Since 1960 Volume 85, Issue 17
Thursday October 1, 2009
The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton
INSIDE DT
Pub hosts political discourse By Laura barron-lopez For the Daily Titan
news@dailytitan.com
FEATURES: “Rumors” opens Friday in Young Theatre, page 3
Considering ideas for TSU’s future For the future, the board is looking into a great many things ranging from replacing their fluorescent lights with new ones that operate with less electricity, to remodeling the lobby of the TSU in an effort to give it a more aesthetiBy Katelin Paiz cally modern look, Deering said. Daily Titan Staff Writer Last semester, a meeting was news@dailytitan.com called between key student leaders to brainstorm new ideas for Despite the economic turmoil the TSU. Among the ideas sugaffecting the campus, students and gested were connecting the TSU staff who head the Titan Student to the bookstore or creating a satUnion are continuing their efforts ellite TSU on the opposite side of to keep the union in shape, and in campus. some instances have taken steps toThe board maintains, however, ward a greener campus. that these are just ideas and that “Yes, we’re in an economically nothing has been set difficult time. But if we in stone. put in our due time, One staff member we will come out of in particular is imthis. And in the mean pressed with the work time, we need to mainhe has seen. tain a first-class student “The TSU is exunion,” said Grant tremely important to Deering, TSU governthe nature and quality ing board chair. of student life on this Rather than purcampus so, therefore, sue the path of expanit’s important for them sion, which facilitated to plan and continuthe construction of the ally assess what the largely-successful Stuneeds of students are,” dent Recreation Censaid Robert Palmer, ter, the TSU’s governvice president for Stuing board has chosen to dent Affairs. revamp the TSU itself, “I applaud them said Deering. for trying to get an “The whole idea of idea and assess stua student union is to dent interest and need be the living room of in preparation for exthe campus,” said Kurt Photos by John wayne maioriello/Daily Titan Staff Photographer panding services to Borsting, TSU direcmeet the needs of stutor. “It’s a place where One idea for expanding student services is to build a section of the Titan Student Union (above headline) that dents.” students, faculty, staff would connect the building to the bookstore (directly above).
Student leaders continue to plans for the Titan Student Union’s future despite the economic climate
OPINION: Anonymity will get you nowhere, page 5
DETOUR: Soulful singer, Robert Francis, bares all at Glass House, page 6
and alumni can come together and have common ground.” Opened in 1976 and expanded in 1992, the newest parts of the TSU are 17 years old and need to be modernized, Borsting said. Most recently, new bowling lanes were acquired to replace the 32-year-old lanes that were its predecessors. Also, in an effort to support sustainability, the roofing of the TSU was replaced with a Sarnafil vinyl membrane that promotes energy conservation by reflecting heat off of the building as well as reducing the environmental impact. “We’re really fortunate this year
in that we have a student board that is very committed to the idea of being sustainable,” Borsting said. In addition, all of the 100 exit signs in the TSU have been upgraded with LED technology that Borsting says will save the TSU $500 per year. The Student Recreation Center has even been Leed Gold Certified, which is awarded to buildings that are built for sustainability. The certification process takes into account indoor air quality, water efficiency, energy savings, reductions in CO2 emissions, resource stewardship and sensitivity to environmental impacts.
Associated Students Inc. held a State of the State forum Wednesday in the Titan Pub at 7 p.m. Political science professors provided answers for students’ questions regarding the future of California. Gregory Washington, chief governmental officer of ASI, was in charge of holding this forum. “There are a lot of things going on with the state of California right now: budget cuts, serious budget deficits and cuts all around the board. I wanted to give students a chance to talk to people and get information about the state from people who have worked in or with the state,” Washington said when asked why he felt it was important to provide this forum. The panel included three professors of political science from CSUF: Matthew Jarvis, Stephen Stambough, Vincent Buck and a bi-chair from the Executive Committee for Academic Senate, Jack Bedell. Sarah Nelson, a kinesiology major, said, “(I) wanted to hear further plans about how budget issues will be addressed and to be informed.” Imren Sheikh, an accounting major, simply wanted, “to get a taste of everything our school has to offer.” As soon as the forum began, the issues plaguing many came to the table: the future of California’s budget and what it means for students and their future. “Well, the problem has a lot to do with how we’ve structured our government. We have given the initiative to the voters in a way that is really more powerful than most other states,” Jarvis responded when asked why California is in the condition that it is now. California’s constitution is unique in comparison to many other states in that it grants the citizen power to vote directly on major issues. This is granted through the initiative, the referendum and the recall. The initiative allows citizens to propose and vote on statutes/constitutional amendments. The referendum allows citizens to stop enforcement of laws See POLITICS, Page 2
‘Tuffywood’ set to assist undecided students By Jamie Iglesias
Daily Titan Staff Writer news@dailytitan.com
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Knowing exactly what major to choose may come easy to some students, but for others it is difficult to even have an idea of what major may be best for them. The College of Health and Human Development, InterClub Council and the Freshman Programs Student Association are sponsoring “TuffyWood,” a virtual tour of the eight colleges on campus. The Academic Advisement Center, Assistant Deans Program, Career Center and Freshman Programs are all collaborating to provide information about services on campus. Tuffywood will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 6, in Titan Student Union Pavilions B and C from 2:30 p.m. – 4 p.m. The event is for students who are undecided about their major, students who are thinking of changing their majors and for those who are exploring other majors. “It’s geared not just toward undeclared students but to students who are undecided, or open-minded as we like to call them,” said Elizabeth Zavala-Acevez, assistant director of Career Development. At the beginning of the event, each of the assistant deans will give students a brief overview of their respective colleges, said Lea Beth Lewis, assistant dean for Student Affairs in the College of Health and Human Development. The students will then break into groups and will have the opportunity to ask specific questions about each of the colleges, Lewis said. Students will move around every five minutes, giving them the opportunity to interact with each of the deans from the eight colleges. The information will not be presented in a Power Point and will not be entirely lectured-based, Lewis said. Instead, each of the assistant deans will present their Web sites and information about their colleges. “We hope that this event will promote interaction and gives students the opportunity to get information in a format that is enjoyable to them, rather than in a lecture-room format,” said Deanna Merino-Contino, assistant director in the Academic Advisement Center. The event was created for students to learn about each of the colleges and the resources available to them in the Career Center, Freshman Programs, and the Academic Advisement Center.
Image courtesy of college of health and human development/For the Daily Titan
The event will be themed after Hollywood’s Map of the Stars, exposing students to connections on campus they may not have met before, Lewis said. “A lot of students don’t take advantage of the services and the resources available to them, and that is what we are trying to do,” Lewis added. Lewis said that by planning the appropriate classes to take, the time it takes to graduate can be shortened, which can help students save money in the long run. “When it’s costing money, it makes sense for students to begin exploring their options so that they can make well-reasoned
decisions about what major they want to get into,” Lewis said. Students need to know that there are multiple ways to get into their career, Zavala-Acevez said. “There are so many aspects to consider about a major. It’s not just about the academic components; it’s about what these majors are leading to.” TuffyWood will give students the opportunity to learn about the resources available to them and help them choose a major they can be passionate about. We hope that students will become comfortable with with the campus and learn where to get help and who to talk to, Zavala-Acevez said.