C A L I F O R N I A INDEX
C alendar & B riefs Perspective S ports
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VOLUME 66, ISSUE 43
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F U L L E R T O N INSIDE
Severo Avitia paints his community with pride. —See Perspectives page 4.
M AY 6 , 1 9 9 8
Cinco de Mayo: what is it
n FESTIVAL : The Mexican
holiday celebrates national pride and cultural unity both north and south of the border. By FRANK C. DIAZ & NATHAN ORME
Daily Titan Staff Writers
MYLES ROBINSON/Daily Titan
A jacknifed 18-wheeler blocks the 57 southbound near Yorba Linda Boulevard on Tuesday afternoon. Six cars were also involved in the noninjury accident, which happened at 12:23 p.m. It was the second of three unrelated accidents occurring within 20 minutes of each other between the Nutwood and Yorba Linda offramps. Rain was considered to be a factor in each of them, according to the Fullerton Fire Department.
Viva Mexico! And welcome to the most American of all Mexican holidays: Cinco de Mayo. Contrary to what many Americans might think, the May 5 celebration does not commemorate Mexico’s independence. The country won its independence from Spanish rule on September 16, 1821. On May 5, 1862, a small army of Mexicans defeated a superior French force that had invaded the country. The battle did not drive the French out, but it was, as professor Isaac Cardenas of the Chicano Studies Department put it, “the beginning of the end of French occupation.” Capitalist economics tells us that like St. Patrick’s Day and Halloween, Cinco de Mayo is a chance to sell, sell, sell. At El Torito Grill on Tuesday, the answering machine encour-
aged patrons to “ride on down” to the restaurant to enjoy special discounts on beer with Mexican names: Tecate and Pacifico. The Cinco de Mayo celebration dates back to a famous battle that occurred in 1862, 41 years after Miguel Hidalgo made his famous call—or “El Grito”—for independence from Spanish rule. In the years directly follwing the answer to Hidalgo’s call, Mexico was threatened by other, more powerful nations. Mexicans fought wars along their borders, lost territory to the United States and were even invaded twice by France. After Spanish rule ended, the southern portions of the country broke off, forming what is now known as Central America. Following the Mexican-American War of 1848, the northern portion of the “Mexican Empire” was lost to the U.S. In 1861, Napoleon Bonaparte, aided by conservative Mexican factions, instigated the second French invasion of Mexico. Despite efforts by democratic Mexicans to prevent the capture of Mexico City, the invasion was successful.
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University Singers prepare for South American tour n MUSIC : 14 CSUF singers
will spend two weeks over the summer on a 10-city tour. By CHRISTOPHER LAMB Daily Titan Staff Writer
After finals, students will be heading out in different directions. Some Cal State Fullerton students might go on a trip, some might go to summer school. But 14 members of University Singers are doing both. The 14 members of University Singers, part of the mixed choir of
CSUF, will be going with the Pacific Choral on a ten-day tour of South America. They will be touring for two weeks, leaving on July 20 and returning August 3. “It’s an honor to be their guests, it will be a cross-cultural experience in music society. We will get to train and sing with orchestra of different countries,” alto Virginia Ubels said. The Singers perform their first concert with the National Philharmonica and the National Philharmonica Choir, the national choir of Argentina, University Singers director John Alexander said. They will
perform two concerts in the cities of Buenos Aires and La Plata of Argentina. “Our goal is to get to know as much about choral music from South America as we can and increase the communication between the U.S. and South America,” Alexander said. After La Plata, the group will travel across the river to Uruguay to perform in the capital, Montevideo. The choir will be performing with the National Radio Orchestra in a concert that will be nationally televised across South America, Alex-
MYLES ROBINSON/Daily Titan
see SINGERS/ John Alexander leads the University Singers Choir in preparation for the tour to South America.
Internship promises adventure Making his own entrance
such as this one, they will be able to see what ROTC is all about and decide whether they like it or not,Vandooren said. What participants can surely plan on seeing at the five-week internBy CYNDI NGUYEN ship is a series of instruction on fire Special to the Daily Titan weapons (M-16,M-60, hand gre nades), weapons firing, exercises in land navigation, and With the onset of lazy leadership reaction courses. summer days just around the Participants will also engage corner,finding ways to comin a variety of adventure trainbat the summertime blues may ing that includes rapelling and be at the forefront of students’ small group tactics (a course in minds these days. But Cal State learning to work with and lead Fullerton’s ROTC offer these a squadron of soldier). suggestions to invite some Besides military adventure back into summer. skills,Vandooren said the types Ever wondered what it would of training exercises experibe like to go rapelling over a enced at the summer internthree-story tower with nothship gives people after-reaction ing but a rope tied around your reports and feedback on their waist? performances that they would Or how about engaging in not normally receive in other a mock wargame of laser tag situations. fully equipped in army gear? It is this type of feedback These are just some of the and interaction with top miliactivities students can particitary trainers through the internpate in as part of a five-week ship experience that cadet Army ROTC Leadership InternJames Martin credited with ship Program being held in Fort providing him essential skills Knox,Kentucky. The program, he can use in other facets of which is designed mainly for his life. sophomores and juniors with “Literally, almost every two years left in school, will job out there in the civilgive participants the opportuian world,you can find in the nity to learn more about ROTC MEAGO YUO/For the Daily Titan army,” Martin said. “Even betas well as receive hands-on ROTC students practice the art of rappelIng. ter is the fact that any skills leadership training from some required by a certain job, the of the nation’s top military trainers. By sending people to programs “It’s a combination of a watersee ROTC/
n PROGRAM : A five-week
summer ROTC intership offers leadership training.
down version of boot camp plus out-door leadership training rolled in one,” said Major Adrienne Vandooren, officer in charge of the ROTC at CSUF. “Much of the training at this internship will teach participants to be more assertive and confident leaders.”
Former professor James D. Young has raised over $260,000 in donations for Rotary International Club. By TIM PALACIOS
Special to the Daily Titan When you are 76 and retired from a long spanning successful theater career, yet can still gracefully step across a room with the ease of Fred Astaire, or bring a spark of excitement into a boardroom with the dynamics of a J.D. Rockefeller, or appear on stage with the charisma of the famous 1920s people’s lawyer Clarence Darrow, what do you do? If you are James D. Young, professor emeri-
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tus of theatre and arts at Cal State Fullerton, you make an entrance. When it comes to making entrances, there are no limits to how far Young will go. He travels around the world doing his oneman show portraying Paul Harris, founder of Rotary International, a club now boasting a membership of 1.1 million in over 26,000 clubs in more than a 158 countries. Young’s performance has helped raise well over $260,000 in donations to Rotary. So popular is his performance, that Young has had invitations to do Paul Harris all the way until May 2000. “I’m resisting it,” says Young, “because I have so many other things to do and not enough time.” Young, 77, is no novice when it comes to performing. He possesses the credentials and background experience to carry himself with an air of superiority and could retire without qualms if he chooses to. Young, originally was destined to be a lawyer like his father, but instead studied the performing arts, eventually founding theater departments at two universities, Pepperdine and Cal State Fullerton. Far from retiring, Young now tours the world doing Harris with his wife Dottie. He also just edited a 450-page book about Laura King, “the British actress who came to America and was the main headliner on stage the night of President Lincoln’s assassination,” says
Young. “I also plan on writing a biography on Earl V. Pullias, a great figure in education who had a large effect on California’s education system.” Adding to his list of things to do, Young also teaches a class that analyzes, critiques and writes poetry at the Ruby Gerontology Center. Although not a professional lawyer by trade, Young, with his soft, deep voice can turn a boardroom meeting into a dramatic event. He carefully orates his thoughts on what he sees going on in a situation. Whether he is speaking passionately about one of his many charitable causes or pouring his heart out over his appreciation of the work the maintenance people at CSUF do, he can easily convince you and gain your support. Young’s professional characteristics enable him to instruct professional lawyers on courtroom showmanship, which he is often hired to do. He has also taught acting courses involving potential lawyers at UC Berkeley. Young quietly sits still and attentive as others express their opinions and ideas. He is no attention hog, and critics may find his show based on a predominately unknown Harris rather than Rockefeller, Stanford or other peculiar highprofile persons. Young replies, “If you are going
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