OPINION: Dressing up for Halloween is not just for the kids, page 5
SPORTS: Page 6
UC Riverside halts Titans pursuit to winning season
Since 1960 Volume 87, Issue 32
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Daily Titan
Tuesday October 28, 2008
The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton
DTSHORTHAND Campus Life Patricia Obrite of human communications studies at Cal State Fullerton will be speaking with students about using and interpreting non-verbal communication. “It’s not what you say that communicates your message. In this class, you will focus on how non-verbal communication can convey feelings and attitudes. Also the different codes of nonverbal communications.” The event runs from 7-9 p.m. today in the Ruby Gerontology Center. For more information students can call 714-278-2446
Alaska senator convicted on all counts WASHINGTON (MCT) A federal jury on Monday found Republican Sen. Ted Stevens guilty of lying on his financial disclosure forms, ending in disgrace the fourdecade Senate career of a man whose imprint on Alaska dates to before statehood. It’s the highest-profile felony conviction in a sweeping four-year federal investigation into corruption in Alaska politics, and an almost-unprecedented conviction by a jury of a sitting U.S. senator. Jurors found that Stevens, 84, willfully filed false financial-disclosure forms that hid such gifts as renovations that doubled the size of his home. Those gifts, valued at as much as $250,000 over seven years, came mostly from his former friend Bill Allen, the star prosecution witness in Stevens’ trial and the former owner of Veco Corp. The oil field-services company was one of Alaska’s largest private employers before Allen, caught up in the federal corruption probe, was forced to sell it last year. Stevens slumped slightly when he heard that the jury had found him guilty on the first count. When the second count was read, his lawyer Brendan Sullivan reached over and put his arm around Stevens.
Class from this man is a ‘Gun Safety Fail’
Profs support Ayers Rhetoric in debate over 60s radical has tones of McCarthyism, some say By Daniel Xu
Daily Titan Staff Writer news@dailytitan.com
The FBI may have abandoned the pursuit of ‘60s radical anti-war activist Bill Ayers almost 35 years ago, but public opinion has no statute of limitations. Mudslinging in today’s presidential election has thrust the once infamous Weather Underground leader before the American public, and his colleagues in the field of education have dug in their heels to defend the now distinguished Chicago professor and book author. “I don’t think anyone should be tried in the court of public opinion without the people knowing who he really is,” said Alexandro Gradilla, professor of Chicano and Chicana studies at Cal State Fullerton and one endorser among 3,880 currently listed for an online petition at supportbillayers.org. Ayers-led Weathermen – as the groups’ members were called – were responsible for dozens of bombings of government buildings and landmarks, including the Pentagon. After a bomb-making accident killed three members of the organization, he fled from the FBI until his wanted status was dropped due to law enforcement misconduct. Four decades later, this history resurfaced as Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain attempted to link Ayers to rival Sen. Barack Obama, saying that the Democratic candidate was closely associated with Ayers. The online petition describes the characterization of Ayers as an “unrepentant terrorist” and “lunatic leftist” to be “unrecognizable to those who know or work with him.” It further declares that “the attacks on and the character assassination of Ayers threaten the university as a space of open inquiry and debate, and threaten schools as places of compassion, imagination, curiosity and free thought.” The undersigned include educators nationwide from distant Ivy League universities to local UC and CSU campuses. Ayers’ activist history was not the entirety of his life story as told by McCain’s campaign. He joined the faculty of University of Illinois at Chicago in 1987. Since then, he See AYERS, Page 3
A course in gun safety does not go so well for this police officer. In a room full of students, this officer looks like he knows what he is talking about, but when an unexpected surprise happens, he does not seem so educated. Be careful when you teach a course about gun safety.
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By Joe Von Regius/Daily Titan Staff Photographer The Cal State Fullerton Pilipino-American Student Association hosts the 23rd Annual Friendship Games. A series of fun and challenging games are played with the goal of bringing together many cultural clubs as well as sharing the Pilipino heritage with others.
Picnic games ‘n’ ‘SPUF’ Students compete for the most spirit, pride, unity and friendship at the annual Friendship Games tourney By Edgar Rascon
Daily Titan Staff Writer news@dailytitan.com
For the past 23 years, Cal State Fullerton has played host to the Pilipino-American Student Association’s Friendship Games. The event attracts thousands of stu-
dents who come from other schools to compete in a variety of picnicstyle games, as well as to catch up with old friends and make some new ones. According to their Web site, PASA (formerly FASA), was established on campus in 1983 to promote Pilipino unity through educa-
tion, responsibility and character. “It’s really about pride and unity and having a good time,” said Jenmay Ravelo, a business major who has participated in the event for the last three years. The Friendship Games were established two years later with the sole purpose of bringing together
cultural clubs from campuses all over Southern California. It has grown to include over 30 schools from all over California, Nevada and Arizona. Games such as “The Nasty,” which teams must run from one end of a field to the other with a See PASA, Page 3
Networking crucial to a job search Workshops at the Career Center advise students on how to gather contacts By Lori Herbold
For the Daily Titan
news@dailytitan.com
Cal State Fullerton students were given advice at a networking tips workshop at the Titan Student Union on Friday. Gloria Sims Fargas, a CSUF industry specialist and adjunct professor of counseling, emphasized concepts, such as personalizing a main purpose statement to better market oneself in future job interviews. “If you are organized and have an outcome in mind, networking will go beautifully,” Fargas said. According to Fargas, networking
starts with a list of helpful contacts. For example, professors, friends, counselors, current or past employers and neighbors. After the list has been completed, one should perform informational interviews with these people. This gives job seekers insight into people’s careers while creating connections with other professionals currently working in a particular career field of interest. Talking with your contacts on a more personal level will allow a relationship to build, and these people can become a reference for future employers. Connections with other professionals can develop through communicating with your contacts, and one’s resume could be forwarded, leading to a possible future job and a larger network, Sims Fargas said. “Networking can be scary for a
lot of students. Breaking down some of the misconceptions will hopefully make it easier,” Stephanie Munoz, CSUF senior and counseling major, said. When performing an informational interview, Sims Fargas recommends having an “introduction speech” prepared. The introduction should give all the vital information about a person and his/her major and goals. Having this speech prepared allows for a comfortable and confident appearance. With a firm handshake, things should go smoothly, Fargas said. Be sure to follow up with your interviewees by sending them a thank you e-mail, letter or phone call to make sure that they know their time was appreciated and not wasted. Sims Fargas made it clear that outsourcing has become a reality
with the advancement of technology. People are no longer competing with just local residents for jobs, but also national and international job seekers. Therefore, networking can only be beneficial by gaining knowledge of the working world, getting interview skills and developing selfconfidence. “I don’t have much networking experience and am sort of afraid of it. This workshop was useful because now I know how to approach my job search,” said Hoi Yee Ng, CSUF international student and business finance major, who is graduating in summer 2009. Another tip recommended students make a binder with sections dedicated to resumes, cover letters, contact lists and company research. Sims Fargas recommended setting aside one hour each month to updating the binder.
Annual ‘Moonlight Masquerade’ proves a success ‘Ghosts and ghouls’ raise money for the programs at Muckenthaler center By Morgan McLaughlin Daily Titan Staff Writer news@dailytitan.com
Ghosts and ghouls wandered the grounds of the Muckenthaler Cultural Center Sunday night at the second annual Moonlight Masquerade fundraiser to support the arts programs the center provides. The party saw its fair share of costumes as guests enjoyed the evening’s festivities. As guests entered the masquerade a host of entertainment for all the senses greeted them. Volunteer’s cheered hellos and welcomes as the masked and costumed attendees walked past the stilt walker and clowns from Fullerton High School’s Circus Club.Tables overflowed with packages for guests to place their bids for the silent auction, and while
waiting for the live auction to start, the bar and psychic fortuneteller provided amusement. “This year we decided to do everything outside,” said Zoot Velasco, executive director of the center, mentioning the 500 guests they were expecting to attend. “For $75 you get the food, the auctions, the bar and it’s just a really fun Halloween party.” “Last year Salon Lujon wanted to do a Halloween party and support us. It was such a success that we decided to make it our annual gala,” Velasco said. The sponsors for the now annual event, Salon Lujon, Fullerton Community Bank and Colette’s Catering, helped by donating money and time to make the night under the stars a success. According to Velasco, Salon Lujon provided $16,000 in cash donations and prizes as well as support from 90 hairdressers who came to decorate for the masquerade. Fullerton Community Bank donated
$5,000 to the center and Colette’s Catering, which does the catering for all weddings at the Muckenthaler, provided food for all the guests in addition to the gazebo and lighting for the main event area. With the party in full swing, the guests enjoyed a buffet of gourmet items, mingled with other costumed attendees and prepared for the live auction and costume contest portion of the evening. The live auction proved fruitful for the center, raising $9,400 on its own with additional monies made from the silent auction. “The gala used to pay for just the arts education programs the Muckenthaler provides for children,” Velasco said. “Nowadays it also pays for ticket subsidies for the museum and shows.” Stage shows next year will be free for members of the center and only $5 for non-members. Events like the Moonlight Masquerade also help to pay for all other events and new events that the center
hosts for Orange County residents. In addition to the poetry readings, museum exhibits, jazz nights and their car show, the center plans to have some new and exciting events next year, including a ceramics show, fiber art exhibit and a break-dance storytelling show in May. It was hard to not be amazed by the spectacles of sights to be seen that cool October night. Witches, bees, and cowboys mixed together enjoying the event. Even Robert E. Lee and a six-foot tall pirate chicken were welcomed to the party. The costume contest seemed to bring all kinds of characters to the dance floor. Elvis made an appearance with his guitar and the Jackson 5 did a small dance routine for the crowd. But despite all the great costumes, no one could top the creative and elaborate creation that took home first place and $500 in the costume contest. Coral Rae, one of the Salon Lujon employees and winner of last year’s costume contest, took home
the grand prize this year with her rendition of Medusa complete with moving snakes in her hair. “I work at Salon Lujon and we like to put back into the community and what better way is there than this,” she said. “I’m also real creative and this is a fun outlet for me.” Guests truly enjoyed themselves as the partying went well into the evening. As the clock struck 10 p.m., guests slowly dragged their tired dancing feet to their cars. The center organizers were pleased with the turnout for the event and hope it will help inspire more people to attend Muckenthaler events. “We do so many fun events, even some free, that range from painting and music to stage shows and more — no where else in North Orange County can you find all these arts in one place for an affordable price,” said Kevin Staniec, marketing director for the Muckenthaler. “It’s such a rare thing and not many people know about it.”