Fresno State students’ support of Palestine showed campus history of nonviolence | Opinion
Raise your voice for ceasefire
During the Vietnam War, protests were held at universities across the country, including at Fresno State. Though protesters faced immense backlash at the time, we now celebrate their role in standing against unnecessary bloodshed.
At Fresno State, the library commemorates the role that campus unrest played in shaping history. For this reason, I would like to emphasize to our Fresno community that protesters at Fresno State in support of a ceasefire in Palestine are not acting pointlessly, nor are they acting out of malice or ignorance. They are continuing a tradition exemplified through the protests held here during the Vietnam War: Making it clear that our campus refuses to stand in the way of justice, liberty, and human life.
Our community is full of bright, passionate, and caring people. It shows through the volunteer efforts at the Poverello House, the unique music heard from the streets at Porchfest, the artistic displays at the libraries, and countless other points across Fresno.
It’s time we extend our community’s compassion toward those suffering at the hand of conflict throughout Palestine, and make our voices heard in favor of justice through a ceasefire, release of non-combatant hostages on both sides, and humanitarian aid.
Angie Johnson, Sanger
You can’t eat solar
I just read (Dan) Walters column stating that fallow farm land could be used for solar farms. How about finding away for this land to start producing what it seems Walters loves: food.
It’s obvious that you can`t eat solar. Newsom and merry band of morons have done enough damage to this state. Now now let’s ruin the only thing people need other than water, and that is food.
Clean air means nothing if you can`t function without the items mentioned in the last paragraph. If Walters and the rest of the folks think the way he does, I feel sorry for them. Facts are facts.
Bill Kandarian, Fresno
Helping with student medical debt
I totally agree with the commentary by Genoveva Islas and Carlina Hansen about the shortage of primary care physicians in the San Joaquin Valley. They refer to mental health problems that go unsolved by this shortage. The problem is widespread, affecting not only mental health problems, but all areas of health.
Opinion
This is more acute in underserved areas of the Central Valley. The San Joaquin Valley Medical Scholarship Foundation (SJVMSF), is addressing this problem by paying a significant amount of the medical tuition debt of primary care residents that are from the Valley, agree to stay local, commit to work in an underserved area for four years and have a formal debt with a loan company, bank or an online loan company.
Their debt is as high as $260,000 to $300,000, depending where they go to medical school, and including activities of daily living, it goes as high as $400,000. The SJVMSF awards $220,000 over a four-year period. Please visit our website for more information at www.sjvmedicalscholarship.org.
Dr. Sergio D. Ilic, Fresno
Many thanks to reading tutor
With the school year coming to a close, I’m writing to celebrate someone who has dedicated the last four years to supporting our students. As an AmeriCorps member with Reading Corps, Leticia Serna has focused on providing our students with extra practice and support to improve their reading skills.
Over the past four years, she has given a total of 3,000 hours to help our students succeed. Leticia works one-on-one or in small groups with students who need extra help building their skills. With Leticia supplementing the excellent work our teachers are doing in their classrooms, we’ve seen wonderful growth.
Leticia was part of my first cohort of tutors in 2021. She started tutoring students on zoom, then moved to in-person. She has been very adaptable and helped her school grow into one of the most successful sites in our program. Having Leticia’s support has been vital.
I couldn’t let the school year end without acknowledging Leticia and all she’s done for our students. As Leticia moves on to her next adventure this summer, we’ll have big shoes to fill in the fall. If you’re interested in joining our team as a reading tutor, please visit join.readingandmath.org.
Nick Chacon, Fresno
New perspectives needed
Like the daily harangue on the KMJ radio morning show, some things never change.
Oh, that Christina Musson and John Broeske could walk in someone else’s shoes for a day.
Jim Doyle, Fresno
No males in women’s jails
You may have noticed an interesting billboard up on Highway 99 north of Fresno. It reads “No Males In Women’s Jails!” Women’s Liberation Front placed it to alert the community to human rights abuses in the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla.
In 2020, California passed Senate Bill 132 to allow male inmates to transfer into women’s facilities based on their self-proclaimed “identity” as transgender. The law allows incarcerated men who have no intentions of “transitioning” to transfer into a woman’s facility.
We received desperate calls from women in custody facing these men, so we filed a lawsuit against the state in 2021 to defend their rights.
One male inmate that transferred in will be in court in Madera for a preliminary charges on May 17 to face two rape charges committed inside the Chowchilla facility.
The state Office of the Inspector General’s audit revealed that the prisons must accept male transferees. Women who complain face retaliation and punishment.
The community may not have known any of this. Workers and businesses serving the prison are being forced into this terrible violation of women’s human rights. We invite you to let your elected officials know how you feel.
Sharon Byrne, Santa Barbara
