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VOLUME 66, ISSUE 34
Partners leave tech plan short
APRIL 21, 1998
Fitness center war wages on AS presidential election sparks candidates to debate the fitness center issue.
months of debate, two corporations in a controversial proposal to upgrade CSU campuses drop out of negotiations.
By JASON SILVER Daily Titan Staff Writer
By JOAN HANSEN Daily Titan Staff Writer
see CETI/
INSIDE
Softball: Titans take two from the Utah State Aggies over the weekend. —See Sports page 7.
n ELECTION: The coming
n TECHNOLOGY: After
Half of the California Education Technology Initiative partners— Microsoft and Hughes—have pulled out of negotiations with the Cal State University, citing financial risks as too great and the potential reward too small. The proposed partnership between the CSU and four private industry groups—Fujitsu and GTE being the other two—would inject $300 million into a technology network for the CSU campuses. The proposal hit a road block last week, though, when half of the potential partners dropped out. CSU Chancellor Charles Reed said the biggest factor was determining who would pay off the debt resulting from the $300 million in upgrades. That issue led to the withdrawal of both Microsoft and Hughes, though Reed said that all hope is not lost for striking a deal with the software giant. “We will continue to work on an appropriate relationship with Microsoft,” Reed said in a press release. Elizabeth King, general manager of Microsoft’s education customer unit, said, “What it came down to was we were being looked to for a larger financial investment than we were comfortable making.” An update on the discussion is expected at the Board of Trustees meeting May 12 and 13. Any further decisions are being postponed until next fall. The chancellor’s office said the CETI agreement still has a 50 percent chance of being approved. But it may be well into the next school year before an agreement can be reached with the remaining partners, GTE and Fujitsu. Reed said the CSU may seek new partners who are interested in joining this effort. “There is little doubt in my mind that the state is unable to provide the $300 million needed to build this technology infrastructure. Therefore,
F U L L E R T O N
RON SOLIMAN/Daily Titan
CSUF alumnus Chris Butler has ridden the “Titanic” wave by using the characters in his artwork.
Making waves with art n ARTS: A Fullerton
graduate expands his love for space and stars with an artistic flair. By Diana McCabe
Knight-Ridder Newspapers One thing really bugs artist Chris Butler about the phenomenally successful movie “Titanic.” The stars. No, not Kate Winslet or Leonardo DiCaprio. Butler is talking about the stellar points of light that 1,503
Titanic passengers saw before perishing April 14, 1912, in the frigid waters of the North Atlantic. “I looked for the right constellations. They didn’t put them in,” says Butler, a 33-year-old space illustrator who plans to set the record straight with a planetarium show at Santa Ana College in April and May. This exacting eye for detail— and love of topical events—is making the ponytailed painter one of the hottest young space illustrators in the country. When astronomers said an asteroid might hit Earth, Time
magazine asked Butler for his illustration of the cataclysmic event. He was among the first to vividly illustrate Comet ShoemakerLevy’s collision with Jupiter, capturing the attention of CNN, which used his drawings during the event. Butler, who works out of his kitchen, isn’t getting rich. He makes a modest $36,000 a year, but his reputation is growing quickly. Butler, also known for his nature illustrations, is expected to leap into the ranks of illustrators
see ARTIST/
Even though the fitness center referendum was authoritatively voted down by students last month, the issue continues to be a source of debate for the candidates in the Associated Students presidential election that will be held this Wednesday and Thursday. One of candidate Eric Pathe’s ideas is to look into the possibility of a fitness center that would be funded without a student fee increase. His opponent Christian Tesoro says that a fitness center without such an increase is unrealistic. “Anyone who says they can build a fitness center without increasing student fees is not telling the truth. I don’t think it’s possible,” said Tesoro, who is currently vice chair of the AS Board of Directors. “There is no other way to build a $42 million dollar building without raising student fees.” AS President Heith Rothman said the estimated $41 million-$42 million cost would cover just the buildout of the complex. “That money doesn’t include maintenance. No matter what you do, fees are going to come up,” Tesoro said. Pathe said that such a scenario could be possible, but the board has not looked into all the options. “To the best of my knowledge they’ve only worked on this for less than one year. Don’t tell me every possibility has been looked into,” he said. Pathe said he needs proof before giving up on the idea of funding the fitness center without raising fees. “If it’s not possible, the students haven’t heard that. The board should send a clear message. If someone were to show me that there was no way possible to fund it without student fees I might believe them. But they haven’t.” Pathe also said that the executive staff’s campaign to pass the fitness center referendum was biased and not in the interests of the students. “It’s quite clear—the students
“To the best of my knowledge they’ve only worked on this for less than one year. Don’t tell me every possibility has been looked into.” —Eric Pathe spoke loudly. Over 2000 students voted student fee increases down. The current executive staff should be up there representing what students want,” Pathe said. “They are sending biased messages. The money could be better spent telling students the facts.” Pathe said that he will look into
“Anyone who says they can build a fitness center without increasing student fees is not telling the truth.” —Christian Tesoro
options such as capital outlay plans and corporate sponsors to help fund a new fitness center. “It’s a very real possibility. It just takes persistence. Just because it didn’t pass last time doesn’t mean you stop pursuing things of this nature,” he said. Pathe said one of the reasons students attend CSUF rather than a private university is because fees are lower and the state should help in
Crowd celebrates Cambodian New Year n CULTURE: A Cambodian stu-
dents’ festival honors tradition while raising funds to better their homeland. By FRANK C. DIAZ Daily Titan Staff Writer
FRANK C. DIAZ/Daily Titan
Tina Toun performs The Wishing Dance, traditionally performed in the royal palace to extend hospitality to the king and his guests.
Crowds at the Cambodian Student Association’s 10th Annual Khmer New Year’s celebration were so large Saturday that people were forced to wait outside. Attendance filled capacity within the first two hours. The closed doors created lines of disappointed people, mostly families, who were informed they could only enter if someone else left. Toward the end of the evening, a second line formed, this time of younger people wishing to attend the after-celebration dance. Guests saw dancers in bright red, green and yellow silks of traditional Cambodian finery performing different traditions of their homelands. The event was free, but donations were collected for a children’s hospital in war-ravaged Cambodia. Copyright ©1998, Daily Titan
FRANK C. DIAZ/Daily Titan
Mandeda Uch, a CSUF graduate, plays classical music on the guitar Saturday. Some guests were even asked to help out because attendance was so large. “I got ‘elected’ to help make sure every one is seated; make sure they don’t get in the way of the lighting or take someone else’s chair,” said Cynthia Limm, a Cambodian Student Association member attending the celebration dressed in a fashionable, modern-day Cambodian gown. The celebration also featured separate sing-
ing numbers and dual fashion shows contrasting both traditional and modern Cambodian life. A classical music recital by Mandeda Uch, a Fullerton graduate, was also featured. Emeline Chhim, vice president of the association, said she was glad to see such an enthusiastic turnout. “It’s like a reminder of where I came from,” Chhim said. “We tend to lose touch with where we come from. Some kids hardly speak the language anymore.” “This club is like an awareness to others about what the Cambodian people are all about,” Chhim added. Awareness of Cambodian life extended beyond the festival as student associations and societies from various CSU campuses and the University of California at Irvine worked together to help fund the children’s hospital. The project is intended to aid Cambodian children, victims of the violent aftermath from the civil unrest that still plagues the country, said Daravuth Seng, president of the Long Beach Cambodian Student Society, who attended the Fullerton celebrations. Many children have been seriously hurt, Seng said, by the large number of land mines
see CAMBODIA/