Sports, Page 7
Titan wrestlers win two titles at Fullerton open
Since 1960 Volume 85, Issue 48
OPINION: Red State vs. Blue State vs. Jake Kilroy, page 3 FEATURES: New technology helps blind students access information, page 6
Daily Titan
Thursday November 29, 2007
The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton
DTSHORTHAND Greekfest Interfraternity and Panhellenic Greek councils will be showcasing their philanthropic efforts on the Titan Walkway from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Somewhere
They Belong
By CAmeron Pemstein
Daily Titan Photo Editor news@dailytitan.com
About 20 Cal State Fullerton students and faculty participated in the Corazon de Vida trip to the El Faro Orphanage in Tijuana, Mexico. The event on Nov. 17 allowed CSUF visitors to help prep and serve food, clean up the orphanage, wipe kids’ noses, tie shoe laces and bring much needed supplies. Corazon De Vida (Spanish for Heart of Life), raises funds and supports children of Baja California that have been orphaned, homeless or abandoned. – For more, see Page 4
Thursday Night Movie “Superbad” will be shown in the TSU Titan Theater at 6 and 9 p.m. Pub Concert ASI will hold its weekly concert in the Becker Amphitheater from noon to 1 p.m. Free “Glow” Bowling Glow bowling will be offered free from 3 to 7 p.m. to students with a valid Titan Card. Shoe rental is $2.50.
Daily Titan editors take questions from students
$1 million bill not accepted for deposit
Greeks are still concerned about the validity of an opinion article published
AIKEN, S.C. (AP) _ A bank teller had a million reasons to deny this transaction. Police say a man tried to open an account with a $1 million bill, which does not exist. The teller refused and called police while the man started to curse at bank workers, said Aiken County Sheriff’s spokesman Lt. Michael Frank. Alexander D. Smith, 31, of Augusta, Ga., was charged with disorderly conduct and two counts of forgery, Frank said. The second forgery charge came after investigators learned Smith bought several cartons of cigarettes from a nearby grocery store with a stolen check, Frank said. Smith was being held at the Aiken County jail Wednesday, and bail was set at $257. Deputy public defender Kelley Perkins Brown said she did not yet know whether her office would represent Smith.
Correction
Due to a reporting error, the field training officer was misidentified in the story “Tracking the ticket trail” in the Nov. 27 issue of The Daily Titan. The field training officer’s name is Manny Reyes. The Daily Titan regrets this error.
WEATHER Today Partly Cloudy / High: 70 Low: 50
Friday Few Showers / High: 64, Low: 49
saturday AM Showers / High: 59, Low: 43
sunday Mostly Sunny / High: 65, Low: 45
monday
Sunny / High: 70, Low: 49
CONTACT US
Main line: (714) 278-3373 News desk: (714) 278-4415 Advertising: (714) 278-4411 E-mail: news@dailytitan.com
Photos By Cameron Pemstein/Daily Titan Photo Editor Above - James McKenney holds the hand of Daniel, a child from Casa Hogar El Faro orphanage in Baja California, Mexico. Left- Melissa Ames and Anna play in a giant tube on the playground at the orphanage.
By MARISSA ARMSTRONG
Daily Titan Staff Writer news@dailytitan.com
Typically the press is the one asking the questions, but Wednesday morning, the Daily Titan gave the students the opportunity to do the grilling. Executive Editor Ian Hamilton, Managing Editor Julianna Crisalli and Advertising Sales Director Stephanie Birditt sat on a panel in Titan Student Union Pavilion C and answered students’ questions. Communications Professor Genelle Belmas was the host, kicking off the discussion by asking about the “controversial” posters the Daily Titan posted around campus to promote safe sex. Though Belmas put forth her best effort to keep the topic alive,
it was clear there was only one article the students wanted to talk about – an opinion article published in the Oct. 10 edition of the Daily Titan, about the five reasons not to join Greek life. For the better part of the hour, students did just that, with the real issue surfacing – Why did the Daily Titan allow the article to be published? The students eased into the subject with indirect questions such as how much research goes into opinion articles. Hamilton told them research is encouraged for opinion pieces but it is not required and not all opinion articles are researched in depth. The Daily Titan editors said the article was published in the opinion section of the paper because it was just that – an opinion. They also stressed it was the opinion of one writer and not that of the Daily Titan. The paper defended its right to publish the article in explain-
ing the opinion section is a place for writers to express themselves. “Even if it offends a small or large group on campus, I still want it to be an open forum,” Hamilton said. “That won’t change as long as I’m here.” One student, not associated with Greek life, said he does appreciate and applaud all the positive causes sororities and fraternities promote but he liked the opinion section for what it was. He said it was refreshing to know students had a place to express themselves. There was a question about not having an article with an opposing point of view. To answer the question, Hamilton explained how the paper works. Every Monday there is a pitch meeting. Editors pitch story ideas to Communications 471 [News Media Production] students and other communication students who write for the paper. If no one takes a story pitch,
the idea often gets killed. Bram Makonda, the opinion editor, explained he did pitch the story about not joining a sorority as a pro/con story, but nobody wanted to take the pro side. He said he even waited a month, hoping somebody would take it. Why wasn’t the Daily Titan more sensitive to the Greeks’ feelings? The editors told students they had not printed anything to intentionally cause controversy or attack any one specific group on campus. “We don’t go into it with an agenda,” Crisalli said. “We report what’s happening.” The editors pointed out that this was just one article and they had printed several other factual-based, as opposed to emotion-based, articles on Greek events. They also said they had wanted to write a lot more stories on Greek life but weren’t able to because members weren’t willing to talk to the press. Makonda stood up again and said he was happy the article was writ-
Making the public care about the AIDS epidemic Interactive exhibit allows students to learn about the devastating disease By JOY ALICIA
Daily Titan Staff Writer news@dailytitan.com
A global epidemic has taken lives for decades, and the World Vision Organization believes California State University Fullerton students can be part of the solution. Since Monday, students and faculty have visited “The AIDS Tent Exhibit,” a large brown tent placed in the center of the quad. Participants remove their backpacks, cover their ears with headphones attached to MP3 players, and await their turn to discover what’s inside the brown cloth walls. From the headphones’ speakers, a voice instructs participants where or when to walk, sit or observe their surroundings as a child delivers an audio narrative of their struggles in Africa and their familiarity with the AIDS epidemic. Unlike lectures filled with statis-
Photo BY JOY ALICIA/Daily Titan Staff Writer The World Vision Organization’s large “AIDS Tent Exhibit” personalizes the AIDS experience for Cal State Fullerton sstudents strolling the quad.
tics, PowerPoint presentations, or televised images of flies swarming infants, the exhibit is an interactive experience. Pots, maps, pictures, clothes hanging from a clothesline and other items create a village setting theme.
The Seattle Times reported that World Vision felt the tent would be a powerful tool to educate and inspire. “The whole goal is to get people to really feel what it’s like to be a child in Africa in the middle of an AIDS
pandemic,” said Mike Yoder, World Vision’s experiential director. “After bringing in speakers and showing videos we thought, ‘We’ve got to go deeper. If young people are really going to understand AIDS in Africa, they’re going to have to experience it somehow.’” CSUF student, Erin Stapleton, said she was so moved, she “teared up.” “I learned more than what I thought I knew. It touched me a lot,” Stapleton said. “I knew before this that I wanna help. I wanna actually go and help. “[The exhibit is] really emotional. It gets to you. The way they set up the props made you feel like you were [in Africa]. I’m trying to go to Africa next summer to study abroad.” Angie Pang, of the New Song North Orange County Church said she’s been working to bring the display to CSUF since May. “We partnered with several organizations, the Multicultural Resource Center, Volunteer and Service Center, Health Center, intervarsity See AIDS EXHIBIT, Page 3
ten because of the dialogue it was creating between the Greeks and the Daily Titan. “I feel like we are moving forward after this discussion,” Makonda said. “This was a healthy forum for everyone to express their opinions.” Though it seemed the two groups were beginning to understand each other, the attending sorority members still seemed to have a common concern. The phrase repeated several times was, “We fight these stereotypes everyday.” A few people in the crowd seemed to feel an apology was in order. Nick Katz, coordinator of Greek life, disagreed. He told the Greek members in the room he hoped they were paying attention to the opinions of the other students. “Perception is reality,” Katz said. “I kind of feel like this is going in a circle and as the sole administrator for Greek life, I would like for [the misconceptions] to end.”
Bid for a date with an ASI leader Titan Tusk Force needs to raise funds for its yearly Camp Titan program By CELIA CASTANON
Daily Titan Staff Writer news@dailytitan.com
The Cal State Fullerton Titan Tusk Force is hosting a “Win a Date” event in order to raise money for Camp Titan, the official philanthropy of Associated Students, Inc. All proceeds will go to Camp Titan as the event takes place tonight from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the TSU Pub. Angela Meyers, chief publicity officer for ASI said they send all the children to the camp for free. The auction is to raise money to help with the cost. “We’re inviting more people to See ASI DATE, Page 2