February 13, 2012
Vol. 91 Issue 7
A new American-grown rice to fit the Asian palate is quickly becoming a hit Panda rice has been growing in popularity for its sweet taste, chewy texture and for having less sugar than most others. There are already plans to sell the rice across the country.
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dailytitan.com The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton
CSUF ALUMNUS IS MAYOR OF PLACENTIA
POLITICS | Smoking on campus
Majority of Senate votes to ban smoking Campus-wide ban moves to next step after heated debate MICHAEL MUNOZ Daily Titan
ANDERS HOWMANN / Daily Titan Jeremy Yamaguchi, 22, has an extensive background of community service in Placentia, from being an Eagle Scout to being a part of the Recycled Teen Team.
Youngest mayor in state
Jeremy Yamaguchi was elected for City Council at 19 years old ANDERS HOWMANN Daily Titan
At 22 years old, most students are just finishing up their
undergraduate degrees and are either trying to find a job or get into graduate school. Jeremy Yamaguchi, 22, graduated last fall with a degree in political science and a minor in music. Shortly after, he was named mayor of Placentia. Yamaguchi is the youngest mayor in the state of California.
He was elected to the Placentia City Council in November 2008 at the age of 19. An Eagle Scout, he has an extensive background of community service and involvement in the Placentia community. When he graduated from El Dorado High School in 2007, he had racked up a historic record of
The Academic Senate meeting Thursday was stirred by debate as the senate considered a proposal to completely ban smoking at Cal State Fullerton. An executive committee was established by the Academic Senate to bring forth a new smoking policy, to which Academic Senate Chair Jack Bedell described as birthing an elephant. The meeting was designed to infer on the Senate’s thoughts on a proposed smoking policy and give the members a chance to offer suggestions that the executive committee may to refer to when designing the new policy. The current University Smoking Policy prohibits smoking inside any buildings owned by the university on or off campus and within 20 feet of any building. The proposed policy restricts the sale of any smoking or tobacco related products on campus, and it moves the outdoor smoking areas to 25 feet away from buildings
and parking structures. The Senate quickly launched into a debate on whether to support a complete ban or the proposed policy’s newly designated smoking spots. The senators who agreed on the campus-wide ban believe it would be an easy transition for CSUF students to adapt considering they are coming from high schools and community colleges that have issued bans already. The Senate also made it clear the reasons for the ban was to offset health issues that tobacco and secondhand smoke creates. Academic Senate member Mougo Nyaggah, Ph.D. indicated that the smoking problem has been on this campus for quite some time. He recounted how secondhand smoke filtered through McCarthy Hall, exposing everybody and how unaffective smoking signs are. “Signs to indicate where people can smoke–now that’s not good enough … We are seeing advertising in television where the children are exposed to smoke from their parents. We all know that secondhand smoke harms,” Nyaggah said. See SMOKING, page 3
3,000 community service hours. So what makes an official this young and moving so quickly through the local political ranks tick? Q: How did your involvement in Boy Scouts shape your career? See MAYOR, page 2
LOCAL | College’s false marks
Claremont college ranking falsified Wrongdoing sheds light on vulnerable information open to possible manipulation EZEKIEL HERNANDEZ Daily Titan
Scandal began brewing after The New York Times published a report about the local prestigious campus, Claremont McKenna, where it was revealed that a top administrator was falsifying test scores in order to earn higher marks on U.S. News and World Report’s list of best colleges. The college ranked ninth among the list of best liberal arts colleges in the country. McKenna’s sister school, Pomona College, was ranked fifth on the same list. Both schools are located in Claremont, and make up the “consortium” of Claremont Colleges. Both schools often advertise their high rankings from several national publications. The revelations brought into question how open the information on college ranking publications is for manipulation, and how widespread the practice might be. Edward Sullivan, assistant vice president of Institutional Research and Analytical Studies at Cal State Fullerton, oversees the sending of the most accurate information to these national publications. He said every year, the school receives lengthy surveys that will ultimately determine how high schools are ranked. By virtue of participation, schools that partake in the surveys and fill information out thoroughly are likely to be ranked high. “As you complete these surveys, you tend to move up in the rankings,” said Sullivan. On the website of college rankings for U.S.
CAMILLE TARAZON / Daily Titan The Cal State Fullerton baseball team gathers for a huddle before the alumni baseball game. The Titans’ season begins Friday when they visit No. 1 ranked Florida.
SPORTS | Alumni baseball game
Legends visit old stomping grounds
News and World Report, the methods for scoring on the rankings is posted by different ranking categories, and how much each category is weighted. The “Undergraduate academic reputation” category has the most impact, at 22 percent. This category is composed of peer assessment and how highly high school counselors score schools on their surveys. In the case of Claremont McKenna, the information that was doctored fell under the category of “student selectivity,” and only made up for 7.5 percent of how the school was ultimately assessed in the rankings.
At the end of the day ... the student really should find the best fit for themselves. Edward Sullivan Assistant Vice President Institutional Research/Analytical Studies
Still, Sullivan said puffing up one category will not make much of a difference. “Unless you’re making a huge jump relative to others, you’re not going to move up in the rankings.” Both Sullivan and the U.S. News and World publication maintain that tedious measures are employed to make sure the surveys are complete and accurate. Both mentioned the use of the National Center for Education Statistics and their database as a source for double-checking accuracy of the surveys. “When Claremont McKenna put in the SAT’s the way that they did, it didn’t make any sense, because people could look it up,” Sullivan said. The federal government requires all schools
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Former Titan baseball stars play in alumni game BLAKE FOGG Daily Titan
Photo illustration by ANIBAL ORTIZ / Daily Titan A Claremont McKenna administrator falsified student test scores to rank higher on published lists of best colleges.
to submit information accurately and on time each year, Sullivan said, and there is no incentive in a school providing falsified or misleading information because universities could lose federal grants and other sources of funding if they report inaccurately. “At the end of the day, choosing a college shouldn’t come out from one of these books, but what’s best for the kid,” Sullivan said. “The student really should find the best fit for themselves, and it really should take more than just a ranking in one of these books.” Eloy Lopez, 26, agrees. Lopez is a graduate of CSUF who is currently attending USC for graduate studies. USC is currently ranked 24th nationally among all campuses surveyed. See RANKS, page 3
When freshman pitcher Jose Cardona signed his letter of intent for the Titans it came with dreams of playing in the show. He probably didn’t know in his first game in front of a home crowd he’d have to face 15year MLB veteran and former Titan and collegiate great Mark Kotsay. Reportedly over 80 former Titan players and a festive crowd showed up to Goodwin Field Saturday to watch the alumni game between the 2012 varsity baseball team take on a squad of former Titan greats. The varsity team won 3-2. It was the top of the ninth with two outs when Kotsay made his way to home plate. Cardona promptly struck the lefty out looking, but the home plate umpire judged the pitch a ball, letting the former Golden Spikes and College World Series MVP hit away. After a few pitches and the count on the scoreboard reading four balls and three strikes,
Cardona made him look silly with a curveball to much of the delight of the alumni on the bench. “This is where it all began for me and it will never be done. Getting to come back to an alumni game, take a couple of swings and embarrass myself,” said Kotsay on how special it is to be a Titan. He signed with the San Diego Padres this offseason. The visiting dugout couldn’t fit all the past players, with some spilling out on the field. Current MLB players present were Cleveland Indian pitcher Vinnie Pestano, Toronto Blue Jay pitcher Ricky Romero, Baltimore Orioles infielder and outfielder Blake Davis, Oakland Athletic catcher Kurt Suzuki, New York Mets infielder Justin Turner, San Francisco Giant first basemen Brett Pill and Kotsay. Only Turner, Pill and Kotsay played in the game. Davis cameoed as a pinch runner in the ninth sporting tennis shoes and shorts. He showed his dedication for the team and slid into home plate on a passed ball and scored the alumnus’ second run. See ALUMNI, page 8