NEWS
an Francisco Foghorn
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FEBRUARY 1, 2009
Poleng Hosts Fundraiser For StudentsLeft Homeless After Apartment Fire
�e USF community came together lastFriday night at Poleng Lounge for a fund-raiser to support 10 students left homelessafter a re ravaged their apartment build-ing at Baker St. and Golden Gate Ave. on Jan. 23. �e fundraiser attracted a large crowdof students and recent alumni, includ-ing many close friends of the re victims who were popular around campus in partfor the well-known parties they hostedat their Baker St. apartment. �ere wasno cover charge for the Poleng event, butguests were asked to donate $5-$10, anda portion of the bar sales also went to the victims. One of the victims, Mark Wong,said that while the total amount of money raised was not yet known, he was gratefulfor the support shown by his classmates.One hundred and eleven guests RSVP’dto the event on Facebook and one student,Neal Rafferty, commented “Wow, this isthe rst time the USF community cametogether and helped out, it makes me hap- y to go to USF.” Other students expressedimilar gratitude for the compassion shown y the community. Junior Enrique Zabalaaid that while he did not know any of there victims personally, he had been to par-ties at their house before and was happy tohelp out.All of the Baker St. apartment residentshave relocated, and eight of them are now living together in an apartment on the westide of campus. Wong said the roommatesfound the apartment on Craigslist and aredjusting to their new setting. However,he said that the re destroyed nearly allf their possessions and they are withoutfurniture or other basic conveniences. Pro-eeds from the Poleng fundraiser will besed to purchase couches and a table, heaid. We’re trying to get back on our feet, we have everything moved in but are try-ng to juggle the school life with Ikeatrips,” Wong said. “We got a microwavelast week, that was a big deal.”HUNTER PATTERSON
Staff Writer
Enrique Zabala/Foghorn
Students came out to Poleng Lounge to support 10 of their classmates who lost nearly alltheir possessions in a fire at their Baker St. apartment last month. The bar donated part of theproceeds from liquor sales as well as money collected at the door to the students.
UNICEF to Provide Clean Water For Impoverished Countries
DANIELA RICCITAM
Staff Writer
Professors, students and groups likeAIESEC, KUSF, ITS and University Ministry are coming together to publicizeand contribute to UNICEF’s 2009 TapProject, which is calling for USF studentsto sign up and volunteer with the organi-zation.According to a press release from UNI-CEF, the Tap Project is a nationwidegrassroots initiative currently in its third year. �e goal of this program is to get res-taurants to encourage patrons to donate $1or more for tap water, which is normally free, during World Water Week, whichlasts from Mar. 22-28. �ese donations will fund UNICEF programs to providepeople in developing nations with accessto clean drinking water, a resource that istaken for granted in the United States butthe lack of which causes severe problemsfor third-world countries.“Every day there are millions affected,”said Dillon Ramos, senior business admin-istration major at USF and San Franciscoregional coordinator for the Tap Project.Over 4,200 children die each day from waterborne and sanitation-related illness-es, such as malaria and diarrheal diseases.Also, Ramos said, “It even goes as far asaffecting education in countries, when achild must skip out on school every day to spend half their day fetching water inhazardous areas.” With the Tap Project, UNICEF at-tempts to reduce the number of deathsdue to water-related diseases to zero. Onedollar donated at a restaurant, said Ramos,can supply a single child with enough safedrinking to last for 40 days. And if enoughpeople and restaurants get involved withthe program, these small donations canadd up, dollar upon dollar, to make a sig-nicant impact on the lives of impover-ished children. To aid this effort, Ramos said, student volunteers have three duties: to recruit res-taurants to the project, support them oncethey sign on, and promote the Tap Projectamong friends and have them eat at therestaurants involved with the cause.Members of AIESEC will be join-ing forces with UNICEF, said Ivana Ro-sas, USF junior and president of the localchapter of AIESEC.“We decided to collaborate with the Tap Project because it helps raise aware-ness about water issues and how people,anywhere in the U.S. and basically in theglobal North, should learn to appreciateour clean water systems,” said Rosas. “AsAIESEC members we like to not only dis-cuss such global issues, but if we get theopportunity to act in a positive mannerthen we won’t hesitate to do so. �at’s a very important part of being a leader, andthat’s one of AIESEC’s goals—to developleadership skills and one’s potential.”Aside from leadership skills, Ramos saidthere are several other reasons for studentslike himself to participate in this program.For one thing, it isn’t time-consuming orhard to do.“�is project is absolutely brilliant in itssimplicity,” said Ramos. “You already go torestaurants, you already drink water. �euty of a volunteer is simple.”Rosas agreed. “It’s easy. You can spreadthe word and make it a campus-widething.” Besides, she said, “You go out to eatnd irt with the servers anyway, and this’dbe a good conversation starter.” �rough work with UNICEF, other- wise uninvolved students have the oppor-tunity step out of their bubble of inactionnd work towards social change.“�ey can actively make a differenceomewhere all the way across the world,”aid Rosas. �e Tap Project supplies the tools of this change: “Students are given the mosturrent information on the world waterrisis, and become knowledgeable aboutthe global situation,” said Ramos.As for Ramos himself, he says he is onetudent who has found his experience atUNICEF to be denitely worth the ef-fort.“I got involved with UNICEF doing what every broke college student does,earching for a job,” he said. “I thought atthe time that I could at least be volunteer-ng a little while I searched for a real job topay the bills, but I’m still here today andon’t regret a thing.” To volunteer for the Tap Project, stu-ents must register at www.tapproject.rg. Ramos encourages volunteers to at-tend the Tap Project’s training session if atll possible. �is event takes place at SanFrancisco State University on Feb. 21, andmore information on the location and timef the training will be mailed to volunteersfter registration.
Show Proceeds Benefit Womens Charities
MONOLOGUES:
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Melissa Stihl/Foghorn
A Facilities Management worker holds a chain saw after cutting down asmall tree that had grown tangled with another tree outsidethe UC. Thetree had begun to grow sideways making it a hazard for students andstaff who sit on the cement tables under the trees. Facilities Managementis selectively trimming trees across campus to prevent ccidents.Lastyear a tree on the edge of campus fell in a storm, crushing an SUV.
Suspected Rapist May Face up to Eight Years Per Incident
RAPE:
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Trees Cut and Trimmedto Eliminate Accidents
USF Offers Emergency Funds to International Students
ful woman?” �e question of how women interpretgender is not what many conservativegroups are concerned with. Novak, whoonce attended a Jesuit seminary program,thinks that these groups oppose the “Va-gina Monologues” performance becausepeople are affronted by the idea of thebody, as it appears provocative and threat-ning. More specically, Novak points tothe monologue in which a woman who was raped experiences “salvation” aftersexual encounter with an older wom-n. Some Catholics and other religiousgroups vehemently oppose the use of re-ligious language and terms like salvationand baptism to describe an act which somechurches would consider sinful. Novak said of those who criticize the show onmoral grounds without having seen theperformance, “�ey’re missing the point.”He spoke of the deeper message of humanconnection and its power to heal.USF President Fr. Stephen Privett,.J. said, “It is USF’s responsibility as aCatholic university to engage culture onissues of substance like sexuality, humanlife, poverty, human solidarity, etc. To doso we must take culture as it is and not as we would like it to be.” He thinks thatthe show could benet by including moremodern perspectives of women. He said,“I think the Vagina Monologues are a tiredand worn out effort that should be replacedby a more contemporary presentation anddiscussion of women’s issues.”According to Novak, USF receiveshundreds of e-mails each year saying thata Catholic university should not performthe play. Some Jesuit universities like theUniversity of Portland, Loyola University f New Orleans and the Wheeling JesuitUniversity, have banned the show. How- ver, “�e Vagina Monologues” is per-formed on the USF campus every year.amantha Schwartz, executive producerf the College Players, acknowledged thatUSF president Fr. Stephen Privett, S.J. re-ponds to these critics and allows it to beperformed. Novak said the administrations very supportive and “very open to thepresentation.”Prots from the Vagina Monologuesperformance will go to Ensler’s nonprotV-Day organization that supports wom-n’s groups that tackle the issue of violencegainst women. Henderson said this year’sproduction raised $6,052. In recent years,Ensler has been focusing on preventingfemale genital mutilation with young girlsn Africa.
Related Article:Vagina Monologues re- view on page
will mean for the economies of their owncountries. She said she had also spoken tomany students whose parents were earningless money now than in the past few yearsand had warned their children at USF torein in spending and nd an on-campus job to earn spending money. Internationalstudents who, in the past, have enjoyeddowntown shopping sprees, returning tocampus laden with bags from NeimanMarcus, Saks and Gucci, have become farmore frugal, she said.“Be more economical,” was the advicegiven to rst-year graduate student Sarin-da Kasemset by her parents, both of whom work in chemical distribution in her homecountry of �ailand. �e economy in �ai-land has been slowing along with the glob-al recession, and has been made worse by recent political instability in the country. �e international airport in Bangkok wasoverrun by protesters and closed for nearly two weeks last December, an example of how rival political factions have forced thecountry and its economy into gridlock.Kasemset, who is studying nancial analy-sis at USF has been trying to nd an on-campus job to earn extra money. She saidshe applied to two jobs last week, one asan administrative assistant and the otheras an audiovisual technician, helping withthe setup of video recorders and classroomtechnology, but has yet to hear back.International students are only autho-rized to work on-campus and do not havethe visa status to work elsewhere in theU.S.Other international students who haveobs on campus have had their hours cut.inny Chen, a senior from Taiwan who works as an administrative assistant in thechool of Nursing, said that last semes-ter her hours were reduced to 10 a week,own from 20 the previous semester. Chenaid all of her student co-workers also hadtheir hours cut as part of wider university xpense trimming. However, some depart-ments on campus prefer to reduce hoursfor international students before othertudents because many domestic studentshave federal work-study, which kicks inome of the cost.Pei Gim said she had been workingight to 10 hours per week at ITS but re-ently was told she could work no morethan ve. She said that student employees with work-study had their hours reduced,but not by as many as students without work-study, including all international stu-ent employees. Like many internationaltudents, Pei Gim is looking for more work hours on-campus. She has been warned by her father back in Malaysia that business athis construction company has been steadily eclining and that she needs to do more toupport herself.Irigoyen said that while he does notbelieve all international students are strug-ling, “Most of them are making changesn their budgets and trying to save asmuch as they can to stay at USF.” Many nternational students including Pei Gimnd Irigoyen expect the U.S. nancial cri-is to spread further around the world inthe coming months and are concerned forthemselves and fellow international stu-ents.USF tries to work with internationaltudents who are having nancial troublend created an emergency fund for thesetudents more than 20 years ago. �e In-ternational Student Grant Program is vailable to foreign students who havenished at least their sophomore yearnd are able to prove unforeseen nancialproblems. �e grant has a budget of vetimes the yearly tuition, which currently mounts to $82,900 and typically allocatesmoney to students who have experiencedthe death, disability or forced retirementof a parent or sponsor, according to Mur-phy. �e fund goes to undergraduates rstnd graduate students are only consideredif there is money left over. �e fund hashelped as few as four and as many as 12tudents per year in the past few years andhas helped 250 international students intotal thus far, according to Murphy.Pei Gim and Irigoyen are now work-ing with International Student andcholar Services to identify internationaltudents who may be experiencing nan-ial hardship. ISSS is planning to host aninternational student focus group on Fri-ay, Feb. 20 from 1 to 2 p.m. “I am afraidit is too early to say if international stu-ents are struggling right now,” Irigoyenaid. “I think we will know the real magni-tude in the coming semesters.” He hopesthat USF will do a better job informinginternational students about the supporthannels that are available to them. “I wasurprised to learn about the existence of the [Grant] fund since it was my under-tanding from the rst time I got to USF that international students cannot apply for any nancial aid,” he said.tend classes, take part in any USF-affi li-ated activities, reside in his apartment inLoyola Village, or enter any part of thecampus because he is considered a poten-tial threat to other students.If Caskey is found not guilty or hashis charges dropped, the university may reevaluate the situation and permit himto re-enroll in his classes and on-cam-pus housing. If he is found guilty on thecharges, he could face between three andight years in state prison for each count of rape, according to California Penal Codeection 261. �e Department of Public Safety con-tinues to investigate the case and is leav-ng the door open for any more victims toome forward, whether related to this caser any other.Lawson said he hoped the university ommunity will look at this as a warning to xercise more caution in the future. “Usethis as a learning moment,” he said. “Badthings happen sometimes, even on a very STUDENT:
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afe campus – and this is a very safe cam-pus… What matters is how we’re preparedto react to it and prevent it from happen-ing in the future.”Lawson recommended simple measuresto help prevent rape. “We don’t ever wantto say that a victim is at fault in these situ-tions,” Lawson said. “What we do wantto say is there are ways to avoid being putin those circumstances… Keep an eye on your friend and take care of each other– that’s what we want to promote.”
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