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CSUF wrestler Juan Mora hopes to finish his career on a high note 6
A touchy subject: Women discuss using technology for stimulation 4
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CSUF fights terrorism
Coming in for a landing
Congressman gives $99,000 to campus for water safety research By LAURA BEYER Daily Titan Staff
MARK RABE/For the Daily Titan
BMX pro Mike Parenti attempts to knock the hat off a daring participant in the Giant Bicycle Stunt Show Tuesday in the Quad.
Titans ASI grants $2,000 for receive fraternity’s flag football MESA money Fifteen Dirty Birds will represent CSUF at national tournament By DAVID BARRY
Funds to encourage math, engineering, computer science By ERIC GOMEZ Daily Titan Staff
Luz Ramirez is one of five community college transfer students awarded scholarships to pursue their educations in the math, engineering and the computer science fields. Ramirez and the other four students will each receive a total of $3,125 per year for the next three years to cover fees, books and to help with other services. Cal State Fullerton was awarded a total of $46,875 this fall in support of the program, now in its fifth year. “They were selected because of the shortage of students in these particular fields,” said Sergio Guerra, the director of CSUFʼs Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement program. “The purpose of this scholarship is to motivate these students to pursue these fields.” The United States used to have the highest number of students graduating with those types of degrees, Guerra said. Maria Robledo, a senior mathematics major, also received the scholarship this year and said the money she received would allow her to focus more on her schoolwork and less on having to worry about paying for it. Ramirez, a junior mathematics major, agreed. She said the money will help her reach the goal of becoming a high school math teacher and eventually move up to the community college level. “Because of this scholarship Iʼm able to not have to work and I can handle [my classes] a little more,” Ramirez said. Ramirez said she first understood the importance of pursuing a career SCHOLARSHIP 3
Daily Titan Copy Editor
The Associated Students Inc. Board of Directors voted Tuesday to allocate $2,320 for a fraternityʼs participation in the National Flag Football Championships.
The 15-member team that will wear the Pi Kappa Phi letters at the tournament in New Orleans over winter break includes ASI Vice President of Finance Ross McCollum. Walter Ruigu, an ASI board member, said he thinks the allocation of money is a potential conflict of interest. Ruigu is a member of the Ambassadors Club that received controversial funding last month for a trip to Chicago to participate in the American Model United Nations
conference, as reported in the Daily Titan on Dec. 1. That decision divided ASI board members and prompted ASI President Philip Vasquez to issue a memo citing his lack of faith in the boardʼs ethics. During Tuesdayʼs meeting, the last one for the fall semester, Ruigu questioned why Vasquez endorsed the flag football request with its potential conflict of interest in light of ASI 3
Congressman Ed Royce (RFullerton), a Cal State Fullerton alumnus, allocated $99,170 to the College of Engineering and Computer Science to support research for a water hazard mitigation system to help combat terrorism. This is the first of many possible installments to CSUF research in this area. The project and others like it are part of a hope that terrorist attacks can be prevented through academic research. “The tragic events of Sept. 11 have demonstrated the need for the United States to be ready for terrorist attacks from unexpected sources using unconventional techniques,” Julianne Smith, a representative for the congressman, said. “The center is working to protect and manage our water resources infrastructure so as to mitigate the safety and health impacts of communities should any emergency situation arise.” With the threat of terrorism at Americaʼs door, Congress is constantly trying to stay one step ahead of would-be perpetrators. One aspect Congress is concerned with is the protection of Americaʼs waterway resources. “The research at the center will address issues of water distribution and supply infrastructure vulnerability, emergency response plans, formulating and testing strategies to address threats to water resources such as physical damage, bio-terrorism, chemical contamination and
Hanukkah lights up Nixon Library Evening ceremony pays tribute to Jewish history, traditions By KYLE McCORY Daily Titan Staff
The Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace will hold its 7th annual Hanukkah celebration at 6 p.m. to commemorate the Jewish faith on the first full day of Hanukkah. Congressman Gary Miller will open the event, which will continue with the lighting of the menorahʼs second candle by Rabbi David Eliezrie, a member of the North County Chabad Center. The celebration of Hanukkah
began with religious oppression by Greeks thousands of years ago. Greeks believed in many gods while the Jews believed in one. Hanukkah symbolizes the renewal of their faith while also celebrating the miracle oil, which burnt for eight days, according to www. jewishmag.com. It is said the Jews found a vial of oil that was expected to burn for only one day, but instead burnt for eight full days. According to the Web site, God made the miracle oil to show the importance of spiritual purity in the Jewish faith generation after generation. Eight days after Dec. 2, Jewish people light a candle to commemo-
Buybacks available through Web sites ERIC GOMEZ/Daily Titan
In celebration of the first night of Hanukkah, Stephanie Schubert pieces together a paper menorah during Hebrew school Tuesday at the North County Chabad Center in Yorba Linda. rate the eight days the oil had burned years ago. It is also accompanied with a gift exchange between close friends and family. Once the candle is lit at the Nixon Library, the event will con-
tinue with traditional music performed by the Temple Beth Tikvah junior choir and also by the Tarbet VʼTorah day school. “We really enjoy the choir,” said
By LAURA BEYER Daily Titan Staff
Many students might be planning to travel abroad over the winter break or may even want to spend a semester studying in a foreign country. Now, another way to get out of the country and experience a new culture is being offered through
i-to-i Volunteer Travel. Through the program, volunteers travel abroad to help people and save the planetʼs natural resources. Each year the program sends individuals of all ages and backgrounds to other countries in hopes of making a difference in the lives of the volunteers and the people they encounter. Some volunteers have never been outside of the United States or their home states for that matter, when they decide to venture out of their comfort zone to a foreign country.
“Itʼs great to be immersed in a new culture. I was forced to get out and get involved,” said Natalie Andrews, 19, a former ito-i volunteer who taught English in Brazil. “Iʼm from Utah. Itʼs not very diverse here so it was nice to get out.” Others are just looking for a change of pace from everyday life and find it exciting to travel to another country. Cheryl Friedman, the marketing manager of i-to-i, said she became interested in the volunteer travel
Online trading makes reimbursements for used texts accessible By DANIEL J. PRECIADO For the Daily Titan
program when she volunteered for the first time in one of the programs. “It was actually a career break for me,” said Friedman, who spent two weeks in Belize working with Manatees. “I had just divorced, lost my job and needed to do something more worth while.” Volunteers can also select their own curriculum such as where they want to go and what they would like to do.
Itʼs that time of year again. No, not Christmas. Itʼs the end of the semester. The time of year when Cal State Fullerton students finish finals and can finally put away their textbooks. Or better yet, they can sell them. Titan Shop has already raised the tent for the upcoming textbook buyback. Whether students choose to sell their textbooks back to the campus bookstore, Little Professor Book Center, Textmart or other local bookstores is entirely up them. All stores claim to give back 50 percent of the original price, if the book can be used again next semester. If not, the books can be sold back at a wholesale price. In some cases, books cannot be sold back at all. “If we have an adoption for a book for the next term, we will pay
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Volunteer travel makes difference in world Students can assist others while visiting foreign countries
cyber attack on distribution systems,” Smith said. Mallela S. Prasada Rao, a CSUF professor of civil environmental engineering, is working on creating sensors to identify any foreign substances placed in the water supply that could be harmful to our drinking water. “We will be doing basic research of ways to protect against contamination of main waterways,” Rao said. Programs like this one put CSUF in a prominent position to help fight terrorism. “The scope and impact of the research will be felt throughout the nation, as CSUF is expected to be a national resource for help, guidance, training and material in mitigating hazards to water systems,” Smith said. CSUF researchers could have a good deal of time and necessary funding for the tasks at hand with the project. “The money put toward the research is only one installment of hopefully many to come,” said Valerie Orleans from CSUFʼs Public Affairs. As for future government funding, administrators cannot predict whether the research provided will prove favorable to its benefactors. However, members of Royceʼs office said they think highly of the work performed by CSUF in the area of this research and as an academic facility. “California State University at Fullerton is one of our stateʼs — and nationʼs — leading institutions,” Smith said. “These funds will enhance ongoing research at the universityʼs Water Hazard Mitigation Center.”