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S e p t e m b e r 15, 2000
Student performs at nARTS: Brian Robbins is a music education major and alumnus of Irvine High School By Peggy Gomez
Daily Titan Staff Writer
kristina huffman/Daily Titan
Trombone player Brian Robbins will be playing at the opening ceremony for the Olympic Games held in Sydney, Australia.
The Olympics are opening today with a ceremony featuring 2,000 participants. One of these participants is music education major, Brian Robbins, who was selected by his high school band teacher, as an Irvine High School alumnus, to play the trombone in
Australia. Irvine High School has been practicing, along with other schools from Orange County and San Diego, for the past four months, once a month, all day on scheduled weekends. Robbins, along with approximately 400 other students from California, Georgia and Alabama were flown with all expenses paid, to prepare for the Olympics, 15 days ago. They join countries including Japan, Mexico, Singapore, Italy, and Australia for practice. The group is lodging in Bathurst, two hours away from Olympic Stadium in Sydney. The two-hour trip to practice sessions at Sydney takes place every other day, and the sessions last about
Law to expand fund-
nTRANSIT: Many are finding trains an option to air travel with recent accidents scaring passengers By Camille Jones
Daily Titan Staff Writer
By Peggy Gomez
Daily Titan Staff Writer Financial Aid has increased for future college students. Gov. Gray Davis has signed legislation granting funds to students who have a good academic standing and financial need. The Cal Grant Program has been expanded to provide more funds to college students. Not since the G.I. Bill was introduced has any program been comparable. “These bills say to California students, if you do your part by studying hard, we’ll do our part to help you afford college,” Davis said in a press release. Scholarships will be awarded to students that score the highest on the Star Exam prior to entering college. One thousand dollars will be granted for use toward post-secondary education. Students that score highest in math and science on the Advanced Placement exams will be granted up to $2,500. To establish the Merit Scholarship Program, $118 million was provided. Under the new Cal Grant Program, one out of three students
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pus. “Brian is a nice young man and plays the trombone well for a college-level trombone player,” said Robert Sanders, trombone ensemble teacher at Cal State Fullerton. Off campus Brian belongs to a trombone quartet called The Balboa Bachelors, which is a band that has released compact discs and participated in an inauguration involving President Ronald Reagan. Brian is still active as an assistant to the band coach at Irvine High School. “Brian can always have a good time, and also cares about the people around him,” said David Donaldson, a life-long friend of Robbins.
Alternative to flying avail-
nSERVICES: Cal Grant will now provide more funds for college students
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three hours. “It’s a pretty awesome sight to see all of the countries participating,” Robbins said. “Some of us have even taken on the common slang like ‘mate’ and ‘goodaye.’” When the group arrived in Australia, they were treated to three days of sightseeing, including the AMP Tower, downtown Sydney, and the Three Sisters. “That is a spectacular view of the countryside,” Robbins said. Robbins has dedicated years of work and practice to the trombone. At Irvine High School, Brian participated in the marching band, jazz band and in musicals. Brian is now involved in the symphonic band and jazz band on cam-
mayra beltran/Daily Titan
An Amtrack train rolls into Fullerton Station as passengers await to board the alternative transport.
Susan Beeney, a business traveler, sat at the Amtrak station in Fullerton awaiting a commuter train because she likes to travel by train. Her choice was not influenced by a fear of falling out of the sky or struggling to get on a non-canceled flight. Beeney decided to travel by rail because “it [the train] gives me a long time to just sit and relax.” Airlines have experienced a number of setbacks lately. During the summer, United Airlines had so many of its flights canceled that they were deemed to have the worst on-time service schedule of any airline for that time period. Not long ago, two small planes bumped into each other over Westminster and had to make unexpected landings at the airport in Fullerton. Before that, pieces of a plane fell on to Dockweiler Beach, and before that, a jetliner crashed in Bahrain. Recent newscasts that have reported on these problems, one after the other, might have reminded some travelers of this past spring when the Alaska Airlines plane crashed off Port Hueneme. After that accident, there appeared to be increased coverage of airplane accidents and near-misses nationwide. One plane had a wheel fall off. Another one slid into a gas station. And another had to make an emer-
gency landing because a bird flew into the engine. While no mode of transportation is completely safe, does this recent onslaught of midair bumps, crashes and flight cancellations cause travelers to temporarily seek alternate means of transportation? Another passenger waiting at the Amtrak station, Suzanne Doller, sought train travel as a way to bring her vacation to a close. Doller said that the airlines’ recent difficulties did not have a negative impact on the way that she chose to travel this summer. “It doesn’t affect me at all,” she said. “I fly and take the train. In fact, I just got off of a plane, then I took the train to get back here.” Although some Amtrak personnel say that for the last few months of the summer there was an increase in ridership, it isn’t certain if the increase was due to travelers who had already planned on traveling by train anyway or if it was due to a hesitancy of some vacationers to get on a plane for whatever reason. Amtrak can’t contribute part of its ridership increase to Fullerton senior and English major Courtney Dundas. Dundas said that while she wouldn’t choose to fly right now, she wouldn’t necessarily take the train either. “Probably right now I wouldn’t go anywhere [on a plane], but after it all blows over I would,” Dundas said. “And I wouldn’t take the train because I don’t know anything about it.” It would seem that the airlines are having a bad streak right now, but theirs is not the only mode of transportation to have bad times. Many trains have derailed for what appeared to be no reason at all and of course there have been numer-
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New Bank of America simulator provides an Olympic experinTECHNOLOGY: The tour will travel throughout the country until it reaches its destination at Salt Lake City By Jamie K. Ayala
Daily Titan Staff Writer Fasten your seat belts and get ready for river rafting, crocodile wrestling and helicopter adventures aboard the Australian Outback Airlines, as part of the “Down Under Tour” sponsored by Bank of America. The simulated tour, which began in 1999, is making its final stops in Southern California before ending in Salt Lake City, home of the upcoming winter Olympics.
Bank of America spokesperson, Ashleigh Adams, said the tour was put together to reinforce Bank of America’s sponsorship of the U.S. Olympic teams. “Because most people will not be able to travel back to Australia for the Olympics, we’ve brought the experience to them,” Adams said. Since its opening, the tour has traveled 18,000 miles through 48 cities in 21 states. It features Olympic pastimes like an aboriginal art exhibit; a replica of Australia’s most recognized landmark, the Sydney Opera House; an interactive tour of the continent; and rock climbing the safe way. Speak with native Australians about their homeland and take home the experience with a purchase from the Outpost, in which the proceeds can benefit the U.S. Olympic team or the Aboriginal Art Council, a non-profit
entity. While Bank of America funded the exhibits, tourism bodies from different Australian states contributed informational signs and Australian actors and images for the simulation and short film, said Vickie Osborne, group director assistant of trade marketing for the Australian Tourism Commission. Sporting brown tour guide clothes, the Australian tourism experts are available to talk about their country and what can be seen there. At each stop, the tour is ran by local Bank of America volunteers, participating in all aspects including giving tours, greeting visitors, and staffing each exhibit component. “‘The Down Under Tour’ is more than an Australian exhibit, it is also a tribute to U.S. Olympic athletes past and present,” said Hugh McColl Jr., chairman and executive chief officer. “Their pioneering spirit, discipline
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jamie ayala/Daily Titan
Passengers get on the “Down Under Tour” simulator to experience sights that would be seen at the Summer Olympics. and passion for winning inspire all the tour and meet past Olympians of us.” and future hopefuls. Children have At each stop, pre-selected elemen- been able to meet a variety of athletes tary schools are invited to experience SIMULATOR/ 3