Tuesday

February 10, 1998

Paving the road to diversity with good intentions

CSUS questions need for affirmative action

Several ethnic leaders at CSUS don't foresee that Proposition 209 will have major effects on campus diversity, in spite of their peers' opposition.

"The real impact is more or less psychological," said Peter Lau, CSUS' equal opportunity and affirmative action officer. "It gives people the idea that the state doesn't value the contributions of minorities."

Proposition 209, which was approved by California voters in November 1996, eliminated state and local affirmative action programs in areas such as public education and employment that give "preferential treatment" based on sex, color, ethnicity, race or national origin.

The measure's passage sent civil rights activists reeling.

Universities are obeying the new law, but most are doing so under heavy protest.

According to Lau, however, the protests are a moot point in light of proposed revision of current affirmative action programs. People are unsatisfied with the apparent lack of progress, he said.

"People expect quick fixes," he said. "But it's a very difficult and long process."

Leonard Valdez, the director of the Multi-Cultural Center, shares Lau's skepticism of affirmative action's performance.

But before removing the program a replacement must be found, said Valdez. "Without it, solutions are very limited."

According to Valdez, affirmative action is one of the many tools necessary to ensure equality -- one that should be used judiciously.

Steve Baissa, Student Activities program advisor and a member of the Black Faculty and Staff Association, opposed Proposition 209.

"I wish I lived in a world where there was no racism or preferential treatment," he said. "But it's idealistic to think we're going to take affirmative action away and everyone's going to be treated equal."

On the other hand, Sean King, the president of the historically black fraternity Omega Psi Phi, Inc., believes that affirmative action conceals the problem without getting to the heart of the issue.

"It won't solve the problem," said King. "The real key is to have people educated."

King described the source of racism with one word: ignorance.

He blames "low caliber school systems" and "cultural insensitivity" for the lack of understanding that led to the creation of affirmative action programs.

In an open letter released to the campus community on Sept. 3, 1997, President Donald R. Gerth assured CSUS that the university's goal for "pluralism" would not be affected by the passage of Proposition 209.

He stressed that the campus would not give preferential treatment based on "race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin."

"In our strategic plan," he wrote, "the proposed action steps do not grant any preference to any specific groups."

But Gerth made clear his own opinion of the measure.

"I have made no secret of my opposition to Proposition 209," he wrote. "I have also made no secret of my support of the development of a 'campus community whose diversity enriches the lives of all.'"

CSUS' black community thrives, still fights for unity

In the mid-1960s, 1.15 percent of the students at CSUS were black. By the beginning of fall semester 1997, that number had risen to 6.68 percent.

The campus's black community is thriving, said Leonard Valdez, director of the Multi-Cultural Center, and the number of black organizations on campus has risen to match.

Valdez is ecstatic about the surge in the number of black activities on campus, although he admits to being a little overwhelmed.

"On one hand, that's a dilemma," he said. "But on the other hand, it's such a neat thing."

The main challenge facing CSUS' black community is developing the means to educate the public, said Sean King, the president of the historically black fraternity Omega Psi Phi Inc.

On Feb. 18, King will appear in a special session of Spoken Word -- an outlet for poets, rappers and other artists -- to increase the public's awareness about blacks' contributions to society. The UNIQUE-sponsored event will take place at noon in the Redwood Room of the University Union.

People are searching for the information, King said, and Black History Month provides an opportunity to make that information easily accesible.

The leaders of the Pan-African Student Alliance had a similar outlook.

"We're trying to bring unity to the campus," said Natasha Clarke, co-president of the association.

To celebrate Black History Month, the group will host another session of Spoken Word at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 25. It will also be held at the Redwood Room.

The group has already hosted several workshops on campus, including one that introduced black students to the university's black faculty and staff.

"They got you aware of who is on campus," said Necole Robinson, who attended the event.

According to Robinson, the workshop encouraged a healthy relationship between students and their professors because it created familiarity. If students feel comfortable with a professor out of class they will be more likely to interact with them, she said.

K is for Klan: CSUS student faces racism in hometown

Sean King was in the fourth grade when the Ku Klux Klan marched through his elementary school.

The year was 1983, and King and his friends were just finishing a game of flag football when a group of 10 to 15 figures dressed in the "standard" white robes entered the Bakersfield, Calif. campus.

King, a computer engineering major at CSUS, can't remember what the group was screaming, but he can remember wondering who the white-clad people were and what they stood for.

"At that age, you didn't even know what it was all about," said the 24-year-old.

King's search for answers led him to his mother, who pointed him in the direction of an encyclopedia.

"She would just send me to the dictionary or encyclopedia to look things up, and ask me later for the definition," he said.

But what King learned from the encyclopedia was of no comfort. Under K -- for Klan -- he read about lynchings and burning crosses.

Images of the Klan's march through his school and the images he had taken from the encyclopedia nipped at King's heels as he and his friends ran home from school every day for almost three weeks. The same images chased him through high school, where race became an even larger issue.

In spite of South High's diversity, there were individuals in the school's neighborhood who did not believe in integration.

The school's walls were emblazoned with the slogan "The South will rise again!" and confederate flags loomed just across the street.

According to King, even a simple game of football could turn ugly when the South High rebels met the team of the all-white North High on the football field.

"You'd be on the field, but you would always hear people saying 'Kill those niggers!,'" he said.

Racial slurs would lead to arguments -- and arguments would lead to huge brawls between the crowd and players.

The racial tension King faced in high school played a large role in his decision to become a teacher.

His goal is to level the playing field for disadvantaged, inner-city children of all ages. "I don't think you can sit back and wait for someone to decide your fate for you," he said.

More specifically, King hopes to bring inner-city children up to speed in the areas of math and technology.

"When you're in the inner city you don't have access to all the technology, like the Internet," he said.

When he is not teaching, King hopes to conduct studies in engineering technology. King also plans to incorporate a variety of cultures into his curriculum.

Because without an understanding of other cultures, it is hard to understand their greatness, he said.

Parris paints 'The Art of Spring' with mixed mediums of life

Why run from the torrential winter rains over CSUS to the clear skies of Paris, when Parris has come to us?

Artist Sandy Parris opened her 1998 spring showcase of mixed-media art Jan. 26 and apexed with a successful reception last Feb. 4 at CSUS' University Union Exhibit Lounge.

With eyes wide with enthusiasm, art lovers of all ages began easing through the second floor gallery's threshold, meeting an excited Parris who greeted virtually everyone.

Parris, a CSUS alumna with bachelor's and master's degrees in art, shares her creations of art that are hued with variations of four colors: black, brown, red and white.

"I limit my pallet because lots of colors sometime get in the way and just a few colors can simplify my work, which makes a strong statement," Parris said.

With a humble beginning designing Hallmark greeting cards in the early 1960s and possessing a continued passion for art, Parris recalls one of her pieces being priced then at more than $5,000.

Favoring materials that decompose, due to their unique shapes and textures, some of Parris' mixed-media art metamorphically takes on the subtle appearance of organic materials found in association with bees.

Paper, paints, clay, wood, pastels, metals and a myriad of other materials are all regarded as forms of media.

"Mixed-media art is three or more mediums joined together which can virtually be of any kind of material," said Erin Galvez, the CSUS student exhibit coordinator who assisted in Parris' display layout.

When Parris was asked why she uses arbitrary words and numbers in her art, she said her art, especially those containing words, is very personal. Parris, whose husband years ago suffered an illness that left him unable to speak, soon found words and their impact in her life quite meaningful and inspiring.

"Words are very special to me now," Parris said.

Though only 11 art pieces were placed on display this season, Parris' mixed-media art frequents the 750 art gallery located at 719 1/2 J St. in Sacramento.

The 750 art gallery, recognized by art lovers for having retained the numbers to its previous address, 750 Fulton Ave., is still known as a haven for unusual art.

Parris' display is the first of a five-exhibit line-up for spring 1998 semester called The Art of Spring, sponsored by the coordinators of the University Union Exhibit Lounge. The mixed-media art display will continue its showing through Feb. 13.

Kambon creates pride for youth and humanity

In celebration of Black History Month, Akinsanya Kambon, a black artist, activist and scholar, lectured Wednesday in the CSUS Multi-Cultural Center where his art was on exhibit.

Kambon, a former member of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, and a Sacramento native, focused his speech on the struggle of black youth in America.

"Youth are always ready to fight at the drop of a hat," he said. "We need to recognize this and protect them so they can live to be old and wise."

Upon his return from the Vietnam War, which he was drafted into after two years of service in the United States Marine Corps, Kambon came to an upsetting realization: How could he go half-way around the world to protect his country and return home unable to protect his own family?

Kambon became involved in the Black Panthers, at that time a newly formed group, to combat the unfairness he felt blacks were forced to deal with in politically uneasy 1960s America. The Black Panthers was formed to protect black voters from intimidation and attacks at polling places in the deep South. But the organization, according to Kambon, was not out to start fights.

"We didn't look for a fight," Kambon said, "We didn't want to fight ... but if you back a panther into a corner, he will wipe you out."

Today, Kambon believes that the key to a powerful black community is education, consciousness and pride, all of which are hurt by gang warfare.

His beliefs prompted him to counsel inner-city youths in Southern California. He aims to teach young blacks about their heritage through his wisdom and his art.

In his oil paintings, charcoal drawings and bronze sculptures, Kambon captures the essence of black pride by depicting historical views of Africans and black Americans.

During a visit to Africa after he returned from Vietnam, Kambon studied ancient African bronze casting techniques from the masters in the genre. He has since cast and sculpted over 200 pieces of bronze and ceramic.

His body of paintings and drawings numbers over 900 pieces, and his work is collected by several world-famous celebrities and collectors, including Bill and Camille Cosby, and Jesse and Jackie Jackson.

Finding art to be a creative outlet for pent-up emotion, Kambon has become the director of the Pan African Art Organization, which was formed in 1974 to supply materials for black artists world-wide. He hopes to influence the productivity of young blacks everywhere.

"Anytime you find someone with an empty head," Kambon explained, "You can put anything into it."

Hands-on experience available through CSUS Volunteer Fair

Everyone knows what an important role education plays in determining one's career.

But students often underestimate the importance of actual hands-on experience.

Students can take all of the criminal justice classes they want, but hearing stories and reading texts about the police department does not necessarily guarantee one's skills as a police officer.

Because of this overwhelming fact, Steven Baissa and Carol Williams have coordinated the third semi-annual Volunteer Fair at CSUS. The fair takes place in the University Union's Redwood Room from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesday. Among those non-profit organizations represented are the Easter Seal Society of Superior California, KVIE Channel 6, Loaves and Fishes, the Sacramento Police Department, Suicide Prevention and Crisis Services and the Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Center.

"The Volunteer Fair is ideal for everyone who wants to get off-campus work activity related to their fields," said Baissa.

"We've really taken all of the guesswork out of it. Students don't need to look around to find who needs help. Every single one of these groups is looking for student volunteers.

"If you come looking for work, you will not be disappointed," Baissa stressed.

There are over 40 participating agencies in the upcoming fair and that list is only limited by lack of space in the Redwood Room. Because of the season's uncertain weather, spring semester fairs are held indoors.

"Our spaces filled up very quickly and there are still groups trying to obtain a space, but it's just not there.

"It is nice to know that there is a desire to be involved though," acknowledged Baissa.

"The fair has been extremely successful each semester and that is why we are able to continue," he said.

During fall semesters, the Volunteer Fair follows Student Involvement Day and, during spring semesters, it precedes River City Day. Although the fair is only making its third appearance on campus, the hope is that it will become a regularly scheduled event.

"We would like to make it a tradition. It is kind of a warm-up for River City Day, except that while River City Day showcases the campus to the community; the Volunteer Fair showcases the community to the campus," said Baissa.

The fair is co-sponsored by the Career Center and the Student Activities Office Volunteer Connection Program. Anyone interested in participating in any of the events should contact the Student Activities Office, located on the third floor of the University Union.

The brodys gear up for new album release and local performance

The brodys, named after the stalwart Sheriff Brody who battled a great white shark in the classic film "Jaws," is scheduled to release their second album, "Goody Goody" on Feb. 20, just in time for their huge release show on Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. at the Crest Theater in downtown Sacramento. Other local favorites -- Oleander, Simon Says and The Decibels -- are also scheduled to play in the upcoming, $10 show.

"The first album was sort of like ... ciapino," Kapoor said. "Different songs, like muscles and clams, thrown together in a broth."

"Complacency kills," said Ace Kapoor, bassist for the local hit band the brodys. "We feel privileged just to be able to go out and perform."

The brodys, the "fun," high energy, four-man band from the Sacramento-Davis area feel like they are "pushin' harder than ever" since forming four years ago. Their latest album, set to be released around Feb. 20, deals with themes of their misfit high school years, Catholic upbringings and drinking -- and delivering -- beer.

"The first album was sort of a catalyst for us," said Kapoor.

"We doubled the number of shows we did in '87 compared to '86 ... playin' hard and enjoying every minute," said gray-haired lead vocalist Tony Brusca. "I'm sorry... I meant the '90s; my head's still stuck in the '80s."

Local recognition of their talents earned them spots with bands like Cake during the Summer Sammies concert series and exposure to thousands of new fans. Air time on KWOD-106.5 as well as other local broadcasts allowed an untold number of listeners to hear their single "Clemintine" over the airwaves. This is all on top of their regular, weekend headliner shows at various venues around Northern California.

"These all-ages shows have opened up a whole new dimension of fans," said Brusca. The combination of this new fan base with the familiar faces at "local bar shows" is what keeps these guys going.

"Our fans -- whom we consider as friends -- make it all worthwhile ... it's inspiring to look out in the crowd and think 'These people are really having a great time,'" Brusca continued.

"I guess this one would be pureed," said Brusca, sipping on a pint at a local Sacramento pub.

The final product is an album with their distinct style -- the "brody sound" -- which they hope will further them in the music scene.

"Right now, the dream is to go on tour," said Brusca. But Brusca, Kapoor, Troy Hook and Dave Kline still hold on to the ideal goal of every "serious" band.

"It would be fun to make it ... we'd come back to Sacramento and play shows and give thanks to everyone for showing faith in us," said Brusca.

Brusca, who is also a graduate student in the special education program at CSUS, said the key to any of their success is in their ability to stay focused and have a good time.

"Most of us have been at this (performing within the local music scene) for almost 10 years," said Brusca.

And yet, he said they were still "giddy" at their last Sacramento appearance Saturday at Old Ironsides on S Street.

Meanwhile, modesty, hard work and fun reigns for one of Sacramento's top local acts.

"It looks like we're off to a good start!" said Brusca during their show last Saturday night. "We've spilled two beers on stage in two songs ... now we're ready!"

MOVIE REVIEW

'Replacement Killers' replaceable

Like an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie without a pulse, "The Replacement Killers" attempts to divert the audience from an otherwise pointless plot with one action scene after another. The result is a bunch of gun shots and explosions that make this rather short, 88-minute film seem longer than "Titanic."

Making his directorial debut, Antoine Fuqua chose Hong Kong movie star Chow Yun-Fat to play the leading role of a professional killer working for an underworld mob boss. Yun-Fat, making his American movie debut, seemingly walks through this dark movie doing his best Schwarzenegger impersonation. Unfortunately for Yun-Fat, there is only one Schwarzenegger.

Both the action and confusion start early in this movie during a dance club scene in which Yun-Fat's character, John Lee, goes on a killing spree.

This may have worked, except for the fact that two scenes later, Lee suddenly grows a conscience when he is supposed to kill a police detective played by Michael Rooker ("JFK," "Rosewood"). The proposed murder was supposed to settle a deadly vendetta against the detective for Lee's boss, Mr. Wei (Kenneth Tsang).

Needing to get back to China quickly to protect his family from Wei, Lee attempts to obtain an illegal passport from Meg Coburn, played by Oscar-winner Mira Sorvino ("Mimic," "Mighty Aphrodite"), who seems to specialize in making counterfeit documents.

The two spend the rest of the movie running from one action scene to the next with the ultimate goal of taking Lee's photo to put on his fake passport. Each action scene is filled with gun shots, explosions and all-around poor marksmanship.

Each scene also contains at least one impossible "escape-from-death" situation where one character jumps through a window.

And right when one thinks all this nonsense is going to end with Lee's escape, the plot finally comes together. All of a sudden, we learn two things: Lee worked for Wei to protect his family, and the kill Lee didn't finish way back in the beginning of the movie was not for the police detective, but in fact for the detective's son. According to Lee, "That's the way Wei works."

The irony in this movie is that if Lee had not grown a conscience about that one kill, he would have saved the lives of the many other innocent bystanders that were killed throughout the movie.

Sorvino, after many good films in the past two years including "Mighty Aphrodite" (for which she won an Academy Award), "Romy & Michele's High School Reunion" and "Mimic," has finally taken a stumble with this movie. She doesn't act particularly bad, but the role is very cheap. It makes one want to stand up and yell at her to just leave town and get out of this mess.

Yun-Fat has won numerous awards in Hong Kong as an action star and his talents are easily seen. The problem here is that he is in a role Schwarzenegger perfected for America -- straight faced, trigger happy and supposedly funny. We have all seen it before -- and better.

CD SHOWCASE

Walter Trout

By JOSH DIEHL
FEATURES EDITOR

Walter Trout is a stellar musician who has established himself as one of the greatest guitarists in the world.

Although he ranked No. 6 among the top 20 all-time greatest guitarists in a 1993 BBC poll (only two votes behind Jimmy Page), if one is only familliar with the American music scene, he or she has probably never heard of him.

"Walter Trout" is a showcase of his versatility. With ballads, instrumentals and burning 12-bar blues numbers, Trout proves that he can bring out the beauty of that one perfect note as well as let loose with a barrage of them.

Even though he may never find commercial success by having his material sandwiched between that of Puff Daddy and the Spice Girls, his United States breakthrough is inevitable.

Anyone interested in checking out his live show can catch him on Feb. 17 at the Crest, where he will be opening for Greg Allman.

Marcy Playground

By JOSH DIEHL
FEATURES EDITOR

Marcy Playground's self-titled debut is about more than just "Sex and Candy." It is an upbeat collection of 12 concise pop tunes that rarely run longer than three minutes.

Like the current hit single, virtually every song on the album is catchy and immediately hummable.

Although officially a band project, "Marcy Playground" is clearly the brainchild of lead vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter John Wozniak. The album's arrangements stress melodies over instrumental flair. Bassist Dylan Keefe and drummer Dan Rieser are merely responsible for providing a harmonic structure for the bare-boned songs.

Although many of the lyrics deal with Wozniak's childhood as a social outcast, songs like "Saint Joe on the School Bus" cannot help but come out sounding perky and playful.

Anyone interested in checking out Marcy Playground's live show can catch the band on Feb. 24 at the El Dorado Saloon.

EVENTS

Speaker Xiaoping Hu: "An Overview of Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Technical Issues and Applications"
4:30 p.m.
Amador Hall 150
Free

Alpha Phi Omega
Rush Information Night
6-8 p.m.
UU-Oak Room
Free

Steve Montgomery: Acoustic Solo Guitar
7:30-9 p.m.
UU-Redwood Room
Free

Feb. 11

"Nearly-Wed Game"
Noon
UU-Redwood Room
Free

Mike Shotwell: Contemporary, Acoustic Folk
7-9:30 p.m.
UU-Coffee House
Free

"A Night with Tom Deluca"
7:30 p.m.
UU-Redwood Room
$5.50 w/CSUS ID

Feb. 12

Speaker John Ellman:
"Combinatorial Chemistry and New Drugs"
4:15 p.m.
MND 1015
Free

"A Night with Tom Deluca"
6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
UU-Rewood Room
$5.50 w/CSUS ID

Speaker Dave Kilborn:
Seminar/question and answer session on accident investigation
6 p.m.
PE 119
Free

Environmental Student Organization
Pizza Night
5 p.m.
CSUS Pub
$2 for pizza and drink

Feb. 17

Tim Morse:Improvised Piano
7:30-9 p.m.
UU-Coffee House
Free

Feb. 18

Free Association:
"Spoken word- African American issues through poetry and music."
Noon
Redwood Room
Free

Tom Palmer: Acoustic Originals
7-9:30 p.m.
UU-Coffee House
Free

Feb. 19

Kofy Brown: Funky Soul and Hip-Hop
11:45 a.m.-1 p.m.
UU-Redwood Room
Free

Environmental Student Organization
General meeting
5:15-6:30 p.m.
Del Rio Room
Free

Feb. 24

Ronald Goldbery: Folk Rock
7:30-9p.m.
UU-Coffee House
Free

Feb. 25

Addict Merchants:
Hip-Hop/Jazz
Noon
UU-Redwood Room
Free

Carolyn Conner: Folk, Pop
Originals
7-9:30 p.m.
UU-Coffee House
Free

Feb. 26

"Harold Pauley & Unlimited
Praise Choir"
11:45 a.m.-1 p.m.
UU-Redwood Room
Free