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Since 1960 Volume 83, Issue 24
Athlete Remembered
Car Culture
Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle dies at age 34 SPORTS, p. 16
Automobiles excite, from the classics to drifting INTROSPECT, p. 8
Daily Titan
Thursday October 12, 2006
The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton
NY Pitcher Killed in Crash
Cory Lidle, California native, dies after his plane hits a skyscraper By Adam S. Levy
Daily Titan News Editor alevy@dailytitan.com
New York Yankees pitcher and Southern California native Cory Lidle was killed Wednesday afternoon along with at least one other when his small plane crashed into a 50story Manhattan skyscraper. The crash cast a rainstorm of burnt
debris onto the New York sidewalk, fueling early speculation of terrorism until it was revealed that the Cirrus SR20 aircraft was registered to Lidle. “It was very scary,” said Diane Tarantini, a neighbor who witnessed the crash from across the street, according to AP. “It brings back all these memories about planes hitting buildings, the terror of that day in September.” An anonymous federal official told the AP that Lidle’s passport was subsequently found at the scene of the accident.
The plane had departed from New Jersey’s Teterboro Airport at around 11:30 a.m. PST, navigating through overcast weather until the collision occurred at 11:42 a.m. At press time, there was no sure indication as to who was flying the craft or what had caused it to crash. Fullerton Airport Manager Rod Propst detailed the prevalent causes of crashes involving smaller, private aircrafts. “I can’t speculate on this case, but statistically, 98 percent are caused by pilot error – not mechanical,” Propst said in a phone interview.
The 34-year-old Lidle, who lived in Glendora, had earned his pilot’s license eight months ago after training with Pomona flight instructor Tyler Stranger. He stated his desire to fly stemmed from his passion for off-season travel. At press time, Stranger is believed to have been the other passenger in the craft. “It’s basically to bring things a little closer to reach,” Lidle said in a New York Times interview last month. “Now I can go to Pebble Beach if I want, and instead of driving there SEE CRASH - PAGE 3
By Dax Gardner/AP
PLANE - A small plane crashed into a 50-story residential apartment building in New York Wednesday. New York Fire Department officials reported two deaths in the crash.
Awareness of Body a Key to Fight Cancer “There’s always a possibility,” said Jackie Gogan, health educator assistant at Cal State Fullerton. Gogan advises students to give themselves breast exams every month and to get their yearly check-ups. By Nancy Mora “It’s a good habit to get into it, Daily Titan Staff Writer just to be familiar with your breasts,” news@dailytitan.com Gogan said. Pink ribbons decorated Titan Men were no strangers to the Walk Wednesday as the Health Cen- booth, whether they were accompater promoted Breast Cancer Aware- nying female friends or just amazed ness month. to see a fake “booby,” as one onVolunteers and looker said. department facStudents were enulty stocked their It’s good to know how couraged by Gogan booth with goody you are, how your and volunteers to bags, pens and brofeel the fake breasts body is. chures. – Jackie Gogan and locate the lumps At the booth, Health Educator Assistant in them. two fake breasts “It’s not weird. rested on plastic Look I’m doing it,” paper, brought weird looks and curi- Gogan said after a student refused to ous hands to touch them. touch the fake breast. But the seriousness of breast canSome women freak out when they cer could not be ignored. According feel any abnormality, but the presto the American Cancer Society, be- ence of a lump doesn’t necessarily hind lung cancer, breast cancer is the mean you have breast cancer, Gogan second-leading cause of cancer death said. in women. Volunteers at the booth demSome risk factors for breast cancer onstrated how to perform a breast include age and family history of the exam by using three fingers and feeldisease. Women become more at risk ing the breast. the older they become, according to “You should go all the way up to breastcancerprevention.com. the arm pit,” said Carrie Boone, a However, woman in their early or health science major and president late 20s have been diagnosed with breast cancer. SEE CANCER - PAGE 6
Students informed about methods to help prevent cancer
Whos Abound in ‘Seussical’ Cal State Fullerton theater and dance students present “Seussical: The Musical” in the Little Theatre. Beginning Friday, the Cat in the Hat will guide audiences through the planet of Who and the Jungle of Nool, meeting famous Dr. Seuss characters along the way. Students not only per-
form in the play, they produced it as well. With the guidance of their professors, students directed costumes, scenery, choreography and music. Graduate student Patrick Pearson directs. Check out The Buzz for more coverage on “Seussical: The Musical.”
When: o 8 p.m. Oct. 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, 28 o 2 p.m. Oct. 15, 21, 22, 29
Tickets: o $18 general admission o $16 for seniors and students with CSUF ID
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Photos By Ian Hamilton/Daily Titan
SeUSS - Above: Louis Pardo, who plays Horton the Elephant in “Seussical: The Musical” discovers the tiny Whos of Whoville on a speck of dust. Left: Jungle animals, Kevin Long and Carly Wielstein, dance across the stage during a dress rehearsal for the production.
Some Students Switching To Online-based Classes Digital classes allow courses to be taken from around the world By Joey T. English
Daily Titan Staff Writer news@dailytitan.com
Online education is a growing trend in the area of teaching and learning. With the click of a mouse, students can attend a lecture, submit homework and take a test from the comfort of their bedroom. Cal State Fullerton is one of many universities across the nation increasingly embracing this online trend. “We’re responding to the consumer demands,” said Dennis Berg, professor of sociology at CSUF. Af-
ter five weeks, he already had 435 e-mails from students taking his online course. According to a 2005 survey funded by the Sloan Foundation, a nonprofit institution emphasizing science and technology in education, 2.35 million American students took one or more online courses in 2004, up from 1.98 million in 2003. The Sloan study also found that 74.8 percent of U.S. schools expect their online enrollments to increase. Berg anticipates the same for the sociology department. He said about 22 percent of sociology’s enrollment is currently offered online, which he expects will rise to 25 percent next semester. Berg said he has taught online classes for five years and has seen a
variety of ways online instruction meets the demands of a certain population of students. “Many students are commuting from long distances and holding jobs at the same time. I get examples of people who are raising children, having babies, taking care of their parents and disabled people,” he said. For the students moving to online education either for a graduate degree or to blend with on campus classes, “It became apparent that they wanted the flexibility,” Berg said. Kara Shine, 36, a mother working toward a sociology degree at CSUF, is a case in point. “I am a full time worker during the day, a mom and a full time stu-
dent,” Shine said. “Online classes give me the ability to continue my education, yet, [be] at home with my child in the evenings.” Further, online learning has shown potential to attract students to programs struggling from declining enrollment, such as software engineering. “The timing is great to use [online education] technology for the software engineering department,” said Bin Cong, professor of computer science and coordinator for CSUF’s online master’s degree program in software engineering, which began in 2003. Since 2000, Cong said the outsourcing of software industry jobs SEE WEB - PAGE 6
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Teaching classes in Vietnam from CSUF By Joey T. English
Daily Titan Staff Writer news@dailytitan.com
Sociology Professor Dennis Berg has not only taught Cal State Fullerton students through online education, he has taken his virtual classroom across the Pacific Ocean to students at Vietnam National University in Hanoi. “I am trying to improve the caliber and the access to higher education in [Vietnam],” Berg said. Through Blackboard educational software, Berg said he taught an instructional technolo-
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gy class to about 50 Vietnam students in 2005 and again this past year. His class was for students earning a master’s degree in TESOL, Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages. “Not only am I teaching them about in- BERG structional technology, but it also is giving them access to a western teacher and to western ideas that they otherwise would never have SEE BERG - PAGE 6
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