The Collegian Multimedia News Highlights Fresno State fans love from Friday's to tailgate, Page 5 game, Online Fresno State | Serving the campus since 1922 September 21, 2009 | Monday collegian.csufresno.edu “You get hands-on experience you wouldn't get from sitting in a lecture.” —Hannah Frick, Senior Political Science Major Marina Gaytan / The Collegian Dolores Huerta spent time engaging with stu- dents and signing books after her lecture. Activist urges students to get involved By Thaddeus Miller The Collegian Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers Union (UFW), spoke to California State University, Fresno students Friday about her life’s work and the importance of universal health care. McLane Hall room 121 fell silent as the diminutive Huerta, 79, descended the stairs leading to the front of the classroom’s stage. However, the audi- Jakob Smith / The Collegian ence quickly rose to a standing ovation Volunteers unload pieces of a wrecked boat from a canoe on the San Joaquin River. This boat was one of many things removed from the river. as she was introduced. Huerta was the counterpart to Cesar Chavez and continues to advocate for farm laborers and women through the Dolores Huerta Foundation. She has numerous awards to her name and Students join river cleanup nine honorary doctorates from univer- sities across the United States, accord- By Jakob Smith ing to her foundation’s Web site. The Collegian In her speech, Huerta urged students to get involved in the effort to usher in A flatbed truck approached the RiverTree Volunteers’ a public option for health care. cleanup site, just steps away from the San Joaquin River. It “We don’t have a lot of time if we’re was filled with tractor tires, wood scraps, debris and more going to save it – if we’re going to get than a dozen large plastic bags filled with every kind of this national health care with a public trash imaginable. And this was just one truckload. option,” she said. “This all came from just the tops of the bluffs,” said Jana Huerta said that this might be the Leiran, fish and wildlife interpreter with the California only chance to pass national health Department of Fish and Game. care into law. She and three of her colleagues were among the 113 vol- “When change comes from the bot- unteers who teamed up with RiverTree Volunteers on tom to the top, it’s always been done by Saturday to participate in the California Coastal Cleanup the young people,” she said Day. According to Leiran, this particular truckload of trash She wanted students to write their was picked up by approximately 42 students from Edison congressman and to stay visible. High School, who were also volunteering on Saturday. “You only need what they call the mil- Driving the truck was Mark Somma, political science pro- itant few,” Huerta said. fessor at California State University, Fresno. Forty Fresno Huerta, who is a mother of 11, urged State students from Somma’s environmental service learn- mothers to take their children along ing class, Political Science 157, spent time working at the when demonstrating. She went on to cleanup site over the weekend. say that students should not become “We’ll do five or six of these [cleanups] this semester, along economically hindered after gradu- with other projects,” Somma said. ation, but should be willing to make Trash is nothing new for the director of RiverTree change while making less money. Volunteers Richard Sloan. He has seen more litter in the Huerta’s appearance correlated with San Joaquin River than most people could imagine. a showing of “Viva la Causa,” a film One year, he said they saved all the flip-flops and sandals from the Southern Poverty Law Center they found. They filled four large trash bags. that documented the struggle of farm “It’s amazing how many shoes we find,” Sloan said. workers in California and the boycott According to Sloan, there is no telling what objects might of California Table grapes in the late be discovered in the river. 1960s. “We find stolen cars all the time,” Sloan said. Farm workers at that time organized On one occasion several years ago, Sloan recalled find- a march from Delano to Sacramento. ing 22 bags of marijuana floating down the river, weighing They left Delano with a crowd of 70 Jakob Smith / The Collegian between six and seven pounds each. Sloan says the origin Chuck Kroeger, a RiverTree volunteer, used a saw to disassemble the See HUERTA, Page 6 second of two boats found abandoned in the San Joaquin River. See RIVER, Page 6 The Collegian That’s What the People Are Saying ou don’t have to be on television every min- “Yute of every day. You’re the president, not a rerun of Law and Order .” —Bill Maher OpinionOpinionPage 2 Opinion Editor, Haisten Willis • [email protected] • Monday, September 21, 2009 ONE -FINGER Culled each week @ issue: parking from discussions in The Collegian SALUTE newsroom. Throw me Suck it up Thumbs up a bone here! and walk Whiteout DANIELLE GILBERT HAISTEN WILLIS The whiteout worked surprisingly well. Not only did it look cool, it provided an outlet for political action from the Ag. students with You know who needs to take Collegian article, restaurant As opinion editor, I feel over it you prevent the space their black “Got water?” shirts. a darn furlough — the campus chains with over 20 locations obliged to give this section of next door from being used, Ryan Mathews perfected the night police officers who plop park- are required to post the num- The Collegian balance in its meaning that even if you’re by putting up ghostly numbers. ing tickets under our wind- ber of calories for items on content. Aside from politics, 4-feet-9-inches tall and weigh shield wipers like they’ve got their menu. We have all seen this includes the nature of 95 pounds you are taking up 18 a quota to fill. the infamous Subway napkin, what is being written. feet by 18 feet all by your lone- Thumbs down I mean we’re bulldogs— whether that’s because Jared Last week was a high some for the entire duration 51-34 throw us a bone here, or at made you a Subway regular or watermark for complaining. of your visit. least a warning. because you see it in the form Be it the whiteout, banking, And of course, the reason student apathy or even dirty walking anywhere is impos- Has anyone ever caught of trash all over campus. A Boise rock station recorded a words, this section was quite sible today is that parking a police officer in the act of In some California jurisdic- parody about Pat Hill before the negative. lots spread cities out so far. In soliciting a ticket? Are they tions the minimum fine for game. The lyrics include, “He’s got And so, I feel it is my duty many American cities there even real? Or are they more littering is as high as $500, a rock and roll Fu ManChu, and to provide the community at are more parking spaces than another loss to BSU.” Not only is California State University, people. That precious lot cre- the song hilarious, it’s now true. Fresno with a subject we ates the very problem it is sup- don’t know about you in particular, but I should all quit complaining posed to fix. “I don’t have enough influence to increase my about. Take the walk from the Thumbs up wages and enough money to power my PG&E Parking. SMC to the North Gym: It’s Sean Hannity in and ‘The New California’ on top of parking tick- “What!? You mean when particularly long because the valley they charge me $ 60 for a per- half of the walk is over other ets.” mit and then give me a ticket parking lots, where the early when I don’t park perfectly birds are taking up their 9-by- The farmers-vs.-environmentalists and then I can’t find a spot 18’s. Perhaps we could solve battle is heating up as right-wing and I have to walk from the this problem by having color- hero Sean Hannity visited the west like Carmen San Diego? excluding the maximum fee Save Mart Center to the North coded parking that changes -valley city of Huron. Who needs Students are expected of $1,000 for littering on high- Gym for a class when it’s according to your class sched- football when you can watch a to pay more to learn less. ways. really hot outside I shouldn’t ule and where you needed to fight like this? Teachers are expected to teach But do these garbage-leav- complain?” park at different times of the less for even less. ing, trash-loving, law-break- Yep. day and you could get a ticket And now the cigarette ing students get fined? What a You’re reading this on cam- for being in the right lot at the Thumbs down fiends who partake outside of surprise — no. pus right? Look around for a wrong time or vice versa. Fresno man who the designated smoking areas If you’re curious to the minute. How many people can What’s that? That sounds traded his dad’s car get more leeway than students reason why, it’s because some- you see? How many people are worse? I thought so. for crack who just want to park in a one is specifically hired to in the Free Speech area, and And there’s no need to world that’s free of tickets.