C a l i f o r n i a S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y, F u l l e r t o n
DAILY TITAN
We d n e s d a y, S e p t e m b e r 1 4 , 2 0 0 5
Inside
This Issue
w w w. d a i l y t i t a n . c o m
Vendors invade Quad, walkways
Morning commute
Sports
Horn right on track
Pedestrian traffic halted by unauthorized campus solicitors, petitoners By KIM ORR Daily Titan Managing Editor
At 12 p.m. the Main Quad at Cal State Fullerton is booming with pedestrian traffic, as the usually wide-open pathways become crowded with pacing bodies. Students weave in and out and back in again: over the Education Classroom Building bridge; around the Humanities building; then right on the path leading towards McCarthy Hall. All of these extra steps, apparently just to avoid one familiar sight: Solicitors. Whether its anti-abortion, club promotions or on-campus organizations, students
Cross country runner red-shirts in hopes of winning championship next season
Opinion
Dealerships unable to fill publicʼs high demands for better-mileage vehicles
Word on the street: students speak on rising cost of gasoline prices
By DESDEMONA BANDINI For the Daily Titan
4
GABRIEL FENOY/Daily Titan
A semi truck toppled over and spilled nearly 21 tons of trash onto the 57 freeway yesterday morning. Driver Marco Guzmam of Anaheim was en route to the Brea Canyon Landfill when he lost control of his vehicle at the 57 and 91 freeway interchange. Witnesses said Guzman was driving at about 55 to 65 miles per hour when his truck spilled over. There were no other vehicles involved in the accident, and no injuries were reported at the scene.
President Bush’s Supreme Court nominee John Roberts not too young to fill Chief Justice shoes 4
Surf Report Huntington
2-3 ft. knee- to waist-high and fair conditions.
San Clemente
1-3 ft. ankle- to waist-high and fair conditions.
Compiled from www.surfline.com
Weather Wednesday, Sept. 14 AM Clouds/PM Sun 77º/58º Thursday, Sept. 15 Mostly Sunny 79º/58º Friday, Sept. 16 Partly Cloudy 75º/56º Saturday, Sept. 17 Sunny 77º/58º Sunday, Sept. 18 Sunny 77º/56º Compiled from The Weather Channel
constantly spend their treks to class interrupted by individuals who are on a mission to get their message heard or make a quick buck. “Some lady came up to me earlier today trying to sell some hair salon membership,” said student Laura Wedertz on Tuesday afternoon. “I told her I was happy with my salon. Iʼm just trying to read.” While certain vendors are approved through either Titan Shops or the Dean of Students Office, others walk on campus illegally and spend hours convincing students to indulge in their products or promotions. “I usually donʼt make eye contact or I just listen and say no thanks,” Wedertz said. Vendors that choose to set up tents on campus are asked to complete a “Patio Vendor Agreement Form” issued by Titan Shops. VENDORS
California drivers hot for hybrid cars
6
Editorial
Vo l u m e 8 1 , I s s u e 8
In this climate of soaring gas prices, the existential question on many peopleʼs minds is: To buy or not to buy – a hybrid car, that is. The savings on gas mileage is the main benefit to buying a hybrid. Hybrid vehicles use a gasoline combustion engine with an electric motor that enables the engine to switch from gas to
electric power, creating better gas mileage and lower emissions. The special cell battery powers the electric motor and stores energy for future use. However, hybrid cars may not save some drivers as much money as they have anticipated if they are used for more freeway driving than surface street driving. Different models vary, but in general, the hybridʼs electrical engine will kick into gas use when the vehicle exceeds a higher speed of around 40 to 60 miles. For commuters this could lessen the savings substantially. The big hype right now is the carpool lane, but not all hybrid vehicles qualify for it. Only hybrid vehicles that get 45 miles per HYBRID
‘Harmony,’ earthquakes balance perfectly
Geology intern gains knowledge about life on fault research trip By BRYAN BARNETT Daily Titan Staff
When Harmony Colella was 7years-old, an earthquake destroyed the backyard of her La Mirada home. It was 1987. The ruin of that day brought with it a lingering fascination of earthquakes to Colella. She decided to follow that interest during her education at Cal State Fullerton. In the early humid days of June, Colella, a senior, found herself on the Metrolink headed towards the University of California, Riverside. She felt excited about her impending three-month geology internship and the unknowns of the future fluttered around in her stomach. “Science is such a competitive, male-dominated field,” she said
later. “I didnʼt want to disappoint.” helped kill her remaining nervous Colella arrived in Riverside with jitters. her bike and rode two miles through Using a program called Dyna the not-so-good part of town. As 3-D, she and Oglesby simulated she neared the campus, the old, gray many kinds of earthquake scenarios streets gave way to newer, remod- – including rupture propagation and eled buildings and slip-partitioning. sidewalks. Via these computer-generated mod“I felt like a Science is such els, they meant to freshman all over a competitive, find out where an again,” she said. male-dominated earthquake goes “You know, walking onto a campus and what it does field. I didn’t want and you have no once it starts. to disappoint. idea where youʼre Once they going.” nucleated a focal Harmony Colella Colellaʼs internpoint, they were Fullerton Student ship, entitled able to watch “Dynamics of the after-effects an Oblique Sliponscreen - much Branched Fault System,” involved like the ripple effect from a rock two people: Dave Oglesby, who has dropped on a glassy lake. a doctorate in geological sciences, To get even more hands-on experience, about 30 of the interns took and herself. “We discussed what we wanted a trip out to the James Reserve in to get out of the summer, and he the San Jacinto Mountains where calmed me down. He made me feel the Anza earthquake originated smart,” she said, adding that he earlier in the year. With scien-
“
”
‘Big One’ predicted to hit California by 2024 Researchers say 80 to 90 percent chance of large quake hitting Southland By CHRISTINA SCHROETER Daily Titan Staff
After the Federal Emergency Management Agencyʼs slow response to Hurricane Katrina, some Southern Californians have questioned whether the government can come to their aid in the event of “the big one.” California has its share of natural disasters, but the costliest - in both dollars and lives - is earthquakes. Since seismic tremors cannot yet be predicted, Southland residents must always be prepared for disastrous quakes, said David Bowman, a geology professor at Cal State
EARTHQUAKE
tists from the Southern California Earthquake Center as their guides, they were able to study the apparent effects of earthquakes up close. From there, the interns visited part of the San Andreas Fault near where the Yucaipa earthquake originated in the summer. “We got to go into a trench on the San Andreas,” Colella said. “It brought all the interns together.” In a presentation during a geology department seminar on Wednesday, Colella outlined the properties of past earthquakes - like the 2001 Kokoxili earthquake near Tibet and the 2004 Sumatra earthquake that caused the massive tsunami, killing over 150,000 people. “My advisor and I are putting together a paper on the research weʼve done over the summer,” she said. “This project technically is over, but I am still working on it with my advisor…we want to learn more.” Starting her college education at Arizona State University as a civil
3
3
engineer major, Colella planned to use her degree to finish grad school in an earthquake related study, but her plans took an unexpected turn. “I decided to try a different route,” she said. “Geology was the way to go.” This is Colellaʼs third semester at CSUF and already she feels she is ready to embark on the next level of her education. “I felt like they made me a better scientist. I feel excited about going to grad school and a little more prepared than I might have been without this experience,” she said. “I definitely recommend, as an undergrad, to get involved in a research project if you can.” To Colella, a research project means constantly questioning your results. “Just because you get something, doesnʼt mean that one, its right; or two, that it gives you an answer. A lot of times, more often than not, it leaves you with more questions,” she said.
Watching like a hawk
Fullerton. “We live on one of the worldʼs major plate boundaries, so there is a threat of a moderate to large earthquake at any given time,” Bowman said. “Southern California is probably the most prepared place in the world, but there is still a lot that should be done.” Although an earthquake strikes a much smaller area than that of a hurricane, it can still do major damage. Southern California Earthquake Center researchers said there is an 80 to 90 percent chance an earthquake of magnitude 7.0 or greater will hit Southern California before 2024. At that time, 62 percent of California residents will be living in zones of high-earthquake danger. With California oil and gas lines crossing the San Andreas Fault, the Southern
3
GABRIEL FENOY/Daily Titan
Bobby Kosch watches his fraternity teammates from Pi Kappa Phi play flag football against Sigma Nu on the CSUF recreational sports field yesterday. Pi Kappa Phi won the game 44 to 0.