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Women’s gymnastics closes season at NCAA regioals
INSIDE NEWS: Get to know two of the teams 3 nrunning for AS president and vice president
—see Sports page 6
: Foot-and-Mouth disease caus5 ningOPINION the deaths of innocent animals
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A p r i l 10, 2001
Many opinions on dismissnREACTION: Other universities do not carry a policy concerning the personal conduct of their athletes By Amy Rottier
Daily Titan Staff Writer Leilani Rios was removed from the track team for removing her clothes. When baseball players allegedly went to Rios’ club the word got out that she was a stripper and track coach John Elder told her to quit stripping or quit the track team.
F U L L E R T O N
More than a year later Rios’ story has made headlines across the nation and stirred up concerns across campus. Cal State Fullerton administration and the athletics department support Elders’ decision. “The coach is not endorsing his personal views but someone has to interpret and enforce the rules and that is the coach,” said Associate Athletic Director Mel Franks. “If he makes a ton of bad decisions then he won’t be head coach anymore.” Jillian Singleton, first year track member, was not on the team with Rios last year but supports her coach completely. “I think it’s disgraceful, and degrading. We don’t want to be represented that way,” Singleton said. “We all support coach.”
Michelle Gromacki, CSUF softball coach said that she would not want one of her team members to be a stripper either. The head coach of women’s basketball Barbara Ehardt was happy to say that she is very supportive of coach Elders but she decline to say if she would dismiss one of her players for stripping. Andy Sythe, head track coach at Cal State Long Beach said that each program has a policy that must be adhered to, however, he does not have a policy like that on his team. Others can understand the coach’s decision but are concerned that inequality between men and women athletes might apply. “I believe that college athletics often times are operated on double standards,”
said Renae Bredin, assistant professor of Women’s Studies. Across the nation females are held to a higher standard of conduct, Bredin said. Male athletes often get away with committing actual crimes when women are expected to adhere to that elevated image. As in the business world females have to work extra hard to achieve what men do, she said. “If she was held to a higher moral standard than other athletes in the school that is wrong,” Bredin said. Political Science Professor Sandra Sutphen said that she is in no position to second-guess her colleagues in the athletics department on what they view is appropriate behavior for athletes but
Athletics Code of Conduct as found in the athletic hand-book: OFF THE FIELD: Titans represent themselves, their teammates and their athletics department in a positive way. They do not try to draw negative attention to themselves by such things as being abusive at a club or party. When wearing something that associates them with their teams or their department, they act in a responsible and dignified manner. They respect people as they would like to be respected themselves. They follow the rules of society and do not act as if they are special just because they are student-athletes. Most importantly, they give everyone who sees them a positive image of Titan student-athletes. CREDO: As a Titan, I realize that I must conduct myself in a manner which does not in any way detract from the accomplishments of my teammates, my athletic department, my university, or myself. I expect student-athletes from all Cal State Fullerton teams to act in the same manner. I realize that my failure to follow these guidelines may result in disciplinary actions by my coach and/or the CSF athletics department.
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Faculty welcome students
Group dances for New nCULTURE: The Cambodian Student Association celebrates the “Year of the Snake” on campus By Darla Priest
Daily Titan Asst. News Editor From the other side of the world families move to the shores of America, making a new life — blending into the American scene. The university landscape is rich with the human colors of the world, enriching the community with culture, language, art and music. Members of the Cambodian Students Association of Cal State Fullerton (CSA) performed a celebration of their country’s past, present and future in a show dedicated to the Cambodian New Year — “Year of the Snake.” “CSA is not just an organization,” said Liberal Studies major Khemaradevi Sok. “I feel it is a plug into a Cambodian person’s history.” With nearly 35 members, the campus club organized a dance show for their families, friends and peers. “We started putting together the show in December ... some of us learning the dances for the first time,” Sok said. Cambodian organizations from other universities joined the CSUF club on stage, dancing to themes such as the “Wishing Dance,” the “Dragon Girl Dance [Robam Neang Neak]” and the “Scenery Dance [Robam Au Ptey Srok Khmer].” TheCambodianStudentOrganization of UC Irvine performed the “Angry Dance[ Robam Ang-rey],” which depicts young men and women dancing and enjoying themselves after a long day of hard labor. The New Year comes as an opportunity to release stress and enjoy the festivities. Human Services major Leakimna
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nEVENT: More than 2,000 high school students met with representatives from all seven colleges of CSUF
Choeum, said that every group danced for the other performers in hopes of unifying their community and strengthening the bonds between them. Seven traditional dances were performed, with the addition of a fashion show. “It’s [CSA] a good way for younger generation Cambodians to learn by getting involved ... we teach each other,” said business major Rosaline Hour. Over 200 people attended the performance and were invited to a dance afterward. The sounds of thundering hip-hop were served for dessert, right after a main course of traditional Cambodian songs. Dancers wore colorful costumes designed centuries ago — on a stage that was decorated with a mural of Angkor Wat — an ancient monument near the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh. Computer Science major, Del Lam, painted the mural and said the tomb monument is symbolic of his culture’s roots. He added that it’s a shame what’s happening to the deteriorating condition of Angkor Wat. Like many other Cambodian students, Lam feels a need to preserve not only their traditions, but also their homeland overseas as well. Sok said in 1975 the educated class in Cambodia experienced near genocide, where teachers, doctors, and innocent victims fell prey to the radical movement of the Pol Pot Regime. This Cambodian civil conflict only compounded the human terror of the Vietnam War and intensified the emotional impact of death and destruction
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By Deborah Germinaro Special to the Titan
darla priest/Daily Titan
Maly Sun performs the Wishing Dance where dancers represent goddesses descending from heaven.
Even under dark clouds and pouring rain, “Welcome to Cal State Fullerton Day,” shines. “I thought the rain would be a hindrance, but it actually turned out to be a blessing because it kept people under the tents talking with the faculty,” said Chuck Moore, director of university outreach and founder event. The quad was awash with big blue tarps, rows of tables containing departmental information, clusters of umbrellas, rain gear covered faculty, and eager students. “This is the first time I’ve ever done this in the rain and watching the waterfalls come off the top of the tents has been great,” says Dr. White, psychology department. “I do this every year and it’s really fun to meet the new students, also I represent my department.” Over 2,000 prospective students and their families got to meet with faculty from the seven CSUF colleges at the 7th annual event on last Saturday. The goal of “Welcome to Cal State Fullerton Day” is to take admitted CSUF students and turn them into enrolled CSUF students, according to Moore. “I wanted to check out the campus and see what my possibilities are,” says Brandon Kile, 18. “It helped me a lot just to check everything out because I don’t know what my major is yet.”
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Teacher inspires through art nDANCE: A company of dancers will perform a lecture demonstration tonight as part of the residency Oda By Barbara Lake
Daily Titan Staff Writer As she braids back her blond shoulder-length hair to pull it from her face, Debra Noble, CSUF dance instructor, takes a ballet class with other students from Barbara Arms, dance professor and program coordinator. Her legs extend higher than anyone else in class as she wears long black dance pants and a gray sweater almost off the shoulders. Her long and thin body is admirable and her strong commanding presence is enlightening. She’s toured different parts of the
world with her dancing, worked and studied with various dance legends, choreographed a wide range of dances and taught many dance techniques and related studies in the past twenty years. Tonight she will be performing with the American Repertory Dance Company of Los Angeles at Chapman University. Noble began dancing when she was about five years old in the basement of her parents’ home in Chicago. Because her oldest sister took dance, Noble, being shy, would go down to the basement and move to her sister’s dance music. “Dance was the most direct way I could express myself,” she said. Noble comes from an artistic family. Her father is a visual artist and her mother is a teacher, while one of her older sisters is an actress and the other, a musician. At seven years old Noble began formal ballet Lessons. Then between
the age of eight and nine she took Yoga and went back to dancing when she was 11. “Dancing is a place where I feel most alive and vibrant and fully expressed in my self as a being,” Noble added. After receiving a BA in Anthropology, Noble felt there was something missing so she received her Master’s in Fine Arts from the University of Illinois at ChampaignUrbana. Then she went on to dance with modern dance and ballet masters such as Merce Cunningham, Mark Morris, Trisha Brown and Anna Sokolow. She likes Merce Cunningham for the questions he asks and investigations he does in his dancing. She looks up to modern dance pioneer Martha Graham for her reverence and seriousness of attention and is influenced by Doris Humphrey for her humanity
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COURTESY OF LORNA TYCHOSTUP
Debra Noble in “Tear”.