married students
the least." The classification is withdependentsgetfirstpriorityfollowed
determined by the information a student by single parents; single students without
devolves in his SAAC (Student Aid parent contribution; single students with
Application for California) form and is little parent contribution, and finally single
used to determine who gets what money students with moderate parent contribution.
MO n ~
continued OD page 3
VMC Refuses ''Sale" Offer
By: Sylvia Caetro
The Fresno County Board of Supervisors turned down the proposal presented
to them Tuesday, September 21, on
whether to allow a non-profit corporation
to take over the administrative operations
of Valley Medical Center.
Concerned citizens, mostly Blacks and
Chicanos, filled the Wine Room of the Fresno
Convention Center during the public
hearing. The proposal, recommended by
the County Administration Office, would
give a non-profit corporation the responsiblity that the county now has.
Also among those in attendance were
employees of VMC and the consultants
who assured the Board that most persons presently employed would be "carried over" by the new management and
that wages would be "comparable to contract terms."
Supervisor WiHard Johnson
strongly opposed to the " sale of VMC "
and said that the real problem was that
present employees would 1-iave their
retirement benefits cut and Social Secur-
ity coverage would be cut entirely. He
prefered a joint program between the city
and county of Fresno to update the hospital and care facilities.
The consultants pointed out that the
county must somehow find a way to raise
$15 million to offset the cost of Social
Security for these employees, or the
coun_ty will go in debt when
they retire. Loans would be difficult to
obtain because the county is unable to
assure lenders that the money can be
repaid. However, they felt confident that
the non-profit corporation would have no
difficulty with finances.
There also was concern over whether
the new management would carry on the
responsibility of giving proper treatment
to poor patients. Again, the firm
assured the board there would be "no
discrimination· against any patient."
Howe·ver, they also added that VMC's
image has suffered because it is known as
a hospital for the poor. They felt that this
stigma h~ turned away insured patients The audience expressed their opinions
who provtde the larsest part of profit for to the Board which were basically the
the hospital.
same as those'expressed by Bronzan and
Johnson,
that they wanted VMC to
Supervisor Bruce Bronzan was hesitremain
with
the countv.
ant over the agreement terms between
the county and the new corporation. The
contract would be for 30 years, and the
Supervisor Sharon Levy favored handonly way the county c~uld change the ing over the hospital to the corporation
agreedment would be if both parties though she did have some conern about
agree
·, how th e contract was word ed b ut felt for
. · .
.
Jies wit~ the Bo~~d <?n pohcy would be the most ~rt that the new corporation
at an arm s length, said the consultants, would probably fulfill the responsiblilities.
and added that the Board could not
"legally" appoint any members to the new
board of directors but were free to make
The Board decided to turn down the
recommendations for consideration.
original proposal 3-2 with Supervisors
Bronzan disapproved of this section, Levy and Jeff Reich dissenting. The issue
and felt the new corporation could not be will continue to be dicussed when another
held responsible to the public if the Board plan is suggested and can be reviewed
could not have closer policy-making which will be set in a couple of months.
power. He felt that this was "too big a
price for -the county to pay," and that
there should be some way to make the
new corporation accountable to the
public.
·o ctol,er 7, 1982
La Voz •• Aztlaa
Unfair Draft Provision
Editorial=
What kind of political definition
would you give a government that
would want to control your ev~ry
decision once you turned eighteen
years old. Without giving it much
thought, you would probably say a
dictatorship or a communist government like the ki'nd that operates
in Cuba and in the USSR, right? ·
Well, you could be right, but your
best bet would be to say a capitalist
gouernement like the kind we live in.
That is exactly what the U.S.
House of Representatives is proposing by authorizing a provision in the
1983 Defense Department bill that
would m-ake registering for the draft ·
a requirment to receive federal
financial aid. How Much Closer can
we get to a dictatorship?
Somewhere buried in the 1983 billion do(lar Defense Department
budget exists $800 million used to to
make eighteen-year-olds comp{y
with the registrat~on draft.
The provision also authorizes the
defense department to use part of
the $800 million for basic research
within its own department and $30
million to upgrade university research equipment.
Center
.f
OJ
According to the Selective Service, 8.4 million men, or 93 pe~cent of
~hose eligible for the draft, have registered, while about 674,000 have
not. That means that our government is willing to spend close to
$85,000 on each individual that did
not register for the draft.
This is 9nly the beginning. The
author of the bill, Rep. Gerald B. H.
Solomon, New York Republican,
said he would also propose sinlilar
amendments to bar men who have
not registered from receiving other
benefits, such as job-training grants
and unemployment compensation.
The problem with the provision is
that it will affect minority students
since the majority of financial aid
recipients are Blacks, Chicanos,
and poor Anglo students.
Wouldn't the millions of dolla.rs
that will be spent to prosecute nonregistrants better serve to create
· jobs, help students, and provide
more social services. That would
certainly help young men be more
productive rather than destructive.
Pedro Perez
C h i ca n -o
Res ear c-· h
By: Bobby Rodriguez
EdThe Center for Chicano Research ,
ucation, and Community Serv1·ces, 1·s a
proposed plan currently being worked on
by the La Raza Studies Department
~~~!~o~~e guidance of Dr . Manu_ei
•
According to· Dr. Figueroa the plan is
new but has been in peoples' minds for
years. Last year MEChA and the La Raza
Studies Faculty thought it would be a
good idea to establish a research center
to deal with Chicano issues "Th C t
would be a place where st. d ~ en ~
learn valuable skills in e u enhs ~othu
r searc
a
more scientific approach"
D F wt
t1
said.
'
r. 19 eroa
f
The Resea re h C en ter 's final draft was
begun
by Dr. Manue J p ena, who after
.
taking a leave of absence, handed the
plans _to ~r. Manuel Figueroa. The final
draft rs still under revision and has yet to
be appr?ved. The main purpose for the
Center 1s to aid in the La Raza Studies
rol~ by creating a better awareness of the
social, cultur~l, political, and economic
prob!em~ facing Chicanos and to come
up wi th viable solutions. La Raza Studies
muS t keep ~~reast of re~earch on issues
th a.t are cntical to the interests of the
Chicano population and to relay that
research to the students and the
1 y. "W e nee d to get more
.commun·t
involve~: and t_h e Center can be a place
for that, Dr. Figueroa said. ·
Researc h w1·11 b e focused on issues
re Ia t·mg t o Ch.1canos, sue h as crime,
health, ethnic relations, and cultural
change. Dr. Figueroa noted that the
issues will change.
Other responsiblilities of the Center
will be to provide interaction between
faculty, students, and the community. Dr.
Figueroa said , 'The Center also wants to
. maintain good relations with other
university units such as the Learning
Cen~er, MEChA, the Office of _S tu,?~.nt
Affairs , and other student service. In
terms of the community we want to be
strong by organizing events to educate
th e pu bl'1c, th e s t u d en t s an d t h e comm_unity," added Dr. Fig~er?a. The Cen~er
will also attempt to maintain contact with
other centers, such as the Mexican Studies Center at UC Berkeley and the Center for Chicano Studies at UCLA.
The funding for the Center will come
partly from research and educational pro•
jects generated from the Center itself and
through individual donations.
The administration, says Dr. Figueroa,
has been cooperative, namely Academic
Vice President Dr. Arciniega and the
Dean of Social Sciences, Dr. Klassen. Dr.
Figueroa says the possibility of the Center's realization is good, and is "moving to
find momentum; we're in the final push. "
The final phase of the project will include a
physical place for the ceter and the nego·
tiation of specific conditions.
Onehr7,.INI
La Voz de Aztlan
Page!
DetectingBirth Dejects
By: Anthony Marquez
For every hundred births in America,
approximately four percent of the fetuses
will be born with some form of defect.
Amniocentesis is a prenatal (before
birth) test that can detect some of these
defects.
Valley Childrens Hospital has been
offering this s~rvice since Feburary, 1979.
The state -funded Amniocentesis
program is not available anywhere else in
the Central Valley.
The most common reason for having
the test is maternal age. The chance of
having a child with Down Syndrome
increases significantly after a woman
reaches the age of 35.
Some other reason for having an
Amniocentesis test are:
1) The mother has had a child with
Down Syndrome or another chromosomal disorder.
2) A parent is known to be a carrier of a
chromosomal abnormality.
3) The mother has had a child with a
nueral tube defect.
4) A parent is a carrier of a genetic
disease such as Tay-Sachs and Sickle Cell
Anemia.
·
5) The parents have had a child with a
detectable biochemical disorder.
6) The mother is a carrier of an x-linked
disorder s uch as Duchenne Muscular
Dystrophy and Hemophilia.
In order for a couple to qualify for the
test, they must meet one of the requirements listed above. "They have to have a
reason," said Pat O'Lague, a Genetic
Counselor at Valley Childrens Hospital.
Amniocentesis is performed by an
obstetrician, usually between the 16th
and 18th week after conception. It does
not involve hospitalization, and there are
no special precautions before or after the
test. Ultrasound (bouncing sound waves
that project a picture of the abdomen on a
screen) is used to locate the placenta. A
woman is placed under anesthesia, then a
needle is inserted into her uterus through
the abdominal wall. A small amount of
fluid, which surrounds the fetus, is extracted. The Amniotic fluid is then taken to a
Cytogenetics Laboratory where the cells
are examined for chromosomal
abnormalities.
The test takes 10 minutes, the results
take four weeks.
If an abnormality is found, the option of
abortion or continuation of the pregnanacy is explored with the family and with
the obstetrician. "We call the family and
tell them what we found and what it
means," said O'Lague, "We help them
with whatever they decide to do."
But according to O'Lague, the majority
of results are normal. "Out of about 1,000
tests that Valley Childrens has performed, only 13 had Down Syndrome."
Eleven of thse decided to abort .
An Amniocentesis test costs about
$660. "Insurance companies cover between SQ-100% of the bill," said O'Lague . The
state also provides back-up funding to
make the program accessible to lowerincome families. "If they have no money,
we refer them to the Regional Center in
Fresno,"' added O'Lague. The Regional
Center has state monies that fund the
Amniocentesis program.
O'Lague speculated on why some"qualified" parents do not use their service,
"The reasons are because of religious
beliefs, the small risk of miscarriage (1200), or because they just don't want to."
"The majority of clients are caucasian,
but we do get a significant number of Mexican Americans," said O'Lague.
Olivia Lucio of CSUF Chicanos in
Health pointed out a "generation gap"
among Mexican women in regards to
aborting if a defect is found. "Among older
Mexican women there's a tendency to
continue the pregnanacy even if an abnormality is found, while younger Mexican
women will go ahead and abort," said
Lucio.
Defect continued on page 4
Bill Still Uncertain
By: Anthony Marquez
The House Judiciary Committe has was a "pattern or practice" of violations,
approved, with a few changes, an immi- the employer could also be incarcerated
gration bill that now goes before the full for six months. An employer with four or
more employees would be required to
house for the final vote.
The bill, sponsored by Romano L. check the identity of a job applicant by
MazzoIi of Kentucky, is unlikely to be examining either a United States passvoted on before the October first port or two other documents, such as a
adjournment deadline. But it's probable driver's license and a Social Security
that it will be taken up when Congress card. Employers would be given a one
convenes for a special session after the year grace period in which only warnings
would issued. 3) The National identity
elections.
card provision would set a three year
The Justice Department has made it
deadline for the President to establish a
clear that the passage of the immigration
system of employment eligibility verificabill is the top legislative priority of Attortion. This could mean a revamping or
ney General William French Smith.
broadening of the Social Security card.
When the Simpson bill, which is basiThe House Judiciary Committe tacked
cally the same as the Mazzoli version,
on a amendment, offered by Barney
passed the Senate last month, a report
Frank of Massachusetts, guaranteeing
was issued claiming that the bill was "the
access to the courts by undocumented
first comprehensive immigration reform
workers, including those who entered the
effort" in thirty years.
united States illegally. The previous verThe Mazzoli bill contains elements of sion, supported by the Reagan Administhe Senate version including:
tration, would have restricted access to
1) The Amnesty provision whereby all the courts for undocumented workers
undocumented workers arriving before seeking asylum or challenging orders for
1977 would be granted permanent resi- their expulsion from America. Peter W.
dent status. Those arriving between 1978- Rodino Jr., Chairman of the Judiciary
80 would get a temporary resident status Committee, stated that such restrictions
and would become eligible for permanent were unacceptable. Rodino of New Jerstatus within three years. Undocumented sey was supported in his statement by the
workers arriving after !980 would be sub- Mexican American Legal Defense and
ject to deportation.
Educational Fund, the American Immi2) The sanctions against employers gration Lawyers Association and the
provision whereby fines and possible American Civil Liberties Union .
imprisonment would be Jevied against an
The Judiciary Committee also
employer for hiring undocumented
workers. An employer could be fined approved a provision that will allow
$1,000 for the first violation and $2,000 for Cuban and Haitian immigrants to become
each subsequent violation. Where there legal U.S. citizens via a special rule. The
rule consists of a one year extension on
the Amnesty provision of the Mazzoli bill.
These Cubans and Haitians will have legal
status if they arrived before January l,
1981, while all other undocumented
workers must have arrived prior to January I, 1980.
According to Mazzoli the special rule
and the Amnesty provision in general are
based on logic, "... the Mexicans, the
Cubans, and Haitians don't come across
the borders with guns blazing; they don't
come to rape our women. They're generally docil, they work , and they put roots
down."
President Reagan has asked
Congress to hold a special session so it
can pass appropiations bills, but once
Congress reconvenes, it could also act on
other legislation including the Mazzoli
Immigration Bill.
Money
continued from page 1 .
Hernandez believes the delays and
cutbacks in aid are disastrous for students, especially for minority students.
"The cutbacks are going to hurt mostly
Chicano and Black students because
they are the ones who traditionally lack
the support and reserves that are needed
at these times." Heuston agreed, "What
federal government (90% of all aid is
derieved from the federal government)
doesn't realize is that what may be a hardship for some college students in aid cutbacks is a disaster for students with low
income backgrounds." Hernandez added, 'With the job market being as it is,
moststudents are unable to find work and
must place themselves in heavy debt in
order to continue school." According
to Heuston a student can get a GuaranteedStudent Loan {GSL) to help him get
through school. However, the interest
rates are much higher for the GSL than
for the NDSL (5% for NDSLas compared
to 9% for GSL), and there are no deferment clauses in the GSL contract. "The
·xoblem with a situation like this is that a
:reshinan may borrow up to $2,500 to
-nal<e up for cuts in his financial aid and
end up owing over $10,000 in four years,"
;tated
Heuston.
Isabel Mejorado, Coordinator of Scholarships at CSUF, said that some studentsare turning to scholarships to fill the
void left by aid cuts. "Last year we had 900
applications; this year we have had over
1100," she said. According to Mejorado,
these students fail to understand that her
office has only 550 scholarships to award
and that competition is heavy, "We not
onlylook at G.P.A. but also at communit~
involvement. Community involvement is
an important consideration, and both are
requirements for awards," Mejorado stated.
Overall, Hernandez hopes that when
the ecomony improves, the cutbacks will
leveloff, but Heuston is less optimistic. "I
thinkthat the era of grants is over; now if
somebody wants to go to college, he will
not only need the amplitude but also the
personal resources," said Heuston.
Page4
October 7, 1982
La Voz de Aztlaa
Voces
How are you compensating
for financial aid cutba~ks?
Maggie Castro: S~~ior~ Education
Major Right now I m Just m the process
of trying to get my financial aid. I had to
get loans from various people, and I had
to borrow from my father. Right now
they're processing my Pell Grant. When l
finally get my aid, there wont't be_ much
left after taking out my loans. It will be a
tight squeeze this year.
Benita Hernandez: Junior, Criminology Major A lot of my financial aid
was cut back so I had to get money from
my parents. This put a big burden on
them. Ialso have tow sisters in college; so
it's really hard.
Defect
continued from page 3
The reason for the difference is that the
older generation seems to have stronger
ties to Catholicism. According to the
Catholic doctrine, abortion is the killing of
a human being, regardless of the reason
or logic behind the decision. "Some of .
these women will go ahead with a pregnancy knowing that there is an abnormality in the fetus," added Lucio.
The Amniocentesis test can also be
used to determine the gender of the fetus.
However, Valley Childrens Hospital will
not provide the test to parents who only
wish to determine the gender of the fetus.
But for parents who qualify for the test,
the gender of the fetus cannot be kept
from them. "That's information their
entitled to," said O,Lague.
Recent reports reveal that some parents pay for the test to find out the gender
of the fetus and abort according to their
preference. "It's never happened here,
but I know it's happened in other places,,.
said O,Lague. O'Lague summed up her
feelings stating, "Sex is not a birth defect."
La Voz de Aztlan ia
now accepting
applications for a
typeaetter. Wall Train.:
Contact
Loardea Villarreal.
Salvador Alvarez: Freahmaa, PreMed. Major I worked for Medi-Corps
By Yolanda Orozco
Manuel Ochoa: Senior, Criminology Corrections Major My financial aid came late; so I had to drop one of
my courses because of that. I couldn't buy
the book so I had no other alternative but
to drop the class.
during the summer; so I'm receiving
money from them. I'm getting money
from CAMP since I'm a freshman; otherwise I have to support myself . .
lrman Alcorta: Sophomore, Paycology Major I'm now on a really
tight budget . I have no money to !11yself.
All the money I receive goes to balls and
s~hool. I'm trying to look for a part-time
job to ~ompensate for the cutback.
Child Night Care Needed
By: Maria Perez
A survey conducted last semester concluded that evening students are in drastic need of child care services.
The survey, ~nitiated by several concerned students, was headed by Pam
Metzger, Reading Specialist _for P~SS
and by Mary Sims, an education maJor.
Dr. Teresa Perez also participated by
helping to develop the survey.
It was estimated that there were about
2,500 evening students during the spring
semester of 1982, out of which ten percent
of them were surveyed.
Of the two-hundred and thirty-nine
evening students surveyed, 67 of them
needed child care.
The survey also revealed that the evening students weren't aware of the service
which could account for the seemingly
lack' of concern by the students. The
evening students are willing to work a few
hours a week to form a cooperative, thus
reducing the cost of the services.
Having been a evening student herself,
Dr. Perez sympathizes with the problem
the evening students face.
"If the need exists then the University
community should look for creative ways
in meeting the needs of the evening student!' she said.
or: Lourdes Villarreal
Bob Lundal, staff advisor for the child
care center, said that evening child care
services were publicized during the 1982
spring semester, but that the center
received little response from the evening
students. He added that if evening child
care services were provided, this would
reduce the number of slots in day time
child care services.
On the other hand Metzger believes
that evening child care services weren't
well publicized. Had they been, the
response would have been greater.
.
-sias Eclitor: Larry Banales
o4actio■:
Maria Perez
oto Ellit~r: Pedto Perez
otograp. .r: Y ~ Orozco
eporten: Bobby Rodriguez, AntnonM
arquez, Gilbert Mosq~da.
Castro. Jaime Juarez
Cartooaiat: Adelaide Perez
La Voz . . Ania■ is Califo~ Sta
University Fresno's Chicano newspaper.
La Voz tie Aatlaa is located in
Keats Campus Building. Editorial: {209
294-2486. Letters to the editor ar
welcomed. ~ newspaper reserves
right to edit letters.
~
·
..
z
California State Univer•ity Fre•ao
.
T
.
IIIRIIUIIIIIHIIIIIIUIIIIIIIIIIIIUUIIUIIIIIIIRIIIHIIIIIHfflllHIIIHIIIHINIIIHIIHIIIIIIIHIOfffflllllllllllllllllllllltlllllllllDHJUIIIUllllffllHHIIIIHllllllllllfllllUR.al
.
Tla......y,\October 7 1982
IMBYUNWt-ewlPII
Financial Aids: An End of an Era?
By Jaime Juarez
Financial Aid Students at CSUF and
other campuses across the nation are
facing a bleak and uncertain future this
fall. Cuts in state and federal funds,
changes in administrationof funds, and
delays in funding have seriously crippled
many students' hopes for a higher
education.
Joseph Heuston, Director of Financial
Aids at CSUF, and Robert Hernandez,
Director of the Educational Opportunity
Program at CSUF, see the cutbacks as
mistakes. "Most people think that student
aid is a handout, but this is not true- it is an
investment and a damn good one," stated
Hernandez. "Reagan is putting millions
into defense and the economy, but what
he doesn't see is that these students will
graduate and pay higher taxes than if they
had to quit school for lack of funds
because they will have more skill and thus
a better job. Furthermore, we will have
engineers and physicistsamong these
students who will undoubtly contribute in
our nation's defense," added Heuston.
Heuston said that some programs are
being put to the ax, "Programs such as
the Social Security Education Benefits
(SSEB) are being fazed out ... while others
like the National Direct Student Loan
(NDSL) and Work-Study have been
subjected to heavy cuts." Heuston also were not complete, and we don't know
admitted that his office is behind schedule when our full allocation will arrive.at all,"
added Heuston.
in its disbursments of funds, "Monies that
In order to cope with the problems the
should have arrived at our offite (from the
fe_deral governement) in July weren't Financial Aid office is facing, Heuston and
received until mid Augustt stated Hues- his staff have devised a Priority List for its
ton. "Furthermore, some of the funds we students. According to Heuston, "A
did receive (Pell Grant-formally BEOG)
student is given a number from one to nine there is and who gets it first. According to
with one being the most needy while nine Heuston low income, married students
the least." The classification is withdependentsgetfirstpriorityfollowed
determined by the information a student by single parents; single students without
devolves in his SAAC (Student Aid parent contribution; single students with
Application for California) form and is little parent contribution, and finally single
used to determine who gets what money students with moderate parent contribution.
MO n ~
continued OD page 3
VMC Refuses ''Sale" Offer
By: Sylvia Caetro
The Fresno County Board of Supervisors turned down the proposal presented
to them Tuesday, September 21, on
whether to allow a non-profit corporation
to take over the administrative operations
of Valley Medical Center.
Concerned citizens, mostly Blacks and
Chicanos, filled the Wine Room of the Fresno
Convention Center during the public
hearing. The proposal, recommended by
the County Administration Office, would
give a non-profit corporation the responsiblity that the county now has.
Also among those in attendance were
employees of VMC and the consultants
who assured the Board that most persons presently employed would be "carried over" by the new management and
that wages would be "comparable to contract terms."
Supervisor WiHard Johnson
strongly opposed to the " sale of VMC "
and said that the real problem was that
present employees would 1-iave their
retirement benefits cut and Social Secur-
ity coverage would be cut entirely. He
prefered a joint program between the city
and county of Fresno to update the hospital and care facilities.
The consultants pointed out that the
county must somehow find a way to raise
$15 million to offset the cost of Social
Security for these employees, or the
coun_ty will go in debt when
they retire. Loans would be difficult to
obtain because the county is unable to
assure lenders that the money can be
repaid. However, they felt confident that
the non-profit corporation would have no
difficulty with finances.
There also was concern over whether
the new management would carry on the
responsibility of giving proper treatment
to poor patients. Again, the firm
assured the board there would be "no
discrimination· against any patient."
Howe·ver, they also added that VMC's
image has suffered because it is known as
a hospital for the poor. They felt that this
stigma h~ turned away insured patients The audience expressed their opinions
who provtde the larsest part of profit for to the Board which were basically the
the hospital.
same as those'expressed by Bronzan and
Johnson,
that they wanted VMC to
Supervisor Bruce Bronzan was hesitremain
with
the countv.
ant over the agreement terms between
the county and the new corporation. The
contract would be for 30 years, and the
Supervisor Sharon Levy favored handonly way the county c~uld change the ing over the hospital to the corporation
agreedment would be if both parties though she did have some conern about
agree
·, how th e contract was word ed b ut felt for
. · .
.
Jies wit~ the Bo~~d <?n pohcy would be the most ~rt that the new corporation
at an arm s length, said the consultants, would probably fulfill the responsiblilities.
and added that the Board could not
"legally" appoint any members to the new
board of directors but were free to make
The Board decided to turn down the
recommendations for consideration.
original proposal 3-2 with Supervisors
Bronzan disapproved of this section, Levy and Jeff Reich dissenting. The issue
and felt the new corporation could not be will continue to be dicussed when another
held responsible to the public if the Board plan is suggested and can be reviewed
could not have closer policy-making which will be set in a couple of months.
power. He felt that this was "too big a
price for -the county to pay," and that
there should be some way to make the
new corporation accountable to the
public.
·o ctol,er 7, 1982
La Voz •• Aztlaa
Unfair Draft Provision
Editorial=
What kind of political definition
would you give a government that
would want to control your ev~ry
decision once you turned eighteen
years old. Without giving it much
thought, you would probably say a
dictatorship or a communist government like the ki'nd that operates
in Cuba and in the USSR, right? ·
Well, you could be right, but your
best bet would be to say a capitalist
gouernement like the kind we live in.
That is exactly what the U.S.
House of Representatives is proposing by authorizing a provision in the
1983 Defense Department bill that
would m-ake registering for the draft ·
a requirment to receive federal
financial aid. How Much Closer can
we get to a dictatorship?
Somewhere buried in the 1983 billion do(lar Defense Department
budget exists $800 million used to to
make eighteen-year-olds comp{y
with the registrat~on draft.
The provision also authorizes the
defense department to use part of
the $800 million for basic research
within its own department and $30
million to upgrade university research equipment.
Center
.f
OJ
According to the Selective Service, 8.4 million men, or 93 pe~cent of
~hose eligible for the draft, have registered, while about 674,000 have
not. That means that our government is willing to spend close to
$85,000 on each individual that did
not register for the draft.
This is 9nly the beginning. The
author of the bill, Rep. Gerald B. H.
Solomon, New York Republican,
said he would also propose sinlilar
amendments to bar men who have
not registered from receiving other
benefits, such as job-training grants
and unemployment compensation.
The problem with the provision is
that it will affect minority students
since the majority of financial aid
recipients are Blacks, Chicanos,
and poor Anglo students.
Wouldn't the millions of dolla.rs
that will be spent to prosecute nonregistrants better serve to create
· jobs, help students, and provide
more social services. That would
certainly help young men be more
productive rather than destructive.
Pedro Perez
C h i ca n -o
Res ear c-· h
By: Bobby Rodriguez
EdThe Center for Chicano Research ,
ucation, and Community Serv1·ces, 1·s a
proposed plan currently being worked on
by the La Raza Studies Department
~~~!~o~~e guidance of Dr . Manu_ei
•
According to· Dr. Figueroa the plan is
new but has been in peoples' minds for
years. Last year MEChA and the La Raza
Studies Faculty thought it would be a
good idea to establish a research center
to deal with Chicano issues "Th C t
would be a place where st. d ~ en ~
learn valuable skills in e u enhs ~othu
r searc
a
more scientific approach"
D F wt
t1
said.
'
r. 19 eroa
f
The Resea re h C en ter 's final draft was
begun
by Dr. Manue J p ena, who after
.
taking a leave of absence, handed the
plans _to ~r. Manuel Figueroa. The final
draft rs still under revision and has yet to
be appr?ved. The main purpose for the
Center 1s to aid in the La Raza Studies
rol~ by creating a better awareness of the
social, cultur~l, political, and economic
prob!em~ facing Chicanos and to come
up wi th viable solutions. La Raza Studies
muS t keep ~~reast of re~earch on issues
th a.t are cntical to the interests of the
Chicano population and to relay that
research to the students and the
1 y. "W e nee d to get more
.commun·t
involve~: and t_h e Center can be a place
for that, Dr. Figueroa said. ·
Researc h w1·11 b e focused on issues
re Ia t·mg t o Ch.1canos, sue h as crime,
health, ethnic relations, and cultural
change. Dr. Figueroa noted that the
issues will change.
Other responsiblilities of the Center
will be to provide interaction between
faculty, students, and the community. Dr.
Figueroa said , 'The Center also wants to
. maintain good relations with other
university units such as the Learning
Cen~er, MEChA, the Office of _S tu,?~.nt
Affairs , and other student service. In
terms of the community we want to be
strong by organizing events to educate
th e pu bl'1c, th e s t u d en t s an d t h e comm_unity," added Dr. Fig~er?a. The Cen~er
will also attempt to maintain contact with
other centers, such as the Mexican Studies Center at UC Berkeley and the Center for Chicano Studies at UCLA.
The funding for the Center will come
partly from research and educational pro•
jects generated from the Center itself and
through individual donations.
The administration, says Dr. Figueroa,
has been cooperative, namely Academic
Vice President Dr. Arciniega and the
Dean of Social Sciences, Dr. Klassen. Dr.
Figueroa says the possibility of the Center's realization is good, and is "moving to
find momentum; we're in the final push. "
The final phase of the project will include a
physical place for the ceter and the nego·
tiation of specific conditions.
Onehr7,.INI
La Voz de Aztlan
Page!
DetectingBirth Dejects
By: Anthony Marquez
For every hundred births in America,
approximately four percent of the fetuses
will be born with some form of defect.
Amniocentesis is a prenatal (before
birth) test that can detect some of these
defects.
Valley Childrens Hospital has been
offering this s~rvice since Feburary, 1979.
The state -funded Amniocentesis
program is not available anywhere else in
the Central Valley.
The most common reason for having
the test is maternal age. The chance of
having a child with Down Syndrome
increases significantly after a woman
reaches the age of 35.
Some other reason for having an
Amniocentesis test are:
1) The mother has had a child with
Down Syndrome or another chromosomal disorder.
2) A parent is known to be a carrier of a
chromosomal abnormality.
3) The mother has had a child with a
nueral tube defect.
4) A parent is a carrier of a genetic
disease such as Tay-Sachs and Sickle Cell
Anemia.
·
5) The parents have had a child with a
detectable biochemical disorder.
6) The mother is a carrier of an x-linked
disorder s uch as Duchenne Muscular
Dystrophy and Hemophilia.
In order for a couple to qualify for the
test, they must meet one of the requirements listed above. "They have to have a
reason," said Pat O'Lague, a Genetic
Counselor at Valley Childrens Hospital.
Amniocentesis is performed by an
obstetrician, usually between the 16th
and 18th week after conception. It does
not involve hospitalization, and there are
no special precautions before or after the
test. Ultrasound (bouncing sound waves
that project a picture of the abdomen on a
screen) is used to locate the placenta. A
woman is placed under anesthesia, then a
needle is inserted into her uterus through
the abdominal wall. A small amount of
fluid, which surrounds the fetus, is extracted. The Amniotic fluid is then taken to a
Cytogenetics Laboratory where the cells
are examined for chromosomal
abnormalities.
The test takes 10 minutes, the results
take four weeks.
If an abnormality is found, the option of
abortion or continuation of the pregnanacy is explored with the family and with
the obstetrician. "We call the family and
tell them what we found and what it
means," said O'Lague, "We help them
with whatever they decide to do."
But according to O'Lague, the majority
of results are normal. "Out of about 1,000
tests that Valley Childrens has performed, only 13 had Down Syndrome."
Eleven of thse decided to abort .
An Amniocentesis test costs about
$660. "Insurance companies cover between SQ-100% of the bill," said O'Lague . The
state also provides back-up funding to
make the program accessible to lowerincome families. "If they have no money,
we refer them to the Regional Center in
Fresno,"' added O'Lague. The Regional
Center has state monies that fund the
Amniocentesis program.
O'Lague speculated on why some"qualified" parents do not use their service,
"The reasons are because of religious
beliefs, the small risk of miscarriage (1200), or because they just don't want to."
"The majority of clients are caucasian,
but we do get a significant number of Mexican Americans," said O'Lague.
Olivia Lucio of CSUF Chicanos in
Health pointed out a "generation gap"
among Mexican women in regards to
aborting if a defect is found. "Among older
Mexican women there's a tendency to
continue the pregnanacy even if an abnormality is found, while younger Mexican
women will go ahead and abort," said
Lucio.
Defect continued on page 4
Bill Still Uncertain
By: Anthony Marquez
The House Judiciary Committe has was a "pattern or practice" of violations,
approved, with a few changes, an immi- the employer could also be incarcerated
gration bill that now goes before the full for six months. An employer with four or
more employees would be required to
house for the final vote.
The bill, sponsored by Romano L. check the identity of a job applicant by
MazzoIi of Kentucky, is unlikely to be examining either a United States passvoted on before the October first port or two other documents, such as a
adjournment deadline. But it's probable driver's license and a Social Security
that it will be taken up when Congress card. Employers would be given a one
convenes for a special session after the year grace period in which only warnings
would issued. 3) The National identity
elections.
card provision would set a three year
The Justice Department has made it
deadline for the President to establish a
clear that the passage of the immigration
system of employment eligibility verificabill is the top legislative priority of Attortion. This could mean a revamping or
ney General William French Smith.
broadening of the Social Security card.
When the Simpson bill, which is basiThe House Judiciary Committe tacked
cally the same as the Mazzoli version,
on a amendment, offered by Barney
passed the Senate last month, a report
Frank of Massachusetts, guaranteeing
was issued claiming that the bill was "the
access to the courts by undocumented
first comprehensive immigration reform
workers, including those who entered the
effort" in thirty years.
united States illegally. The previous verThe Mazzoli bill contains elements of sion, supported by the Reagan Administhe Senate version including:
tration, would have restricted access to
1) The Amnesty provision whereby all the courts for undocumented workers
undocumented workers arriving before seeking asylum or challenging orders for
1977 would be granted permanent resi- their expulsion from America. Peter W.
dent status. Those arriving between 1978- Rodino Jr., Chairman of the Judiciary
80 would get a temporary resident status Committee, stated that such restrictions
and would become eligible for permanent were unacceptable. Rodino of New Jerstatus within three years. Undocumented sey was supported in his statement by the
workers arriving after !980 would be sub- Mexican American Legal Defense and
ject to deportation.
Educational Fund, the American Immi2) The sanctions against employers gration Lawyers Association and the
provision whereby fines and possible American Civil Liberties Union .
imprisonment would be Jevied against an
The Judiciary Committee also
employer for hiring undocumented
workers. An employer could be fined approved a provision that will allow
$1,000 for the first violation and $2,000 for Cuban and Haitian immigrants to become
each subsequent violation. Where there legal U.S. citizens via a special rule. The
rule consists of a one year extension on
the Amnesty provision of the Mazzoli bill.
These Cubans and Haitians will have legal
status if they arrived before January l,
1981, while all other undocumented
workers must have arrived prior to January I, 1980.
According to Mazzoli the special rule
and the Amnesty provision in general are
based on logic, "... the Mexicans, the
Cubans, and Haitians don't come across
the borders with guns blazing; they don't
come to rape our women. They're generally docil, they work , and they put roots
down."
President Reagan has asked
Congress to hold a special session so it
can pass appropiations bills, but once
Congress reconvenes, it could also act on
other legislation including the Mazzoli
Immigration Bill.
Money
continued from page 1 .
Hernandez believes the delays and
cutbacks in aid are disastrous for students, especially for minority students.
"The cutbacks are going to hurt mostly
Chicano and Black students because
they are the ones who traditionally lack
the support and reserves that are needed
at these times." Heuston agreed, "What
federal government (90% of all aid is
derieved from the federal government)
doesn't realize is that what may be a hardship for some college students in aid cutbacks is a disaster for students with low
income backgrounds." Hernandez added, 'With the job market being as it is,
moststudents are unable to find work and
must place themselves in heavy debt in
order to continue school." According
to Heuston a student can get a GuaranteedStudent Loan {GSL) to help him get
through school. However, the interest
rates are much higher for the GSL than
for the NDSL (5% for NDSLas compared
to 9% for GSL), and there are no deferment clauses in the GSL contract. "The
·xoblem with a situation like this is that a
:reshinan may borrow up to $2,500 to
-nal<e up for cuts in his financial aid and
end up owing over $10,000 in four years,"
;tated
Heuston.
Isabel Mejorado, Coordinator of Scholarships at CSUF, said that some studentsare turning to scholarships to fill the
void left by aid cuts. "Last year we had 900
applications; this year we have had over
1100," she said. According to Mejorado,
these students fail to understand that her
office has only 550 scholarships to award
and that competition is heavy, "We not
onlylook at G.P.A. but also at communit~
involvement. Community involvement is
an important consideration, and both are
requirements for awards," Mejorado stated.
Overall, Hernandez hopes that when
the ecomony improves, the cutbacks will
leveloff, but Heuston is less optimistic. "I
thinkthat the era of grants is over; now if
somebody wants to go to college, he will
not only need the amplitude but also the
personal resources," said Heuston.
Page4
October 7, 1982
La Voz de Aztlaa
Voces
How are you compensating
for financial aid cutba~ks?
Maggie Castro: S~~ior~ Education
Major Right now I m Just m the process
of trying to get my financial aid. I had to
get loans from various people, and I had
to borrow from my father. Right now
they're processing my Pell Grant. When l
finally get my aid, there wont't be_ much
left after taking out my loans. It will be a
tight squeeze this year.
Benita Hernandez: Junior, Criminology Major A lot of my financial aid
was cut back so I had to get money from
my parents. This put a big burden on
them. Ialso have tow sisters in college; so
it's really hard.
Defect
continued from page 3
The reason for the difference is that the
older generation seems to have stronger
ties to Catholicism. According to the
Catholic doctrine, abortion is the killing of
a human being, regardless of the reason
or logic behind the decision. "Some of .
these women will go ahead with a pregnancy knowing that there is an abnormality in the fetus," added Lucio.
The Amniocentesis test can also be
used to determine the gender of the fetus.
However, Valley Childrens Hospital will
not provide the test to parents who only
wish to determine the gender of the fetus.
But for parents who qualify for the test,
the gender of the fetus cannot be kept
from them. "That's information their
entitled to," said O,Lague.
Recent reports reveal that some parents pay for the test to find out the gender
of the fetus and abort according to their
preference. "It's never happened here,
but I know it's happened in other places,,.
said O,Lague. O'Lague summed up her
feelings stating, "Sex is not a birth defect."
La Voz de Aztlan ia
now accepting
applications for a
typeaetter. Wall Train.:
Contact
Loardea Villarreal.
Salvador Alvarez: Freahmaa, PreMed. Major I worked for Medi-Corps
By Yolanda Orozco
Manuel Ochoa: Senior, Criminology Corrections Major My financial aid came late; so I had to drop one of
my courses because of that. I couldn't buy
the book so I had no other alternative but
to drop the class.
during the summer; so I'm receiving
money from them. I'm getting money
from CAMP since I'm a freshman; otherwise I have to support myself . .
lrman Alcorta: Sophomore, Paycology Major I'm now on a really
tight budget . I have no money to !11yself.
All the money I receive goes to balls and
s~hool. I'm trying to look for a part-time
job to ~ompensate for the cutback.
Child Night Care Needed
By: Maria Perez
A survey conducted last semester concluded that evening students are in drastic need of child care services.
The survey, ~nitiated by several concerned students, was headed by Pam
Metzger, Reading Specialist _for P~SS
and by Mary Sims, an education maJor.
Dr. Teresa Perez also participated by
helping to develop the survey.
It was estimated that there were about
2,500 evening students during the spring
semester of 1982, out of which ten percent
of them were surveyed.
Of the two-hundred and thirty-nine
evening students surveyed, 67 of them
needed child care.
The survey also revealed that the evening students weren't aware of the service
which could account for the seemingly
lack' of concern by the students. The
evening students are willing to work a few
hours a week to form a cooperative, thus
reducing the cost of the services.
Having been a evening student herself,
Dr. Perez sympathizes with the problem
the evening students face.
"If the need exists then the University
community should look for creative ways
in meeting the needs of the evening student!' she said.
or: Lourdes Villarreal
Bob Lundal, staff advisor for the child
care center, said that evening child care
services were publicized during the 1982
spring semester, but that the center
received little response from the evening
students. He added that if evening child
care services were provided, this would
reduce the number of slots in day time
child care services.
On the other hand Metzger believes
that evening child care services weren't
well publicized. Had they been, the
response would have been greater.
.
-sias Eclitor: Larry Banales
o4actio■:
Maria Perez
oto Ellit~r: Pedto Perez
otograp. .r: Y ~ Orozco
eporten: Bobby Rodriguez, AntnonM
arquez, Gilbert Mosq~da.
Castro. Jaime Juarez
Cartooaiat: Adelaide Perez
La Voz . . Ania■ is Califo~ Sta
University Fresno's Chicano newspaper.
La Voz tie Aatlaa is located in
Keats Campus Building. Editorial: {209
294-2486. Letters to the editor ar
welcomed. ~ newspaper reserves
right to edit letters.
~
·
z
California State Univer•ity Fre•ao
.
T
.
IIIRIIUIIIIIHIIIIIIUIIIIIIIIIIIIUUIIUIIIIIIIRIIIHIIIIIHfflllHIIIHIIIHINIIIHIIHIIIIIIIHIOfffflllllllllllllllllllllltlllllllllDHJUIIIUllllffllHHIIIIHllllllllllfllllUR.al
.
Tla......y,\October 7 1982
IMBYUNWt-ewlPII
Financial Aids: An End of an Era?
By Jaime Juarez
Financial Aid Students at CSUF and
other campuses across the nation are
facing a bleak and uncertain future this
fall. Cuts in state and federal funds,
changes in administrationof funds, and
delays in funding have seriously crippled
many students' hopes for a higher
education.
Joseph Heuston, Director of Financial
Aids at CSUF, and Robert Hernandez,
Director of the Educational Opportunity
Program at CSUF, see the cutbacks as
mistakes. "Most people think that student
aid is a handout, but this is not true- it is an
investment and a damn good one," stated
Hernandez. "Reagan is putting millions
into defense and the economy, but what
he doesn't see is that these students will
graduate and pay higher taxes than if they
had to quit school for lack of funds
because they will have more skill and thus
a better job. Furthermore, we will have
engineers and physicistsamong these
students who will undoubtly contribute in
our nation's defense," added Heuston.
Heuston said that some programs are
being put to the ax, "Programs such as
the Social Security Education Benefits
(SSEB) are being fazed out ... while others
like the National Direct Student Loan
(NDSL) and Work-Study have been
subjected to heavy cuts." Heuston also were not complete, and we don't know
admitted that his office is behind schedule when our full allocation will arrive.at all,"
added Heuston.
in its disbursments of funds, "Monies that
In order to cope with the problems the
should have arrived at our offite (from the
fe_deral governement) in July weren't Financial Aid office is facing, Heuston and
received until mid Augustt stated Hues- his staff have devised a Priority List for its
ton. "Furthermore, some of the funds we students. According to Heuston, "A
did receive (Pell Grant-formally BEOG)
student is given a number from one to nine there is and who gets it first. According to
with one being the most needy while nine Heuston low income, married students
the least." The classification is withdependentsgetfirstpriorityfollowed
determined by the information a student by single parents; single students without
devolves in his SAAC (Student Aid parent contribution; single students with
Application for California) form and is little parent contribution, and finally single
used to determine who gets what money students with moderate parent contribution.
MO n ~
continued OD page 3
VMC Refuses ''Sale" Offer
By: Sylvia Caetro
The Fresno County Board of Supervisors turned down the proposal presented
to them Tuesday, September 21, on
whether to allow a non-profit corporation
to take over the administrative operations
of Valley Medical Center.
Concerned citizens, mostly Blacks and
Chicanos, filled the Wine Room of the Fresno
Convention Center during the public
hearing. The proposal, recommended by
the County Administration Office, would
give a non-profit corporation the responsiblity that the county now has.
Also among those in attendance were
employees of VMC and the consultants
who assured the Board that most persons presently employed would be "carried over" by the new management and
that wages would be "comparable to contract terms."
Supervisor WiHard Johnson
strongly opposed to the " sale of VMC "
and said that the real problem was that
present employees would 1-iave their
retirement benefits cut and Social Secur-
ity coverage would be cut entirely. He
prefered a joint program between the city
and county of Fresno to update the hospital and care facilities.
The consultants pointed out that the
county must somehow find a way to raise
$15 million to offset the cost of Social
Security for these employees, or the
coun_ty will go in debt when
they retire. Loans would be difficult to
obtain because the county is unable to
assure lenders that the money can be
repaid. However, they felt confident that
the non-profit corporation would have no
difficulty with finances.
There also was concern over whether
the new management would carry on the
responsibility of giving proper treatment
to poor patients. Again, the firm
assured the board there would be "no
discrimination· against any patient."
Howe·ver, they also added that VMC's
image has suffered because it is known as
a hospital for the poor. They felt that this
stigma h~ turned away insured patients The audience expressed their opinions
who provtde the larsest part of profit for to the Board which were basically the
the hospital.
same as those'expressed by Bronzan and
Johnson,
that they wanted VMC to
Supervisor Bruce Bronzan was hesitremain
with
the countv.
ant over the agreement terms between
the county and the new corporation. The
contract would be for 30 years, and the
Supervisor Sharon Levy favored handonly way the county c~uld change the ing over the hospital to the corporation
agreedment would be if both parties though she did have some conern about
agree
·, how th e contract was word ed b ut felt for
. · .
.
Jies wit~ the Bo~~d <?n pohcy would be the most ~rt that the new corporation
at an arm s length, said the consultants, would probably fulfill the responsiblilities.
and added that the Board could not
"legally" appoint any members to the new
board of directors but were free to make
The Board decided to turn down the
recommendations for consideration.
original proposal 3-2 with Supervisors
Bronzan disapproved of this section, Levy and Jeff Reich dissenting. The issue
and felt the new corporation could not be will continue to be dicussed when another
held responsible to the public if the Board plan is suggested and can be reviewed
could not have closer policy-making which will be set in a couple of months.
power. He felt that this was "too big a
price for -the county to pay," and that
there should be some way to make the
new corporation accountable to the
public.
·o ctol,er 7, 1982
La Voz •• Aztlaa
Unfair Draft Provision
Editorial=
What kind of political definition
would you give a government that
would want to control your ev~ry
decision once you turned eighteen
years old. Without giving it much
thought, you would probably say a
dictatorship or a communist government like the ki'nd that operates
in Cuba and in the USSR, right? ·
Well, you could be right, but your
best bet would be to say a capitalist
gouernement like the kind we live in.
That is exactly what the U.S.
House of Representatives is proposing by authorizing a provision in the
1983 Defense Department bill that
would m-ake registering for the draft ·
a requirment to receive federal
financial aid. How Much Closer can
we get to a dictatorship?
Somewhere buried in the 1983 billion do(lar Defense Department
budget exists $800 million used to to
make eighteen-year-olds comp{y
with the registrat~on draft.
The provision also authorizes the
defense department to use part of
the $800 million for basic research
within its own department and $30
million to upgrade university research equipment.
Center
.f
OJ
According to the Selective Service, 8.4 million men, or 93 pe~cent of
~hose eligible for the draft, have registered, while about 674,000 have
not. That means that our government is willing to spend close to
$85,000 on each individual that did
not register for the draft.
This is 9nly the beginning. The
author of the bill, Rep. Gerald B. H.
Solomon, New York Republican,
said he would also propose sinlilar
amendments to bar men who have
not registered from receiving other
benefits, such as job-training grants
and unemployment compensation.
The problem with the provision is
that it will affect minority students
since the majority of financial aid
recipients are Blacks, Chicanos,
and poor Anglo students.
Wouldn't the millions of dolla.rs
that will be spent to prosecute nonregistrants better serve to create
· jobs, help students, and provide
more social services. That would
certainly help young men be more
productive rather than destructive.
Pedro Perez
C h i ca n -o
Res ear c-· h
By: Bobby Rodriguez
EdThe Center for Chicano Research ,
ucation, and Community Serv1·ces, 1·s a
proposed plan currently being worked on
by the La Raza Studies Department
~~~!~o~~e guidance of Dr . Manu_ei
•
According to· Dr. Figueroa the plan is
new but has been in peoples' minds for
years. Last year MEChA and the La Raza
Studies Faculty thought it would be a
good idea to establish a research center
to deal with Chicano issues "Th C t
would be a place where st. d ~ en ~
learn valuable skills in e u enhs ~othu
r searc
a
more scientific approach"
D F wt
t1
said.
'
r. 19 eroa
f
The Resea re h C en ter 's final draft was
begun
by Dr. Manue J p ena, who after
.
taking a leave of absence, handed the
plans _to ~r. Manuel Figueroa. The final
draft rs still under revision and has yet to
be appr?ved. The main purpose for the
Center 1s to aid in the La Raza Studies
rol~ by creating a better awareness of the
social, cultur~l, political, and economic
prob!em~ facing Chicanos and to come
up wi th viable solutions. La Raza Studies
muS t keep ~~reast of re~earch on issues
th a.t are cntical to the interests of the
Chicano population and to relay that
research to the students and the
1 y. "W e nee d to get more
.commun·t
involve~: and t_h e Center can be a place
for that, Dr. Figueroa said. ·
Researc h w1·11 b e focused on issues
re Ia t·mg t o Ch.1canos, sue h as crime,
health, ethnic relations, and cultural
change. Dr. Figueroa noted that the
issues will change.
Other responsiblilities of the Center
will be to provide interaction between
faculty, students, and the community. Dr.
Figueroa said , 'The Center also wants to
. maintain good relations with other
university units such as the Learning
Cen~er, MEChA, the Office of _S tu,?~.nt
Affairs , and other student service. In
terms of the community we want to be
strong by organizing events to educate
th e pu bl'1c, th e s t u d en t s an d t h e comm_unity," added Dr. Fig~er?a. The Cen~er
will also attempt to maintain contact with
other centers, such as the Mexican Studies Center at UC Berkeley and the Center for Chicano Studies at UCLA.
The funding for the Center will come
partly from research and educational pro•
jects generated from the Center itself and
through individual donations.
The administration, says Dr. Figueroa,
has been cooperative, namely Academic
Vice President Dr. Arciniega and the
Dean of Social Sciences, Dr. Klassen. Dr.
Figueroa says the possibility of the Center's realization is good, and is "moving to
find momentum; we're in the final push. "
The final phase of the project will include a
physical place for the ceter and the nego·
tiation of specific conditions.
Onehr7,.INI
La Voz de Aztlan
Page!
DetectingBirth Dejects
By: Anthony Marquez
For every hundred births in America,
approximately four percent of the fetuses
will be born with some form of defect.
Amniocentesis is a prenatal (before
birth) test that can detect some of these
defects.
Valley Childrens Hospital has been
offering this s~rvice since Feburary, 1979.
The state -funded Amniocentesis
program is not available anywhere else in
the Central Valley.
The most common reason for having
the test is maternal age. The chance of
having a child with Down Syndrome
increases significantly after a woman
reaches the age of 35.
Some other reason for having an
Amniocentesis test are:
1) The mother has had a child with
Down Syndrome or another chromosomal disorder.
2) A parent is known to be a carrier of a
chromosomal abnormality.
3) The mother has had a child with a
nueral tube defect.
4) A parent is a carrier of a genetic
disease such as Tay-Sachs and Sickle Cell
Anemia.
·
5) The parents have had a child with a
detectable biochemical disorder.
6) The mother is a carrier of an x-linked
disorder s uch as Duchenne Muscular
Dystrophy and Hemophilia.
In order for a couple to qualify for the
test, they must meet one of the requirements listed above. "They have to have a
reason," said Pat O'Lague, a Genetic
Counselor at Valley Childrens Hospital.
Amniocentesis is performed by an
obstetrician, usually between the 16th
and 18th week after conception. It does
not involve hospitalization, and there are
no special precautions before or after the
test. Ultrasound (bouncing sound waves
that project a picture of the abdomen on a
screen) is used to locate the placenta. A
woman is placed under anesthesia, then a
needle is inserted into her uterus through
the abdominal wall. A small amount of
fluid, which surrounds the fetus, is extracted. The Amniotic fluid is then taken to a
Cytogenetics Laboratory where the cells
are examined for chromosomal
abnormalities.
The test takes 10 minutes, the results
take four weeks.
If an abnormality is found, the option of
abortion or continuation of the pregnanacy is explored with the family and with
the obstetrician. "We call the family and
tell them what we found and what it
means," said O'Lague, "We help them
with whatever they decide to do."
But according to O'Lague, the majority
of results are normal. "Out of about 1,000
tests that Valley Childrens has performed, only 13 had Down Syndrome."
Eleven of thse decided to abort .
An Amniocentesis test costs about
$660. "Insurance companies cover between SQ-100% of the bill," said O'Lague . The
state also provides back-up funding to
make the program accessible to lowerincome families. "If they have no money,
we refer them to the Regional Center in
Fresno,"' added O'Lague. The Regional
Center has state monies that fund the
Amniocentesis program.
O'Lague speculated on why some"qualified" parents do not use their service,
"The reasons are because of religious
beliefs, the small risk of miscarriage (1200), or because they just don't want to."
"The majority of clients are caucasian,
but we do get a significant number of Mexican Americans," said O'Lague.
Olivia Lucio of CSUF Chicanos in
Health pointed out a "generation gap"
among Mexican women in regards to
aborting if a defect is found. "Among older
Mexican women there's a tendency to
continue the pregnanacy even if an abnormality is found, while younger Mexican
women will go ahead and abort," said
Lucio.
Defect continued on page 4
Bill Still Uncertain
By: Anthony Marquez
The House Judiciary Committe has was a "pattern or practice" of violations,
approved, with a few changes, an immi- the employer could also be incarcerated
gration bill that now goes before the full for six months. An employer with four or
more employees would be required to
house for the final vote.
The bill, sponsored by Romano L. check the identity of a job applicant by
MazzoIi of Kentucky, is unlikely to be examining either a United States passvoted on before the October first port or two other documents, such as a
adjournment deadline. But it's probable driver's license and a Social Security
that it will be taken up when Congress card. Employers would be given a one
convenes for a special session after the year grace period in which only warnings
would issued. 3) The National identity
elections.
card provision would set a three year
The Justice Department has made it
deadline for the President to establish a
clear that the passage of the immigration
system of employment eligibility verificabill is the top legislative priority of Attortion. This could mean a revamping or
ney General William French Smith.
broadening of the Social Security card.
When the Simpson bill, which is basiThe House Judiciary Committe tacked
cally the same as the Mazzoli version,
on a amendment, offered by Barney
passed the Senate last month, a report
Frank of Massachusetts, guaranteeing
was issued claiming that the bill was "the
access to the courts by undocumented
first comprehensive immigration reform
workers, including those who entered the
effort" in thirty years.
united States illegally. The previous verThe Mazzoli bill contains elements of sion, supported by the Reagan Administhe Senate version including:
tration, would have restricted access to
1) The Amnesty provision whereby all the courts for undocumented workers
undocumented workers arriving before seeking asylum or challenging orders for
1977 would be granted permanent resi- their expulsion from America. Peter W.
dent status. Those arriving between 1978- Rodino Jr., Chairman of the Judiciary
80 would get a temporary resident status Committee, stated that such restrictions
and would become eligible for permanent were unacceptable. Rodino of New Jerstatus within three years. Undocumented sey was supported in his statement by the
workers arriving after !980 would be sub- Mexican American Legal Defense and
ject to deportation.
Educational Fund, the American Immi2) The sanctions against employers gration Lawyers Association and the
provision whereby fines and possible American Civil Liberties Union .
imprisonment would be Jevied against an
The Judiciary Committee also
employer for hiring undocumented
workers. An employer could be fined approved a provision that will allow
$1,000 for the first violation and $2,000 for Cuban and Haitian immigrants to become
each subsequent violation. Where there legal U.S. citizens via a special rule. The
rule consists of a one year extension on
the Amnesty provision of the Mazzoli bill.
These Cubans and Haitians will have legal
status if they arrived before January l,
1981, while all other undocumented
workers must have arrived prior to January I, 1980.
According to Mazzoli the special rule
and the Amnesty provision in general are
based on logic, "... the Mexicans, the
Cubans, and Haitians don't come across
the borders with guns blazing; they don't
come to rape our women. They're generally docil, they work , and they put roots
down."
President Reagan has asked
Congress to hold a special session so it
can pass appropiations bills, but once
Congress reconvenes, it could also act on
other legislation including the Mazzoli
Immigration Bill.
Money
continued from page 1 .
Hernandez believes the delays and
cutbacks in aid are disastrous for students, especially for minority students.
"The cutbacks are going to hurt mostly
Chicano and Black students because
they are the ones who traditionally lack
the support and reserves that are needed
at these times." Heuston agreed, "What
federal government (90% of all aid is
derieved from the federal government)
doesn't realize is that what may be a hardship for some college students in aid cutbacks is a disaster for students with low
income backgrounds." Hernandez added, 'With the job market being as it is,
moststudents are unable to find work and
must place themselves in heavy debt in
order to continue school." According
to Heuston a student can get a GuaranteedStudent Loan {GSL) to help him get
through school. However, the interest
rates are much higher for the GSL than
for the NDSL (5% for NDSLas compared
to 9% for GSL), and there are no deferment clauses in the GSL contract. "The
·xoblem with a situation like this is that a
:reshinan may borrow up to $2,500 to
-nal<e up for cuts in his financial aid and
end up owing over $10,000 in four years,"
;tated
Heuston.
Isabel Mejorado, Coordinator of Scholarships at CSUF, said that some studentsare turning to scholarships to fill the
void left by aid cuts. "Last year we had 900
applications; this year we have had over
1100," she said. According to Mejorado,
these students fail to understand that her
office has only 550 scholarships to award
and that competition is heavy, "We not
onlylook at G.P.A. but also at communit~
involvement. Community involvement is
an important consideration, and both are
requirements for awards," Mejorado stated.
Overall, Hernandez hopes that when
the ecomony improves, the cutbacks will
leveloff, but Heuston is less optimistic. "I
thinkthat the era of grants is over; now if
somebody wants to go to college, he will
not only need the amplitude but also the
personal resources," said Heuston.
Page4
October 7, 1982
La Voz de Aztlaa
Voces
How are you compensating
for financial aid cutba~ks?
Maggie Castro: S~~ior~ Education
Major Right now I m Just m the process
of trying to get my financial aid. I had to
get loans from various people, and I had
to borrow from my father. Right now
they're processing my Pell Grant. When l
finally get my aid, there wont't be_ much
left after taking out my loans. It will be a
tight squeeze this year.
Benita Hernandez: Junior, Criminology Major A lot of my financial aid
was cut back so I had to get money from
my parents. This put a big burden on
them. Ialso have tow sisters in college; so
it's really hard.
Defect
continued from page 3
The reason for the difference is that the
older generation seems to have stronger
ties to Catholicism. According to the
Catholic doctrine, abortion is the killing of
a human being, regardless of the reason
or logic behind the decision. "Some of .
these women will go ahead with a pregnancy knowing that there is an abnormality in the fetus," added Lucio.
The Amniocentesis test can also be
used to determine the gender of the fetus.
However, Valley Childrens Hospital will
not provide the test to parents who only
wish to determine the gender of the fetus.
But for parents who qualify for the test,
the gender of the fetus cannot be kept
from them. "That's information their
entitled to," said O,Lague.
Recent reports reveal that some parents pay for the test to find out the gender
of the fetus and abort according to their
preference. "It's never happened here,
but I know it's happened in other places,,.
said O,Lague. O'Lague summed up her
feelings stating, "Sex is not a birth defect."
La Voz de Aztlan ia
now accepting
applications for a
typeaetter. Wall Train.:
Contact
Loardea Villarreal.
Salvador Alvarez: Freahmaa, PreMed. Major I worked for Medi-Corps
By Yolanda Orozco
Manuel Ochoa: Senior, Criminology Corrections Major My financial aid came late; so I had to drop one of
my courses because of that. I couldn't buy
the book so I had no other alternative but
to drop the class.
during the summer; so I'm receiving
money from them. I'm getting money
from CAMP since I'm a freshman; otherwise I have to support myself . .
lrman Alcorta: Sophomore, Paycology Major I'm now on a really
tight budget . I have no money to !11yself.
All the money I receive goes to balls and
s~hool. I'm trying to look for a part-time
job to ~ompensate for the cutback.
Child Night Care Needed
By: Maria Perez
A survey conducted last semester concluded that evening students are in drastic need of child care services.
The survey, ~nitiated by several concerned students, was headed by Pam
Metzger, Reading Specialist _for P~SS
and by Mary Sims, an education maJor.
Dr. Teresa Perez also participated by
helping to develop the survey.
It was estimated that there were about
2,500 evening students during the spring
semester of 1982, out of which ten percent
of them were surveyed.
Of the two-hundred and thirty-nine
evening students surveyed, 67 of them
needed child care.
The survey also revealed that the evening students weren't aware of the service
which could account for the seemingly
lack' of concern by the students. The
evening students are willing to work a few
hours a week to form a cooperative, thus
reducing the cost of the services.
Having been a evening student herself,
Dr. Perez sympathizes with the problem
the evening students face.
"If the need exists then the University
community should look for creative ways
in meeting the needs of the evening student!' she said.
or: Lourdes Villarreal
Bob Lundal, staff advisor for the child
care center, said that evening child care
services were publicized during the 1982
spring semester, but that the center
received little response from the evening
students. He added that if evening child
care services were provided, this would
reduce the number of slots in day time
child care services.
On the other hand Metzger believes
that evening child care services weren't
well publicized. Had they been, the
response would have been greater.
.
-sias Eclitor: Larry Banales
o4actio■:
Maria Perez
oto Ellit~r: Pedto Perez
otograp. .r: Y ~ Orozco
eporten: Bobby Rodriguez, AntnonM
arquez, Gilbert Mosq~da.
Castro. Jaime Juarez
Cartooaiat: Adelaide Perez
La Voz . . Ania■ is Califo~ Sta
University Fresno's Chicano newspaper.
La Voz tie Aatlaa is located in
Keats Campus Building. Editorial: {209
294-2486. Letters to the editor ar
welcomed. ~ newspaper reserves
right to edit letters.
~
·