2006 04 12

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 W E D N E S D AY, A P R I L 1 2 , 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 3 2

SPORTS

OPINION

Winning intramural football– bragging rights included Page 4

Fee increase for Health Center minimal, worth extra cost Page 3

Machismo Man Gets A Bad Rap Men’s Week lecture explores the stereotypes of Latino masculinity

By Jaime Cárdenas

Daily Titan Staff Writer

Christina House/Daily Titan Photo Editor

TAKING BACK THE NIGHT

Third Wave Feminist Club and Sexual Assault Victim Services/Prevention Program hosted an event Tuesday called “Take Back The Night.” The purpose was to bring awareness to victims of sexual assault in Orange County and ended with a candlelight vigil in the Quad where speakers gave testimonies of their experiences with rape.

Looking for Attacker Students Sentenced With Spirit for CSUF Tryouts for next season’s Titan cheer sqaud begin at the end of the month

By Jessica Horn

Assault

By Cristina Rodriguez

Cal State Fullerton students with Titan spirit and the desire to cheer for CSUF will have a chance to showcase their skills.

Tryouts for Titan cheerleaders, flag bearers and the CSUF mascot, Tuffy the elephant, will be held on Saturday, April 29.

Students can attend one of two informational meetings to pick up applications and find out about the requirements and duties of being a member of the cheer squad. The first meeting is Thursday in KHS 204 from 7 to 9 p.m., and the second meeting is on Tuesday, April 18 in KHS 202 from 7 to 9 p.m.

For those unable to attend a meeting, applications will be available April 21 and are due the same day.

Only incoming high school students and full-time CSUF students may audition. Incoming students must have at least a 3.0 GPA to be eligible, while CSUF students need a cumulative grade-point average of 2.0 or better and at least a 2.0 GPA during their last semester.

“Basically, they have to be a student of good academic standing,” Andi Sims, coordinator of Student Life, said.

Applicants donʼt need gymnastics or cheer experience, but itʼs a plus.

A typical cheer schedule consists of practice on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 7 to 10 p.m. and games on the weekend during basketball season, said Lisa Greenwood, a CSUF cheerleader.

“Being on the team does mean that you have to put in a few long hours a week. However, itʼs fun, quality time spent with your team so the time flies SEE SPIRIT = PAGE 2

SEE CHARGED= PAGE 3

Daily Titan Staff Writer

By Jody Cason

Daily Titan Staff Writer

Cal State FullertonʼsAssociated Students Inc. spring elections will be held on Wednesday, April

Brian Richter PRESIDENT Julia Jurado VICE PRESIDENT

B

rian Richter is a junior majoring in political science.

He served as the aide to the press secretary at Moorpark Community College.

Julia Jurado is a junior majoring in anthropology.

Jurado said she has never served in school government but considers herself able and ready for the position because she is passionate about leaving something behind after she graduates.

The teamʼs main agenda is to create awareness of what ASI is.

“People donʼt know about it,” Jurado said.

“I didnʼt even know about it until I decided Richter to run.”

Richter wants to create a commission to tell students what is on ASI agenda and what other programs ASI offers.

He especially wants to promote scholarships that CSUF offers.

Jurado “Scholarship advertisements should be plastered on every bulletin board,” he said.

The team would also like to have more guest speakers on campus, particularly political leaders and activists to encourage student participation in government.

“I would like to see six or seven students running for president by the time I leave office,” Richter said.

Jurado would also like to make CSUF an more beautiful campus.

“It would be great if we could do some commissioning of art projects by the student body,” she said.

WEB

STEROIDS IN SPORTS

BUSINESS WEEK

PAGE 3

19 and Thursday, April 20.

Ballots will include candidates running for the ASI Board of Directors as well as the ASI presidential and executive vice presidential positions.

Three pairs of candidates are

running for the presidency this year, as opposed to last year when ASI President Mona Mohammadi and Drew Wiley ran unopposed.

The candidates will debate some of the main issues facing

CSUF students at noon today in the Quad.

The three teams on the ballot are: Arya Hawkins-P and Urmi Rahman-VP; Heather WilliamsP and Javier Gamboa-VP; Brian Richter-P and Julia Jurado-VP.

MEET THE CANDIDATES

OPINION With Bonds approaching HR record, why stop juice use?

SEE MACHISMO = PAGE 2

ASI Elections Heating Up Again

Daily Titan Staff Writer

William Iofi was sentenced to life in a mental institution last Friday after pleading not guilty by reason of insanity to several charges related to an attempted sexual assault of a CSUF student in the fall of 2004.

Iofi will spend the remainder of his life at Patton State Mental Hospital in San Bernadino County, said Iofiʼs attorney Doug Lobato.

“There is a great likelihood heʼll never be released,” Lobato said.

On Sept. 14, 2004 police arrested Iofi after he attacked a female graduate student in a stairwell of the Performing Arts Building in broad daylight, The Daily Titan reported. The victim struggled to free herself and was knocked to the ground. She suffered two lacerations to her face and was taken to St. Jude Medical Center for treatment, The Daily Titan reported.

Cal State Fullerton student Darin Martineau was practicing classical guitar when he heard a woman screaming, he told The Daily Titan. He saw Iofi assaulting the female and rammed him with his shoulder to knock Iofi off of the victim.

Police responded to the scene shortly after.

Iofi was convicted in February of intent to rape, penetration with a foreign object by force, aggravated mayhem and intent to cause bodily harm, Deputy District Attorney Kal Kaliban, said.

Think of machismo.

What images does the word evoke?

Images of a responsible, respectful and caring man? Images of a leader?

It should have, according to Alexandro Gradilla, an assistant professor of Chicana and Chicano studies at Cal State Fullerton.

Being macho is not a negative.

Being macho means being a man, he said.

“In Mexican culture and in the Mexican community, being a man refers to being responsible. Itʼs seen as a positive,” Gradilla said.

“Itʼs taking charge and being kind.

Itʼs a lot of positive things.”

As part of Menʼs Week, Gradilla spoke on “Latino Men and Masculinities: Beyond Stereotypes, Caricatures and the ʻMʼ-word” yesterday at noon.

Gradilla did not try to make people think that macho is really a Spanish word for a sensitive guy.

Part of being macho is being a strong man, a brave man, he said.

Gradilla didnʼt deny the existence of spousal abuse, sexism and alcoholism within the Latino community.

Those are big problems – but they are problems that plague all communities, he said.

“Thatʼs the problem when you create this discussion of machismo and macho,” Gradilla said. “We assume that white men arenʼt sexist

www.dailytitan.com

A

rya Hawkins is a senior double majoring in political science and psychology.

Hawkins has been serving as ASIʼs director of statewide affairs for almost a year.

He is also the Lobby Corps chair for CSUF and is the official CSUF representative to the California State Student Association.

Urmi Rahman is a senior majoring in political science with a minor in English.

Rahman has been an ASI member for about a year and is the vice chair of Lobby Corps for CSUF. This teamʼs main agenda is to increase the transparency, accountHawkins ability and effectiveness of ASI. “Our goal is to eliminate the hierarchy in ASI so we can find out what the real goals of the students are,” Hawkins said. “We want to create open Rahman forums to encourage the student body to participate in student government decisions.”

Rahman agreed and said they want students to hold officials accountable as well.

Hawkins said the goal of the ASI president and vice president should mainly be carrying out the wishes of CSUF students, not to make all of the decisions for them.

Rahman said she is coming in with a fresh set of eyes.

“I am more of a student at large at this point, and [Hawkins] is the more experienced student leader,” she said. “We balance each other out.”

INSIDE

Students learn the business of networking, prepare for future

Heather Williams PRESIDENT Javier Gamboa VICE PRESIDENT

Arya Hawkins PRESIDENT Urmi Rahman VICE PRESIDENT

WEATHER

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY Partly Cloudy High: 73 Low: 52

H

eather Williams is a junior majoring in political science with a minor in art and international politics.

She is currently the executive vice president of ASI and was ASIʼs director of administration for a year and a half. She is also the chair of the ASI Scholarship Committee and the Executive Senate, and she has served on numerous committees within ASI and the Academic Senate.

Javier Gamboa is a sophomore majoring in political science with a minor in business administration.

He currently serves as the chair of the ASI Board of Directors and is also the chairman of the ASI Operations Committee and serves ex officio as a member of all other ASI Williams committees. He also sat on the board for the college of humanities and social sciences.

This team wants to address studentsʼ concerns about textbooks, student fees, CSU budgets, campus safety, Gamboa graduating on time and class availability.

“Classes are so packed that it is becoming increasingly difficult for students to get the ones they need before graduation time,” she said.

As far as textbooks are concerned, Gamboa said they would like to enforce the system of professors sending their textbook requesters on time.

Williams and Gamboa also want to promote a tighter campus community at CSUF. “We want different groups on campus to collaborate with each other to build a stronger community,” Williams said.

Sunny High: 77 Low: 57

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

Thunder Showers High: 65 Low: 52

Partly Cloudy High: 67 Low: 53

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NEWS

N E W S @ D A I LY T I T A N . C O M

IN

OUT

OTHER NEWS

N’ ABOUT

WORLD

ON CAMPUS

TODAY: “Juries and American Democracy” will be the topic of discussion in the Pollak Libraryʼs Rotary Club of Fullerton Room from noon to 1 p.m. The program will feature experts discussing and challenging the role of juries in American democracy.

US Soliders Back On Streets

BAGHDAD, Iraq – American soldiers have again hit the streets of dangerous neighborhoods in western Baghdad that had been handed over to Iraqi forces, trying to keep a lid on sectarian attacks that have raged since the February bombing of a Shiite shrine in Samarra.

The U.S. military has refocused its mission to confront death squads that have tortured and killed hundreds, a tacit acknowledgment that Iraqi troops have not been able to control violence between Shiites and Sunnis on their own.

Election Too Close to Call ROME – Silvio Berlusconi, Italyʼs longest-serving premier since World War II, was locked in a battle for power early Tuesday with center-left challenger Romano Prodi as vote projections from parliamentary election returns swung dramatically back and forth.

More than nine hours after polls closed at 3 p.m. Monday, the head of the Nexus polling agency, which made projections from samples of actual votes cast, said the race was too close to call.

NATION

Grads Head to Big Cities WASHINGTON – College graduates are flocking to Americaʼs big cities, chasing jobs and culture and driving up home prices.

Though many of the largest cities have lost population in the past three decades, nearly all have added college graduates, an analysis by The Associated Press found.

The findings offer hope for urban areas, many of which have spent decades struggling with financial problems, job losses and high poverty rates.

But they also spell trouble for some cities, especially those in the Northeast and Midwest, that have fallen behind the South and West in attracting highly educated workers.

Skilling Says Life On Line HOUSTON – Former Enron Corp. Chief Executive Jeffrey Skilling told jurors in his fraud and conspiracy trial Monday that he abruptly resigned from the energy trading company a few months before it collapsed because he was worn out and troubled by its falling share price – not because he knew disaster loomed.

“I am absolutely innocent,” Skilling said right after he swore to tell the truth while testifying in his own defense Monday.

Then he let jurors know whatʼs at stake for him: “I guess in some ways my life is on the line, so Iʼm a little nervous.”

LOCAL

Free Shows Offered Online LOS ANGELES – ABC will offer four prime-time shows including “Desperate Housewives” and “Lost” on its Web site for free for two months beginning in May as it continues to expand the ways consumers can watch TV online.

The shows will include advertising that cannot be skipped over during viewing. ABC, which is owned by The Walt Disney Co., already offers ad-free episodes for $1.99 each on Apple Computer Inc.ʼs iTunes store.

Reports compiled from The Associated Press

DAILY TITAN

REMEMBERING THE FALLEN

Lisa Maiorana/Daily Titan

The Los Angeles Chapter of Veterans for Peace dedicate a memorial by the Santa Monica pier for every American soldier killed in Iraq since the war began in 2003.

Every Sunday for two and a half years the group has set up a display protesting the war while Chapter protestors wear T-shirts that ask “2,300 dead how many more?”

DID YOU KNOW?

WATERLOO, Iowa – Two people who police say conspired to get off of work for a few days by filing a fake obituary with a newspaper have been arrested.

James Ralph Snyder, 36, and Mary Jo Elizabeth Jensen, 33, both of Waterloo, participated in the scam by filing an obituary saying Jensenʼs 17-year-old son had died,

MACHISMO FROM PAGE 1 or that white men are incapable of being discriminatory based on gender.”

James Thompson, a communications major, agreed with Gradilla.

He said he feels that there are certain historical stereotypes that should be broken.

“Itʼs great that he is doing that,” Thompson said.

“Macho being thought of as a negative is [a] perfect example of an inaccurate stereotype of minorities.”

Gradilla said discussions about Latino men are usually empty because psychologists – who

police said.

Snyder was charged with tampering with records. Jensen was charged with being an accessory after the fact.

Snyder, claiming he was Daniel Reddoutʼs father, submitted the obituary to the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier in December, police said.

Snyder, who is Jensenʼs boyfriend, said Reddout died at the Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minn., after a lengthy illness, police said.

Later in the week, people who know the family and the teenager saw him at a downtown restaurant

and called authorities, police said.

Snyder and Jensen, who worked at Tyson Foods in Waterloo, started taking time off of work in December saying her son was sick and in a hospital, police said.

They said the plot escalated and Tyson officials were told the teenager was on life support and eventually had died.

Company officials asked the couple to verify their absence from work and Snyder took the obituary to the newspaper, police said.

The son told police about the plan, records show.

donʼt know who Pedro Infante or Vicente Fernadnez are – are doing the analyses.

Infante and Fernandez through their movies and their music are the ideal “machos” to Mexicans.

They are the men that other men want to be and women want to be with.

“Latino men have a sense of maleness and masculinity that is different than American men. For the last 100 years, there have been discussions by Mexican intellectuals about male masculinity in Mexico,” Gradilla said.

“And thereʼs been an interesting discussion about MexicanAmerican male identity, not by men, by Chicana feminists,” said Gradilla.

Itʼs not a negative representation, rather, Chicanas are working

with Chicanos to end inequality based on gender. Itʼs a completely different model than mainstream discussion of gender and gender politics, Gradilla said.

Taking steps toward ending gender inequality and changing opinions about Latino men are some of the things that Rosalina Camacho, coordinator of the womenʼs cultural resource centers at the Womenʼs Center, hoped to accomplish with the event.

“We do have stereotypes and we should have an avenue to talk about these negative stereotypes to break them down,” Camacho said.

“The word ʻmachoʼ has been given such a bad connotation.

When you look at the history of the word it means a strong man who can take charge.”

SPIRIT FROM PAGE 1

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The Daily Titan is a student publication, printed every Monday through Thursday. The Daily Titan operates independently of Associated Students, College of Communications, CSUF administration and the CSUF System. The Daily Titan has functioned as a public forum since inception. Unless implied by the advertising party or otherwise stated, advertising in the Daily Titan is inserted by commercial activities or ventures identified in the advertisements themselves and not by the university. Such printing is not to be construed as written or implied sponsorship, endorsement or investigation of such commercial enterprises. The Daily Titan allocates one issue to each student for free.

Copyright ©2006 Daily Titan

by,” Greenwood said.

The program is growing, Sims added.

“This year, we just focused on basketball games. Next year we will be expanding and moving to other appearances and sports,” Sims said.

The CSUF cheerleading squad formed in September of 2005.

There are 14 girls on the squad, while four applicants are chosen for mascots and must rotate as flag bearers.

Applicants should attend the cheer clinic on April 27 from 7 to 10 p.m. in the Titan Gym. At the cheer clinic, cheerleaders and mascots will learn a routine to music. Mascot hopefuls need to bring their own routine, Sims said.

On May 1, names applicants moving on to the group interview step of the tryouts will be posted, and interviews will take place during that week.

“Now that more people know we have a spirit team, more people, both male and female, are excited to try out. The number is definitely larger than last year,” Annette Romo, a CSUF cheerleader, said.

“Being Tuffy is cool because you represent everything that CSUF stands for: pride, spirit and excellence,” Kristen Elderson, who plays Tuffy, said.

Current cheerleaders, mascots and flag bearers must reapply each semester, allowing other talents to nab spots if they impress judges.

Students interested in trying out can find more information in the Titan Student Union Room 247.

THURSDAY: The AfricanAmerican Resource Center hosts a town hall-style public forum, “Who is Responsible for the African-American Poor?” from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. in the Titan Student Union.

THURSDAY: Titan baseball takes on UC Davis at 7 p.m. at Goodwin Field, the same venue for games two and three on Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 1 p.m. Admission is free for students.

THURSDAY: ASI Productions presents two free screenings of “Memoirs of a Geisha” at the TSU Titan Theater at 6 and 9 p.m.

THURSDAY: Grammy-nominated band Volumen Cero will perform in the TSU Underground at 12 p.m.

FRIDAY: Be in the TSU Underground at 1 p.m. for ASIʼs table tennis tournament.

FRIDAY: In Ian Arthur Swansonʼs play “Curse of the Flightless,” Anna is forced to keep trying new things because horrible things happen to people she cares about when she stops. It opens at 8 p.m. and will run through April 29. For more information call (714) 278-3371.

OFF CAMPUS TONIGHT thru SATURDAY: Pablo Francisco spins his own brand of comedy with pinpoint accurate impressions of everything from Spanish soap operas to a movie trailer with our Governator starring as a tortilla boy on the run. His new CD, Pablo 3, boasts loads of new material he is sure to weave into his act at the Brea Improv this weekend. Show times are on Wednesday and Thursday at 8:30 p.m., Friday at 8:30 and 10:30 p.m., and Saturday at 7 and 9 p.m.

Tickets cost $22.

If you would like to submit an event to Out nʼ About please email news@dailytitan.com

CHARGED FROM PAGE 1 Since Iofi pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, sentencing involved a mental institution rather than prison time. His family was glad he was sentenced to a mental institution rather than a prison, Lobato said.

Iofi has had several bouts with the law. Police arrested Iofi a week before the attack, and he has also been accused of harassing his neighbors. A recordscheck run after the assault showed Iofi was on probation and had multiple restraining orders issued against him, The Daily Titan reported.

Lobato said he specifically asked the family not to attend Iofiʼs hearing.

Iofi was living with his brother and his wife at the time of the incident.

Despite Iofiʼs mental state he openly expressed remorse for the events and appeared upset over the entire situation, Lobato said.

Neither the defendantʼs nor the victimʼs family could be reached for comment.

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SPORTS

S P O R T S @ D A I LY T I T A N . C O M

It’s Monday Night Lights for CSUF Flag Football Fraternities and other groups get their fill of competition through intramural teams on campus, determined to win the battle for bragging rights

By CHRIS RAMIREZ

For the Daily Titan

Despite not having a collegiate football team since the fall of 1991, a different kind of football is thriving on Monday nights at Cal State Fullerton.

It may not ever be confused with the NFL, but for the fraternities and other groups on campus, which make up the teams that compete in intramural flag football, the sport is a big deal.

“Itʼs pretty important,” said Gonzalo Meza, 23, a kinesiology major.

“Itʼs the most competitive among [intramural] sports. Everyone is shooting for the team that wins.”

The students who compete in this league donʼt play for money or accolades. They play for bragging rights and to build camaraderie.

There are currently 11 teams that are competing this semester, with the games being played at Titan Field.

The first game usually starts at 5:30 p.m. and the last one is scheduled at 10:30 p.m.

The regular season is seven weeks and each team plays six games, with one bye week.

The top eight teams make the playoffs, which begin May 1, and the championship game is held a week later on May 8.

One standard in the flag football league is the majority of teams that are comprised of fraternity members.

The dominant team for a long time was the fraternity Pi Kappa Phi. While their long winning streak has since ended, a new dominant team appears to be the Delta Chi fraternity.

Their team currently has a two–semester winning streak.

Aside from the teams that are made up of fraternity members, there are teams consisting of students who live in the Residence Halls on campus.

These teams historically have not fared very well.

One other type of team competiting is a team comprised of people who commute to school and create teams with their friends.

Raymond Bustamonte, 25, a child development major, Yash Patel, 19, a business major, and Daniel Garcia, 19, a graphic art major are members of the team Free Agents.

When asked why they play flag football, all three gave the same answer, “[For] the fun of the game, and the competition.”

Each team playing has their own style to set themselves apart from one another, evident by the different uniforms they wear.

Some teams, like the Delta Chi team, have team jerseys with their names and numbers, while other teams use what they have. Team R.O.C wears all black, black shirts and shorts. Team Stuffed French Toast Down at IHOP chooses the color blue. The uniform schemes vary from team to team.

For some teams there is a lot that goes into preparing for each game that is played. Some teams have weekly practices. Others choose to show up early for games and strategize a game plan then.

Each team has itʼs own offensive and defensive strategies that they

PHIL GORDON/Daily Titan

NICE GRAB: Defender Thai Trinh makes an interception during practice with the “French Toast Down at IHOP” flag football team at Titan Field, as receiver Kevin Johnston [left] helplessly looks on while is being blocked on the play by Jose Camarena [center]. use.

Despite the fun and enjoyment the players get from the game, there are some things that they would change.

“We try to play by the rules but there is a lot of physical play, which I donʼt mind. But itʼs a bunch of students that are refs,” said Daniel Hayden, 21, a business major and a member of the team Stuffed French Toast Down at IHOP. “They do their best, but theyʼre still students.”

After winning their last two games, Haydenʼs team is currently 3-2 on the season.

One thing Ashley Allen, 21, a kinesiology major, of R.O.C., said he would change about the sport is the game clock.

“I would get rid of the running clock in the first half, and change to college or pro football rules,” Allen said.

Among the teams this semester, there are a couple looking to change the way Residence Hall teams have fared in intramural football leagues on campus.

Phillip Redd, 22, a business major, of team R.O.C. lives in the dorms and said that he plays for the sense of tradition and love of the game.

He is looking to shake things up for the dorm teams in order to win and ultimately have the bragging rights that come with winning.

“We want to get people to talk about the Residence Halls instead of the frats,” Redd said.

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A D S @ D A I LY T I T A N . C O M

O P I N I O N @ D A I LY T I TA N . C O M

TITAN EDITORIAL

Providing insight, analysis and perspective since 1960

OUT IN THE STREETS

I

n response to the largest political protests in recent memory, top republicans from both the House of Representatives and the Senate spoke out against language in an immigration bill, which passed a House vote in December that would make felons out of those illegally residing in the United States.

Initially trying to appease members of their own party by clamoring for tougher border enforcement with the felony provision Republicans must now contend with growing civil unrest that they fear could hurt their monopoly on congressional power.

House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R – Ill.) and Senate majority Leader Bill Frist (R – Tenn.) issued separate statements condemning the felony provision, and are trying to convince the American public that congressional Democrats are stalling changes to the billʼs language.

Not only was the bill initially authored and introduced

by Republicans, it passed the House 239-182, with only 36 Democrats supporting the final version of the bill that included the now unsatisfactory language.

Itʼs doubtful that these Republican spin-meisters can convince protesters that their intentions were anything less than to punish, as much as they could, those who chose to immigrate into the U.S. illegally. Itʼs obvious that these two party

leaders are trying to blame Democrats for this provision before the Democrats can do the same.

Republicans see that dropping the felony provision of the bill is a happy compromise between pro-immigrant and border enforcement advocates, not to mention it makes sense.

Once convicted of a felony, people are no longer allowed to immigrate to theU.S. Given no legal immigration option, some may opt to sneak back in, which only increases the illegal immigration problem.

Pro-immigration demonstrators should feel proud of themselves for shaking things up in Washington so badly that congressional leaders felt their job security threatened because of protesters taking to the streets en masse.

We should all feel more comfortable that, even in an age of political apathy, our leaders canʼt get away with everything they would like to get away with.

When we decide that something violates our collective consciences enough that we organize and demonstrate, we know that we have their attention and that our actions can cause shockwaves that climb to the highest levels of the federal government.

Regardless of what side youʼre on in the immigration debate, isnʼt it comforting to know that things can still change if we take it to the streets?

Editorial Board Philip Fuller, Opinion Editor Nicole M. Smith, Executive Editor Kim Orr, Managing Editor In deference to the paradigm established by venerable Swiss philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, unsigned Titan Editorials strive to represent the general will of the Daily Titan editorial board and do not necessarily reflect the view of the university.

OPINION

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3

Stop Squeezing the Juice

By Daniel Monzon

Daily Titan Staff Writer

Chicks dig the long ball.

So does Major League Baseball, who has started investigations into alleged steroid use by Barry Bonds and others. But who cares? I donʼt. I mean, I do care how possible steroid use by Bonds and others gives a black eye to major league baseball.

But if any athlete wants to use it, let them.

Thatʼs right - let them, as much as they want. Theyʼre adults, at least physically. Emotionally and mentally mature? Doubtful. To Bud Selig, MLB Commissioner, I say stop being their babysitter.

Any player using steroids knows, without any doubt, the harmful effects narcotics of any kind can have on their mind and body. Selig showing concern now after years of steroid usage among baseballʼs biggest stars, isnʼt concerned at all for

the safety of the players, but rather concerned for his product. Seligʼs not much of a parent, so to speak, if he didnʼt realize until, say, a Congressional hearing, that his children, the major league ball players, had used or were using drugs. Fans all over were reportedly shocked.

No, not really. Fans were merely shocked that it took such a long time, and the intrusion of Congress, for Selig to finally act.

Bonds is closing in on and will seemingly pass Babe Ruth for the all-time career home run list and may even catch and surpass Hank Aaron who currently holds the record. A lot of people donʼt want that to happen.

The problem with the probe is that it will only be limited to ʻevents since September 2002.ʼWhy even bother beginning an investigation into baseballʼs golden god? So Congress doesnʼt get any more involved than theyʼve already been.

We need to remember that the operative word is “if” – that is, if

Bonds used steroids.

Saying that Bonds is the first player who used performanceenhancing drugs and the players that came before him never used anything is nonsense. Bonds is just the player with the highest profile to be accused of steroid use.

Following the labor shortage in 1994, baseball didnʼt begin to regain Americaʼs love until the 1998 season when Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire started the home run chase to break Roger Marisʼ record of 62 home runs in a single season.

Mark McGwire seemed to everyone to have super huge, superhuman arms, but no one seemed to care because he was hitting the long ball out of the ballpark and it meant that people were once again making the turnstile spin faster than it had in a few years at major league ballparks.

This was great for MLBʼs image.

So why would MLB launch a steroids investigation now? Why not then, or any other time when

players suddenly gained amazing size or power?

Could it be that Bonds is approaching the untouchable homerun records of Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron? Maybe.

Or maybe itʼs because Selig and the rest of the bigwigs at the MLB offices are a little nervous with Congress breathing down their necks. Itʼs so sweet that Selig suddenly cares.

Itʼs too bad MLB didnʼt seem to care when kids were using illegal substances to enhance their performances for high school and college athletics. Their deaths didnʼt threaten MLBʼs bottom line; theyʼd make up for them simply by drafting someone else.

So what should be done if Bonds is using steroids? Let him. Let him use all he needs to break the home run record, and then ban all performance enhancing substances. I mean, who or what could it hurt to wait a little bit longer?

Good Health Worth the Cost

By Tim Young

Daily Titan Staff Writer

In last Novemberʼs Associated Students Inc. elections the student body of Cal State Fullerton used the power of voting and overwhelmingly made a change for what they think is the better.

The $20 increase of the Student Health center fees was voted for by 78 percent of the students who participated in the election. So to those who came out it matters, but there are always those who are oblivious and donʼt have an opinion either way. Everyone knows that most CSUF students donʼt care about what goes on here unless ESPN shows up.

Usually when the price of something goes up most people cringe – especially college students – and reach back to feel if their pocket-

books are still intact. This time it seems that an increase in the health services fee is not as bad as other price hikes, like gas or tuition, and our pocketbooks will live to see another day.

Some students believe the fee increase is bad and look at it as an excuse for the school to drain more money from them. While $20 is a lot of money, it is something that can easily be compensated. That $20 is a lot easier to make up than higher fee increses.

Some donʼt like the idea of rasing the health services fee and feel as if theyʼre being ripped off for a convenience they donʼt use. The fee will increase five dollars a semester over the next two years, eventually adding up to $45 a semester. That is something that we can learn to live with.

Iʼm willing to live with the fee increase because I would rather pay than take the chance of one day

not having the health center when I really need it because I couldnʼt afford an extra $20 a semester Health is something we should never take for granted because we never know what will happen to us each day we are alive. No one is invincible. I hadnʼt used the health center until my fourth year here at CSUF, but Iʼm glad I had the resource here on campus.

One cold morning in December I woke up spitting blood and felt like someone was ripping my throat apart.

I was in no condition to go driving around looking for a Kaiser Permanente Hospital. So I went to the nearest place I knew, the Health Center.

For the past 10 years students have bee paying $25 per semester, but like most things in life, our heath service fees canʼt stay perfect forever. We should still be thankful though because compared to other

universities in California we have it made. Students at San Diego State pay $170 and students at Cal Poly Pomona shell out $135 per year.

To make up for the fee increase maybe a student shouldnʼt buy that daily $1 bag of chips, the $4 hamburger or that $40 sweatshirt they really think they need when they already have two or three.

Of all the fees that seem to keep going up, maybe students should use their power and do something about parking and the insane amount of money wasted each semester.

Whatʼs the point of paying $144 semester if youʼre not even guaranteed a spot?

Finally, there are some people out there that say this is a solution that wonʼt work and the problem is bigger than a simple fee increase.

Every solution, whether large or small, has to start somewhere and as long as our pocketbooks are still intact, we shouldnʼt complain.