Volume 94, Issue 38
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2013
dailytitan.com
Board of Trustees approves $237 million budget increase proposal NEREIDA MORENO & ANDRES GARCIA Daily Titan
Despite vocal opposition from Gov. Jerry Brown, the California State University Board of Trustees approved a proposal for a $237.6 million increase in state
funding Wednesday. If approved by the legislature, the increase would bring the total CSU budget to $4.6 billion. The Support Budget Request is lower than the $250 million that was initially requested at the board’s September meeting. Brown was publicly dismissive toward the budget increase. The governor originally planned earlier this year to give
the CSU a $142.2 million budget, which is a 10 percent increase from the the 2013-2014 budget. Brown’s original plan calls for an annual increase in funding over a four-year period, culminating in the 2016-2017 fiscal year. As a voting member of the board, Brown said the trustees are embarking in an “amenities arms race,” and they need to
CSUF student takes the plunge SARAH GERHARD Daily Titan
Skydiving was not on my bucket list, but when the opportunity presented itself I thought “sure, why not.” After a few clicks of the mouse, I had reserved my ticket to tandem jump out of a plane for the first time. I was eager to get on the road that morning, because I knew Perris, Calif., where I would be skydiving, was about an hour away from my home. I arrived promptly and upon entering the Perris Valley Skydiving school, I observed my surroundings before fully committing to this adrenaline pumping sport. After approaching the registration desk, I was presented with the opportunity to upgrade my skydive package. For $130, I could get my own videographer and pictures. That added on to the $200 I had already spent on the sport alone, but it would provide evidence. I confidently strolled into the waiting room with three other jumpers, where we had to fill out not one, but two packets of paperwork. We essentially signed our lives away with the usual “if your jump results in injury or death, you may not sue us” type of paperwork.
Naturally, I skimmed over the nonsense and signed my initials as if I were signing for a FedEx package. I collected the paperwork and handed them back to the obnoxiously cheerful woman in charge of registration, when she unexpectedly informs me a video statement will also be required. “State your name, date and recite the paragraph below,” she said as she pointed down to a typed paragraph on a piece of paper. She held up her flip camera and pressed “record” as I recited the paragraph in an anxious tone. I could feel my nerves starting to kick in. After reciting what felt like my obituary, I was sent outside to wait for my name to be called over a loudspeaker. After 20 minutes of what felt like forever, my name was finally called. I excitedly skipped to the changing area, where a uniform is provided to all jumpers. I was greeted by my instructor, a short-statured Swedish man named Christian Nielsen who was literally fresh off the plane. Nielsen jokingly explained that he’s the newest instructor at Perris Skydive. “Oh perfect!” I replied. He slipped me into a baggy blue jumpsuit, followed by a black harness equipped with a variety of straps and large metal buckles. SEE DIVING, 5
WHAT’S
INSIDE?
NEWS 3
Dia de los Muertos celebration comes to campus
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SEE TRUSTEES, 2
DYLAN LUJANO / Daily Titan
SEE CELEBRATION, 2
NEWS | COMMUNITY
Bike Nation installs bike stations Four rental kiosks will be constructed in Fullerton as part of BikeLink program Daily Titan
Sarah Gerhard and her instructor falling after jumping out of the plane.
The budget allocates $50 million toward facilitating student success and degree completion. $13 million would enable CSU campuses to hire more than 500 full-time tenure-track faculty and $12.5 million to support more online concurrent enrollment courses.
Traditional Ballet Folklorico dancers performed for students to celebrate Dia de los Muertos, a holiday that represents the passing of loved ones. Celebrants honored the deceased using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed and visiting graves with gifts. The holiday is seen as a celebrate the gift of life through the culture of song and dance.
ROBERT REYES
Photo courtesy of Perris Valley Skydiving School
money going down the road.” Budget Breakdown The proposal recommends that $79.2 million be used to address a 5 percent increase in enrollment. The amount would enable the system to add approximately 20,000 students at less than $4,000 per student. However, the figures are calculated without the possibility of a tuition increase.
Dia de los Muertos
FEATURES | SKYDIVING
First-time skydiver breaks all the rules, but still lands safely on the ground
integrate the various objectives laid out in their budget request. “If, for some reason, tuition doesn’t get raised for a couple of years, that’s a real constraint and you have to think going forward, is it 17,000 more students, is it a higher faculty pay increase or is it a different workload?” Brown said. “Each one of these items has to be raised against each other to trickle in the available
The Orange County Transit Authority and bike sharing company Bike Nation have begun installing an initial set of bike sharing kiosks in Fullerton as part of the BikeLink program. Bike Nation is currently contracted to place a total of 15 stations in Fullerton, with 165 bikes total made available to ‘share.’ The company is committed to installing an additional 35 stations and 350 more bikes. The bike sharing system will focus on short trips. With the purchase of a pass, the rider is charged in 30-minute increments until the bike is returned to a kiosk. OCTA chose Fullerton for the pilot program because of the number of people brought in by Fullerton’s train station, Cal State Fullerton and downtown Fullerton, said OCTA spokesperson Joel
OPINION 4
Zlotnik. The program comes at a time when Fullerton roads are at a “crisis level.” Funding for road infrastructure is at a fraction of what it should be, said Fullerton Mayor Bruce Whitaker. “(Whitaker) is not inclined to spend money,” said Vince Buck, a member of the city of Fullerton’s Bicycle Users Subcommittee. “He could say we should spend more money, but I’ll be happy to see that money when it comes.” Buck, a CSUF faculty emeritus, said the need for Fullerton road improvements include more than just repaving. He would like to see a reorganization of how streets are used. The city of Fullerton was awarded a grant from the Southern California Association of Governments to study the viability of implementing a bike boulevard on Wilshire Avenue. Fullerton Senior Planner Jay Eastman said the city will work with the community to find more improvements in the area to reduce vehicle speeds and increase bicycle
Coaches should use discretion when mentoring young children
safety. Buck said he had reservations about partnering with Bike Nation because of the company’s lack of experience. Bike Nation, a fairly new company incorporated in 2009, was chosen by the OCTA Board of Directors over three other bicycle sharing companies: Decobike, eCycle and Alta (which runs New York’s Citi Bike program). Bike Nation’s competitive advantage was that they own technology patents and manufacture their own bikes, said Derek Fretheim, Bike Nation’s chief operating officer. OCTA is also funding the program using a $224,000 grant to support clean transportation and a federal grant worth $768,000 that supports existing bus and rail services. The OCTA will receive 10 percent of future revenues from advertisements and the membership fees from the program. Since announcing their partnership with Fullerton, Bike Nation has had some obstacles with their bike shar-
FEATURES 5
How to Deal: Public speaking anxieties and tips to better your presentation
ing programs in other cities. In Los Angeles, the company has had to delay the rollout of their program when they encountered issues with permits and advertising exclusivity deals. In Anaheim, Bike Nation pulled out their three stations during the summer and has stopped working with the city on their bike sharing program. Anaheim has the ingredients for a successful bike sharing program, Fretheim said. However, an unwillingness from Disneyland and Anaheim hotels to allow kiosks on their property was an obstacle to the connectivity that he believes is necessary for a successful program. Fretheim said Anaheim did not show the financial commitment that Fullerton, Long Beach and Los Angeles had demonstrated. He added that Anaheim charged Bike Nation with more than $20,000 in permit and staff review fees, charges that were waived by the other cities. SEE BIKES, 3
SPORTS 6
Men’s golf win Warrior Princeville Makai Invitational in Hawai’i
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