1995-05-04 Focus, page 1

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1995-05-04 Focus, page 1

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Volume 70, Issue 12 MODESTO JUNIOR COLLEGE Thursday, May 4,1995 Cinco de Mayo dance Steve Courtier/Focus Teo Kali, a dancer with Grupo de Danza Azteca, performs dur ing Tuesday's Cinco de May festival on the East Campus. Mandatory AS class fails Senate votes down leadership class by Brad Van Unen Focus news editor A proposal which would require all MJC student government members to enroll in a student leardership dass was voted down at Tuesday's ASMJC Senate meeting. The class, Social Science 58, is taught by ASMJC adviser Nancy Singer. Singer had proposed making the class mandatory several weeks ago, and it was passed at a former Senate meeting. This week's meeting marked the second reading of the proposal to make the class mandatory. In order to be offically passed, the proposal had to pass Tuesday's second reading. Although only one senator voted against making the class mandatory, it did not pass. Out of seven senators Loan program challenged College Press Service WASHINGTON-A new bill in Congress could put an end to direct student loans. Rep. Ernest J Istook (R- Okla.) has introduced the Student Loan Privatization Act, which would halt the Federal Direct Student Loan Program initiated by President Clinton after this year. "The direct loan program is a prime example of the kind of needless, destructive big-government intervention in the private sector that voters rejected last November," Istook said. "My bill would put an end to this nonsense by phasing out direct lending now before we waste more money on building another big bureaucracy." Under direct lending, toe federal government makes loans directly available to students through their respective schools. Clinton has threatened to veto any legislation revoking the direct loan program, maintaining that the direct loans save the government money, students money and colleges and universities time and money. "This direct lending program is far less expensive to run than the alternative," Clinton said in March at a White House press conference with college reporters. "Ifs pure ideology to say it costs a little money to run the direct loan program, and we don't have to hire one government employee, but we'd rather pay billions and billions of dollars to banks that could be going for lower college costs to more students.'" The Clinton administration has proposed saving $5.2 billion in outlays through the year 2000 by fully implementing the direct lending to 80 percent of new loan volume in academic year 1996-97 and to 100 percent of new loan volume in the academic year 1997-98. The law creating toe program calls for it to grow to at least 60 percent of new.loan volume by 1998-99. Clinton also said toe government has strengthened efforts to collect payments from students and graduates who have drfaulted on their loans, adding that the federal government has reduced loan defaults to $1 billion last year, down from $2.8 billion before he took office. Istook, however, says private banks and lending See Loans, page 8 present at the meeting, three voted for the class, and the other three abstained from the vote. Seven votes were required in order to pass the proposal. The proposal was shot down for two main reasons. First, the mandatory class could cause scheduling problems. "If people have another class they have to take during" that time, they shouldn't have to sacrifice that class for a leadership dass. Academics should still come first," siad ASMJC Treasurer Lucas Conneely. But one solution was proposed to offset the problem with scheduling. "Almost everyone in ASMJC has Tuesday afternoons off, because Senate meetings are held on Tuesday." said Sena tor Louie Dias. "If they could move the class to Tuesdays opposite Senate meetings, more peopl would be able to attend. Dias was one of three senators voting in favor of making the class mandatory. Others were afraid that making the leadership class mandatory might "scare away" potential members. "ASMJC already has a shortage of people. Requiring all applicants to take this class would probably cause fewer people to run for office," explained Vice President of Programming Michael Kos- sart. However, Kossart supports the class. "It would make our leaders stronger in leadership and communication skills." Inside Focus. ♦Wttat wonl&happen If MJCs theater department ; .was canceled? It happened this week...in 1980. Don't miss This Week in MJC History page4>: •First came The X-Files." Now, sci-fi shows are all over television. Is the trend here to Stay? See page5..-..# •"Hoop Dreams/' the much-publicized docu-" Itientary, is coming Out on video. Before you check out the video, checkout our review on page*.- •MJCs baseball team lest to Merced, but the ■ - stvisvteam won third place in the Bay Valley " Conference. See sports, page 7» •MJCs East Campus is being hit by a crime wave. Are you a potential victim? See story, page& '\

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Modesto Junior College, “1995-05-04 Focus, page 1,” MJC Library Digital Collections , accessed March 5, 2021, http://mjclibrarydigitalcollections.org/items/show/23933.

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