Monday October 29 Thursday November 1, 2018
Volume 104 Issue 28
The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton
Day of the Dead festival enchants Mayors
campaign at CSUF
Olvera Street in Los Angeles holds a colorful celebration for the dead. SOPHIA ACEVEDO Asst. Opinion Editor
ALYSSA LOPEZ Opinion Editor
Dancing skeletons filled the central plaza of Olvera Street in Los Angeles as a vibrant celebration of death took place on Friday for the Día de los Muertos Festival. Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a Mexican holiday that starts Nov. 1 and ends Nov. 2 of each year. The holiday combines indigenous Aztec customs and Catholicism, and is believed to be a time when the spirits of the deceased come back to visit their loved ones. For over 30 years, Olvera Street has honored Día de los Muertos by bringing culture and community together to remember and celebrate the lives of those who have died. Merchants who have been at Olvera Street for many years and their families have aimed to preserve the tradition and culture of Mexico with events like Día de los Muertos. The festival at Olvera Street is unique because it lasts for nine days in honor of the Catholic tradition where people pray the rosary following someone’s death. Christina Mariscal Pasten, a fifth-generation merchant on Olvera Street and one of the organizers of the event, said she hopes people will see the beauty in this kind of celebration and come to
The forum touched on local issues like transportation and homelessness. WILLIAM ROBBINS Staff Writer
ALYSSA LOPEZ / DAILY TITAN
Skeleton dancers pose for an audience before performing ‘La Danza de la Muerte,’ or the dance of the dead.
understand that death doesn’t have to be perceived as something scary. “We’re remembering people for how they lived. We’re remembering their legacy. One of the things that they share during the procession, the most important component about Day of the Dead, is that memory and keeping their legacy alive,” Pasten said. In the center plaza, pictures, flowers, candles and food adorned the ofrendas, or ritual altars where
people place remembrances of their loved ones. The ofrendas at Olvera Street were created by members of the community who wished to participate in the event and were given a spot on a first-come, first-serve basis. The viewing of the altars is an important part of Día de los Muertos; people of all ages pay their respects to the dead. Valerie Hanley, another merchant on Olvera Street and member of the foundation that
organizes events at Olvera Street, said she has helped out in events since she was old enough to walk, and has seen the impact it has made on people over the years. “The biggest thing that stands out from most of our events is the fact that you have generations coming. For the posadas we have, parents came and they brought their children, and now their grandchildren are coming with them too,” Hanley said. SEE FESTIVAL
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Cross-country finishes ‘Big’
OMAR SANCHEZ / DAILY TITAN
Four Cal State Fullerton runners crack the top 10 in the women’s 6k race at Carbon Canyon Regional Park during the Big West championship on Saturday.
Samantha Huerta led the Titans to second-place finishes in the tournament. JULIUS CHOI
Asst. Copy Editor
Despite Cal Poly capturing the Big West conference title in both the men’s and women’s competition, Cal State Fullerton cross-country kept them on their toes by pressuring them throughout the race. Head coach John Elders was impressed with what Cal Poly was able to achieve, and is looking forward to the NCAA West Regionals where CSUF will compete with them again. “Just came a little bit short, but Cal Poly crushed it today. They really, really ran well, and we ran well. We have to accept it and move forward,” Elders said. It was a historic day for the
cross-country program as a whole, with new school records being attained at Carbon Canyon Regional Park on Saturday. The women came in second place with a combined time of 1:49.42, which is their best group finish in Cal State Fullerton history. Both the Mustangs and the Titans were favorites heading in, as they were the only Big West representatives that are regionally ranked clubs in the west region, as voted on by Division I coaches, according to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. The Titans were led by junior Samantha Huerta, who finished in second place in the 6K run with a time of 21:26.5. Her finish ruined Cal Poly’s hope of sweeping the podium. “I know I just gave it all I had. What I love about this sport is that it’s definitely a sport of
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heart. You could be super talented, but if you have more heart, it definitely prevails,” Huerta said. It was a close call at the finish line, as the top three runners finished within 3.6 seconds of each other. Huerta edged out Cal Poly’s Katie Izzo by two-tenths of a second for the runner-up spot. Four Titans finished in the top 10, which is the most in the school’s history during the conference championships, Elders said. Meanwhile, the men’s side finished in third place for the third-consecutive season, trailing behind Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara. They were able to accomplish this despite a few roadblocks. Sophomore Jacob Smith had to drop out of the race as he was unable to continue due to exhaustion. Senior Samuel Pimentel was
the Titans’ top finisher, posting a time of 25:02.2 during the 8K race. However, shortly after Pimentel crossed the finish line, he collapsed and suffered a seizure. He responded to treatment, Elders said. Pimentel has been a vital member on the team as he has been Fullerton’s top finisher in every race he has competed in this season. Junior Jorge Sanchez, who set his new personal best (25:06.5) by almost nine seconds at the conference championship course, likes the progress he sees from his teammates. “Every year we want to keep improving. It’s better than going backwards,” Sanchez said. The Titans resume their hunt for a national championship title when they trek north to Sacramento for the NCAA West Regionals on Friday, Nov. 9.
Cal State Fullerton president Fram Virjee welcomed mayors Tim Shaw of La Habra and Doug Chaffee of Fullerton on Thursday for a forum about their race to win the Orange County 4th Supervisorial District seat. “This is the place for the crucible of ideas to be enveloped for a debate to occur for people to become informed and do it in a civil, open and constructive way,” Virjee said. Chaffee and Shaw addressed local issues such as homelessness, mental health services, transportation and answered audience questions. The meeting was moderated by Stephen Stambough, Ph.D., a professor of political science at CSUF. “The purpose of this (forum) provides students and members of the community an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the candidates for the upcoming election to help determine who best represents their needs and their interests,” Stambough said. Chaffee called the current board of supervisors “dysfunctional.” “They seem to be more concerned about advancing their careers then doing the right thing for the county,” Chaffee said. “That’s not my concern; I’m too old for that. I intend to be there and do the job.” Shaw is in favor of supportive housing units for people who are homeless and the institutionalization of those in severe mental health conditions. “Mentally ill individuals do end up on the streets. They need that housing provided for them. The approach I agree with is ‘housing first,’ getting people into that housing situation. That’s where we can begin the treatment,” Shaw said. Chaffee was vocal about his support for Proposition 2 and its allocation of Mental Health Services Act funds to repay bonds for affordable housing. “I’ve been Fullerton’s representative for homelessness issues for about four years now. What we don’t have enough of is the permanent supportive housing with wrap-around services,” Chaffee said. “I think the county has failed in its leadership; it’s sitting on several hundred million dollars of Mental Health Services Act money and it’s not using it wisely.” At a June city council meeting, a local nonprofit called Pathways of Hope proposed a Keystone project that would provide affordable housing and supportive services to people who are homeless. The nonprofit withdrew their Fullerton application to operate in October. “Pathways on its own withdrew its request, there’s no application in. Fullerton is now looking at trying to acquire a different site than the one in question that’s even a little easier to build on,” Chaffee said. Another policy in question was Proposition 6, the gas tax repeal on the ballot. SEE POLITICS
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