Daily Titan May 12, 2011

Vol. 89 Issue 53

May 12, 2011

See Insert for Narratives and Photos from Vietnam

ONLINE EXCLUSIVES dailytitan.com

See the story of a surfer who continues to surf after recovering from a coma.

Visit DailyTitan. com/ShredStrong.

Scan to view

dailytitan.com The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton

Buyback Book Bargains Students are using online websites to get more cash for their textbooks KAMY WEST Daily Titan

AMY LEADBETTER / Daily Titan Araceli Ramirez holds on to a bicycle in the Quad Wednesday with her roommate Jocelyn Aragon to battle it out for a free iPad, which was the grand prize of the contest hosted by textbook company Bucks4Books.

Students Hold on Tight for the Win Off-campus bookstore hosts first bike-holding contest to spread the word about its low buyback textbook prices

AMY LEADBETTER Daily Titan

Six students held onto a bicycle yesterday in hopes of winning a free iPad, part of a contest

sponsored by Bucks4Books.

“I really want this iPad,” said Annie Chang, a health science major. “I have been looking forward to today for the past week. I am going to do whatever it takes to win it.”

All contestants had to have one hand on the bike at all times. They could not sit or kneel

and were given different tasks throughout the contests to complete; whoever lasted the longest won the iPad. The competition began at exactly at 10 a.m. While a couple of students admitted they hoped the competition didn’t last too long because they had class at 1 p.m., Roger Berkeley,

Defender finds new ground with lacrosse

As the Titans work for a Big West title, camaraderie builds up for notable results

FRANCES LEE Daily Titan

JEFF PRENOVOST The 2011 Cal State Fullerton softball team entered Big West Conference play with an 11-15 overall record after a tough non-conference schedule that saw them face the current No. 2 Michigan Wolverines and No. 3 Texas Longhorns.

The program will be looking to claim its ninth Big West championship since 1986, when it won the conference for the first time and went on to win the national championship that year.

Sitting on the bubble, the Titans (22-22 overall, 11-7 Big West) hope their non-conference schedule will earn them a spot in the championship bracket because they’ve played six other teams currently ranked in the nation’s top 25.

The Big West’s automatic bid goes to the champion of the conference, will put them into the regionals, and the Titans came out with that goal in mind when they hit the road to play UC Santa Barbara to begin league action.

See TITANS, page 8

See iPAD, page 2

Fending off the enemy from goal

Softball gets back on track

Daily Titan

a child development major, said he would hold on to the bicycle for 15 hours if he had to.

“I am going to win this,” said Berkeley. “I have participated in something similar before, and I stood for over 32 hours.”

Courtesy of CSUF VSA

VSA book donation Student organization helps promote literacy CHRISTOPHER PARK Daily Titan

The Vietnamese and Cambodian Student Association had its third annual book donation event next to the Pollak Library yesterday to send books to children in Vietnam and Cambodia.

The event was a joint project between Cal State Fullerton and universities in Vietnam and Cambodia. Students walking around campus were given the opportunity to donate a dollar to cover the cost of a book and to personalize a book with their signature before they were sent overseas. A wide variety of children’s books were available to pick out and personalize with a signature, from pop-up books to simple stories with simple life lessons.

Contact Us at dtnewsdesk@gmail.com

Even though Cambodian and Vietnamese children learn English in elementary school, their schools had a dearth of books in English.

“I went over to Cambodia and Vietnam to visit our partner libraries in partner universities,” said John Hickok, CSUF’s Outreach librarian. “The elementary schools over in Vietnam and Cambodia have very few books in English.”

The idea of book donations developed after a visit to Vietnam and Cambodia from President Milton Gordon and other faculty staff, where Gordon signed a memorandum of understanding in the Pannasastra University of Cambodia, which was a formal agreement to develop and execute joint projects.

See VSA, page 2

This year we had a new Titan on campus and luckily he was an asset to our men’s lacrosse club.

Cal State Fullerton freshman defenseman Jackson Wyatt was recruited from Lake Forest High School as a senior and chose CSUF from the many schools he was scouted from.

“I talked to the coach when I

was a senior, came out and practiced with him and decided against Chico State and Sonoma University,” said Wyatt. “I love it so far.

There are a lot of girls; I love the weather and being close to the beach.”

This year Wyatt assisted in winning the Southwestern Lacrosse Conference Championship in Tucson, Ariz., where he played against UC San Diego in the semifinals and won the final game against Concordia by one point.

See WYATT, page 11

It’s that time again. The time to get back less than you paid for that textbook you didn’t even open.

The Internet has transformed the textbook buying, renting and selling industry to make it easier and cheaper to get more money back for your book and cheaper to purchase a textbook.

Wendy Vazquez, 21, a business major and employee at the Titan Shops bookstore on campus, doesn’t need to fret over prices of textbooks this year.

“I get free rentals for books here because I work here at the store,” said Vazquez. “Selling your books to a friend or classmate might be cheaper than returning it back to the store.”

If students take time to search for a good deal online, they’re probably not going to have a difficult time finding an affordable deal; it just takes a little research. A few of the companies online, like Amazon.com, Half.com and ABuckABook.com, have great deals on purchasing, renting and selling back your textbooks. Half.com is a website like Amazon.com where you can purchase books for low prices and sell them back on the website.

“Last semester I returned all my books back to Little Professor. I’ll probably do some more investigating this time,” said Alexis Bravo, 18, a kinesiology major. “Some people sell their books at Half.com and buy them there too.”

See TEXTBOOK, page 3

WHAT’S INSIDE NEWS On-campus lecture discusses fluid sexuality ........................................3 OPINION Marijuana is better for you than taking painkillers ........................................4 FEATURES Visiting Casino Morongo ........................................6 SPORTS Men’s lacrosse wins third straight conference title ......................................11

Coming Soon: CSUF College Town

ONLINE

EXCLUSIVES dailytitan.com

Scan to view See a first-hand look at the College Town blueprint that Cal State Fullerton has in the works. To see more on this project, visit DailyTitan.com/CollegeTown.

dailytitan.com

2

NEWS

May 12, 2011

DTSHORTHAND Large Earthquake Shakes Spain A magnitude 5.1 earthquake hit the southeastern Spanish city of Lorca Wedneday night, killing eight people and sending a city of 80,000 people into the streets.

The quake struck at 6:47 p.m. and was estimated to last from five to eight seconds. It was then proceeded by a 4.5 magnitude aftershock minutes later.

Thousands of residents slept outside after the earthquake, many afraid to return to their houses and others were advised to do so by state radio.

At least one of the deaths occurred in a building collapse in Lorca, a state-run EFE said.

The quake occurred during election campaigning for Spain’s town mayors and regional government, but both major parties decided to put politics aside in respect for the victims.

Courtesy of CSUF VSA Student Association collects English books for underprivileged Vietnamese children.

VSA: Children’s books donated ...Continued from page 1 “This is an example of one of them,” Hickok said. “We take these books and then the Pannasastra students and myself will be distributing them to the children.”

Photos are sent back from Pannasastra to the CSA and VSA so that they know exactly where and who the books are going to, Hickok said.

CSA and VSA members have found the book donations to be a way of reaching out to their countries, even if they’ve never been to their country.

“It’s really empowering to send books and literature to little kids so

they can develop their language,” said Nancy Tran, a CSA member and sociology major.

David Chau, another CSA member and a marketing major, also finds it as an opportunity to simply help the less fortunate.

“Cambodia’s still struggling to recover from the genocide,” said Chau.

“So it’s really great that we can send these books to Cambodia so that these children can have something.”

“A lot of the CSA and VSA members are Cambodian-American and Vietnamese-American and have not yet actually been to their country of origin or their heritage,” Hickok said. “So this is kind of a way of connecting to their heritage without actually being there.”

FOR THE RECORD It is the policy of the Daily Titan to correct any inaccurate information printed in the publication as soon as the error is discovered. Any incorrect information printed on the front page will result in a correction printed on the front page. Any incorrect information printed on any other page will be corrected on page 2. Errors on the Opinion page will be corrected on that page. Corrections also will be noted on the online version of the Daily Titan.

Please contact Editor-in-Chief Isa Ghani at 657-278-5815 or at execeditor@dailytitan.com with issues about this policy or to report any errors.

Editorial Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor News Editor News Editor News Assistant News Assistant Content Editor Opinion Editor Opinion Assistant Sports Editor Sports Assistant Sports Assistant Features Editor Features Assistant Detour Editor Detour Assistant Copy Editor Copy Editor Creative Coordinator Photo Editor Photo Editor Photo Editor Photo Assistant Page Editor Graphic Designer Graphic Designer Web Editor Multimedia Editor Multimedia Editor Multimedia Assistant Adviser Main Line (657) 278-5815 News Line (657) 278-4415

Jonathan Gibby Mark Samala Johnny Le Lucio Villa William Camargo Jenelle Rensch Steve Sly Patrick Schwarz Jennifer Chung Hannah Dellinger Wes Nease Julissa Rivera Jason Shepard Editorial Fax (657) 278-2702 E-mail: dteditorinchief@gmail.com

Advertising Director of Advertising Asst. Advertising Director Production Assistant Production Assistant National Sales & Promotions Classifields Manager Senior Account Executive Account Executive Account Executive Account Executive Account Executive Account Executive Account Executive Webmaster Distribution Business Manager/Adviser

Adrian Gaitan Amber VanOrman Sidney Cumbie Jennifer Razo Daniel Zamilpa Director of Advertising Asst. Advertising Director Taylor Tunno Liz HernandezProduction Assistant Production Assistant Elizabeth Swiontek National Megan Klute Sales & Promotions Classifieds Manager Kathy Hamamoto Senior Account Executive Laura Barron-Lopez Account Executive Rebecca Hanson Account Executive Tyler Sweet Account Executive Eric Van Raalte Account Executive Houston WhaleyAccount Executive Robert Sage Account Executive

Main Line (657) 278-3373 Advertising (657) 278-4411

Distribution Editorial Fax (657) 278-2702 Business Manager/Adviser E-mail: ads@dailytitan.com

Webmaster

The Daily Titan is a student publication, printed every Monday through Thursday. The Daily Titan operates independently of Associated Students, College of Communications, CSUF administration and the CSUF System. The Daily Titan has functioned as a public forum since inception. Unless implied by the advertising party or otherwise stated, advertising in the Daily Titan is inserted by commercial activities or ventures identified in the advertisements themselves and not by the university. Such printing is not to be construed as written or implied sponsorship, endorsement or investigation of such commercial enterprises. The Daily Titan allocates one issue to each student for free.

Contact Us at dtnewsdesk@gmail.com

IPAD: Students compete in Bucks4Books contest ...Continued from page 1 Nancy Sandoval, territory manager for Bucks4Books, said since this is the first time they are hosting the iPad contest, she had no idea how long the students would be able to last. Her rough estimate was 5 p.m.

“Our company is still fairly new.

We like to do contests like this to interact with students and try to get our name out there,” said Sandoval.

Bucks4Books was started by students from Fredonia, N.Y. who were fed up with the campus’ typical low buyback and high markup cycle. Bucks4Books sells to a national market through the Internet, giving them the ability to evade quotas and buy back more books than the college bookstore that is limited to only buying books that

are being used on campus the following semester.

Sandoval said their biggest competition is the campus bookstore that has been around for a long time, and even though Bucks4Books’ main focus is Cal State Fullerton, they sell nationwide, guaranteeing a broader acceptance of texts.

Bucks4Books prides itself on funneling money to students and campus organizations. They also offer employment to college students in the market they serve.

The Fullerton location only hires CSUF students to both promote the company on campus and work in the store.

Kacey Magsino, a communicative disorders major, has been a promoter for Bucks4Books since last semester.

“Bucks4Books has a lot to give.

They offer really good deals to peo-

ple selling back used books, deals that even I wouldn’t expect,” said Magsino.

On top of providing good deals to those who sell their books, Magsino said they also have many incentives and giveaways.

Anyone who sells their books to Bucks4Books receives a scratcher and is eligible to win prizes that include a flat-screen TV, iPad, a Vegas weekend getaway, concert tickets, Dodgers and Angels tickets and over $5,000 in cash prizes.

The last two contestants standing in the iPad contest were roommates. Their final task that ultimately determined the winner required them to stand on their tiptoes and not let their heels touch the ground.

The iPad contest lasted for nearly four-and-a-half hours and ended at 2:25 p.m. The winner was Jocelyn Aragon, a radio-TV-film major.

Brief by Ashley Loera

Parking Truck Hits Student’s Car A CSUF Parking and Transportation vehicle collided with a student vehicle near Goodwin field Tuesday, damaging the left portion of the front end of the student’s vehicle.

The student, Brianna Medina, had turned onto Associated Road when she was struck making a right into the student parking lot. No injuries were reported for either party involved.

“I turned onto campus and a car was coming straight and hit me. It seemed like the car didn’t stop, but it just hit me,” said Medina.

Fullerton Police arrived on the scene but had no comments on the accident.

No witnesses were in the area when the accident occurred. Medina is unsure whether the driver of the parking enforcement vehicle had stopped or ignored their Brief by Margarita Castellanos

Cultural Exhibit Grand Opening

Isa Ghani Rachel David Keith Cousins Kiran Kazalbash Anders Howmann Jessica Rubio Kelsey Laney Gabrielle Abutom Charlotte Knight Gilbert Gutierrez III Rick Gomez Elliot Cook Katie Evans Carmen Varner Anna Gleason Krystle Uy Kyle Martinez Gilbert Gonzalez

Copyright ©2011 Daily Titan

AMY LEADBETTER / Daily Titan Six eager students hold on to a bicycle in the quad in hopes of winning an Apple iPad. Bucks4Books, an off-campus textbook store, sponsored the free-iPad contest to get students excited about the buy back season.

Cal State Fullerton’s Anthropology Teaching Museum will hold an opening event for its new exhibit “Cultural Treasures of Mexico” Thursday, May 12.

The free event, held at 6 p.m. in the Quad between McCarthy Hall and Pollak Library, will feature the heritage of the Phurepecha people of Michoacan through food, dance and bilingual tours of the exhibit, as well as a performance from the award-winning Curpite Dancers.

The actual exhibit, which features artifacts on loan from the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, will be located in McCarthy Hall Room 426 from May 13 to December 22.

“The goals are to educate the public about the rich cultural history of the Phurepecha people and to provide the disaporan Phurepecha community with access to information,” said Tricia Gabany-Guerrero, museum curator and assistant professor of anthropology.

The museum is the culmination of a semester-long project in Gabany-Guerrero’s class, which consists of 10 undergraduate and four graduate students.

Brief by Ashley Loera

May 12, 2011

dailytitan.com

NE WS

3

JOHNNY LE / Daily Titan Book buyback season is now in full swing with final exams right around the corner. However there are better ways to make money than selling back your book to Titan Shops.

TEXTBOOK: Online stores may give you a better deal for your used books ...Continued from page 1 Another website that will help not to burn holes in pocket books is Chegg.com. This website allows students to rent textbooks, get study materials for their courses, get a quote on a price for a textbook and even offers help with homework.

It provides 14 days of free homework help. Chegg’s claim on its website is that it will save students over $400 a year when they rent the textbooks instead of buy, and Chegg will even pay for

the shipping when you send your books back to Chegg.com.

When you get to the website, it takes three steps to get your book.

Search for the books you want, pay only for the time you will use them and when you’re ready to return them, just send them back at no cost; Chegg will pay for your shipping.

The site is designed to offer students a more comprehensive and multifaceted way of learning and organizing their academic lives, as stated in a press release March 24, 2011 on the Chegg website.

Chegg has also found ways to minimize its carbon footprint by

using every dollar to plant a tree.

So far, according to the Global ReLeaf program at AmericanForests. org, Chegg has planted 33 million trees since the program began in 1990 and has set a goal to bring that total to 100 million by the year 2020.

Kelly Wolfe, 18, an English major, is a supporter of Chegg.com.

“I rent my books from Chegg.com and I didn’t have any problems finding the books I needed for my classes. I also purchased some books on Amazon.com.”

Another money-saving textbook website is a privately held company called ABuckABook.com.

According to the website information, the company consists of five people that have like-minded views on the way the college textbook industry operates.

Its goal is to bring a lasting change to this market and make the buying and selling of used college textbooks more profitable for those who really matter: the students.

“I don’t return my books, I keep mine,” said Judy Tsai, 23, a liberal studies major. “But I have heard of people selling their books on Amazon or on their own to get more money back than they would at the bookstore.”

Fullerton: A target for future quakes?

Preparation and planning will be key to surviving a natural disaster of Japanese proportions KAMY WEST Daily Titan

Due to the natural disasters that have occurred in China, Japan, Thailand, New Orleans, Haiti and New Zealand, experts believe we should prepare ourselves for a disaster on our shores.

In the case of a natural disaster like the one in Japan, we should not take being prepared lightly.

The magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan are wake-up calls not to forget and to respect the unpredictable wrath of Mother Nature.

Fullerton is so close to the San Andreas Fault. Larry Collins, captain of the Los Angeles Fire Department in the Special Operations Bureau, wrote in his article “The ShakeOut San Andreas Earthquake Scenario” about the overdue earthquake.

“Nowhere is the danger of impending catastrophe more palpable than in Southern California,” said Collins, “where the southern-most segment of the San Andreas Fault has gone more than 300 years on average, so it’s long overdue for a very large quake.”

From 1980-2011, according to the Southern California Earthquake Data Center, there have been 30 earthquakes with a magnitude 4.5 and larger. In the last 10 years there have been 18 earthquakes with a magnitude 4.5 and larger.

In 1906, the San Francisco earthquake was a magnitude 8.3 and killed 700 people. It was the postquake fire that swept through the city that caused most of the damage.

Another earthquake in California that caused a lot of damage was the 1989 Loma Prieta 7.0 quake, where 62 people were killed, 3,757 were injured and 12,053 were displaced, according to the website Citizendia.org. During the Loma Prieta

earthquake, extensive liquefaction occurred along the entire shoreline of the Monterey Bay, as well as in San Francisco’s Marina District and along the bay shore in Oakland.

In 1994, Nothridge experienced a magnitude 6.8 earthquake that killed 60 people, according to the Pacific Disaster Center. This quake injured more than 7,000 people and left 20,000 homeless. Damages were estimated to be in the range of $20 billion.

“The only fear I have about being in the middle of an earthquake is wondering about the damage that a post-quake will cause. I would hate to think about what the government would do if thousands of people were misplaced from their homes. I have extra water and food in my garage and I keep an earthquake kit with a pair of shoes under my bed,” said Steve Robbins, 34, a business major.

Sue Fisher, the Emergency Preparedness coordinator, is focusing on promoting dialogue among faculty and students about the importance of knowing what you should do, or have an option of doing, in such situations as a natural disaster, technological disaster or a violent act on campus. She has organized a drill called “Shelter-in-Place” for the month of April.

“The reason I’ve organized this is that it is very timely and it shows that with the combination of a natural disaster with a technological disaster, we need to be prepared in a variety of ways. That is why we did The Great ShakeOut last October and that is why we did the Shelterin-Place,” said Fisher.

On the Campus Emergency Preparedness website, a variety of events could require you to shelterin-place: 1) Chemical accident 2) Severe weather conditions 3) Dangerous local situation 4) Armed person on campus The drill Tuesday, April 12, be-

gan mid-afternoon. It was an announcement that a shelter-in-place exercise started. Fisher explained that people were directed to the emergency preparedness website to have everyone go over what shelterin-place means, when to employ it and when running or fighting back are better options for violent situations, for example.

“I think particularly for students it is quite terrifying to experience a violent act on campus. The most important thing to do is to know how to protect yourself,” Fisher said.

Fisher said people would get the option of taking the next 15 minutes to review and discuss the material. After those 15 minutes a voice announcement would end the drill.

In case of an earthquake with a high magnitude that affects our power for more than two weeks and disconnects our communication lines - for example, Internet, phone, everything that requires generation of power - students should go through their Student Portal and update their emergency information so they may receive SMS texts for notifications, as directed on the campus website at Prepare.Fullerton.edu.

The USGS shakeout earthquake scenario designed by Theo Alexopoulous, an Art Center College of Design alumnus, explains on the website the steps on how to be prepared: 1) Have a fire extinguisher.

2) Have a first-aid kit.

3) Make sure there is enough water for each person in the household to have at least one gallon of water a day for three days.

4) Have an emergency plan (where to meet the family after the earthquake).

5) Make sure to have a phone number of a person out of town to let know that you are OK. 6) Homeowners should bolt down the house to its foundation.

7) Secure personal possessions against earthquake damage.

8) Be sure the company you work for has an emergency plan for a major earthquake.

Ryan Alhadeff, 23, a business major, feels confident in his earthquake preparedness.

“As strong as America is, I feel like relief would be slow in a time of disaster and that we need to be aware that a natural disaster of any kind could happen at any moment.

The key is to stay alert and not panic,” said Alhadeff.

Jack Bage, who is in charge of the building codes here on campus, explained that some common dangers would be books falling and broken glass. The CSU has a seismic review board and they use it to view seismic safety of all the buildings, he said.

“We have some of the best and brightest engineers,” said Bage. “I believe that we have achieved a high standard of life safety in our buildings.”

CAMILLE TARAZON / Daily Titan Lisa Diamond, a gender and health psychology and sexuality expert, spoke to CSUF students about sexual desire constantly changing.

Understanding fluid sexuality

Gender and sexuality researcher presented her findings about human attraction CHRISTOPHER PARK Daily Titan

Students packed a University Hall lecture room Tuesday afternoon where Lisa M. Diamond, a researcher in the realms of gender and health psychology and sexuality, posited that sexual orientation and desire among gay women were in constant fluidity and that the old labels of orientation no longer applied.

Diamond presented her research to the audience on sexual fluidity, where sexual desires were constantly in flux.

The final result she came to was that there was variability in attractions, behavior and identity over time.

On the subject of strictly defined orientations – lesbian, bisexual, heterosexual – Diamond said, “It’s a lot more complicated than that.”

She followed up her assertion with researching three distinct groups – lesbian, bisexual and unlabeled.

Diamond said what she found was that at least 69 percent of her sample transitioned from one group to the next at least once before officially coming out.

“The longer you follow people, more often the changes occur,” Diamond said.

Specific sample subjects from Diamond’s research also showed wild variations in a woman’s sexual desire and activity.

Subject Sue, primarily a lesbian, married her best friend, a male, even though she was still a lesbian.

“Sue just seemed to love this one man in particular and other men,” Diamond said. Multiple other subjects were shown, where one would have an affair with another woman and then ultimately marry a male and some with such wild variations that she couldn’t discern

what her subject was thinking, but reinforced Diamond’s idea of sexual fluidity.

Is there any way to define a woman’s orientation?

Diamond found the answer in ovulation. Diamond said that between ovulation was the “Arousability Period,” where sexual desire wasn’t as strong.

During ovulation was the “Proceptivity Period,” where a woman actively seeks out sex. Just which gender the woman seeks during the Proceptivity Period is the most telling.

“When ovulating, you figure out if she’s a fluid homosexual or a lesbian,” Diamond said.

Ultimately, Diamond said the old models of sexuality no longer applied.

She presented the Kinsey scale, a zero-to-six scale indicating sexual orientation, which no longer worked. The new model, Diamond suggested, would have to “rethink the way we measure and conceptualize desire, where change was fundamental, not artificial.”

Diamond believes there are constant shifts in an ongoing oscillation, where a lesbian or a heterosexual could have some fluidity in her sexual and relationship desires.

Damien Montaño, a Chicano studies major, found he agreed with a lot of what Diamond had to say.

“As she was going through the models, I could think of at least one person that fit in a category,” he said.

Montaño added that he wished Diamond had more time to speak on this subject, because he wished Diamond was able to speak of culture and how that could affect sexual fluidity.

“I thought it was really phenomenal,” said Dora Armenta, a sociology major. “I never thought of sexuality as fluid. It presents a different perspective on sexuality.”

dailytitan.com/news

dailytitan.com

4

OPINION

May 12, 2011

Recipe for a break-up Excuses, defense mechanisms and hypocrisy all lead to no good MELISSA HOON For the Daily Titan

CARMEN VARNER / Daily Titan

Marijuana has several perks Medical cannibis is a much better natural alternative to pain killers CARMEN VARNER Daily Titan

Marijuana is nature’s miracle.

And it just got better!

Scientists discovered that the chemical component in weed, THC, binds to different targets which creates two effects: the high and the pain-easing factor.

It is not one reaction as was previously thought.

Scientists believe they can isolate the pain-relieving benefits of marijuana without the high, according to an article from The Week.

Is weed worth it if it doesn’t get you high?

Well, duh!

Weed without the high is like coffee without the flavor.

You drink coffee for its caffeine; it’s simply an added bonus that it tastes so scrumptious.

If you smoke weed to ease your ailments, it’s an added bonus it gets you high.

The high is not actually the key factor here.

I have encountered many who smoke ganja and their reasons always seem to vary.

Some do smoke leisurely just because they enjoy the high, the overall sense of calmness that spreads through their body and their mind.

On the other hand, some smoke weed because it genuinely eases

their pain.

“I use it for migraine headaches.

It is a natural alternative to Motrin and Tylenol, which can ruin your kidneys and liver. If I didn’t get high, I would still use it because it works effectively,” said a history major, 21, who would prefer to remain anonymous.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but if a person doesn’t approve of marijuana, I think they seriously don’t understand the medical benefits.

Back in the day, I too shook my head in shame at those who smoked pot, but that was before I became enlightened.

“This is an important breakthrough in the long-sought separation of intoxicant effects of THC from its desired medical effects,” said Les Iversen in an article from New Scientist.

Iversen studies the effects of marijuana at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.

The revelation of scientists being able to isolate the pain-easing properties from marijuana might be the driving force for more people to comprehend its medical advantages.

This is a modern medical breakthrough, really.

Now people can see weed for what it is – nature’s way of helping people.

“It could be like any other drug we take to ease pain,” said Katelyn Koopman, 19, a nursing major. “I

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Daily Titan welcomes letters to the editor.

All letters must include the sender’s first and last name. Students must include their majors, and other writers must include their affiliation to the university, if applicable.

The Daily Titan reserves the right to edit letters for length, grammar and spelling. Send letters to Isa Ghani, the Editor-in-Chief, at DTEditorInChief@ gmail.com.

Contact Us at dtopinion@gmail.com

don’t see why anyone would be opposed to that.”

She is not a marijuana smoker.

A friend of mine smokes bud because he has Crohn’s disease, a chronic inflammation of the intestines. Essentially, he’s in pain pretty much all the time and has a hard time eating.

He once told me he smokes around an eighth of weed a day.

He smokes cannabis for medical reasons and doesn’t take any other type of medication.

Cannabis is a painkiller, just as Advil or Tylenol.

Plus, it’s 100 percent natural.

I’d rather smoke a dried up plant than ingest a man-made pill.

Many don’t realize weed’s healing agents and continue to think of it as a terrible gateway drug that leads to heroin use (or some farfetched idea like that).

The Week said researchers identified exactly where THC targets the nervous system to ease anxiety and dwindle pain.

So instead of smoking an eighth a day, my friend can take a THC pill to alleviate his symptoms.

Sounds like a good idea to me.

In the end, it’s not really about the high.

That’s just a special feature.

This isn’t about those teen hooligans who blaze all day because they’re bored.

This is about medicinal marijuana and its very obvious medical properties.

I hate excuses, defense mechanisms and hypocrisy.

What ever happened to good ol’ communication minus the games?

The following is based on a true tale of two lovers, but applies to everyone, as it accurately depicts problems that arise from the excuses, the defense mechanisms and the hypocrisy.

Imagine your relationship is doomed but you really want to resolve it. You and your possibly soonto-be ex hash out what bothers you both and set ground rules.

You discuss trust, agree to bury past incidents that continually caused problems and each agrees to treat the other how he or she would like to be treated.

You finally feel like you’re moving toward a solution and make promises to keep each other happy.

Then he (or maybe you — but I’ll stick with the male pronoun, seeing as I’m female) undoes everything the two of you talked about in a series of events.

Right after discussing trust, he searches for your phone, uncovers it from a zipped pocket buried deep in your purse and begins snooping through it.

“But I do trust you! Please don’t be mad,” he begs.

“This was so stupid of me!”

Damn straight.

Now not only do you not trust him, but you feel like you can never solve anything through communication — an obvious sign toward a dead-end relationship.

You love him so you decide to move forward, skeptically believing his promises to earn your trust back. He says the two of you should always be upfront and honest with each other about what you’re doing and where you’re going in order to avoid future trust issues, and you agree.

The trust is well on its way to being re-established, but you’re wary the relationship dynamics suddenly

feel too good to be true.

You’re at lunch and are about to confess your happiness and assurance that the relationship has become solid lately and that the two of you will move forward without a doubt when, sure enough, he blurts out: “I honestly think you’re bipolar.

You really need to get some help.”

Right after discussing trust, he searches for your phone, uncovers it from a zipped pocket buried deep in your purse and begins snooping through it.

You don’t know whether to laugh, cry or get upset. But then again, you’re allegedly bipolar.

“Don’t be upset,” he says. “I still like you, I just think you’re bipolar.”

How romantic. You’re baffled — who’s the crazy one here?

He expects things will still be fine and dandy even though it’s clear you’ll constantly second-guess yourself when you get upset in the future due to your innate concern about whether or not you’re acting irrational.

You should just slap him and leave him with the tab. But don’t — you don’t want to seem crazy.

Maybe you are crazy though, because you decide to look past the ac-

cusation and continue to try to be happy with him.

You head to a meeting for school and call him afterward hoping to hang out, but his phone keeps ringing.

He doesn’t respond to you until the next morning via text, explaining that his phone died when he had gone to a club in Los Angeles the night before.

You know he’s lying about his phone since it couldn’t be dead because it rang.

You don’t care about his rendezvous in LA, but are perplexed that he always demands you tell him where you’re at at all times in order to solve the trust issue.

He tried taking the heat off him with excuses (ahem, lies) about his phone. He portrayed further defense mechanisms by telling you he thought you’d be busy all night, even though you told him your meeting wouldn’t last long.

Finally, he’s a hypocrite for expecting you to tell him your whereabouts when he doesn’t do the same. You want to talk it over, but, as always, he continues his cycle of excuses, defense mechanisms and hypocrisy.

He finally stops answering you (let me guess… his phone died again?), reassuring you that the two of you will never be able to effectively communicate, so you end things for good.

You don’t want to, but what else can you really do to save your deadend relationship?

Why can’t the two of you apologize and take responsibility for your wrongs, don’t repeat mistakes and move forward?

The moral of this story is to break the vicious cycle of excuses, defense mechanisms and hypocrisy before it starts.

To do so, identify that the cycle is taking place and attempt to put an end to the cycle by talking it out and following through with solutions.

If communication proves to be ineffective, stop while you’re ahead.

End the relationship before a series of very silly and senseless events like the ones aforementioned occur.

May 12, 2011

dailytitan.com

Cell phones lower grades

OPINION

5

Frisk Me

by CHARLOTTE KNIGHT

“Let’s get personal”

A quick lesson on rejection Courtesy of Flickr user Craig1black

Calls may cost us students more than we may realize KATHLEEN ROSELL Daily Titan

The first week of every semester we sit through the long, monotonous speeches about academic integrity, course expectations, due dates, course outlines and grading.

The most interesting part of these long lectures that we have to listen to at least four times every semester is the part about the grading.

We get participation points and certain percentages for different things.

However, the teachers sometimes neglect to let us know what they do and do not allow. Some teachers are very upfront with what they allow and cell phones are never one of them.

Some teachers allow laptops, but even though the world is going digital, classrooms seem to be going the other way.

More and more am I watching my classmates be told to put their laptops away, because the teachers know that the students are only on Facebook.

Personally, I think I would be offended if the students who signed up to take this class feel disinclined to pay attention. This is the professor’s job.

They have decided to go into teaching to pass their knowledge on to us, their students. We may

just want the grade, but we miss so much by not paying attention.

The professors simply expect the same courtesy they display in class.

The teachers are not texting in class, so why should we?

If they tell us at the beginning of the semester that they do not allow cell phones in class, then they have every right to take their revenge upon us and take points off our grade.

True, some teachers do not tell the class the usage of cell phones will result in the loss of points, but when has texting in class been encouraged?

Is it so hard to turn the phone off for a whopping two hours?

How will our social lives survive us not being constantly available to Tweet and IM on Facebook?

If there is a chance of an emergency or you have made arrangements for a call that can’t help but be during a class, then a teacher will understand if it is a one-time thing; just keep your phone on silent and politely excuse yourself when the time comes.

Is that so hard?

Now, I cannot say that I am perfect and have never texted under the desk or let my web-searching take me away from the PowerPoint online to check some other digital media.

But I do not make a habit of it.

When my philosophy teacher has to keep stopping class to repeatedly ask students to put their phones away, not once but several times in one class, then he has every right to finally say, “Forget it,

what is your name? I am docking points!”

Yet, when the world is going so digital so fast, the teachers need to face the inevitable. If they can’t beat them, join them.

Many schools in Asia, the United Kingdom and our neighbors to the north in Canada have been experimenting with incorporating the cell phone usage into class.

Teachers harnessed the text messages, Bluetooth and recording devices to keep better track of what was going on in class and to help students remember their homework and assignments.

To their great amazement, the phones that had been a nuisance became important tools of learning. Now that it was not taboo to use phones in class, the students in one Canadian classroom were found to be more focused on their work and less distracted.

It is sort of like the idea that if you are not allowed to do something, you do it, but if it is OK then the idea suddenly becomes less interesting.

On a college level, phones may not be as handy when it comes to homework, but phones are not going away.

Professors do not need to let us know that the use of them in class will result in points lost. Unless the professors say, “Text away!” keep the phones in the bags.

Maybe one day soon a professor will harness the potential of controlling a class via cell phone.

But until that day, just put your social life on hold for a little while and enjoy the class.

It’s better to be honest about not being romantically interested in the beginning of a relationship to avoid causing confusion I never thought I’d find myself on a date with Confused, the surprisingly talented actor from my theatre class last semester.

We never really made it a point to talk for very long until I found him on Facebook and humbly requested his friendship, to which he quickly accepted

I can’t see myself dating someone who sees a greater importance in having me as a love interest than a friend. Someone like that doesn’t deserve me.

and the real chit-chatting commenced.

He took a strong interest in English and theatre, so conversing with him and finding common ground was relatively simple.

So when this sweet, smart, albeit-a-little-dorky guy asked me out on a date with the mutual agreement that neither of us were looking for anything serious right away, who was I to not at least give him a chance? Of course I said yes.

And let me tell you, it was the best date I had ever been on. Japanese for dinner, fro-yo for dessert and a Natalie Portman movie afterward – all on his tab – made it a truly wonderful evening. We agreed another date was in order.

However, I believe it’s pointless continuing to date someone whom you have no romantic interest in.

And I wasn’t feeling a damn thing from Confused as far as romance goes.

I don’t know if maybe we were moving things too fast, or I wasn’t having the PDA, or I was going through a stressful turning point in my life at that time; whatever it was, I couldn’t do it.

Maybe I shouldn’t have broken it to him through AIM when he suggested we go on a third date.

But if he started it over the Internet, I was going to finish it over the Internet.

“Hey, I’d love to go to Victoria Gardens with you, but why don’t we just go Dutch?” I asked.

“What do you mean? I’m confused.”

“I mean, why don’t we go as friends?”

“You’re confusing me.”

“We can just go out as friends. It doesn’t have to be a date. I would prefer it not to be a date.”

“Wait, Charlotte, I’m confused… I like you and you like me, right?”

He then proceeded to update his Facebook status to: “Words cannot describe how confused I am right now.”

“Look dude, I’m just not getting anything out of whatever this is,” I replied.

“I would like to hang out with you, but I’d feel more comfortable if we just went as friends from now on.”

“No.” Confused was firm. “I have to stay true to myself. It must be a date.”

“Well, it won’t be a date.” I was also firm.

“If you don’t want to hang out as friends, then we shouldn’t hang out at all.”

“You know, Charlotte, I can’t tell if you’re this sweet, wonderful person I met in my theatre class, or if you’re this cold, disinterested person I’m speaking to now,” Confused snapped.

“You are so hard to read, and I’m not going to waste any more of my time being confused over it.

Have a good life.”

He logged out of AIM and updated his status once again to, “I’m just going to ignore it, because it’s not worth being confused over,” leaving me speechless, relieved and with one of the greatest epiphanies of my life.

First – and let me just get this out of the way now – I can’t see myself dating someone majoring in English if he’s never picked up a thesaurus in his life.

For the next two weeks, I forbade all my friends to use that dreaded C-word around me.

Second, if we were not under the mutual agreement that we weren’t looking for anything serious, I never would have gone out on a date with him in the first place.

We had gone on two dates, but he acted like we had been together for five faithful years and I was breaking up with him just for the hell of it.

When he told me he wasn’t looking for anything serious either and then reacted in the way he did, it gave me the impression that he flat-out lied to me from the get-go.

I can’t see myself dating someone who would get so attached so quickly.

Third, I felt that I was as respectful as I could have been in telling him that after less than a month of dating, I just wasn’t interested.

And I can’t see myself dating someone who sees a greater importance in having me as a love interest than a friend.

Someone like that doesn’t deserve me.

Come on, let’s be real.

No one likes rejection.

Whether it’s applying for a job interview, asking for a raise, borrowing money from the parents or asking Hottie McHotstuff on a date, no one gets some sort of sick, twisted pleasure from being told, “No, you cannot have what you want today.”

But how you handle that rejection makes all the difference between, “No, you cannot have what you want today” and “No, you cannot have what you want—ever.”

Think about it. God forbid he should behave that way at a job interview.

The reaction I got from Confused led me to believe he was either really desperate to have a girlfriend, really bummed that he wasn’t going to get to have sex with me, or both.

Either way, he completely lost my respect, and I will not go out of my way to recommend him to any girl who inquires.

But girls are the least of his worries.

He will lose so much more in the long run if throwing a boyish tantrum over a bruised ego is how he chooses to deal with rejection in the real world.

dailytitan.com/opinion

dailytitan.com

6

FEATURES

May 12, 2011

DAVID MUÑOZ / For the Daily Titan Chimpanzees at the Los Angeles Zoo are there to teach children about our primate ancestors. Life expectancy in the Los Angeles Zoo is higher in captivity by 15 to 20 years, longer than if they lived in the wild of Africa.

Studying primate behavior at CSUF Chimpanzees share more than 98 percent of DNA with humans DAVID MUÑOZ and are more closely related to us For the Daily Titan than they are to gorillas. Conservation of chimpanzees is a battle with many factors that need to be addressed, a topic that Cal State Fullerton’s “Primate Behavior” class is studying. Chimpanzees are currently classified as endangered and run the risk of becoming totally extinct. There are several problems that threaten the existence of the species.

The Los Angeles Zoo is currently home to 14 chimpanzees that live in an exhibit that recreates their natural habitat. Ages of the chimps at the LA Zoo range from 8 to 43 years old. Life expectancy is higher in captiv-

ity by 15 to 20 years than in the wild. The purpose of the exhibit is to expose children to our primate ancestors. Chimpanzees are just as social as humans and have many of the same characteristics as we do. They have hairless ears and faces and their skin is dark in color and is covered with long black hair that grays with age. A male can stand up to 5 feet tall and can weigh up to 150 pounds, and females are slightly smaller. Also like humans, chimps have an opposable thumb that allows them to grasp and use tools much like we do. Although chimpanzees are able to stand upright for a short amount of time, they rest their body weight on their knuckles. Conservation remains the key to preserving chimpanzee habitats and populations throughout Africa.

“We see these chimpanzees as ambassadors for their species as they represent their species in the wild. If we don’t do something to save them, there will not be any chimps in the wild for our grandchildren to observe,” said Candice Sclimenti, an LA Zoo senior animal keeper. “We need to educate young children about chimpanzees and develop a bond between them that will grow into their adulthood.”

When you direct the conservation with children, you are able to accomplish two important factors: Recruit the youth and they will in turn communicate the message to

Courtesy of Flickr user gawwdkristin The Casino Morongo is a local alternative to Las Vegas where Orange County residents can experience the joys of gambling, nightlife and shopping without driving too far.

Morongo: A local casino KACIE YOSHIDA Daily Titan

Casino Morongo shines like a silver bullet in the hot sun.

Its reflective windows are the only signs of life as the tall structure stands alone in the middle of the dry desert.

While cars pass by the structure all day long en route to other vacation destinations, many motorists fail to creep into its looming aura.

However, behind its mysterious outer walls, Casino Morongo is an air-conditioned haven.

Its sharply dressed and thoroughly trained dealers bring a sense of importance to an otherwise mundane day.

Occupied with bright lights, slot machines, card tables, a large buffet, nightly events and the occasional chain smoker, Casino Morongo is Las Vegas in a nutshell.

Just a few hours from campus, Casino Morongo sits directly off the 10 Freeway in Cabazon.

Located a few blocks from the Cabazon Outlet mall, it’s a perfect destination for college students who want to plan a day trip without paying an outrageous amount of money in the process.

With blackjack tables starting with $10 bets and penny slots galore, anyone with a day job can afford the inexpensive trip.

And with gas quickly approaching an all-time high, the short trip can save loads of money in the long run while relieving the stress

of finals and, for some, graduation.

Despite its affordability and location, Casino Morongo has its faults.

As mere leeches to the naturally energetic building, intensely addicted gamblers send foreboding feelings to youngsters wishing to have fun. “Feeling it out” on the blackjack table is grinned upon while playing by the book is the only way to please locals.

Contrary to the fun that Vegas promotes with free drinks and cigarettes, California state law forbids complementary alcoholic beverages, leaving the casino a stiff and sober gambling fest.

For those under the legal gambling age at Casino Morongo, which is 18 years old, one of the best outlet malls in Southern California is located within walking distance.

And while the dry summer heat might deter day trippers from venturing out of the air-conditioned casino, Cabazon is known for having an assortment of great stores

Contact Us at dtfeaturesdesk@gmail.com

ranging from Nike, Adidas and Vans to expensive luxury outlets like Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein and Coach.

After winning a few bucks at the tables, making the easy trip to the discount stores only seems natural, but beware of some deceiving outlets. Some stores like Zumies and PacSun showcase the normal retail prices.

True outlet stores like Maidenform, Rip Curl and Reebok offer the best deals at extraordinary prices. Nearly anything can be found at the Cabazon Outlets for a decent price.

Hugo Boss offers high-quality suits at unbeatable prices while Zales blows out diamonds at costume jewelry prices.

When visiting Casino Morongo and the Cabazon Outlets this year, remember to come equipped with some pocket cash to gamble with and sunblock to fend off unwanted sunburns.

For more information visit CasinoMorongo.com and CabazonOutlets.com.

their parents and community.

“Chimpanzees have a multiple of core problems that have really caused a large number of them being killed and exterminated in the wild. The real issues are logging, pet trade, bushmeat, disease and of course, medical research. About 20 years ago there were approximately 1 million chimpanzees scattered throughout Africa, but currently there are 100,000 to 200,000 chimpanzees,” said Norman Rosen, a CSUF professor and primatologist.

There are laws in place to protect chimpanzees, but governments must have the resources to enforce these laws in all areas. African governments must work with non-government organizations (NGOs) to provide protection of this endangered species in the wild. The fate of chimpanzees is uncertain, but we can still prevent their demise with cooperative conservation.

“If we don’t stop these losses, they will go extinct. The focus for conservation today must be simple; the habitat countries that have wild chimps must get the governments to decide that they must save the habitat. They need people to patrol a lot of these areas. The laws are there, therefore they must enforce them and if we do that we can save the chimps,” Rosen said.

“Conservation of chimps should be important to us humans since they are so closely related to us,” said Diego Zarate, a CSUF student.

With time running out, humans must continue to conserve chimpanzees and their habitat in order to keep them from going extinct for future generations to observe in the wild. Humans are the worst enemy to chimps and if we destroy them, we will destroy a part of ourselves. For additional information, visit LaZoo.org

May 12, 2011

dailytitan.com

FE ATURES

7

COLLEEN DONOVAN / For the Daily Titan Laguna Beach is a popular tourist attraction in Orange County where Californians love to tan, surf and swim, especially tourists who have never seen the ocean.

From Oklahoma to the OC COLLEEN DONOVAN For the Daily Titan

When I was 10 years old, my dad decided to pack up the family and move out to California.

We lived in Oklahoma at the time, but had come by way of Michigan.

California was a far-off dream for my father, who was stationed at Camp Pendleton near San Di-

ego when he was only 18 years old.

He left the military and moved back to the Midwest, but vowed to return someday to California, the place he called “the promised land.”

I didn’t mind the move—I knew California was way cooler than Oklahoma.

The promised land had a lot to offer a 10-year-old like me.

One of my first memories of

Summer fun on a budget

ONLINE

EXCLUSIVES dailytitan.com

See what you can do in the summer time on a student budget at DailyTitan. com/CheapSummer/

Scan to view

Southern California was a day we spent at Laguna Beach.

I remember traveling along Laguna Canyon Road; it gave me the feeling I was in the middle of nowhere.

I was skeptical of there being any beach at all, but the beach was there.

In a big, beautiful way, it was there.

The road ended, and the canyon opened up, giving way to one of the most amazing sights.

In front of my eyes was endless blue water merging into the lofty blue sky.

There were gorgeous, tan California bodies covering the sand and swimming in the ocean.

I couldn’t wait to get in!

Once we had found our spot on the beach and laid out our towels on the sand, my brother, sister and I ran full speed toward the water.

The waves were like walls of water begging me to jump in, dive in and float over.

It was easy for me to get used to swimming in the ocean.

I had no fear. I loved it.

I felt like a natural, like a real California girl.

At one point, I stopped swimming to catch my breath and just hang out in the white water for a few minutes.

I was still standing there when my dad caught my eye.

He was sitting up on the sand watching my brother, my sister and me swimming.

He was trying to get my attention to tell me something.

He was sitting there and mouthing something to me.

I couldn’t quite make out what he was saying.

I stayed standing up, looking at my dad, completely focused on him, trying to figure out what he wanted.

It looked important (My back was to the ocean.)

Then, with no warning, I was knocked down hard, crushed to the floor of the ocean and tossed around like a rag doll for what seemed an eternity.

The wave showed no mercy on me, a Midwestern girl desperately trying to make a seamless transition into my new home and identity.

I finally made it back up to the surface. I stood up.

Embarrassed. Sad. Embarrassed.

My dad was laughing.

I was enraged that he was laughing.

It was his fault the wave got me.

Why was he talking to me when I had my back to the ocean?

What a complete jerk!

I suppose he knew I was alright... despite being crushed.

Turns out, what he was trying to tell me was that there was a really big wave about to hit me.

He was trying to warn me.

Oops.

I learned a big lesson that day: Never. Turn. Your. Back. To the Ocean.

And, respect the power of it.

Laguna Beach is still one of my favorite places to go.

I don’t particularly like to think of the pummeling the wave gave me that day, but there was something symbolic about it.

The ocean took me in.

It welcomed me, even though I was not a native.

It showed me its breathtaking and natural beauty.

Then, in one split second, it swallowed me up and spit me back out—almost as though I had been baptized.

Reborn. Changed.

One moment I was a naive Midwestern girl and the next, a wise, yet humble, California girl.

Courtesy of Dara Bu Orange County’s eighth annual THREAD show will take place May 15 at The LAB in Costa Mesa and will give locals access to up-and-coming fashion designers and art.

Previewing the eighth annual THREAD show ALNAS ZIA Daily Titan

The end-of-the-semester glee and the excitement of summer can be doubled for all fashion lovers this weekend.

The eighth annual THREAD show is coming to Orange County Sunday at The LAB for its 2011 spring and summer series.

The shopping event aims to curate the works of up-and-coming local fashion designers and hosts various arts and entertainment activities for its guests.

It is an opportunity to shop new fashion and art labels at a reasonable price before the merchandise hits the shopping centers.

“By allowing shoppers to skip the third-party retailer, THREAD gives trendsetters an opportunity to meet the designers face to face, feed the local economy and ensure products are locally made and ethically produced. This one-on-one connection also allows designers

to get direct feedback from their consumers and lifts the veil for consumers to know exactly where their products come from,” said Danielle Gano, THREAD show spokesperson, in a press release.

DIY Lounge, a Man Cave, live blogger style-offs and a nail bar are some of the several interactive activities that are planned for the event to keep the attendees entertained.

There will also be giveaways and drink specials available throughout the day. The general admission fee to the event is $5 if attendees RSVP 24 hours prior to the event at ThreadShow.com.

Premium tickets for early viewing are also available at $25 for the first 300 guests at the door.

Tickets at $10 will also be available at the door on the day of the event.

The event will take place at 11 a.m. to 6 p.m, with the first hour reserved for the premium ticket holders.

The LAB is located at 2930 Bristol St. in Costa Mesa.

dailytitan.com/features

dailytitan.com

8

SPORTS

May 12, 2011

TITANS: Softball continues to climb up the Big West ladder ...Continued from page 1 In a trend that would see the Titans lose three divisional openers by just a run, they were defeated in their first game against UCSB, but pulled off the series win with two straight victories to start conference play 2-1.

“I feel like we’ve done really well in the Big West,” said Ariel Tsuchiyama sophomore catcher, who has a .432 batting average so far in Big West play and is perfect behind the plate with zero errors. “We knew that we wanted it from the very beginning and so you know that really gave us the mindset to just go out there and get after everybody, no matter who it was.”

The Titans took on UC Riverside next and won another Big West series after losing game one by a single run.

After their series with UC Riverside, the Titans were sitting at 4-2 in the Big West as they returned home to face Cal Poly San Luis Obispo for a three-game set at Anderson Family Field.

CSUF claimed a series sweep in their matchup against the Mustangs.

They won the first game 3-2 and got the final game with a three-run home run from junior third baseman Nicole Johnson, who leads the team in hits, home runs and batting average at .336 overall. The Titans went to 7-2 overall in the Big West and 3-0 in closing games.

Sophomore outfielder Ashley Carter, who bats in the leadoff position for the Titans and has hit for a .328 average in Big West action so far, said, “Right now I’m pretty happy about my play in the Big West. I just want to make sure I’m staying consistent by putting the ball on the ground and doing whatever I can to help the team get on the board and get ahead of the other team.”

They hit the road next to face UC Davis and won their fourth divisional series in a row after they split the first two games and won a pitcher’s duel in the series finale over UC Davis 1-0.

The Titans went to 9-3 in the Big West and were all set for a showdown with the University of Pacific, also in first place at 9-3.

The Tigers came out firing and claimed the first two games over Fullerton, but the Titans put together an

impressive day at the plate and won the closing game to go 5-0 in the final game of a Big West series.

Pacific took the first divisional series win over the Titans in league action and placed themselves in good position to win the Big West at 11-4 while the Titans fell to third place at 10-5.

The Titans earned their 10th Big West Conference win of the season over the Tigers, which is already an improvement from their 9-12 overall record in league action last season.

“I think our chances are still strong as long as we have a strong showing in these upcoming games and play our game and continue to be the aggressors,” said Chez Sievers first-year assistant coach. “If we put up runs, play good defense and pitch well in the circle, we will have a great chance of getting the bid to regionals and that’s what we’re hoping for.”

The Pacific Tigers swept UC Santa Barbara Friday and Saturday to gain control of the division at 14-4. The Titans were dealing with their longtime rival, the 49ers of Long Beach State, over the weekend while knowing that Pacific had pulled off the sweep.

CSUF and the 49ers knew they needed the wins when they met on the field for the doubleheader Saturday, which was also being aired live on ESPNU. In what turned out to be close games fit for a rivalry and national television airplay, the Titans

split the doubleheader, losing game one 7-6 but claiming game two 6-5.

In the rubber match against the 49ers Sunday, the Titans got to star freshman Erin Jones-Wesley of the 49ers, but could not manage to get a run home against their ace.

The Titans got an equally impressive performance from their ace senior Ari Cervantes, but lost the divisional series for the second year in a row against the 49ers, two games to one.

The two latest Big West series against the University of Pacific and Long Beach State, and the four losses combined, derailed the Titans’ shot at winning the Big West outright.

However, the Titans still have a long shot of a chance at earning a tie for first place in the Big West and have earned 22 wins so far in the 2011 season, an improvement from their 14-39 overall record from last season.

Still sitting in third place in the Big West at 11-7 with just three games left in the regular season, the 2011 CSUF softball team has already proved the Big West coaches wrong when they picked the Titans to finish sixth in league action in a preseason coaches poll.

The Titans graduate five key seniors at the end of the season, which will conclude with a final Big West home series at Anderson Family Field versus Cal State Northridge beginning May 14.

CAMILLE TARAZON / Daily Titan Titan sophomore catcher Ariel Tsuchiyama blocks the plate and reaches in to make the out at the plate. Tsuchiyama is currently hitting .297, with two home runs and 10 RBIs.

Contact Us at dtsportsdesk@gmail.com

ARIANNE CUSTER / Daily Titan Senior all-around gymnast Alaina Baker accepts a photo frame as a keepsake for her career at CSUF from Head Coach Jill Hicks.

Gymnast flips to success JESSICA Mc COY Daily Titan

Growing up in Oak Grove, Mo. where the population is less than 10,000 can be in better words, a simple, routine life. Moving to the beautiful and sunny California was a big transformation for Alaina Baker.

Baker has dedicated almost her whole life to the sport of gymnastics, and it started with a cartwheel tutorial by her cousin. When she was 3, Baker’s cousin tried teaching her the simple flip. Once she mastered it, she would perform the stunt in the middle of an empty street.

Baker’s mom Marilyn Baker saw something in her daughter and instead of telling her to stop doing the cartwheel, she put her in gymnastics.

“She came home doing all those flips and I did not want her to hurt herself, and we went to a couple of classes and we never left,” said Marilyn.

By the time Baker was 8, she tried softball for one season and tennis one summer. But her passion for gymnastics continued and took up all of the time that she had.

Blue Springs, Mo. was the first location of her competitions that would later lead to greater things. Her club team was called Great Americans Gymnastics Express, GAGE for short.

“It’s a well-known club team, and we needed a teacher so Alaina could get better skills. They had some Olympians, Terin Humphrey and Courtney Nicole, that came from the club, so we thought it was a good choice,” Marilyn said.

Baker wanted to take her gymnastics career further, and the answer was performing at the collegiate level. She started to look at the best schools all over the country.

Looking up all the colleges in the nation that had a prominent gymnastics programs, her final decisions came down to three: University of Florida, UCLA and Cal State Fullerton.

Baker knew that Florida and UCLA were really good schools and competitive to get into, and Baker was motivated to get a scholarship.

“I knew that it would be difficult to get into those schools, so I sent footage of me to all three schools and Cal State Fullerton called me back,” said Baker.

Titan gymnastics Head Coach Jill Hicks reviewed Baker’s footage and got Baker to come to California for a visit.

“I got in contact with Alaina, and I wanted to have her come out to the campus. From her tapes I knew she was a great athlete,” said Hicks.

Baker did not find out until later that she would be offered a full scholarship to CSUF. Her parents were extremely happy but sad that Baker was moving away.

But with hard work and dedication put into gymnastics, her parents were thrilled that she was offered a scholarship, so everything paid off.

“We were happy; she had been in gymnastics since the age of 3 and all the years had finally paid off,” Marilyn said.

Baker chose health science as her major and hopes to either become a teacher or enter the health science field.

During Baker’s career she has competed extremely well and has achieved so many accomplishments. For her college career, her career high for vault has been 9.900, 9.825 on bars, 9.725 on the beam and 9.900 for a career total score of 39.200.

As a freshman, Baker was named to the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches Academic Honor Roll and the Western Athletic Conference’s All-Academic team. When Baker was a sophomore she competed in every meet. She went to the NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Regionals and was named WAC Specialist of the Week.

On March 13, Senior Day, Baker scored on vault 9.750, bars 9.725, 9.675 on beam and 9.800 having set a season-high score for all-around with 38.950.

Baker will continue her passion for gymnastics, hoping to become a role model for all young ladies who love the sport of gymnastics and live for dreaming big.

May 12, 2011

dailytitan.com

Dancer’s hopes and dreams thrive A biologist and Spirit Squad member goes the extra mile and plans team’s nutrition

9

DTSHORTHAND Lopez Awarded for Academics The College Sports Information Directors of America announced Friday that Carlos Lopez, Cal State Fullerton Titans’ Male Scholar Athlete for 2010, was the recipient of the Capital One Academic All-District Second Team honors for his excellent performance in the classroom and superior presence on the field.

To be eligible, student-athletes must have had a 3.3 GPA while having participated in over 50 percent of the team’s season.

Lopez, a communications major, maintained a 3.32 GPA while participating with CSUF’s distinguished baseball team for the past three semesters as an outfielder and designated hitter.

The Northridge native is currently hitting .352 – a sure place for fourth in the Big West Conference, with two home runs and only nine strikeouts out of 125 at-bats. His talent has helped the Titans remain on top of the Big West. Only a few games remain in the regular season.

ASHLEY LOERA Daily Titan

As she walks through the halls of Cal State Fullerton late at night, drenched in sweat and mentally exhausted from the overload of books, Nare Sahakyan is just leaving school after a 12-hour day on campus.

It turns out having two passions in life is tremendously hard work.

“For me it was hard (to balance school and dance) and I managed, but it was very difficult. Since dance is my passion and school as well, I made it happen,” said Sahakyan, 22, a senior dance member.

Being a biology major requires 15 hours of lab work a week, putting Sahakyan in the lab rooms from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. most days.

And having a spot on the highly competitive CSUF dance team requires nonstop practice, meaning a transition from a day of biology to a night of dance practice is a daily ritual.

Don’t forget the hours of homework that comes with the rigorous biology courses, leaving no time for anything but dance and school.

“She was working 24/7 to do all of her classes and get high credits, and she’s even in honors at the university. That’s why I say she’s a hard worker, and she’s able to do anything,” said Karine Sahakyan, her mother.

Even Spirit Squad adviser Jennie Volkert was aware of the extreme schedule and dedication she put into both areas.

“She has a good head on her shoulders, she knows what she wants and she knows what she needs to do to get it done. It doesn’t surprise me that she’s successful in both areas because she’s definitely driven and passionate about what she does,” said Volkert. From the

SPORTS

Brief by Margarita Castellanos

CAMILLE TARAZON / Daily Titan Senior dance team member Nare Sahakyan worked overtime for the Spirit Squad as a dancer and nutrition organizer for the team this season as they earned their 10th national title.

beginning, Sahakyan was blessed with artistic abilities, with both her parents being musicians as well as her mother being a dancer.

At the age of 7, dancing became a passion and the family was more than happy to support her artistic endeavors.

“Everything in life you have to put in time and money. I’m proud of myself because I did everything for her and she deserves it,” Karine said.

The Sahakyan family traveled together to every recital and com-

petition, with Sahakyan loving the support so much it made her want to be a better dancer when they were there.

The obsession sprouted from dancing in studios at a young age, then competing in middle school all the way through high school.

After spending two years at Glendale Community College, she knew her biggest achievement in dance was yet to come.

“I’ve always wanted to be on a nationally ranked dance team, and that’s why I came to CSUF to

dance on the team,” Sahakyan said.

She decided to transfer from Glendale Community College to CSUF in hopes of making the dance team. After six hours of rigorous tryouts, her dream came true.

With her past experiences in dance and previous two years of college, Sahakyan was able to bring a maturity that was not found in the girls entering fresh out of high school.

A love for health and nutrition was also a huge contributing factor

to her new team.

Being very nutritious all her life helped Sahakyan write the meal plan for the dance team this year, mainly consisting of a low-carb, high-protein balance.

“Off the top of her head she knows a lot about nutrition, and she’s very knowledgeable. It was awesome to have someone on the team to provide us with ideas and a plan that we could see worked for her,” Volkert said.

The past two years on the team have been unlike anything else

she’s experienced in her dance life, according to Sahakyan.

The friendships, sisterhood and mentoring she received from being on the team taught her many lessons about loyalty, time management and dedication.

“Performing with my girls, that’s the No. 1 thing I’ll miss and the friendships that I built with them.

I’m going to move back (to Glendale) after graduation, and I know I’m going to miss them a lot,” Sahakyan said.

As her dream of being on a nationally ranked dance team comes to an end, Sahakyan plans to graduate this semester in hopes of becoming a pharmacist.

But as she closes this chapter of her life, she’ll never forget the sweat, blood and tears it took to make her dancing dreams come true.

dailytitan.com/sports

10

May 12, 2011

2000 Sper m/Egg Don ors

Crossword

EGG DONORS N EEDED $10,000, plus expe nses We are seeking attra ct and intelligent ive women of all ethnic iti Please contact: es.

1-800-264- 28 or darlene@aperfect88 match.com www.aperfectmatch .com ASRM-SART ID#

Career

brought to you by mctcampus.com

1202

6200 Opportunities P/T

Join the Daily Titan Now Hiring:

d Account Executives an r! ge na Ma d Classifie an

Contact Amber VanOrm (858) 699-4108

your or stop by CP660 with to it resume or e-mail om avanorman@dailytitan.c

Hey! Guess what quote is fr movie this om!

“She screw ed now the shwith the sharks, ark screwing w s, they’re ith us.”

Write your answer on Daily T the www.faceb itan’s Facebook: ook.com/d aily.titan or

7600

Room for Rent

MasterBD w/bathroom. Car port.

Laundry room. 3.5 miles from CSUF. Utilities (internet/electricity) split 3 ways. Room available immediately. Please call 805-705-4392

send

a tweet to: www.twitte r.com/dail y_ titan

Horoscopes

brought to you by mctcampus.com

Sudoku

Sudoku brought to you by dailysudoku.com

Daily Sudoku: Thu 13-Jan-2011

4 6 5 9 1 3

7 9 6 5 8 2

5 7 2 8 3 1

8 4 3 1 9 5

7 1 4 5 8 2 3 9 6 5 8 3 6 9 7 1 4 2 Daily Sudoku: Thu 13-Jan-2011

1

8 4

6 7

3 2

9 6 1 3

7

8 9

9 5 4

How To Play: Each row must contain the numbers 1 to 9; each column must contain the numbers 1 to 9: and each set of boxes must contain the numbers 1 to 9.

(c) Daily Sudoku Ltd 2011. All rights reserved.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) You may recall a dream about something extremely old. Ancient objects or symbols may reflect the need to research and understand your roots.

9 5

8 4 3 1 7 2 6 4

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) Thoughts race as you evaluate new data. You didn’t anticipate an important development that could change everything. Assess well before taking action.

1

8

1 3 8 4 2 7

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) You may feel anxious about career goals. Pay attention to the mood. You discover that the worry isn’t yours. Help someone else to lighten it.

9 6 1

(c) Daily Sudoku Ltd 2011. All rights reserved.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) An older associate takes some of your work, so that you can spend time with family. Use the time to regroup and rethink a long-term decision. Change is good.

6 7

2 5 9 6 7 8

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) Internal dialogue provides you a different point of logic. Harmony is the goal, and assertive energy is required to achieve it. Imagine freedom.

7

4

9 2 4 7 5 6

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) Questions arise in your work that only you can answer. Don’t depend on others.

Use your own imagination to cast light directly on the problem.

3

2

7 9

6 8 1 3 4 9

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Your self-esteem lies in the balance while you wrestle with an associate’s question.

The group needs to address the situation, to discover workable choices.

1 3 3

very hard

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) Don’t let your impulsive ideas carry you off task. Instead, harness that imagination to make ordinary processes more fun. Best results show when you focus wit and energy.

3

2 3 1 9 5 8 4 6 7

Cancer (June 22-July 22) Someone in your household is over-thinking today’s schedule. You may need to just get started before figuring out the finishing touches.

5 6

4 5

http://www.dailysudoku.com/

Gemini (May 21-June 21) You’re nearing the finish line. All the pieces are there before you, and all you need is to put them together and add a glamorous final touch.

(c) Daily Sudoku Ltd 2011. All rights reserved.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) Sticking to a practical plan presents problems. Others in the group just want to play.

Bribe them if you must, to get the job done. Promise entertainment later.

Daily Sudoku: Thu 13-Jan-2011

Aries (March 21-April 19) You could obsess over the details of your partner’s situation, or instead redirect that energy toward your own to-do list. This gets more accomplished.

May 12, 2011

dailytitan.com

SPORTS

11

WYATT: Active and fun key player ...Continued from page 1 “The idea of commuting every day, driving all the way from home and buying a parking pass was another effort that I would have to put in,” Wyatt said. “I am definitely meeting a lot of people and having fun, although I thought there would be a better student life, like everyone going out to the basketball games or lacrosse games.”

Wyatt said he picked up lacrosse as a child when “a few of my friends played, running around hitting people with metal sticks. I thought it was fun and kept playing.”

Wyatt, with the help of his childhood friend Jeff Lyon, a fellow lacrosse teammate and freshman midfielder, was selected by the national lacrosse team, the USA Stars, to represent America in the Lacrosse World Games in England this past summer.

“We had to be invited by the team and then try out, but we made it,” said Lyon. “It was our first time in Europe and we got to experience what is happening in a different country through lacrosse.”

Lyon and Wyatt stayed in the same hotel as lacrosse players from different countries and learned that “the drinking age was 18.”

“I didn’t see too much of a difference (from the other players) other than a language barrier,” Lyon said.

Wyatt and Lyon both learned their love of lacrosse with the

help of Lyon’s older brother, who is four years older and played for the Chapman University lacrosse team.

“We grew up with lacrosse around us and my brother taught us things that other kids our age didn’t know, like different ways of seeing the field, where to stand, where to be and what will happen next in a different spot. It’s lacrosse IQ,” Lyon said. “He is like family; my older brother is his older brother.”

Not only is Wyatt known for his lacrosse expertise, but he is known by his teammates and friends as a goofy kid that likes to have fun and laugh a lot.

“Everyone knows him for his personality, he doesn’t worry about what other people think and that is just who he is,” Lyon said. “Everybody likes him. I don’t think anybody in the world hates him.”

Omar Al-Masri, a freshman and close friend, said they spend their time skating, shooting lacrosse balls and playing basketball at the gym.

“At nights when it gets late we go to the parking structures and mob down the levels on our longboards,” said Al-Masri. “I go ahead of the pack because I’m the fastest and (Wyatt) tends to fall sometimes, but gets back up in good spirits.”

The three plan on moving in together next year and are in the process of looking for a house in Fullerton.

CAMILLE TARAZON / Daily Titan

Titan lacrosse gets its three-peat Cal State Fullerton men’s team will be headed to Denver facing the No. 2 seed JEFF PRENOVOST Daily Titan

The Cal State Fullerton men’s lacrosse club avenged two earlier losses to UC San Diego and the University of Concordia over the weekend to claim the Southwestern Lacrosse Conference Division II Championship for the third year in a row.

The Titans (12-5 overall, 3-1 division) earned their way into the Div. II Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association National Championships held in Denver, Colo. They will compete in a 16-team, single-elimination tournament beginning May 17. A firstround match against two-time defending champion University of St. Thomas (16-2, 7-0) awaits the Titans.

“It feels great to be the champs,” said junior midfielder Adam Noel, who scored the goal to even the match at the half off an assist by senior attacker Mike Ansel. “I wasn’t there for the two previous ones, but what we’ve gone through this season, losing to both UCSD and Concordia, getting that redemption and winning those two close games made the championship even better.”

The CSUF men’s lacrosse club

players traveled to Tucson, Ariz. with revenge on their minds to compete in the final four of the SLC Div. II playoffs, after earning their way there in a route over the Biola Eagles to begin postseason play.

Their opponent was UC San Diego, who had already claimed a 1311 victory from the Titans April 12.

The Tritons (9-6, 5-0) were the SLC Div. II East champions and got off to a good start in their semi-final match against CSUF. In a game where faceoffs, ball control and time of possession were critical, the Tritons jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the first quarter.

The Titans cut the deficit to three and UCSD got another shot past freshman goalkeeper Trevor Burns to go back up ahead by four.

The Titans limited their opponents quickly and went on a run of their own to close the half. They scored four unanswered goals and had the momentum going into halftime tied with the Tritons at 5-5.

The teams came out to play the second half and the Titans took control of the game, up 7-6 with time running out in the fourth quarter. With a minute left in the game, UCSD took a timeout and drew up a play which would prove to be the equalizer.

In the final 25 seconds of the fourth, the Tritons tied the game up 7-7 to force an overtime and a golden goal situation to advance in the playoffs.

The Titans had a chance to end the

game when sophomore midfielder Chris Cole fired a shot off the post, but the two teams went scoreless in the first overtime period. Still tied at 7-7, the teams went into a second overtime. Cole made the best of his next scoring opportunity, broke free and fired a shot that ended up in the back of the net to give the Titans the game-winning goal, 8-7.

CSUF moved on to face Concordia University in the championship game of the SLC playoffs. Thanks to their 13-12 victory over the Titans April 8, Concordia, the SLC Div. II West champs, earned the other semifinal victory over Long Beach State 17-13.

“We’ve always had a big rivalry with Concordia, played them multiple times every single year, and we played some hardball with them,” said junior defender Greg Koehler.

“They hit hard, and we hit hard. They got some good shooters, but we have some better ones.”

CSUF and the Eagles from Irvine (13-3, 4-0) continued their rivalry out in Arizona, and the Eagles jumped out to an early 3-2 lead.

The Titans battled back and found themselves up at halftime 6-5 in another hard-fought match-up, which saw Cole take a cheap shot by an Eagle player. In the third quarter, CSUF kept rolling and took a 10-6 lead into the fourth.

Concordia made a charge and took the lead right back from the Titans in the final 15 minutes. The Eagles ral-

lied back to an 11-10 advantage before Cole tied the game with another clutch shot to even up the match at 11.

In the final minute of the championship game, the Titans’ Hauke netted a shot to give the team a 12-11 advantage. Hauke then won another crucial faceoff to keep the ball away from the Eagle attackers, and the Titans claimed the SLC Div. II threepeat with the 12-11 victory.

“It’s a good feeling because we revenged two earlier losses we should not have gotten. Both teams were trying to shut down Cole and Ansel, so we had to play as a team. Coming together as a team is what brought us the victories,” senior midfielder JR Grubert.

The win over Concordia marks the second year in a row that the Titans have bounced the Eagles from the playoffs. Cole led the Titans again in scoring with four goals, and Grubert fought through an injury to get three. Hauke netted two goals and was awarded the game ball from Titan Head Coach Kyle Morrison for his game-winning shot and huge play in the faceoff circle.

“The three-peat feels great. We’re even getting shirts made, so we are excited and it feels great to be going back to Denver again,” Koehler said.

The Titans’ next opponent will be the No. 2 seed Tommies from the University of St. Thomas, who will travel from St. Paul, Minn. to take on CSUF’s men’s lacrosse club. The team has yet to win a game at Nationals.

KELSEY LANEY / Daily Titan A Titan looks to attack the defense and achieve their three-peat. The team will be traveling to Denver next week to play in the MCLA National Championships.

dailytitan.com/sports