C A L I F O R N I A
S T A T E
U N I V E RS I T Y ,
F U L L E R T O N
INSIDE DETOUR: Reduced Shakespeare Company 3 ntakes the Bard and makes him a comedy
Titans continue Big West play today against the Sacramento State
Find out your AS candidates’ stand 5 nonNEWS: campus matters
—see Sports page 6
T h u r s d ay
Vo l u m e 7 2 , I s s u e 2 9
A p r i l 12, 2001
AS hopefuls argue policy in first nELECTION: Three of the four teams discussed different points of view and platforms at Wednesday’s debate By Sara Stanton
Daily Titan Staff Writer
LORRAINE DOMINGUEZ/Daily Titan
Three of the four AS Presidential candidate teams answer questions from students in the Quad.
Issues
The first of the Associated Students candidate debates was off to a rocky start on Wednesday afternoon — where almost everything that could have prevented the
event from being successful — happened. The sky threatened rain. The event was not publicized until Tuesday afternoon. The Quad, where the debate was to be held at noon, was occupied by Asian Week until 12:30 p.m. forcing them to start later than planned. Only three of the four presidential and vice presidential teams appeared for the discussion. But in midst of the chaotic confusion, somehow everything worked out. Once the Asian Week activity was cleared away, Joel South, the elections commissioner for AS, as well as the moderator of the debates, immediately pulled everyone and everything together and began the debates at exactly 12:30
By Marlayna Slaughterbeck
nPREVIEW: Psychology Day includes a panel discussion, psychology jeapordy and an academic seminar
Daily Titan News Editor
By Trinity Powells
PREVIEW/ 5
Titan
extras online n
Check out the Daily Titan online this year at http:// dailytitan.fullerton.edu.
d ow n l o a d n
Need to announce an event? Visit our Web site to download our events calendar form.
KIRA HORVATH/Daily Titan
Wathana Lim, of the Pilipino American Students Association, practices for her Asian Week performance.
Children explore nature refuge nCAMPUS: Kid’s Spring Break at the Fullerton Arboretum will be an annual community event
By Michael Del Muro
Daily Titan Staff Writer Amidst Cal State Fullerton’s nature refuge, the arboretum, a dozen boys and girls sat at a table making their own little “creatures” out of acorns, leaves, and pollen. The creatures ended up resembling Mr. Hanky the Christmas Poo from Comedy Central’s “South
Park.” The children from the local schools were at CSUF for the first Kid’s Spring Break at the Fullerton Arboretum, which began Monday. LeNelle Cittadin, the Education Director for the Arboretum said, “We wanted to have an activity at the arboretum during their spring break.” “We wanted them to create garden creatures so that they can appreciate plants,” said Cittadin, walking away to tell a little girl and her mother what insects they were looking at. In addition to making little creatures, there are a number of other activities planned for the week including arts and crafts, coloring and nature walks provided by
DEBATES/ 5
Run-off set for mayoral
Asian Week showcases culture
nPOLITICS: Former Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa will face off with LA City Attorney James Hahn
Special to the Titan The Psychology Department seeks to prove that happiness is all a thing of the mind. Exploring happiness and its relevance in psychology, the department — in coordination with student organizations Psi Chi; the Psychology Department Student Association (PDSA); and the American Psychological Society Student Caucus (APSSC) — will host its seventh annual Psychology Day in the TSU Pavilion. Melinda Blackman, assistant professor of psychology/industrial–organizational, and a member of the psychology day committee said the goal for Psychology Day is to “Try to provide students with information beyond what is found in a textbook and a chance to interact one on one with faculty.” Blackman expects at least 700 students to attend events throughout the day. “Each year the number of students and support keeps doubling,” Blackman said. As an added incentive for those who arrive early, free Krispy Kreme Donuts will be provided in the morning and the
p.m. “It all went surprisingly well,” said South after the debates. Attending teams included Vincent Amaya and Richard Adams, Evan Mooney and Susan Scanaliato, and Alexander Lopez and Edgar Zazueta. Karl Kottke and Steven Moseni were absent due to scheduling conflicts. The candidates sat facing a crowd of over 100 students, many of which were holding signs in support of their own personal candidate. One of the main issues of the debate focused on each of the candidates’ previous experience and personal qualifica-
Friends of the Fullerton Arboretum. Cittadin said the week was chosen because it runs parallel to many local districts including Fullerton Unified. But she emphasized the fact that everybody is welcome. “Our goal is to bring children and their families to the arboretum and expose them to the plant world,” Cittadin said. “We want to stimulate their curiosity and creativity.” Kathi Nihaus and her two daughters — four-year-old Baylee and 13-year-old Cyndie — attended the festivities Monday. “They’re off of school today and it’s nice to have an outdoor activ-
ARBORETUM/ 5
http://dailytitan.fullerton.edu
Tuesday night ended with a political stalemate in the most expensive city election in Los Angeles’ history, setting the stage for a June run-off election. According to finance reports, the total campaign costs for all the candidates combined exceeded $17.2 million, with the top three candidates, Hahn, Soboroff, and Villaraigosa spending a total of more than $11.5 million. Screaming past Mayor Richard Riordan’s pick — businessman Steve Soboroff — former Democratic Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa and City Attorney James Hahn, also a Democrat, ended neck and neck. Soboroff,edgingpastCityCouncilman Joel Wachs garnered enough votes for a third-place slot in the highly contested race. In hopes of securing more votes in the remaining 25 percent still to be counted, Soboroff left his rally of supporters without conceding defeat, explaining to the crowd that he had only prepared a victory speech. The race belonged in large part to Villaraigosa and Hahn all evening, with the assembly speaker maintaining a slight lead in the majority of exit polls. “He represents a broader spectrum,” said Madeline Conrad after casting her vote for Villaraigosa at Metropolitan High School near downtown. “He’s the face of L.A.” Battling against the legacy of one of the most prominent political families in Southern California, if Villaraigosa wins the run-off, he will become the first Latino to command the office in nearly 130 years.
Anthony Rodriguez seemed confident Villaraigosa would prevail. “He’s going to get the job done,” said the 36-year-old mechanic who participated in a rally of support for Villaraigosa outside the gymnasium. Black, white —left or right— with Antonio, we unite!” they chanted. Hahn was not without his share of vocal supporters. Many cited his record of service as the element setting him apart from his opponents. “Hahn has more experience,” said 41year-old Lisa Allingsworth. “I think he’ll do more for the city.” With one-fifth of the total electorate, the election set records for Latino votes, as well as absentee and mail –in ballots. While a record number of voters were projected, overall turnout stands at around 35 percent of those eligible, roughly the same as the last time the office was up for grabs in 1993. Speculation on the June run-off has begun with most predicting a tight race and more spending. “It’s going to be tough for both of them,” said Cal State Fullerton Political Science Professor, Raphel Sonenshein. Sonenshein, a political consultant for the Los Angeles Times, spent the entire evening and early morning hours advising the newspaper on when and how to call the race. “It was a very exciting night,” he said, adding that although it was a close race throughout the day, Villaraigosa seemed to command a large segment of voters across the board, whereas Hahn and Soboroff both gained strength from very definite demographic niches. “It’s amazing when you consider that Villaraigosa was pretty much written off early on,” Sonenshein said. “Now, all the momentum is with him.” Sonenshein said that he couldn’t remember when two Democrats have simultaneously had such a strong showing in the city’s mayoral race. “They’re both very popular,” Sonenshein said. “For many people it’s a “win-win” situation.”
kira horvath/Daily Titan
Kyle Huitt, 2, puts the finishing touches on his pine cone rabbit.