2008 01 22

NEWS: Page A5

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Since 1960 Volume 86, Issue 1

NEWS: Contestant in ABC’s ‘Dance Wars’ a CSUF alum, page A3 FEATURES: A day in the life of a CSUF vice president, page A10

Daily Titan

Tuesday January 22, 2008

The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton

DTSHORTHAND Dance Team national champions, again

The CSUF Dance Team brought home a pair of national titles, winning both the jazz and hip hop categories of the Universal Dance Association National Competition, held annually in Orlando, Florida. “It’s so unbelievable, were still in shock,” said Dance Coach Sam Shen. “It’s so unheard of for the same team to win both categories, but our girls were just amazing and basically perfect.” Check back next week for more coverage.

Record-setting $30 million gift

For Titans on the go: get your news quicker

A rodent as big as a bull lurked long ago

LONDON (AP) — Imagine a rodent that weighed a ton and was as big as a bull.

Uruguayan scientists say they have uncovered fossil evidence of the biggest species of rodent ever found, one that scurried across wooded areas of South America about four million years ago.

Its huge skull, more than 20 inches long, suggested a beast more than eight feet long and weighing between 1,700 and 3,000 pounds.

Researchers say the animal, named Josephoartigasia monesi, actually was more closely related to a guinea pig or porcupine.

The fossil was found in 1987 about 65 miles west of the capital, Montevideo, near the vast River Plate estuary.

An Argentine fossil collector donated the skull to Uruguay’s National History and Anthropology Museum nearly two decades ago.

It spent years hidden away in a box at the museum and was rediscovered by a curator, Andrés Rinderknecht, who enlisted the help of a fellow researcher, Ernesto Blanco, to study it.

WEATHER Today A.M. Showers / High: 61, Low: 43

wednesday Partly Cloudy / High: 63, Low: 46

Thursday Showers / High: 56, Low: 44

Friday Showers / High: 59, Low: 44

Saturday Showers / High: 59, Low: 45

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By Damon Casarez/Daily Titan Staff Photographer

College of Business and Economics to be named after Fullerton alumnus, Steven G. Mihaylo

By Urmi Rahman

Daily Titan Assistant News Editor news@dailytitan.com

Cal State Fullerton obtained its strongest financial support Jan. 3 with a $30 million donation to the College of Business and Economics (CBE), which will be relocated to Steven G. Mihaylo Hall.

A business administration major who graduated from CSUF in 1969, telecom entrepreneur Steven G. Mihaylo has presented the university with the fourth largest gift in the CSU system.

The $87 million building was named after Mihaylo following his $4.5 million donation in 2004-05.

The entire College will be named after the alumnus, pending an approval by the CSU Board of Trustees today and tomorrow.

“It’s a tremendous opportunity for [the] college to improve the quality of education offered to [its] students,” said Anil Puri, the dean of the CBE. “It raises us to a new level.”

The $30 million will attract top faculty to the campus by supporting research, increasing salaries and creating endowed chairs.

It will also aid in student scholarships, an expansion of the MBA program and undergraduate honors program.

The CBE, the largest business

school in California with 8,568 undergraduate majors, has 626 students working toward MBAs and five toward master’s degrees, according to the university.

The school does not prioritize getting ranked among top tier business schools in national publications, the OC Register reported.

However, the funding will allow for national recognition, Puri said.

A prime location for all business majors, clubs and faculty, the new building will bring the entire business department together, said Emeline Yong, the assistant dean of student affairs.

Currently, the CBE tutoring center is in McCarthy Hall, marketing

and finance is in College Park and the Econ Help Center is in University Hall, Yong said.

The new setting will hold 30 modern classrooms, a 250-seat lecture hall, technology labs, faculty and administrative offices and 10,000 square feet of lounge and work space, according to the university.

“Overall, it will give students a sense of belonging,” Yong said.

“One location is good for the students.”

Mihaylo served three years in the Army before attending CSUF on the G.I. Bill and supporting himself by working the 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift at McDonnell Douglas.

After graduation, he moved to Phoenix and founded Inter-Tel as a division of Panoramic Audio, which earned $1 million after his first six years. He served as InterTel CEO until 2006 when annual revenues exceeded $458 million.

The company was sold to Mitel Networks Corp. in 2007.

Details have not been set on how and when the donation will be transferred to the university.

Puri said he hoped the donation would encourage other alumni to also “step up their support of university programs.”

He asked Mihaylo about naming the college for $30 million in mid-October of 2007.

Pub closure an ‘end of an era’

By Karl Zynda

Daily Titan Copy Editor news@dailytitan.com

By Damon Casarez/Daily Titan Staff Photographer The now-closed Off Campus Pub remains vacant and awaits renovation.

A dozen or so patrons seated at the bar and in booths watch the AFC Divisional game between the San Diego Chargers and the Baltimore Colts on a quiet Sunday morning at the Off Campus Pub. A family is dining in the back room as servers and managers talk in a small group, waiting for more busi-

Cell phones, smoking bans among the new 2008 laws in California

By Abrahim Appel

For the Daily Titan

news@dailytitan.com

The New Year has brought close to 1,000 new laws for Californians.

The laws gaining the most publicity are restrictions requiring adults to use cell phones with hands-free technology while driving and not to smoke in a car while minors are present.

The smoking law went into effect on January 1, 2008, while the cell phone law will be in effect July 1.

Many expressed support for both laws while others were concerned about the smoking restrictions.

“

They’re good ideas. Even if I don’t like it, they’re good ideas.

– Greg Wirzbicki,

Fullerton resident “They’re good ideas. Even if I don’t like it, they’re good ideas,” said Fullerton resident Greg Wirzbicki, who felt that the smoking ban might be going too far.

Lyn Davis, a third-year Biology student, said she was almost hit on campus by drivers distracted on their cell phones. She didn’t under-

“

For busy students who can’t find time to sit down and read the whole edition of the Daily Titan, the answer is here. DT Flash is now available online on the Daily Titan.com/multimedia Web site.

News is reported quick and to the point, as close to 60 seconds as we can get it.

stand the new smoking laws.

“Why can’t we just make them roll down their windows?” Davis said.

This common belief is simply wrong, said Mary M. Herman, the director of health education and promotion at CSUF. “There is no safe exposure to See LAWS, Page 3

ness.

It does not look like the last day.

A placard near the door advertises the previous evening’s “End of an Era” party. Hundreds of patrons, among them many ex-employees and longtime regular customers, jammed the OCP to its capacity. The band “Beautiful Chaos” rocked out to ‘80s and ‘90s classic rock songs “American Girl” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and “3

AM” by Matchbox 20. Amid the disarray and chaos of the noisy closing party, Brian Fairley, a 1977 Cal State Fullerton graduate, watched the last night of business at the pub he poured his heart and soul into.

“It was absolute insanity,” Brian Fairley, the owner of the OCP, said. “It was like a wedding, New Year’s Eve and St. Patrick’s Day all in one.”

Fairley sold the OCP in DeSee PUB, Page 4

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Page Two

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January 22, 2008

IN OTHER NEWS REGO magazine getting students involved INTERNATIONAL

Bin Laden’s son hopes to be peace ambassador CAIRO, Egypt (AP) – Omar Osama bin Laden bears a striking resemblance to his notorious father except for the dreadlocks that dangle halfway down his back. Then there’s the black leather biker jacket.

The 26-year-old does not renounce his father, al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, but in an interview with The Associated Press, he said there is a better way to defend Islam than militancy: Omar wants to be an “ambassador for peace” between Muslims and the West. Omar “one of bin Laden’s 19 children” raised a tabloid storm last year when he married a 52-year-old British woman, Jane Felix-Browne, who took the name Zaina Alsabah. Now the couple say they want to be advocates, planning a 3,000-mile horse race across North Africa to draw attention to the cause of peace.

NATIONAL

Four men arrested in Indianapolis slayings INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Four men have been arrested in connection with the fatal shootings of a baby, a toddler and their mothers while the women held their children in their arms, police said Saturday.

Ronald Davis and Dante Hobson, both 30, face four counts of murder, felony murder, robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery in the Jan. 14 slayings, police said at a news conference.

A third suspect, Zarumin Coleman, 21, faces charges of conspiracy to commit robbery and assisting a criminal. He was arrested Thursday after a SWAT team swept an Indianapolis apartment building.

Jasper Frazier, 36, was charged with attempt to commit robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery. He turned himself in to police in Ohio on Thursday, authorities said.

All four suspects are from Indianapolis, police Lt. Jeff Duhamell said.

"We think we got the primary people that were involved in the homicide," he said, adding that investigators are not releasing a motive behind the killings.

STATE

California home sales plummet and tumble LOS ANGELES (AP) – The median price of a home in California tumbled nearly 15 percent amid a steep drop in sales in December, a real estate research firm said Thursday.

The median home price hit $402,000 last month, down 14.8 percent from$472,000 in the year-ago period, according to DataQuick Information Systems.

Meanwhile, home sales in the state, one of the hardest hit in the nation by the mortgage crisis, plummeted 41.4 percent to 25,585 compared to December 2006.

It was the lowest sales total for any December in more than 20 years, the firm said.

December home sales were essentially flat from November.

The state has seen sales decline year-over-year for 27 straight months as the once-booming housing market tanked and a credit crisis forced mortgage lenders to scale back so-called jumbo mortgages that exceed $417,000.

That has helped skew the median home price downward because fewer jumbo loans have translated into fewer high-end homes being sold.

The state’s median home price peaked last spring at $484,000.

For the Record It is the policy of the Daily Titan to correct any inaccurate information printed in the publication as soon as the error is discovered. Any incorrect information printed on the front page will result in a correction printed on the front page. Any incorrect information printed on any other page will be corrected on page 2. Errors on the Opinion page will be corrected on that page. Corrections also will be noted on the online version of the Daily Titan.

Please contact executive editor Ian Hamilton at 714-278-5815 or at ihamilton@dailytitan.com with issues about this policy or to report any errors.

Daily Titan Editorial Executive Editor Managing Editor News Editor Asst. News Editor Asst. News Editor Sports Editor Entertainment Editor Asst. Entertainment Editor Opinion Editor Features Editor Copy Chief Copy Editor Internet Editor Adviser Main Line (714) 278-3373 News Line (714) 278-4415

Ian Hamilton Julianna Crisalli Laurens Ong Urmi Rahman Jade Lehar David Carrillo Jennifer Caddick Richard Tinoco Johnathan Kroncke Nathan Wheadon Sofia Arvidson Karl Zynda Christy Orgeta Tom Clanin Editorial Fax (714) 278-4473 E-mail: news@dailytitan.com

Posting fliers helped to recruit readers, interns and fraternity brothers

By Ryan Castle

For the Daily Titan

news@dailytitan.com

REGO Magazine, a Latino culture-based company in Los Angeles, gives students from various schools, including Cal State Fullerton, the opportunity to intern and see firsthand the ins-and-outs of the magazine industry.

REGO is in its fourth year of distribution and has grabbed some of the most popular stars who are renown not only in the Latino entertainment community but worldwide.

Stars such as Wilmer Valderama, Tego Calderon, Baby Bash, Maná and Tony Gonzalez of the Kansas City Chiefs have graced the pages of REGO. As well as Fergie and Taboo of the Black Eyed Peas, John Salley and WWE superstar Rey Mysterio.

The magazine is in most Barnes and Noble stores and certain college campuses across the country.

The content of the magazine ranges from entertainment to fashion and includes advice, Q&A, interviews, reviews and more.

The magazine has lacked widerange distribution but what it lacks in distribution, it makes up in presentation and creativity, said the magazine’s Editor in Chief, Peter Mellado.

“We do it in a very mainstream way, [and] a very appealing way, always with a newsstand quality of writing and photography,” Mellado said.

“We want to target students, and/or people who are looking at the issues of today and how they’re going to affect the next generation in this country.”

Mellado said the magazine needs college students to remain fresh. This is why REGO is always searching for hard-working students who are looking to break into the journalism industry to work as interns.

“I look for good writing, first and foremost … after that, it’s enthusiasm and I look for people that want to use this opportunity as a stepping stone, looking to grow,” Mellado said.

Many of the current staff members began their careers as interns themselves and worked their way into higher positions within the company.

Erika Hernandez, the lifestyle editor, began at REGO as an intern two years ago.

“Being a journalism major, I just always looked for internships and I know a lot of people just have this idea of when you graduate, you’re just going to walk into something,” Hernandez said. “You get hands-on experience here, whereas

By Ryan Castle/For the Daily Titan Members of the Lambda Theta Phi Latino fraternity, Jonathan Trejo and Jesse Tirad, look at an edition of REGO magazine.

if you’re interning somewhere like ABC for example, you’re not doing anything.”

Hernandez said she “wore many hats,” learning everything from page design to writing.

At least twice a year, the team at REGO does formal solicitation, such as posting fliers around campuses and online in MySpace and Facebook, in search of interns.

“People think it’s all about the celebrities but really it’s not just that,” said Brenda Gonzales, a CSUF student who interns for REGO. “It involves setting up the interviews, coming up with questions, reading up on these people then you do the interview and learn how to carry yourself.”

She has worked as the magazine’s correspondent for networks such as OC News and Si TV. She said she enjoys working for REGO because it teaches her valuable lessons for her career and her life.

“They’ve taught me if this is something you want to do, don’t let other people tell you it’s not a good idea. And just being who I am and trying to be comfortable with that and not being intimidated by other people,” Gonzales said.

Constantly looking for hungry journalism students keeps REGO fresh with what is new in the world and allows them to display it in an entertaining way, Gonzales said.

This not only helps the magazine’s image but also helps the young talent that creates it.

“They’re always asking me what I think. They’re very receptive to all my opinions,” Gonzales said.

Mellado said he encouraged growth in the students who work for REGO as well, being very un-

derstanding if a writer wants to move on to bigger things.

“I would be very grateful if I got a phone call one day saying ‘I can’t come in. I’m taking a job for ESPN.’ That’d be awesome,” Mellado said.

An important area of focus is the magazine’s ties with Latino fraternities across the country.

The magazine is mainly targeted toward men and since the magazine’s birth, it has always stayed connected with certain Latino fraternities as a way to keep a finger on the pulse of what is going on in the world of young Latino Americans.

“The stories and the articles they do look really cool,” Jonathan Trejo, a CSUF student and member of the Lambda Theta Phi fraternity, said after taking a look at REGO. Although the Latino fraternities at CSUF have yet to be exposed to REGO because of a lack of distribution, they seemed to be impressed with their first look.

REGO is currently in the process of getting the magazine out to more fraternities and more schools such as CSUF. “I like the fashion,” said Jesse

Tirad, another brother of Lambda Theta Phi. REGO is a unique magazine that is not comparable to any other magazines because it does not use the same tactics as the common men’s magazine, Mellado said.

“I would like to have that reputation of hard-hitting journalism – great writing that cover[s] issues of all walks of life that men want to read about ... and when we do do things involving women, we do it in a very classy way,” Mellado said.

Mellado takes pride in REGO being an up-and-coming Latino culture-based magazine and feels it has the time to do what it needs to become more mainstream.

For now, Mellado said he believes it’s a good read for people of any culture because of its creative writing and eye-opening presentation.

“We’re very proud of the design, we’re very proud of the photography but I think the writing is what’s going to set us apart from any other magazine geared toward this age group. [And that is] because we take our readers seriously.

We don’t want to just give them crap,” Mellado said.

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A3

NEWS

January 22, 2008

Freshman performs on ABC’s ‘Dance War’ Student Chris Holyfield dances in front of the nation for a chance to win

By Nikki Donahue

For the Daily Titan

E

Photos Courtesy of ABC Chris Holyfield (left) stands with Team Leader Carrie Ann Inaba and fellow contestant Bradley during an episode of ABC’s “Dance Wars: Bruno vs. Carrie.”

news@dailytitan.com

ven at 18 years old, Cal State Fullerton freshman Chris Holyfield is already working to prove that he owns the right moves and a voice worthy of national attention.

As one of the 14 finalists on ABC’s new prime-time show “Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann,” he took center stage in front of a TV audience Monday night and broke out in song and choreographed dance routines to earn a continuing place in the heavily broadcasted talent competition.

With the aim at finding America’s next dance and vocal sensation, the show is on a televised six-week talent mission, letting the viewers play a central part by casting their vote on who they believe deserves to win.

This week the 14 finalists vied for a spot on one of two teams led by “Dancing With the Stars” judges Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba. After two contestants were cut, six boys and six girls remain in the competition. Holyfield is one of them.

Currently a “pre-business” major, Holyfield is already on the Dean’s list after his first semester.

According to CSUF’s Public Affairs spokeswoman Paula Selleck, he has

Holyfield is a pre-business major at Cal State Fullerton.

expressed interest in pursuing his college career in the concentration of entertainment and tourism management.

And while both he and his parents, Alice and Ron Holyfield, have been sequestered for the duration of the show, his biography on the channel’s Web site and the quick personal blurbs he’s afforded on the program give a glimpse into his personality.

One of three boys, Holyfield and his family are bound by a shared loved for music and performing arts.

For years he has performed alongside his 15-year-old brother, AJ, at concerts and charity events in Los Angeles and surrounding areas. But his biggest inspiration, he

explained during an interview segment on the show, is his mother.

After she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis two years ago, Chris keeps her spirits up through his passion for music and dance.

He plays the piano for her now that her condition no longer allows her to play.

Monday night the camera panned over to her sitting in the audience while she enthusiastically cheered her son on as he owned the spotlight.

In full-fledged costume army fatigues, Holyfield performed the show’s opening group number without his beaming white smile ever once leaving his face.

He is one of the smaller of the male contestants.

The lack of facial hair along his jawline only further bears the baby face he owns. Regardless, as Dance War host, Tonioli, stated during the show, he has a “‘Watch me’ quality.”

After the camouflage-decked group routine and one more routine showcasing his talent for the judges, Holyfield was chosen by Inaba to be on her team.

Now, it is left up to viewers across the country to vote how far he makes it in the competition.

“He’s a hot, sexy machine,” Inaba said of Holyfield when asked during the broadcast who she thought was one of the strongest performers.

“And that voice never let’s me down,” she said.

LAWS: nearly 1,000 in California for 2008, 167 vehicle-related From Page 1

second-hand smoke. Meaning any exposure – no matter the amount – can be dangerous,” Herman said in an email response. “Children … are especially vulnerable to the effects of second-hand smoke.”

Herman said ventilating the car does reduce smoke exposure, but it does not eliminate the harm entirely and so, it remains dangerous.

As she finished her smoking break, CSUF employee Cindy Mayo agreed smoking is dangerous and some restrictions make sense.

Even before the law passed she “never smoked with kids in the car,” Mayo said.

If the laws were outlawing smoking in people’s apartments then that would be going too far, Mayo

said.

Over a decade after California banned smoking in bars, tens of thousands of apartments and condos across the country have begun outlawing smoking, according to USA Today.

Two Californian city councils have discussed banning it entirely in condos and apartments citywide, said the USA report.

Laws across the world are also being passed against smoking.

In France and Turkey, the first bans on smoking in cafes have been recently passed.

In Canada, truck drivers are no longer allowed to smoke in their trucks because it is considered “smoking at the workplace,” the Edmonton Journal said.

These laws may be easy to pass

based on statistics by Wendy Kotch in the USA Today article. It states that 80 percent of Americans do not smoke.

CSUF police will be on the lookout for any violation of the law, Sergeant John Bedell said.

He said he warns students not to feel that because they are on campus, the laws will be more relaxed.

The Children’s Center will notify parents that the smoking law is now in effect.

The ticket for the first cell phone violation will start at $20 and can reach up to $100 for the first smoking offense.

Approximately 167 of the 1,000 new laws are vehicle-related.

A detailed list of the laws can be found at www.dmv.ca.gov.

A4

NEWS

January 22, 2008

PUB: ‘I just don’t want this place to die’ From Page 1

By Carrie Lam

For the Daily Titan

news@dailytitan.com

Daily Titan File Photo

whether to stay or go, longtime customers must ponder whether or not to try the new restaurant.

Pete Dominguez, a 49 year-old plant manager who lives in Fullerton, cut short his vacation to return for the closing. He was visiting friends in Idaho but caught an earlier flight to make it to the party, where he saw many ex-employees as well as friends.

He has been a regular customer for seven years.

Dominguez likes to bring his company’s management there, who come from out of town. One of them commented to him, “You’re like Norm [from the TV show Cheers], everybody knows you there.”

Dominguez said he will miss it.

“It’s going to be kind of tough not to come here now,” Dominguez said. “I need to find a new place to hang out.”

He said the atmosphere and the friendship offered at the OCP kept him coming back.

“I’ll give the new place a try, see how it goes,” Domingez said of the Cantina Lounge.

At 11 a.m, with drinks in their hands, the longtime regular patrons joked and gibed at each other as they reminisced about the OCP. John Honeycutt, 55, a roofing contractor from Yorba Linda, has

“

I just think this place is just as much a part of the legend of the college as the elephant race.

“

cember because he said he wanted change and a transition into retirement. Fairley opened the OCP in 1994.

Located on Nutwood Avenue, across the street from CSUF campus, the walls of the pub display a collection of CSUF memorabilia.

Much of the collection is of photos and mementos from CSUF baseball but there is also a framed “Dances With Wolves” script signed by Kevin Costner and a poster for a rock concert at CSUF in 1972 that featured Frank Zappa and Alice Cooper. Fairley will be taking some of the memorabilia with him to Brian’s Beer and Billiards, the nearby bar he owns in Fullerton.

The connection between CSUF and the OCP extends to the menu, where the pizza selection includes “Leon Wood,” Titan and Olympic basketball star, “Augie Garrido,” former CSUF baseball coach, and “Kevin Costner,” an actor and CSUF alumnus.

Many of the OCP employees have applied for jobs at the Cantina Lounge, the restaurant that will replace the OCP. A three-in-one lounge, sports bar and Mexican restaurant, the Cantina Lounge’s most striking feature may be its planned 64 plasma TV screens.

The menu, described as “Mexican fusion” by Cantina Lounge President and CEO Bassell Salloum, will have a $9 to $14 price range. Beer will be priced in the $3 to $4 range. Salloum said the Cantina Lounge’s opening is on schedule for March after extensive remodeling will be completed.

Bar Manager Michael “Wilky” Wilkerson, 61, was undecided about staying on at the Cantina Lounge when interviewed in December. He has since decided to stay.

“I like the new owners,” Wilkerson said in a phone interview.

Brittany Calley, 19, a waitress, has decided to stay. A sophomore at CSUF, her major is Liberal Studies.

“More money” Calley said, when asked why she was staying. “The way they’re [the new owners] making it sound, it’s like we’re going to be making a lot more money.”

While the employees decide

English barrier for international students

– Clyde Morris,

CSUF alum

long admired the work ethic of the waitresses who worked their way through school at the OCP. “Every one of them works their ass off,” Honeycutt said. “What I like is that they don’t feel sorry for themselves. There’s no ‘woe is me.’

But don’t tell them I said anything nice about them.”

The work ethic might not be the only things he admired about the waitresses.

“I turned down many sexual offers from the females who worked here,” joked Honeycutt, 55. “I always said ‘no.’”

Honeycutt recalled what happened when he harassed Wilky, the bar manager, a little too much.

“I was giving him a lot of shit,” Honeycutt said.

Wilky finally responded by removing his upper denture and

dropping it in Honeycutt’s vodka tonic.

“I drank it anyway,” Honeycutt said.

It was not the only denturecocktail consumed by the friends at the OCP. When dared by Honeycutt, his friend Russ Stran, 46, a contractor from Anaheim Hills, also consumed a drink garnished with Wilky’s dentures.

“I wouldn’t have done it if it was the lowers [lower dentures]. There’s all that residue and shit on them,” Honeycutt said.

As the men quaff some of their last drinks at the OCP, Clyde Morris, CSUF’s class of ‘62, made his way around the bar. Gathering names, he wanted to start an Internet-based Off Campus Pub club for regulars of the bar.

“I don’t want this place to die,” Morris said. “Every university I’ve ever been to, there has always been a place [to hang out at]. This has been the place for Cal State Fullerton.”

Morris recalled watching CSUF’s elephant races when CSUF was still named Orange County State College.

“I just think this place is just as much a part of the legend of the college as the elephant race,” Morris said.

Emiko Mizoue was 15 years old when she moved to the United States from Japan.

The readjustment period — adopting lifestyle changes, acclimating herself to a set of unfamiliar customs, assimilating herself into a culture with ostensibly more diversity than the more homogeneous Japanese society — has gone relatively smoothly.

But five years after moving from Japan, the 20-year-old said she still feels insecure about speaking English in public.

Mizoue, who is one of the five percent of Cal State Fullerton students from abroad, said she is still adjusting to the nuances of English after two semesters of English courses. The English classes she took in Minnesota, before enrolling into CSUF, tended to emphasize learning to read and write more than speaking.

In Minnesota, Mizoue was able to enroll in regular classes in high school after taking two semesters of ESL (English as a Second Language) courses.

Although Mizoue now speaks fluent English, she still finds it tricky because of how different English is the language differs from her native language, Japanese.

In Japanese, everything is reversed from the way English is spoken, Mizoue said. In Japanese, the subjects are mentioned first.

“Like Yoda from ‘Star Wars,’ in Japanese you say ‘School I like’ and in English you say ‘I like school,’” Mizoue said.

English can be exceptionally difficult to learn for those not accustomed to the language.

With a new alphabet, a different set of grammar rules to learn and a different set of sen-

tence structure rules, English is not that easy to learn.

The structure of English is not the same as in other languages, which makes the linguistic transition for some students problematic.

Aminanta Ly, 22, of the American Language Program (ALP), said she believes English is challenging because students have a tendency to just translate their native language into English, but keep the same customs of their country. Ly said some students write in English, but they will write it from right to left.

The American Language Program, located in College Park, is a preparation course offered by the university to assist international students intending to enroll at CSUF. International students are required to pass the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) in order to attend universities in the U.S., unless they have studied two years of English elsewhere.

Tanzia Arbuthnot, 23, an employee at ALP, said she considers English difficult to learn.

Students find peers who speak their native tongue and this decreases their chances of speaking English after class is over, Arbuthnot said.

Arbuthnot said she believes it takes students two to three semesters to learn the basics of English.

“A lot of students speak English in the classroom but not outside the classroom,” Arbuthnot said.

Kabuya Yuzuki, 24, a CSUF student and finance major, is from Japan.

“In class, doing OK,” Yuzuki said.

It has been five years since he left from Japan and the international students said he continues to find learning the nuances of English difficult.

January 22, 2008

Purchasing

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NEWS

excuses

Calling in sick made easy through Web site’s printable doctor’s notes and jury summons

By Robert Stroud

For the Daily Titan

news@dailytitan.com

C

alling in “sick” has become a timehonored tradition for most Americans. They use this one extra day of rest and relaxation to retreat from the pressures of school or escape the monotony of the 9-to-5 daily grind of the workplace.

The story itself is nothing new. Because of advances in technology and the accessibility of the Internet, people who were once forced to go to the doctor to obtain an alibi for their day of leisure are now able to get that same service from the comfort of their own home.

Thanks to the help of myexcusedabsence.com, taking a sick day from school and work has never been easier.

For around $20 this Web site offers fake documentation to assist with excused absences. With the purchase of the sick note variety pack, customers can use excuses such as a doctor’s appointment, jury duty or even a death in the family.

With the five sick note templates, customers are able to enter the relevant information about their doctor, courthouse or departed family member and print out their excuse from their home computer.

Along with the multiple excuse templates that are currently available, the Excused Absence Network is working on making new templates available for the public, such as school transcripts and reports.

While the owners of this

company, Darl Waterhouse and John Liddell, say their products are filling a demand made by the public, others say these products are not the revolutionary tools for the working class.

They said they feel it is a deceptive temptation that is likely to cost all who use them their careers and their reputations.

Richard Parry, an assistant professor of business at Cal State Fullerton, said he believes using this company’s products does not only put the consumer in an ethical dilemma, but it may also put the customer’s job in jeopardy.

“Companies need to have credibility and the trust of their clients,” Parry said. “In order to have that trust, they need to make sure their employees are as honest as they can possibly be. If the employees are having a problem with that, it may reflect badly on the company and the company’s solution may be to terminate that employee.”

Along with the multiple moral issues the excused absence company is facing, there are also many legal issues that customers face if they choose to use these products. As one Excused Absence client learned, there can be serious repercussions for using one of these templates to deceive an employer.

A New Jersey woman was arrested for using one of the company’s templates to assist her in skipping her appearance in traffic court. Once officials called the chiropractor to confirm her injury had prevented her from appearing in traffic court, they were informed by the doctor that he had never even heard of the woman.

Although the woman used this company’s excuses to commit fraud against the New Jersey court system, the Excused Absence Network was in no way responsible for her actions.

According to the company’s Web site, these notes are strictly for entertainment purposes only.

While the Web site informs visitors that these documents are only novelty items, Waterhouse said customers should hold themselves responsible when using these products.

“It’s like gun manufacturers or anything else,” Waterhouse said.

“You have to use common sense with this.”

When asked about the woman from New Jersey, Waterhouse said the excuses should be used on a caseby-case basis and that he would not recommend using them to try and defraud the government.

Along with the legal trouble a person faces for using these templates to commit fraud, there can be other consequences for using these products.

Parry said students who use these excuses to ditch class should be held just as accountable as someone who used fraudulent information to take a day off from work.

Much like a person who would be fired for using one of these misleading documents, Parry said committing such an unethical act permits a professor to discipline a student in a strict manner.

“That would provide grounds for me to … at the very least, reduce their grade,” Parry said.

Parry also said he would recommend that the student would also be required to take an ethics course, offered by the philosophy department, and pass the class with a grade of B or better.

“If it went beyond that, such as problems with a term paper, that’s grounds to flunk a student,” Parry said.

Much like Parry, there are some students who feel that using these forged documents is ill-advised.

“If I really need to skip a class I’ll tell my teacher that I won’t be there,” said Natalie Bueno, an undeclared student.“I wouldn’t lie and use a fake note. I’ll take responsibility [for my actions].”

A6

NEWS

Signs of a new

January 22, 2008

Titan Book Store employee Robert Moross organizes a new shipment of textbooks for the upcoming semester.

semester

Photos By Damon Casarez/Daily Titan Staff Photographer Above- Sophmore Monica Colsa rearanges the desk in her new room at the CSUF dorms. Above Left- First-time freshman Shaleah Thomas moves into her new housing unit in the dorms.

January 22, 2008

FEATURES

A7

It's Alive! It's Alive! "Cloverfield" Lands! (Or Arrives...)

by Richard Tinoco

Daily Titan Assistantant Buzz Editor news@dailytitan.com

J.J. Abrams is a mastermind of the intrigue. During the sleepy, hot days of July 2007, he awoke the Internet and fanboys alike with a voyeuristic peek at a surprise going away party. It was for a guy named Rob. His friends wished him luck on what appeared to be a hand held camera. Then, a mysterious earthquake caused a ruckus amongst the guests. A minute and fifty seconds later, the Statue of Liberty's head was rolling on a crowded street and people fluttered in a hurry. A date appeared on the screen: 1-18-08.

For the next few months until its premiere, the Internet would be abuzz about the "Untitled J.J. Abrams Project" and the mysterious creature capable of destroying a city.

Was it Godzilla? What was Slusho?

Did Ethan Haas have anything to do with it? Computer nerds posted theories and intricately examined the trailer, frame by frame, in hopes of uncovering any hidden clues.

With a cast of unknown actors set to star, "Cloverfield" (title revealed with the 2nd trailer on Nov. 19) was set to become the next generation "Blair Witch Project" or overhyped Internet flop "Snakes on a Plane."

The rambunctious stars of the film Lizzy Caplan ("The Class"), T.J. Miller ("Carpoolers") and Mike Vogel ("Poseidon") had quite a bit to say, taking a break from their press day in New York City, about the taxing filming schedule and parallels with 9/11. Even if they had a hard time keeping still.

Like the friends captured on Hub's (Miller) camera, the connection between the cast mates felt genuine, as each waited for their turn to answer a question. They screamed ("I have my knife and steak," Caplan shouted) and they laughed ("We're horsing around over here, we've had a long day,"

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE JANUARY 18-20 1) Cloverfield--$41 million 2) 27 Dresses--$23 million 3) The Bucket List--$14 million 4) Juno--$10 million 5) First Sunday---$ 8 million SOURCE: VARIETY

“

The main objective for this was to give it a real emotional pull and I don’t think they’d be able to pull it off if they had an action director.

– Lizzy Caplan,

“

Cast members of the J.J. Abrams monster film talk about the intrigue

Cloverfield Actress

Miller said), like pals coming together for a chat. But when it came to the filming of the experimental "Cloverfield," the ragtag team of newcomers banded together and created something unique.

"It's such a different movie to make ... [The directors, actors, producers and crew] were all figuring this out as we went along," Miller, who plays the comical cameraman Hub, said. "That was the challenge, and I think we were successful."

Along with filming each scene at least 50 times, Miller had to actually carry the camera and shoot the scene himself. He wore many hats while filming 12-hour days and took credit for improvising a few of the lines, as Miller works stand-up when not acting.

"Every time [the audience] laughed at one of the lines Hud said, I wrote that line," Miller jok-

Photo Credit: Sam Emerson After beting atacked Jessica Lucas, Lizzy Caplan, Michael Stahl-David and T.J. Miller enter a military camp

THE BUZZ: See our Review of ‘Cloverfield’ in today’s Buzz. ingly said.

In all seriousness, Miller complimented writer Drew Goddard, who previously wrote episodes for "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Lost," for creating a funny character. He added that director Matt Reeves, knowing Miller's background in improvisation, allowed him to ad-lib in order to create a "naturalistic" reaction in the face of a catastrophe.

While Reeves might seem like an odd choice, having previously

co-created college drama "Felicity" with old friend, Abrams, and the fact that he doesn't have much of a sci-fi background, Caplan responded on why he was the perfect choice.

"The main objective for this film was to give it a real emotional pull," Caplan said, "and I don't think they'd be able to pull it off if they had an action director."

Emotions were high while filmSee Cloverfield, Page A11

Photo Credit: Sam Emerson

Lizzy Caplan and Michael Stahl-David try to escape from the New York City subway

A8

FEATURES

January 22, 2008

Tiger Woods and father honored in Anaheim The Associated Press

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) – The unveiling of a statue at the Tiger Woods Learning Center turned into a family photo Monday, and a reminder for Woods about the powerful bond between a father and a child.

Behind him was a bronze of Woods wrapping his arm around the shoulder of his late father, Earl Woods, the backbone of a foundation that led to a 35,000-squarefoot educational center next to the golf course where they grew up. The center has been open just under two years and already has reached more than 16,000 kids.

Woods and his mother, Kultida, posed with 7-month-old daughter Sam. As photographers moved into position, Sam leaned back in her grandmother's arms and stared up at her father, bringing a wide smile

from the world's No. 1 golfer.

"Ever since the day he passed, I have yet to go a day without thinking of my dad," said Woods, whose father died in May 2006. "Now that I've had Sam, it's amazing how I keep reflecting on things he taught me. I can't wait to pass that on. That's one reason I worked so hard on my foundation to expand this. He was all about helping others."

The 8-foot bronze was designed

by Elliot and Ivan Schwartz of Studio EIS, and it will remain in the lobby of the learning center.

Earl Woods was dying of cancer and could not be there when former President Clinton joined Woods at the grand opening of the learning center in February 2006.

Woods said his father only saw the $25 million center once, a few months earlier during the holidays.

That night at their home in

nearby Cypress, he said his father thanked him for allowing him to see the center.

"I told him, 'Thank me? You were the inspiration for it. Without you and your guidance, I would have never gone down this path,'" Woods said. "I feel, and my mother feels, there's no better way to honor what he's done than to create a statue like this."

Woods said the statue symbolizes the support that led to so much success, 61 victories on the PGA Tour going into the 2008 season, along with 13 majors and the career Grand Slam twice over.

"It brings back my childhood, what he's meant to me in my life, not only from a golf standpoint," Woods said. "He was always there.

That's basically what it symbolizes.

He always had my back. If I failed, I could always come home to love."

Woods also announced an online

contest through the Tiger Woods Foundation for children around the world to share what he called their "Fist Pump Moment" on video and e-mail.

The entries submitted to www.tigerwoodsfoundation.org will be voted on by web site visitors, with prizes going to the highest-ranked submissions. Prizes will include iPods, Tiger Woods '08 EA Video Games and gift cards.

Woods made the fist pump popular, starting with his three straight U.S. Amateur titles, the final putt at Augusta National in 1997 for a record-setting victory that made him the youngest Masters champion, and countless occasions throughout his career.

Asked about his first "fist pump moment," Woods recalled vividly details of a round from 21 years ago, the first time he beat his father.

He was an 11-year-old playing

Internships give students real world experience Jazmine Graza

for the Daily Titan

news@dailytitan.com

Internships give real-world experience and contacts students can use on their resumes for the rest of their lives. Students should begin planning now because internship season is right around the corner. Summer is the prime time for internships since school is out and employers are looking for interns. Even if a major does not require a student to do one, internships are becoming a popular prerequisite for an entry-level job. Employers want their future employees to have some real world background and internships give students this opportunity to practice the skills they learn in school in real situations. Here is a checklist of things to remember when seeking an internship.

1) In order to get Cal State Fullerton credit for an internship, students

must register for the appropriate internship class. For more information about school credit, visit the Career Center at LH 208. Or visit their Web site at http://campusapps2.fullerton.edu/career/.

2) If students need assistance with the internship process, the Career Center has several resources for students to learn how to write cover letters and resumes. It is crucial that students' letters are immaculate because they are the first impression of who they are. It is important for students to send letters out at least three months before they plan to start their internships. Students should send out around 20 letters and expect about zero responses, according to the Career Center. CSUF student Brenai De Haro, 20, said, “Make sure to call your references and ask them if it is OK for you to use their name. That way they can also be aware that they might be getting a call from your potential employer.

This way you are in better standing and come off more responsible to that party.”

3) According to the Career Center, students should email or call em-

“

Take on as much as you humanly can.

Doing this can open opportunities that you might have never imagined. This is also your one shot to prove to someone that you are skilled and willing to learn more.

“

Dressing nice, good attitude and more tips to land an internship

– Jickie Torres,

CSUF Alumni ployers about a month or two before the date they hope to start. Students should keep in touch with the employers and always remember to be professional.

4) Attitude and activism- CSUF Alumni Jickie Torres, 26, said to consider being as involved as possible.

"Take on as much as you humanly can. Doing this can open opportunities that you might have never imagined. This is also your one shot to prove to someone that you are skilled and willing to learn more," Torres said. CSUF student Bram Makonda, 23, said students should not be discouraged when given busy work. “Expect it and try to do with

a smile. Your hard work will pay off some day,” Makonda said.

5) Dress code and punctuality- "It is really important to dress professionally. You have to play the game in order to be taken seriously," De Haro said. According to 22-yearold UCLA student Matthew Musselman, it is standard for men to wear slacks, a pressed long-sleeved collared dress shirt and a tie. "For women, it is safer to stick to slacks and a pressed dressed shirt. It may be acceptable to wear shirts and dresses, but the rules become more detailed and it is easier for one to walk the line of acceptable and unacceptable," Musselman said.

with his father at Navy Golf Course, when Earl Woods was playing off a 1 handicap.

Woods said he birdied the 16th hole to get back to even par for the round, tied with his father. Both parred the 17th.

"Eighteen is a par 5, and we both got on in regulation," Woods said.

"He missed a 20-footer, and I made a 15-footer, uphill, left-to-right. It came out of me. That was my first fist pump. I started upper-cutting the air. It was the greatest thing I ever did in my life, beating my dad.

I remember going to the 19th hole to celebrate and to rub it in."

Woods said he would tie the "Fist Pump Challenge" into the Earls Woods Scholarship program, offering children around Washington, D.C., and Orange County, Calif., an opportunity to compete for scholarship money through the online contest.

Three children spoke at a news conference to share their moments Navdeep Kaur winning a science contest, Cecilia Cardenas getting accepted to a summer program at the University of Wisconsin, Jon Waters reaching a state championship game in basketball.

"There are kids around the country and around the world having these little moments they can celebrate," Woods said. "I would like to have them share that with all of us, so they can communicate their experiences with each other. That's what my father would instill in them, keep pushing forward, keep trying to make a difference.

"I know he's not here to experience this, but he embodies everything about this foundation. That's why we're celebrating this moment, for all he's done to help others and inspire kids to chase and accomplish their goals."

Photos of Orange County water polo players surface on Web SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) – Police are investigating how photographs of male high school water polo players ended up on several gay adult Web sites.

Some of the pictures were of boys as young as 14, and were juxtaposed next to photos of nude young men and graphic sexual content, The Orange County Register reported Saturday.

University of California, Irvine, police confirmed they are investigating whether a dispatcher, Scott Cornelius, photographed high school players for gay-oriented sites.

Henisey said Cornelius remained on active duty. Cornelius did not respond to requests from the newspaper for comment.

It was not clear if posting the pictures constituted an offense.

"With free speech and photography, there's a gray cloud in terms of what is legal, constitutional," said state Assemblyman Jose So-

lorio, chairman of the Assembly Public Safety Committee.

Solorio said he would have the committee investigate the matter.

Local parents, coaches and school officials were alarmed that the pictures were posted. Parents said some of the boys were traumatized and sought counseling.

"These kids don't look at what they do as shameful," said Joan Gould, an international water polo official and a spokeswoman for a group of Orange County water polo parents. "For someone to come in and take what these kids are doing and take it out of context and exploit these images, these kids and their schools, because you can see the school name on the caps, is just horrible."

The Register found photos of players from 11 Orange County high schools and three other Southern California schools on several pages of one gay porn site registered to a London address.

January 22, 2008

A9

A 10

FEATURES

January 22, 2008

College of the Arts Events Preview

by Nathan Wheadon Daily Titan Features Editor news@dailytitan.com

T

he Spring 2008 semester is sure to be an exciting one in the College of the Arts at Cal State Fullerton. The College of the Arts is made up of the Theater, Dance, Music and Art departments.

As a student, 19th century artist James McNeill Whistler was heavily influenced by 17th century Dutch and Spanish art, but later gained influences from Greek sculpture and Japanese prints. Whistler lived most of his life as an expatriate in London and Paris, strongly believing

January: “Mask of Zorro” (silent film with music) 8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2008 Meng Concert Hall, CSUF Performing Arts Center

February: “The Expanding Flute Workshop: Tips for the Mastery of Contemporary Techniques” 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 1, 2008 Minor Hall, CSUF Performing Arts Center “Trillium Ensemble” 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 1, 2008 Meng Concert Hall, CSUF Performing Arts Center “CSUF Alumni in the Arts and Entertainment Industry” Feb. 2-March 23, 2008 Opening Reception: 7:10 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 2, 2008 Hours: Tuesday-Sunday 11 a.m.-4 p.m., with extended hours Friday and Saturday to 7 p.m. Plus, the first Saturday of each month galleries are open until 10 p.m.

Grand Central Art Gallery and Project Room, 125 N. Broadway, Santa Ana “Peter Marsh, Violin and Alison Edwards, Piano” 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2008 Meng Concert Hall, CSUF Performing Arts Center

“Chookasian Armenian Concert Ensemble and Zvartnots Armenian Folk Dancers” 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 8, 2008 Recital Hall, CSUF Performing Arts Center “Eduardo Delgado, Piano” 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 10, 2008 Meng Concert Hall, CSUF Performing Arts Center “Jeremy Jouve, Guitar” Master Class, 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21, 2008 Redfield Room, PA-170, CSUF Performing Arts Center Recital, 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22, 2008 Meng Concert Hall, CSUF Performing Arts Center “Tuesday Recital” 1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2008 Recital Hall, CSUF Performing Arts Center “Bora Korkmaz and Fureya Unal, Flute/Piano Duo” 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28, 2008 Recital Hall, CSUF Performing Arts Center “Miya Masaoka, Composer/Performer and So Percussion” 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 29, 2008 Meng Concert Hall, CSUF Performing Arts Center “New Music Festival Inclusive Voices: Healing the Divide” Workshops: Call 714-278-3511 for more information Martin Bresnick Lecture/Workshop

in "Art for art's sake." Whistler once said, "An artist's career always begins tomorrow." The College of Arts is sure to prove Whistler wrong with plenty of events planned throughout the spring.

For more information on any of the events listed go to www.fullerton.edu/arts/events. For information on art exhibits, student work or alumni work go to www.fullerton.edu/arts/art.

8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22, 2008 Performing Arts Center, Room 257 Korkmaz and Unal Flute/Piano Workshop 10 a.m. Friday, Feb. 29, 2008 Recital Hall, CSUF Performing Arts Center Jaime Laredo, Violin -- Chamber Music Master Class 4 p.m. Friday, Feb. 29, 2008 Performing Arts Center, Room 170

March: “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” March, 2008, 8 p.m. 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22 and 2 p.m. 9, 15, 16, 22 Young Theater, CSUF Performing Arts Center

By William Shakespeare Directed by Paul Barnes “As it is in Heaven” March, 2008, 8 p.m. 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22 and 2 p.m. 9, 15, 16, 22 Hallberg Theater, CSUF Performing Arts Center

By Arlene Hutton Directed by Patrick Pearson Choreography by William F. Lett “City of Angels” March 2008, 8 p.m. 28, 29 Little Theater, CSUF Performing Arts Center Music by Cy Coleman Lyrics by David Zippel Book by Larry Gelbart Directed by James R. Taulli

Musical Direction by Mitchell Hanlon

April: “City of Angels” April, 2008, 8 p.m. 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19 and 2 p.m. 12, 13, 19, 20 Little Theater, CSUF Performing Arts Center Music by Cy Coleman Lyrics by David Zippel Book by Larry Gelbart Directed by James R. Taulli Musical Direction by Mitchell Hanlon “Night of the Iguana” April, 2008, 8 p.m. 18, 19, 24, 25, 26 and 2 p.m. 20, 26, 27 Young Theater, CSUF Performing Arts Center

By Tennessee Williams Directed by Kevin Slay

May: “Night of the Iguana” May, 2008, 8 p.m. 1, 2, 3 and 2 p.m. 3, 4 Young Theater, CSUF Performing Arts Center

By Tennessee Williams Directed by Kevin Slay “Spring Dance Theater” May, 2008, 8 p.m. 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10 and 2 p.m. 4, 10, 11 Little Theater, CSUF Performing Arts Center Coordinated by Gladys Kares

Shadowing Palmer, the Vice President for Student Affairs, for a day The Daily Titan followed Robert Palmer around in a typical day on campus

by Christy Orgeta

Daily Titan Internet Editor news@dailytitan.com

Cal State Fullerton's Vice President for Student Affairs, Robert L. Palmer, is a busy man with a very busy schedule. Thursday, Nov. 1, 2007, he was shadowed by a reporter to see what his job entails. The most telling part of Palmer's day: a small muffin, which would only

be finished hours after it was first nibbled.

9:57 am: I walked into Langsdorf 805 and asked the first woman I saw for Dr. Palmer. Langsdorf 805 is home to the office of the Vice President of Student affairs. The woman at the desk asked me if I had an appointment and I was forwarded to Ellen Shaw, Palmer's secretary. Her office is right next to Dr. Palmer's.

Just as Shaw finished explaining to me that he was in a meeting, Palmer walked in.

Palmer was dressed in a brown suit and a matching paisley tie. He invited me into his office and we

sat down. As we got settled, Shaw brought Palmer a copy of the Daily Titan editorial in which he and Howard Wang, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs, were mentioned.

By this time, Palmer had already seen the editorial. Despite the fact that the editorial is a bit negative, Palmer remained calm.

Palmer then showed me his schedule for the day.

"I get a card like this everyday," Palmer said. "[Ellen] could put it in my BlackBerry, but it’s much more simple this way."

Then, we go over the day. For the most part, Palmer was in meetings except from 1:00 p.m to 2:00 p.m, where he got an hour for lunch.

10:00 a.m: This was Palmer's standing meeting with Lea Jarnagin, Assistant to the Vice President for Student Affairs. In this meeting, the two discussed what Jarnigan was currently working on.

At the moment, it was the Student Affairs Annual Report for the 20062007 year. Jarnagin had brought in potential cover art for the publication. After making a few edits and discussing branding issues and identity of Student Affairs in the Annual Report, Palmer and Jarnagin moved into a short discussion about potential uses of open space on campus.

10:26 a.m: The next event on Palmer’s card was a ribbon cutting ceremony for a new environmental laboratory at the College of Engineering and Computer Science.

When we arrived at the ribbon cutting, Dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science Raman Unnikrishnan greeted us.

“We were waiting for you,” Unnikrishnan joked.

Perhaps he wasn’t joking because right after we arrived, he began to speak. The ceremony featured many speakers including President Milton Gordon and Vice President for Academic Affairs Ephraim P. Smith.

“It’s good to show support, even just for a minute,” Palmer said.

After the ribbon was cut, we checked out the inside of the center and left. Outside we met with Smith over the breakfast items. Palmer's pastry of choice: a muffin.

On the walk back, Palmer and Smith discussed the Academic Senate meeting, which they would participate in as members. Palmer also emphasized needing to check his emails, while poking fun at Smith for relying on his BlackBerry to do so.

Although Palmer had a BlackBerry, he preferred replying to his e-mails over the computer.

11:11 a.m: Back at the office, Palmer finally got a chance to check his e-mails. His muffin, marked with only one bite, sat on his main desk that faces the door. He turned toward his computer desk, which faces the window.

This morning, his computer gave him some trouble signing on. After a few attempts, he was finally able to log onto Windows.

“I check for all the president's e-

mails first,” Palmer said.

He showed me the long list of e-mails in his box and estimated that there are at least 50 new messages.

“That’s just overnight,” he said.

As the Academic Senate drew near, Palmer left his inbox and his muffin behind and headed out for the meeting.

11:20 a.m: Palmer explained the main purpose of Academic Senate as we walked over to the Senate meeting, which was located in Titan Shops. The Academic Senate was the main governing body of the University for faculty and staff.

While the issues can sometimes get “hot and sensitive,” Dr. Palmer did not predict anything sensitive for today.

As we walked past the quad, Palmer stopped for a bit to check out the Dia De Los Muertos altars.

There was a contest between several student organizations.

Palmer, who used to teach a University 100 class on campus, was greeted by one of his old students who became part of MEChA, a student empowerment organization.

“I taught it back when she was a freshman,” Dr. Palmer said.

After leaving the quad, we discussed careers in student affairs. Dr. Palmer, who received his undergraduate degree from Indiana University in art, decided to go into a career in student affairs after becoming "active and involved" during college.

Palmer said this would be a good time for those who were interested

in pursuing a career in student affairs to apply themselves, as university administration who began their careers in the the '60s and '70s would begin to retire.

“I’m not going to be here in five years,” Palmer said.

His plans for retirement?

“Go to the beach. Kick back.

Maybe paint,” Palmer said. “Do what I was trained to do.”

11:30 a.m: As we walked into the bookstore, Palmer grabbed his placard off the table and walked into the senate chambers. The room was large and houses 40 members. There were free cookies and beverages for the members; Palmer grabbed a coffee.

At this meeting, everyone would be referred to as "Senator." Palmer, who did not have an item for today, sat quietly toward the back of the room listening intently. Today the Academic Senate would spend most of their meeting time discussing a proposal to raise Master's of Business Administration fees in the college of Business. This fee, that would affect 500 students, caused a great divide within the senate as 15 senators were for the raise, 15 senators were against it, and six senators abstained from voting. One of the six was Palmer.

12:45 p.m: After the meeting broke, Palmer explained that the MBA fee proposal put him in an awkward position. As the Vice President of Student Affairs, he did not want to vote for student fee inSee PALMER, Page A12

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FEATURES

Blended interests are a recipe for education April Bullock merged her hobbies with her studies

By Nathan Wheadon

Daily Titan Features Editor news@dailytitan.com

According to the cliché, "If you do what you love, you never have to work."

Cal State Fullerton Liberal Studies Professor April Bullock is doing what she loves, but somehow the cliché proves to be false for her.

Bullock has combined all of her hobbies and passions and has put them to work.

Growing up in Sierra Madre, Calif., Bullock gained her love for the desert from her father. Some of her favorite places to visit are the Mojave and Great Basin deserts. As a child she used to go camping in the desert with her father. Bullock still frequents the desert when time permits. She is a self-proclaimed "desert rat," an avid hiker and backpacker.

Bullock's interests are not limited to the sands of the Southern California deserts.

She studied as an undergrad at Cal State Los Angeles but earned her bachelor's degree a little farther north from Cal State Stanislaus. Like her gradual move north, her studies did not stop there. Bullock continued to climb latitudes and academic status at Santa Cruz. She earned both her master's and doctorate from UC Santa Cruz.

Bullock started her academic career by becoming a teacher's assistant at Stevenson's College at UCSC. At Stevenson's she taught several core courses and lived in Santa Cruz for 11 years.

Although she moved almost 10 years ago, Bullock keeps the Santa Cruz tradition going with her "keep Santa Cruz weird" coffee mug that sits on her desk.

At Santa Cruz, Bullock gained another interest: cooking.

She cooks many different types of foods, from French and Italian to Mexican and Chinese.

"I like to cook East Asian food," Bullock said. "I used to make my own Thai curry paste."

The course that Bullock taught at UCSC lasted all year, so she was introduced to a faculty tradition.

"On the last class meeting we would bake for our students," Bullock said.

What started out as a potluck turned into a passion.

The Northern California climate was perfect for gardening. At one point, some of Bullock's friends who brewed homemade beer grew fresh hops in her garden.

For a time, Bullock went on a "kick" on how to survive like people used to before the conveniences of ready-made foods and grocery markets.

"I decided to learn how to make everything from scratch," Bullock said.

Eventually, the competitive academic job market brought Bullock back down to Southern California to CSUF, where she has been teaching for eight years.

Currently, she resides in Riverside where she said she has found the climate much more difficult for cultivation.

Although the climate is not prime for vegetation, Bullock considers herself lucky to have a job in California. Some of her friends and peers from UCSC have been spread throughout the world, ranging from New Hampshire to Texas to Turkey.

"The academic job market is a national job market," Bullock said.

While studying at UCSC, Bullock found a love for European cultures and capital cities, particularly London.

One of the several research projects Bullock is working on is the revision of her dissertation on Bohemia in Victorian London. Before Bullock, no one had written a fulllength treatment on the topic.

Bullock said she has spent a significant amount of time in London.

"I went over there [London] twice when I was writing my dissertation,"

Bullock said.

One trip was for six weeks and the other was for four months. Bullock also taught an art course in London during the spring semester of 2006 as part of a study abroad program.

When she wasn't lecturing, she was spending hours upon hours in various libraries around London.

Bullock is currently working on a new research project about 19th century British cookbooks. She has already been working on the project for a year and said that cookbooks can illuminate the role gender and class play in the household and society.

"It ties together some of my hobbies, personal interests and research," Bullock said.

Bullock has looked through many cookbooks and purchased a few. Although most of the recipes are made to feed a large group of people, Bullock has cooked some of the dishes for herself and her husband.

"I've been able to buy beat up, sadlooking, 19th century cookbooks for cheap [prices]," Bullock said. "In Victorian Britain, households would be much larger than mine."

Unlike some of her other research projects, Bullock said she thinks her cookbook research could be completed in a few years.

The cookbooks are an intriguing topic for Bullock because no one can know for sure what the food really tasted like back then.

"A lot of historians have assumed that the 19th century is when English food became terrible," Bullock said. "I'm not convinced that that's the case. How much do we really know what the food was like? Animals were fed and butchered differently than they are now."

Many historians back up Bullock's claim. Bullock said she believes part of the reason why British cuisine got its poor reputation is because the surge in pre-packaged foods, but mostly from Britain's role in war.

"As a result of WWI, and more so WWII -- That is when British

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cookery got its reputation," Bullock said.

In order to complete her research Bullock plans to visit London a couple more times. She is also going to Leeds, which has a large cookery collection.

Before Bullock ventures back across the ocean again, she is focused on the upcoming semester.

This semester, she will be teaching two Liberal Studies courses along with trying to start a new master's program.

It is natural that Bullock teaches liberal studies because it is a combination of humanities, art and social philosophy.

Bullock believes having an expertise in many subjects does not just help in her teaching, it is necessary Being part of the full-time faculty is not just teaching for Bullock, it is a learning process as well.

"The faculty, as we teach those courses try to well connections," Bullock said. "We have to be able to make connections between one and other's fields."

Bullock said the knowledge she has gained from her peers has changed the course of her own research and the methods she uses to teach.

Bullock is trying to instill these same qualities in her students. She said she believes having a broad range of knowledge is more beneficial to students rather than narrowly focusing on specifics like some majors tend to do.

Since a majority of Liberal Studies majors become elementary school teachers, Bullock said she hopes her students will pass down their knowledge to the children who can one day make a change in the academic philosophies and practices at most universities.

In the environmental studies class she teaches, Bullock said she tries to get her students to get outside and appreciate the environment. Most of all, she said she tries to teach her students that everything is connected, kind of like the way her passions, hobbies, research and work are.

cloverfield:

j.j. Abrams’ new monster movie “ From Page 1

ing. The actors had to react to something that wasn't visible until the computer-graphics were added later. Then, with all the running around the cast had to do around the city, oxygen tanks were on standby in case anything should have gone wrong. Ultimately, they just realized going to the gym should have been a top priority. And possibly, wardrobe choices.

"I had these platform boots on and the longer you run in them, the worst your feet feel," Caplan said, who plays the sarcastic Marlena. "I haven't gone to the gym in, like, a year; so I don't know if I was really ready for it."

Ready or not, when Abrams called, the cast anxiously signed up, despite the secrecy surrounding the film and small hesitation over the fact that it was a monster movie. For Vogel, who plays Rob's brother, Jason, prides himself of not being placed into a specific group and having a diverse resume.

"The saving grace is the vision of a J.J. Abrams [feature]," Vogel said. He added, "It makes you feel safe ... in being a part of something like this."

Feeling safe was a good thing, considering the fact that New York City was crumbling at the hands of the monster, which could easily conjure up images of 9/11.

During the trembles, a worried New Yorker ponders if its another terrorist attack. Whether the audience reacts negatively or not to "Cloverfield," Caplan wants people to put it into per-

I had these platform boots on and the longer you run in them, the worst your feet feel. I haven’t gone to the gym in, like, a year; so I don’t know if I was really ready for it.

– Lizzy Caplan,

Cloverfield Actress

“

January 22, 2008

spective.

"It was never our intention to exploit what happened on 9/11," Caplan said. "This is a fantasy movie, it's a monster movie ... People who make films should be allowed to explore ... these relevant social issues ...

[The Monster] is a much easier target than the enemies that we face in real life."

The voyeuristic and real life approach seems to be working well for "Cloverfield." On its first weekend, the film grossed $40 million on a small budget considering the magnitude.

Critics seem to be enjoying the new take on an old favorite and studio execs are reapping on the viral marketing.

No word of a sequel yet but you better believe the word "intrigue" will be involved.

A 12

FEATURES

January 22, 2008

Best happy hours for your buck The Daily Titan goes bottoms up for the best happy hours in town

From Page 10

by Jazmine Graza

for the Daily Titan news@dailytitan.com

Cure your back-to-school-blues with a liberation at happy hour.

The Daily Titan brings you the top 5 places to get tipsy after work and before dinner.

5)Bananas bar and grill

Detached from Downtown Fullerton's family of bars, Bananas is located on Raymond Avenue between Commonwealth and Orangethorpe.

Michael Alarcon, a writer for search.cityguide.aol.com calls Bananas "…The sole refuge for starving students who want to eat, drink and catch a few unsigned bands and still have enough money left over for the obligatory trip to Del Taco's drive-thru window at 2 a.m."

During happy hour, Bananas has a free buffet with foods such as veggies, salsa and chips, mozzarella sticks, and fried zucchini.

4) Commonwealth Lounge

Located next door to Stubrick's on Commonwealth Avenue and Harbor Boulevard, Commonwealth Lounge made its debut last spring, making it the newest kid on the Downtown Fullerton block. Lofty black couch seats that line the bar make the bar just as good a spot to sit as any booth.

Lacy Rainwater, 23, said, "I love Commonwealth because they are one of the only places that I know that has Three Olives grape vodka.

I like to order their shrimp cocktail and baked Brie during happy hour.

It's to die for."

Commonwealth Lounge's swanky ambiance gives Fullerton natives a piece of New York City's Meatpacking District in in their own backyard.

3) Taps fish house and brewery

Palmer: VP of student affairs

By Nathan Wheadon/Daily Titan Features Editor The inside of Palapas Bar and Grill feels more like a bar on the beach than Downtown Fullerton. With happy hour seven days a week, Palapas can get busy.

Catch an inexpensive late lunch at Taps Fish House and Brewery in Brea. It’s located on the corner of Imperial Highway and Brea Boulevard and is a family owned restaurant. Taps has its own brewery that is overseen by a resident brewmaster.

Taps starts its happy hour early at 2 p.m. and ends it at 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Select appetizers are $5 and include choices such as calamari, ahi tuna tartar, pizza, and crab and artichoke dip.

"Taps has the best draft beer because its brewed right there in the restaurant. They have a tasty homemade American Pale Ale," said 24year-old Fullerton local Tony Bach.

2) Palapa Grill

If you ever want to escape to Cancun and can't afford a plane ticket, just go to Palapa Grill. The bartenders won't speak to you in Spanish but they do have Coronas and they will serve you drinks in a plastic cup.

Palapas can get crowded at times, so

beware.

Located on Harbor Boulevard and Commonwealth Avenue in Downtown Fullerton, Palapa Grill has happy hour Seven days a week.

Jessie Latour, 28, said, " I like Palapa because I know it's the kind of bar Zach and A.C. Slater would frequent. Their tiki bombs are a tropical treat."

1) The Yard House

Located in Brea, the Yard House is a restaurant that definitely sets itself apart from its corporate counterparts with 130 beers on tap.

"Happy hour at Yard House is a great place for happy hour because you get the finest beers, food and atmosphere for an affordable price," said 21-year-old Cassandra Fernando. "I love their spicy tuna roll. For $5 they give you more than one person can eat."

All house martinis include premium vodkas and gins. Yard House is no. 1 on our list because they have a late happy hour.

OC Happy Hours BANANAS

M-F, 4-7 p.m.

Drinks: Beers .50 cents cheaper, well drinks for $3.50 and some free appetizers

COMMMONWEALTH LOUNGE

M-F, 4-7 p.m.

Drinks: Well drinks for $4 and appetizers half-off

TAPS

M-F, 2-6 p.m.

Drinks: Draft Beers $3.25, well drinks for $4.25, Martinis for $5.25 and some $5 appetizers

YARD HOUSE

M-F, 3-6 p.m., S-W 10 p.m-12 a.m Drinks: Beers for $3.25-$3.50, Martinis for $5.50

PALAPAS

M-S, 4-8 p.m.

Drinks: Beers for $3, tiki bombs for $4 and well drinks for half off

creases, despite the fact that it was something academic affairs needed. As 1 p.m. approached, we broke for lunch.

The 2 o’clock hour would bring Wang and Palmer together for their scheduled meeting.

Much like the meeting with Jarnagin, this would be Wang’s time to update Palmer on his happenings. Wang represents Housing, Financial Aid, the Health Center, Counseling, Disabled Student Services, and the Guardian Scholars program. The two meet a few times a week to talk.

The two discussed the Daily Titan, as well as an e-mail from a Los Angeles Times reporter asking about the whole "condom controversy."

They then discuss a new way of giving out free condoms instead of placing them in the Daily Titan. In their discussion they outlined all the negative points of the condom inserts, such as wasting condoms and the exposure of the condoms to the elements, which may decrease their effectiveness.

After discussion of the Daily Titan, Wang updated Palmer on other projects he was working on, including the awarding of grants and the potential uses of open space on campus.

2:25 p.m: Wang and Palmer’s meeting would run a little short, so Palmer had time for mail with his secretary. Shaw explained that sometimes Palmer would not get to go through his mail.

In order to encourage him, she came up with a system similar to one she used with her grandchildren. Shaw placed a happy face on his calendar each day they went through the mail together.

Palmer said his objective for the month was to get all smileys.

2:38 p.m: The mail was finished. Now Palmer will move on to e-mails. But first, Palmer will make tea and finally return

to his muffin that he picked up four hours earlier.

3:00 p.m: Nick Eversole, the assistant vice president of budget and human resources, came in for his standing meeting. For the most part, this meeting contained a lot of document signing. The paperwork consisted of travel, recognition certificates and payments.

Palmer explained that the Student Affairs division is comprised of 400 employees, with about 20 departments. The budget was approximately 30 million dollars.

“Spend wisely and don’t overspend,” Eversole said with a smile.

Today’s meeting would run a bit short because of a fire drill.

3:30 p.m: Dr. Palmer said goodbye to everyone and walked toward the door in anticipation of the alarm. Just as he walked in front of it, the fire alarm began to ring.

“Woo-hoo!” Palmer said enthusiastically. His timing was right on.

Heading down the steps of Langsdorf Hall, Palmer noted the one thing he did not get to do today was interact with students. He spoke louder as the alarm sounded behind us. Earlier in the week he had participated in Pizza with the Presidents, an open forum for students to ask questions to Associated Students, Inc. and University Presidents.

Palmer also said he meets with ASI President Heather Williams on a regular basis.

The fire alarm would conclude the day with Palmer. As he walked out into the crowd of displaced students, many would walk past him without recognizing who he was or the impact he has on CSUF student's life.

Despite that, Palmer still said he thinks he has the best job on campus.

“It’s a lot of fun," Palmer said.

"Great school, great students.”

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Sports

B1

January 22, 2008

CSUF baseball looking toward Omaha Titan baseball looks to rebound from an off-year and play their way to the College World Series

BY David Carrillo

Daily Titan Sports Editor sports@dailytitan.com

BY DAMON CASAREZ / Daily Titan Staff Photographer

Sophmore right-handed pitcher Michael Morrison, who is expected to be a major contributor to this years pitching staff, prepares for the upcoming season at a Titan Practice.

Q&A

Athletic Director Brian Quinn talks Titan sports The Daily Titan recently sat down with Titan Athletic Director Brian Quinn to ask him about the state of Titan Athletics. In the interview Quinn spoke about baseball’s annual success, the possibility of football in Fullerton’s future, our placement in Stack Magazine’s Top 50 Colleges for academically minded athletes, the school’s recent accolades from the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics and the future of Titan sports.

Q: How do you feel about Fullerton’s recent achievements, being the architect of our program?

A: I feel very good. It’s really the student-athletes who deserve all of the credit. It’s certainly not the athletic director. It’s the students who are doing it in the classroom and on the playing fields and courts. These kids have bought into what we’re trying to do here and that is be[ing] successful, both academically and athletically. I think I’ve preached over and over since I’ve been here with the coaches that it’s what you do in the beginning, not what you do at the end. So bring in good kids. If you bring them in on the front end, you have a much better chance that they’ll come out on the back end

successful. But if you bring in kids that are trouble and have problems, then it’s really hard to turn those kids around.

Q: How do you find the balance between finding athletes who will keep you athletically competitive and ones who are going to do well academically?

A: If you look at our most successful programs, the ones that are really doing well, then you look at the kids and how well they do academically and you look at those programs, it’s not just chance. It’s no accident when they go out and recruit that they’re looking for kids that are going to be successful on the fields as well as in the classroom[s]. It takes work. It’s a lot harder to recruit when you look for both … you have to get in the homes. [You have to ask] who are the parents? What’s their [the student’s] background? What kind of education has this kid had? Now, that doesn’t mean that you can’t find kids who don’t have all those things.

We have great kids who might not have the good fortune of all of that in the home, so I’m not saying that’s the only thing at all, but when you See QUINN, Page B3

Coming off a disappointing season by incredibly high Titan standards, the Cal State Fullerton Baseball team hopes to rebound from an off year and play their way into a 16th trip to the College World Series in Omaha.

Although the Titans did make it to Omaha last year – via an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament – they finished a substandard 38-25 overall, with a paltry 10-11 record in conference play.

One difference that might make a positive impact is the addition of new Head Coach Dave Serrano. Serrano left a much-improved University of California Irvine program in the offseason to replace former Titan Head Coach George Horton, who decided to leave the program after 19 successful years in a Titan uniform as a player, assistant and head coach.

Whenever there is a change in coaching regimes, there is always a

fear of how the transition will affect the players, but Serrano said he feels his familiarity with the program and Horton’s style has made the transition a smooth one.

“A great coaching staff left and probably devastated a lot of these kids, but I think as time has gone by, I think the kids are realizing they’re going to be OK,” Serrano said. “We didn’t assemble this team, but we are very fortunate as a coaching staff of the team that we’ve inherited.”

A possible obstacle the Titans will face is replacing former standout pitcher Wes Roemer. He won 11 games with a 3.19 ERA for the Titans last year. It is hoped that senior Jeff Kaplan, who also won 11 games last year, will be able to fill the void left by Roemer’s departure. “[I want to] keep proving to everyone else that I’m good enough to pitch here and good enough to pitch at the next level,” Kaplan said. “I just want to prove that I’m good enough to be a major league pitcher.”

As if replacing Roemer wasn’t challenging enough, the Titans have huge offensive gaps to fill because John Curtis, Clark Hardman and Evan McArthur, all starters and major Titan contributors last year, are no longer with the program.

See BASEBALL. Page B2

CSUF Gymnastics aims to take WAC Title Academic achievement, energy and effort brings the program back from the brink By david carrillo

Daily Titan Sports Editor sports@dailytitan.com

While they were picked to finish a lowly fifth out of six teams in the Western Athletic Conference Preseason Coach’s Poll, the Cal State Fullerton Gymnastics team remains optimistic, looking to build from last year’s success and make a run at this year’s WAC title.

What many people don’t know is that just a few years ago, the gymnastics program was on the brink of extinction. Losing recruits and on the verge of losing funding, many inside the gymnastics community thought the program was doomed.

Then along came Head Coach Jill Hicks. She’s in her second year with the program, and Titan gymnastics is tumbling its way to success.

Last year they had a respectable 8-7 overall record, with an amazing 4-1 record against conference opponents, but they failed to translate that into a strong showing at the conference tournament. Their accolades did, however, earn Hicks the 2007 WAC Coach of the Year Award.

By Damon Casarez / Daily Titan Staff Photographer

CSUF freshman Alaina Baker practies her routine while her teammates look on.

“It was a really big, shocking surprise,” Hicks said. “But I think coaches saw the energy and the excitement [of the team] and that the program wasn’t fizzling away.”

This season may be one of promise and surprise, with the roster featuring eight returning players as well as eight newcomers. Even more interesting – and potentially problematic

– is that 12 of the 16 members of the team are underclassmen.

Mace Patterson, now in his second year as assistant coach, said he feels See GYMNASTICS, Page B3

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B2

SPORTS

A New Era for Titan Basketball

Men’s Basketball owes a lot of its recent success to one man– Head Coach Bob Burton By david carrillo

Daily Titan Sports Editor sports@dailytitan.com

Five years ago Head Coach Bob Burton took over a Cal State Fullerton Men’s Basketball team that was in a state of crisis. They were struggling to compete in the Big West Conference and weren’t so much as a blip on the national basketball radar.

Athletically uncompetitive and academically woeful, there was much work to be done.

Fast-forward to the present day and the program is as different as night and day. Gone are the days of academic probation. Gone are the days of being on the bottom-rung of the Big West Conference. Gone are the days when potential recruits avoided a Titan jersey at all costs.

Currently, the Titans are coming off three consecutive winning seasons and have won an astounding 20 games in two of Burton’s four complete seasons with the program.

The last team to win 20 games in a season prior to Burton’s arrival was Coach George McQuarn’s 1982-83 squad.

This season the Titans have jumped out to a 11-6 start while going 4-2 in conference play, and they hope that they are on their way to another 20-win season. They also hope to win the Big West Conference tournament – something that

By damon Casaraz / Daily titan Staff photographer CSUF Men’s Basketball Head Coach Bob Burton talking about how he’s managed to make the Titans Big West title contenders.

hasn’t happened since 1978 – which would earn them a berth to the annual NCAA tournament.

The stability and success Burton has brought to the program may be a surprise to some, but it shouldn’t be. Since he started his coaching career as an assistant at Cal Poly San

Luis Obispo in 1969, every program Burton has touched has transformed from mediocre to a perennial contender.

“I’ve loved basketball ever since I was a kid and it’s something that I always wanted to do,” Burton said.

“I honestly have never looked at it as

a job. I’m just so lucky to be doing something like this.”

While he may feel lucky to be a head coach, the success he has had over the past 38 years has nothing to do with luck. At West Valley Community College he compiled a 488See BURTON, Page B4

Baseball: Titans look to get aggressive On the field From Page B1

The return of Jared Clark, who sat out last year due to injury, might help fill the void, but the Titans may need more. Returning players, such as infielders Corey Jones and Joel Weeks, will be looked to for bigger production and freshmen Gary Brown and Christian Colon are expected to step in and make a big impact for the team immediately.

One thing Titan fans may look forward to this season is an aggres-

sive style of play. Greg Bergeron, an assistant coach who came over from UCI with Serrano, will be manning the third-base box. He said he looks forward to forcing the issue on the base path.

“We’re going to steal bases, try and be aggressive and try to put pressure on the opposing team’s defense,” Bergeron said. “It will be an opportunistic offense to where if the other team makes mistakes, hopefully, we’ll be able to capitalize on

them.”

Something new to the baseball calendar this year is a revamped schedule, which has a later start date than usual and more games played in a shorter amount of time. As many as five games may be scheduled in each week. Combine that with travel and schoolwork and the season could get hectic, but Serrano said he feels the team will be able to handle it.

“We try to create a great atmosphere for them to play in and de-

velop individually and as a team,” Serrano said. “I’m excited about their commitment on a daily basis.

Not just as baseball players, but the commitment they’ve already shown in the first semester of their grades.”

Titan Baseball kicks off the new year with the Alumni Game on Sunday at Goodwin Field, with pregame festivities due to start at 11 a.m. Their first regular season game is Feb. 22 against Texas Christian University.

January 22, 2008

Bram’s Breakdown

Success in college sports means squat at the next level That Reggie Bush, he ain’t no Saint.

In a new book, titled “Tarnished Heisman: Did Reggie Bush Turn His Final College Season into a Six-Figure Job”, secretly taped conversations and other allegations are discussed that may cost Bush his Heisman trophy.

Lured by sports promoters and agents, the once-great USC Trojan allegedly took thousands of dollars in cash and received a pimped-out Impala, which led to a spread in the popular car enthusiast publication, Dub Magazine.

Bush now knows what all college athletes and scouting directors should know: Success in college doesn’t always translate to the next level. During Bush’s career at USC, he was told that he was the next coming of Marshall Faulk, and he let those empty words cloud his judgment.

In a foreshadowing series of events, Bush was passed over for the first pick in the 2006 NFL Draft. Many attributed the move to the Texans’ unwillingness to pay Bush the flashy money it was thought to take to sign him, but maybe they saw something else ... something more.

Two years later and the Texans are looking pretty smart in hindsight. We’re still waiting for the “best college player ever” to change the NFL game. Scouts say he’s a less-shiftier version of Willie Parker and a less explosive version of Devin Hester. Is this really the guy who petitioned the NFL to allow running backs to use single-digit numbers so he could wear the same number he wore in college? Is this really the guy who was so confident in his skills as a player he took a payday advance?

Sorry, Mr. Bush. Not even your agile body can juke your way out of this one.

College athletes, no mat-

bram Makonda

Sports Columnist

ter how big or small your sport, should pay attention to Bush’s mistakes and vow not to repeat them. Nothing is certain at the next level. It doesn’t matter if your parents, coach, scout, neighbor, girlfriend, boyfriend, bartend and local media say(s) you’re God’s gift to your sport; you still have to earn it. Nothing is given in sports, especially in the pros, and Bush and the people looking out for him should’ve known that.

Bush has helped spark the turnaround of the New Orleans Saints franchise and has contributed to the post-Katrina effort, but what Saint’s fans need from him is Super Bowl rings, not commercial endorsements.

While the blame doesn’t rest entirely on his shoulders, no one can argue that the opportunities weren’t there. Teammate and fellow running back Deuce McAllister went down with an injury early in the season, giving the fulltime job to Bush. A great player would have thrived in the opportunity and delivered, but instead the Saints finished 7-9 and fell out of the playoff picture.

What people should take from this is that college athletes are still students, young men and women who make mistakes, and with each mistake, hopefully, they learn. What happened to Bush should be a red flag to those being hyped up by marketers and agents who are in the business of making money off athletes names, not in making better athletes.

Success in the college game is not always a reliable predictor for success in the pros. College athletes are amateurs, young men and women who are bound to change as they grow. So the next time you see “the greatest college athlete ever,” stop and remember the tale of Reggie Bush.

Titan Dance Team gets moving In a special preview performance, the dance team flaunted their new steps

From Page B1

by david carrillo

sports@dailytitan.com

DT: Is this something that you’ve always instilled, the academic side to athletics?

by ian hamilton / daily titan executive editor

Deanna Spinale (left), Danielle Fowler (middle), and Mika Mitsui (right) show off the Titan Dance Team’s new jazz routine.

“We’ve worked super hard to get where we’re at right now,” Alvarez said. “I feel we have a really good chance and I’m hoping to go out there and bring the title back home.”

Winning a title would not be out of the ordinary, with the Titan Dance Team having already secured seven national titles to date. The 12member squad is not content with past glory though, as anything short

of bringing home an eighth title this year will be a disappointment.

“We’re held to a totally different standard than any other university squad in the nation because we’re already number one out the gate,” Shen said. “But we continue to strive to be number one.”

With all of their success, there is a lot of pressure for the team to do well. While the seven returning members of the team are aware of

the pressure of the national spotlight, Volkert said the five freshmen are in for a completely new experience.

“They have no idea [what they’re in for]. It’s a whole new world for them,” Volkert said. “And really, they won’t get it until they step out on that floor.”

The Titan Dance Team can be seen at all home basketball events, as well as at various campus and charity events throughout the year.

Gymnastics: A Young Team ready to take the wac From Page B1

the team’s unique makeup shouldn’t be a problem for the young squad.

“On any other team I would say it’s going to be a tough year, an up and down year, because those guys are learning [how] to compete,” Patterson said. “Luckily, we have freshman who I don’t know if they just don’t realize that we’re competing or if they’re just really comfortable competing, but they’re not wideeyed at all.”

Quinn: Football may be possible in future recruit you try to look at the whole package. What kind of a kid is this?

What kind of values does this kid have? Do we take some chances sometimes? Of course we do. And do you try to help kids and have we done that here? Absolutely. We have taken kids who are at-risk students, but we’ve helped them become successful and get their degrees, and that’s the ultimate reward.

Daily Titan Sports Editor

The Titan Dance Team kicked off the New Year in style, showing off their latest dance routines in a special public performance held in the Titan Gym Sunday, January 13.

The performance, which displayed the routines the defending national champions will take to the nationals this year, was held in conjunction with the Cal State Fullerton Varsity Band and Cheer Squad.

All three groups entertained the crowd in the hour-long showcase, rocking, shimmying and shaking in an effort to boost Titan spirit.

The Dance Team, which is coached

by Sam Shen and Jennie Volkert, showed off both their jazz and hiphop pieces. They also displayed new uniforms to go along with their new routines, one for each of their two distinct dance styles.

In addition to the Titan performers, several Titan supporters graced the stage and performed for the crowd. The four female performers, whose ages range from six to 14, each performed a short piece in between the dance team’s performances.

Junior Kenndra Alvarez, a team captain, spoke afterward about the team’s tremendous effort to continue the success of the program.

B3

SPORTS

January 22, 2008

One thing you can expect out of this year’s team is for them to perform well outside of the gym. Doing their part to dispel the myth that athletes aren’t intelligent, the team had a collective grade point average of 3.67 last semester, among the top in the nation, according to Hicks.

Since Hicks has taken over the program, nine different girls have been named to the Academic AllWAC team, an accomplishment that has nothing to do with chance.

“When I recruit, there are three things I tell them and their parents.

Academics come first, then gymnastics and then your social [life],” Hicks said. “If you get that out of order, you will be warned to get it back in order, and the second time you’re done. You lose your scholarship and you won’t be on the team.”

One thing the team might need is more support from the Titan community. Alana Mouery, a junior, and Melissa Schafer, a senior, both said

they would love to see more Titans in the stands.

“We do double back-flips,” Schafer said, trying to encourage fan attendance as the two of them burst into laughter.

“I think seeing it live makes people realize how much work you have to put into it and how demanding it is on our bodies,” Mouery said. “I don’t think people always look at that aspect of gymnastics until they see it live and see a few of the crashes.”

BQ: I have a real commitment to it and a lot of other people do too. It takes a team. You just have to keep talking. Keep telling people to do it the right way, you’ll win. The truth is, as our academics have gone up, so has our athletics. Teams are better than they were, and if you look at the past, when we didn’t do as well academically, we didn’t do as well athletically. You have to tell them, ‘This is the mission and this is what we expect,’ and if you’ve got good people, they’re going to do it.

DT: What do you see over the next five years for yourself and the [athletic] program?

BQ: What I’d like to see is to really improve the facilities even more. I’m working hard on that right now, to improve the gym. I want to have a new floor put in. I want to put in all new seating and have it come down all the way to the court so you can get that arena atmosphere. [I want] new locker rooms, especially for the women. Then, when you recruit, you show them the [new] Recreation Center as they come off the parking lot, they walk into an arena and it has a whole different atmosphere. I think we can do it. We’re going to get that done. One way or the other we’re going to get that done before I’m out of here. I want a new press box for baseball. That’s an old, temporary, falling-apart press box in a beautiful stadium. The soccer field still needs a lot of work. A new track, which I can’t believe the delays we’ve had on that, but it looks like we’re at

the end now. They should start construction soon. I’m trying to convince the department of recreations to have this entire field (intramural field) out here turfed with lights so that our students for intramurals and all that stuff will be able to play out here until midnight if they want to. [Right now] it’s pretty awful and I think our students deserve better.

I’d like to be the best non-football program in the country and we’re not that far [away from that title].

DT: This past year there’s been a lot of push about getting back the football program. What are some of the obstacles to that and do you think that it could ever happen, even if it is a long time down the road?

BQ: Is it possible? Sure, sure it’s possible. We can bring football back.

Will it happen? Don’t know. I really, really don’t know. I do know that it’s enormously expensive and apparently when football was dropped, and I wasn’t here so I can’t speak to that, but apparently, they were running a massive deficit. [They were] trying to keep afloat by playing games against the Georgias, Floridas and Auburns, and really losing very badly, but getting a big paycheck, and that’s how they were keeping the program afloat. I’m not sure that’s a good way to do it because if you don’t have the funding, you can’t compete. You got to remember that all the sports have expanded since they’ve had football here. The sports programs were different. Now, with all the emphasis on all these programs, you’d have to have more staff. It’s a heavy price tag and it would take a lot of funding, an operating budget of at least a minimum of two million dollars annually just for football at the lowest level that we could offer it. And you’d have to come pretty much close to that on the women’s side because of quality and gender equity, so you’re looking at 4 million dollars. But does that mean it will never happen?

No, it doesn’t mean it will never happen. We certainly have an obligation to listen to the students and an obligation to listen to the alumni and answer their questions, and we’d be wrong not to do that.

B4

SPORTS

Why sending Marion Jones to jail is unfair by elizabeth alexander Guest Columnist

sports@dailytitan.com

In and out of professional sports, an apology works wonders correcting a wrong. But how much more is needed for an Olympic Medal-winning track star to get her life back?

Marion Jones won five medals in the 2000 Summer Olympics for her excellent performance in track. Seven years later she is minus the medals and plus a jail sentence after publicly admitting that she took steroids during the competition.

As reported by Tom Goldman on National Public Radio, Marion is not being punished for cheating, but for lying. She publicly denied the use of performance-enhancing drugs during the 2000 Olympics.

It is now known that she took steroids before, during and after her medal-winning races. Seven years after her victory, what is the fair consequence for someone who simply lied to get ahead?

Jones is not only a prominent athlete, but a mother of two children. In her guilty plea, she beseeched the judge not to forget how important her children are to her, asking not to go to jail because she didn’t want to be separated from them. Despite her plea, the judge sentenced her to six months imprisonment for lying about her steroid use.

Since admitting to the allegations, she has retired from track and has given back her medals earned post 2000 as a reconciliation and acknowledgement of her wrongdoings. Is her jail sentence, then, too strong? Is it not enough to be publicly humiliated and stripped of her Olympic medals?

Should Marion Jones’ remorse have been sufficient repentance?

I think that she was competitive and power hungry athlete. even going on record prior to the Olympics stating that she planned to win five medals. So, who knows what kind of pressure

she had put herself under? I think she acted responsibly giving back her medals. She obviously has the conscience to see that those medals were not rightfully hers, and her actions in giving them back prove she’s deserving of her fans’ respect. I don’t think a woman who has acted as smartly as her, a mother with bigger plans in her life now, should have to go to jail.

The judgment seems to have been made in order to make an example of her, as opposed to a decision based on the facts. Famous athletes like Barry Bonds and Jose Canseco, who have won notable prizes because of their performances and were later associated with steroid use, have suffered little more than public embarrassment. Why, then, is Marion Jones the only one being sent to jail?

Canseco, a former Major League Baseball player and author of “Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant ‘Roids, Smash Hits and How Baseball Got Big,” publicly admitted to steroid use while playing in the major leagues. In his book, Canseco even admits to injecting prominent teammate Mark McGwire.

Unlike Jones’ confession, however, his misdeeds came out with the release of a book, not in the middle of a court room. Unlike Jones, he is making money from book sales, not spending time in a jail cell.

Where is the justice? Does playing under the influence of steroids only lead to penalties for women? Is steroid use only penalized in track? Or does the punishment of illegal drug use in professional sports land only on the heads of those unable to buy themselves freedom?

As competitive as most professional athletes are, drug use is not the way to go and writing a book about it should not make you exempt from the law. If you win a race, you should win it on your own hunger, not on a drug’s thirst. And to all the athletes who keep the games fair and your bodies healthy, your fans are proud of you. Keep up the true sport.

Women’s Basketball comes up with a big win against Pacific Thomas has 21 points, six rebounds in a Big West conference victory by david carrillo

Daily Titan Sports Editor sports@fullerton.edu

Having their best offensive night of the season, the Cal State Fullerton Women’s Basketball team defeated Big West Conference rival Pacific 94-83 Saturday night at the Titan Gym. The Titans shot the lights out all night, having five different players score in double digits. As a team they shot 55.4 percent from the field and an amazing 53.8 percent from behind the arc. Freshman guard Lauren Chow led the way with a game high 22 points, adding five assists, four rebounds and two steals in the process.

“We let up some [in the second half ], but we still got the ‘W’ and that feels good,” Chow said. “All we have to do is keep the energy up, be confident and know that we can do our best if we try hard.”

The Titans dominated the first half of play, going into the second half with a 50-36 lead. They came

“

out of halftime sluggish and sloppy, letting Pacific open the second half of play on a 13-5 run.

Junior forward Toni Thomas – who is already the tenth all-time leading scorer in Titan women’s basketball history – helped fend off Pacific’s onslaught and put the Titans back in control. She ended the game with 21 points, six boards and three steals.

“We’ve been working hard in practice and we deserved the win,” Thomas said. “Hopefully, we do what we need to do, keep practicing hard and finish off strong.”

While the hot play from Chow and Thomas are to be expected, several other Titans also stepped up and

had strong performances. Sophomore guard Jasmine Scott pitched in with nine points and five assists and freshman guard Ashley Richie chipped in with 16 points and three assists.

Junior guard Daviyonne Weathersby provided a major spark off the bench, kicking in 13 points and three assists before fouling out with a little more than five minutes left in the game.

Also having a strong game was senior forward Alison Bennett, with 12 points, five steals and four rebounds.

“We played really well and got the win, and that’s all that counts,” Bennett said. “If we keep up the energy that we had today, we’ll be good to go.”

The Titans have struggled this season, but the win over Pacific improves them to 3-13 overall and 2-3 in conference play.

CSUF Head Coach Maryalyce Jeremiah said she hopes the win catapults her team into Big West contention.

“You have to be happy for this right now, but by Monday you have to forget this,” Jeremiah said. “It was a total team effort, and when we play together and everyone hits their open

shots, then we have a good team.”

The Titan’s next home game is January 31st versus Long Beach State at 7 p.m. in the Titan gym.

Kenneth Alexander, a senior who transferred from West Valley, has seen first-hand the various aspects of Burton’s personality.

“He’s hilarious off the court, but on the court he’s all about business, all about work,” Alexander said.

“When practice is over, he tries to be the funniest man on the team.”

Eddie Lima, a junior center from Brazil, said he likes Burton’s blend of tough teaching and silly humor.

“Sometime he gets upset with us because we’re playing sloppy, but he has to push us to make us better,” Lima said. “He’s a tough coach, but

if you come out and practice and work hard, you see that he’s an outgoing coach.”

Only in his fifth season with the Titans, Burton has already laid the framework for his legacy. He’s managed to erase the academic woes of the past, develop a winning mentality in the Titan community and restore pride to a program that has seen decades go by without something to smile about.

Whether or not the Titans win the Big West this year and advance to the NCAA tournament – an ambitious goal to say the least – no one

can deny the overall success the program has had thus far. Titan fans can only hope Burton stays at Fullerton as long as he did at West Valley, a remarkable 21 years.

“I’m going to go as long as I can and I think the age thing is a factor to a certain degree,” Burton said.

“But I think as long as I have the passion, the enthusiasm and the excitement, and it’s not a job, I’ll continue to do it.”

The Titans next home game is Wednesday, January 23 against Big West rival UC Riverside at 7 p.m. in the Titan gym.

All we have to do is keep the energy up, be confident and know that we can do our best if we try hard.

“

Elizabeth’s Outlook

January 22, 2008

– Lauren Chow,

CSUF Guard

BY THE NUMBERS The Titan women picked up their second conference victory of the season. Their first came at UCI on January 4th

53.8 %

What CSUF shot from behind the arc for the night, 23 percent higher than their season average

20

The largest lead CSUF had in the game (2:47 left in 1st half)

36

The amount of points CSUF had from Pacific turnovers Source: Titan Media Relations

Burton: Already an all-time great From Page B2

158 overall record, reaching the state championship three times. He is also currently battling former Titan Head Basketball Coach Bobby Dye for CSUF’s all-time highest winning percentage.

“I know what a great coach he was and he’s a way better coach than I am,” Burton said. “If I ever wind up with a higher winning percentage [than him] it’s probably because I had a little bit better players.”

Always quick to deflect praise, Burton has the respect and admiration from all the players on his team.

OPINION

January 22, 2008

Titan Editorial Providing insight, analysis and perspective since 1960

No excuse for ineptitude The Office of Admissions and Records handles this school’s most basic services, including the Titan Degree Audit, Grad Check, registration and transcripts, with incredible ineptitude.

The department has the lives of roughly 37,000 students in their hands right now.

That’s a pretty large load to handle, but the numerous ways the school screws our admissions and records is impressive. It’s almost like they’re trying to do it.

Lost transcipts, forgotten phone calls and agonizingly slow processes plague the office. Imagine standing in line in for nearly five hours just to be able to hand over $1,500 to apply for the spring semester.

Or trying to transfer over winter break only to find that the people you just handed the sum total of all your schooling to lost your paperwork – Twice.

Many, likely, will not have to think too hard to know what these situations feel like. These kinds of horror stories are all too common.

Taken alone, these might not seem like such catastrophic atrocities. After all, this is the largest CSU in the state and a mistake or two is bound to happen.

But these are not isolated inci-

Letters to the Editor:

dents. And they do not just happen once in awhile.

Every single semester, registration horror stories crop up like weeds. But unlike those pesky lawn-killers, nothing seems to be done about admissions and records semester after semester.

The school blames its problems on the fact that this is one of the largest schools in the state.

That’s not a valid excuse. Get more staff then. It’s gone on far too long for it to be allowed. Why can’t students log into Titan Online between the hours of midnight and 6 a.m.? Why can’t we get our Titan Degree Audit when it’s time to sign up for classes?

Supposedly, they’re working on a new system that will make that a thing of the past.

We’ll believe it when we see it.

Then, there’s the kicker – Why does it take a year to get your grad check? After spending years of jumping through their hoops, students still have to wait another year to see if they’ve jumped through all of them.

Yeah, you have to wait in line awhile at the DMV to get something taken care of, but they usually get the job done within a month or two at the most.

Not at CSUF. Here, it takes a full year.

Any feedback, positive or negative, is encouraged, as we strive to keep an open dialogue with our readership. The Daily Titan reserves the right to edit letters for length, grammar and spelling. Direct all comments, questions or concerns along with your full name and major to Executive Editor Ian Hamilton at ihamilton@dailytitan.com

B5

Spearing the Britney controversy

By Amy Robertson

For the Daily Titan

opinion@dailytitan.com

The silence of a good night’s sleep was recently broken for many residents of a Beverly Hills neighborhood while streets became infested with police cars, flashing cameras and loud reporters.

What might appear to the unknowing eye to be a crime scene of some sort was surprisingly not – It was the aftermath of a Britney Spears meltdown.

However, like any high-profile crime that takes hold of the media spotlight, this unraveling of a 26year-old woman has grabbed attention from what seems like everyone and their mother and they each have a piece of their mind to shove in your face.

Soon, fingers began pointing.

“Who’s to blame?” becomes the question on peoples’ minds and the theme of tabloid stories.

Similar to many murder cases, the

parents are first to be blamed.

For Spears, it was most noticeably her stereotypical stage mom – Lynne.

However, I’d like to cut Lynne some slack and take the blame myself.

As a journalist and celebrity gossip fan, I take full responsibility for Spears’ problems because it is those two groups of people, more so the journalists because the fans only fuel them, that are the real problem behind it all.

Journalists are disgusting in their coverage of celebrities.

And I know I am going to get hate mail on that last sentence because there are some people out there who, I’m sure, would have preferred me to specify “celebrity journalists.”

Though, let’s face the facts – Big celebrity news like this becomes big news in general, showing up on the evening news and CNN. What appeared on those stations in Spears’ case was disturbing.

I watched on my computer moni-

Celebrity “news” is here to stay, so make the best of it It plagues the checkout stands at stores. It has sneaked into CNN headlines. It’s heard in conversations between friends. And now its written in the pages of “The Daily Titan” opinions section.

Celebrity news is everywhere.

But the image of celebrity gossip deserves a makeover. It’s gotten a bad reputation – typecast as being confined to a small demographic and not taken seriously. Only ditzy valley girls have serious discussions about Brangelina.

Stay at home moms give in to their guilty pleasures by purchasing rag mags at the grocery store while true journalists laugh at the thought of celebrity news being compared to the real news However, celebrity gossip has been secretly taking over Ameri-

tor as police cars and fire engines streamed into Spears’ neighborhood and then, from an aerial shot taken by helicopters, as Spears was rolled out on a stretcher and loaded into an ambulance.

Then, I logged onto Perezhilton. com and read constant updates on Spears as my boyfriend sat in disgust with my morbid fascination.

My own obsession aside, I was surprised with the highly invasive nature of the journalists and their total disregard for taste and respect for Spears during this lowest of points.

That being said, the damage has already been done so I figure, as a journalist, I might as well add my two cents.

Being that I, a normal and sane person, think the media should have given Spears her privacy, I also think that she, being a not-so-sane person, probably enjoyed the extra bit of attention.

Celebrities like Spears thrive off of attention. It not only explains their careers being in the spotlight, it also

explains their constant need to make headlines by partying and getting into loads of other trouble.

Although many of her low times have made for good stories, Spears could have made a good comeback.

However, it was a fast trip downhill after the MTV Video Music Awards show last fall.

As a result, I don’t see anyone taking her seriously from here on out because she’s already so deep in the mess she’s made for herself.

Think Lindsay Lohan – She kept claiming she was a better person and the very next week she’d tack on another DUI or drug charge to her record and off it was to rehab for the umpteenth time.

My advice to Spears, as a concerned human being and celebrity journalist, is to open a savings account.

Otherwise, she’ll end up like M.C. Hammer – broke and lost from the spotlight, and we’ll be without even more interesting stories to wrap our lives around.

The Gossip Girl

can culture. The only problem is that many people don’t want to admit that the happenings of TomKat and Britney Spears have been creeping into their minds, conversations and daily news programs.

The reasons for this shift are numerous. Some relate celebrity gossip to their own lives, using it to feel better or worse about themselves.

Others live vicariously through the stories they read in publications such as “Us Weekly.”

I, myself, am no stranger to the pages of “Us Weekly” or the Web sites of Perezhilton.com and Tmz. com. I sit like a zombie in front of my computer screen and scroll through page after page of celebrity news, not satisfied until I am completely caught up on the latest and greatest gossip.

In my vast research, I have found

benefits to holding celebrity wisdom.

Besides mere entertainment value, celebrity gossip brings both friends and strangers together.

A few weeks ago, as I rushed to the store to buy an issue of “OK!” magazine for the exclusive interview with Jamie Lynn Spears, I got into a discussion with the cashier about Spears’ pregnancy and the issue of teenage sex.

Without that rag mag, I probably wouldn’t have said more than three words to that cashier, but because of our shared interest in celebrity gossip we were able to make a connection.

The problem is that people look at that sort of news only on the surface level. They see that Ashley Tisdale got a nose job and think “who cares?” They don’t see any underlying impact it may have on the world beyond Hollywood.

By Amy Robertson opinion@dailytitan.com

But the fact of the matter is that they are in the public eye and they are public figures. We might as well try to learn from them.

And learning from them is exactly what I will try to help you do.

Through my obsession and deep digging, I hope to shed some light on celebrity stories that people may have otherwise grazed over. Because believe it or not, Tisdale’s nose job can stir up some important conversations you otherwise may not have had.

B6

OPINION

The Great Ajakening I’m a wordsmith.

And through years of talking my way into and out of fights, seeing lying as an art and/or a challenge, charming women relentlessly, developing alter-egos and rhyming for an underrated hip-hop band called The New Kissing Techniques (a shameless plug, I know, but homemade neighborhood posters with glue and glitter will only go so far in the marketing world), I’ve somehow managed to write well.

I’ve taught myself how to use my trade as a means of progress, even if I have to stretch my megalomania and blur what you think you already know (before running it by me), just as Lenny Bruce sharpened his jokes like blades, just as Pablo Picasso smeared reality and just as Muhammad Ali auctioned himself off as his own circus.

But bigger categories and simpler titles can be assigned to everyone. Lenny Bruce was a comedian, Pablo Picasso was a painter and Muhammad Ali was a boxer.

Were they not?

Well, I’m a writer.

So now that you’ve put me into the same unholy box as James Joyce and Elmore Leonard, let’s set fire to just about everything

January 22, 2008

The Londoner

Jake’s Take

that you know, believe and understand, shall we?

Good, because they gave me my own column again and we have much to discuss.

A year ago, I was a reporter for this newspaper and through some feverish pitches (sometimes smoother than Slick Nick Hornby), I crafted a sound opinion.

That opinion was that I’m great and sound even better in print.

During 2007’s spring semester, I wrote about how I liked prostitutes more than politicians, how men can use “Sex And The City” and “Grey’s Anatomy” to score more booty than a digital pirate, and I once detailed an open love letter to Pam from “The Office.”

I ran my mouth like Prefontaine, coming off more obnoxious than I really am, and The Daily Titan gave me my own column for 2007’s fall semester.

So, last autumn, I thought that if I picked fights and loaded my mouth like a machine gun, I’d smash my way through the semester headstrong with a headache, left for dead in an already sinking literary world.

Well, it turns out that if you do that, they’ll give you your own column again.

Can you believe that?

But I somehow became even more

delusional over winter break.

I fell victim to some sleep-deprived self-loathing and coma-induced arrogance.

There were a few days of reckoning, but nothing that couldn’t be solved by bags of chocolate, some hot showers and a dance party or two.

In the fall-out of the new year, I found myself as confident and destructive as I was when I was 16, mindless and hopeless in front of the stereo.

In other words, I’m back to having strides of being a naïve pessimist.

Sometimes, progress can lead you backward for slumber and tip your hat forward to the morning rain.

There are times in your life when you realize that you were happiest in your early years of high school, back when everything was a question in uncharted territory.

Everything was a discovery and your heart was warmer for it.

Well, I stretched that until last year.

I was Peter Panhandler and I kept the stars in my pocket.

Sure, I’ve had a job since I was 17 and I’ve been going to school regularly since I was 4, but I’ve made an exhausting effort to keep youthful eyes.

Maybe if you stick with me long

By Jake Kilroy take.kilroy@gmail.com

enough, I’ll spill a secret or two.

Now, I have the most dangerous combination burning my insides: the innocence of a child, the intentions of a teenager and the means of an adult.

I’m still me, however. You can still see me on campus wearing a blue Volcom backpack and you can still contact me through take. kilroy@gmail.com.

However, some symbolic electricity recently pushed its way into me and I found blood in my heart and words in my mouth once more.

So, this is round two for “Jake’s Take.” Well, actually, I suppose that it’s only round two for “Jake’s Take” in college. The first round was actually in high school.

And once again, to my high school principal and former archnemesis who tried to take away “Jake’s Take” the first time, I say this ...

Up yours, Mr. Johnson.

Networks making pitiful effort to save TV

By Richard Tinoco

Assistant Buzz Editor

opinion@dailytitan.com

The return of Conan O'Brien was a bittersweet moment for the landscape of television.

On one hand, the lanky and selfdeprecating funny man was back on the tube.

But on the other, he spun his wedding ring, not once, but twice for entertainment purposes.

It was hilarious in comedic desperation, yet it became a harbinger of what the next few weeks would bring.

When the People's Choice Awards premiered on CBS, that should have

been a clue – not just because host Queen Latifah looked confused and awkward in a gown with nowhere to go – but because an awards show with no star power or acceptable acceptance speeches shouldn't have made it on the air.

The situation only became worse when NBC and the Hollywood Foreign Press scrambled together, in the last minute, to cobble together an hour presentation of the Golden Globes winners.

Minus the glitz and the glamour, the "who did you come with" and "who are you wearing,” each awards show tanked in the ratings – the former receiving 6 million viewers and the latter 5.8 million.

Numbers like those may be golden to upstart networks like CW or MyNetworkTV, but they’re pitiful on long running networks like NBC and CBS. And the answer is scripted television brings in more viewers.

The math is simple – “The Sarah Connor Chronicles” brought in over 18 million viewers in its premiere episode alone.

A few nights later, “The Apprentice,” after having an impressive premiere the week before, was steamrolled by scripted hits like “CSI” and “Grey’s Anatomy.”

Now I really can’t wait for the return of “Lost” to vote Donald Trump off their island.

Things are getting worse.

The networks are so lazy to create new reality shows that they’re reaching into their cancellation bins for some new editions of “The Mole” and “The Bachelorette.”

And even though this could easily become yet another endlessly tiresome and repetitive rant about how reality television is terrible, it's here to stay.

We can’t blame the networks for trying to save a buck – reality shows are quick to produce and they don’t have to pay any actors substantial fees.

The strike hasn’t even begun to hit home yet.

See TV, Page B8

It’s been four months of planning, three weeks of shopping, two days of packing and a 10hour plane flight, but here I am in London, England.

The excitement started in the air as the blue Atlantic Ocean gave way to the coastline of Ireland. The culture shock, language barrier and tea started before the plane even took off.

You don’t need me to inform you that London is very different from Orange County. That’s a given. Besides, if it was the same there would be no reason to write this or even be here in the first place. What is interesting is how those differences manifest themselves.

There’s a literal gang of us here.

Cal State Fullerton students have banded together with those from CSU Long Beach and a few from schools in Wisconsin and Colorado to brave the elements in our temporary home for the next four months.

For some of us, this is our first time out of the United States; others are seasoned world travelers with experience visiting many other countries.

But for most of the students here, this is the first time we have had an extended stay in London and extended stay means prolonged exposure to the culture.

That culture is something we have tried to take on wide-eyed and eager.

There are people everywhere in London. It has a population of over 7 million people crammed in a space that joins old and new.

Everyone is sardined together on the streets and in their houses. It often feels like there was more room on the plane ride over here than there has been anywhere else.

With such little space, it would be easy to assume that people would be open and sociable. After all, what other choice would they have? Yet, the opposite is true. Here in London, the tighter the space, the more people pull inward.

This anti-social attitude is most notable on the Tube, London’s famous underground train network. There, people cram

Invasion of the U.K.

By Erin Tobin

opinion@dailytitan.com

the cars full, standing right up against each other and still don’t exchange a sympathetic smile in understanding for their predicament. They read their free papers in a quiet, almost synchronized fashion, never commenting to their neighbor about the same article both of them have obviously read with great interest.

Roaming the city in small gaggles, the American students stand out on the Tube for our idle chit chat. Yet, aside for a few tsks of the tongue and some sideways glares, there is no reaction from the locals around us.

In fact just the other day, a man began raving about an article he saw in the paper, making vague threats about race wars and assassination. Most of the other riders in the car exchanged no looks of worry or even annoyance and just kept reading their papers or staring off into the distance.

“Cold Front” is a word not just reserved for the weather report here in London. In the same fashion that a rainy morning here can dissolve into a lovely afternoon, Londoners also warm up to be friendly and welcoming people, given time.

This aloof nature isn’t just an assumption based on the experience of a few kids that have been in the city a week, it’s actually a stereotype developed by Londoners themselves. They explain about it almost apologetically.

I've seen the real side of England. There have been chummy chats about American television (“Dexter” and “Gossip Girl” are big hits over here, apparently) on late night Tube rides and silly, offhand comments about ketchup.

As the city becomes more familiar to me, I feel more comfortable in it.

It’s starting to feel like home.

January 22, 2008

B7

B8

OPINION

“Cloverfield” focuses on humans over monsters

By Richard Tinoco

Daily Titan Assistant Buzz Editor opinion@dailytitan.com

Spoiler alert: The monster will be revealed. But don’t worry, this won’t be another smoke monster non-reveal like on “Lost.”

After setting keyboards ablaze back in July with its no name trailer and text, 1-18-08, “Cloverfield” kept the Internet forums speculating about what could possibly be so big that it decapitated the Statue of Liberty.

With months to go before the film actually premiered, the question rose as to whether viral marketing would work and in this case, the J.J. Abrams camp delivered on the suspense it provided in the teaser.

That is, unless you’re the guy (or girl) who continuously visited 1-1808.com or EthanHaasWasRight.com, waiting for another clue in the quest to find the identity of the monster.

Unlike other creature features before it, mainly the American version of “Godzilla,” the film lets the monster take a back seat while the characters wander around the darken streets and not-so-empty tunnels.

So don’t expect a full-on mythology on what-who-where the monster is.

But for all the investigation done by the Internet community, their knowledge will have small payoffs such as references to the fictional drink Slusho, something that would fly over the heads of the masses.

The movie plays as a personal video that was recovered by the Department of Defense. The tape shows Rob (Michael Stahl-David) on his way to Japan.

His friends throw him a lavish going away party, while his buddy Hub (T.J. Miller) films bon voyage messages from his brother, Jason (Mike Vogal), and his friends, sweet Lily (Jessica Lucas) and sarcastic Marlena (Lizzy Caplan; doing her best Lizzy Caplan).

After a heated argument with his ex-girlfriend, Beth (Odette Yustman), a fireball erupts in the center of Manhattan, calling to question whether it

MOVIE REVIEW

was an earthquake or a terrorist attack.

It’s neither.

Director Matt Reeves (“Felicity”) had the challenge of capturing something that felt so human and yet so otherworldly.

In fusing both stories and creating something entirely fresh for the new millennium, the process worked for and against him.

The obvious comparison, “The Blair Witch Project,” introduced us to the effect of the jittery camera movement, but it is “Cloverfield” that actually lets us view the monster with our own eye, in this case the lens of Hub’s camera.

But the lens closes off a few too many times.

Interspersed throughout the tape are fleeting moments of the night a monster invaded the city and introduces the main characters, but doesn’t spend time developing their backstories.

In keeping in tune with the fast pace of the movie (it clocks in at 85 minutes), a chance to delve into the characters is lost.

Yet the convulsive camera disorients viewers, making it feel like the audience is in the driver’s seat.

It offers a private viewing into these peoples’ lives, innocently and quietly, helping to provide an extra chill of realism.

New York City has long been the unfortunate target in disaster flicks like “Independence Day” and “The Day After Tomorrow.”

But “Cloverfield” could only work in Manhattan. Its small, its hip and it’s Goliath-like skyscrapers are familiar to anybody who’s watched movies or TV, from “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” to “Sex and the City.”

It makes the viewer come in with an air of familiarity.

Penned by Abrams regular Drew Goddard (“Lost,” “Alias”), “Cloverfield” showcases a voyeuristic, almost top secret, look at a city in chaos and a man in search of love.

If the film succeeds in one thing, it shows that horror movies don’t need saws and hostels to provoke an unexpected quake just one human connection.

And a sneaky marketing team.

January 22, 2008

Donkeys and Elephants

By Edward Peters opinion@dailytitan.com

Amid an ensuing world war against Islamic terrorism, U.S. politicians have seemingly ignored the illegal immigration issue that is plaguing this country today. In a time when American sovereignty was a thing of the past, globalization stands to be today’s one and only reality.

The elites of this country are using illegals as a means of destroying the middle class in order to set up the Pan-American Union. With the allure of making big bucks fast, illegals are pouring into this country daily. They are driving down the economy by taking jobs for slave wages.

Illegals are destroying America and contributing to the globalist agenda that the elite bankers have so cleverly devised; for it is they who are ultimately responsible for killing America.

The goal of the elite bankers is to divide America by contributing millions of dollars to organizations such as MEChA and La Raza, extremist/racist groups

with extremist plans. These groups have been pushing for the inception of the “Aztlan Movement” – turning all of America into Mexico.

They have been pushing for Hispanics to reclaim the Southern and Western states of America as their own. The elite bankers want this to happen, they want Hispanics taking the land and claiming it as their own in order to eventually merge America, Canada and Mexico – a plan that is endorsed by the globalist administration of George W. Bush. That means the liquidation of all borders – the dawn of a New American Century.

Hispanic media outlets in America are owned by a few monstrous corporations that are intent on establishing the “divide and conquer” method. Mexicans are made to believe that their problems are a result of the racist middle class in America when, in fact, it is the elite bankers.

On the same token, America’s middle class will blame their sorrows on the flooding of illegals into this country, which has contributed to the driving down of their wages.

The illegals and the middle class are nothing but pawns in an elitist game. They are killing off one another, not knowing the sinister truth that lies behind the mayhem – divide and conquer for the sake of

TV: new fall shows may also be in jeopardy From Page B6

Some TV shows are still showing new episodes. Movies are still going into production (how well-written remains to be seen).

But in a matter of months, networks won’t have a thing, except for reality shows and repeats of your old favorites.

Not only will the strike effect this season, but the upcoming fall premiers as well – pencils down means pencils down.

Writers won’t be able to create new shows and the development process for shows is painstaking as is.

While this is difficult not only for

the writers, everybody in the industry who caters, literally, to these people are being affected – limo drivers, designers and award label makers.

Imagine everyone else I didn’t mention and the income lost – its a chain reaction and the final domino hasn’t quite fallen yet.

The Golden Globes are dead nad award season isn’t even over. Now the Grammys and Oscars are in the way of this pissed off stampede.

If one good thing has come out of this … wait, this just in: ABC is developing a reality show called “Circus of the Stars,” (not joking).

Okay … maybe not so good.

Illegal immigrants are just pawns

globalism.

Of course, the majority of U.S. citizens are blind to the truth. They will argue that there is no killing taking place amongst Americans and illegals, but the evidence plainly shows otherwise.

CBS News reported that it is statistically more dangerous to travel to Southern Texas than the West Bank. In one month, 129 Mexican and U.S. citizens were killed along the Texas-Mexico border. In the past year, over 100 American citizens have been kidnapped and killed along the border.

Yet, Americans cannot accept the fact that war is taking place in their own backyards. They would rather believe, as the U.S. government would have them believing, that the only war existing is that against Islamic terrorism.

This is clearly not the truth as it has been statistically proven that a greater threat is poised by illegal Hispanic immigrant’s than that of Islamic Fundamentalism. Still, the American media tries to blanket this reality.

The media will talk hours on a car bomb that went off in Iraq, but dare not report on the car bombs that went off in Dallas, Texas a few years ago. The media is sugar-coating the issue, downplaying it tenfold, so that

U.S. citizens may never be privy to the insidious agenda that is being implemented today. To these bankers and media moguls, that agenda is global domination, and it is obviously working Meanwhile, both American and Mexican citizens are dying daily in a war that is structured to do just that – kill off the pawns so the elite bankers may establish full control.

Just east of Austin, Texas, the TRANS-NAFTA HIGHWAY is being built. The highway will stretch from Southern Mexico, through the U.S., all the way to Northern Canada. This is not an assumption but [an] evident fact that the Pan-American Union will serve as total government for all of North America.

The globalist banker elites are getting away with murder and more, for the construction of this highway is an attack on American sovereignty.

But at the same time, this should serve as an eerie forewarning of what’s to come. Americans must wake up to this tragedy and illegals should also gain insight on what is really taking place.

This has nothing to do with race or skin color, but has everything to do with global domination.

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January 22, 2008

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B9

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Humorscopes brought to you by humorscope.com

Aries (March 21 - April 19) Not an especially good day to play with crossbows, guns, machetes, flame throwers, mortars, heavy artillery, knives, ninja throw ing stars, spears, maces, or nuclear weap onry. At least not all at once. Why not go out and putter about in the garden?

Taurus (April 20 - May 20) Seek out new life, and new civilizations, today. Boldly go where no-one has gone before (just don’t get caught).

SUDOKU

Gemini (May 21 - June 20) You are being watched. Act casual (i.e. pre tend you are wearing blue jeans and a tshirt).

Cancer (June 21 - July 22) A romantic episode will take you by surprise.

Tip: the important thing to remember when dealing with circus performers, is not to sugg est having a “fling.”

Leo (July 23 - August 22) Something is about to become overly inti mate with you. Intimacy can be good. Just not with fungus.

Virgo (August 23 - September 22) Your ship will come in today! Unfortunately, you won’t have anywhere to put it.

Libra (September 22 - October 22) Your main problem? You’re not eating NEARLY enough strudel.

Scorpio (October 23 - November 21) A moth the size of a Boeing 747 will erupt from a nearby hillside today, and go off to help a huge semi-aquatic rubbery dinosaur fight off an alien attack. So what are you doing to help?

Sagittarius (November 22 - December 21) You will be conducting naval maneuvers in the bathtub today, when you will have an unfortunate accident involving your toy sub marine. The visit to the emergency room will be most embarrasing.

Capricorn (December 22 - January 20) Today you should sit down (someplace comfy), and ask yourself if you even care.

You shouldn’t. It’s not your fault, you’ve been trying as hard as you can, so you shouldn’t care. Not if they’re going to act like that.

Aquarius (January 21 - February 18) Another day of social convention defiance, today. You’ll refuse to wear clothes in the “normal” fashion (if at all), and you’ll begin all your business correspondence: “My Darling Snookums:.”

HOW TO PLAY: Each row must contain the numbers 1 to 9; each column must contain the numbers 1 to 9: and each set of boxes must contain the numbers 1 to 9.

Pisces (February 19 - March 20) It will occur to you, what if Jesus actually said “The geek shall inherit the earth”, but was just mis quoted? Then you’ll think of Bill Gates. Then you’ll start to worry.

Sudoku is made possible by the people at www.dailysudoku.com

B 10

January 22, 2008