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
THE DAILY TITAN M O N D AY, F E B R U A RY 2 7 , 2 0 0 6
w w w. d a i l y t i t a n . c o m
Vo l u m e 8 2 , I s s u e 1 0
SPORTS
OPINION
Titans clean house with sweep over Bruins. Page 6
Pro & Con: Is Angelsʼ name change unnecessary? Page 24
Chancellor: Black Student Enrollment Low CSU system hopes to reach out to AfricanAmerican community By Jimmy Stroup
Daily Titan Staff Writer
Amid cries of “amen” and “speak on” from spirited, West Angeles Church of God in Christ congregants yesterday, California State University Chancellor Charles Reed delivered a speech detailing the troubles the black community faces in education – and what the CSU system is doing to try to solve them. The pastor of the Crenshawdistrict church, Bishop Charles Blake, spoke before the chancellor, telling the members – including actor Denzel Washington – that the newly-formed partnership between West Angeles Church and the CSU couldnʼt be more welltimed. “This is a relationship that started quite some time ago when some of the deans and presidents from the California State University came into the Crenshaw community to develop a plan,” he said. “Part of the key to the success of our community is education. [The black community is] vastly underrepresented in the universities.” While 54 percent of the CSU system is comprised of minority students, blacks make up only 6 percent of the total population – a mere 20,000 students out of more than 400,000, according to an editorial piece co-written by Blake and Reed. “If we are going to bring higher education to our students, we are all going to have to be involved,” Reed said. Reed pointed to a number he said was even more disturbing
than the first: Black men are being out-enrolled by black women at a rate of two to one. So, of the 20,000 black students within the CSU system, only 8,000 are men. Reed said thatʼs a number that needs to improve. “[The CSU is] a friendly place for African-American students,” he said. “We need to reach out to more African-American men.” In an effort to do just that, Reed and seven other CSU representatives – including Cal State Fullerton President Milton A. Gordon – each went to a different Los Angeles-area church for “Super Sunday,” essentially preaching about how the CSU system can aid young black people in their desires to go to college. “Our goal is to find ways to reach these students, these young men and women who weʼre not reaching,” Reed said. “Weʼre interested in not just getting them in the front door, but in getting them out the back door, too – graduation.” Also on hand for the event at West Angeles Church was Board of Trustees member Herb Carter, who said his desire to see more CSU enrollment among the black community was amplified whenever he thought about two influences he identified with: W.E.B. DuBois and Abraham Lincoln. “I say to you that we have a crisis in education in our community,” Carter said as he introduced Reed to the West Angeles congregation. In their editorial, Blake and Reed wrote that they were being realistic about the situation of blacks in education, and the way to a better future was multi-faceted. “We know it will take the combined energies of universities, churches, communities, parents and others to truly make a difference,” Black and Reed wrote.
Photos by Phil Gordon/Daily Titan
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY: Construction Instructor Dennis Kilder, Thu Le, John Lewis and Joannah Barela put the final cut on a piece of siding to be installed at the Habitat for Humanity site in Cypress, California (above); Volunteer, Caroline Nazr installs a piece of siding at the Habitat for Humanity site (below).
Students Don Charitable Hard Hats
Students donate their Saturday to build homes for Habitat for Humanity By Natalie Murillo
Daily Titan Staff Writer
A group of Cal State Fullerton students sacrificed their Saturday, showing up at 7:30 a.m. to build seven houses in Cypress in conjunction with the Orange County Chapter of Habitat for Humanity. CSUF student John Lewis, 28, volunteered for the event and said he would like to be a part of future projects. He said he enjoys working with Habitat for Humanity
because the group has taught him how to use an assortment of tools. “The coolest thing about this is the learning,” Lewis said. Scott Bainbridge, of Newport Beach, is a senior crew leader for Habitat for Humanity. He is considered a “green team” member, which is a person who commits to at least one Saturday a month and leads a group of volunteers to complete an assignment. Bainbridge said Habitat for Humanity is funded by individual corporate funding, not government funding. A sponsoring company, such as Option 1 or Warehouser that funded the Cypress project, pays for all the necessary materi-
SoCal Apartment Leasing Proves No Cinch There are several questions prospective tenants should ask their landlord before they sign a lease:
Students should learn the ins and outs of leasing before signing By Jamie Quarles
How long is the lease? Can my lease be renewed after the term is over? Can the payments increase? Can I co-lease with someone else? Can I terminate my lease early?
The answers depend on location and specific conditions, but asking these questions will help students determine whether they will sign something they may later regret.
Daily Titan Staff Writer
Apartment leasing has long been a subject of concern for many students and first-time leasers. Most donʼt know how to go about leasing or what questions to ask. Donald Valachi, adviser of the Cal State Fullerton Real Estate Association Club, said he recommends finding answers at the California Department of Consumer Affairs Web site. Valachi said the Web site lays out ground rules for students. He said students should use the site as a checklist before they rent either a house or an apartment and the site includes an informational guide explaining legal rights and responsibili-
ties. Useful items for students to know include unlawful discrimination, termination and eviction and refunds on security deposits. Valachi also suggests students buy renterʼs insurance to protect their unit. Reading the lease in detail is also helpful. “Always take a copy of the lease and have the manager explain the lease if there is anything you donʼt understand,” Valachi said. Property manager Alicia Yong, said leasers need to verify when their rent payment is due and pay attention to the utilities that are included. Although students are not always required to have an established income or credit, Yong said if parents are co-signers, they are responsible for showing proof of income. Still, poor credit is a red flag for many realtors and landlords, so it is better to maintain good credit.
INSIDE
SPORTS
NEWS
BASKETBALL
CLUBS & ORGANIZATIONS
CSUF claims victory on Senior Night
PAGE 6
Religious clubs on campus appeal to the masses
PAGE 2
The minimum age to legally lease an apartment is 18, but 17-year-olds may sign a lease as well. Yong said that as long as the parents can pay and the tenant is attending school, younger students can lease an apartment. The lease, which is a longterm rental agreement, may last on average of six months to a year. CSUF student Jessica Tabares is leasing her apartment for one year. She co-leases with two other roommates, although her parents co-signed for her. Legally, her parents assume the financial responsibility for her apartment unit. Tabares recommends first-time leasers obtain information about which apartments allow parents to cosign. “Make sure the place allows your parents to co-sign, because they donʼt always tell you if they allow it until you are halfway through the papers,” Tabares said.
MONDAY P.M. Showers High: 65 Low: 54
als to build the house. The projects rely on volunteers who donʼt necessarily have experience in construction. “A lot of times when the new volunteers come out here, they come out here and say … ʻI really canʼt do anything.ʼ By the time they go home they say … ʻI really did something today that I didnʼt think I could do,ʼ ” Bainbridge said. Habitat for Humanity not only gives to those in need but also it teaches individuals and serves as a source of pride, said Irvine resident Kathy Bashore. SEE HABITAT = PAGE 3
Not Prepared for Another Katrina Recent efforts to shield againt natural disasters only postpone inevitable By Andy Stowers
Daily Titan Staff Writer
Dr. Dennis Mileti and James Lee Witt spoke at the Titan Student Union Feb. 22 on “What We Should All Know About Disasters,” the first of a series of lectures scheduled for this semester. Both speakers gave insight as to what natural disasters are, how to recover from them, how to prevent them and explained that disasters happen easily and America is not prepared for such tragedies. “Disasters donʼt begin with natureʼs predictable events,” Mileti said. Mileti is professor emeritus at the Unversity of Colorado at
Boulder and he has served as Director of the Natural Hazards Center and a member of Homeland Securityʼs National Social Science Research Center on Terrorism. Mileti has also published over 100 documents, including his book, “Disaster By Design.” “Society presumes environment does not change,” Mileti said. “Physical systems are changing, however they are always changing, they always will change.” At the rate California is headed by the year 2020, there will be three cities equivalent to the size of Los Angeles, Mileti said. This increase in population would lead to financial and physical loss. “The effort we do make to avoid disasters only postpone them, just like the national debt,” Mileti said. “We obviously made little effort 50 years ago with dams in SEE DISASTER = PAGE 3
WEATHER TUESDAY WEDNESDAY Rain High: 63 Low: 49
Partly Cloudy High: 65 Low: 46
THURSDAY Mostly Cloudy High: 62 Low: 47