Vandalism
motives remain unclear
By Gina Ponce and Christine G. Adamo
On-line Forty-Niner
Perpetrators
of hate crimes can be hard to recognize.
Sherry
Span, an assistant professor of clinical
psychology at Cal State Long Beach, responded
to questions about a swastika and derogatory
language that were scribbled on a dry-erase
board and a door at Parkside Commons dormitory
on Nov. 2.
There
is not one, clear-cut reason for individual
acts of hate, Span said, but a multitude
of reasons.
“People are always changing,” Span said.
“Experiences shape who we become.”
Acting out could be caused by the tremendous
stress involved in the transition from the
role of a high school student to that of
a college student, Span said.
Robbie Cardenas, a President’s Scholar and
2002 graduate of Tulare Western High School
located 45 minutes south of Fresno, was
cited for the vandalism.
Jennifer Temple, a sophomore studying liberal
arts at CSULB, said she was hosting a party
in building K at which Cardenas was a guest
when the incident occurred.
“I would never think he would write something
like that,” she said.
Temple said Cardenas was his usual self
on the night in question; smart, polite
and well-mannered. She said she was surprised
to see him write something on a dry-erase
board in the building after her party was
broken up by resident assistants.
She said a friend of Cardenas, who was visiting
from Fresno, drew the swastika.
Bertha Martinez was one of Cardenas’ counselors
at Tulare Western who said he kept busy
by involving himself with sports and school
dances.
Prior to Temple’s statement, Martinez called
Cardenas one who got away from the area
— an area she said leaves many students
with nothing to do.
“[Cardenas] was beside himself,” she said
of Cardenas’ acceptance at CSULB.
Martinez described Cardenas as respectful,
involved in student government and sports;
“nice and well-rounded, with a good GPA.”
Matt Sozinho, Cardenas’ Associated Student
Body adviser, saw the student every day
in class and said he served the ASB well
in his elected position as treasurer.
“I’ve known Robbie for a while,” Sozinho
said. “He had a big workload in classes
and was responsible for leadership. He was
very organized, which helped him balance
stress. He always wanted to have fun, but
not the destructive type.”
Sozinho said Cardenas stood out as someone
who always volunteered for whatever needed
to be done, smiled, lightened others’ spirits
and stood out academically — even in advanced
placement courses.
“Robbie stood out socially,” Sozinho said
of Cardenas’s high school days. “He had
a knack for getting people involved and
offered the best of both worlds; he was
academically inclined and socially friendly;
well liked.”
According to Span, changes in environment
alone — not necessarily related to anything
that may have occurred on campus — can cause
students to act in ways that are uncharacteristic
if feelings have been stirring for a long
time, but she added a cautionary note.
“I don’t think someone could change drastically
in a period of a few months,” she said.
“There are many facets to a person’s personality
that some may not see. It’s an impossibility
to get at the causes [of a hate crime] without
an extensive psychological assessment.”
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