The Collegian’s Samuel Cosby sat down with President John Welty to talk about the year in review and what’s in store for the future of Fresno State.

Samuel Cosby:  Hi. I’m Samuel Cosby with The Collegian and today we’re here with President Welty on how things have gone this past year and what we have to look forward to in the coming years. Now, I know elections are coming up. Could you explain Jerry Brown’s tax bill to us?

John Welty: Well, the governor plans to put an initiative on that ballot that essentially asks the voters to approve a .25% [quarter-cent] increase in the sales tax and increase the income tax for those who earn $250,000 or more. If that passes, the governor has made a commitment that there will be no further cuts in higher education and there will be 4% increases beginning the year after.

SC: How likely do you think it is that we’ll see Governor Jerry Brown’s tax bill pass?

JW:  At the moment the polls would indicate that about 54 to 55% of the voters support it. That’s a little bit low for this time of the year since election is several months off, but hopefully that support can be generated.

SC:  And if it does pass what will this do for the university? Are we going to see immediate effects?

JW:  Well, the most immediate effect would be that there would be no further increases in our budget for the 2012 – 13 year and thereafter. If it doesn’t pass, the governor’s indicated that there would be an additional $200 million reduction for the California State University, which would be about $10.1 million for Fresno State.

SC:  What kind of effects would that have on our university, losing that money?

JW:  Well that would have really disastrous consequences, especially for the 2013 – 14 years.  It means that we would have to curtail enrollment, we’d have to seriously look at whether we can continue to offer all of the academic programs that we’re now offering, and make several other rather stringent steps in order to reduce our cost.

SC: Do we have a plan set up so that if this bill does not pass, that our university is going to be able to function at the level it is functioning now?

JW:  Well, we have taken steps so that for next year we will draw upon reserves in order to get us through next year. We don’t have a specific plan in place yet for the 2013 – 14 year, and that is when the serious consequence would be felt.

SC:  What kind of things are we going to see missing or happening in the 2013 – 14 year if this bill does not pass?

JW: Well if it doesn’t pass you’re probably going to see anywhere for 1,000 to 1,500 fewer students on this campus. You’re probably going to see a much smaller amount of courses available to students. And we would begin a process of looking at what majors do we have to drop in future years.

SC:  How many years do you think that students are going to be experiencing these budget cuts?

JW: Well I think the most important think that needs to happen now, is that the state needs to get its finances stabilized. If it can do that I think we can get to a period that’s much more predictable than it has been in the past and hopefully won’t require further budget reductions.

SC:  On top of this, how many years are the students going to be feeling the effects of the budget cuts that are taking place now?

JW: I think unfortunately it’s not likely we’re going to see a restoration of funding. So what you see this year could very well be what you’re going to see in the coming years.

SC: Do you think it will get worse?

JW: Well if there are further reductions and the state continues to disinvest in higher education, it will get worse. Yes.

SC:  As for the enrollment freeze, which you spoke a little bit about earlier, when do you think that we’ll have this lifted?

JW: Well our plan right now is that we would admit no new students for the spring of 2013. We would wait list all applicants for the fall of 2013 until after the election. If the initiative passed then we would be able to go ahead and admit about the same size freshman and transfer class that we had this year.

SC: So if it doesn’t pass, how many years will it be until we see the enrollment freeze lifted?

JW: Well I think the freeze would be lifted as of fall of 2013 but we would accept many fewer students than we are currently accepting.

SC: How many students are we accepting right now?

JW: Well our freshman entering class is scheduled to be about 2,600 new students. Our transfer class is around 2,000 new students.

SC: Then if this enrollment freeze is not lifted for the fall of next year, how many students will we see come in?

JW: It’s hard to give a specific number, but I would guess our freshman class could go as low as 1,500. Our transfer class could also be down in the 1,700 – 1,750 range.

SC:  Without that extra income coming in from student fees and tuition is that going to have an effect on the university as well?

JW: Well it won’t from the standpoint that, I mean obviously we’ll have smaller revenue, but the fact of the matter is that if the state doesn’t provide sufficient support we can’t afford to continue taking the same number of students that we are taking now.

SC: Now, as many faculty and staff have felt the burn of these budget cuts, including increased class sizes, limited resources and some even frozen pay, what is your response to what has happened to them and their current working conditions?

JW: Well I feel very, very sad that we’re in the position that we’re in and that the state has disinvested in public higher education. And unfortunately, I think we don’t realize the consequences of that and it will be five to eight or nine years from now that we’ll really realize the negative impact that it’s had on the state of California.

SC:  And what kind of negative impact is going to be shown?

JW: Well very simply, we need an educated workforce in order for this economy to continue to grow. The Public Policy Institute, two years ago, predicted that we needed at least a million more college educated people by 2025 based upon the current enrollment levels in 2009. Since then we’ve actually curtailed enrollment and if we continue to curtail that million number will go much higher.

SC: One of the Teachers’ Union’s claims is that there’s too much money being spent on administration. Is there any validity to this claim?

JW: Well I think unfortunately that’s part of the rhetoric that gets thrown around in these particular times.  We have taken serious reductions in administration. We’re one of the most efficiently operated universities in the country. And I think, as with anything, you can always try to do some additional things, but I think we are very leanly funded when it come to administration.

SC: Now going off that, administrators are often blamed for things that are more the fault of our failing economy. Do you feel like these administrators are being unfairly blamed?

JW: Well obviously when things are not going well somebody usually gets blamed. And I think the unfortunate thing is that there is not enough time taken to really understand what is happening and why the problems exist. The fact of the matter is the state has disinvested in public higher education and our elected officials have failed to make the decisions that need to be made. They are the ones that we elect to make those difficult decisions and they need to start making decisions.

SC: Now saying that the state has disinvested in higher education, where else can you see this money being cut from to help the universities and to help public education?

JW: Now I think there are a variety of issues, and I’ll give you just one example; if you look at what the state of California spends on corrections, it’s almost twice as much as any other state in this country. And at the same time our recidivism rate is almost twice as high.  That suggests to me that something is not working in our correctional system. So I think that’s perhaps one place to take a look.

SC: What would your course of action be if the teachers were to go on strike?

JW: Well as in any case if there’s a strike, we will prepare a plan. We will take every step we can to make sure that we stay open and continue to do what we’re responsible for doing.

SC:  Do you feel that in spite of these budget difficulties that CSU Fresno is still providing a quality education to its students?

JW: I think that we’re making every effort that we can. And I think that our faculty deserves a great deal of credit for the sacrifices that they’ve made to try to make sure that the education here is the best possible. In addition to that, our staff that works with students are also making huge sacrifices to try to make sure that our student’s are successful. And in fact our graduation rates have gone up and our retention rates have gone up. So that indicates to me that our faculty and staff are doing some additional things and are working very, very hard.

SC: Now why would students still want to come to Fresno State or any other CSU with all of the economic cutbacks and recent problems that we’ve had?

JW: Well I think it’s important to recognize that the educational experience here is still one that is still of as high a quality that we can possibly deliver. It is important to recognize that for the cost of a student to attend a university in California still is a pretty good value when compared to the rest of the country.

SC: Do you see any clear cut solutions for the budget problems we’re having?

JW: Well I think that the most fundamental solution is for the state to stabilize its financial condition. And to allow us to really be able to plan ahead over several years so that students and parents know what it’s going to cost to attend. They can plan on what courses they are going to attend. But we can’t afford to continue this practice of ducking the difficult choices that we have to make in this state.

SC: Now I know that you’re not a government official or anything, but for the state to stabilize its budget, what would it have to do.

JW: Well there’s really two things, or a combination of two. One is to increase revenues, and two is to reduce cost or to do some combination of those two.

SC: In your years working as the CSU President is this your biggest crises?

JW: I would have to say that this is the most serious financial crises that we’ve faced. Certainly there’s been other budget reductions over the years, but we’ve prolonged since 2007 and we’ve not yet gotten to a point of stability that we need to get to.

SC: How have your job and duties changed as a result of these budget cuts?

JW: Well I think there’s a few more sleepless nights. But there fundamentally, the hours are longer. The steps that we are trying to take, many people are doing parts of other jobs and sharing responsibilities. All of those have had an impact on trying to do as much as I can to alleviate the load that everyone has to carry.

SC: So you’ve been picking up other people’s jobs as well?

JW:  I have, yes.

SC: Such as?

JW: Well I think among our senior vice president and senior staff, we have fewer people so we’re all doing different things and stepping in for each other in order to get the job done.

SC: What can we expect to see change in the coming years at CSU Fresno?

JW: Well I think we’re going to see an increased emphasis on private support, an increase emphasis in generating other revenue so that we can fill the gap that’s been generated by state support. I think the future of Fresno State is very bright because we fortunately, we’ve had a number of people willing to invest our confidence campaign has almost reached its $200 million goal. There’s a number, as I said, our graduation rates are going up. Retention is up. There’s been lots of positive indicators and I think our future is bright.

SC: Personally what would you like to see happen at CSU Fresno in the coming years?

JW: Well I think fundamentally is for us to continue to be able to serve the students that want to come to us. To make sure they get that opportunity to get a higher education. And for us to continue to provide increased service to this region.

SC: What are you — what are some things that you’re most proud of in your time as CSU President at Fresno State?

JW: There’s certainly been lots of things. I think the Smittcamp Family Honors College is certainly something that’s made a big difference at the university. Our faculty have grown in stature and the number of academic programs. We’ve obviously added lots of facilities. I think our university has grown significantly over the last several years. It’s a great tribute to our faculty and administrative staff.

SC: How much longer do you plan on working as the university president?

JW: Well it all depends. Maybe until tomorrow. (Laughs) No. I’ve got several things I want to get accomplished and I plan to continue to be her as long as I can make a difference.

SC : Thanks for joining us today, President Welty. For the Collegian, I’m Samuel Cosby.

“Beastly,” Misipeka said.  “Pretty much after a few throws we figured out her nickname would be Megatron.  She’s a very gifted young lady, very talented.”

At a meet in Sacramento, McKee brought everything together to set a new personal record in shot put that was just centimeters short of Olympic B standards.

With her father in the stands, McKee threw discus in the morning and hammer later in the day.  The last event was shot put and after a first throw that she considered acceptable given her fatigue, McKee said the second throw felt different.

McKee grew around track and field most of her life because her father was a competitive thrower as well.  Her first memories of track and field meets are from when he was still throwing competitively.

“I saw how much fun he was having and all the friends that he made,” McKee said.  “Everywhere we would go someone knew him.  There were a lot of connections.  I thought it was fun.”

However, there was never any pressure to follow in his footsteps.

“He didn’t push me to do anything,” McKee said.  “Really, I thought I was going to be a sprinter.  I ran the 100 meters and I was pretty fast.  I won county, I was one round away from state freshman year.”

McKee’s athleticism allowed her to play soccer, Pop Warner football and a year of junior varsity football in high school.  But, her main focus was always on track and field as a thrower.

“My freshman year I made state,” McKee said.  “I made state all four years of high school.  I just kept qualifying for things that would further me in the throwing and I came here and I won WAC last year for the weight throw and my shot put has really improved this year along with my weight, hammer and discus.”

When she arrived at Fresno State her head coach, Scott Winsor, marveled at her grasp of the mental challenges of the sport.

“Meagan is truly a very rare student-athlete,” Winsor said.  “She’s a very bright girl, very driven, passionate about what she does, knows how to get focused. She knows where she needs to be mentally and physically to compete at her best.  If you’re at a meet, just stand off and watch her and it’s a very impressive thing to watch because you know she’s getting herself there mentally.”

McKee said that her calm exterior hides an inner intensity that she finds necessary to be successful.

“Outside of the track world I’m actually really calm,” McKee said.  “But while in the meets you get pumped and get all crazy and if you have really good throw then everyone, the crowd, is with you.”

Her coach was surprised to hear that his talented thrower claimed to have two personalities to switch between.

“She must do a very good job of hiding that because what you see is a very calm person, whether she’s away from competition or in competition.  That’s what you like.  I don’t like cockiness, I love the inner confidence.  She is the epitome of inner confidence.  She doesn’t boast.  She’s not in your face.  She is one confident person.”

As a senior, this season is the first in years Stephens can say the pain in her legs is not a problem after three surgeries put rods in both legs and a screw in her right leg that was later removed.

It started in her legs her freshman year in high school but she said her response was to tape it up and keep running.  Either she could push through it or she couldn’t.  Over the next four years the cycle was tape, run, and ice.

When Stephens arrived at Fresno State she had the same injury but it felt worse.  This time tape wasn’t an option.

“We finally went to the doctor and they told me it was stress fractures, which is far worse than shin splints,” Stephens said.  “We thought it was shin splints in high school.  They were stress fractures, so we couldn’t just tape it up.  It was either have surgery or don’t compete for Fresno at all.  Of course I decided to have the surgery.”

Doctors gave her only a 50-50 chance to ever compete again.

“I kind of zoned out after I heard that part,” Stephens said.  “It was really big emotionally and physically, because physically I didn’t know if I’d be able to compete but emotionally I didn’t know what to do.  It was my freshman year in college.  I’m like, ‘someone just tell me what to do!’ I’m so used to my mom or someone telling me, ‘do this or that.’  Now it’s time for you to grow up and make your own decisions.”

After the surgery in Los Angeles, Stephens sat out her first year at Fresno State and was with trainers rehabbing twice a day.

“I was definitely going to do what I needed to do to come back,” Stephens said.  “I wanted to compete.  I love the sport.  That was a no brainer.”

However, rehab was a painful process that caused Stephens to wonder if she could get back to competing at a Division I level.

“It had its moments at times,” Stephens said.  “I thought I wasn’t going to get back because the pain was so intense.  Having to try to bend your leg yourself, walking properly, everybody can just walk around but there’s actually a correct way to walk around.

“It’s like, ‘yeah, I’m back walking, but am I walking properly?’  Am I getting the knee up when I should?  Is my leg bending correctly?  Is the tenderness gone?  They don’t want any pain.  It was very difficult at times.  Sometimes I didn’t think I was going to be able to push my way through it.”

By the end of her freshman season Stephens was jogging with her teammates.  Despite all the pain Stephens went through, the hardest part might have been watching her teammates from the stands.

“It’s torture,” Stephens said.  “I always want to go out and be there with my teammates.  I feel like anything I can do, whether it is words of encouragement, just being there with my team and competing with them and scoring some points for them is always helpful.  I always want to be a part of the team. “

In head coach Scott Winsor’s two decades of coaching experience, Stephens stands out.

“She’s one of the most remarkable young athletes I’ve ever been associated with,” Winsor said.  “She’s a remarkable young lady.  She has been through a lot physically during her career here at Fresno State.  My attitude toward her is this is a girl that we can count on.  No matter what, we can count on this girl to line up and give us everything she’s got.  I know we can count on her to give us what she has.  For a coach that’s invaluable.  You have peace of mind when you have someone like that.”

Through all the adversity, Stephens believes she has learned some things about herself.

“It’s a learning experience,” Stephens said.  “It definitely showed how dedicated I am to the sport and teammates.  I don’t like to give up.  It definitely teaches me that if I can get through the three surgeries and all that pain, I can get through anything.  I can push myself through anything.”

After 27 years Fresno State’s winningest coach, Margie Wright, hangs up the cleats

When Margie Wright was hired on as the third head coach of the Fresno State softball program, she had an itch that her time here would be a success.

“There’s magnificent potential present in the Bulldog’s softball program. The community’s support and the athletic department are second to none,” Wright told The Daily Collegian in 1986.

Wright was right.

After 27 seasons at Fresno State, she became the university’s first coach to win an NCAA Division I team title, became the winningest coach in softball and second all-time across all collegiate sports, and made Fresno State one of the most successful softball programs in the nation.

Wright is 1,454-539-3 (.728) in 33 seasons as a Division I coach. She is 1,291-448-1 (.742) in 27 seasons at Fresno State, including 10 NCAA Women’s College World Series appearances. The Bulldogs have three runner-up finishes, three third-place showings, three fifth-place performances and the 1998 WCWS title.

Wright has also led the program to 17 outright or shared conference titles, including 10 conference Coach of the Year awards.

“Margie Wright has shared her passion for excellence with hundreds of student-athletes, inspiring them to be achievers in the classroom and on the diamond,” said university President John Welty.

Wright created a program that not only developed great softball players, but great student-athletes.

“Of course the national championship is a highlight,” Wright said. “I think more of a highlight to me is just about every kid that went through their four years at Fresno State graduated.”

Wright has coached 16 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans — the most among active coaches and third overall among Division I schools with 18 honorees.

This season, Wright coached her 1,700th game as Bulldog head coach which ended in a 6-3 road win over then-No. 7 UCLA.

“There is never really a right time to do this, to announce that you are going to retire,” Wright told the press Monday.

“To me, the wrong time to do it is when everything is done and you tell your team when everybody goes home for the summer. There’s absolutely no closure and I didn’t want any player on this team to have regrets for this year. They have an opportunity to change that if they want.”

The hall-of-fame coach also improved athletics for women, and was the driving force behind the construction of the “New” Bulldog Diamond in 1996.

“Her commitment to the student-athletes and to Fresno State has been tireless and we are very fortunate to have had an individual who championed the mission of what being a student-athlete means, both on and off the field,” said Director of Athletics Thomas Boeh.

“She set a standard at Fresno State that other coaches around the country have spent years attempting to duplicate. One can review all the stats and accomplishments, but what stands out most is the fact that she was always passionate and the quintessential competitor,” he added.

Wright leaves a legacy at Fresno State and wants to be remembered not for her accomplishments, but the nature in which she achieved them.

“I just want them to to say everything I did, I did with integrity and a lot of passion and was willing to fight for what I thought was right.”

Regardless, Wright isn’t done competing as she leads her final Bulldog squad against Louisiana Tech today at 6 p.m. in the first round of the Western Athletic Conference Tournament in Las Cruces, N.M.

Daniel Avila is an instructional technician at the Fresno State dairy processing plant. For the past 16 years, he has worked closely with students, running the plant as well as instructing laboratory sessions.

His students never “udder” a word about milking the cows. Their job begins in the lab after the milk is picked up for processing.

Avila must pick up the milk from the dairy for delivery; his primary concern is sanitation. He is required to have a sampler’s and weigher’s license to ensure he properly tests the milk for bacteria and antibiotics.

The plant eliminates unwanted bacteria by refrigerating the milk at 45 degrees Fahrenheit or below. Milk can also be pasteurized, or heated to 161 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-20 seconds, killing harmful bacteria.

“Before we use the equipment, we sanitize,” Avila said. You have to follow a certain procedure and be aware of any areas where you could contaminate the milk.”

Avila’s talents as the instructor and manager of the plant are reflected by increased sales. When he started, the plant wasn’t making cheese or sherbet. Around 1997, after applying for grants, the plant started making more cheese and different varieties, including; pepper jack, merlot white cheddar, parmesan and the occasional mozzarella. Of all the flavors, white cheddar is most popular.

Avila manages anywhere from eight to 11 students. He does his best to give the students a fun way to develop new products.

Avila said in addition to food safety, part of learning at the plant is watching your budget.

“Does it sell in this area? Or are we just making something nobody is going to buy?” Avila said.

Before bottling the milk, the students hand label the bottles. On days the plant doesn’t bottle milk, it makes ice cream.

During the processing week, the plant produces about 60 gallons of non-fat and 2 percent milk. It also produces other products, such as butter, as well as seasonal favorites like iced tea in the summer and even eggnog during the holidays.

Crystal Sandovol, a student assistant, helps with the processing of milk products such as ice cream and butter, and delivers the products.  “Making sure to use all sanitation techniques can be the trickiest part,” Sandovol said.

With all these rules and procedures in place, there is ample room to make mistakes.

“Even if there is $10,000 worth of product ruined, they have to tell me. If it’s something that is harmful, not safe, or does not meet regulations, then I have no problem dumping that and taking it down as a learning experience. Our main priority is the safety of the food,” Avila said.

“Mistakes are addressed and given a chance to improve,” Sandovol said.

The products are distributed to areas from Clovis to Reedley. Scoops, Soups and More and Scoops Fine Desserts order ice cream from the plant. Bella Frutta is the only other market besides the school’s farm market to distribute Fresno State products.

“The technician will make sure that nobody else in that area is selling Fresno State items because we don’t want them competing with each other,” said technician assistant Maddie Maximo.

Maximo said it is beneficial Fresno State has all these opportunities for students, especially for those who are not dairy science majors.

“I can go in there and learn something that will be outside of the classroom and could potentially be a career for me,” Maximo said.

The Collegian’s Samuel Cosby sat down with President John Welty to find out his thoughts on how the year went, and what the future of Fresno State looks like.

As college students, we have it fairly easy.

We spend our days in relative security compared to our post-baccalaureate brethren. It is obviously not accurate to paint with a broad brush — a great many students struggle to pay their own way to school, working one or more jobs to be able to live and learn.

The vast majority of us, however, are accustomed to the fanciful college life we see in the movies. Our education is financed by the state, mom and dad, or loans that we will pay back at some hazy point in the future. We attend class — or don’t attend class — at whatever hours we choose.

As a mug on one of the desks in the Collegian newsroom says, “Proud to be a contemplating, debt-incurring, stay-up-all-night, study-hard, party-hard student.”

As graduation beckons for many of us, this life of ease is nearing its end. In its stead will be the vaunted “real world,” — a much harsher reality than that we currently experience.

The unemployment rate in California is 11.5 percent. In Fresno, it’s 16.4 percent. The state is broke, and its institutional maladies — a two-thirds vote required for any tax increase and ever-present demands for increased entitlements — do not give one hope for the financial future of the Golden State.

Nationally, there is a median average of 39 crimes per square mile, according to the website Neighborhood Scout. In California, that number balloons to 71, and in Fresno it is even higher, at 81. Fresno is in the bottom 10 percent of safe cities in the United States.

Perhaps most worrisome for graduating students are the numbers for recent graduates. Last year, student loan debt was higher than credit card debt for the first time ever, and according to the Associated Press, half of all recent college graduates are jobless or underemployed.

This depressing picture is particularly troubling for impending graduates such as myself. With all the uncertainty we face, the inevitable question that comes to mind is just what we will do about it.

We can take solace in the oft-quoted fact that college graduates do make much more than non-college grads make: According to a 2010 government report, high school graduates, on average, earn $1.2 million throughout their lifetimes, whereas those with bachelor’s degrees earn $2.1 million during their lives. And that number is even higher for post-graduate students.

The America of today rewards ingenuity and talent even more generously than the America of the past ever did. The stories of contemporary behemoths like Facebook, Google and PayPal, as well as the thousands of small businesses that constantly sprout up around the country, abound with examples of the American entrepreneurial spirit that drive our economy. The view that any person is able to rise above his or her station is alive and well.

Our biggest advantage is that we are the future of this country. It is from our generation that the next crop of political leaders will come. It is from our generation that the next titan of American business will come. It is from our generation that the next innovative band of scientists will come.

As cliché as it may sound, the best thing we have going for us is ourselves. We live in a land where, if we work hard enough, are smart enough or lucky enough, success will always be within our grasp.

As soon-to-be former college students, we know life will certainly not be easy. But neither was it easy for the generation that endured the Great Depression. And they won World War II.

What will we do?

Tony Petersen is the opinion editor of The Collegian. This is his final column as an editor of The Collegian. Follow him on Twitter @tonypetersen4.

Richard Lazaro-Alonso, who recently won the university’s Student Volunteer of the Year award, grew up in foster care. Lazaro-Alonso also spent parts of his life homeless.

His experiences led to a passion for helping out those who grew up in similar circumstances.

“Growing up, my support system was the people who volunteered their time to foster children,” Lazaro-Alonso said. “They helped me get to where I’m at today. That’s why I’m passionate about helping those who are in the same shoes I used to be in.”

Each semester, Lazaro-Alonso volunteers at least 150 hours of community service to nonprofits that assist youth in foster care and the homeless. Lazaro-Alonso volunteers at Aspiranet, Quality Foster Care, the Bulldog Pantry and the Poverello House.

“A lot of the places I volunteer at pertain to homeless or low-income families and foster kids,” Lazaro-Alonso said.

His childhood is what helped spark his passion for volunteering.

While he was growing up, Lazaro-Alonso’s parents had several problems and the family spent time living in Section 8 housing and on the streets.

“My parents would disappear for days at a time,” Lazaro-Alonso said. “Nobody could get a hold of them so we would get kicked out.”

Eventually, neighbors called Child Protective Services, and at the age of 7, he was placed into foster care.

“I spent time living in 12 different houses while I was in foster care,” Lazaro-Alonso said.

When he was 18, the family he was living with kicked him out of their home.

He then took a year off from Fresno State because he was homeless and didn’t have the funds to continue attending school.

“I sat there and thought, “I’m going through the same cycle,’” Lazaro-Alonso said. “So I set goals and decided at that time going to community college was the right place at that time. I also got a job.”

To help him get back on his feet he joined the Transitional Housing Program, a program through Aspiranet, which gives former foster kids financial assistance, housing and helps them find a job.

After returning to Fresno State, Lazaro-Alonso joined the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, where he served as community service chairman. He is now president.

This past year, his fraternity won Outstanding Community Service and Philanthropy of the Year, as well as Organization of the Year, Both due in large part to their involvement in the community.

Now that he has the opportunity to give back, community service is a big part of his life.

“It’s important because you can touch and change somebody’s life,” Lazaro-Alonso said.

Eventually, Lazaro-Alonso wants to become an advocate for kids in foster care.

Off-campus shooting is second in nine days, no students involved

A man was shot in the head at an apartment complex just a few blocks from campus Sunday at 1:15 a.m. The shooting, which took place near San Bruno Avenue and Fourth Street, is the second shooting in the area in nine days.

Fresno Police Lt. Mark Salazar said the shooting at 1379 San Bruno Ave. didn’t involve any Fresno State students, but was gang affiliated.

Fresno Police are still investigating the shooting and have only identified the victim as a 24-year-old black male.

Salazar said there was a disturbance between two groups that led three black males to shoot the victim in the head.

Salazar said the victim is alive and will make a recovery.

Residents at the apartment complex wouldn’t speak to The Collegian about the events where the shooting took place.

Crystal Powell, who lives across the street from the apartments where the shooting took place, said her husband heard gunshots yesterday and woke her up.

“My husband heard it and said he heard like 6 to 12 shots at the same time,” Powell said.

She added that police surrounded San Bruno Avenue and blocked the street off.

Powell said these incidents aren’t anything new, and she’s used to it.

“It’s a little scary,” Powell said. “I just stay inside and don’t associate with my neighbors.”

Powell said she routinely sees police officers patrol the area in cars, but said she’d like to see them walk around so they can see what goes on in the buildings.

“Cops don’t see what happens behind the walls,” Powell said.

On April 27, a woman was shot and killed outside an apartment just 200 feet from Sunday’s shooting. Four additional victims were shot inside the apartment at 1340 E. San Bruno Ave.

The University Police Department sent an email to all Fresno State students urging them to take precautions with recent shootings and to report any information they have.

In what almost transpired to be their fourth Western Athletic Conference series sweep of the season, the Bulldogs shut out the Lady Techsters 4-0 on both Friday and Saturday’s first game of a doubleheader, but lost 6-4 in the last inning of the home series finale.

Kaitlin Griffin, Rebecca Hall, Courtney Moore, Michelle Moses, Mackenzie Oakes, Andrea Ortega, and Kaylan Pollard were the seven seniors honored before Saturday’s doubleheader.

“It doesn’t matter how many you lose, it’s always hard to lose seniors,” head coach Margie Wright said.

Fresno State’s (33-21, 13-6 WAC) Moses-Oakes pitching tandem took turns leading the defense against La. Tech (23-31, 8-12 WAC). Both pitched shutouts and allowed only four hits during the first two wins.

The Bulldogs lockdown defense preceded an early offensive attack in the first inning of the second game of the series. Fresno State scored on RBI singles from Ortega and sophomore Vonnie Martin in the bottom of the first, with both hits only yards away from crossing the outfield.

Ortega would continue to lead the offense during the bottom of the fifth, when she belted a ball towards center field that allowed junior pinch runner Diane Runge to reach home from second base.

Ortega, who hit five for 10 during the series, expressed gratitude in the team she spent the last five years with.

“You learn everyday from these girls and they learn from you. We’re pretty much a big family around here and everybody has to take care of one another,” she said.

The final game of the series served as the wakeup call to La. Tech’s lackluster performance on both sides of the ball.

Getting on base was ever elusive for the Lady Techsters and it was made evident by their previous game’s four hits on 24 at-bats. However, they ended their scoring drought on their first at-bat of the game when right fielder Katelynn Hill launched one of Moses’ pitches past the outfield for a solo home run.

And though it seemed that Fresno State’s batting lineup would strike again in the bottom of the first, La. Tech pitcher Melanie Goff struck out Ortega to end the inning just as the bases were loaded.

“It’s hard to beat somebody three times in a row for anyone,” Wright said.

“We’ve been on the other end of it — we’ve also gotten beat three times in a row — and they were tough games. We just didn’t respond and made some really bad mistakes that cost us runs. When you do that, you’re going to have to battle back much better than we did.”

Both teams continued to trade punches during the third and sixth innings, each capitalizing on errors to score. Moses stole home in the midst of La. Tech’s confusion during a catching error, with Ortega’s RBI single tying the game at 3 to start the fourth.

The score remained tied until the seventh inning, when La. Tech infielder Megan Knowles hit a two-run home run.

And although Oakes came in relief to conduct a double-play to end the top of the seventh, three consecutive Bulldog ground balls to the infield was all it took to end the game and obliterate the Bulldogs’ chances of a sweep.

“I think if you ask the seniors, they really didn’t get sent off the way they wanted to,” Wright said.

“I think they wanted to sweep them and on this day that didn’t happen, so it’ll be more important to beat them in the WAC Tournament.”

Though the final game of the season resulted in defeat, Oakes said the collective journey she took being coached by the NCAA’s all-time winningest softball coach outweighed the single loss.

“I’ve taken in so much more than just learning more about the game,” she said.

“I’ve taken in lessons in life and how to be a competitor and dealing with adversity and overcoming it. I’ve taken a lot more than I expected coming in.”

In order to have had a chance to secure the second seed and a first-round bye in this year’s WAC Tournament, the Bulldogs needed to sweep La. Tech and rely on a Brigham Young loss against Nevada.

“Anytime you can win two out of three, that’s important going in, especially since we’re going to be playing them our opening round in the tournament,” Wright said.

“My hope is that people will step up for these seven, they’ve been here a long time, and they really did a great job while they were here… and we’re not done yet.”

Third-seeded Fresno State will face No. 6 seed Louisiana Tech again Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the first round of the 2012 WAC Tournament.

Also…

Head coach Margie Wright announced her retirement effective June 30, 2012.

Wright, who is the NCAA Division I all-time winningest softball coach and is ranked second all-time in NCAA Division I history for wins regardless of sport, will step down from a post she’s held for 27 years.

Under Wright, the Bulldogs have appeared in every NCAA Tournament championship, while becoming the second all-time winningest softball program.

Freedom and expression are two things that many college students value. For some, piercings are the ultimate way of displaying these values. Many students get their first piercing while in college, while others get their first before ever stepping foot on a college campus.

“The parents bring their kids in and that’s a lot of our repeat business,” said Rudy Acosta of Clovis Ink. “They start out with piercings, and then when they’re 18 they can get tattoos. You can get a parental consent with piercings, with tattoos it’s no one under the age of 18.”

Piercings are a symbol of independence and freedom from parental control for many students.

“Once I moved to Fresno I was like ‘ok, I can do what I want,’” said senior public health major Veronica Diaz. “I got my tongue pierced and then I got my lip pierced.  These are [my] latest, they’re called dermals. I got them a couple of months ago, I’m kind of over it.”

A dermal, is a type of piercing that is anchored directly into the surface skin. Those who have dermals can then screw in jewels and other decorative pieces.

Other than a symbol of independence, students get piercings to make a fashion statement.

“Every once in a while I do corsets,” said Valerie Costa, owner and piercing artist at Nightwitch Body Art, which is located on Cedar. “That’s the one where it’s all the way down the back. You put rings in them and then you run ribbons through them and you crisscross across your back.”

While most people decide to get piercings as an aesthetic choice, others go under the needle for the experience and the feeling.

“I’ve had more piercings than I can count,” said senior accounting major Cameron Shipman, who got his first piercing at 15. “I take my piercings out and I get pierced again. For some of us, it turns into something more. We enjoy it, we enjoy the experience.”

Just like a tattoo can lead to more, so can a piercing. For Diaz, going to get pierced can happen any time.

“It’s just like spur of the moment, ‘hey let’s go get some piercings, ok?’” Diaz said.  “They have piercing shops that are open until 2:00 in the morning. You can always take piercings out, you can’t take tattoos off. That’s how I think about it.”

Some students do worry about what kind of impression their piercings leave, especially when it comes to searching for a job.

“I understand that we’ve come far as a society, but I respect the society that I’m entering because I’m entering the business world, and I know there’s a certain stigma about that,” Shipman said. “I don’t want to be turned away or turned down because of something like that. So that’s why all my piercings are to where I can hide them and ear loops are pretty acceptable so I can take it out at any time. My septum, I can always jam that back up and all my other piercings you can’t see.”

Some piercing may close quickly, while others may not. Some piercings, such as a dermal piercing, require a visit to a body art shop to get removed, usually for a nominal fee of no more than $10.

“Dermals are so much easier because if you don’t want them to show you just unscrew the jewel, and it looks like you have a little blackhead,” Costa said. “You don’t really see it.”

Among the many piercing types are the Monroe, snake bite, eyebrow, septum, labret, lip, angel bite, cheek, as well as many types of exotic ear piercings. The two most popular piercings remain belly button piercings and nose piercings, which are now seen on women, and some men, of all ages, even in business settings.

William Dailey is walking down a packed hallway through throngs of people with his faithful dog Farley, a black lab that helps him navigate the busy campus of Fresno State. Dailey, a professor of gerontology, is visually impaired.

Dailey has often been asked, “Why do you use a dog?” He explains that Farley can see and think and help him avoid danger. The dog has been trained to disobey commands if Dailey’s life is in danger.

Dailey has experienced discrimination firsthand and is an advocate for the disabled. He knows what it’s like to be discriminated upon because he has a guide dog.

“You’re always going to experience discrimination. Even though we have the law of the land in place, including the Americans with Disabilities law, you’re not going to change prejudice,” Dailey said. He has been able to tell when prospective employers did not hire him because of his disability.

Dailey was born prematurely at only three pounds and two ounces. His retinas were damaged because he was placed in a high-dosage oxygen tent that was not properly circulated. He lost 80 percent of his vision in his 30s, but is still partially sighted.

“As you get older, the crevices in the retinas just get wider, and then that takes away more vision.” “You have higher risk of detached retinas and glaucoma and diabetes,” Dailey said.

He is legally blind in one eye, and considered partially sighted in the other. Dailey is not legally permitted to operate a motor vehicle, but is denied disability benefits because he is not completely blind. He drove as a child because he had 3,000 acres of space on his grandfather’s farm in Pennsylvania.

“I’ve never had a car, so I’ve always had to rely on alternative transportation. I use public transportation as much as I can, but I also have to rely on my wife because public transit doesn’t always work out.”

An object 20 feet away appears as if it is 300 feet away to Dailey.  “I have to read all large print,” Dailey said.

In the fifth grade he was sent to an institution for the blind, which was devastating for him. He had to learn Braille and practiced being blind-folded. Teachers had few expectations of him through high school, and his parents moved to California because the schools practiced inclusion, meaning students with disabilities were not isolated into separate classes.

For leisure, Dailey learned to play golf and bowl. He has a great time participating in physical activity, but in a different way than most.

To Dailey, bowling is a game of colors. “I just throw the ball, because from my point of view I just see white, so my goal is to knock down the white. So if I get a strike I know I knocked them all down.”

The university helps to pay for some of the technology he uses to assist him in teaching. One mechanical reader he uses to read books and other everyday items can cost as much as $10,000.

While obtaining his doctoral degree from Fielding Graduate University School of Educational Leadership, Dailey faced many challenges.

“I’d been a professor for 12 years, and I didn’t always have technology,” Dailey said. “It took me twice as long to read the books as my colleagues because I didn’t have large print.”

In addition to being on the Fresno State faculty, he also teaches at Fresno City College.

When out with friends, he uses a device called an “Amigo” to read restaurant menus. The device is about the size of a VHS tape. It can change the print, color and background of what is being read. “My friends love it because a lot of them can’t see well in the restaurant, and they just use my Amigo.”

Dailey remains positive about his disability, and it’s clear that despite whatever obstacles have gotten in his way, he has tackled them head-on.

“It’s just an adjustment to a disability in the workplace,” Dailey said.

On the brink of elimination the Bulldogs show some resilience with a 2-1 series victory over Sacramento State.

The series victory moves them one game closer to the Western Athletic Conference Tournament with San Jose State losing three straight last week.

The Bulldogs lost the first game of the series, 9-7, giving up six runs in the final two innings to break a 3-3 tie. The ‘Dogs showed some life with the team being down 9-4, as Aaron Judge hit a lead-off home run and Chris Mariscal hit an RBI double. A wild pitch led to the team’s last run. The three runs all came off Sacramento State closer R.J. Davis who had not surrendered a run since facing New Mexico State on April 16.

The three-run ninth was a sign of good things to come for the Bulldogs.

The Diamond ‘Dogs went on to win game two, 10-6, with Justin Haley picking up his sixth win of the year. Haley stifled the Hornets offense limiting the team to only two runs before leaving the game with a 5-2 lead. Fresno State went on to lead, 10-2, when it scored five runs on three hits. The Hornets put up a four spot in the ninth but it proved to be too little, too late.

It was the fourth time that the Bulldog offense scored 10 or more runs this season.

The Bulldogs made the final game interesting going down 2-0, as the Hornets put one-run innings in the fifth and sixth. The offense heated up scoring seven runs of its own in the seventh.

Tom Harlan, the team’s ERA leader, had another strong outing going 7.1 innings, allowing two runs for his fifth win.

“Tommy’s been working hard all year so he finally got that W he deserves,” said freshman Jordan Luplow, who had a bases clearing double in the seventh.

With the season coming to a close it has become increasingly difficult for the Bulldog baseball team to gain movement up the WAC leaderboard. The Bulldogs face the possibility of not even making it to the postseason. The final two series will either be the team’s last this season or could be the springboard that could have them repeat as WAC champions.

“We just want to keep it moving, keep pushing forward and never be satisfied as a team,” Harlan said.

San Jose State, at 5-7 in the WAC, dropped to sixth in the standings this weekend, getting swept by Louisiana Tech — the team coming into the weekend the Bulldogs were trying to gain ground on.

Fresno State is now a game back of the Spartans, with San Jose State holding the season tie-breaker when they swept the Bulldogs in Fresno.

The Spartans are now percentage points behind La. Tech in the standings and losses to Nevada this weekend would work heavily in the Bulldogs’ favor.

“We got to focus on our game right now. We don’t have to worry about anyone else,” Luplow said. “We’ve got to get our offense rolling and our pitchers to keep pitching the way they are.”

Louisiana Tech (6-9 WAC) are playing a nonconference opponent this week so a series win by Fresno State over New Mexico State would put both Bulldog teams in a tie with their series finale theoretically deciding who will get in to the tournament.

The Bulldogs will be forced to try and make up ground against the WAC’s No. 2 team in the Aggies this weekend in New Mexico. The Aggies were swept this week in their WAC series with Hawaii taking over sole position of first place — the spot the Aggies owned going into the matchup.

“The next series is a tough one,” Harlan said. “They play real well there so we’re going to have to probably play better than we played here.”

Friday and Saturday’s games will be played at 6 p.m. with Sunday’s game slated for 1 p.m.

The Student Body Fee is divided between four different campus entities: ASI receives $15.00, Intercollegiate Athletics and Financial Aid each receive $7.00 and this newspaper receives $5.50. ASI calculates its budget by multiplying the semester fee with the projected enrollment and then subtracting roughly 6 percent of the total to account for fee waivers and changes in enrollment.  A small percentage of students receive fee waivers, and do not have to pay student fees.

For the 2012-2013 academic year, ASI is projecting to have a total budget of $624,490.00. Because the university has projected that more students will enroll (and thus more students will pay the fee) next fall, there is more revenue reflected in the new ASI budget than there was for this academic year.

Operating Expenses: 

As a corporation that functions independently of the university, ASI has many expenses that are necessary to continue the operations of the organization. These expenses include insurance, salaries and benefits for our full-time staff, salaries for our student assistants and student executives, office supplies, phone bills and postage costs.

California State Student Association:

CSSA is the system-wide lobbying organization for CSU students.  Every CSU campus, including Fresno State, has student representatives and a vote in the CSSA organization.  Fresno State students sit on state-wide committees and attend meetings and lobbying events through CSSA.  ASI pays dues to be part of the organization and pays for the traveling expenses of participating students to ensure that Fresno State students have effective representation on a state-wide level.

Grants, Scholarships and Club Funding:

ASI is committed to giving money directly back to students through grants, scholarships and club funding.  ASI provides students with money for research projects through the rGrant program, which has been increased by $7,500 in next year’s budget.  ASI also provides student clubs and organizations with up to $2,000 per club to host events on campus.  This allows clubs and organizations to put on cultural events, bring speakers to campus or hold social events for students.

ASI also gives money back to students in the form of scholarships.  With the cost of tuition increasing — and government support declining — more and more students are having trouble affording their education, so ASI gives out $250 to $1,000 scholarships to students.  ASI has several scholarship endowments that are added to each year to make these scholarships possible. ASI has budgeted a $5,000 addition to scholarship endowments for next year.

Club Sports and Community Revitalization:

Club Sports and Revitalization are two projects that are somewhat new to ASI but have done well and will receive increased support next year.  ASI pays for the insurance that allows club sports teams to practice and play in their respective sports and will continue to do so.  The Revitalize the Fresno State Community effort began this year using reserve funds.  The program is sustained through the service of an AmeriCorps volunteer.  The AmeriCorps volunteer works 40 hours a week for one year and the expense of their salary is split between ASI and the AmeriCorps program.  ASI will hire another AmeriCorps volunteer in August to carry on the efforts of Revitalization.  Additionally, because of the high numbers of student involvement and success of the program, ASI has increased the Community Revitalization support from $2,000 to $5,000.

New and Continuing Programs:

ASI has many successful programs that it will continue to fund.  Some of these programs include the laptop loan program in the Henry Madden Library, the readership program that provides the Fresno Bee and New York Times to students for free, campus leadership development, the ASI computer lab in the USU, scholarship funding for the Maddy Institute on campus and support for intramural sports.

Additionally, ASI created a Lobby Corps in 2008 to increase student lobbying efforts.  With the recent addition of the vice president of external affairs position, ASI plans to increase its legislative initiatives and lobbying efforts.  As a student government and as the representative body for Fresno State students, this is an important and central function of ASI. ASI has  continued to fund Lobby Corps to meet this goal.

ASI is also excited to announce many new partnerships and programs.  ASI will fund its first annual speaker series that aims to bring speakers to Fresno State to promote leadership and involvement on campus. ASI has also committed to funding International Culture Night and International Coffee Hour, as these are two wonderful campus programs that support diversity and inclusion on our campus.

Past ASI Budgets are available on the ASI website at asi.fresnostate.edu. The budget for the 2012-2013 academic year was an informational item at an ASI meeting on April 11.  Several questions and comments were made as the budget was reviewed.  The budget was passed by a unanimous vote of the ASI Senate on April 25. James Stinecipher, ASI’s Vice President of Finance, and I support the budget and it has been sent forward to President Welty for approval.

This is the third column in a three-part series on budgets and fees.

Selena Farnesi is the president of Associated Students, Inc. Follow her on Twitter @SMFarnesi.