2008 10 22

Page 1

OPINION: Men and women’s take on infidelity in relationships, page 4

FEATURES: Page 3

Condoms now being sold with presidential mugs

Since 1960 Volume 87, Issue 29

SPORTS: Daily Titan’s preview of the upcoming NBA season, page 6

Daily Titan

Wednesday October 22, 2008

The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton

DTSHORTHAND

Post office may consider layoffs

Campus Life

Guest speaker John McLaughlin, of McLaughlin & Associates, will meet with students to discuss abusive bahavior habits, how to recognize them and what one can do when faced with them. According to McLaughlin, “Paying attention to and trusting your intuition is key in protecting yourself.” McLaughlin will address how to learn to trust your intuition. The event will run from 12-1 p.m. in Room 205 of University Hall. For more information call 714-278-3651.

A drop in mail content may result in loss of jobs for U.S. postal workers By David Ponce

Daily Titan Staff Writer news@dailytitan.com

Ghost hunters aim to debunk paranormal — or find convincing proof

News blooper ensemble in: ‘Funny accidents with commentators’

By Brad Goldman/For The Daily Titan In between classes, two weeks before Election Day, CSUF people wait in line to cast their vote for the Nov. 2 election at the mobile voting center which is ran and organized by the Orange County Registrar Office.

Early voting at CSUF A trailor in the Quad gave students a head start on the election process By Kevin Barbarino

For The Daily Titan news@dailytitan.com

Cal State Fullerton students had the opportunity to vote two weeks before Election Day as well as receive voter information in a trailer carrying e-vote booths parked in the Quad on Tuesday. The early voting provided flexibility for people who didn’t want to vote by mail, have a busy schedule on Election Day (Nov. 4) or just want to avoid the Election Day rush. The booths also provide general voter education as well as answers to any registration questions that voters have, said Brett Rowley, community outreach manager for the Orange County Registrar of Voters. “It’s useful that we are able to take our office out to other sites to assist

By Noella May Hebert

Daily Titan Staff Writer news@dailytitan.com

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It is useful that we are able to take our office out to other sites to assist in the voting process.

Fullerton Chapter heads to Detroit PRSSA members are looking forward to the 2008 conference

These news commentators reacted to their accidents with different responses. Some giggled, some didn’t respond at all and some responded with swearing and cursing. Whether their mic isn’t working, or if they misread their lines, you’ll find humor in their screw ups.

in the voting process,” Rowley said. “When they come out of the The early voting gave first-time trailer, they receive the ever-popular voters the opportunity to cast their ‘I voted’ sticker,’ Michaelson said. ballots and not have to deal with the There are two different ways to hassle of Election Day. vote: absentee voting or in-person Phil Mendoza, 20, a first-time voting. The requirements to become voter took his chance to cast his eligible to vote are that one must be vote in the e-vote 18 years old, be booth. a United States “Once I got to citizen, have resithe booth, I wasn’t dency in one’s able to make up assigned polling my mind on who area and not be in to vote for,” Menprison or on padoza said. role for a felony The junior poconviction. litical science maEarly voting jor also said that – Brett Rowley, is going on not it is good that Community outreach manager only at CSUF, people have many but at several lovoting options. cations. These Edgar Michaellocations include son, the driver and volunteer, said the city halls of Anaheim, Huntingthat students start the process by ton Beach, Irvine, Rancho Santa signing themselves in and giving Margarita and San Juan Capistrano. their address to prove that they are This gives people who do not live county-eligible. If eligible to vote, near campus the chance to vote earthey are given a voting ticket and ly somewhere closer to them. are taken inside the trailer to vote. See EARLY VOTERS, Page 2

(MCT) Every Wednesday night two famous plumbers not named Mario or Luigi capture the attention of TV viewers. But it’s not audiences Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson are hunting. Creating the most compelling nightvision video since Paris Hilton’s infamous tape, the Rhode Island-based Roto-Rooter employees are the co-founders of T.A.P.S., The Atlantic Paranormal Society, and stars of the SCI FI Channel’s “Ghost Hunters.” Since 1990, when things go bump in the night, TAPS has bumped back. Armed with a skeptical mindset, along with an array of gauges and audio/ video equipment that records noises, electrical fields and infrared heat signatures, the group investigates homes, hotels, ships, plantations, prisons, lighthouses and military bases in an effort to debunk purported hauntings. With current viewership near three million for the season, more viewers are consistently tuning in to watch since the 2004 premiere. Last year’s live investigation on Halloween night drew 2.8 million viewers, and TAPS is set to do it again with a live seven-hour program beginning at 7 p.m. on Oct. 31 where the team will investigate Fort Delaware in Delaware City, Del.

The current economic crisis has many people wondering if their jobs will survive. Even United States Postal Service workers are wondering the same for the first time in history. The U.S. Postal Service has 16,000 employees who do not have contractual protection against layoffs, U.S. Postmaster General John E. Potter told American Postal Workers Union President William Burrus in a meeting in September, according to Burrus at postalreporter.com. He added that he expects non-protected employees to be exposed to the possibility of layoffs. Postal Service layoffs may come in the following months due to low mail volume, which is largely due to increasing use of its technological counterpart, e-mail. “For the first time in history, that is being considered,” Gerald McKiernan, a USPS spokesman, told the Washington Post. The Postal Service has had some problems in the past but has never had layoffs. Instead, it opted for restructuring the company in order to avoid layoffs. Despite the economy’s recent signs of recovery, its instability is only creating a dilemma on where to cut costs. During the 2008 fiscal year, mail volume dropped 11 percent, causing the Postal Service to spend $2.3 billion more than it took in, according to McKiernan. With rising energy costs, increasing gas prices and a heavier public reliance on technology to communicate or pay bills, the Postal Service is considering reducing its work force through attrition, early retirement and layoffs. The Postal Service recently enacted a three-phase plan offering employees who are at least 50 years of age and

have accumulated 20 years of creditable federal service, or any employee with 25 years of service, a voluntary early retirement option. The first phase, which ended on Sept. 30, was offered to 72,000 mail handlers with only 5 percent accepting. There is speculation that the next two phases will not produce good response rates either. “It makes little sense to leave a good paying job with benefits to enter the troubled economy unless there is incentive to do so,” said William Burrus, president of the American Postal Workers Union. Burrus has advised his employees to opt out of the early retirement due to the Postal Service not offering any incentives to retire. He said that the benefits the Postal Service receives from the early retirement would not be passed on to the retiring employees. According to the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), which is the retirement savings funds for people employed by the U.S. Government, the return on investment for retirement has been primarily negative over the last 12 months. What this means is that people employed by the federal government who are putting their money into a retirement fund or 401(k) package are not seeing an incentive for retiring at this point in time. With the inconsistent economy, many people are looking for alternative ways to pay bills and communicate with friends and family. This is lowering mail volume and increasing Internet usage. See LAYOFFS, Page 2

Cal State Fullerton’s Public Relations Student Society of America chapter is going to Detroit to represent the Department of Communications with a proposal to bring the 2009 PRSSA Conference to San Diego, with CSUF as the cohost. From Oct. 25-28 students from the East, West and Gulf coasts will

arrive in Detroit for the 2008 PRSSA National Conference. They will come together to meet, greet and share not only their interests, but their passion for the public relations field. CSUF’s PRSSA Chapter will be there with 23 members. “Which is a big deal,” said Anne McNulty, this year’s PRSSA special events director for the CSUF Chapter. “We try to send representatives every year, last year in Philadelphia we had 24 members go.” The conference is being hosted by Eastern Michigan University and Wayne State University, which have scheduled workshops with speakers, sessions, event planning,

socials, luncheons and more. “We’re planning on going to a resume critique workshop, but we also get to go to different companies to ask about jobs and internships. There’s lots of different networking. It’s a lot of fun too. It’s also a great opportunity to meet everyone that’s going. Last year we all came back super close,” McNulty said. At the conference there will also be time to explore the city. “While we’re in Detroit we’re going to network in the field we’re interested in, but there’s also a tourist aspect, we get to see a new place we’ve never been before. I would never plan a trip to Detroit, so it’s cool that we get to go there

this year,” said Missy Mercado, a member of the PRSSA Fullerton Chapter. “I think it will highlight the limitless opportunities and show that we are nationally known, not only as an organization, but as a university. A lot of people don’t know where our school is until you say, ‘the OC, like the TV show.’ The branding will help us build pride with the students,” McNulty said. A sucessful bid to co-host the next PRSSA National conference would help publicize CSUF. “We’re partnering with San Diego State in Detroit. We’re making a presentation to propose a bid for us to co-host the 2009 PRSSA Na-

tional conference in San Diego,” McNulty said. Being a member of the PRSSA is a way for public relations students to take advantage of the resources offered right on campus. The club offers something for every interest. “Over this last summer we got to go to Angels’ stadium. Almost all of the Southern California sports team’s heads of communications were there. We could ask them how they got to where they are today, to follow in their footsteps or receive advice, Mercado said. In addition to the opportunities with sports teams Mercado said, the greatest aspects are the guest See CONFERENCE, Page 2

WaMu spokesperson: Business is as usual College students express concern regarding their finances and the economy By Kayla Douglass

For The Daily Titan news@dailytitan.com

After large banks announce a change of ownership, some college students may be worried about the possibility that their financial institution will go under, or if their money is truly safe. Having been stranded on a deserted island or otherwise having had no

human connection for the past few weeks might possibly be the only way someone may not have heard of the recent downfall of the economy and the largest bank failure in United States history, which was that of Washington Mutual Inc., according to MSNBC.com. Gary Tishner, a spokesperson for Washington Mutual, claimed JP Morgan Chase & Co. actually purchased Washington Mutual’s deposits and operations. They did not buy the entire company. “As of right now we have made no announcements of branches closing. In fact, we have one opening Nov. 7

in Covina,” Tishner said. Those that bank with Washington Mutual may be speculating about what their banking future holds. “Business is as usual. Customers can open new accounts at any time and can still get loans as normal,” Tishner said. “We are an FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) insured institution.” Cal State Fullerton senior Dara Laos, a loyal customer of Washington Mutual who is skeptical of the current economic crisis, said, “I feel lucky because I don’t have mortgage payments, credit card bills or loans to pay off. I only have a savings and

a checking account with the bank. I think that having liquid assets readily available is important. We need to have our money close at hand. I can’t trust any of this, any of these financial institutions. Based on what’s happened in the past and recently, can we trust any of them?” Sonny Peach, a financial fee-based planner in Irvine, believes that we can trust the financial institutions. Peach said society’s fears will affect the economy tremendously. People will be scared to buy products, eat out and go on vacations. He said that students should sit back for a while and ride this situa-

tion out. Peach suggested the current generation should get more involved or at least interested in politics. He said that if we become more politically savvy, then people will be well educated so they can have an influence on the decisions made in government. Peach also said the generation of 50 and older will be more effected by this economic crisis than students because they are young and still have time to financially plan their future. Peach said, “Things will be tight for a while. Loans may get tough to get, but save money, because it will help for long term.”


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