The Bi-Annual Career Expo put on each semester by the SF State Career Center drew 25 percent fewer employers this and last semester than in the past, according to Career Center Director Jack Brewer This year a much younger crowd attended than in previous years.

"There's been, especially, a lot of juniors and sophomores," Christina Ramirez, human resources manager for Cintas Corporation, said. "They're really concerned about the market, so they're trying to get ahead of the game."

Ramirez said that due to the incredibly competitive job market, Cintas, a uniform supply company, has been able to be more selective in whom they hire.

"The bar is so high, and there are so many applicants, that we are allowed to be more meticulous," Ramirez said.

Students in attendance said that networking at events like the expo is one of the things they are doing to increase their chances of getting hired once they receive their degree.

"It's gotten quite competitive," 23-year-old computer science major Duc Nguyen said of the current job market.

Nguyen explained that, in his experience, employers are looking for college graduates who have already done internships or have work experience.

When asked what steps he is taking to ensure that he gets hired after graduating in the spring of 2011, Nguyen said, "This is one of them. A lot of my colleagues are waiting until the last minute, and I think the right way to approach it is to get on it early, so when you graduate, you are that much more ready."

San Bruno Target store team leader Javad Hadizadeh said that Target is seeing an influx of applications for employment, and he credits this to the economy putting pressure on job seekers to broaden their search to a wider array of fields.

"There's a lot of people applying that haven't considered retail in the past, and we're happy with that," Hadizadeh said.

Among companies participating in the career expo were Kraft Foods, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Disney, Walgreens, Verizon Wireless, the U.S. Marine Corps and the Department of Public Safety.

The event drew people to the SHC, located near the Student Services Building, for a health fair. The event included an "Ask a Doctor" booth, an information table with UC Berkeley's optometry clinic and horror-themed games, such as a matching game with unwrapped condoms and their wrappers called "Condom Mate."

Many of the games were run by students in the Peer Educators Advocating Campus Health program, an organization that lets students focus either on nutrition on sexuality.

"My favorite game was the Little Box of Horrors," said 19-year-old Courtnie Everidge, an undeclared student. The sexuality PEACHes hosted the game, which they also used last year, to test students' knowledge on sexually transmitted diseases. People looked into little black boxes with gold curtains that covered photos of STDs and guessed which infection they were looking at.

"I didn't really get many right, but my roommate did. It was just interesting to really see how all that stuff looked," Everidge said.

"I just wanted to go to the haunted house but I ended up seeing all this other stuff. The games make getting the information fun," said 19-year-old Jasmine Williams, a theatre arts major and Everidge's roommate.

Prizes, in the form of a condom and lubrication variety pack as well as non-sexuality specific information on STDs, sexual health and the PEACHes, were awarded to students who played two or more games.

"As the flow comes out of the haunted house, we get a lot of people," said 26-year-old Alex Hickey, a dietetics major in her second semester as a nutritional PEACH. She and a colleague were manning "Nutritional Twister," which replaced the usual colors of the game mat to colors of nutritious foods, and a nutritional trivia game.

"Our goal is to test students' knowledge and educate them to decrease the risk of STDs and increase sexual health," said Ingrid Ochoa, a health educator at the center and the coordinator of the sexuality PEACHes. As an example she cited the booth "Lucy Lube" which allowed students to test different lubricants with gloved hands.

"Lube decreases the STD risk and increases protection because it's less likely for anyone to get tears that could spread an infection. It also increases pleasure," Ochoa said.

The SHC themes its open house for Halloween every year. This year preparations for the event started on Oct. 22.

"People like the theme and the staff get to dress up," said Albert Angelo, a health educator who helped transform the center's conference room into a haunted playground the day before the event. He dressed in a cape with a distorted, bloody mask for the event.

"It's good because it's nonreligious, so it doesn't have anything to do with Hanukkah or Christmas, though I suppose you could always offend someone," said the 42-year-old.

When students entered the house they were plunged into darkness, save for a television tuned to static. They exited near the business office, which had been transformed into the "Crone's Corner" for tarot card readings by Barbara Salge.

"Have you ever had your cards read before?" she asked 18-year-old undeclared student, Renee Quesada, who responded that she hadn't.

"Well, that's good, because I don't know what I'm doing," she said. Normally working in the SHC with Family PACT, a program that allows eligible California residents to get confidential reproductive health services free of charge, she said she enjoyed playing a tarot card reader despite her lack of experience. Armed with a print-out of what the cards meant, Salge spent her third year as the "crone."

"This event is to make students comfortable coming here. We're cool. We're not their parents and there are no judgments," Salge said.

According to Angelo, the event gathers roughly 500 students each year.

"We advertise on the Web site, on the campus memo and through lawn signs. We also have a lot of students who do outreach," Angelo said.

The event featured more than 15 different booths to educate students about what the SHC has to offer.

"In bargaining with the various unions, the equivalent of a two-day per month furlough for all employees appeared to be the preference," CSU spokesman Erik Fallis said.

However, this was not the approach taken by the University of California in assigning furloughs, and some feel that the CSU's approach was less fair than it seemed on the surface.

According to California State University Chancellor Charles Reed, 85 percent of the CSU's budget is used to pay employee salaries and benefits.

"So that's where we had to go to get the savings," Reed said.
According to the CSU furlough program agreement ratified by the board of trustees July 29, all employees of the CSU will take either 20 or 24 furlough days this school year, 24 for those working full calendar years, adding up to a 9.5-10 percent pay cut over the course of the year. Every employee is subject to this percentage, regardless of salary.

This will cut an equal percentage from lower-income employees' paychecks as it will from someone like University President Robert Corrigan. The Chronicle of Higher Education sets the median salary for presidents of public four-year institutions at $427,000. Compare this figure to that of a custodial employee, for instance.

Associate Vice President of Facilities and Services Robert Hutson said employee salaries are confidential, but according to salary.com, the median expected salary for a janitor in the United States is $24,341.

By taking the standard 10 percent cut Corrigan will be losing more from his salary this year than a custodial employee might make altogether, he considers this system unfair to low-income employees.

He added that someone supporting a household on $28,000 might experience more than an inconvenience in losing 10 percent of their salary.

"I'm very uncomfortable with furloughs," Corrigan said. "Furloughs are like the sales tax. They're very regressive. And unlike the University of California, we do not differentiate between income levels."

Corrigan said this aspect of the furlough program needs to be reconsidered, and he expressed sympathy for those in financial situations that won't allow them to absorb this reduction easily.

"That's food money. That's rent money," Corrigan said. "If we're going to look at furloughs we at least ought to try to discriminate more in terms of ability to pay."

Humanities department chair Saul Steier said that the SF State custodial employees do good work for salaries unacceptable to academic employees, and don't deserve as deep a cut.

"Cutting 10 percent of my salary is lousy, but I will get by. Cutting 10 percent of theirs puts them dangerously close to not being able to pay rent and feed their families," Steier said.

UC President Mark Yudof originally wrote the UC furlough proposal with equal cuts, but after hearing input from the community in the form of tens of thousands of e-mails, adopted a graduated approach using a sliding scale to assign fewer furlough days to lower-salaried employees, according to Peter King, director of media relations for the UC office of the president.

The guidelines state that employees who make up to $40,000 a year are only required to take 11 furlough days, amounting to a four percent pay cut.

Employees earning between $40,001 and $60,000 will receive a five to six percent cut, and so on.

"Those who make the most should feel the most pain," King said. "And those who make less should feel less."

Had it been written into the CSU's furlough proposal, this would apply to many low-income CSU employees who instead will be forced to give up a portion of their salary equal to employees who make upwards of $100,000.

"CSU should be ashamed of itself for pretending equal cuts were fairer," Steier said.
According to Fallis, the system of equal cuts was agreed upon by the CSU and the nine unions representing their employees.

"Ultimately, the CSU process of collective bargaining arrived at a different outcome," Fallis said.

ECO Students and the SF State Bicycle Advocacy Group joined forces to offer SF State riders free valet parking in the Quad, a makeshift repair shop offering minor fixes, useful biking information and even breakfast on their way to class.

"We want to promote cycling on campus, both as alternative transportation and as a way to encourage the administration to create better infrastructure for bikes on campus," said Bicycle Advocacy Group member and bike-to-school day organizer Randall Orr said.

Students unaware of bike-to-school day were pleasantly surprised to find the free services geared especially for bicyclists set up in the Quad.

Alexis Garrod, a kinesiology major, said that when she was about to lock her bike up at the top of campus, she saw a flyer for today's event and rolled on over.

Coffee, bagels and muffins were laid out on a table in front of a sign reading "Only if you biked to school." Another table, covered in tools, offered brake and handlebar adjustments and tire re-inflation. Volunteer mechanic and art major Jessie Fernandez said he enjoys helping riders when he has the free time.

"Even when I don't, I'll skip class and work on people's bikes," Fernandez said. "It's a lot of fun."

Organizers said that although the turnout this semester was slightly smaller than previous events due to a lack of promotion, it was still a success.

"It opens up the possibility that this is a practical option, not only for students but for faculty as well," said Simon Lee, a San Francisco Bike Coalition volunteer.

Communications major Maddie Cushman, 18, said that like many other students, she had already parked her bike at the top of campus when she stumbled upon the collection of the free perks in the Quad.

"I definitely would've parked my bike there," Cushman said.

When asked what she liked about biking to school, Cushman replied, "It's adventurous, you get this Indiana Jones feeling when you weave in and out of cars. I love it."

The internship covers all program costs, including air travel, food and lodging in Monterey and in Washington, D.C., in addition to a stipend.

"It's a free ride," ICCE Program Coordinator Adam Calmenson said. "They pay for everything. They get to meet all kinds of congressmen, former senators, and they're working in D.C."

According to the Panetta Institute's Web site, each September, the Institute hosts students who are appointed by the presidents of each of the 23 California State University campuses, as well as Santa Clara University and Dominican University of California. Participants go on to live in the Washington, D.C. area from late September through mid-December while working on Capitol Hill.

First, however, students are put through two weeks of training courses at CSU Monterey Bay with former White House chief of staff and current CIA Director Leon Panetta and other seasoned veterans who explain how the legislative process works.

Last year, Jennifer McCrea-Steele was the selection from SF State, and she worked in the office of Democratic Representative Jackie Speier.

[X]: How does it feel to be awarded this opportunity?

MW: It was absolutely amazing. I was taken back. I applied for it last year and was, I believe, the runner-up from what they told me, but it ended up working out because I ended up getting the Willie L. Brown Leadership Internship, which actually opened the door for me to get the Panetta internship this year, so it was quite an amazing opportunity. I was very surprised and excited for it.

[X]: What have you learned so far while working in our nation's capital?

MW: That it is organized chaos. And it is so true. But it's been amazing because what I'm doing specifically, besides answering phone calls and taking care of the mail, is I have been privileged enough to work with our legislative aid who works on health care, because that's what my focus and my passion is, and it's been a great experience. I've been able to see one of the biggest debates on health care reform up close and personal.

[X]: With regards to affecting policy change in D.C., can you tell readers what works and what doesn't?

MW: Definitely letting your congressman know your position. I don't think people are doing it as much as they should. Most people these days are sending e-mails, and I think at least for our office that e-mails get way more attention than phone calls. In my opinion, phone calls only go so far because obviously you're not going to get to the congressman. Nobody gets a phone call and goes 'Hey, you want to talk to the congressman?' It just doesn't happen. So, I'd say to make things happen, you need a lot of people and they need to come through e-mail over phone calls.

[X]: Which interests do you see flexing their muscles most in Washington over the health care issue?

MW: Originally, there's been some play with the health insurance companies that I have seen. Granted, I only see a small level from where I am, but from what I understood they were working on all health insurance companies getting rid of 'pre-existing conditions' and if that's the case, that will give a lot more Americans the opportunity to get health insurance. Now I believe that they have pulled back from that position, so I think what I'm seeing are health insurance companies kind of playing the game, trying to get what they want, but again, I can't be sure on that.

[X]: In your experience, what dynamics tie the hands of legislators while reform is stifled?

MW: The biggest one is, and it makes as much sense once you see it, but it's the way they draw district lines. The way they've done that, specifically in California, but throughout the nation, they draw district lines to make areas that are more conservative only conservative, and they draw lines the same way for more liberal or democratic areas as well. So what that does is in D.C. it makes it so you cannot compromise. It makes it so republicans are being ultra-conservative, and democrats are being super-liberal, and that's why health care has gotten so ugly. We haven't had consensus on things in so long. When I was in Monterey, where the Panetta Institute was established, they had specialists come to speak to us and one of them described D.C. as poison right now, and I think that's a very true statement because there's no consensus, it's just an ugly fight.

[X]: What aspect of the health care debate interests you the most?

MW: Definitely the public option. I plan on getting into health care, and I'm applying for my master's degree in nursing right now with a focus on hospital administration, and I want to be a hospital administrator, so I'm very curious to see what comes from this public option that they're looking at. I'm worried about salary caps for hospital administrators, doctors and nurses because I don't feel that fits the market capitalism theory that the United States was founded on. Although I don't think health care should be free, because I think when things are free they get taken advantage of, I think it should be affordable so everybody has the opportunity for it. We definitely need reform in that sense. From being here I've been motivated to maybe get involved with politics at a future point, even at the federal level and work more on health care, because this isn't going to go away.

[X]: Is there anything else you'd like to share with your fellow Gators about your experience?

MW: It's been great. I'm loving it. Just last week I got to shake the hand of the Dalai Lama. He was in town, so that was fun. Other than that, get involved. I think that's the biggest thing. All the calls we're getting in our office come form the baby boomer, senior generation and I don't think our generation is getting involved so I think we need to see colleges and their students get involved and write their congressman and let them know what they're thinking.

The fourth annual event awarded Cecile Richards with a proclamation from the California Senate signed by Sen. Mark Leno as well as a Certificate of Honor signed by Mayor Gavin Newsom for her work towards policy and better access to quality information about sexuality and sexual issues. The NSRC also received a certificate from Newsom.

The event highlighted ongoing work by advocates, particularly Planned Parenthood, to broaden sexual literacy.

"It's hard to describe what being sexually literate means. It goes beyond the basics of sex education and includes pleasure and desire and is more positive than negative," said 35-year-old Jennifer Rehor.

This year the event attracted over 100 students from SF State's Department of Sexuality Studies and spectators to celebrate Richards. Other speakers included Dr. Pepper Schwartz, who has recently been named the AARP "Love and Relationships Guru" and Dr. Gilbert Herdt, the Executive Director of the NCS.

Rehor, a graduate student in the sexuality studies department, spent ten years working in advertising before coming to SF State. Realizing she wasn't satisfied, she had decided to reevaluate her life when she noticed what she called the "lack of sexual education" available to youth.

This lack of sexual education is focused on the quality of education in high schools across the country, many of which formerly benefited due to money from the Bush administration set aside for abstinence-only programs. These programs have widely been refuted as ineffective, including in a study released by Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health in July 2009.

In her speech, Richards applauded President Barack Obama's decision not to continue funding abstinence-only sex education and pointed out the importance of young people's involvement in debates on sexual literacy.

"Even for an old crusty member of congress, it's hard to turn down a young teenager from their district trying to talk to them about sex education," said Richards. Her goal is to get 1,000 teenagers lobbying congress this year for more comprehensive sex education.

The NSRC is an organization researching sexuality and gender, creating and distributing materials encouraging people to get involved with issues of sexual freedom.

They work with two other organizations -- the Center for Research on Gender and Sexuality and the Department of Sexuality Studies -- to create the National Centers on Sexuality, which aims to advance teaching, researching and advocacy in sexuality studies and well-being. All three are based at SF State.

"The NSRC stresses sexual literacy and sexual health holistically, with positive aspects put into sex education," said Richard Garcia, 24, a graduate student in the department of sexuality studies. Garcia was noted during the speeches for winning a scholarships of more than $2,000.

According to Garcia, a member of the NSRC, the event was important not only for honoring Richards, but for the funding that it can generate for the Center through ticket sales and donation cards.

"Sexuality is the most important thing and being able to control it is part of being a person," said Jenna Wieden, a 23-year-old graduate student in sexuality studies.

While introducing Richards as the keynote speaker Dr. Sarah Costa, a member of the NCS board, praised Richards for her work towards reproductive freedom.

"Cecile Richards is paving the way for a sexual education for real needs and has helped create a national movement to protect women's reproductive rights," Costa said.

Richards took over as president of Planned Parenthood and their advocacy arm, the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, in 2007. Since then she has advocated for two reforms regarding sexual issues. The first occurred earlier this year, when the FDA approved over-the-counter emergency contraception for people under 18. The second is a continual push towards a more comprehensive, medically accurate form of sex education for young people.

The Champions of Sexual Literacy event has honored 14 others in the past, including Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Sen. Leno and B.D. Wong, better known as Dr. George Huang on "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit."

The storm brought down a tree on the ECEC, damaging playhouse structures and the perimeter fence of the Center, another in the quad and created havoc in Mary Park Hall.

On Oct. 19 a certified playground safety inspector was dispatched to survey the damage, most of which could be repaired within two weeks of parts arriving. An estimate for the repairs was unavailable at the time of publication.

"The campus worked very swiftly and efficiently," Sarah Johnson, director of the ECEC, said.

When the tree hit the ECEC on Oct. 13, children at the Center were inside the building taking naps and were undisturbed by the fall. According to Johnson, the sound was not loud enough to wake them.

Yellow caution tape to keep the children away from the damaged areas while playing outside was removed Oct. 14. It was replaced with a temporary fence while workers finished removing the tree. They finished late afternoon that day.

The mature cypress tree also blocked the entrance to Mary Park Hall.

"My window was right in front of the tree that fell, so I was afraid it was going to hit my room," said freshman Paulette Thomas, who lives in Mary Park Hall. Residents of the dormitory were forced to use one door facing Lake Merced Boulevard to get into their rooms.

According to Philippe Cumia, associate director of University Housing, the east wing side door was fitted with a new lock to allow residents to enter using their bathroom keys. The west wing door, closer to campus, only allowed students to leave the building and had not been given a new lock.

When the tree was removed on Oct. 14, students again gained access to the front door.

In the quad, a young cypress tree fell due to the storm. Several other trees were removed from the area to prepare for winter rain.

Numbers for the cost of repairs and tree uprooting were unavailable. According to Phil Evans, director of Campus Grounds, the cost would be covered by money set aside for yearly storm damage.

IN YOUR FACE
A 19-year-old SF State student was arrested Oct. 13 when after initiating an argument with another student, she sprayed him in the face with pepper spray. According to university police, the incident took place near the exterior stairwell to building C of the VIllage at Centennial Square at approximately 2:55 p.m. The victim was treated for symptoms of pepper spray exposure at the Student Health Center, and the suspect was booketoonto San Francisco county jail and charged with improper use of a teargas weapon.

HOLLOWAY HOLD- UP
A man was robbed in the Villas at Park Merced early morning Sunday, Oct. 18 near the corner of Font Boulevard and Holloway Avenue. The suspect approached the victim shortly after 1 a.m., flashed what appeared to be a gun and demanded his property, according to university police. The suspect then took the victim's wallet and cell phone and fled toward 19th Avenue. The incident is currently under police investigation.

CRAPULOUS CONFRONTATION
University police arrested a 21-year-old male in the Villas at Park Merced Oct.18 for obstructing a police officer. According to university police, the man was contacted by officers responding to a fight taking place at a party in the area of Cardenas Avenue and Gonzales Drive. When approached by officers, the suspect acted intoxicated and confrontational and was arrested and charged with misdemeanor resisting or obstructing a police officer.

From Oct. 6-9, 115 spaces in Lot 20 and 100 spaces in Lot 25 were taken up by golf fans attending Harding Park Golf Course behind campus. In total, the two lots have 1,951 spots available to students and the public.

On Oct. 8, the first day of competition at Harding Park, senior Farita Toney had no problem finding parking before her class at 2 p.m.

The 24-year-old added that parking has been unusually easy this semester.

"Nearly every week this semester, it's taken me less than a minute to find parking."

Toney has attended SF State since 2003. In 2004 she started driving to school from her home in Oakland.

"I used to have to leave an hour before my first class so I had time to get here with 15 minutes left to find parking," said the women and gender studies major.

According to Lily Gee, SF State's parking coordinator, the 215 spaces reserved for the competition are usually empty during the week anyway.

The University rented these spots to the President's Cup at the standard day rate of $5 a day, according to Leroy Morishita, SF State's vice president and chief financial officer.

The President's Cup then rented out the spots for $120 for the week at Lot 25 or for $20 a day.

On Sept. 30, the Parking and Transportation Department sent an e-mail to warn students that parking would most likely be impacted by this "large and very popular event." The e-mail informed students that they would have to show SF State identification at the parking areas to confirm that they were students.

However, the competition may not have affected many students because of the high number of people who find their parking off-campus.

According to a report put out in 2008 by Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, a firm working with transportation issues, and SF State, approximately 54 percent of students take advantage of free parking around the University. Most students take spots on Junipero Serra Boulevard or 19th Avenue to avoid paying for campus parking.

Meanwhile, the study also found that approximately 22 percent or 6,500 students, drove to school that year. Of this, only 2,100 students paid for parking. According to the Parking and Transportation Department there are 2,800 parking spaces on campus, not including motorcycle spots or blue zones.

This worked out well for those attending the President's Cup and willing to pay the parking fee at Lot 25. Other lots for the attendees in the area, including spaces at Stonestown Galleria and Lowell High School, only sold parking spots by the week.

Rudy Manfredi, who owns Medic Ambulance in Solano County, parked in Lot 25 for his first day at Harding Park.

"It was the only space I could find. Everything else is prepaid," said the 57-year-old.

Wally Samuelson, 51, and Larry Bonincontri, 57, didn't have trouble finding parking either. They parked in a residential area near Stonestown Galleria to avoid paying a parking fee.

"I parked in one of the lots yesterday but it wasn't full," Bonincontri said.

The President's Cup is a men's golf competition between a U.S. team and an international team, sponsored by the Professional Golfers Association. This year the international team consists of players from eight different countries. This is the first year that the event has been held in San Francisco. The U.S. team won this year.

According to Erika Monterroza, spokesperson for the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration, SF State may face penalties of up to $1,000 per elevator if an unannounced inspection finds that the posted permits are in fact expired.

As of Oct. 12, every multi-level building on campus, including the dormitories, has elevators displaying operation permits that have expired, most in June of 2008.

Given the number of elevators on campus, this could result in more than $20,000 in fines for the University if all permits are allowed to remain outdated.

"That's negligent of our safety," 18-year-old pre-nursing student Erika Teora said. "I'm not generally afraid of elevators, but that kind of makes me pissed. I'm paying this much money to go to school here and they can't even keep the permits updated."

Mike Curran, customer service supervisor for Facilities and Service Enterprises at SF State said campus elevators all undergo inspection and are licensed at once, and the licenses to operate these elevators are kept on file. The copies of these permits however, which are intended for display inside the elevators themselves, have not been replaced in over a year.

Cal/OSHA regulations concerning elevators states, "The permit, or a copy thereof, to operate a passenger elevator ... shall be posted conspicuously and securely in the elevator car."

According to Monterroza, SF State was issued permits meant for display many months ago that were valid through June of 2009, however they were never posted in the elevators and they too have now expired.

"So what's the point of getting the permit if they aren't going to post them?" Broadcast major Fernando Pacheco, 21, said. "There's no proof saying that they're updated. I want proof that it's safe."

Curran said students should not be concerned, and that the elevators are inspected every month. When asked how he felt about the possibility of incurring fines, Curran said that current permits are posted "when available."

The Division of Industrial Relations, the organization responsible for ensuring the safety of passenger elevators, has the ability to shut the elevators down, but usually won't and would prefer not to over such a technicality.

"We try to work with the building manager, but these are safety orders, and they're there for a reason," Monterroza said.

According to Monterroza, records at the DIR show that SF State's elevators are in fact safe and validly licensed. However, Monterroza said that regardless of the actual status of the elevators, displaying expired permits is a clear and reprehensible violation.

"I think it's safe to say we will be contacting the operator of those elevators," Monterroza said.

"That makes me feel pretty uneasy," pre-nursing major Gisselle Molina said.

17-year-old freshman Molina explained that some of the elevators on campus feel old or unsafe at times, and seeing expired permits posted inside them is in no way reassuring.

"I feel uncomfortable riding it, like out of nowhere it could stop," Molina said.

Students gathered around Malcolm X Plaza and got excited about the creative skits, music, spoken word and speeches the performers delivered.

After hearing a few speeches and poems, 19-year-old sophomore David Resnick-Dunn turned into a real crowd pleaser with his "Terminator" rap.

The cinema student's lyrics were originally created for his acting class, but gained so much positive feedback that he was encouraged to perform it at this artistic event.

His rap focused on what he called the inconsistencies of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger regarding the budget cuts and the extra funds students have to pay for school, but are not seeing.

"It was something that I was passionate about, so it made it easier to write," Resnick-Dunn said.

Not only were there performers showing support, but classes also attended this event with interesting illustration to get their feelings across on the budget cuts.

Olivia Pham, a 20-year-old junior who came with her Asian American studies community arts workshop, showed her tasteful knack for art by handing out handmade T-shirts with impacting slogans for her classmates to wear.

Some slogans popped off the white T-shirts with red and black lettering included, "Don't cut our budget or we'll cut you," and "No education, no future."

Pham wanted to get the first slogan across by simply stating, "Don't cut our budget, or we will take you down."

During the event students were allowed to create picket signs in preparation for the rally to be held Oct. 15 at San Francisco's City Hall in the fight for public education.

"This event is really to get people rowed up for Thursday's protest," said Brigitte Davila, who organized today's event and is a raza studies instructor and board member of the California Faculty Association.

Among all the confusion and numerous items on the displayed signs, any bin seems to suffice, and off to class they go. But soon, a new group of students will be manning various trash locations throughout campus to educate students on the proper ways to dispose of waste.

"At this point, we are accepting as much help as possible, with the intent of the program growing into full-time monitors at every station," said student Emily Naud, Sustainable Initiatives founder and coordinator.

The new student program, led by the Cesar Chavez Sustainable Initiatives Program, trains people on how the campus waste system works, why it is important to participate and what goes in each bin. It's a system growing in popularity, and can be seen at large events such as Outside Lands and the Treasure Island Music Festival.

Interns with the program will be working for class credit, while other students who simply believe in the cause will volunteer their time. Currently, there are seven students involved in the new project.

"Basically, the streams get contaminated when individuals throw the wrong items in the wrong bins," Naud, 32, said. "For example, plastics contaminate the compost stream. That is why it is so important to take the time to learn how to sort waste in this city."

Students might be wondering: what goes in which bin? According to Naud, anything that was once considered living goes in the compost bin. For example, paper comes from trees, which were once alive so paper products can be put in composting bins. One can also put all food scraps in the compost bin, because all food is derived from once living plants and animals.

San Francisco's recycling program takes all hard plastics, glass bottles, aluminum foil and cans. Other items are considered trash.

"If nine people do it right, and one person does it wrong, they ruin it for everyone," student and recycling coordinator Jade Scileppi said.

The SF State Recycling Resource Center stresses that students need to know where to put their waste. For example, plastic coffee cup lids are not recyclable and when thrown in the recycle bin, contaminate the entire bin.

Sunset Scavenger, the company that collects SF State's waste, will not accept contaminated bins and they are hauled off with the rest of the trash.

"That means that all of the effort made by those who understand how to properly sort their waste, has been a waste of time and effort," Naud said.

SF State is breaking new ground in zero waste and has, through its recycling efforts, already attained a 76 percent waste diversion, the process of diverting waste from landfill, according to the SF State Recycling Resource Center Web site.

The need for composting in the Cesar Chavez Student Center was recognized by several members of ECO Students, a student organization vying for better environmental and social responsibility, about four years ago. Over the years, many students have helped get the program up and running, making composting a reality in the student center.

"Recycling is not something that will solve a problem. We need to reuse and conserve, but if you can't avoid it, it's the most important thing," Scileppi said.

"I think composting is a very important link in the chain of fighting environmental degradation and social justice issues, and students should recognize this and want to do their part, a really very simple task that makes a huge difference," Naud said.

The organization hopes to man the bins every day during various hours. The program has been presented to the student governing board for approval and if it goes through, they will implement their program this month. All bins on the main floor of the Cesar Chavez Student Center will be monitored.

The student organization will ideally man every station, "but that's going to take time," Naud said.

"If people see us, they should feel free to ask us," Scileppi said. "We're going to do this in an upbeat way so people want to do it right."

"My boss just got a ticket for having a wrong item in her recycling bin at home it's a little extreme," music major Blake Ritterman, 21, said. "I deal with the same bins at work and customers are always asking. I feel like people should pay attention to the signs on the bins for sure. I'm pretty familiar with them."

"Sometimes I still get confused on where to put utensils. I like that there are different bins but I don't think there should be people," business major Nam Nguyen, 22, said. "I think that a sign is good enough."

In the upcoming months, look around campus for shirts worn by group members that read, "ask not what your planet can do for you, but what you can do for your planet."

For more information about volunteering, e-mail Emily Naud at sustainability@sfsustudentcenter.com.

The event, Read for the Record, is part of an international campaign by Jumpstart programs across the country to highlight the importance of childhood literacy. Organizers are aiming to get more than a million adults and students reading this year.

For the fourth annual event, children will be reading "A Very Hungry Caterpillar," published by the Penguin Group, which put out a special edition of the book for the event.

Along with Jumpstart, Read for the Record is sponsored by the Pearson Foundation, which is covering the price of the book for Jumpstart, allowing all proceeds from the sale of the special edition to go to the program.

Although Read for the Record is only four years old, the Jumpstart program has been around for 16 years. Created at Yale University, the program was first introduced at SF State 11 years ago.

Nichole Schultz has been a member of the program since her freshman year at the University. At 26, she now works as the senior manager of Jumpstart's SF State branch.

"I didn't realize how much I'd get out of the program," Schultz said.

The Jumpstart program works to give children, particularly those in low-income homes, access to early education.

"Some people may come from homes like the ones the children we work with come from, but it really opens your eyes to the challenges and issues these children go through," Schultz said.

"Most children in low-income communities," said Jumpstart's president, James Cleveland, in a press release, "miss out on reading experiences that form the foundation for success in school and life."

Because the program works with low-income students, it also tries to get as many of the books out to students from these homes as possible. The books are given to the students free of charge, courtesy of donations. Five thousand of these books have been given out in San Francisco as of Oct. 2.

At SF State, 130 students are hired for Jumpstart through a work-study scheme, although more than twice that apply each year, according to Schultz. Most students sign on as what are known as "Corps" members, spending 10-15 hours a week at preschools around the city to help educate three- to five-year-olds. Currently, the program works with 14 different preschools in the city. The program also takes volunteers.

To promote the Read for the Record event at preschools, some Jumpstart members have volunteered to dress up as a very hungry caterpillar for the children. Senior William Tran, an Asian American studies major, was one of the volunteers.

Tran works with students at the Frandelja Enrichment Center in Bayview Hunters Point. The 20-year-old joined Jumpstart as a way of getting work-study credit three years ago and is now one of two team leaders for the program.

"I've really grown to love working with the kids," Tran said.

"You get them at a certain stage and you get to see their progress and the way they grow. You get to be part of that change."

Sophomore Mario Mejia is in his second year with the Jumpstart program. A double major in industrial art and child and adolescent development, Mejia is the other team leader for the group. He helps other college students train for the job.

Mejia joined Jumpstart after seeing an ad for the program online.

"I really believe in their mission statement, that every child should go into school prepared to succeed," the 19-year-old said.

Mejia works with students at the Good Samaritan Child Development Center in the Mission district. He helped organize the Read for the Record event there.

Last year, the event set the world record for the most people reading the same book at the same time with 688,000 people reading the book "Corduroy." The event raised $2 million for the organization, and 220,000 books were donated.

According to Deputy Chief of Police Patrick Wasley, in the eight incidents of robbery reported this semester on campus and in surrounding areas, the major change officers are noticing is the suspects vary immensely.

"It's a vast array of people. It's men, it's women, it's all races," Wasley said. "The youngest one we've had is 14, so we're dealing with kids as well as adults."

At 11:05 p.m. on Sept. 5, two female suspects were arrested for attempted robbery at Holloway and 19th Avenues. As is the case with most of the incidents thus far, the suspects approached the victim and demanded her cell phone. When the victim refused, the suspects pushed her to the ground and took it. The suspects were apprehended by university police officers and are facing attempted robbery charges.

Again, at 5:41 p.m. on Sept. 20, two juvenile suspects were arrested for a robbery in the carport area of University Park North. The suspects approached the victim and demanded his cell phone. When the victim walked away, the suspects knocked him to the ground and continued to strike him until he gave them his cell phone. The suspects were later apprehended by university police officers and are facing robbery charges.

The victims were not identified in police reports.

Other incidents reported have played out much like these, involving demands for cell phones or other devices, only with very different suspects each time.

According to SF State Chief of Police Kirk Gaston, students make themselves targets by focusing on their electronics, such as MP3 players and cell phones, while they navigate the campus and surrounding areas at night. Gaston said this severely reduces their awareness and advertises that they are in possession of these highly desirable and easily sold items.

"People get on their phones and their MP3 players and they tend not to be observant as to what's happening around them or who might be focusing in on them," Gaston said. "You forget the world around you, and that is what the perpetrators are counting on -- you being unaware and being taken completely by surprise with your headphones in, or your phone in your hand."

According to university police, this is a city-wide problem and SF State is no exception. However, criminals know that a large number of people with these pricey items can be found in and around the SF State campus.

The university police are continuing what they call "a robber suppression detail" to address some of the issues. Captain Reggie Parson said he can't get too specific, but the program involves applying a lot of resources and working in cooperation with the San Francisco Police Department.

"It's going to be padded with extra officers in the streets doing various assignments in various locations, applying tactics that will be useful in detecting areas and hopefully locating suspects," Parson said. "We're working with the city right now in developing some of those strategies."

According to University Communications Representative Nan Broadbent, robbery suppression details have been used before, but university police pattern their work based on the current trend in robberies -- time of day, days of week and the actual items most often taken -- in this case electronics.

"The one trend is what they're targeting," Gaston said. "That is the personal electronics. That's the high-dollar bait that they're going for."

Gaston added that when perpetrators take cell phones, victims have no way to call for help and this makes it difficult for police to catch the suspect.

"The very fact that they're taking your means of calling 911 creates a delay in the response time for officers," Gaston said.

According to the Department of Public Safety, students can help cut the supply of these opportunities by making themselves less of a target.

"We will never be able to quantify how many we've prevented by having the victims not be potential victims," Gaston said.