Body Found Near Campus Identified to Keep Homeless Students Say Fellow Tenant out of Garages Led Quiet Life by Sallie Mattison Border the Street
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Spartan Daily Serving San Jose State University Since 1934 Volume 91, No. 14 Monday, September 19. 19KK Fences effective Body found near campus identified to keep homeless Students say fellow tenant out of garages led quiet life By Sallie Mattison border the street. Daily staff writer "It's my understanding that San By 'Feresa Lyddane SJSU's traffic and parking depart- Jose Slate has always had a large Daily staff writer ment has installed fences in the 10th problem with the transient popula- ' Phillip 6011.11110 \1:IS as quiet Street parking garage this semester tion." Abeyta said. "Santa Clara in life as in the %say he died. to prevent homeless people trout uri- Street seems to he the center of it, He was so silent that residents nating and defecating there at night. and the north garage seems to he of the Sigma House at 279 E. The department has put gates on convenient to them." San Fernando St didn't know he the stairwells and will begin enclos- was dead until sev eral days later. The gates seem to he working. ing elevators in the garage to keep He va as a quiet guy. He kept The homeless do not appear inter- the homeless from "making them- tat himself said ested in working to the other ga- se I % es at home.' said UPI) Chief Dwayne Cantrell. adn 11111,,t I,111011 rages. Abe N. ta said. Ric Abeyta. of justice major and ass,,,ima "Activ ities Apparently homeless people such as that, you just house manager go where iCs convenient. climb to the second or third level he said. SJSU students tOund Gordillo "Since the fencing has landings to urinate or defecate. SJSU been in- late Thursday afternoon in the stalled. those au is dies installed the gates to prevent access have Sigma House across the street stopped." to the landings after the garage from the Administration Build- closes at night. The UPI) has not yet decided ing. "The priihlem nov% seems to he whether to completely enclose the The coroner's office said the Abeyta said. lower level of all the garages. cause of death has not been de- Fences had heen installed on the Abeyta said. termined and is pending four to first floor of the link Street garage "There will always be the prob- six weeks of lab work. last spring, he said The garages at lem of them sleeping or living in the Cantrell had noticed the odor. Fourth and Seventh streets also have buildings," he said. "Those garages but thought the toliet had backed fences along the lower le,,!, has e riot had that problem.' up. When the smell persisted, he traced it to Gordillo's upstairs MOM. He knocked on the door, and when no one answered, used a Project Reads gives ladder to peer through the door's transom. There he saw Gordillo's body. curled in a fetal position on top students a chance of his bed. Cantrell said the man was under his carvers and ap By I.eah Pels peared to be asleep. Daily staff writer "I pounded on his door again One of Connie Seholtes' young 'You can't tell these and yelled his name, Cantrell students walked in during het 1,,,t said. "That's when I started to week of class and said. "Sex is yt,ti, kids what to do like worry derful! He used his master key to Seholtes hesitated for only a sec you can with a 9- open Gordillo's door. When it mid. She reached into her pocket. was opened, the stench trapped pulled out a coin and replied, "Well. year-old.' in the SI111111 room escaped into here's a penny, you've already told the hall and quickly dispersed me your thoughts.'' Connie Seholtes, throughout the blue Victorian As an SJSU student teacher in student house. Project Reads, Seholtes faces more "The smell was awesome, challenges than keeping her compo- she doesn't always have the same Cantrell said, his face contorting sure. group oh students. at the memory of the stench. "I any- Project Reads is a program for Student instructors in Project was shocked. I'd never seen thing like that before. "out -of-school, low-functioning Reads participate in at least two adolescents and adults, said co-di- hours of teaching time a week for 14 Cantrell called the fire depart- after discovering rector Peg Reed. weeks, according to Seholtes. In- ment and police The students come front varied structors can make other arrange- Gordillo. When places, including California Youth ments if outside commitments keep authorities arrived, ten- ants of the house and other SJSU Authority. Eastside Union School them from participating more than District, and private referrals. once every week. students gathered in the front yard. Firefighters wore masks to according to the project overview. Seholtes is responsible for helping guard against the body's smell. The program is also a training site students with their individual aca- They also distributed masks to Kathleen Howe Daily stall photographer for learning handicap credential can- demic needs. Most students hope to the tenants. (7antrell covers his face with a mask to Sigma didates attending SJSU. complete their high school equiva- Dwayne house where a dead hod y was discovered Fidgeting with his keys and inside the Seholtes, a graduate student in lency tests and increase their chances try and avoid the odor coming from late Thursday afternoon. the gold crucifix he wore on a special education, is working toward of finding employment, according to chain. Cantrell recalled what her credential after a 14-year ab- Marlene Dick, another program di- Cantrell said Gordillo paid his Gordillo did not show any sided by San Jose Police. Au- sence front teaching. She originally rector. little he knew about Gordillo. rent on time every month during signs of poor health, according thorities later reported that he "He wasn't the type to social- taught a fourth grade class in South "The students tin the program) the two years he lived there. to Cantrell. was 31. ize, he said. "We invite all the San Jose. have dropped out of school and Cantrell talked to the tenant only "He was overweight. but The Daily quoted a resident or are residents to our parties, but he 'You can't tell these kids what to usually operating at a fifth -grade when collecting his rent. that's all that I ever noticed," the house saying Gordillo had just didn't join in. He just do like you can with a 9-year-old, les el. Reed said. Front their limited con- Cantrell said. lived in the house for five minded his own business and Seholtes said. Most of the students were previ- tact with Gordillo, other resi- The Spartan Daily reported on months and that he had joined in never caused any trouble. He Seholtes has had difficulty learn- ously in a "no win" situation, dents described hint as ’a Friday that Gordillo was 37 years social events. On Friday Cantrell was just a nice guy. ing the students' names because she according to Reed. Either they could chubby 111:111 us uthi hlThk 11 hair old hayed on information pro. contradicted that mtoorranon only teaches two days a week and See PROJECT page 9 Possible arson Office lends Plant burns downtown legal help By Martin ( 'heck and Sallie Mattison 'There was a large Daily staff writers to students Billows of smoke led firefighters amount of and curious bystanders to a two By Teresa I .y ddane alum' fire, possibly caused by arson. Daily staff writer smoke a cloud at a downtown recycling plant Al Pere/ from the Philippines Thursday afternoon. in the vicinity of dreamed of becoming an Ameri- The storage area of the plant ai the can citrien. When he ran into 201 Bassett St. was blaring when confusing legal snags in his natu- parking garage.' firefighters arrived at the scene. rahiation process. he thought his according to Deputy Fire Chiet dream might not Cl/Ille true Richard D. Wattenbarger. Bill Dugan, "I was confused about what to The storage area contained bun geology student do. Then I heard about SJSU's dies of paper, bottles, cans and plas- legal counseling service." said tics. Pere/, a senior maiming in 'The worst thing we've got there plant, said she thought the fire could graphic design "It was free. so I now is the plastics because they are have been started by children play- decided to try it toxic.' he said. ing in the storage area. Pere/ was referred to a natural- 'They're going tat have to pull out "The kids (probably) did it. she i/ation tau ei . and today he is an each of the bundles and take them said. "They're always throwing fire- American cut i/en. apart, Wattenbarger said as tare crackers around." Fvery semester. the Associated fighters sawed through a chain -link She said that last year there was a Students Business Office offers fence to gain access. "It will take fire at the plant. free legal counseling to students. several more hours to put it com- "And three months ago I called This fall, set-% ices will he avail- pletely out . the cops because there must have able beginning Sept. 20 and At 6:30 p.m, the fire was well - been about 24 kids playing around continuing through the semester. contained, he said. there. she said. Legal matters can range from The fire was reported at 6:01 Bill Dugan. an SISII graduate ge- housing problems to a harking p.m., but firefighters were already ology student, first thought the fire dog next door acsording tat John responding prior to the alarm coming was at the Fairmont Hotel.