FRESNO STATE
COLLEGIAN.CSUFRESNO.EDU
SERVING CAMPUS SINCE 1922
WEDNESDAY ISSUE | FEBRUARY 5, 2014
SOCHI 2014
Olympics to begin amid political strife
PREPARING FOR THE
By Nadia Pearl The Collegian
Photo illustration by Matt Vieira / The Collegian
Ag community gets ready for a rain shortage with uncertain future By Rachel Taylor The Collegian In response to California’s unprecedented drought, state officials announced Friday that the State Water Project (SWP)—a publicly operated water storage and conveyance system that distributes water to urban and agricultural water suppliers throughout California—will not distribute any water to local water agencies in 2014 if dry conditions persist. Those agencies, which help supply water to 25 million Californians and about 750,000 acres of irrigated farmland, will be forced
to draw water from other sources such as groundwater and local reservoirs. The statement, made by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), came only two weeks after Gov. Jerry Brown declared a statewide drought emergency and urged all citizens to cut back on water use by at least 20 percent. Fresno State’s Robert Boyd, associate vice president for facilities management, said campus officials will gather in the coming weeks to create a strategy to combat the dry months ahead. “We’re starting to look at our reduction plan, how we’re going to reduce our irriga-
tion and what we can do to preserve the plant materials [on campus], but at the same time reduce our watering,” he said. “The same goes for the [campus] farms, because there is just not going to be that kind of water available.” Boyd said facilities management is also planning to extend piping on two of the university’s domestic water wells to the campus farm irrigation system. Although the wells can no longer be used for drinking water due to contamination from sand and nitrates, Boyd said they are perfect for irrigation. “In the next couple of months, that is See DROUGHT Page 2
CAMPUS IN COLOR
Fashionable at Fresno State
The Winter Olympics torch will finally be lit in Sochi, Russia Friday morning after months of preparation and controversy in a political climate tense with terrorist threats and gay-rights protests. Often overshadowed by its corresponding Summer Games, Sochi 2014 is a Winter Olympics in which the buildup has been well publicized. Yet instead of discussion about athletic ability, much of the media attention has been concerned with security fears, discrimination against gay athletes and the huge expense of the event. Russia reportedly has spent $51 billion, making it the most expensive Olympic Games ever, bypassing the historic Beijing Summer Olympics budget of 2008 by about $10 billion. Dr. Jenelle Gilbert, a Fresno State sports psychology professor, said the publicity heading into the Sochi Games has the potential to impact the athletes negatively. “Sport does not exist in a vacuum. Neither do politics,” Gilbert said. “Thus, it may be difficult for some athletes to ignore the political climate.” Threats of terrorism from Islamist militants have caused Russian President Vladimir Putin to deploy additional security forces. A reported 40,000 personnel are safeguarding the games. However, kidnapping threats to two Austrian athletes already sparked concern. With 294 medals up for grabs in 98 different events, Gilbert said while there are added “layers of complexity for these Winter Games,” the athletes train to See OLYMPICS, Page 6
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INSIDE
2 Student sells hats to pay for school 3 8
SPOTLIGHT
By Jatoi Moore Special to The Collegian
Fresno State student turned entrepreneur, Nigel Burton, 23, has been on a mission to “spread positivity” with his custom hat line Just Be Dope (JBD.) “Just Be Dope began because I needed help with my college expenses like food, gas and books,” Burton said. “I was
struggling, but I used my entrepreneurial spirit to help me succeed.” Burton started his business at the beginning of 2013. He personally designs and picks fabric for each custom hat. The line also features brightly colored floral hats that come in a variety of colors with a hand-stitched JBD logo. Burton sells his merchandise in the Free Speech Area
on campus during high-traffic hours. He credits his sister and investor Natasha Burton as the inspiration behind the line and its success. “My sister Natasha bought my first 12 hats, and I sold eight in the first week,” Burton said. “That’s when I knew this could be something amazing for me.” With the growth of the
business and more than 130 hats sold, JBD has raised more than $4,000. Burton is now working with the Lyles Ce nte r fo r In n ov a ti on a n d Entrepreneurship at Fresno State to further his business. “It’s been an amazing journey to see the brand grow,” said Reggie Holmon, sales ambassa-
See HATS, Page 3
Black History Month calendar International Coffee Hour kicks off Track and field: Indoor women’s team clicking midseason