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ASI parties around block
By NIYAZ PIRANI Daily Titan Staff
By ERIC GOMEZ Daily Titan Staff
Above: Senior marketing major Mohammad Waren struggles to keep down the apples during the pie-eating contest that ASI held last Thursday. Waren put up a good fight and received prizes for runner-up. Right: ASI board member Mina Moradian receives a free snow cone during the ASI Block Party event outside the TSU. ASI sponsored the event, handing out free food, games and prizes from noon to 8 p.m. campus activities. Each table that was lined up in front of the TSU represented a different section of the center and the services they have to offer to students, Plascencia said. ASI PARTY 3
Photos by JACQUELINE LOVATO/Daily Titan
Panelists discuss inequalities in U.S. CSULB professor says American democracy becoming plutocracy By SHANNON ANCHALEECHAMAIKORN Daily Titan Staff
The “Perspectives on Democracy” conference, held at the Titan Student Union at Cal State Fullerton on Friday, invited political experts and media representatives to speak on various topics involving the role of democracy in the world. One of the panels, titled “Inequality and Democracy,” explored and attempted to shed light on how to resolve some of the difficulties the United States is encountering with
democracy. According to the panel, these problems stem from the lack of government spending on social services and differences among the nationʼs increasingly diverse socioeconomic and ethnic citizenship. Professor Charles Noble, from the Political Science Department at Long Beach State, said that because of the increased campaigning against re-distributional tax programs, the nation cannot fund desperately needed social programs. “In comparative perspective, this is a very harsh and unforgiving brand of capitalism,” Noble said. “There is a bigger gap between the rich and the poor in the United States than in any other western democracies.” Noble added that when analyzing the data of inequality across rich
democracies, the single most important factor is the extent to which the government takes action against it. “Because we spend less on social programs, the United States really makes sure its markets have a final say of who gets what, and markets donʼt care about equality,” he said. In studying political participation records, Noble said he found that not only do records map a personʼs level of education, but they also map levels of income. As a result, wealthier households who donate to campaigns have better access to the shaping of public policies and are the people who run the major institutions of our society. According to Noble, there is a growing trend among the Democratic and Republican parties to gain the support of wealthier households,
therefore evolving into what Noble calls a “plutocracy-plus.” “Plutocracy-plus is when you have competing elites running campaigns in which they appeal to the top 20 percent of the electorate for money and support, and the rest of the electorate wanders around confused,” said Noble. Noble said the direction American politics is going is dangerous to a society that prides itself on full participation and equal opportunity. Professor Ronald Schmidt, also from Long Beach Stateʼs Political Science Department, carried the discussion on to exploring the idea of whether or not democracy can be diverse in the United States. “In order to realize democracy in DEMOCRACY 3
Fullerton charity sells clothes, raises funds Proceeds go toward curing blindness and helping the sick By KYLE MCCORY Daily Titan Staff
The Fullerton Breakfast Lions Club held a fundraiser selling designer clothes at discount prices at the Anaheim Park Hotel last Saturday for charity. The event featured new, quality women and menʼs designer apparel that was overstock from leading
CSUF poll scrutinized Survey accused of perpetuating political bias against candidate
Event introduces students to campus fun, involvement
With 30 seconds left in the contest, freshman Christian Navarro struggled to devour the remaining pieces of his apple pie. “You just won the pie-eating contest…what are you going to do next?” a bystander shouted from the crowd shortly after his win. “Disneyland,” Navarro said victoriously. His prize was two tickets to the park, compliments of the Titan Student Union. Navarro, along with three other contestants, which included ASI President Philip Vasquez and Executive Vice President Mona Mohammadi, took part in a pie-eating contest Thursday during the 6th annual ASI Block Party. The event, with this yearʼs theme “On the Boardwalk,” served as a way to expose the facilities that the Associated Students Inc. and the TSU have to offer, said Deanna Plascencia, ASI director of public relations. “A lot of students donʼt know about ASI and they donʼt know about the TSU,” Plascencia said. “Thatʼs why we are out here.” Navarro said the pie-eating contest was the first time he had participated in a campus event, but said he would like to be more involved in
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national department stores at discounts up to 93 percent off original retail prices. Members of the community gathered at the hotel to buy the clothes, along with jewelry, candles and holiday decorations. Fashions by Ralph Lauren, Jones New York, Calvin Klein and DKNY were some of the brands available. “We are a non-political organization,” said David Crawford, secretary of the organization. “Helping people is our only goal.” The club is a large charity with over 46 organizations in Orange County that helps people around the
world who have illnesses and do not have means to health care. One of the charityʼs main goals is to cure blindness, having helped over 100 million people, Crawford said. “All we do is help people,” he said. “We train doctors and have clinics around the world.” The funds raised by the non-profit charity, that has members as young as 15 and as old as 85, go directly to people in need. One of the main attractions at the sale was a jewelry stand set up by Cookie Lee, which sold everything
from holiday broaches to pearl necklaces. “Women love this stuff,” said Trish Luckett, one of the companyʼs sales representatives. “Iʼll be working for this company for the rest of my life.” Shoppers ranged from the elderly to mothers and some also shopped for their children. Janice Crawford, 34, picked up a shirt by Baby Phat for her 2-year-old daughter. “My husband helped put on this fundraiser,” Crawford said. “There are really good prices here.”
The Cal State Fullerton Social Science Research Center isnʼt rating high on public opinion lately. The center is in hot water for a poll conducted in Irvine to determine public opinion of candidates running in the upcoming Nov. 2 elections. The poll, which was bid at $16,308, is under the microscope regarding questions that Councilman Mike Ward said are false accusations. According to the Los Angeles Times, “the Irvine survey was paid by HTP and Associates, which is run by Ed Dornan, a political backer of Mayor Larry Agran. Agran, whose term ends in November, is backing Wardʼs opponent, Councilwoman Beth Krom, to succeed the mayor while he runs for a council seat.” As a result, the Social Science Research Center is being accused of conducting a push-poll, an underhanded political tactic that is designed to ruin the reputation of a political candidate. “The poll was a political poll to determine strengths and weaknesses of the candidates in the city of Irvine,” Dornan said. “The poll was 90 questions, but only five were questionable because they were losing issues for Ward.” Dornan said that questions about Wardʼs vote to scrap the Great Park, his vote to allow a jail into Irvine, endorsements to build the Hollywood Park racetrack in Irvine, the time a mayor should spend in city hall and workforce housing were interpreted as leading questions. These issues generated negative backlash when Ward claimed that he was misrepresented by the poll. “The SSRC does not take a position with regard to any candidate for political office,” said Greg Robinson,
director of the center. “Our primary goal is to assist non-profit and taxsupported agencies and organizations to answer research questions that will lead to improved delivery and public policy. We are fundamentally concerned with providing high-quality research services.” As accusations from Ward about the center conducting a “push-poll” echoed through the community, Greg Robinson and university officials, including President Milton A. Gordon, needed to figure out their next step. The major issue was that the Social Science Research Center is part of two entities: the Cal State Fullerton Foundation and the university. Because the poll shed a negative light on CSUF, there was a debate on whether to uphold the contractual obligation of confidentiality or to divulge the source of the poll as a way of restoring faith in the university. “The SSRC is housed in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, but the contracts are executed by the Cal State Fullerton Foundation,” said Paula Selleck of public affairs. “Money from grants does not go to the university, it goes to the foundation, because the university cannot accept cash.” Selleck said the laws about public record take precedence over contractual agreements and that the poll and its related information were released to the public because it was the appropriate thing to do. “Because of Dr. Gordonʼs quick response, I think the accusations are taken care of,” Ward said. “This has indirectly helped my campaign because people know that what is thrown out at me is dirty politics rearing its ugly head in Irvine.” Dornan said a breech of contract occurred when his information became public knowledge because the poll was his intellectual property and belonged to him. “I think that Gordon acted outside of his authority because of his POLL 3
Titan among 3 dead in car crash Police investigating if crash was related to late night street racing By ANNA LOUSTAUNAU For the Daily Titan
Three people, including a Cal State Fullerton student, died in a West Los Angeles car crash earlier this month. According to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, the speeding car was sheared in half at 3:15 a.m. when it smashed into the corner of a building, killing a 51-year-old pedestrian and the two occupants of the car on impact. The driver of the car, Jeff Domond, a 22-year-old CSUF senior communications major, and 21-year-old passenger Marvin Washington, were thrown from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. A 2004 Nissan 350-Z, traveling much faster than the 35 mph speed limit, struck a third, unidentified man, the police report stated.
The Nissan hit the corner of a building and sliced in half, its front and back ends found hundreds of yards apart from each other. The identity of the pedestrian was withheld from the press on account of waiting to notify the relatives, the coronerʼs office told the Tribune. The cause of the Sept. 6 collision is still under investigation as authorities try to determine whether street racing was the culprit. Witnesses told television news crews that they recalled the Nissan racing another vehicle, which sped away after the crash, apparently unharmed. “Any time our campus community loses a student, it is a very sad and unfortunate situation for us,” said Kandy Mink, dean of students. “We want to try to keep all our students safe and hope they have good experiences with us. It is so unfortunate that Jeff Domond was involved in this tragic accident.” Those close to Domond said they ACCIDENT 3
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2 Monday, September 27, 2004
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Today
Smells like team spirit
SEPT. 27, 2004
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World
A one-nun comedy, “Late Nite Catechism,” will be presented in two-acts that features fun with Catholic school teachings at the Laguna Playhouse at 7 p.m. Naughty audience members might find themselves on stage in a corner reflecting upon their actions. More information can be obtained by calling the Laguna Playhouse at (949) 497ARTS.
Pearl slaying suspect killed in Pakistan KARACHI, Pakistan — Paramilitary police killed a suspected top alQaida operative wanted for alleged involvement in the kidnapping of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl during a four-hour shootout Sunday at a southern Pakistan house, the information minister said. At least two other men were arrested. Amjad Hussain Farooqi was wanted for his alleged role in the kidnapping and beheading of Pearl in 2002 and two assassination attempts against President Gen. Pervez Musharraf in December 2003.
The 8th Annual Jerry Goodwin Alumni Golf Tournament will be held at the Yorba Linda Country Club at 8 a.m. Net proceeds benefit student scholarships and university programs.
Nation
The Fullerton/North Orange County Chapter Womenʼs American Organization for Educational Resources and Technological Training will be holding a membership party at the Temple Beth Tikvah, located at 1600 N. Acacia Ave. For tickets, call (714) 7381987.
Latest hurricane takes 5 lives in Florida HUTCHINSON ISLAND, Fla. — Jeanne, Floridaʼs fourth hurricane in six weeks, piled on destruction in already ravaged areas Sunday, slicing across the state with howling winds that rocketed debris from earlier storms and torrents of rain that turned streets into rivers. At least five people died in the storm. Jeanne came ashore in the same area hit three weeks ago by Hurricane Frances and was headed for the Panhandle where 70,000 homes and businesses remained without power because of Hurricane Ivan 10 days earlier.
Come watch cowboys and Indians (Dallas Cowboys versus Washington Redskins) duke it out during Monday Night Football at 6 p.m. at the Off Campus Pub, located on Nutwood Avenue across from CSUF. Happy Hour starts at 4 p.m. so go early to get a good seat at the bar.
Israel claims killing of Hamas operative DAMASCUS, Syria — In a hit claimed by Israeli security officials, a senior Hamas operative was killed in a car bombing Sunday outside his house in Damascus, the first such killing of a leader of the Islamic militant group in Syria. Izz Eldine Subhi Sheik Khalil, 42, died instantly in the explosion which wounded three bystanders. Witnesses said he was speaking on his mobile phone as he put his white Mitsubishi SUV in reverse before it exploded about 10 yards from his home.
Local Car hits bicyclist at university crosswalk FULLERTON, Calif. - A bicyclist was hit in the crosswalk at Nutwood and Commonwealth avenues early Thursday morning. The Fullerton paramedics, police department and fire department responded to the 911 call made at 9:37 a.m. Lt. Bastreri, the on-duty watch commander, confirmed that the bicyclist was hit by a car and said that there was no severe damage. Officer Abercrombie was on the scene and he discussed the importance of bicycle safety. Abercrombie stressed that bicycles need to be walked through crosswalks, although it is unclear whether the victim was riding his bike at the time. The driver of the vehicle that struck the cyclist declined to comment.
Small plane crashes at Fullerton airport FULLERTON, Calif. - A small plane crashed seconds after taking off from the Fullerton Municipal Airport on Saturday, just missing the control tower and slamming into a parked car in which two women were sitting. The two men aboard the 1986 Bushmaster plane, identified as Jay Yoshinaga, 45, of Gardena, and pilot Anthony Albanese, 46, of Brea, were being treated at the UCI Medical Center, Fullerton Police Lt. Joe Valley said. The women, both from Buena Park, were treated and released. The crash occurred in front of hundreds of people who were at the small Orange County airport for “Airport Day.” Compiled from The Associated Press. Ashlee Andridge, Daily Titan Staff, contributed to this report.
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The Daily Titan is a student publication, printed every Monday through Thursday. The Daily Titan operates independently of Associated Students, College of Communications, CSUF administration and the CSUF System. The Daily Titan has functioned as a public forum since inception. Unless implied by the advertising party or otherwise stated, advertising in the Daily Titan is inserted by commercial activities or ventures identified in the advertisements themselves and not by the university. Such printing is not to be construed as written or implied sponsorship, endorsement or investigation of such commercial enterprises. The Daily Titan allocates one issue to each student for free. Copyright ©2004 Daily Titan
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Women on Cal State Fullerton’s volleyball team put their hands together in an expression of solidarity during a three-game sweep against Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in the Titan Gym on Friday night. Read the full story on page 6.
Cop
University Police log for the BLOTTER week of Sept. 19-Sept. 25
9/19 00:59
9/22 07:03
9/19 08:32
9/22 07:36
A traffic stop occurred at Chapman Avenue and the 57 freeway. An arrest was made. Graffiti was found on McCarthy Hallʼs east side balcony. No suspects were found.
9/19 12:58
A suspicious man wearing a dirty white T-shirt and dirty khakis was reportedly riding the elevator in Langsdorf Hall scaring people with fake lizards. Police could not locate the man.
Graffiti was found in the fifth stall of the menʼs bathroom in the Visual Arts Center. No arrest was made. A purple Porsche with smoke coming from the windows was spotted near the Nutwood Parking Structure. Police responded, but no smoke was coming from the vehicle.
9/22 10:56
A woman suspected of road rage was reported driving a small burgundy car in the Nutwood Parking Structure. Police were unable to locate the suspect.
9/22 17:45
A white female with long brown hair wearing a white shirt was seen starting a fire at Milton and Terri places. The woman reportedly rode a bicycle to Lot G afterward, though police were unable to locate her.
9/23 14:19
Police responded to a medical aid call after a woman near the elevators in the Nutwood Parking Structure had difficulty breathing. The woman was taken to Anaheim Memorial Hospital.
9/23 19:44
A professor alerted police after spotting defiant students skateboarding in the Nutwood Parking Structure. The students were given warnings.
9/24 06:42
Graffiti was found in the menʼs restroom on the first floor of the Humanities Building. No suspects were found.
9/24 09:22
A concerned woman reported a suspicious vehicle with no license plate parked in two parking spots. The woman was worried her vehicle would be hit and she would have recourse because the vehicle had no plates. The vehicle was cited.
9/24 22:53
A caller from the Sigma Nu house on Terri Place requested police assistance after being advised by the dean of students to contact University Police if problems occur with previous residents, Sigma Alpha Epsilon. Police assisted the fraternity.
9/24 23:38
A man called for assistance after being threatened by other students in retaliation for kicking them out of a party. Police responded to the scene.
The Fullerton Museum Center will be presenting the art show, “The Virgin of Guadalupe: Exalted and Empowered” until Oct. 15. The show will feature works that highlight the use of the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe and its impact on culture and society. The museum is located at 301, N. Pomona Ave and is open from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. daily. For more information, call (714) 738-6545. The Society of Professional Journalists will hold its first general meeting of the semester today from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Discussion will include upcoming events for the semester followed by a presentation from guest speaker Laura Matz of the Career Center. All events are free and on campus unless otherwise indicated. If you would like to have a specific entry put in the calendar section, please send an e-mail to news@dailytitan.com.
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Monday, Sept. 27 Mostly Sunny Low 63°
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Tuesday, Sept. 28 A.M. Clouds/P.M. Sun Low 59°
79°
Wednesday, Sept. 29 Partly Cloudy Low 59°
73°
Compiled from The Weather Channel
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West Nile Virus slows in California
from page 1
support of the Irvine candidate,” Dornan said. “If this had happened on the campus I taught at for 30 years, they would have ridden him out of town on a pole.” Dornan, who has yet to pay for the services done by the center, said, “They breeched my contract and I want to know if my pollʼs results have been given out. I didnʼt say I wasnʼt going to pay for the poll, Iʼm waiting for the issue to be resolved.” Dornan said his attorneys would probably hold conversations with the president and his council, but that Greg Robinson is a consummate professional and that neither he nor Robinson would use a push-poll. To avoid problems like the Irvine poll from happening again, Gordon said that a committee would be set up with faculty, staff and outsiders to solidify appropriate standards, policies and procedures to evaluate services under consideration by the Social Science Research Center. “Our reputation statewide for survey work and evaluation research is excellent,” Robinson said. “It takes only a single incident, however, for the accomplishments of the past to be overshadowed.” With the future of this conflict in the air, the university hopes to move forward on the issue and continue to service the community in a nonpartisan fashion. “It was a mistake to do [the poll],” Gordon said. “We learn from our mistakes and go on.”
Drop in reported cases attributed to cooler temperatures The Associated Press
SHANNON ANCHALEECHAMAIKORN/Daily Titan
Panelists Charles Noble, Ronald Schmidt and Dwight Smith participate in “Perspectives on Democracy.”
DEMOCRACY
from page 1
this country, weʼre going to have to figure out how to deal with differences in a way that provides equal respect and equal voice without necessarily making everyone the same,” Schmidt said. In respect to the womenʼs movement, everyone should have an equal chance to compete, Schmidt said, but problems still arise by doing this. As women moved into management positions in the workforce,
they found that men had established the rules of the game, he said, adding that this situation consequently “forced women to have to operate in a manʼs world.” Schmidt also said that although we live in the most diverse society in the world, “we care most about people who are most like us, and that would suggest a real dilemma for a country which wants to be a democracy.” Dwight Smith, founder of the Catholic Worker in Santa Ana, which provides housing for the homeless, spoke about the difficulties of living
in a diverse society. After approximately 14 years disputing with the city of Santa Ana over the housing of homeless people on his property, Smith said, “The city of Santa Ana has done almost nothing lawful with regard to the homeless and the homeless children that live with us.” Smith also said the socio-economic differences in Santa Ana are clear and are an increasing problem. “Santa Anaʼs a real hard town to live in, and I think increasingly Americaʼs becoming a very hard place to live in,” he said.
LOS ANGELES – A statewide drop in West Nile cases in recent weeks has raised hopes that this yearʼs epidemic may soon end. At least 586 human cases have been confirmed, with the number declining steadily since late July and early August, according to state statistics. More than 130 people were confirmed to have the virus between Aug. 7 and Aug. 20 while only 30 cases were reported in the following three weeks. Cooler climate combined with measures to combat mosquitos such as spraying wetlands and draining stagnant pools of water have helped contain the virus mostly to Southern California despite fears it would sweep across the state, officials say. “We feel it could have been far worse,” said Dr. Carol Glaser, acting chief of the viral disease section of the state health department. “We think itʼs settling down, but weʼre keeping our fingers crossed.” The first West Nile death outside of Southern California was reported
ACCIDENT
from page 1
could not have predicted such a calamity to happen to someone so youthful and full of life. Domondʼs father, Joseph, remembers him as “someone with a big heart, who loved life and was always there to lend a hand to anyone.” Domond was preparing for graduation in the spring and interning in Hollywood. He was constantly hanging out with friends during his time off, his father said. Domond leaves behind a legacy of love and trust to his family and friends from
ASI PARTY
from page 1
Universal Studios, Sea World and Knottʼs annual Halloween Haunt event promoted their discounted tickets that the Information and Services Center sells to CSUF students. ASI was also promoting itself and was informing students about the scholarships that were available through its program. “We have leadership and scholarship opportunities,” Plascencia said of the ASI. “We offer different ways to get involved.” Onlookers saw a juggling stilt walker roaming the patio. Students stuffed their faces with free Krispy Kreme donuts while others played carnival games. Some booths gave away scantrons as prizes. The Aquarium of the Pacific from Long Beach set up their traveling “touch tank” where people could see and feel underwater creatures such as anemones, sea urchins, and starfish. A fortuneteller and a caricature artist proved to be popular with
last week in Tehama County. Sixteen Californians have died from the virus this year. In contrast, Colorado recorded 63 deaths last year while Texas counted 37. Some California blood banks, meanwhile, have seen a steep decline in the rate of infected donors. San Bernardino County has been hit especially hard, with one in 200 donors testing positive for the virus in August, officials said. That rate now stands at nearly one in 1,800. “We actually slowed down considerably in September,” said Dr. Frederick Axelrod, chief executive of the Blood Bank of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. “What this tells us is the epidemic is subsiding, and we really expect that by the end of October, it should be gone.” At the same time, authorities are urging residents to stay vigilant. “People should not relax,” said Dr. Jonathan Fielding, Los Angeles Countyʼs public health director. “Thereʼs been a diminution of West Nile cases, but we really donʼt know whether itʼs permanent or temporary.” West Nile, first discovered in California in 2003, usually infects more humans the second year before tapering off in the third, officials said. his 22 years. “He will never be forgotten,” his father said. “It is regrettable when a young person makes a poor choice that leads to a terrible tragedy such as this,” said Rick Pullen, dean of the College of Communications. “The loss is felt by so many people and causes great grief and pain for the family.” Investigators have not disclosed whether the driver was at fault or confirmed if another vehicle was involved. “Our hearts and thoughts go out to the family,” Mink said. students, many of whom braved the long lines for their respected services. The sounds of San Diego-based punk band, Offset, blasted throughout the TSU patio and rocked to a scattered group of students in the Becker Amphitheater. ASI Productions presented a magic show in the TSU Pub in the evening and showed free film screenings of “Spiderman 2” in the Titan Theatre, a first for the event. “The college experience isnʼt just about going to class,” said Erin Dolbey, ASI board of directors for the College of Arts. “Itʼs also about being involved and being aware of whatʼs going on.” Dolbey said that the block party is an entertaining way to introduce students to what is available to them through ASI and the TSU, and added that it is more effective than just passing out flyers. “[The block party] is a lot more fun and a lot more inviting. Thereʼs a lot more to offer,” Dolbey said. “We want to get people excited about getting involved.”