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INSIDE Kimberly Akimbo shows the 5 nlifeDETOUR: of a New Jersey blue-collar family NEWS: Plastic surgery allows one 7 nwoman to move forward with her life
Titans beat UCLA 11-10, in 14 innings Wednesday at Goodwin Field —see Sports page 10 T H U R S D AY
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A p r i l 19, 2001
Job Soapbox overrun by demonstramarket secure nEMPLOYMENT: Despite slipping economy, seniors can still find opportunities if they do the homework By Kelly Mead
Daily Titan Staff Writer For graduating seniors, getting out into the work force can be difficult. The task doesn’t become any easier when some experts are reporting a good job market while others are predicting doom. “There’s a lot of data out there and its quite frankly conflicting,” said James Case the director of the Career Planning and Placement Center at Cal State Fullerton. Despite recent losses on the stock market, many experts say seniors shouldn’t lose faith in the game just yet. “There’s no need to despair and go off and live in the woods while you’re waiting for the economy to improve,” Case said. Unemployment, for example, has been at a record low. In March, California’s unemployment rate was at 4.7 percent. According to the Employment Development Department, this statistic is down three points from March of last year. In February 2001, unemployment was lower than it had been since December of 1969. Anil Puri, the dean of the College of Business Administration and Economics, said that the job market isn’t currently bad, just bad in comparison to what Californians are used to. “For the last seven or eight years the job market has been extremely good,” Puri said. Even with the low unemployment rate, the job market may still be difficult for people newly entering a field. This year’s slow-down started with plunging technology stocks. Many companies have been failing or struggling. The fear of plunging stocks flowed into the rest of the economy. To be safe, many companies are recruiting employees with more discretion. Because the slowing economy is due to technology companies, places like the Bay Area, where many of these companies are based, are getting hit the hardest. “While technology is an important part of the economy, (OC) is much more diversified than Silicon
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nABORTION: Pro-life group, ‘Survivors,’ upsets the students with disturbing photographs of fetuses By Elana Pruitt
Daily Titan Staff Writer “Soapbox” Wednesday turned into a heated fight of words, as the forum for free speech transformed the Quad into a passionate demonstration against pro-life propaganda. Students immediately stopped in their tracks as the sunny afternoon turned into a dark day. Everyone within earshot heard loud, angry student voices during the early afternoon. Their challenge was directed toward a group of anti-abortion activists. Passing out self-titled pamphlets and newspaper advertisements for “lovematters.com,” the non-student, pro-life organization is called the “Survivors.” This organization calls abortion “America’s Holocaust.” Rhianne Bergado charged at the opportunity to speak in support of student stress and against unnecessary campus interruptions. “We don’t even need this,” she said. “Women are just trying to get by and this is literally hurting students.” Bergado, 22, is chair of the student union. She said that the emotional confusion in showing poster-sized photographs of enlarged mutated fetuses found her as the sympathetic shoulder for other girls to cry on. Trying to prove their personal view of a controversial issue, representatives held the pictures with pride. The stages of a “partial birth abortion” were displayed as black, bold-faced letters blazed at the bottom of the graph, titled “America’s
Anjana Khanna walks past graphic anti-abortion propaganda in the Abortion.” have died from abortions. As the orange-red, half-fetus was But after a loss of words, he needcategorized as “pro-choice,” a healthy, ed validation about his factual statewhite baby was held symbolically as ment. the “pro-life” demand. Another anti-abortionist speaker “We’re just trying to educate those stepped in to support him. that don’t know about abortion,” said “We hope to encourage those that promoter Jason Conrad. “Even the don’t agree with us,” Dan McCullough medical association says it’s a baby.” said. Conrad, an 18-year-old high Statements giving they’re reasonschool graduate, said that this group ing for using such descriptive pictures is Christian-based. In comparing the to get their point across is listed in Jewish Holocaust to abortion, he said their pamphlets. it is proven that 40 million babies “Much in the same way that pic-
Quad Wednesday, which spurred tures and video footage of bodies mangled in automobile accidents are used to teach us of the perils of drunk driving…These photographs cut through the pro-choice rhetoric that abortion is a woman’s choice,” the pamphlets declared. In accordance with the message that abortion is murder, a request form is included for donations that range from $25 to $500, to “continue to stand for the pre-born and to educate the younger generation about the true horror of abortion.”
Five senses satisfied at International nEVENT: Anaheim will bring the culture of its residents together in the form of food, music and speakers
By Veronica Hagey
Special to the Titan The City of Anaheim Community Services Department will hold a free International Festival at the Pearson Park Amphitheater on Saturday, April 21, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The focus of the festival is to educate the community in diversity and
multiculturalism through entertainment, food, and speakers from various cultures. “The celebration has a very festive atmosphere for the community, very relaxing,” said Julia Rosas, from the City of Anaheim, and organizer of the event. She has coordinated the event since its inception three years ago. She said the sponsors and times of the festival change each year. “Last year it was at night with lots of lighting,” Rosas said. “When we find the perfect time, we’ll keep it there.” Regardless of the time of day, Rosas said the event is always a celebration of cultures. The City of Anaheim will have
information tables staffed with personnel to answer questions about the programs and services they offer. The festival will be co-sponsored for the first time by the (INS) Immigration and Naturalization Services Los Angeles Asylum Community Outreach Program. “It is a special emphasis program which recognizes cultural diversity,” said Douglas J. Davis, black affairs program manager at the INS Anaheim Asylum office. The INS will have two or three tables supplied with information and staffed with experienced government personnel to answer questions regarding citizenship, naturalization, NACARA, LIFE, immigration programs, political asylum and other
types of services offered. Douglas said that many people receive second-hand information, which is usually misinterpreted. “It will be an opportunity for people to get first-hand information,” Davis said. “The INS program also wants to promote cultural awareness.” The festival’s entertainment will include cultural dance performances representing traditional American Indians, Bangladesh, Korea, Mexico, Bolivia and many other cultures. Speakers from within the community will address the cultural heritages of the dance performances and speak on ways of promoting diversity and cultural awareness in the community. There will be various ethnic foods and refreshments for sale at the festi-
By Deanna Lucci
Special to the Titan To remind her of the reason she’s in her position, Associated Students President Mary Grace Cachuela has a framed sign at the computer in her office that reads, “I am a student first.”‑ With only two months left in her presidential term, Cachuela is still hard at work with meetings, events and student outreach.‑‑ Cachuela, 22, a business administration major with an emphasis in finance, managed to maintain a “B” average last semester despite her endless presidential
schedule. Many days, she stays on campus from 6 a.m. to 11: p.m.‑This semester, Cachuela is also juggling classes with her presidential duties as she nears graduation in May.‑ “I only have a year [as AS president], so I’m putting as much time and effort into everything that I do with this position,” Cachuela said. “I spend ridiculous amounts of hours at it, but it’s because I have so much fun here, too.”‑‑ Spending as much as 60 hours on campus per week doesn’t leave much time for a social life, but Cachuela doesn’t seem to mind. “I do have a life, I do have a balance,” she said. Considering the amount of hours Cachuela puts into her job, her $12,000 salary isn’t much. But the president has no complaints. “You can’t put a dollar amount on the experience that I’ve gained,” she said, “I’ve learned so much
about myself, it’s Raised as unbelievable — I Christian by her parwould do this for ents, Cachuela prays the rest of my life often.‑ if I could.”‑‑ Cachuela said that Although she is the people she works one of Cal State with have made it Fullerton’s busiest more enjoyable for and most public her. students, Cachuela “I work with the manages to mainbest people in the tain perspective.‑ world,” Cachuela “I live a fastsaid with a big paced life, and it’s smile.‑ really important Her fellow board for me to be as members seem to grounded as I can feel the same way CACHUELA be,” Cachuela said. about her.‑ “In this position, it “She [Cachuela] is so easy to be self-serving, so easy has made so many connections, and to forget about who or what is impor- her personality is so warm, she gets a tant, and so easy to get busy.‑Because lot of respect that way,” said Christina of my faith, because I’m surrounded Machado, AS board chair. by people who keep me grounded, I Harvey McKee, executive director can’t go wrong.” of AS, said he has learned a lot from http://dailytitan.fullerton.edu
val. Rosas said that along with seeing and hearing from different cultures, there will be opportunity to taste the foods from these cultures. According to a press release from the City of Anaheim, the following restaurants will be represented: Hatam Restaurant (Peruvian), Happy Panda Buffet (Chinese), La Casa Garcia (Mexican), Korea Barbeque House (Korean) and Mali’s Catering (Sri Lanka). Partial proceeds from the food sales will be donated to the Anaheim Community Foundation. The International Festival is open to all ages. Rosas said plenty of free parking would be available. The Pearson Park Amphitheater is located at Lemon and Sycamore in Anaheim.
Titan
AS President reflects on remaining months in nGOVERNMENT: Mary Grace Cachuela thinks it’s important to stay grounded in her fast paced life-style
Mayra Beltran/Daily Titan
intense emotions on campus. As most students were shocked at such expressions that seemed to intentionally spark debate, others were not affected by this protest. “I don’t know why everyone gets so mad,” Stephen Igue said. “These people are just promoting their cause. The pictures show us reality.” The 22-year-old bystander emphasized “wise decisions” rather than what is right and wrong. “Just don’t put yourself in certain positions that you can’t get out of,” he said.
Cachuela. “She has done so much for the credibility and public relations of Associated Students this year, she will be a hard act to follow,” McKee said. “She has built a lot of bridges to leaders at the university, and as a result, we have really opened up many new lines of communication with the administration.” Being president has already reaped benefits for Cachuela. After graduation, she will begin working for the non-profit organization Indus Entrepreneurs.‑ As a full-time operations executive, Cachuela will be involved in helping immigrants from the Indus area (Pakistan, Bangladesh, India) network to start their own businesses in America.‑Cachuela was attracted to this job because her parents are immigrants from the Philippines who
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