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CAMPUS | Watch party
CSUF students watch political titans face off Romney and Obama ignite fierce debate in town hall-style debate Tuesday in Hempstead, New York RAYMOND MENDOZA Daily Titan
ROBERT HUSKEY / Daily Titan Democratic contestant Jay Chen will attempt to take down incumbent Congressman Ed Royce, who has represented Fullerton in Congress since 1992.
Jay Chen reaches out to CSUF Hacienda Heights native and democratic challenger talks to students about education, jobs and the importance of learning foreign languages in public schools BEVI EDLUND & ADREANA YOUNG Daily Titan
With only weeks until election day, congressional hopeful Democrat Jay Chen visited Cal State Fullerton Tuesday to talk to students to gain their support to defeat incumbent congressman Ed Royce, who showed a commanding lead in the June primary. “Students make up the core of my campaign, and this campaign I really see it as a way to inspire students to action. Not just for me, but just for themselves because they don’t really see people who look like them, or their age, running for office and talking about these issues,” said Chen.
The non-partisan event was sponsored by the Economics Association at CSUF, whose members invited Chen to tell his story of success. “We hope this will inspire students that with the right passion and skills you can go as far as you dream,” said Diane Romero, president of the Economics Association. Born in Kalamazoo, Mich., Chen began his life as a first-generation American after his parents immigrated from Taiwan. Chen went on to open his own business and gain a seat on the Hacienda-La Puente School Board after he graduated with honors from Harvard University. Chen said he implemented edible school gardens to get healthier foods in schools. In addition, he also advocated for a Mandarin language class in order to
teach students a second language. Now running for the 39th District for Congress, Chen said he will work to get students and young people more involved in the voting process. “I think one of the problems is when you turn 18, you’re in a big transition in your life. You might be leaving home for the first time, you’re in a new city so you might not feel as connected to this city,” Chen said. “I think the decision would be much more moderated if young people were voting, so that’s why young people have been such a big part of our campaign.” Chen said he plans work to keep loan rates for students down. SEE CHEN, 2
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DETOUR | Musicians unite
CAMPUS | Great Shakeout
Students prepare to shake out
The Bolts strike at the TSU Underground Pub
The five members of the modern rock band will start their jam tomorrow at noon
Activities in the Quad help train students on earthquake readiness and preparedness for the “Big One”
DEANNA TROMBLEY For the Daily Titan
JONATHAN WINSLOW Daily Titan
Students at Cal State Fullerton gathered in the Quad Tuesday to experience the Quake Cottage, part of a preview leading up to the Great Shakeout on Thursday. The Quake Cottage is set up to simulate the intensity of a magnitude 8.0 earthquake. Four people at a time enter and are seated in a trailer set up to look like a house and are treated to 30 seconds of rocking and rolling. “It felt really authentic,” said Charlie Salas, 22, a psychology major. “It definitely gave you an idea of what you could expect if it was to be the real thing.” Some students, such as Hilda Nieto, 18, an undeclared major, were surprised by the intensity of the simulation, seeing as such a major quake has not happened in California within their lifetimes. “In the beginning, I felt a little fright,” Nieto said. “But then you get over it because mentally you know it’s fake.” Alongside the Quake Cottage were volunteers standing by with maps and fliers, explaining fault lines and safety procedures to students looking to learn more. Information was available on securing a home, preparing supplies and creating an earthquake checklist.
It may have been called a town hall meeting, but the presidential debate Tuesday night could be called a spitting match due to the constant disruptions between the candidates. The atmosphere of the Pub in the Titan Student Union Underground was similarly rambunctious with cheers and jeers as Titans watched the debate. The evening’s questions started simply enough, with topics such as employment opportunities, gas prices, clean energy and taxes, but with candidates who were noticeably more lively compared to their first debate. Both candidates fired back at one another, with Gov. Mitt Romney calling out President Barack Obama’s failed promises and the high rate of unemployment nationally. When asked about the increasing prices and production of oil during Obama’s presidency, Romney said Obama’s policies have halted oil production on federal land. “Let’s look at the president’s policies as opposed to the rhetoric because we’ve had four years of policies being played out,” said Romney. “As a matter of fact, oil production is down 14 percent this year on federal land and gas production is down nine percent.” But Obama answered Romney aggressively on several occasions, accusing him of being mistaken or misinformed. “There’s no doubt that world demands gone up and our production has gone up and we’re using oil more efficiently,” said Obama. “Very little of what Governor Romney just said is true.” At the Pub, the crowd laughed and clapped during Obama’s more hostile moments, especially when the president mentioned such hot topics as Romney’s “47 percent” comments and proposed tax cuts for the rich. Monica Dekany, a human services major, laughed at some of Romney’s claims and said much of what he said differed from some of his past claims. “I found the debate entertaining because of the fact that every time Mitt Romney speaks, he contradicts himself,” said Dekany. “There are videotapes (and) transcripts of him saying one thing and then he gets on national television and says something completely different.”
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(Left to right) Skylar Valles, McKenna Armstrong and Furuh Khan experience a simulated 8.0 magnitude earthquake in the Quake Cottage in the Quad Tuesday.
“A lot of people have been coming out and learning what they need to prepare for earthquakes,” said Alex Lemmon, 22, a civil engineering major and volunteer for the Great Shakeout. Lemmon pointed out that the most important part of being prepared for an earthquake is to have a plan and be ready to carry it out. This includes having food and water ready, as well as any other supplies one might need to essentially camp out in the event that their home is compromised during an earthquake, such as batteries, flashlights, fire extinguishers and so on. The idea behind the Quake Cottage is to simulate the effect of “the Big One” that has been looming in the minds of Californians for many years now. The Great Shakeout is aiming
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to prepare people for this through the Cottage and their main event Thursday. Even though CSUF is well away from the fault line, in the event of “the Big One,” a massive amount of energy would be pushed in the direction of the campus following movement on the San Andreas fault. All buildings at CSUF have been retrofitted to withstand major earthquakes. “The buildings around here are pretty sound,” Lemmon said. “Of course there will be minor damage to the buildings, that’s anticipated, but I wouldn’t expect any major failures.” University experts have said all the buildings on campus have been retrofitted to meet the requirements of the CSU. SEE SHAKEOUT, 3
With the perfect mixture of classic and modern rock, The Bolts give contemporary rock a fresh new face. The beautiful fusion created by each of the five uniquely talented and memorable band members leave music junkies starry eyed. The band is as charismatic as The Beatles and as energetic as Modest Mouse. Known for their enthusiastic performances, The Bolts will jam at the Cal State Fullerton Pub in the TSU Underground from noon to 1 p.m. Thursday. The Bolts formed in the garage of band members (and brothers) Austin, Heath and Addam Farmer in 2007. The five-man band also includes Matt Champagne and Ryan Kilpatrick, a CSUF student. The band has skyrocketed since winning a battle of the bands competition in 2008. Their win allowed them to perform at the Bamboozle festival at the Verizon Wireless Ampitheatre in Irvine.
“We submitted stuff to KROQ, 98.7 FM,” said Austin Farmer, keyboardist and vocalist. “They played some of our music which was recorded in our house, they were demos, and it’s just kind of surreal to see all this stuff happening.” In the five years since, The Bolts have continued their journey. The band recorded with producer Andy Johns, who worked with legends such as The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin. They also worked with Keith Everette Smith, who worked with Jack White and other talented musicians. Smith produced their fourth project, an EP titled Play The Music. Their latest EP Fall was released this year with four songs to gear up to the band’s first full-length debut album that is set to release by the end of the year. “I really love ‘This Can’t be Real,’” said Austin Farmer. “I love how the guitars just totally drive the song and I think the chorus is uplifting in a very mysterious twisted way... the song’s lyrics are talking about an outcast in society.” The Bolts plan to tour in the West Coast area until the release of their upcoming album. SEE BOLTS, 5