SPORTS: Cal State Fullerton gymnast finishes 7th in West Regionals, page 6
Features, Page 5
Kaleidoscope players entertain as they teach
Since 1960 Volume 86, Issue 44
OPINION: After 16 weeks, the Londoner knows what it takes to survive, page 4
Daily Titan
Wednesday April 23, 2008
The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton
DTSHORTHAND Mock gunman event this Friday
Telling the story from both sides of the fence
Cal State Fullerton’s University Police, along with the administration, is preparing to conduct the first Active Shooter and Shelter in Place test drills this Friday. University Police will use Connect-ed, a mass communication tool, to inform students and faculty of the test drill. It will include a mock police response to a mock gunman-on-campus situation. A full preview of the drills will run on Thursday’s issue of the Daily Titan.
Campus Life
Global food crisis dubbed silent tsunami LONDON (AP) – Ration cards. Genetically modified crops. The end of pile-it-high, sell-it-cheap supermarkets. These possible solutions to the first global food crisis since World War II – which the World Food Program says already threatens 20 million of the poorest children – are complex and controversial. And they may not even solve the problem as demand continues to soar. A “silent tsunami” of hunger is sweeping the world’s most desperate nations, said Josette Sheeran, the WFP’s executive director, speaking Tuesday at a London summit on the crisis. The skyrocketing cost of food staples, stoked by rising fuel prices, unpredictable weather and demand from India and China, has already sparked sometimes violent protests across the Caribbean, Africa and Asia. The price of rice has more than doubled in the last five weeks, she said. The World Bank estimates food prices have risen by 83 percent in three years.
WEATHER WEDNESday Partly Cloudy/ High: 68, Low: 51
thursday Partly Cloudy/ High: 73, Low: 53
friday Sunny/ High: 80, Low: 56
saturday Sunny/ High: 83, Low: 59
sunday Sunny/ High: 85, Low: 59
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For their work talking about the immigration issues, three Cal State Fullerton students and an alumni won a $20,000 prize. Half of the prize will go to the CSUF communications department.
IMAGEs COURTESY OF PETER MARTINEZ
Students produce a contest-winning news package about immigration for Fox News By ERIKA CARMONA
Daily Titan Staff Writer news@dailytitan.com
A video news story on immigration titled “SoCal Immigration: Law, Labor, Liberty” produced by Cal State Fullerton seniors Carla Franco, Peter Martinez, Robert Moran and alumni Sabrina Johnson won the annual FOX News Channel “College Challenge.” The Tuesday before spring break, Brent M. Foster, the group’s adviser and a CSUF assistant professor of communications, recalled receiving a phone call from FOX. “The first thing she said was, ‘Are these really your students?’” Foster said. “I had to convince her that they were students.” As a reward, the group will receive a monetary prize of $20,000, a trip to New York City for a live interview on “FOX & Friends,” $150 spending money and an interview for an internship or entry-level position. “I’m very excited,” said Moran, a communications major. “For broadcasters, FOX and CNN are pretty much the prime market for news, so it’s a big deal.” It was not easy for the group to get started on putting together the news package. The clock began ticking for them after finals in the fall semester. That would normally signal a time for winter break, but for
IMAGE COURTESY OF PETER MARTINEZ
Franco, 27, Johnson, 27, Martinez, 21, and Moran, 30, it was only the beginning. The “College Challenge” required that each team choose a topic out of a list of 12. “It all boiled down to immigration, a topic that not only appeals to Southern California, but [it appeals to many people] on a national
level,” Martinez, a communications major, said. They spent countless hours contacting and interviewing sources, filming footage by the border in San Diego and editing in the computer lab, all the while on a tight schedule. In about two weeks, the team was able to interview James Gilchrist, the co-founder of the Minuteman
Project. They also spoke with a UC San Diego professor of sociology, a border smuggler and a documented housekeeper. As a result, with Foster’s guidance and with their collective collaboration, they created a news video about immigration – a story told through the eyes of a documented worker who fled from an abusive
Bootylicious show promises to be anything but a drag A gender-bending good time is planned to be had Thursday night at CSUF By JOSHUA BURTON
Daily Titan Staff Writer news@dailytitan.com
Gender-bending fun and flamboyant music will abound at the annual Bootylicious Drag Show, which will be held in the Titan Student Union Pavilions Room A, B and C from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. on Thursday. The event hopes to raise awareness for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans-gendered community (GLBT) and is hosted by Cal State Fullerton’s Queer-Straight Alliance. “It’s going to be a night of fun and confusion,” Edwin Shin, treasurer of QSA, said. The drag show will feature about 14 acts by student and veteran drag kings and queens. The singers and dancers will perform various pop songs and stage show numbers. Colorful music by Liza Minelli, Britney Spears and songs from “The Little Mermaid” will be heard throughout
the night. Even Ursula, the villain nations in order to raise money for from “The Little Mermaid” is ex- their activities throughout the year. The suggested donation is $6. pected to show up, Shin said. The QSA has been at CSUF in The show’s host will be Tiffany Diamond, former longtime host of various forms since 1973 and has drag nights at Club VIP in River- helped sponsor activities for events including Rally Against Hate, Naside. “She’s a fabulous performer and tional Day of Silence, National hostess. She is high energy and so Coming Out Day and their open microphone night, much fun,” ChrisPerceptions, Shin ten Madson, vice said. president of QSA, “I started going said. to Cal State Fuller“Cigarette Boys” ton’s QSA meetings and “Cigarette and saw just how Girls” will also be strong of a group it weaving through – Alex Salvadore, is,” Alex Salvadore, the crowd during a Fullerton College Student the festivities, colstudent, said. lecting donations Now a memand handing out drinks and snacks. Dates with the ber of Fullerton College’s Lambda cigarette boys and girls will be on GLBT Society, Salvadore and his bid in a silent auction that will be group contribute to Bootylicious every year. They will be sending five held at the end of the night. “This is our 10th year,” Shin said performers and a group of cigarette of the Bootylicious show. “So this is girls to help with the fund raising. “People from all over the county kind of a big thing. This is where we come to this thing. It is such a huge make our money.” Bootylicious is a free event, but show,” Salvadore said. “A lot of oththe Alliance will be asking for do- er UCs and state colleges have their
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People from all over the county come to this thing. It is such a huge show.
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The Alliance of Students for an Equal Education at Cal State Fullerton is hosting the California Dream Act Kick-Off event on Friday. Students will be informed about the Dream Act and what they can do to support it. The event will be held at the Titan Theatre at the Titan Student Union from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. On May 1 and 2, the Pollak Library is hosting the Two Day Conference on the Contemporary Middle East. The first day will feature student research, a viewing of the film “The Kite Runner,” Middle Eastern food and several lectures. A symposium on the war in Iraq will be held the next day. The events will take place at the South building in Room 360 from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday and from 9:15 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. on Friday. Also, as a way of saying “Congratulations,” the Golleher Alumni House will be providing hamburgers, hot dogs and veggie burgers to all graduating seniors during their Free Senior barbeque on Thursday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
own drag shows, but they haven’t been going as long as Cal State Fullerton’s.” However strange a drag show may be to some people, the event coordinators are adamant about how accessible they want Bootylicious to be. Certain people may be uncomfortable with the idea of going into a big room with a bunch of manlooking ladies and lady-looking men, but the party is in no way exclusive to the gay community, Shin said. “We don’t turn anybody away. Even with the performers. Bootylicious allows everyone, if they’re beginners or if they have been doing it for years and years,” Salvadore said. Bootylicious has been wildly popular in years past, sometimes with the coordinators struggling to keep it within the previous threehour time limit. This year 300-600 students, alumni and visitors are expected to attend. Despite this, the organizers will be working hard to wrap up the event on time and to keep it orderly. Orderly on drag show standards, that is.
husband in Mexico, Martinez said. “For this particular project, it was a nice mix of talent between each group member,” Martinez said. “Each one brought something to the table.” While Martinez did the video shooting, Franco, Johnson and Moran conducted interviews. Together, they helped edit the film while keeping Foster’s advice in mind. The students and the College of Communications will each receive half of the $20,000 prize. The money received by the communications department will be used either for grants, scholarships or equipment, Foster said. “I think it’s going to put a valuable piece in our student’s resumes,” Foster said. “The [broadcast journalism] program is going to benefit financially, gain exposure and credibility.” The four students and Foster will be featured live from New York on Friday for an interview on “FOX & Friends” from 7 to 9 a.m. EST. “New York is the ‘city of dreams’ and I’m so excited. It’s honestly a dream come true for me,” Franco, a senior communications major, said. “If it wasn’t for winning this award ,I don’t know how many more years would go by before I would be able to afford to go there.” The award-winning video can be seen on http://www.repetepro.com/.
Pivotal figure speaks Presidential speechwriter Craig Smith is a guest speaker at Comm Week By SARAH J. Cruz
Daily Titan Staff Writer news@dailytitan.com
One of the presenters for Cal State Fullerton’s Comm Week has been credited with putting words in the president’s mouth. Two presidents, to be exact. Professor Craig Smith, a professor at Long Beach State and a former presidential speechwriter, is scheduled to give a lecture today at 4 p.m. in the Titan Theatre. His lecture is titled “Presidential Speechwriting: Finding the Proper Persona.” Smith worked as a speech writer See SMITH, Page 2