Vol. 90 Issue 33
October 27, 2011
New California tanning law
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Gov. Jerry Brown signed a new law banning all minors under 18 from using tanning devices. The law was pushed by legislation in an effort to protect and prevent skin cancer.
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dailytitan.com The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton
Move to bring troops home seen as positive
Cal State Fullerton students note that the Iraq War was unnecessary ALVAN UNG Daily Titan
President Barack Obama announced Friday that all troops would be coming home, bringing an end to the long, contentious conflict in Iraq. He said the U.S. would assist Iraq in building a secure state, as well as work to rebuild itself. “After nearly nine years, America’s war in Iraq will be over,” said Obama. Since last year, 100,000 troops have been withdrawn from Iraq, with the remaining 40,000 planned to be “home for the holidays.” The last of the troops would come home within the next two months “with their heads held high, proud of their success,” he said. Obama said the U.S. would help build a “stable, secure and self-reliant” Iraq, with the help of the country and its prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki. As part of the Strategic Framework Agreement, the U.S. would train and equip Iraqi forces, as well as build trade ties and an equal partnership. This would “unleash the potential of the Iraqi people,” Obama said. Maxwell Weber, 23, a liberal studies major, said Obama’s announcement was a good thing, as U.S. troop presence in
It’s kind of like making a campaign promise to have the sun come up tomorrow morning.
Some say report means great things for CSUF, others say it is not that big of a deal
Matthew G. Jarvis Assistant Professor of Political Science
Iraq was unnecessary. Iraq is capable of handling itself, he said, citing the Arab Spring protests. Until Iraq builds a democracy itself, Weber said, “It would still be something that was forced upon them.” Removing troops would allow Iraq to establish democracy on their own, he said. Weber said Obama pulling troops out of Iraq “doesn’t mean he’s not going to put them somewhere else,” referring to the recent deployment of 100 U.S. troops to Uganda. Maria Lozano, 22, a sociology major, said she was “on the fence” about troop withdrawal, because of both the need to complete a mission and the need to prevent casualties by pulling out. See TROOPS, page 2
SEAN VIELE Daily Titan
Cal State Fullerton moved up in the 2012 News and World Report’s annual rankings of America’s Best Colleges published last month. CSUF climbed in two of the report’s categories this year: top regional public schools in the West and best regional universities in the West. In the top public schools in the West category, CSUF moved up from No. 10 to No. 6, and in the regional universities in the West category, it rose from No. 37 to No. 33 overall, which is a collective rating of all regional schools both public and private
in the West. Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas ranked No. 1 among the regional universities in the West, and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo ranked No. 1 among the regional public universities in the West. The two categories highlight institutions that award bachelor’s and master’s degrees, known as the masters one category. All CSU schools fall into this category with the exception of San Diego State University, said Edward Sullivan, assistant vice president of Institutional Research and Analytical Studies at CSUF. “Amongst the masters one category schools you’ll find schools that are similar in mission to places like CSUF,” said Sullivan. But just how significant are these rankings for the university itself? “I think it’s probably more significant to the public than it is to the people on campus,” said Jack Bedell,
professor of sociology and chair of the CSUF Academic Senate. “I think (the rankings) are overdone.” The News and World Report’s college rankings are mostly used by parents to narrow down what universities are right for their kids, Bedell said, and he thinks the choices made might not always be in a student’s best interest. “I think too much attention is paid to (the rankings) and I don’t think they get really at the heart of the substance of academic quality,” he said. The report looks at seven different criteria to base its rankings: peer assessment, graduation rates, retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources and alumni giving. It compares these results with the results of other universities that fall into the given category to rank the school. Bedell feels there are more important aspects that make up a quality uni-
versity than things such as how much money schools’ alumni give back to a university. In this area, CSUF received a low mark due to the young age of the university, Bedell said. One key resource Bedell feels the rankings fail to consider is the quality of a university’s library holdings and the utilization of the library. “We have a lot of resources, as do a lot of other universities, but I think that’s a sign of quality,” Bedell said. Despite his issues with the report’s college rankings, he said it is a positive sign that the university is not going in the wrong direction. “I think you’ll find that every student has a different approach to how they get to college,” Sullivan said. “Some will look at these ratings and some won’t.” See RANK, page 2
Sorority holds Homecoming Week Week-long event to benefit organizations like Alzheimer’s Assoc. MIKARI KUGA Daily Titan
Courtesy of Chelsea Blasco Members from Sigma Kappa pose for a picture while tabling to raise awareness about a “Walk to End Alzheimer’s” that was held on campus last year.
The Sigma Kappa sorority of Cal State Fullerton is having their Homecoming Week Friday Oct. 28 to Nov. 4. Homecoming is a week-long event to raise money for Sigma Kappa’s Ultra Violet Campaign. The campaign is designed to collect funds for supporting four philanthropies: Al-
zheimer’s Association, Gerontology, Maine Sea Coast Mission and Inherit the Earth. All the proceeds will go to the Sigma Kappa foundation and are equally distributed between those philanthropies. “These (four philanthropies) were established when Sigma Kappa was established in 1874, and they are directly related to what Sigma Kappa stands for as a whole. We are diverse and have different talents so our philanthropies cover a wide variety of need around the U.S. and in our local community,” said Tara Hussey, presi-
JESSICA RUBIO Daily Titan
EXCLUSIVES dailytitan.com/ newfraternityatcsuf
The men of PIKE have been officially introduced to Cal State Fullerton. They are the seventh fraternity on campus and Krisanne Santos was with them to celebrate their new journey in brotherhood.
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year’s philanthropy chair for Sigma Kappa and a senior communications major. Members of the Sigma Kappa and other Greek organizations will have a Halloween event with De Palma Terrace Senior Living Home in Placentia Friday. Nicole DiMaggio, vice president of philanthropic service for Sigma Kappa, said they are going to decorate cookies, play card games and have a Halloween costume contest with senior citizens. See SIG KAP, page 3
Harrowing event takes place in Irvine
New fraternity at CSUF
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dent of Sigma Kappa and a senior nursing major. During Homecoming Week, they are planning to have various events by inviting other Greek communities on campus, such as fraternities Delta Chi and Phi Kappa Tau, and sororities Alpha Kai Omega and Zeta Tau Alpha, and more. “We took the angle of making it a more fun and interactive week for our events where hopefully it did not seem like we were nagging or making others go out of their way to help us raise money,” said Chelsea Blasco, last
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Come, if you dare, to Boot Hill, where a suburban Irvine home transforms into a deadly scene from the Wild West haunted by a ghostly legend. According to the tale, the residence is haunted by the legend Jedediah Smith. The home was once occupied by an old church and cemetery, and it materializes for nine frightful nights in October each year. In its 12th year, Boot Hill allows fright-seekers of all ages to venture into the cemetery grounds free of charge. The old-West haunted area is covered with a thick layer of fog while monsters roam through the shadows waiting for their next victim. Visitors have six more nights to see Boot Hill rise from the fog: Oct. 26 to 30, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., and on Halloween from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
“I like the whole thing,” said Ingrid Hietzke, a Boot Hill guest. “It’s very calmly going in, and just the way it’s done, it’s done fabulously.” Pro-creator Shea Foley started Boot Hill with his buddy Rick West 12 years ago with only a fog machine, strobe light and a spooky CD. The idea and legend of Boot Hill was inspired by Foley’s western monster costume at the time. He later teamed up with another friend of his, Glenn Schmidt, to help with the Halloween spook attraction. Foley’s wife Erin also lends a hand in making this haunted graveyard come to life. “Me and a friend just basically wanted to do something for Halloween,” said Foley. Now the attraction is running in full force raising donations for the Children’s Hospital of Orange County. See BOOT HILL, page 6
JESSICA RUBIO / Daily Titan The legend of Jedediah Smith at Irvine’s Boot Hill has haunted locals every Halloween for the past 12 years.