News Scrapbook 1980-1981

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students, half of 'em said, 'What's CalPIRG?' We just felt that $9500 could be spent a lot better, if it was needed at all." Unlike UCSD students, who can indicate if they don't want to give money to CalPIRG, the USD students have been automatically billed the money and only given the option of requesting a refund if they didn't want to support CalPIRG. Geraci says the mandatory nature of that funding system irritated students, and he also claims CalPIRG was lax in actually granting the refunds. "I asked for a refund every semester and I only got one once. They just never sent the money back." (Durkin denies that. "It's been real easy for students to get refunds there,'' he claims.) Concerned about these issues, the student government last fall began talking to CalPIRG about having a student vote, and as that vote loomed, the debate grew strident. Late last year one student officer, Scott Brown, formed a committee which he flippantly tagged, "Young Conservatives to Shine CalPIRG," a name almost immediately corrupted to "Young Conservatives to Shaft CalPIRG." Under its auspices, the student government budgeted about $600 (of student monies) to produce anti-Ca!PIRG buttons, posters, literature, and even a full-page ad in the student newspaper. CalPIRG retaliated by (continued on page 26) APRIL 16, 1981 3

independent entity, didn't vote and thus their support for CalPIRG remains unchanged .) "It's going to hurt us," CalPIRG's executive director, Dave Durkin, says of the decision. "It's going to mean a real serious hardship." Durkin explains that since the USD students started Optional fees at the UCSD campus (where students can choose to pay CalPIRG two dollars per quarter per year) have brought in $12,000 to $15,000 per year. And at San Diego State, where state law until last year prohibited any student fees increases, the student government has been giving CalPIRG about $1000 a year. Furthermore, CalPIRG also receives about $35,000 in revenue-sharing funds from the City of San Diego. However, the USD undergraduates have accounted for more than $9000 ofCalPIRG's annual budget of approximately $59,000. Leading the fight over that money were the members of USD's Associated Student Body. Senior class ~enator Mike Geraci explains that he and his fellow senators felt it was unfair to force students to pay for a service whose benefits they may or may not use. "When we polled contributing money to CalPIRG in 1972, other sources have joined in to help fund the consumerist activities.

Students Stop Feeding Watchdog Nine years ago, students at the University of San Diego (USD) were the first in the state to contribute money for a "public interest research group," a concept then promoted by consumerist Ralph Nader. The USD students' contribution launched San Diego CaJPIRG, which since then has produced a virtual library of consumer 1 iterature and research, including such projects as the annual survey of San Diego grocery store prices. So when the USD undergraduates voted last week to deal CalPIRG a major blow, their action was not just significant, it was also ironic. The blow came when the university's undergraduates were asked if they wanted to continue supporting CalPIRG at the rate of two dollars per student per semester. Some 626 of the record numbers of students who turned out to vote said no, compared to only 383

(continued from page 3) spending about half that amount of money, mounting daily literature blitzes, and spreading charges about lhe motives of 1he student government. Even more acrimonious were the events surrounding Ralph Nader's appearance on the campus March 29. Durkin says last fall the student body president asked him to arrange a Nader appearance with the campus speaker's bureau in light of the upcoming election. After that appearance had been arranged and confirmed, however, the student body voted not 10 pay Nader's customary $2500 speaking fee. Incensed by the action, Nader waived the fee and flew to San Diego anyway, using the speech to lobby for San Diego CalPIRG. Despite such nasty squabbling, Brown claims he and most other students harbored no grudge against CalPIRG - only against the funding system. Durkin of CalPIRG aho doesn't see the election results as an an1i-CalPIRG vote so much as the expression of" a certain cynici~m.... 1 think a lot of the students believed that CalPIRG would continue whether they supported it or not.'' He says it probably will, although he'll have to dismiss one full- and one half-time worker from CalPIRG's present staff of nine or ten, and the remaining workers may have to take pay cuts. That bad news comes on top of other ill tidings received by the consumer group the first of thi month, when CalPIRG expected a windfall from San Diego State tudents, only to have that hope dashed. Durkin explains that last year the state law changed to allow state campuses to raise student fees. So CalPIRG campaigned to collect an optional three dollars per student per semester from the students at State, a fee Durkin estimated would bring CalPIRG $10,000 to $25,000 per year. The election was held March 9 through 12, and when the votes were counted (twice) election night, CalPIRG had won by twenty-one votes. However, a recount two weeks later showed 1ha1 the CalPIRG victory had shrunk to just three votes. And then two more later recounts showed CalPIRG had lost by ninety-five votes. "I consider it to be a totally une1lplainable turnaround,'' Durkin says. · Nonetheless, he says CalPIRG won't challenge that vote because the organization needs a clear-cut victory. "We feel there's nothing politically to be gained by screaming and yelling and chanting." So CalPIRG is planning another petition drive and vote at San Diego State for next fall. Between now and then, one other pitfall may intervene. The San Diego City Council will be reviewing CalPIRG's revenue-sharing contract in May. Durkin says he's had no indication of whether 1he organization will be granted that money again. -J.D. - Jeannette De Wyze and Neal Matthews

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who voted for CalPIRG. (USD's law students, an

EVENING TRIBUNE

USO ruggers a surprising su,,ess as first-year team goes unbeaten By NANCY CLEELAND

CONTINUED F/IOM PAGE C-1 made up largely of athletes disenchanted with tradition- al college sports, soon be- came a cohesive unit - "a close knit group with good · rapport, without be1Dg cli- quish," Rogers said. Rugby. equivalent ID pop- ularity to t: .S. footb JI in many European countries, New Zealand Australia and South Afnca, is a tough. non-stop game. Play i ID· terrupted only by one five- minute break in a game, and players are relieved only in case of inJury No padding or helmets are worn. but players are pro- tected by rules that prohibit tackles in most situations. It is an amateur sport worldwide, and that status is reflected in U.S. universi- ty teams. Like nearly all college-level rugby teams, the USD ruggers receive lit- tle financial support from their school. Aided by a few hundred dollars from the student body association, expenses for uniforms and travel have been met by the players themselves. All coaching is done on a volun- tary basis. Rogers has gradually re- moved himself from the coaching, and most respon- sibilities now fall on Kleier and Purcell, who coaches the backs. PurceU is a jun- •ior, and will probably be back with the team next year, as will all but ten teammates. Already the team is trying to recruit a new coach possibly the man who supervised Stan- ford's winning team this year, said Kleier.

they're getting a lot of spirit up. They pulled in a good crowd at the games. It makes a lot of differ- ence. They pulled it off really well." Three men are behind it all - Rogers, Kleier, and Jon Purcell, now in England on a tour with the Coronado Seals. A few years ago, all played rugby on Kern County teams. Purcell and Kleier later en- tered USD. Finding no rugby there, they joined the SDSU club team. Rogers moved south to sell stock in La Jolla. Last spring, Purcell and Kleier decided it was time to introduce rugby to USD, and called Rogers to help organize a team. "They told me they'd have 40 guys at the organizational meet- ing," Rogers recalled. "There were only about five in the room when it was time to start. They kept say- ing, 'Don't worry. They'll be here.' Sure enough, in an hour's time, the room was full." Rogers then put into practice his own theory for organizing a team. "It's important to develop early on a tightness in the group. You need to generate a spirit, an enthusiasm to learn. The easiest way to ac- complish that is to have a party." As it turned out, Purcell and Kleier were accomplished party organizers, and perhaps that was a key to their success. The team, See RUGBY, C-5

'What we did is unheard of for a first-year team. There's another new team this year, Cal Poly Pomona. A typical first-year team. Idon't think theyve won a game yet.'

Three times, rugby aficionados tried to form a team at the Univer- sity of San Diego. Three times, the team fell apart. So it wasn't surprising that no one took the school's latest rugby team seriously last October. After all, only four of the 30 players had ever seen a rugby ball before, let alone run with one. "We tried to get into college- level league play, but they (the Southern California Rugby Union) wouldn't Jet us because we're a first-year team. So we just played on open weekends," said Coach Dave Rogers. "We were, in almost every game, taken lightly in the beginning." Notice he said "beginning." Be- cause it didn't take long for other teams to realize what they were up against. San Diego State's ruggers fell first, 16-0. Then UCSD, 16-0. USC came close, but lost any- way, 12-11. Occidental College, Colorado State and Colby College all fell to the new feam. After ten college- level games, a full season of play, USD was undefeated. Two schools - UCLA and UCSD in its second game - tied. (In the more ad- vanced club-level play, the team won two of five games). "Every game we played, they couldn't believe it," said Tim Kleier, a USD junior and forward coach. "They thought we were a pushover team.

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"What we did is unheard of for a first-year team. There's another new team this year, Cal Poly Po- mona. A typical first-year team. I don't think they've won a game yet." Obviously, the 30 USD ruggers did something right. What was their secret? In Kleier's opinion, a combination of superior athletic ability and a positive attitude. "At least ten of our guys played foot- ball for the school. Some of them are still on the (football) team. They're good athletes." But in rugby, a game still for- eign to most Americans, positive thinking and peer support can make the difference. Said Doug McDonald, who plays for the Az- tecs, "It's a small school and

If the magic remains, next year will be an excit- ing one for USD, set to enter ~allege-level lea~e play.

Colleges stocking tor rlext cage campaign previously at Riverside City College. Though the 198Cr81 foot-8, 21U-pound for-- basketball season has ward from Detroit, will • barely had a chance to play for Gaines. settle into the history Goodwin, a 6-7, 215- books, local colleges pounder, averaged 17 have begun stocking points and 11 rebounds Brickley, Rich Davis, Robby Roberts and San Diego's Anthony Ruess. High, was Vikings. Also committed to USIU are Greg Carroll, a 6-7 frontliner from Mt. San Antonio College, and Nigel Lloyd, a 6-2 guard who did not play last year. He played More signings can be expected in the next few weeks. Gaines said he would like to add five more players to his roster.

the Grossmont League's player of the year this past season. The 6-6 forward shot 56 percent from the floor on his way to averaging 24.7 points a game. He also pulled down 15 rebounds a night. He was selected to the All·CIF first team. USRJ will have the services of point guard Steve Gilliam next season. Gull coach Freddie Goss informed that the 6-3 junior will be transferring to the Mira Mesa school after his previous team, Portland State, dropped its basketball program. Gilliam averaged 10 points a game with the

Brickley, a 6-6 guard- forward, is regarded by the Toreros as one of the best pure shooters in junior college basket· ball. They received a good look at him when he accompanied his Glendale City College (Ariz.) team to San Diego this year where he was naned to the Mesa College All- Tournament Team. He averaged 16.1 points a game this year on 48 percent shooting. Davis is a 6-0 point guard from Central Arizona City College who averaged 14.2 points and 13.2 assists per contest, while Roberts, a 6-7 forward out of Los Angeles Valley College, produced 13.1 points and rebounds an outing. Ruess. from Christian

their teams for the next for the Cardinals last campaign. A number of season Ward, who players have recently averaged like numbers made commitments to in being named to the play in San Diego come All- Metropolitan winter. Detroit team for the San Diego State second straight year, University head coach also was recruited by a Smokey Gaines an- number of schools as a nounced the signing of footballplayer. two players to national The University of San letters of intent with the Diego has welcomed Aztecs. Senior forward four new players to its Loren Goodwin of San campus. Coach Jim Diego's Hoover High Brovelli announced the and Dave Ward, a 6· signing of Randy

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