2008 02 28

Page 1

Features, Page 7

SPORTS: The battle for first place in the Big West Conference, page 12

Music majors rock out with young students Since 1960 Volume 87, Issue 17

FEATURES: Universal Pictures foolishly count on board games, page 6

Daily Titan

Thursday February 28, 2008

The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton

DTSHORTHAND Live Music

A swinging band named Rumble King rocked the CSUF Becker Amphitheatre yesterday. The band’s upbeat sound fused piano, sax, drums and upright bass. For live footage, students can check out www.dailytitan. com then click on Multimedia. For more information on the band visit www.myspace.com/ rumbleking. Their next gig is today at 6 p.m. in Disneyland.

Baseball Shines

Four Titan pitchers combine to hurl a 4-0 shutout in home opener

CSUF police track down high school student who called in a bomb threat By JEREMIAH RIVERA

Daily Titan Staff Writer news@dailytitan.com

Python stalks dog BRISBANE, Australia - A 16foot python stalked a family dog for days before swallowing the pet whole in front of horrified children in the Australian tropics, animal experts said yesterday. The boy and girl, watched as the scrub python devoured their silky terrier-Chihuahua crossbreed Monday at their home. “It actively stalked the dog for a number of days,” Steven Douglas said, owner of the Australian Venom Zoo in Kuranda. “The family that owned the dog had actually seen it in the dog’s bed, which was a sign it was out to get it,” he added. By the time Douglas arrived, all that could be seen of the dog was its hind legs and tail. The 5-year-old dog would have been suffocated within minutes. The snake was still digesting the dog at the zoo yesterday. It will soon be relocated to the bush, Douglas said.

Corrections: The blurb on Tues., February 26, regarding campus activities contained errors. The last day to turn in a petition for ASI Elections is March 11, which is a Tuesday, not a Friday. The executive president and vice president positions are also open along with the Board of Directors. The Daily Titan apologizes for these errors.

Two men invent tandem snowboard

Two businessmen recently invented a two person snowboard which is attracting a lot of attention. The two inventors cut the tips of snowboards and bolted them onto one to make their unique board. Eric Sweet and Butch Brady’s invention has already put them into the Guiness Book of World Records for the most consecutive turns on a snowboard. The inventors say the board is like “being married.” Visit Yahoo videos to see this clever invention in use.

WEATHER Thursday Partly Cloudy: High: 75, Low: 52

friday Sunny / High: 74, Low: 52

saturday Sunny/ High: 72, Low: 49

sunday Sunny / High: 73, Low: 49

saturday Sunny / High: 75, Low: 49

CONTACT US

Main line: (714) 278-3373 News desk: (714) 278-4415 Advertising: (714) 278-4411 E-mail: news@dailytitan.com

Prank implodes on caller

By BETH STIRNAMAN/Daily Titan Staff Photographer Cal State Fullerton Freshman lefthander Jason Dovel delivers a pitch in CSUF’s 4-0 win against Loyola Marymount Tuesday night.

An unidentified minor was taken into custody shortly after calling in a phony bomb threat into Cal State Fullerton University Police Tuesday, police said. University Dispatch received the first call at around 12:30 p.m. The police were unsure what to make of the call initially because of the content of the conversation. “The suspect asked the dispatch operator ‘Is this the United Kingdom?’ and hung up,” Lt. Fred Molina of university police said. But when the suspect made a second call minutes later, he asked again, “Is this the United Kingdom?” to which dispatch replied “No.” The suspect responded, “Well, there’s a bomb that’s going to blow up inside a building” and hung up, Molina said. Police responded to the threat within minutes. After listening to a recording of the conversation, police were able to identify the callers’ voice as an adolescent male. Authorities also noticed the sound of others laughing in the background during the phony bomb threat. We felt that is wasn’t directed to us. See CALL, Page 2

Revamped portal to be launched in March By DAWN PETTIT

Daily Titan Staff Writer news@dailytitan.com

Complete access to class lists and faster response times during peak registration are two features that Cal State Fullerton students will benefit from with the launch of the new Titan Online on March 10. The new Titan Online will gradually replace existing Titan Online features CSUF has been using since 1994 as part of the implementation of PeopleSoft, a student information system that all CSUs were mandated to have operational by fall 2008, according to Amir Dabirian, chief information technology officer for CSUF. CSUF opted to be one of the last CSUs to implement the software in order to take advantage of a more mature product and the expertise of other campuses, Dabirian said. “I think students will be very pleased with the new Titan Online,” he said. With the launch of this new software, students will no longer have to experience busy or timed out responses during peak registration and access will be available 24 hours a day. “The class schedule search will allow students to search for a specific general education category to find classes meeting their specific needs,” Dabirian said. Faculty will also benefit from the new system, with easier real-time access to class lists and an easy mechanism to e-mail students. Business major Tim O’Boyle, 22, said his biggest concern was not being able to log in whenever he wanted to. “I hope this new system works,” O’Boyle said. Another huge registration benefit will be that transfer coursework will be able to satisfy registration prerequisites. “Our campus has a very large number of transfer students, so they

will really appreciate this new functionality,” Dabirian said. Students will be able to update their contact information on the Web beginning September 2008 and financial aid students will be able to accept loans and work study on the Web. In spring 2009, CSUF will introduce a registration feature called “wishlisting.” Students will be able put classes in their shopping cart prior to their registration appointment and register for classes in their shopping cart with the click of the mouse once their appointment occurs. One of the immediate benefits to students will be the ability to identify emergency contact information such as the name, address, phone number and relationship to the student. With recent incidents of campus violence nationally, Dabirian said having a record of emergency contact information is critical. Since Feb. 20, students logging into the portal have been prompted to update their campus portal profile. This is due in part to the enhanced features of the new Titan Online, which requires students to use a stronger password during login. Communications major Jessica Kausen, 21, said the prompts were too demanding. “Why do the passwords have to have so many varieties?” Kausen said. In addition to creating a new password, the update also consists of selecting three security questions and answers, the option to update a cell phone number or create a new user name. “We are optimistic about the future of PeopleSoft and the collaboration we have seen between CSU campuses,” Dabirian said. CSUF will be launching a Web tutorial on how to use the Student Center and students will be able to access it from the student portal. Students can also e-mail or call the Help Desk, which has staff available seven days a week.

CSUF senior psychology major Alison Solis shows affection for a baby.

Photo courtesy of JEffrey a. Kottler/Angelina pedrosa

CSUF professor offers a lifeline Nonprofit organization makes trips to Nepal to help young girls succeed By JACQUELYNE RUMFOLA Daily Titan Staff Writer news@dailytitan.com

Nepal is a land rich in beauty, surrounded by lush green hillsides and the glorious peaks of the Himalayan Mountains. Yet while Nepal is a nation abundant in breathtaking scenery, it is one that is destitute on an economic scale. Most Nepali families are so poor that they have difficulty feeding their children, who often run around barefooted. Funding for education is minimal and the lack of financial security has led many Nepali’s to marry off their daughters when they are as young as 10 years old. It is common for girls who are unable to stabilize themselves through

marriage, to be sold off or to suddenly disappear. Many of the “lost” girls end up in brothels in surrounding nations, forced into a career of sex slavery. Young girls have become a popular commodity in areas surrounding Nepal because of the false belief that intercourse with a virgin will cure AIDS, said Jeffrey Kottler, professor and chair of the counseling department at Cal State Fullerton. The economic crisis in Nepal stems from a civil war that has been going on for the past seven years. There is an ongoing battle for power between Maoists, who are elected officials, the government and the king. These serious issues have led philanthropists to direct their attention to Nepal. Kottler has joined the humanitarian efforts in the region. He first went to Nepal six years ago to teach counseling techniques to health professionals in the area. His experience led him to start a

nonprofit organization called the Madhav Ghimire Foundation, which was named after the influential Nepali poet. “When I went to Nepal I was shocked by the people and how little they had,” Kottler said. “Ninety percent of the population has no access to heath care. The average life expectancy there is 57 years, as compared to 77 years in the United States. I wanted to help somehow.” Ghimire’s daughter Kiran Regmi was with Kottler on the first trip he took and is also the co-founder of the organization. “The Madhav Ghimire foundation sponsors girls based on their academic performance and provides the expenses to keep them in public school,” Kottler said. “We hope they will go on to college.” Free education only lasts until the fifth grade in Nepal. The foundation focuses on girls because Nepali boys have a better See TRIP, Page 4


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2008 02 28 by Daily Titan - Issuu