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Protesters demand change nCAMPUS: Organizers say that administrators are still ignoring indications of discrimination By Samantha Gonzaga
Daily Titan Asst. News Editor
SAMANTHA GONZAGA/Daily Titan
Protesters march on the sidewalks in front of Langsdorf Hall.
Greeks sold at auction
Sun. Sweat. The sidewalk. A group of 15 Cal State Fullerton students, staff and employees marched back and forth in front of Langsdorf Hall at noon yesterday. A few meters away, administrators and passers-by watched as protesters walked up the length of the sidewalk. Cars zoomed by and honked at signs demanding equality. The cheers of the marchers hung in the air long after the scent of exhaust faded, only to be interrupted
by another round of chants. “We’re not getting tired,” a student protester rumbled. “We’re just getting started.” Sammy Rodriguez, chairman of the watchdog group Accountable Management, organized the hourlong march. His group has made a mission to bring attention to what they see as a pattern of racial bias in administration structure. “We are protesting the issue of discrimination and harassment,” Rodriguez, a CSUF graduate student, said. “There is no oversight responsibility from the Chancellor’s Office. There are no checks and balances, and we want the Board of Trustees to look into this.” Former employees of CSUF were also present – among them, Michael Suarez, a former assistant dean of the Dean of Students Office, whose termination is currently under reconsideration. The nature of his case is one of the
nENVIRONMENT: Many scientists are experimenting with fuel cells to try to curb automobile emissions By Kelly Mead
Daily Titan Staff Writer
By Kelly Mead
Daily Titan Staff Writer
Nate Lawler rocks the crowd at Becker Amphitheater.
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said. He also touched upon the administration’s involvement in two investigations. “We have two cases,” he said. “We’re delving into it in a fair and just manner. “Other than those,” he continued, “I’m not familiar with a pattern of discrimination. We have been recognized as otherwise for our diversity; we celebrate it here.” He pointed to the protesters milling in an oblong path. The small turnout, he contended, is but representative of those who believe that there is wrongdoing, as opposed to the majority who feel that there isn’t. President Milton Gordon was unavailable for comment at press time. The handful of protesters may have done enough to provoke serious considerations for prospective students.
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Fuel cells: The new alternative
Death on Wednesday slays its audi-
nEVENT: Phi Kappa Tau sold bachelor services for 24 hours and raised $1400 for nonprofit organizations
The sound of cars rushing by on Harbor Boulevard hovered in the background of the night. A disc jockey played hip-hop music as more than 40 girls sat in a small courtyard, eager to buy a man. Well, actually they needed a little coaxing. The Phi Kappa Tau (PKT) fraternity at Cal State Fullerton held its first bachelor auction on Wednesday at Big Slice Pizza in Fullerton. Women who bid a minimum of $5 had a chance to enjoy 24 hours with a fraternity member. The men agreed to clean, cook or obey any wish the women could come up with. The top ten bidders also received a free dinner for two at local restaurants. When asked if he was nervous about what a bidder might make him do during the day, Danny Daher, head of public relations for the PKT, said he wasn’t worried. “Mean girls don’t go to charity events,” he said. The auction had been in the works for a month. Fraternity members
things that the group questions. “Sammy reminds me of a pattern of different things happening here,” Suarez said, alluding to the group’s charges of questionable discriminatory practices. But to Vice President of Student Affairs Robert Palmer, figures representing the ethnic composition of CSUF employment prove otherwise. “The record shows otherwise,” Palmer said. “We have access for faculty. If you look, 20 percent of our staff is Latino. That’s pretty impressive. Fifteen were promoted to high-ranking positions.” Palmer was armed with statistics supporting the diversity and representation at the university. From the campus’ rank as 9th in the nation for the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded to Hispanic students — 935 in 2000 — to its six cultural organizations in place, Palmer disagreed with the claims of discrimination. “They are misinformed,” Palmer
Toward the end of the 20th century, many experts and scientists were claiming that electric cars were the key to a pollution-free future. Now, in the 21st century, with scarce power resources plaguing California and slow development of battery technology, some experts are insisting that a new alternative, the fuel cell, is the key. “Right now we are in a stage three alert and it’s only going to get worse,” said Chemistry Professor Scott Hewett. “We just don’t have the energy sources.” In October last year, former President Bill Clinton approved a $100 million bill to advance fuel cell technology. Nearly half of that, $41.5 million, will be used for fuel cell research in transportation. Transportation is a main cause of pollution in the Los Angeles basin area, despite the city’s improvements. Los Angeles was once the No. 1 polluted city in the country. In recent years, because of the city’s efforts, Houston put Los Angeles into second place. However, pollution levels in Los Angeles are still not meeting the Environmental Protection Agency standards. “Our air is getting a lot better, but
we keep adding more people to the population and more cars per family,” Hewett said. Fuel cell engines have the potential to emit a significantly reduced amount of pollutants, in some cases, even zero pollutants. The fuel cell engine, which was developed in 1839 by a scientist named Sir William Grove, utilizes energy from hydrogen or fuels containing hydrogen. Many say the most effective fuel for the new technology is pure hydrogen. If cars containing fuel cell engines were powered by hydrogen, the tail pipe would only emit clean water. However, it is debatable whether the use of hydrogen is safe. “You wouldn’t want a tank of hydrogen in your car, because it is highly explosive,” Hewett said. Because of the higher risk factor, many scientists, including Hewett, believe other fuels such as methanol should be used. Other fuels may cause small emissions of carbon dioxide—however, the amount is small when compared to engines being used on the market today. Many car manufacturers are experimenting with fuel cells. Even the Big Three— Ford, General Motors and Chrysler— are working to get them to the public. They are experimenting with making smaller fuel cells, cells that convert hydrogen from gasoline and cells that can be used with the aid of batteries. Fuel cell engines are currently not on the market for consumers. This is mainly because the research is new and the models are still too expensive.
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High school students visit nEDUCATION: The Society of Mexican Engineers and Scientists celebrate the seventh annual Shadow Day By Michael Del Muro
Daily Titan Staff Writer Jessica Carrera and Desirae Las Cano, both 15, were two of more than 150 students who were on campus Wednesday as the Society of Mexican Engineers and Scientists (MAES) held their annual Shadow
Day. Students from local high schools — including Anaheim High School, Garey and Ganesha High Schools in Pomona and Santa Ana Valley High School — followed students to their classes to see how a college class is different than their high school classes. “We held this event to promote the university and university education,” said Larry Juarez, president of MAES. Carrera and Los Cano received bewildered looks from students as they walked across campus. But this did not bother the girls. “We’ve been to other colleges, so we aren’t really nervous,” Las
Cano said, citing USC as one such campus. The competition was simple. The high school students were given aluminum foil and pennies. The goal was to get the students to shape the foil to hold the greatest amount of pennies. The speakers were members from MAES, as well as the director of the Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) Program, Sergio Mesa. “We are trying to first get the students interested in college and then into the engineering and science fields,” Juarez said. Another goal of Shadow Day,
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Students from local high schools enjoy a day at CSUF.