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 A pair of swindlers make for an Argentinean odd couple in “Nine Queens”
INSIDE
—see Detour page 6
NEWS: CSUF event commemorates the 5 nhisorical tragedy of the Holocaust Fans bid thousands of dollars 8 nonsports: Luis Gonzalez’ used chewing gum
T h u r s d ay
Vo l u m e 7 4 , I s s u e 2 5
A p r i l 11, 2002
Campus department sends ‘fan’ nTECHNOLOGY: Financial Aid now uses e-mail to faster notify applicants of eligibility and award status By Scott Leeds
Daily Titan Staff Writer The Financial Aid Department’s primary source of getting information out is via e-mail. The department is calling this service F.A.N. mail, (financial aid noti-
fication). According to the department, this service will allow for a faster response time regarding student’s eligibility and award status. “This is one of the most exciting projects we have worked on in a long time,” said Deborah McCracken, director of financial aid. McCracken said this service is paving the way for other departments to provide a similar service. Other departments are paying close attention to the work the financial aid department is doing to send out these e-mails. McCracken also said that they have received student comment cards
College receives $20,000
that say the students appreciate the enhanced Internet services. “I find this service very helpful. You don’t have to wait in line or for the mail to come,” said biology major Darabvone Laliemthauisay. Through this service, the department wants to cut back on the use of paper and help students get the information faster. “It’s just so easy, I think students will get great information through this service,” said Ann Sciortino, associate director of financial aid. In order for the department to provide this service, they need a student’s valid e-mail address, whether it is the student’s on-campus or off-campus
address. Students can establish an on-campus e-mail address at www.fullerton. edu/titanonline. According to Titan Online, a student can access financial aid information Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sciortino said that by using e-mail, the Financial Aid Department is able to put links to Web sites that will help students find answers to their financial aid questions. Some examples of the links they will post on the e-mails are the I.R.S. (Internal Revenue Service), F.A.F.S.A. (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and online pre-loan counseling
Web sites. Sciortino also said that through this service they are able to post the necessary forms and documents required for financial aid. Students can then download, print and fill-out the forms they need. According to the department, students must use Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 or later versions to download the forms. Laliemthauisay said she did not have Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 when she received her first message, but was able to get the program fast and free. “Students are a little confused, but for the most part the response has been good,” said Cynthia Sanchez, a finan-
Martial arts teach focus
Circle of hope
nKUNG FU: The sport is attracting more and more women, which may be attributed to learned confidence By Yvonne Klopping
Daily Titan Asst. News Editor
nAWARD: The dean of business and economics was presented with a check by Pacific Life Insurance By Ricardo Sanchez, Jr. Daily Titan Staff Writer
The Center of Insurance Studies received a donation of $20,000 in front of more 100 students, mostly business majors, on Wednesday afternoon in the Titan Theater. “We give [the Glenn Schafer, president of Pacific Life Insurance, posed with Anil K. Puri, dean of the College money] to of Business and Economics, as snapped photos the organiza- photographers of the two holding an oversized cardboard check. tion we think Director of the CIS and professor of finance Weili Lu booked is the most Schafer to attend the event nine months before hand. “Having the support of the deserving companies such as Pacific Life is an important component of – you guys why we established the Center of Insurance Studies,” Lu said. deserve it.” Three years ago, the Pacific Life Company donated $10, 000 and the amount has increased Glenn $5, 000 every year for the last Schafer, two years. “We hope it continues to President of Pacific grow,” Lu said. Life Insurance Schafer said his company will continue to donate money to the CIS as long as the students continue to “work a little bit harder” than the competition. “We give to the organization we think is the most deserving—you guys deserve it,” Schafer told the students. Schafer and a group of Pacific Life executives also said
DONATION/ 5
cial aid adviser. The Financial Aid Department sent out their first batch of e-mails on March 11. There have been some problems, but the department has been working closely with the Information Technology division to make sure that problems are minimal. A peer adviser for the Financial Aid Department said that students are not reading the entire e-mail, and that the messages provide all the information students need. She said students get a message and then come to the Financial Aid Office for information, instead of doing what the e-mail instructs them to do.
valentin mendoza/Daily Titan
The Souled Out club holds its daily Bible study in front of McCarthy Hall on Wednesday.
When the Indian monk Bodhidharma arrived at the Shaolin Temple to teach Buddhism in China in 525A.D., the thought that women might show interest in Kung Fu would probably have not crossed his mind. The Chinese martial art Kung Fu has historically been a men’s sport. But when the Cal State Fullerton Kung Fu Club opened its doors this spring semester for beginners, the instructors seemed surprised that so many female students were present. The members of the Kung Fu Club gathered in the Physical Education Building at 7 p.m. on Tuesday to prepare for their performances that evening for students new to the class. Among the performances was the “Lion Dance,” which is meant to scare away evil spirits and bring good luck. It takes two people to execute the dance, which takes a lot of strength and flexibility. After stretching and warming up, the new students listened anxiously to head instructor T.J. Johnston, who gave a brief history of Kung Fu and its philosophy. “Kung Fu stresses every part of the mind and body,” Johnston said. “It’s a matter of focus, and one of the biggest problems people have is the ability to focus. Our goal here is to gain control of our body and to focus our energy.” Johnston is the “Sifu,” which means “teacher” in Chinese. He has taught this class as an assistant instructor since 1971 when the club was founded and has been the head instructor since 1986. Johnston said that Kung Fu gains its reputation mainly from movies like those starring Bruce Lee. “People think that Kung Fu is some super technique where you do some magic and press some buttons,” Johnston said. “You touch this and do that and people will fall down in front of you. But the magic lures them and is what keeps them here is the fact that they find they can actually learn beyond their capabilities.” According to Inquilab Magazine, the Shaolin monks lacked women to teach. Yet the most popular style of Kung Fu was created by a woman and improved upon by another woman for whom the style is named. This style is called Wing Chun. Johnston said that even though Kung Fu is traditionally a men’s sport, there were always a few women who practiced martial arts throughout the centuries. “Women seem to become more confident and more aware of their abilities,” Johnston said. “They are realizing that they have
KUNG FU/ 4
Opening minds to religion, spiritual After living in different Muslim countries, Deloy Baker left Christianity to be converted into Islam.
Ryan hoppe/ Daily Titan
nIdea: Questioning one’s faith can often lead to learning about different ideologies and even converting to By Yvonne Klopping
Daily Titan Asst. News Editor After living in Muslim countries for two years, a former Marine realized that he preferred Islam over Christianity. When Deloy Baker met his future wife, Meriem Merhari, he was convinced that someday he would convert to Islam. There are many reasons why people want to learn about other religions and why some of them even convert to a newfound faith. Baker, born in Chicago in 1973, said
he never had a very strong feeling toward Christianity. “It didn’t make sense,” he said. “A lot of things were confusing and people couldn’t explain it clear enough for me.” Baker converted to Islam on Dec. 24, 1998 at a Mosque in Irvine, eight months before he was going to marry his wife, whom he met in Morocco in 1997. Although she was Muslim, Baker said his marriage was not the main reason why he decided to convert. “Even if we didn’t get married I would have thought of converting,” Baker said. “After so many years of no religion and doing everything the opposite of religion, I was looking for direction in my life.” He was introduced to Islam in 1995 when he went to Indonesia with the Marine Corps for 15 months. When he went to Morocco in September 1996, he developed a greater interest in the Muslim religion. Through Merhari he learned more
http://dailytitan.fullerton.edu
about Islam. But it took him a while to understand and to realize that he would find the direction he was looking for. When he decided to convert, he said all he had to do was believe that Mohammed was the messenger of God and that there is only one God, Allah. Then the imam, a religious leader, asked him whether he was ready to make that decision. At the end, Baker received a certificate that was written partly in English and partly in Arabic, which certified that he now officially belonged to Islam. His family, however, had mixed feelings about his conversion. While his father only asked Baker a few questions about his son’s new belief, his mother did not react as calmly. “[My] mom totally flipped out and she didn’t talk to me for two years,” he said. Baker’s reason for converting is just one of many reasons people have when they decide to join a religion other than the one they grew up with.
Miki Toda, an international student from Japan, never belonged to any religion. Before she came to the United States in the summer of 1998 to study music at Chapman University, she had never been exposed to Christianity. Toda was introduced to Christianity through her host family who went to church every week. Toda joined them. However, she said she is not sure yet whether she wants to become a Christian. “I don’t know enough about their belief yet to be able to make that decision,” she said. Toda said she started reading the Bible two years ago, and “it’s too early to accept everything it says.” She goes to church every Sunday and attends Bible lesson every Friday. Toda said she has made many friends through her connection to the church, which is important
RELIGION/ 3