SERVING SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1934 SPARTANSPARTAN DAILYDAILY WWW.THESPARTANDAILY.COM VOLUME 122, NUMBER 52 THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2004 Students warn legislators Graduation againstagainst furtherfurther budgetbudget ccutsuts Letter-writing campaign part of statewide effort paperwork By Maria Villalobos and Assistant professor of history Alpha Theta, an association of students Elizabeth Nguyen Patricia Don, one of the organizers of and teachers that promotes the study of Daily Staff Writers the event, said having students send history. They helped print out the let- letters was part of a statewide cam- ters and gave a free book to each person jammed up Students and faculty members paign within the months of April and who signed. stood outside Dudley Moorhead Hall May orchestrated by “Save the CSU The letter-writing campaign, and a on Wednesday, stuffi ng envelopes with Coalition,” an organization created by phoning campaign, targets California Andrew Hendershot / Daily Staff letters addressed to local legislators the California Faculty Association. legislators who are sitting on commit- Late applications, adjustment to oppose the proposed cuts to the The letter-writing campaign was SJSU senior Arthur Sultanov signs California State University’s budget. made possible by volunteers from Phi see LETTERS, page 5 a letter opposing CSU budget cuts. to new software causing delays By Carly Roden before the ceremony. Daily Staff Writer While a steady fl ow of late ap- plications is hindering the process, Voices silenced for day of protest While 7,300 students are evaluation counselor Lupe Martinez planning to walk across the stage said registrar services was already at the San Jose State University facing a backlog of paperwork. commencement ceremony on May “Switching to PeopleSoft last 29, as many as 4,600 of them will semester pretty much tripled our do so without offi cial confi rmation workload,” Martinez said, “not of their graduation from the school, to mention the fact that we are according to an offi cial in registrar simultaneously processing admis- services. sions and transfer credits, as well Although students may as applications for August and continue to submit May gradua- December graduations.” tion applications until two weeks Another factor contributing to before commencement, evaluation the backlog is the fact that the offi ce counselor specialist Delia Chavez is short-staffed. Martinez said the said that students who missed the offi ce lost several evaluators last July 1, 2003, priority deadline are summer at the same time budget not guaranteed that they will receive a response from the evaluation offi ce see GRADUATION, page 6 Campaign visionary recounts SJSU roots By Robert S. Hong wasn’t a rape problem,” he added. Daily Senior Staff Writer After teaming up with other members of the Associated Student The Spartan alumnus who council, he assisted in leading helped push the name Howard Bunzel to resign in 1978. Dean into America’s consciousness Christensen went on to tell the visited campus Wednesday night. crowd about Trippi’s endeavors on Dozens of students and more the road into politics and noted than 200 people fi lled the fi rst fl oor that he “may have transformed of Morris Dailey Auditorium to American political campaigns.” hear a guest lecture from renowned Trippi was greeted by a long presidential campaign manager round of applause as he stepped and former Associated Students onto the podium. Many of the councilman Joe Trippi. students in the crowd were avid Photos by Susan D. Reno / Daily Staff Political science professor Terry supporters of him and the Dean Christensen opened the lecture. campaign. National event ABOVE: Sophomore math major William Rames, right, com- Christensen spoke on the fact For a moment, he looked out draws attention municates his message to students on Wednesday in front of that Trippi had been a student of over the crowd that fi lled up the the Student Union as he participates in the national Day of his many years ago and that he had auditorium of the school where Silence. The day-long vow of silence recognizes and protests now “gone on to become a nation- he once studied. He had said to discrimination ally known consultant.” earlier that his interest in politics the harassment experienced by gay, lesbian, bisexual and really took off while he was at the By Claudia Plascencia transgender students. He discussed Trippi’s efforts as a student to remove former San Jose university. Daily Staff Writer State University President John He said there were a few LEFT: Junior Brooke Joupperi helps keep a candle lit by the incidents on campus that really fountain on Tower Lawn Wednesday evening during the Bunzel from offi ce. After a day-long vow of silence In a press conference earlier in got him into the political industry. to raise awareness of discrimination Breaking the Silence vigil, which ended the day-long vow of the day, Trippi discussed his alterca- One of them involved an act of based on sexual orientation, a group silence. The event was organized by the Gay Lesbian Bisexual tions with Bunzel. coincidence. of about 20 students gathered around Transgender Allies. “He was there at a time when “There was a guy walking the Tower Lawn fountain to “break there were issues from a rape crisis around the cafeteria, and he says, the silence” Wednesday evening. Silence Web site. explaining that the vow of silence is Resource Center and the Mosaic going on to parking decisions,” ‘I’m one candidate short of having “Stop the silence, L-G-B-T (les- Kirsten Levin, co-chair of the to protest harassment, bullying and Cross Cultural Center. Trippi said. “And he was just not a full council slate (for the A.S. bian, gay, bisexual, transgender) rights student organization Gay Lesbian discrimination faced by lesbian, gay, “A lot of people are silent out of communicative. ballot). Can I just use your name?’ ” now,” yelled the group at 6:30 p.m. as Bisexual Transgender Allies, said this bisexual and transgender students in fear of negative consequences,” said “There were about 10 rapes they gathered in a circle around the is the fourth year the organization at schools. Ryan Kelley, co-chair of the Gay on campus, and he said that there see TRIPPI, page 8 fountain. San Jose State University has been “Well, I hope that there’s an Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Allies. The vow of silence they took was part of this event. awareness that there is a large LGBT He said he hoped the day brought a part of the national Day of Silence, Those who wanted to participate in student population and there’s a lot of more awareness about the gay, lesbian, an event fi rst organized in 1996 by taking a vow of silence could actually allies here on campus,” said Levin, a bisexual and transgender community. students at the University of Virginia commit anywhere from fi ve minutes graduate student in psychology. “I’d like people to just realize that Israeli, Muslim students who wanted to protest the silencing of to nine hours of silence. She said the organization also we’re out there,” said Kelley, a senior lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Participants were given a small received support from other groups students, according to the Day of card they could pin on themselves, on campus, such as the Women’s see SILENCE, page 6 discuss Mideast confl ict By Mansur Mirovalev our backyard.” Daily Staff Writer “CNN portrays us as bad guys International House allows and baby killers,” said Mike Korda, The killings of two leaders of the 24, an economics and business major Palestinian terrorist organization at the same university. cultures to mix and merge Hamas and the U.S.-backed plan “But I’d rather shoot myself than of Israel to withdraw from the Gaza a Palestinian kid,” he said, while ally warm, friendly place to live,” said By Zakk Jones Strip, but to retain some settlements describing his mandatory military Leann Cherkasky Makhni, director of Daily Staff Writer there, ignited debates among service. the International House. “We provide some students of San Jose State “We had to spend nights and a lot of support to students, and they For more than 25 years, the San University. days in stakeouts, pissing in bottles get to meet people from all over the Jose State University Phyllis Forward Three Israeli students addressed so that Palestinians won’t fi nd us by world.” Simpkins International House has these issues at a meeting with mem- the smell of urine,” he said. “The Olivia Betancourt, who resided provided a warm, fun and friendly bers of the Jewish Student Union terrorists did not want to hurt me in the International House for fi ve environment for overseas students on Tuesday night. They came from or other soldiers. They wanted to get years and is studying for her master’s adjusting to life in a foreign land, Israel as part of “Israel at Heart,” an to the Israeli territory and blow up a in electrical engineering, said living in according to both residents and staff. independent nonprofi t organization bus or cafeteria full of civilians.” the house is a “great experience” for Often referred to as the “I-House,” that promotes better understanding Gadi Veinrib, 25, an economics international students, “because when the fl ag-decorated building at 360 of Israel and its people. major at Tel Aviv University, said you come here, you don’t know many S. Eleventh St., which houses 70 “We are regular students, just his family arrived in Israel seven people.” students, has been in service since like everywhere in the world, and generations ago.