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Dressing up stereotypes

Group protests the sale of racial Halloween costumes.

A week after the largest protest staged at California State University, Fresno in nearly 40 years took place, activists staged a smaller demonstration Wednesday in protest of racially insensitive Halloween costumes. Read more

Bulldog game day

Fresno State Bulldogs (4-3, 3-1 WAC) vs. Utah State Aggies (2-5, 1-2 WAC)

Breakdown: Bulldogs

Fresno State comes into this game on a three-game winning streak, its first three-game winning streak since October 2007. Read more

Fresno State board will vote to approve random drug testing

California State University, Fresno’s Association Board of Directors is inching toward implementing a new policy to conduct random drug testing for auxiliary services employees starting New Year’s Day.

In an e-mail interview with The Collegian, executive director of auxiliary services Debbie Adishian-Astone said the association’s human resource office presented the proposal to the board of directors at the Sept. 29 meeting as part of the update for the employee handbook.

Adishian-Astone said that the random drug testing policy would ensure the safety and security of our employees and the campus community which we serve.

The association manages the on-campus auxiliary services commercial operations, benefiting Fresno State students, faculty and staff. Operations include the Kennel Bookstore, Student Recreation Center, University Dining Services, University Courtyard and University Student Union.

Testing options would vary depending on different circumstances, Adishian-Astone said. Pre-employment drug testing, testing based on reasonable suspicion and testing based on a work-related injury, would be included in the association’s drug and alcohol policy and apply to all auxiliary services employees. Random drug testing would only apply to those employees working in safety-sensitive positions, Adishian-Astone said.

A safety-sensitive position is one that involves the operation of equipment, driving vehicles, handling food or any other type of situation that presents danger of bodily injury or life threatening danger to the employee or others, Adishian-Astone explained.

Alex Garcia, chair of the USU board of directors, is a student representative on the association board and said that a random drug testing policy could be beneficial.

Garcia, who had to take a random drug test for a restaurant job in high school, said he understands the importance of drug testing, especially in the food service industry.

“It is important because [dining services] provides food services to the students,” Garcia said. “Not only would the quality of food be decreased if someone were doing drugs, messing around on the job, but also they would put themselves in danger.”

Garcia agrees that only employees in safety-sensitive positions should be subject to the random testing.

“If [random drug testing] were for all employees, I almost see it as kind of a waste of money, because it does cost money to run those drug tests and have them analyzed,” Garcia said. “It may be a preventative tool, but not necessarily for the students who sit at a desk for five hours.”

Sophomore Deirdre Bayne said she isn’t concerned about drug testing when it comes to her job at the Student Recreation Center. “I don’t care,” she said. “I don’t do drugs.”

Bayne, however, said she can understand why the association would propose a drug testing policy for its employees.

“If you’re paying someone to work for you and they’re not having the right state of mind then they shouldn’t be working for you,” she said of workers intoxicated on the job. “You’re just wasting your money because they’re not doing their job right.”

As a Chick-fil-A employee, Melissa Orgon would be among those subject to random testing should the policy go through. She said it might affect some workers, but she’s not worried about it jeopardizing her own job.

“It doesn’t affect me,” Orgon said. “I don’t do drugs.”

The board will vote whether to approve the policy on Dec. 8. If the policy is approved, it will go into effect this January, Adishian-Astone said.

Fans should be happy with the BCS, right?

It’s late October, and with it comes the perennial orgy of “Why the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Sucks” columns.

The arguers argue so-called common sense points like, “it’s unfair,” or “every other sport in America has a playoff system,” or “this is just one more area in which computers are taking over the world.” Stuff like that.

Well, allow me to play devil’s advocate.

The BCS (if you’re not into the whole brevity thing) has been a wild success and is much better than a playoff system, for many reasons.

First, the BCS is an upgrade from the former system. Hearken back to 1997. Bill Clinton was president. “Titanic” hit the big screen. “Seinfeld” experienced its first season without Larry David as a writer. And the BCS was formed. Before that? The champion was picked by humans voting on who the best team was. What kind of system is that? I would much rather have computers picking. They’re unbiased, and more likely to choose the team that has gotten it done all year.

Second, what would we do without New Year’s Day football? That annual barrage of those tiny little wieners (HA…he said wiener) that nobody likes except nobody says anything. The crazy uncle (or uncles) who gets incessantly drunk and tells an inappropriate joke in front of the kids, who all start snickering. The winner of, say, Troy versus Rice deciding a friendly wager. We’d be missing all of that!

Third, fairness is overrated. I want to see teams I know and love in the championship game. I don’t care about Boise State or TCU. Give me another Florida versus Ohio State, or LSU versus Oklahoma. It never gets old. Never.

Fourth, who cares if the best teams play in the championship game anyhow? In the grand scheme of things, is it really all that important? And besides, everybody knows the SEC is the best conference every year anyways no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

I sure would be scared if Fresno State took on the mighty Auburn Tigers, or the cunning Tennessee Volunteers, or the terrifying Georgia Bulldogs. I’d be shaking in my boots.

Fifth, the regular season wouldn’t mean anything. Look at college basketball, for instance. They may as well not even play a regular season, that’s how much it means. Every year the same powerhouse schools like Kentucky and Georgetown make the tournament, regardless of their regular season record (wait…did they last year?).

And more to the point, would you rather watch a movie like “No Country For Old Men” or something like “The Godfather?” No Country had a phenomenal beginning and middle. So the end sucked. What more do you want? Who wants to see what happens to the main character instead of having to infer it? Who else wants an ending other than Tommy Lee Jones rambling endlessly until the credits roll? I sure don’t! Don’t give me that pile of garbage some want to call cinema of The Godfather. I don’t want to see an action packed ending. Leave that to the unsophisticated folks.

In sum, we should all be happy with the BCS system as it is. So it doesn’t give us a true champion, like it’s supposed to. So what? We should be content with it.

Otherwise college football might get smart and actually institute a playoff system.

Best? Scariest? Worst? Halloween memories

As the most haunted day on the calendar year rolls in this weekend, California State University, Fresno students recollect their fondest and scariest Halloween memories.

For some students, their favorite time of the year when they were younger was Halloween. It’s the time of the year when people can be whoever they want to be and get candy for it.

As children, some students said they would wear comedic costumes rather than scary ones.

While some students enjoyed dressing up and doing the traditional rounds of trick-or-treating, other students said the thing they enjoyed about Halloween were the practical jokes people played on one another.

Every year college students get the chance to dress up and party. However they feel, Halloween parties are a huge occurrence in the Central Valley, giving some Fresno State students a good excuse to wear costumes.

Lauren Goin and Macae Coleman

Freshman Lauren Goin said her most memorable Halloween was when she dressed as Big Bird. Her friend Macae Coleman, a junior health science major, said she trick-or-treated as a purple crayon when she was still living in Massachusetts.

Chris Bliss

Chris Bliss, a post-graduate student who’s waiting for his teaching credentials, said every year he would be a different character for Halloween and attend some friends’ house parties.

“I was a [scottish person] a few times, complete with a kilt. I also have a suit of armor that I wore once,” he said. “I once dressed up as Captain Morgan, but it ended up backfiring on me because I was the only one drinking the rum.”

Danny Vo

Interdisciplinary health and rehabilitation sciences major Danny Vo said he said his older sisters took away the enjoyment of Halloween with their practical jokes.

“I don’t like Halloween. I’m a big wuss,” Vo said with a laugh. “My sister would dress up every year in something and then pop out of nowhere to scare me.”

Jia Lu

Food and nutritional sciences major Jia Lu on the other hand, enjoyed her own Halloween prank experience.

During a trick-or- treat trip when she was younger, she walked to a house with a stuffed scarecrow sitting by the door. When she reached for a handful of candy, the scarecrow jumped to its feet as if it had just sprung to life. “That was pretty scary, but it was a lot of fun,” Lu said.

Coincidentally, the scarecrow currently attends classes at Fresno State.

Chris Wilson

Junior kinesiology major Chris Wilson said his favorite Halloween memory was when he and his cousins would dress up as scarecrows, stay outside of their houses and then come to life to scare trick-or-treaters.

“My favorite reaction was when a couple of parents walked up with their little kid and we ended up scaring the parents more than the kid,” Wilson said. “They were screaming and the lady hit one of us. It was awesome!”

Top 5 Halloween movies that kill

Axe murderers, demonic figures, and crazy killer orphans are not uncommon themes found in Halloween movies.

Countless nights of waiting to use the bathroom, in fear of Freddy Krueger attacking while on the toilet, stick out as genuine fear. Some cower to human evils while others are haunted by more supernatural elements. After decades of horror movies that have caused millions of viewers to shriek and scream, The Collegian has selected the top five movies for the Halloween season. Read more

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