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, M AY 1 0 , 2 0 0 6
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SPORTS
OPINION
Flag football: Brown Bombers beat Red Machine 13–12 Page 8
Has American democracy become the new communism? Page 4
Silence is Golden at Meng Hall
Campus Fights Sexual Assault
Performing Arts Center acoustically engineered to help visitors tune out noise of metropolitan surroundings
CSUF launches two new programs to help women protect themselves
By Rory Jurnecka
By Aaron Holtsclaw
Daily Titan Staff Writer
For the Daily Titan
Though Cal State Fullerton does not have a high rate of sex crimes that occur on campus, six forcible sex crimes were reported from 2002 to 2004 according to campus crime statistics. However, the campus is making an effort to help empower women by presenting the Rape Aggression Defense program as well as the Gender Alliance Program to female students. The Rape Aggression Defense program is taught at over 400 universities and colleges in North America and is endorsed by the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators, according to literature provided by the Womenʼs Center. Corporal Iris Cortes-Valle, from University Police, is presenting the program classes on May 13, May 20 and June 3. Each class is from 8 a.m. until noon. The program is designed to help women, “feel more confident about their safety,” Cortes-Valle said. Students are taught kicks, punches and other self-defense tools, should they be in a physical confrontation. This physical defense program is open to women of all ages and levels of fitness. Non-students are also allowed to participate. Officers wear padded suits during simulated attack scenarios for protection. The students practice their techniques on the officers to better recall the instruction if needed in the world. “It takes 3,500 repetitions of an act to attain muscle memory” which will help the techniques become second nature, CortesValle said. An American is sexually assaulted every two and a half minutes, according to Rape Abuse and Incest National Network. To aid in student safety, CortesValle suggests students carry a whistle or key chain alarm that makes noise. Also, students should “buddy up” when walking to their cars. The University Police provide students with an escort service to cars that cannot be reached from call boxes located around campus. “If you see anything going on or sense that something doesnʼt seem right, then call,” Cortes-Valle said. Some students who have night classes and get out at 10 p.m. have also expressed their safety concerns. “I am terrified when I park in the parking structure,” said CSUF student Valerie Howlett. “This class is a good idea to help women become more able to protect themselves.”
C Kevin Rogers/Daily Titan
LOCOMOTION
Isabella Serafin, 5, enjoys her ice cream at the CSUF Childrenʼs Center last Friday. Her father is currently in Kuwait.
Volunteers Assemble to Save World Campus center offers a wide range of activities for students to participate in, help others By Johnson, Kathryn
For the Daily Titan
Sitting at the long table outside of St. Lorenzoʼs Catholic Church, Marcus Johnson wondered how many mothers the money he collected would affect. He spent many hours assembling these special bottles to hand out to the
church community in an effort to raise funds and awareness for the plight of teenage motherhood in his community. This kind of youth service fundraising is on the rise in America, in large part due to a very active younger generation of volunteers. These volunteers said the reason for giving their time and talent is for the satisfaction of helping others, a feeling of happiness and a true sense of purpose. “I helped out at church because my friend Gabe was volunteering, and it makes me happy,” said Johnson, 17,
a member of the leadership council at St. Lorenzo Ruiz Catholic Church. “Helping others gives me a sense of purpose.” There are many resources available to todayʼs youth when they make the decision to volunteer. Cal State Fullertonʼs Volunteer and Service Center is located on the lower level of the Titan Student Union. Students. “Itʼs very easy to sign up for volSEE VOLUNTEER = PAGE 3
al State Fullertonʼs Meng Concert Hall is dead silent. The usual hum of an air conditioner is absent as is any trace of traffic or footsteps of those passing the facilityʼs doors. Mark E. Rothermel explained this and other details that went into the design of CSUFʼs newest hall to the students, faculty and industry leaders that came together Tuesday morning for his presentation “Engineering sound.” Rothermel of Rothermel and Associates, project acoustician for the recently built Meng Concert Hall at CSUF, discussed the acoustic engineering principles of the new building and how they affect the listening experience. “The mandate we start with is to make this room very, very quiet,” Rothermel said. “You donʼt want to hear air movement, you donʼt want to hear equipment rumbling. Every effort was made to make this room absolutely dead quiet.” During the presentation, hosted by the Engineering and Computer Science College Affiliates, Rothermel said quiet is needed to hear the subtle nuances of the type of music it was designed to host; primarily orchestra, choir, classical guitar, chamber music, and similar forms of acoustic music. A large step in achieving a quiet environment was the development of a silent air conditioning system, Rothermel said. The design places the noisier items, such as the fans and motors, as far away as possible from the actual hall. Large diameter ducting was used to slow air velocity and diminish wind noise creating a system that simply cannot be heard from inside the hall. The Meng Concert Hall is as quiet as a recordSEE MENG HALL = PAGE 3
LAW&ORDER•CSI•NCIS•WITHOUTATRACE•NUMB3RS•
New Computer Engineering Major Offered
CSUF: Criminal Justi By Renee Cain
For the Daily Titan Staff Writer
Popular television shows like “CSI” and “Law & Order” have exposed many students to the dark side of criminal investigation. The television shows parade simple and quick crime investigations, but there are several steps requiring major organizational and planning skills to investigate crimes. Lt. John Petropulos, of the Fullerton Police Department, said each investigation relies on attention to detail, research and retrieving accurate information. When a crime has taken place it is first classified under a specific category, and then a lead detective from that department is placed on the case, he said. The lead detectiveʼs duty is to assign individuals from the department to each task. One individual will be assigned to gathering evidence
from the crime scene; another will be in charge of witness statements and another to follow leads, he said. Physical evidence is crucial in pulling the investigation together. Petropulos said itʼs like a jigsaw puzzle as they fit the pieces together to tell a story. “You get one shot, and you will never be able to do it again,” Petropulos said about processing a criminal investigation and gatheri n g
By Rory Jurnecka
Daily Titan Staff Writer
evidence. Associate Prof. Kevin Meehan of the Criminal Justice
Department at Cal State Fullerton recommends anyone interested in this field take Criminal Justice 300 or a similar class to learn the basics of the industry. Tony Lindouer, a criminal justice major at Fullerton College, said graduates interested in a career in law enforcement have to go through a rigorous application process. The first step asks about previous employment and criminal background. The second step is the written exam, which tests grammar, vocabulary and reading comprehension. The SEE CRIME = PAGE 3
In an effort to offer more options from the College of Engineering and Computer Science, Cal State Fullerton has instated a computer engineering major program. Spring 2006 marks the third semester for the program but many students are still unaware of its existence. The computer engineering major aims to provide students with hands-on classroom knowledge of how computer systems work to prepare them for the job market. Susamma Barua, computer engineering teacher and program coordinator, helped develop the program. “Computer engineering is the field that fills in the void between computer science and electrical engineering,” Barua said. “Computer engineering exposes its students to a lot of the electrical engineering concepts as well as the computer science concepts. The students learn how to do
SEE VIOLENCE = PAGE 3
SEE ENGINEERING = PAGE 3
SPORTS
WEB
BASKETBALL
IRAQ WAR
Fans disappointed in Lakersʼ lack of playoff performance
PAGE 8
INSIDE
Students discuss how war in Iraq has impacted their lives
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