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Premiere college sports rivalry will feature two of the top lefties in the nation 6
Fullerton students get ‘Off the Hookah’ with Titan Internet Radio show 3
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
We d n e s d a y, M a r c h 2 3 , 2 0 0 5
Alumna authors story of scandal
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Protestors confront governor on budget
Dakota dancing
Firefighters, teachers, nurses brave rain to bring voice to issues
voted for the guy, but he’s turned out to be just another politician,” adding that due to a lack of funds, the William Kettler Elementary School in Huntington Beach will be closing. “Parents are very upset and kids are very upset,” he said. At a small table in the upscale Hyatt Regency lobby, pro-Schwarzenegger volunteers Sharon Sherwood, of Anaheim Hills, and Stephen Sanford, of Huntington Beach, collected signatures for petitions to get the education and pension issues on the November ballot. “He’s going to take it to the people,” Sherwood said. Sherwood, whose husband was inside the fundraiser’s ballroom, said that those in attendance would probably be served “political chicken.” She said that despite the high cost of these fundraising functions, they usually serve chicken. Attendees at the governor’s fundraiser paid up to $100,000 per plate according to the Orange County Register. Sherwood said she received more signatures than usual from Schwarzenegger supporters who expressed a negative reaction to the protestors. Linda Hendren, a Cal State Fullerton alumna and a teacher in
had personally approached him and given him specifics on the process. “They never asked me to do a budget proposal,” Caranza said. “They may have e-mailed me, but I’m not the type to check my email.” Kevin Hermanen, former associate director and current executive director of CLC, said there was no possible way that Caranza didn’t know he was supposed to prepare the budget. “There was a folder with his name on it in the CLC office with details about the budget,” he said. “He knew it was there; it sat there for two months.” Hernanen said that during the months of January and February, there wasn’t much communication between him and Caranza, but he
assumed that everything was fine. “It seemed like everything was going great,” he said. “I was trying to give him the benefit of the doubt.” After three weeks of unreturned phone calls and e-mails, Hernanen took the issue to the CLC board. “I left over 20 messages on his cell phone,” Hernanen said. “He basically disappeared for two months. Despite missing the deadline, the CLC may still receive funding next year. Buzan said that there was no reason that the CLC shouldn’t get approved for next year’s budget if the CLC had a valid appeal. Buzan said there are three reasons the ASI can make exceptions to funding and budget rules: if there was an act of prejudice, excessive
jurisdiction or fraud. Buzan said the CLC’s case was based on a fraudulent act. “Caranza led the CLC board on,” he said. “I was flatly a victim of fraud.” Buzan said they would file a civil suit against Caranza if legally feasible. He said they are investigating to see if Caranza left an evidence trail, proving that he never intended to do his job. “We are going to pursue this to the limit of the law,” he said. Hernanen said that if a civil suit were filed, it would be because Caranza did not work for two months, but remained on salary. “He basically was paid for two months and didn’t do anything,” he
Daily Titan Staff
By Carolina Ruiz-mejia Daily Titan Staff
de La Torre 4
Nurses, teachers, firefighters and representatives from their respective unions protested Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s fundraiser at the Hyatt Regency Irvine Tuesday night. Protestors decried the governor’s budget cuts to education and nursing and reductions to state employee pension plans. “We want safe staffing in the hospitals … we want to retain our pension plan and we want to keep giving good education for our students,” said Dinorah Williams, a labor representative for the California Nurses Association. Huddled together in the rain, some with umbrellas, some without, the crowd shouted in unison for Schwarzenegger to be recalled by the same special election process that got him in office. “It was very peaceful, and cooperative,” said Dave Mihalik, deputy chief with the Irvine Police, who estimated the crowd at 2,000. Signs and banners read vari-
ous messages including “Teachers Lose, Students Lose”; “Fully Fund Education”; “Oust the Educator”; and “Our kids are not small interests.” Via megaphones and loudspeakers the crowd chanted various slogans such as “We will win,” and “Heyhey, ho-ho, Schwarzenegger’s got to go.” Representatives from Schwarzenegger’s office could not be reached for comment Tuesday afternoon. Chris Mowrer, a spokesman from California Assemblywoman Lynn Daucher (R-Brea), said that while protesting was a constructive way of airing different perspectives, the current budget presented some difficult choices. “It’s all part of the dance. I don’t mean that to be flippant at all,” Mowrer said of the budget protests. “It’s all part of the process every year, and for change there are going to be people who, for whatever reasons, are afraid to go there.” He said Daucher, vice-chair of the education committee, remained dedicated to keeping education as a top priority. Dan Shepard, a protestor with the West Orange County United Teachers, said he was upset that Schwarzenegger was not funding schools as he had promised last year. “I think the governor needs to keep his word,” Shepard said. “I
By David Barry and Amanda Pennington
CSUF grad shares struggles as child of unmarried mother
Cal State Fullerton alumna and author, Gloria De La Torre-Wycoff, 73, shared her experiences as a child born out of wedlock and as an adult returning to school to an audience of about 70 people at the Pollak Library Tuesday afternoon in an event sponsored by the Women’s and Chicano Resource centers and the university’s Educational Opportunity Program. In her memoir titled “Scarred by Scandal — Redeemed by Love: The Triumph of an Unmarried Mother,” the former CSUF student told about her mother’s struggle as a single mother. “This memoir is dedicated to my mother. Unmarried, banished, left to care for, nurture, and bear responsibility for her three children,” wrote De La Torre-Wycoff in her book dedication. “It is also dedicated to other unmarried mothers and their children.” De La Torre-Wycoff’s book was born out of anger, she said. A year after her mother’s death, the family still gossiped about her mother’s love affair with a brother-in-law. “My mother loved my father until the day she died,” the author said. The author and an older brother were born out of this “scandal.” The love affair led to Maria being ostracized from her family. Despite all the obstacles, an immigrant woman, a single mother raising three children with no family support, Maria overcame the odds with strength and courage, De La Torre-Wycoff said. The author, who described her mother as loving, intelligent and generous, said her mother never said anything negative about her father, and at age 77, still attended adult school because she loved to learn. Additionally, she held many different jobs to support her children. As a result of her mother’s life story, De La Torre-Wycoff said the fact that single mothers are usually blamed for pregnancy bothers her. “[Single mothers] bear shame and burden,” she said. “It shouldn’t be a shame to raise children alone.” The number of births for single mothers in the United States rose from 90,000 in 1940 to 400,000 in 1970, De La Torre-Wycoff said, citing the U.S. Census Bureau. By 2002, the births to unmarried mothers numbered to 1.6 million, she said. De La Torre-Wycoff said she felt like an outsider because she was born out of wedlock. She said she never felt as though she was a part of a true family. To her, a family included a father, a mother and children, as taught in school, she said. De La Torre and her family often moved and also lived in boarding and foster homes, she said, adding that she has lived in 18 different places. It was not until she was in her 40s that De La Torre-Wycoff accepted what her mother had gone through, she said. As part of this acceptance and a desire to honor her mother, the author changed her last name, Moreno, to De La Torre, her mother’s last name. In 1977, at age 46, De La TorreWycoff enrolled at CSUF and in 1980 received her bachelor’s degree and the EOP Outstanding Graduate award. While a full-time student,
Vo l u m e 8 0 , I s s u e 2 4
Suzanne Sullivan/Daily Titan
Tawny Hale participates in a Dakota Sioux modern dance for the Association for Inter-Cultural Awareness exhibition in the Quad on Tuesday. Her sister, Leya Hale, is president of the Inter-Tribal Student Council on campus. Tawny is a member of the American Indian Dance Theatre.
protest 3
ASI approves legal clinic’s late budget request College Legal Clinic seeks funding, blames employee for fraud By Jaimee Fletcher Daily Titan Staff
Cal State Fullerton’s College Legal Clinic issued an appeal at Tuesday’s Associated Students Inc. meeting in an attempt to be included in the current year’s budget. The CLC said they missed their budget proposal deadline in January because of the failures of their former executive director, Gerardo Caranza. ASI approved the CLC’s late request for budget approval but inquired as to what happened. Bert Buzan, political science pro-
fessor and board member of the CLC, said the clinic did not present a budget proposal, and ultimately received no funding, because Caranza did not do his job. Buzan said he asked Caranza numerous times if he had prepared a budget proposal, adding that Caranza told him he had. The board, however, recently discovered that a budget had not been passed, and the CLC is currently not in the budget for next year. Buzan said he felt betrayed by Caranza. “He looked in my face and lied to me. I’ve never had that happen before,” Buzan said. Caranza shrugged off any responsibility for the failures, saying he didn’t do anything wrong. He said he knew it was his job to present a proposal, but that no one
Titans raise scholarship funds for children’s stuttering center Jo Jo’s Pizza donates half of proceeds to campus speech clinic By Virginia terzian For the Daily Titan
With the vision of a future where a child who stutters doesn’t become an adult who stutters, the Center for Children Who Stutter, a non-profit speech clinic located on campus, will be having a fundraiser Wednesday March 23 at Jo Jo’s Pizza Kitchen in Brea to help earn money that will aid in funding scholarships for children in the program. Two Cal State Fullerton honors students, Ashley Mains and Andrea Wagner, both senior public relations majors, are organizing the fundraiser as part of their honors project. “Our project is running a public relations campaign for the center,” Wagner said. The pair is working in conjunction with the National Student Speech Language and Hearing Association, a club that has coordinated several fundraisers to help support the center.
“NSSLHA is a group that always works to help the center,” Wagner said. The group hopes to earn at least $200 through the fundraiser, however its greater goal is to inform people of the CCWS. “Not a lot of people know that the center exists, so part of our goal is to get their name out. They’re right here
“
We will use every dollar earned to assist the families who cannot afford therapy. Sherry Wolff CCWS Director
” and no one knows about it,” Wagner said as she pointed to the door near Nutwood Café in College Park. The center was founded in 1995 by Glyndon and Jeanna Riley, Robert Emry and Elizabeth Mechling; four individuals working with graduate students and faculty members in
Communicative Disorders. The center’s current director, Sherry Wolff, was one of the first workers at the center when she took her position in 1999. “There are very few clinics in California that specialize in stuttering,” Wolff said. “We are also unique in that we offer therapy using a sliding scale, meaning families receive therapy for a very low fee.” Main said that the cost for a child to engage in the program is roughly $2,500, yet with scholarships the cost for families can be much less. “The center offers a worthwhile goal, and the program works to help people who otherwise couldn’t afford this program,” Mains said. “The majority of the children at the center are on scholarship,” Wagner said. The fundraiser will take place all day at Jo Jo’s Pizza Kitchen. To take part in the fundraiser, supporters must mention the CCWS when ordering their food and Jo Jo’s will donate 50 percent of all pizza and pasta sales to the center’s program. “We will use every dollar earned to assist the families who cannot afford therapy,” Wolff said.
ASI 3
Jaw-dropping defeat
Suzanne Sullivan/Daily Titan
At the Off Campus Pub, Anthony Fabrizzi (right) and Rick Contreras watch CSUF lose to Georgetown in the NIT tournament on Tuesday. For full story, see page 6.
2 Wednesday, March 23, 2005
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Today
Dress rehearsal
MARCH 23, 2005
“Using Sex for Love” will be the topic of discussion today from noon to 1 p.m. The event will be presented by Linda Chassman in UH 205 and cover topics like teens engaging in sexual behavior to developing emotional intimacy.
Document: Bin Laden evaded U.S. forces
The Department of Geological Sciences will host a presentation today in MH 327 at 4:30 p.m. Gary Petersen from San Diego State University will discuss “The Great Martian Climate Change.”
WASHINGTON – A terror suspect held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, was a commander for Osama bin Laden during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s and helped the al-Qaida leader escape his mountain hideout at Tora Bora in 2001, according to a U.S. government document. The document, provided to Associated Press reporters in response to a Freedom of Information request, says the unidentified detainee “assisted in the escape of Osama bin Laden from Tora Bora.” It is the first definitive statement from the Pentagon that bin Laden was at Tora Bora and evaded U.S. pursuers.
Check out the Career Center today from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. and learn about different job searching and networking strategies in LH 210G.
Explosion in Beirut kills two, police say
The women’s tennis team will be on the Titan Courts today at 2 p.m. The team will be challenging the Boise State Broncos.
BEIRUT, Lebanon – An explosion devastated a business center on a commercial street in Lebanon’s Christian heartland, a stronghold of the antiSyrian opposition, early Wednesday, killing two people and wounding two others, police said. LBC TV, the leading station in the country, said three people were killed and eight wounded.
Grab some lunch and find a seat at the Becker Amphitheater from noon to 1 p.m. The Gym Class Heroes will be putting on a free concert today. You can also catch them opening for Fall Out Boy tonight at the House of Blues Sunset Strip in West Hollywood. The show starts at 7 p.m. and the cost is $15.
Baghdad shopkeepers kill three militants BAGHDAD, Iraq – Shopkeepers and residents on one of Baghdad’s main streets pulled out their own guns Tuesday and killed three insurgents when hooded men began shooting at passers-by, giving a rare victory to civilians increasingly frustrated by the violence bleeding Iraq. The clash in the capital’s southern Doura neighborhood erupted when militants in three cars sprayed bullets at shoppers, Interior Ministry officials said. Three people – a man, a woman and a child – were wounded.
The Association for Inter-Cultural Awareness will sponsor a “Stop the Hate” workshop from noon to 1 p.m. in the TSU Titan Theatre. From 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. they will be hosting the “AICA Next Top Model” in the TSU Pavilion.
Nation Schiavo’s parents file new court appeal TAMPA, Fla. – Warning that Terri Schiavo was “fading quickly” and might die at any moment, her parents begged a federal appeals court Tuesday to order the severely brain-damaged woman’s feeding tube reinserted. David Gibbs III, attorney for parents Bob and Mary Schindler, told the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta that the 41-year-old woman might die before they could get a chance to fully argue their case that her rights are being violated. The appeal came after a federal judge in Tampa rejected the parents’ emergency request.
Motive sought in Minn. school rampage RED LAKE, Minn. – Authorities were trying to determine Tuesday what caused a teenager to gun down his grandfather, put on the man’s police-issue belt and bulletproof vest and drive his squad car to a high school, where he began shooting his classmates. Jeff Weise, who authorities said was 16 or 17, killed nine people and wounded seven Monday before trading gunfire with a police officer and shooting himself. His motive still wasn’t clear Tuesday, but the FBI said the shootings appeared to have been planned in advance.
State Vandalism leads city to close skatepark SCOTTS VALLEY – Graffiti has led to closure of the city’s skate park. The skate park was closed Saturday – and won’t reopen until Wednesday – because a teenager was caught spray painting on the porous concrete Saturday night, police Sgt. John Hohmann said. There was about $400 damage. Reports compiled from The Associated Press
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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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Christopher Whipple, a Cal State Fullerton junior directing major, carries clothes across campus Tuesday afternoon for a play he is directing.
Events
in history
March 20
1996: Erik and Lyle Menendez found guilty of killing their parents. 1992: Janice Pennington is awarded $1.3 million for accident on “Price is Right” set. 1991: Supreme Court rules unanimously that employers can’t exclude women from jobs where exposure to toxic chemicals could potentially damage fetuses. 1914: First international figureskating tournament held in United States, New Haven. 1868: Jesse James Gang robs bank in Russelville, Ky. of $14,000.
March 21
1983: Only known typo on Time Magazine cover (control=contol), all recalled. 1972: U.S. Supreme Court rules states can’t require one-year resi-
dency to vote. 1952: Tornadoes in Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, Mississippi, Alabama and Kentucky cause 343 deaths. 1866: Congress authorizes national soldiers’ homes. 1349: Three thousand Jews killed in Black Death riots in Efurt, Germany.
March 22
1995: Deputy Gov. of Bank of England, Rupert Pennant-Rea, resigns following revelations of his affair with a freelance journalist. 1991: Pamela Smart, a high school teacher, is found guilty in New Hampshire of manipulating her student, and lover, to kill her husband. 1965: United States confirms its troops used chemical warfare against the Vietcong. 1954: First shopping mall opened in Southfield, Mich. 1790: Thomas Jefferson becomes the first secretary of state for the United States.
March 23
1994: Howard Stern formally announces his Libertarian run for New York governor. 1981: Supreme Court rules states could require, with some exceptions, parental notification when teenage girls sought abortions. 1929: First telephone installed in White House. 1839: First recorded use of “OK” on Boston’s Morning Post. 1657: France and England form alliance against Spain; England gets Dunkirk.
March 24
1989: Worst U.S. oil spill, Exxon’s Valdez spills 11.3 million gallons off Alaska. 1958: Elvis Presley joins the army (serial number 53310761). 1981: “Nightline with Ted Koppel” premieres on ABC. 1924: Greece becomes a republic. 1898: First automobile sold. Compiled from brainyhistory.com
Come enjoy a low and high impact dance workout that incorporates the elements of modern dance, hip-hop and salsa in the Cardio Dance class tonight from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in KHS 264. Drop-In Fitness classes are free to CSUF students. 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.
Weather
forecast
Wednesday, March 23 Partly Cloudy Low 48°
61°
Thursday, March 24 Rain Low 48°
60°
Friday, March 25 Mostly Sunny Low 46°
65°
Compiled from The Weather Channel
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Daily Titan
protest
news@dailytitan.com • (714) 278-4415 from page 1
the Placentia-Yorba Linda School District, said she was protesting because, “I don’t believe in what the governor is doing for public education, to public education … I’ve been an educator for 37 years and my special interests are the kids in my class.” “Special interests” have been a recurrent theme in Schwarzenegger’s attempts to gain public backing for his budget and various ballot initiatives. “[Schwarzenegger] said he won’t meet with special interest groups, he calls us special interest groups,” said Lew Currier, with the Los Angeles County Fire Department. “But he’s having $20,000-$80,000 dinners with people that are paying to be with him in a room to support this and yet he hasn’t met with the president of the [California Professional Firefighters] in over a year in office, saying we’re a special interest.” Currier said as a professional firefighter he volunteers for his union, but that doesn’t mean he represents a special interest. “Everywhere [Schwarzenegger] goes, we’re going to be there, and we’re going to be protesting him until this is over … before we started doing this he’d stroll around, smoking a cigar, shooting off one-liners, and now he comes in the back door.”
By Mariana PaVón For the Daily Titan
Since Jessica Smillie became Cal State Fullerton’s Intramural Sports coordinator, participation in the Rec Sports program has increased, and some have said it’s no coincidence. “Numbers have gone up in our programs since Jessica took the position,” said Andrea Willer, Rec Sports director. Smillie said that since last spring,
Airwaves bring M.E. to the O.C. Titan Internet Radio hosts Middle Eastern interactive talk show By Noura Al Anbarv Daily Titan Staff
Amanda Pennington/Daily Titan
Undeterred by the pouring rain, protestors chant, “Hey-hey! Ho-ho! Schwarzenegger’s got to go,” outside the Hyatt Regency on Tuesday night where Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was hosting a $5,000 to $100,000 per plate fundraiser. Irvine police and hotel security guards kept protestors on the sidelines and directed traffic. The protestors included nurses, teachers, parents and students.
All ‘Smillie’ for Intramural Sports
Alumna increases campus participation in Rec Sports program
Wednesday, March 23, 2005 3
the number of leagues in the 5x5 Basketball league has increased by 10 teams, bringing the league team count to 15. In addition to increased participation, Smillie’s Rec Sports colleagues said she is also responsible for lifting the spirits of the program. “She has brought more excitement,” said Jen Cabeje, membership services coordinator for Rec Sports, adding that due to her marketing skills, Smillie is effective at work and “she runs a good program.” Smillie is dedicated to her job; though she is scheduled to work five days out of the week, she goes to work on her days off in order to
get the job done. She said her job expectations are high, but that she always strives to lend a hand. “She is wonderful,” Willer said. “Jessica is a team player and helps others.” “When you love your job, you look forward to it,” Smillie said. There are three new leagues offered this semester. Co-ed softball, which is one of these leagues, is coordinated by Smillie. Smillie also oversees Intramural Sports and is the Sports Club Interclub Council adviser and director of the Titan Youth Sports Camp. Her positions allow her to work with youth in the community during the summer.
Smillie said that she focuses on having good programs that will encourage students to get involved in school activities. “We want them to have fun,” she said. Smillie became coordinator of Intramural Sports on Jan. 3, following her previous position as Games and Rec manager. She said her interest in sports began when she started playing sports at the age of 5, adding that she worked at the YMCA when she was 16-years-old as a recreational leader. While at Orange Coast College she played basketball. Smillie, who graduated from CSUF in 1998 with a major in kinesiology and health promotions, said her ultimate career goal is to become a recreations director in the community or at a university. For now, “I am having a blast and I love what I do,” she said.
Middle Eastern student voices are shaking up Sunday nights at the Titan Internet Radio station. Middle Eastern Student Society members, along with other sponsors, set up “Off the Hookah” last semester for students interested in listening to a unique interactive talk show about culture, politics, religion and sports – from the Middle East to the Orange County. The Internet radio talk show airs every Sunday from 7p.m. to 8p.m. Students can get “Off the Hookah” by tuning in to the live show at http://tir.fullerton.edu/. By calling in, students get a chance to win free gifts and speak to guests live. Last week, the talk show invited Arabic composer and rapper, Shady Nasar to the station. Nasar accepted calls from encouraging fans and family and spoke about some of the people that inspired him during the time he composed his musical pieces. Students involved in the show said that “Off the Hookah” spends its hour-long show raising local and international political issues and providing entertainment updates and guest appearances. “Every week is different depending what the issue of the week is,” said Rashad AlDabbagh, president of MESS. “Last week we had the whole show about the situation in Lebanon, Syrian intervention in Lebanon and
ASI
from page 1
said. Caranza said that he gave a short notice of resignation from the position, but ultimately he says he didn’t do anything wrong. “I didn’t steal anything, I didn’t do anything illegal,” he said. Caranza said he has no hard feelings, but CLC simply wasn’t for him. “I don’t want anything to do with
the things going on after Harirri’s assassination.” The show’s founders, Fahmi Farahat and Talal Al Kaissi, said they hope the show will reach a variety of students from different ethnic backgrounds with different cultural and political interests. “I thought it was a good idea to outreach to the students,” Farahat said. “Our targets are the Americans who are interested in Arabic culture, but don’t know much about it – the political science majors, or people who are interested in knowing what’s going on in the Middle East and specifically Arab-Americans.” “From the M.E. to the O.C.” is the slogan of “Off the Hookah,” representing the idea behind the show: news, entertainment, and sports updates from the Middle East to Orange County. They update listeners with the Middle Eastern views, as well the views of Arab-Americans here in Orange County. “We wanted to give it a cool theme to target college students,” Farahat said. “We thought of something cultural and Talal came up with ‘Off the Hookah.’” The “Off the Hookah” crew consists of Lina Al-Agha, Rashad AlDabbagh, Talal Kaissi and Fahmi Farahat, a group of Middle Eastern students, some of which are Radio/ TV/Film majors providing a voice for different countries in the Middle East. “I think people should listen to us because there is such a good integration of different types of people here and [because] we all can sit down in a forum and talk about Middle Eastern issues, helping us recognize our identities,” Al-Agha said. ASI or CLC. There’s so much needless bureaucracy,” he said. “I got over it. I want to enjoy my last year of college.” ASI questioned how the CLC would prevent situations like this in the future. Buzan said he would avoid similar circumstances by hiring students that he knows are trustworthy. “I personally am going to be extremely reluctant to vote for someone that was not a student of mine, a person not known to me,” he said.
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Wednesday, March 23, 2005
De La Torre
News
Witnesses take stand in Samantha Runnion trial
from page 1
De La Torre-Wycoff also worked at the EOP office on campus for seven years. Prior to that she worked as an EOP student recruiter at Rio Hondo Community College. Working with students inspired her to resume her studies, but she was still somewhat reluctant, she said. Two Rio Hondo Community College counselors also encouraged and advised De La Torre-Wycoff to enroll in school, she said. Her first response was, “Do you realize that when I finish this, I’ll be almost 50?” De La Torre-Wycoff’s academic life continued after CSUF. In 1982 she received a full scholarship through the Hispanic Field Services Program at the University of Southern California, where she graduated with a master’s degree in public administration two years later. With her book, De La TorreWycoff said she hopes to inspire single mothers to attend school and liberate themselves from any fears or burdens they might feel as single mothers. Dane Wycoff, De La Torre’s second husband, said he would describe her as sensitive, loving and familyoriented. De La Torre serves as a perfect example to be all you can be, said Rosalina Camacho, coordinator for Women’s Cultural Resource Centers. The stories of Chicanas and Latinas need to be heard, not only the ones of famous authors, she said.
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Factory worker faces charges in murder, sexual assault case The Associated Press
Lauren Hargrove/Daily Titan
Following Gloria De La Torre-Wycoff’s presentation, she autographs a copy of her book “Scarred By Scandal-Redeemed By Love” for Fatima Gonzalez, a junior child and adolescent studies major.
SANTA ANA – The two friends were playing outside on a summer evening when a man pulled up, approached them with a story about a lost puppy and then whisked away 5-year-old Samantha Runnion. It was the start of one of the most notorious crimes in recent Southern California history, an abduction and murder that prompted a massive outpouring and grief for a girl whose nude body was found the next day in mountains 50 miles away. “He just picked her up,” Samantha’s playmate, Sarah Ahn, said Monday. “She was screaming ... She was shaking, kicking, trying to get loose.” Ahn, now 9, was the among the first witnesses as the trial began for Alejandro Avila, a 30year-old factory worker charged with kidnapping, sexually assault and murder of Samantha on July 15, 2002. He faces the death penalty if convicted. Ahn’s description helped produce a composite sketch that closely resembles Avila. She testified that she couldn’t remember all the details of the night of the abduction, and the defense focused on elements of her description that don’t match the defendant or his car. Assistant District Attorney David Brent, speaking to jurors in opening statements, outlined a prosecution case that includes cell phone and debit card records, scrapings of Avila’s DNA from beneath Samantha’s fingernails and genetic material from the 5-year-old found in two places
inside the defendant’s car. A sample of the girl’s DNA discovered along the inside of the passenger door may have come from Samantha’s tears, Brent said, though later he added that it was also consistent with mucous. Defense attorney Philip Zalewski, meanwhile, suggested to jurors that Samantha’s DNA was planted inside Avila’s car, claiming that an earlier search turned up no genetic material linking him to the abduction. Brent rejected the accusation and said the earlier search was only for fingerprints.
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None of this has been easy. But it will be especially difficult to revisit all of the details ... Erin Runnion Parent of Victim
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“What I thought was frankly outlandish was the suggestion that the evidence was planted. ... It’s very disturbing to me that they would even suggest that. It’s not the way law enforcement works in this county,” Brent told reporters outside the courtroom. In his opening statement, Zalewski said Avila’s DNA found beneath Samantha’s fingernails was improperly collected and that there were a number of inconsistencies in witness accounts. Avila took a rambling drive through parts of Orange and Riverside counties on the day of Samantha’s disappearance because he was upset about a recent breakup with his girlfriend, he said. “Please keep an open mind,” Zalewski told jurors.
Samantha’s mother, Erin, sat in the second row of the courtroom with her husband, Kenneth Donnelly. When Brent mentioned the DNA that may have come from the child’s tears, she shielded her eyes with one hand and looked down. “None of this has been easy,” she said in a statement. “But it will be especially difficult to revisit all of the details as they are filtered through the parameters of a courtroom.” Samantha’s nude body was found a day after her disappearance along a highway between Orange County and the Riverside County community of Lake Elsinore, where Avila was living with his sister. Her corpse appeared to have been posed and an autopsy determined she had been sexually assaulted before she died, Brent said. More than 4,000 people attended her funeral and the case prompted California to immediately post alerts on freeway signs whenever a child was abducted. The girl’s death came amid a string of incidents involving children, including the murder of 7-year-old Danielle van Dam of San Diego and the abduction of 15-year-old Elizabeth Smart in Utah. Avila was arrested three days after Samantha’s disappearance when authorities received a tip from the family of a child who he was previously accused of molesting and lived in the same complex as the Runnions in the city of Stanton. In 2001, Avila was acquitted by a Riverside County jury of molesting two girls. Last month, Orange County Superior Court Judge William Froeberg said prosecutors could tell jurors about the previous allegations and call the alleged victims as witnesses.