San Francisco Foghorn

              an irranttscu irnghnrn
University of San  Francisco
Vol. 99
Issue Twenty One
FREEDOM AND FAIRNESS
April 10, 2003
Hope for the
Corporate Soul
ANNA KASPER
'''''slajf'Wriie'r'''
In the aftermath of recent corporate scandals, is there a corporate
soul left to save?
The answer is "yes" according
to four corporate executives who
discussed the importance of integrity and values in Corporate America
at a panel last week. The panel,
which was led by Associate
Professor of Theology and
Religious Studies David Batstone,
coincided with the release of his
book "Saving the Corporate Soul."
"There [are] enough Enron,
WorldCom and Arthur Andersen
stories out there and I really wanted
to tell a story about companies that
do it right," said Batstone, who
spent the last year and a half investigating how companies go about
doing business ethically. "There
[are] a lot of stories about people
who are pretty inspiring."
All of the panelists--Gary
Erickson, owner and CEO of
ClifBar; Phyllis Jackson, Vice
President of Charles Schwab;
Danny Grossman, founder and
CEO of Wild Planet Toys; and
Michael Kieschnick, co-founder
and President of Working Assets-
agreed that a company must stay
true to its values and be able to
communicate them to their
employees and customers.
Transparency, a business-world
concept, is essential to this goal.
Transparency is, "...owning up to
and being very upfront about what
they're doing and why they're doing
it," Batstone said. He said this is the
way companies are going to be able
to beat the bad rap that many have
earned in recent years.
Grossman founded Wild
Planet Toys, a company that offers
toys that "parents can endorse and
kids think are cool." For instance,
Wild Planet wanted to get away
from marketing violent toys to boys
and sexist toys to girls.
"I walked in the door first and
foremost to create a company based
on values," Grossman said. "Your
values, ifyou stay true to them, will
get you somewhere."
Grossman said a company
must have, "...an articulated channel of dissent." Employees need to
know who to tell if they see a problem within the company, and how
the problem will be handled.
Jackson, the Vice President of
Schwab, said a way for a company
to stay honest is to make sure that
"...employees at every level [are]
able to say 'That's not right.'"
Grossman said "internal transparency," or a system that allows
every member of a company to
know what is happening and how
the company is doing, is critical.
Each month at Wild Planet a different employee is responsible for
giving a financial update to the
entire company. This allows the
employees to see how the company
is doing over time.
Erickson, of ClifBar, said he
wants transparency at every level in
his company. "They get to see however it is," Erickson said of his
employees. "They get to see me,
hear me, feel me." Erickson laughed
as he said this - such a level of
closeness may be too much for his
colleagues when he comes directly
to work after a long bike ride.
Kieschnick is co-founder of
Working Assets, a long distance
company that donates a portion of
its revenue to progressive causes.
His key to transparency is simple:
"Only make a few promises that are
quantitative. Stick to them and
report on it."
Jackson said promoting diversity was central to her role at
Schwab. "If you create an environment where you can bring all of
who you are - race, gender, sexual
orientation - to work and have all
employees do that, that creates
diversity."
Kieschnick replied, "I think
there's been an increase [in diversity]." But he was also quick to point
out that there is a big difference
between a small company like his
and a larger one hke Schwab.
Jackson, who is an alumna of
USF, said being at the University
had given her "a sense of personal
empowerment," which has helped
her in the work force. As a graduate
of the College of Professional
Studies, she said the autobiographical essays she was required to write
helped her "find my voice" and
understand that sometimes one
must "go along to get along."
Batstone, whom USA Today
recently called America's "foremost
expert on ethics," said his book covers the environment, globalization,
the individual worker and other
issues in addition to corporate
ethics. He is already working on a
sequel.
KIMIKO BARBOUR/FOGHORN
The ASUSF Finance Committee held their annual budget hearings last weekend. The committee is finding it harder to meet the requests of all funded accounts with the
current student activities fee. An initiative to vote for an increase in student fees will be placed on next weeks ASUSF ballots.
Students Will Vote on
Activities Fee Increase
SARA STEELE
 'SiaffWriie'r	
An initiative has been added to the ASUSF
election ballot to increase the student activities
fee by $20 per semester.
A group of concerned students, headed by
Joe Macias and Dominic Caruso, proposed this
increase from $60 to $80 because they think
events, clubs and organizations on campus could
use more resources.
The student activities fee funds several
accounts, such as Superfund, College Players,
Greek Council, FACES, the Foghorn and
ASUSF Senate. Macias, a senior politics and
sociology major, said these organizations need
more funding than they are now receiving.
Macias' proposal states, "So that every undergraduate student can benefit from larger programs through ASUSF clubs and organizations,
funded accounts and individual members, I recommend that the Board of Trustees and the
University administration increase the semester
student activities fee from $60 to $80."
Macias presented his proposal to the ASUSF
Senate at its April 1 meeting. The Senate passed
a resolution to add this initiative to the ballot.
The student body will be able to vote on the fee
raise during elections on April 14, 15 and 16.
In order to pass the initiative, 20 percent of
the 3,612 students at USF must vote. Out of that
20 percent, two-thirds must approve the raise for
it to pass. If the initiative passes at the student
elections, it will then be presented to the Board of
Trustees, which will decide whether or not to
implement it.
Macias stressed the important role that
funding can play for organizations on campus.
"When everyone is given a budget, they have to
work within the actual budget that they have, so
if they want to do new programs they might not
be able to because of a lack of funding," Macias
said. "I'm a student leader and I know that on
campus it is harder to program without the
money. Students want to see larger events and we
can't really do larger events without the actual
funding. It's all about taking initiative, so we
decided to do that this year."
Vice President of Business Administration
Tim Keane said the raise in the student activities
fee would benefit the students. "As far as the
Student Activity Fee, there is no drawback, as far
as the Student Organizations of ASUSF go, to
raising it," Keane said. "More money is more
money, and all ofthe ASUSF funded accounts, as
well as the un-funded accounts which are funded
through club funding and Superfund, would benefit."
The Board of Trustees raised the student
activities fee from $50 to $60 in 1999, and
Macias said it is time for another raise. Macias
said although his proposal states an increase of
$20, the Board ofTrustees could decide to only
raise the fee by $5 or $10.
Macias said this raise will benefit all students. "Do students want larger events?" Macias
asked. "Then we need more money for clubs and
more resources." Macias' proposal states, "This
measure is important for the USF student and
INCREASE: PAGE 2
Graffiti and Vandalism on the Rise at USF
KIMIKO BARBOUR/FOGHORN
A dumpster behind Phelan Hall displays the rise of graffiti on campus.
ANGELA MEUANGKHOTH
 ''SiaffWriie'r	
Since the war in Iraq there has been a slight
increase in graffiti. Susan Davison, Director of
Facilities Management, said there have been several new incidents of graffiti since March 6.
"Since most ofthe (most recent) graffiti was
in chalk, it was easily removed with water," she
said. "Although chalk is not personal defacement,
chalking [USF property] is still graffiti because
Plant Services has to take the time out to wash it
off."
Students and Faculty React s
Students and faculty are also noticing more
graffiti on campus, including hate graffiti and
pro- and anti-war graffiti.
Cindy Tejada, senior psychology major, said
she does not like graffiti because it is an unnecessary form of expression and defaces school property. "I don't agree with vandalism and I don't feel
that there is ever a reason to cause vandalism. I
feel that some people [resort to] vandalism
because they believe that it is the only way they
can get their point across. Whether it is graffiti
on the wall or damaging property, I feel there are
other ways to express yourself."
Bruce Vail, junior politics major, also commented on graffiti. "Fools' names and idiots' faces
are often found in public places," Vail said.
"Surely these people must have better things to
do than create graffiti."
John Nelson, theology and religious studies
professor, said he saw graffiti scratched into the
wall in the men's bathroom in Campion Hall.
"The graffiti in Campion said 'F-— Iraq,'" Nelson
said. "[It] was written very large and scratched
into the wall."
Sverre Sundbo, a junior international business major, did not think the graffiti in Campion
was a viable means of expression. "In terms of
graffiti, as a political statement such as 'F— Iraq'
is a way for one to express himself, but the way he
has done it is ridiculous act of vandalism."
Alexa Silva, senior psychology major, said
students should not graffiti because other stu
dents have to see it. "Being a college student,
people could be more mature about the way they
express their opinion and view...because in the
end we have to see the defacement of our school
property."
Evan West, senior history major and chief
Graphic Center designer, said the ASUSF graphics center disapproves of vandalism, "because [it
is] defacing school property and the result reflects
negatively upon the University."
Josh Bias, a junior politics major, said
although graffiti is stupid, it is a way for other
students to be informed about information. "Well
it's in the bathroom where every one gets their
411,1 mean, come on, the stupidity is in the eyes
of the reader."
Sundbo, however, wanted to draw a distinction between regular graffiti and artistic graffiti.
"Art graffiti on the other hand, is a great way to
express yourself as long as the graffitist has been
given the approval to create it," he said. "The
graffitist can express himself within area of
acceptance for tolerance of graffiti. However,
vandalism graffiti within art graffiti is ridiculous.
CLEANING UP: PAGE 2
news
opinion
Senate candidates
quadruple since fall
elections.
2
USF professor
Stephen Zunes argues
that in America, economic security trumps
human rights.
4
c&c
The visual and performing arts department will present the
11th annual Gospelfest.
6
scene
The 4th and Geary
Farmer's Market provides fresh produce
at good prices close
to campus.
8
sports
Face-off: Two stu
dents debate the
rehiring of Men's
Basketball coach
Phil Mathews
10