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, A P R I L 2 4 , 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 8
SPORTS
OPINION
Female football player leads way for women athletes Page 7
Bushʼs push for hydrogen fuel too little, too late Page 6
Alumnus’ Business Probed
Students Roll in at Film Festival
Orange County company investigated after $8 million in unathorized withdrawals
Fullerton filmmakers showcase work at annual Newport Beach event
By Julie Anne Ines
Daily Titan Staff Writer
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By Stacey Serna
Daily Titan Staff Writer
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even Cal State Fullerton students waited in anticipation of the Edwards Island 7 Theatre at Fashion Island in Newport Beach, as their films debuted at the annual Newport Beach Film Festival on April 22. The students were asked to submit their short films in January to Jule Selbo, CSUF Radio-TV-Film department teacher and coordinator for the event. The festival now in its seventh year, debuts more than 350 films annually from all over the world. Jackie Frost, Philippe Perebinossoff, Ed Fink and Shelley Jenkins, professors from the RadioTV-Film department, attended the festival in support of the student filmmakers. The first film to be screened was “Man of Desperation”, directed by Victor Campos. It follows a man on the run for his life. This is his first project, and Campos said he is very proud. “This is a great moment in our lives,” he said. Nathan Hayashigawa unveiled his first short drama called “Vanish,” which follows a college student who notices that everything around him is vanishing after he makes one mistake in college. Hayashigawaʼs parents, Larry and Sandy, attended the festival to support their son. “He overcame a lot of adversity,” his father said. “There were lots of problems he faced, but he did it.” “We are very proud and impressed by his tenacity,” his mother said. John Kim, director of photography for “Vanish,” sat in the theater smiling after the credits rolled. Director Discoro Allan DeLeon and producer Anne Seidel debuted the drama, “Bratja,” a tale of two brothers making choices to give each other a better life. Animation major Aaron Paetz showed the animated comedy, “Freddy the Teddy,” a film about a caffeine-addicted bear that risks an arm and a leg for his morning fix. Paetz said he drew the whole thing himself and it took nine weeks, working day and night to complete the project. Nick Simotas directed “Joe Lies” with Jeff Horn. The film pokes fun at production classes and the stereotypes of what it takes to be a filmmaker. Most of the actors came to support the film and cheered when it debuted. They aimed to make a film was light hearted because a majority of people say filmmakers can only SEE FESTIVAL = PAGE 3
Kenneth Duong/For the Daily Titan
TRIUMPHANT VICTORY: Javier Gamboa and Heather WIlliams embrace after ASI election results are announced.
Williams, Gamboa Win ASI Student body president, vice president elected by a 54-percent vote
Williams/Gamboa
54%
By Jody Cason
Hawkins/Rahman
Daily Titan Staff Writer
Heather Williams and Javier Gamboa were elected president and vice president of Associated Students Inc. Thursday, winning 54 percent of the vote. Ayra Hawkins and Urmi Rahman earned 29 percent, and Brian Richter and Julia Jurado earned 14 percent. About 2,100 students turned out to vote in the elections last week, more than twice as many as last year. Williams and Gamboa needed 50 percent of the total votes plus one individual vote to avoid a run-off election with the second-place team. ASI Elections Commissioner Jamie Nangpi said more students turned out this year because of the increased competition and extra incentives used to get students to vote. ASI offered freebies including
29%
Richter/Jurado
14%
• Arts: Toni Cortez • Business & Economics: Jay Carvin • Communications: Jill Hanna, Paul Rumberger • Education: Rachel Miller • Health & Human Development: Kameron Altar • Humanities & Social Sciences: Kyle Rush • Natural Sciences & Mathematics: Aaron Acero Note: There was no candidate who ran for the College of Engineering and Computer Science
hot dogs, highlighters, bowling passes and sodas to encourage students to participate this year, Nangpi said. But ASI elections assistant Nicole Olipas said more students seemed interested this year despite all the freebies. “Last year we had to encourage students a lot more to get them over to the polling booths,” she said. “This year they came in and sat on their own.” Junior biology major Richard Parenteau said he votes in every ASI election. “Itʼs important to vote because a lot of people complain
about different things going on in school, but they donʼt do anything about it,” he said. “The candidates want to make a change, so I think we should support them by giving them our vote.” Sophomore business major Ejla Dzin also votes regularly. She said itʼs important to vote for the people who are hard-working, deserving and know what to do with studentsʼ money. Williams and Gamboa, who begin their term July 1, already say they have plans on how theyʼll proceed in their elected positions.
Gamboa said theyʼre organizing a retreat this summer for the ASI Executive Staff and Board of Directors so the members can plan for the upcoming school year. “We want everyone to be on the same page,” Gamboa said. Williams said she wants students to know sheʼs available to hear any concerns they may have.“The more input I get from students the better,” she said. Current ASI President Mona Mohammadi said she has confidence in the new presidential team and believes ASI will be in good hands next year.
‘Las Vegas’ Actor Talks at Comm Week As a class assignment, students contact James Lesure as guest speaker By Cristina Rodriguez
Daily Titan Staff Writer
James Lesure, actor on the NBC show “Las Vegas,” will be speaking to students Tuesday, during Cal State Fullertonʼs annual Comm Week. CSUF students working on an assignment for an event planning
class invited Lesure, who plays Mike Cannon on the show. Students in the class were paired up into teams and were each given a celebrity and contact information, where the teams had to invite and secure their celebrity to speak at this weekʼs Comm Week. RoseAnne de Ramos and Melissa Arzoomanian, both public relations majors, were the only students to secure a celebrity guest speaker. “I e-mailed James Lesure first, then he e-mailed his publicist,”
SPORTS
NEWS
BASEBALL
DRAG SHOW
Sophomore right-hander Wes Roemer cuts up competition
PAGE 8
Newly Elected Board of Directors for colleges of:
SEE VEGAS= PAGE 2
INSIDE
Seventh annual “Bootylicious” fundraiser breaks stereotypes
PAGE 5
de Ramos said. “His publicist called Melissa and asked about the event and specific dates.” Arzoomanian said she had to contact Lesureʼs publicist, Lisa Chance, and make arrangements for him to partake in Comm Week. “They gave us a month before Comm Week to try to contact a celebrity,” she said. “It was initially supposed to be an experiment.”
MONDAY
James Lesure “Las Vegas” star
ational Consumer Mortgage LLC in Orange County is being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission after the company revealed that its former investment manager, Cal State Fullerton alumnus Sam Favata, made $8 million in “unauthorized withdrawals,” according to an April 12 Los Angeles Times article. Favata, 46, who left the mortgage company several weeks ago, was going to be honored at the Visions and Visionaries awards ceremony April 22, but he did not attend the event. It is uncertain, however, if the investigation is the reason why Favata chose not to attend ceremony, said Carlos Leija, the executive director of CSUF Alumni Relations, which sponsored the ceremony. “I canʼt speculate on why he chose not to participate,” Leija said. He added, however, “[Alumni Relations] is disappointed that he couldnʼt. On April 6, the campus News and Information Web site published a story, which listed the award recipients that were honored at the 13th annual ceremony. The story has been modified since then. Favata does not appear on the Web site today, which lists “Desperate Housewives” producer Marc Cherry as one of this yearʼs five recipients. Favata was an All-American outfielder and a member of CSUFʼs 1979 collegiate World Series baseball team. He was then drafted by the Milawaukee Brewers. He began his career in the mortgage industry in 1985. National Consumer Mortgage LLC – the company Favata started with his
SEE FAVATA = PAGE 4
MySpace Faces Safety Criticism By Sofia Arvidson
For the Daily Titan
The popular networking Web site Myspace.com has recently suffered national criticism regarding its policies on privacy and safety. Much of the criticism comes from the fact that users can post real or false information, which can attract unwanted predators. “Itʼs a good Web site as long as it is used for good intentions,” Cal State Fullerton student Rene Carlos said. But some are concerned that online predators use MySpace as a forum for their prey. “Parents are not very proactive in protecting their children from predators on the Internet,” said Daniel Solorio, a SEE MYSPACE = PAGE 3
WEATHER TUESDAY
Partly Cloudy Cloudy High: 69 Low: 52 High: 70 Low: 52
WEDNESDAY THURSDAY Few Showers High: 62 Low: 49
Scattered Showers High: 68 Low: 53