Friday, November 30, 2007

Horses Continued

I was probably 9-years old when my grandfather hoisted me up on to the back of his horse. We were in Oklahoma. This was the red Caballero skateboard with patchy grip tape days.

As soon as I situated myself, that fucking beast did what was natural and bolted toward his buddy.

The leather belly strap stabilizing the saddle to the mass of muscle and spine below my ass snapped - then gravity took over.

I hit the dirt floor with my head first and then my body followed. I remember tumbling for a second.

I was told later that one of the rear hoofs came inches from crushing my skull. I guess I almost died.

Anyways...Halloween horse masks from Japan are cool.


Thursday, November 29, 2007

New feedback survey distributed to ASI Senate

Published in the CSULB Daily 49er newspaper Nov. 29

Communication between Cal State Long Beach teachers and students is rated poor compared to other universities across the country, according to the National Survey of Student Engagement.

George Del Hierro, a CSULB Student Services employee, addressed the Associated Students, Inc. Senate Wednesday to hand out surveys, which will attempt to gather information regarding student experiences on campus and with teachers.

"Last year I got involved with the director of general education and her research on faculty and student communication," Del Hierro said. "We participated in the survey, along with hundreds of other institutions across the country, and we found at Cal State Long Beach [that] our biggest problem is faculty and student communication."

Within all the research and literature compiled so far for CSULB, students are found to be unconnected with the teachers, according to Del Hierro.

"If the students do feel connected, and find faculty or staff they can connect with, or relate to, then they are more likely to stay in school and graduate," Del Hierro said. "Hopefully with the work of this research and the partnership of the administration at Cal State Long Beach, we can work toward addressing this issue, and eventually improve our graduation and retention rates."

The senators were given packets of surveys to present and distribute to fellow students in class for the next two weeks. The survey will ask students to share information regarding the previous teacher they had.

"They shouldn't be answering the questions about the professor that's standing there in front of them," Del Hierro said. "The questions are personality questions, personality characteristics of the professor [and] of the class in general. Last year was a pilot study and this is the real thing now."

After the information is obtained on Dec. 14, the data will be crunched and analyzed, then a plan will be created to address the issue, according to Del Hierro.

ASI Chairwoman and Vice President Lucy Montano said, "The survey is kind of long, but once you get the hang of it, it's easy - and some students will try to get out of it."

Montano also said, "They shouldn't comment on their current professor because it might put the professors in an uncomfortable situation."

In other Senate news, the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs Program coordinator Ralph Davis gave a brief overview to the Senate.

"The program is the result of a 2001 drinking death at Cal State Chico," Davis said.

The incident prompted the entire CSU system to create alcohol education programs.

"Here at Cal State Long Beach, we built a comprehensive global view program where we look at the issues of students and drinking from all different angles," Davis said.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Huell and I

A simple conversation with Huell Howser elicits fantasies of wind-whipping coastal strolls with camera crews in tow.

The moment he said, "Well hello there and what school do you go to?," I realized he's just as crazy and animated in real life.

I was tempted to complement him on his TV show.

I also wanted to confess to the substance abuse necessary to fully dig an episode.

But I restrained. He was just too damn happy and I was painfully sober.

Disabled Student Services rep. Addresses ASI Senate

Published in the CSULB Daily 49er newspaper Nov. 15.

The director of Disabled Student Services David Sanfilippo addressed the Associated Students, Inc. Senate Wednesday to review the progression of services for disabled students since the 1970s.

Sanfilippo also discussed the upcoming decision the Senate will make regarding the bylaw amendment, which will possibly add more positions to the ASI president's cabinet.

"Students have a great amount of power to be a voice," Sanfilippo said. "We trust you'll do the right thing. This board has never failed my belief in that."

Following his speech, Sanfilippo said the Disabled Student Services will begin organizing awareness days. Part of the education will include putting ASI President Mark Andrews and senators in wheelchairs in order for them to experience what some students deal with every day.

"If they decide whether or not it will be a committee or commission, I trust there will always be a voice for our students," Sanfilippo said.

After his departure, the Senate passed a vote to send the bylaw amendment to the newly formed Committee on Bylaws, created by ASI Chairwoman and Vice President Lucy Montano.

Currently, the Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Affairs, the Committee on Disabilities Affairs and the Committee on Women Affairs fall under the umbrella of Campus Diversity Relations.

"The secretary for Campus Diversity Relations is concentrating a lot on cultural diversity," Montano said after the meeting adjourned. "Having a disability doesn't make you part of a culture."

Montano said she is aiming to move the three committees out from under the umbrella in order to isolate them and allow them a stronger voice.

"I want them to be on their own, and maybe having a secretary position isn't the correct place to be at, but I don't want them to be under anything," Montano said. "That's why the [ASI] president and I don't agree, because he's OK with putting them under a big umbrella."

The new committee will debate and solve the issue, then bring its decision back to the Senate for additional discussion and a vote.

"Basically, instead of having 20 people argue, we're going to have six people argue," Montano said. "They get to decide how it will get fixed."

Friday, November 09, 2007

Happy birthday dear...what the fuck?

I spent my 31st birthday meeting people like Huell Howser and the guy who writes the "Ask a Mexican" column for the OC Weekly.

But when I ended my night at Jackie's Bar in downtown Long Beach, I realized nothing would ever be more exciting than a public display of primate ass furrow.

How's that for a picture El Jefé.

Thursday, November 08, 2007

ASI Senate at odds over new amendment

Published on the CSULB Daily 49er's newspaper Web site Nov. 8.

The Associated Students, Inc. Senate was at odds Wednesday when the first reading of a bylaw amendment, which will increase secretary positions for some under-represented groups, passed.

The amendment attempts to add secretaries to the Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Affairs, the Committee on Disabilities Affairs and the Committee on Women Affairs. The Committee on Women Affairs currently has a secretary, but has been in violation of the ASI bylaws for three years, according to ASI President Mark Andrews.

The amendment will attempt to add more positions to the ASI presidential cabinet, although Andrews wasn't fully involved in the making of the decision.

"The executive branch was wrongly kept out of the loop in regards to the development of this position," Andrews said. "I believe action should be taken, but the cabinet may not be the right place for it."

ASI Vice President and Chairwoman Lucy Montano co-sponsored the amendment, along with College of Health and Human Services Sen. Greg Lim, and was met with criticism and support from the Senate and the public gallery regarding her actions.

"I'm really disturbed that this issue is being brought up the way that it is," said James Davis, the ASI chief of staff. "The only thing I see here is the creation of positions for the heck of it."

Davis told the Senate that Montano walked in to the office and announced her plan to reconfigure the ASI president's cabinet without prior discussion.

"There was no time for dialogue," Davis said.

Apparently she asked for opinions, but later Andrews told the Senate that he thought she disregarded his suggestions.

"It's kind of a slap in the face," Andrews said. "It was all kind of sprung on me."

Montano later defended herself by informing the Senate and Andrews that she was under the impression she didn't need the ASI president's approval for such an issue.

"I was never told the president had to agree with every word," Montano said. "I understand that it's up to [the Senate]."

Technically there's nothing in the bylaws that states she is forced to report on what she's doing, according to Andrews.

"But we have executive meetings every Wednesday morning," Andrews said. "Why didn't she bring this up to me? I could provide some direction on this because I do kind of oversee the cabinet - that would make sense."

Representatives from each of the three groups addressed the Senate to show support for the amendment, but some disagreed whether or not it was necessary to separate the groups and vote on the amendments individually.

Sen. Megan Miller from the College of Health and Human Services stated she was against the separation due to the possibility of inequality among the groups.

Sen. Denise Wright from the College of Natural Science and Mathematics said, "Maybe they don't need to be treated equal. Maybe one group does deserve more recognition than the others. I honestly feel that not all of [the groups] needs to be on equal playing fields."

The second reading regarding the amendment will take place Nov. 14.

In other Senate news, the water conservation resolution passed the third reading with no opposition. Now the Senate will attempt to conform Cal State Long Beach's water usage to Long Beach city's regulations.

Also, student Vanessa Lopez was elected for the assistant secretary for systemwide affairs position and student Joan Mace was elected for the secretary for academic affairs. In addition, both were voted in as representatives for the Athletics Committee.

ASI President appeals to Senate to pay CSSA dues

Published in the CSULB Daily 49er newspaper Nov. 1.

Associated Students, Inc. President Mark Andrews addressed the ASI Senate Wednesday to discuss the possibility of paying dues to the California State Student Association again, but that the resignation of its executive director must first become a reality.

Andrews said stability is non-existent within the CSSA and wouldn't consider paying dues again if its director, Susana Gonzalez, remains in office.

"I really believe that an executive director provides stability year in and year out," Andrews said. "There needs to be a change in that position."

The CSSA is a statewide organization that represents students of the California State University system, and for two years Cal State Long Beach has opted out of paying dues. It has instead decided to allocate that money to fund scholarships.

"It's a worthwhile organization that's broken right now," Andrews said. "I believe if we're going to ask for a drastic change to be made, mainly for the resignation of the executive director, we'll have to be willing to pitch in a little bit."

Andrews said he wanted the Senate to consider paying dues again. He also said he isn't the only one who desires a change in the position and that many other colleges want to see additional changes.

"Right now, the organization is in large financial trouble," Andrews said. "The recent audit that came out was not good."

Sen. Ruben Cordova from the College of Business Administration asked Andrews what the actions were that caused this issue, to which Andrews answered a disliking for Gonzalez's attitude and work ethic.

"I've noticed her not having a competency in her work," Andrews said. "Basic accounting errors have been made and there's a mismanagement of money. [Gonzalez] says [the CSSA] is in a financial crisis because campuses have pulled out of paying dues, but [the CSSA] was going down hill before we pulled out."

Gonzalez said she had no idea about the complaints.
"I'm really shocked that CSULB would accuse us of mismanaging money," Gonzalez said in a phone interview Wednesday after the Senate meeting, "even when the audit didn't have any findings."

Gonzalez is the second executive director in CSSA history and has been with the organization for five years. The first was in the 1980s, and she said there was a time they didn't have one.

"I'm really shocked and heartbroken," Gonzalez said. "I think there's a misunderstanding and I would have thought the ASI president would have called me to talk about these issues."

According to Gonzalez, the dues to be a CSSA member cost 60 cents per student.

The CSSA works with a $400,000 budget.

ASI Executive Director Richard Haller said the fees depend on the population of the campus and that CSULB decided to stop paying because there was not enough of a direct benefit to justify paying dues.

ASI faculty representative and journalism professor Chris Burnett said he thinks the CSSA serves a useful purpose.

"I feel as a faculty member the CSSA has potential to offer good experience for students who want to know what's going on in state government," Burnett said. "I'm hoping they can work out the funding and political situations."

In other Senate news, the second reading of the water conservation resolution, which will attempt to conform CSULB's water regulations to Long Beach city's standards, passed with no opposition. The third reading and the vote to pass the resolution will take place Nov. 7.

Sen. Marilei Denila was elected as the second student representative for the International Education Committee, and the confirmations of Vanessa Lopez for assistant secretary of systemwide affairs and Joan Mace for secretary of academic affairs were postponed until Nov. 7 because both were not in attendance Wednesday.