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British baller beefs up Cal State Fullertonʼs offensive attack 8
Sloppy joes and label hoes: fashion offenders distract students in classroom 5
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Friends mourn death of Titan After being struck by a car, CSUF student is remembered by many By NICOLE M. SMITH For the Daily Titan
The intersection at Nutwood Avenue and Titan Drive has returned to normal. The police and sirens are gone. Traffic flows smoothly. Many students using the crosswalk are unaware that this intersection was the site of a fatal accident that took place only a week ago. Mike Gilmore, a Cal State Fullerton student and employee, died at UCI Medical Center after being struck by a car on his way to work last Wednesday morning. Gilmore was a biochemistry major and worked as a tutor in math, physics and computer science at the University Learning Center. He was married with one daughter. Services for Gilmore were held last Saturday morning. Jan Felix, director of the Fullerton Institute of Religion, attended the service and described it as “uplifting.” Felix credits that to faith. “The spirit and the body shall be reunited again in its perfect form,” Felix said, quoting the Book of Mormon. He said this passage was appropriate for the service since Gilmore was disabled from an early age. Felix said Gilmore had started attending classes at the Religious Institute this summer. “Mike came through life with challenges,” Felix said. “Life became hopeful through faith.” Those who knew Gilmore collectively describe him as frail, yet bright and independent. Though he primarily got around
on a motorized scooter, he was able to use a cane that allowed for more mobility while tutoring and in the classroom. “He was independent. He wanted to do things on his own,” said Richard Deming, one of Gilmoreʼs professors. “He was very bright and articulate and always sat in the front and asked lots of questions.” Deming said Gilmore was a transfer student and this was his first semester at CSUF. In the center, a somber mood has settled over Gilmoreʼs peers and colleagues as they try to adjust to the shock. “No one had a chance to say goodbye,” said Brent Jones, a graduate student studying computer science. “It was a shock to all of us. Weʼre stunned.” Debi Lyn Esquivel, assistant director of the center, said she remembers the stains on the carpet where the wheels of Gilmoreʼs scooter had left their marks and how Gilmore would sometimes bring his daughter in and take her for rides on his scooter. “He was very tiny and frail, but smart, smart, smart,” Esquivel said. “He was a serious student and took his work as a tutor seriously.” The accident is still under investigation by the Fullerton Police Department. Senior Officer Scott Moore, who is conducting the investigation, was unable to be reached for comment. The driver of the car was also unable to be reached. Those who wish to make donations to Gilmoreʼs family should contact either Jan Felix at the Institute of Religion or Ebenezer Garcia and the student staff of the University Learning Center. “Appreciate the frailty of life,” Jones said. “As you get older, you realize you can die tomorrow and thereʼs no going back.”
CSUF talks plus/ minus
Cast away
Students and faculty discuss pros and cons of new grading system By JICKIE TORRES For the Daily Titan
HAUNTED 4
PLUS/MINUS 4
Early voting took place Tuesday afternoon near Titan Shops thanks to several organizations, including CSUF Votes and the Orange County Registrar of Voters.
Israel votes to leave Gaza
Parliamentʼs decision orders Jews to leave their settlements The Associated Press
JERUSALEM – Prime Minister Ariel Sharon won a historic victory Tuesday when parliament voted to approve his plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank – the first time lawmakers have authorized the removal of Jewish settlements from lands the Palestinians claim for a state. The 67-45 vote, with seven abstentions, gave strong backing to Sharonʼs plan to evacuate 21
settlements in the Gaza Strip, where 8,200 Jewish settlers live amid 1.3 million Palestinians, and four in the West Bank. “I think that the prime minister of Israel had a great victory tonight,” Vice Premier Ehud Olmert told CNN. Sharon won with the help of dovish opposition parties. Many members of his center-right coalition, as well as religious opposition parties, voted against him. Sharon had hoped a strong victory such as the one he secured Tuesday would allow him to fend off settlersʼ calls for a national referendum on the plan — something the prime minister has denounced as a delay-
By CRYSTAL LAFATA Daily Titan Staff
Ghost Run helps promote, raise funds for CSUFʼs Rec Sports By ISAAC FABELA Daily Titan Staff
SIERRA F. WEBB/Daily Titan
Senior Dan Bower won third place in the 5K Ghost Run and got a congratulatory shower of Gatorade by members of Lambda Chi Alpha. The event managed to dodge rainy weather. cise, others students arrived at the urging of their professors. “My grade depends on this run,” said Patrick Ward, a junior geography major at CSUF. “This is required for my jogging class. I feel Iʼm ready though, weʼve been jogging two miles a day. Iʼm going to finish this.” While students looking to better their grades made up a portion of the runners, there were those present who were running just for a challenge. Mandy Villagran, 29, is on staff in GHOST RUN 3
ing tactic by his opponents. However, immediately after the vote four key Likud ministers who had voted in favor demanded Sharon call a referendum or said they would resign from the government. The U.S. State Department praised the vote as a step forward in peacemaking with the Palestinians. “We think the withdrawal plan presents an opportunity to advance the interests of both sides,” Deputy spokesman Adam Ereli said. Sharonʼs victory came a day after he surprised both detractors and supporters by giving a speech accusing settlers of suffering from GAZA STRIP 4
Arboretum hosts Haunted Garden
Costumed volunteers take visitors through dark forest maze
the event, Wittwer said she is hoping to promote Rec Sports and let students know they are there to help out with fitness needs. “Weʼre trying to promote fitness and let students know that there is stuff to do here on campus,” Wittwer said. The ominous weather that threatened rain all afternoon did nothing to discourage those taking part in the run. Participants showed up early to register and make sure they were properly stretched before taking on the multi-terrain course. While some were there merely for exer-
guests will then embark on a journey through the deciduous forest section of the Arboretum to see spooky scenes featuring witches, lost maidens and other fantastic creatures. Guests will then walk over to the deck of Oak Hall for cookies, punch and dancing. Haller said there will also be a fortuneteller and a costume parade at Oak Hall. The idea had been simmering on the back burner for a while until Chris Barnhill, a member of Friends of the Arboretum, inspired Haller to actually hold the event. “Mary has spent countless hours putting together this event and she has really inspired people to help,” said Lore McKenna, event coordinator. “Her creativity has really contributed to its success.” With the help of about 70 volunteers, organizers have been busy painting, sewing and collecting props and decorations for the mazes, Haller said. “Weʼve been pulling things together from all different sources,” Haller said. “Some people cut wood for the headstones and others sew costumes for the tour guides.” Haller said a majority of the volunteers are members, but there are some students as well. One of those students is Peter Koenig, a graduate student studying biology, who
Students and faculty both agreed that there are pluses and minuses to the new plus/minus grading system being implemented in the upcoming spring semester, in a debate Tuesday afternoon. Two teams, one of students and the other of faculty, faced off on the issue. Faculty on the panel included Susan Shoho, a part-time lecturer for the Asian American studies program, and Michele Barr, a professor from the Kinesiology and Health Promotion Department. Faculty argued for the benefits of the new system. Shoho said the new system would help students who were on the higher end of the grade spectrum. “Differentiating between an A+ student and an A- student, this would give us a lot of leeway. There is a difference,” Shoho said. Barr agreed. “Right now, a student may be at the top of their category, but itʼs not reflected,” she said. With the current grading policy, students who earn anywhere in the 80 percent grade bracket would receive a B grade. With the new system, studentsʼ efforts may be more accurately represented. A B student who worked harder than another B student would be distinguished. David Kilgo, a political science and speech communications double major and panelist for the student side, argued that the plus/minus scale and its corresponding gradepoint value could actually hurt many students by affecting their GPAs. He said that the new system would penalize those at the lower end of each grade bracket, especially since the restructuring of the grade-point scale makes a C- a failing grade. “A C+ or a C- is still within the average score. That is what the C grade stands for,” Kilgo said. “It means that you did what you were supposed to do.” Under the previous scale, a C grade would have a grade-point value of 2.0.The new scale, according to the Academic Senateʼs University Policy Statements, outlines that the grade-point value for a C+ would equal 2.3, a C equaling a 2.0 and a C- to equal a 1.7. The faculty agreed with the students on this issue. Barr pointed out that itʼs not only the C grades that will suffer. “The minus in all categories is too low,” she said. Kilgo points out that the A students would be penalized too. The grade-point scale makes an A- worth 3.7, and both an A and an A+ worth 4.0. “There is no benefit for the student and no motivation to try hard,” Kilgo said. Kilgo also said the system is arbitrarily enforced since it is still the
DAVID PARDO/Daily Titan
Students compete in annual 5K race
The horn sounded Tuesday afternoon and 24 faculty, staff and students from Cal State Fullerton began the 2nd annual Ghost Run, a 5K run around the sports field on the north end of campus. Allison Wittwer, assistant director of programs for Rec Sports, helped coordinate the event and said she was happy with the turnout, but most of all she was glad Mother Nature held off the rain long enough for the event to go smoothly. “I was determined not to let it rain,” Wittwer said. “Iʼm glad it worked out. The event is growing; weʼve more than tripled our participants from last year.” Rec Sports, the organization that runs the pool, weight room and all intramural sports programs on campus, organized the run. By hosting
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Ghosts and goblins will adorn the Haunted Garden at the Arboretum as vultures lurk from trees and jack-olanterns float atop the pond. Although the event is not intended for children under 5, event coordinators said it should be fun for the whole family to dress up in costume and get out of the house. This will be the first Haunted Garden event at the Arboretum and is sponsored by the Friends of the Arboretum. At the front gate, tour guides dressed in black Dracula-style capes will meet guests. Because this is a family event, volunteers will not jump out to scare those who come to the Arboretum — unlike Knottʼs Halloween Haunt — but instead will spook people with scary costumes and scenes within a forest maze. Mary Haller, vice president of programs for the Friends of the Arboretum, said the event is not intended for toddlers because they might get too scared. “Some adults, believe it or not, are very afraid … more so than children,” Haller said. After the guides give sufficient warning about staying together, the