C A L I F O R N I A
S T A T E
U N I V E R S I T Y ,
F U L L E R T O N Women’s basketball makes a valiant effort at the Big West Tournament, but comes up short
INSIDE Opinion: Chancellor Reed answers to 4 ncharges made in a Daily Titan column
—see Sports page 6
news: The real world behind reality 8 nTV is questioned. How long it will ‘survive’?
weekend
Vo l u m e 7 4 , I s s u e 1 1
M a r c h 8, 2002
African female image
nLECTURE: Professor Helen Mugambi explores how art portrays women in cultural gender roles By Michael Matter
Daily Titan Staff Writer
Ryan Hoppe/Daily Titan
Helen Mugambi spoke about African art and images Wednesday.
To Cal State Fullerton English and comparative literature Professor Helen Mugambi, image is everything. “The idea of images fascinates me,” Mugambi said. “Images of ourselves help us to define our place in the world.” Yesterday, Mugambi gave a Women’s History Month lecture, “Women and Feminist Expressions in Africa,” dressed in traditional-style African clothing colored in brilliant black and gold.
But the audience laughed when she revealed that she had purchased the outfit at a Riverside swap meet. Sometimes images can be deceiving. “We must look at the hidden meanings behind images, not just at the surfaces,” Mugambi said. Make no mistake about it, Mugambi is as African as the art that she surrounds herself with. “All art that I collect is narrative, it tells a story,” she said. The standard image of rural African women is that of Mother Africa carrying children, pots, jugs and firewood in the domestic service
of men. This reinforces rigid cultural gender roles regarding the division of labor that are still followed today. “Most literature portrays rural African women as silent, without a voice,” Mugambi said. “I am interested in finding women’s voices. We go to the wrong places to hear their voices. If we would go to the right places, we might be able to hear ... certain feminist expressions cannot be seen if you don’t go to where the women gather in rural Africa, down by the river.” They go to the water to socialize and share experiences amongst themselves. They entertain themselves by
laughing at their men. “When the men hear this call of laughter they say that they are really scared because they know that they are being ridiculed,” Mugambi said. Mugambi said that this image has propagated itself through time and space and is now the dominant image of African women in Europe. She is surprised at the amount of art she sees in the United States of African women carrying water and wood. Contrary to this image, times are changing in rural Africa.
IMAGE/ 5
Linking Greeks together
nCONSTRUCTION: Retrofitting is pushed back to evening, so that classes are not disrupted by the noise By AnnaLiza Ganchingco Daily Titan Staff Writer
Over the next few months, construction will take place to the College Park Building to make it earthquake safe. However, due to noise interrupting classroom instruction, construction sites on the College Park premises will remain vacant until after 7 p.m. “One time my professor even told them [the workers] to stop and I think they did for a little while,” said Debbie Nagasawa, a graduate student majoring in communicative disorders. When construction started on the building, work was completed during the day when most classes were held. But a major concern of the retrofitting project was the amount of noise that would take place. “The work being done will strengthen the overall structure of the building and create an atmosphere where students can sit and relax while waiting,” said Fred Zandpour, the associate dean for the College of Communications. A few of the classes have been relocated to other buildings on the main campus. However, due to lack of space, Zandpour said lab classes were hard to relocate, and many of the students have to withstand the noise. “I think they could have done it during winter session or on the weekends,” said Marisa Thomas, a public relations major. To help alleviate the problem, construction workers have agreed to start work later. In doing so they will avoid disturbing classes. The majority of the work will be in the core of College Park, the area where the elevators are located as well as the outside walls. The outside structure of the building is in the process of being stripped of the old material so that a stronger resin type of material may be put on. Also, the large arches located at the entrances to the building will be removed and the columns will be widened. This will create a strong base for the building. Other renovations will include trophy and display cases placed on the first and basement levels. A large flat screen television will also be placed in the lobby area of the building. The flat screen will loop student news broadcasts and important bulletins regarding the Communications Department. More benches will be placed inside on the first floor as well as the outside
RETROFIT/ 5
Chris Dunn/Daily Titan
Black fraternity Kappa Alpha Psi and sorority Sigma Gamma Rho hold a hot-link fund-raiser for their combined philanthropies. Kappa Alpha Psi was founded on the campus of Indiana University Jan. 5, 1911. Seven women came together Nov. 12, 1922 with a desire to enlighten the nation and formed Gamma Sigma Rho. .
Economists study effects of air quality Titan nENVIRONMENT: A reduction in smog and other toxins keeps children healthier and parents at work By Jenn Stewart
Daily Titan Staff Writer Two environmental economists from Cal State Fullerton have been researching the adverse effects of smog on school-aged children for the past seven months. Late last year, Jane Hall and Victor Brajer received a $22,000 grant from the California Air Resources Board to study the economic gains for government when the health of children ages 8-18 is improved as a result of cleaner air. “All of our work to date has shown significant benefits from more healthful air,” Hall said. “And [it also shows] that we have achieved substantial gains in air quality.” Brajer and Hall’s study is analyzing the number of school absences and hospitalizations and their relation to ozone concentration and exposure. “While it has been known for decades that elevated levels of [pollution] contribute to adverse health effects in children and that reducing concentrations
results in health benefits, only recently Since then, no clean air act has been has a significant attention been paid to passed in California until Proposition 40 the economic value of last Tuesday. those health benefits,” While cleaner air may Hall said. be improving the health “All of our The study, which of California’s children, began last August, is there also have been based on data collected work to date advances in medical techfrom school districts and nology that could account hospitals in Los Angeles for the fewer illnesses and has shown and Orange counties hospitalizations. between 1990 and 1999 Ray Gera, research significant and is very close to being analyst for the City of complete. Huntington Beach, said “We think that there while cleaner air is a pribenefits... ” might be substantial ority, there are many reaeconomic benefits from sons why children may cleaner air as a result of be going to school when Jane Hall fewer school absences they’re sick or not getting Enviromental and hospitalizations than sick in the first place. Economist would have occurred had “I can see how their the air not gotten cleanresearch could be misleader,” Hall said. ing,” Gera said. “There When the Federal Clean Air Act are too many other variables: children’s passed in 1990, it required that states diets, exercise habits and overall better implement their own strict laws regard- health resulting from improved healthing air pollutants. care technology.” http://dailytitan.fullerton.edu
The real question Hall and Brajer are trying to answer is whether or not the regulations on air quality are economically beneficial to California, Hall said. By calculating the amount of money saved by parents not having to stay home with sick children, or spending unnecessary money on doctors and prescriptions, this study will have an effect on future studies. “I have three children and I usually end up spending about 10 to 15 days a year staying home with them when they are sick,” said Natalie Markham, an advertising executive. “I’ve never thought of their illnesses as being related to air quality, but I know how far behind I get at work when I have to stay home for even two days.” Like many parents, Markham does not have the luxury of a nanny, so when her children fall ill, she must put her life on hold to care for them. “If this study shows that air quality has a direct effect on my kid’s health and my wallet, then I’m all for stricter regulations,” Markham said.
extras online n
Check out the Daily Titan online this year at http:// dailytitan.fullerton.edu. Video news clips will be on the Internet this semester!
u p co m i n g n
Look out for the second story in the series about the statistics of young alcohol drinkers on CSU campuses