Students Saw Delay in Grades Into the Basis for Felony Charges Filed Last Month Against University Of
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Follow us on Twitter ‘Dogs shine at indoor invitational SPORTS @TheCollegian Graduate degrees sought after, but hard to fund SCIENCE @TheCollegian Bulldog basketball should leave SMC, go back to Selland OPINION MONday Issue January 23, 2012 FRESNO STATE COLLEGIAN.CSUFRESNO.EDU SERVING CAMPUS SINCE 1922 Report faults professor, UCLA in death of lab assistant By Kim Christensen McClatchy Tribune Ever since Sheri Sangji was fatally burned in a December 2008 lab fire, UCLA officials have cast it as a tragic accident, saying the 23-year-old staff research assistant was a seasoned chemist who was trained in the experi- ment that went awry. But Sangji was neither experienced nor well trained — if trained at all — in the safe handling of air-sensitive chemicals that burst into flame, ignited her clothing and spread severe burns over nearly half her body, according Photo illustration by Esteban Cortez / The Collegian to a report on a Cal/OSHA criminal investigation obtained by The Los Angeles Times. The 95-page report adds new detail to the circumstances surrounding Sangji’s death and provides insight Students saw delay in grades into the basis for felony charges filed last month against University of Professors of 65 classes did not make the January due date e didn’t just pluck her “Woff the streets and put her in a chemistry lab. She was By Alexandra Norton are dependent on knowing the grades to take on more students with fewer a trained chemist.” The Collegian of their members. resources. “For many of the fraternities and Thomas-Witt Ellis, a drama profes- — Kevin Reed, Typical Fresno State-issued syllabi sororities, being in good academic sor at Fresno State, is one of the many Vice Chancellor for legal affairs outline what to expect from the course. standing is part of the criteria for professors that has the duty of turning They may also address university-wide being a member in good standing,” in grades and believes having time to policies, turn-in dates and rules for the said Eddie Dominguez, coordinator of examine a student’s grade is impor- California at Los Angeles chemistry class. student involvement. “So if there are tant. professor Patrick Harran and the UC But, despite the premises each pro- students who fall behind on their GPA, “I could use more time to more thor- Board of Regents. Based on labor code fessor’s syllabus lays forth, a handful that’s how it can affect them.” oughly consider all aspects of each violations, the charges are thought to of students in the fall were alarmed to Dominguez reports the grades for student’s progress and skill develop- be the first stemming from an academ- find that their grades weren’t posted by fraternities and sororities and has the ment,” Ellis said. ic lab accident in the United States. the set due date in January. responsibility of looking up each mem- Ellis also points out that the regis- University officials have blasted the By Jan. 3 teachers were expected to ber of Fresno State’s 42 combined fra- trar has made it easier for professors to charges as “unwarranted,” “outra- have submitted grades online, and by ternities and sororities at the start of turn in grades. geous” and “appalling” and say they “The biggest change with final contradict an earlier Cal/OSHA inves- grades was a technical one put into tigation that resulted in nearly $32,000 place by the university about eight in Cal/OSHA fines but no findings of years ago, which allows us to file final intentional, or “willful,” violations. could use more time to more thoroughly consider all aspects of grades online,” said Ellis. “This grants The findings of the subsequent crim- “I each student’s progress and skill development.” faculty the flexibility to calculate and inal probe, conducted by a different file grades from any location with com- investigator, were far harsher. puter access.” — Thomas-Whit Ellis, The report states that UCLA, by The registrar also modernized the repeatedly failing to address previous Drama professor filing of incomplete grades and grade safety lapses, had “wholly neglected changes. its legal obligations” to provide a safe “This reduction of formal paper- environment in campus labs and that work, which could only be filed dur- Harran was personally responsible. Jan. 4 the Admissions, Records and each semester. ing business hours, is a major step “Dr. Harran simply disregarded the Evaluations Office at Fresno State “That alone takes a couple weeks to away from an inefficient bureaucratic open and obvious dangers presented in deemed them late. do just with the staff in our office. But morass,” Ellis said. this case and permitted Victim Sangji “We run a report that tells all the we are working on a process right now However, even with a more efficient to work in a manner that knowingly classes that are still ungraded,” said that were hoping we can implement for process, several professors were not caused her to be exposed to a serious Tina Beddall of the Admissions, future semesters is OrgSync — which able to make the deadline. Fresno State and foreseeable risk of serious injury Records and Evaluations Office. all students organizations are apart doesn’t issue a penalty for late grades, or death,” the report by senior special Once the report is printed it is sent to of.” but Ellis believes the sooner grades are investigator Brian Baudendistel states. the Academic Personnel Office, from OrgSync is run through the univer- turned in, the better for both students If Harran had trained his research there it is distributed to the different sity’s PeopleSoft application where stu- and professors. assistant properly and assured that deans and their departments to notify dents can access their own grades and “It does finish the academic process she wore clothing appropriate for the the teacher that they haven’t received class schedules. for the semester,” Ellis said. “Students work, “Sanji’s death would have been grades. “We’re hoping that will address the have grades and faculty are released prevented,” it said. And while only 65 class sections out time it takes us as an office to gener- from duties for a short time — closure.” Harran’s attorney, Thomas O’Brien, of the 4,296 offered this fall didn’t make ate that report,” Dominguez said. “But, disputed those conclusions. the deadline, some organizations are again, we are reliant on all the instruc- COMMENT: The Collegian is a “Dr. Harran remains devastated by affected by the delay. tors to get their grades in.” forum for student expression. this tragic accident,” he said. “There Fraternities and sororities are But with continuing budget cuts and C http://collegian.csufresno.edu among the various organizations that reduction in classes, teachers have had See UNIVERSITY, Page 3 The Collegian THE REAL WORD OF THE DAY concupiscent (adjective) Lustful. Opinion Source: The Lexicon by William F. Buckley Jr. PAGE 2 OPINION EDITOR, TONY PETERSEN • [email protected] MONDAY, JANUARY 23, 2012 EDITORIAL EDITORIAL Ditch SMC, go Ethics and the back to Selland new media onsider two scenarios. rious arena — average attendance has he news of Joe Paterno’s death One is of a basketball arena declined every year, except for a slight on Sunday morning shook not Cwith a sellout crowd night uptick during a 22-win 2006-07 season. Tonly the college football world, n an ever-evolving world of after night. The consistently competi- During the last three seasons, atten- but the entire sports landscape as tive team it features is boosted every dance has declined even more rapidly, well. However, it was news, or, rather, “Ijournalism where access to night by the 10,000-plus screaming fans plumbing to the depths of 7,767 in 2009- misinformed news, released hours news publishing is literally just all clad in red. Opposing teams are 10, 7,332 in 2010-11 and, in spite of the prior to Sunday’s announcement that a click — or tweet — away, the scared to play here: from 1968-2003 the normal excitement that comes with reminded student-journalists just how mantra of ‘be the first to get it, home team won 406 games, nearly four the hiring of a new coach, 6,066 thus powerful the press can be. wins out of every five. far this season. As reports surfaced across ESPN but first get it right’ went unfol- The other is of a huge, magisterial Why is this the case? tickers, Facebook walls, Twitter feeds lowed by a Penn State news arena which attracts an increasingly Obviously, the lack of winning has and just about any sports news website source and its managing editor, dwindling fan base. Actual atten- not helped. Since playing in the SMC, that Paterno’s health had taken a turn dance is always a great deal less than the ‘Dogs have only posted three above- for the worse, eager followers awaited Devon Edwards.” paid attendance, students, who get in .500 seasons. to hear what seemed like just a mat- free, can barely fill three rows of the But there are more problems than ter of time. Likewise, reporters sat student section and, perhaps most Fresno State’s won-loss record. The on edge for the confirmed word that depressing of all, the arena gets louder ‘Dogs have no home-court advantage: college football’s all-time winningest Several of our editors were forced to for free pizza than it does for the team The arena is too spacious. SMC rivals coach had passed away. explain to Fresno State faculty why we it cheers for. NBA arenas in its attendance capac- But in an ever-evolving world of published the story, and many negative Obviously, the former picture is of ity.