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Warning issued about vacation behavior Jury Approximately 2,500 U.S. citizens arrested overseas each year By Olivia Hamra For the Daily Titan
The U.S. State Department recently issued a document warning young Americans of the consequences they may encounter if they engage in reckless or illegal behavior while on their spring or summer trips. “Spring break offers a great opportunity to travel, but students traveling abroad should make themselves aware of the laws, cus-
toms or standards of the country they are visiting in order to avoid turning their dream vacation into a nightmare,” said Angela Aggeler, spokeswoman for the Bureau of Consular Affairs. According to the BCA reports, approximately 2,500 U.S. citizens are arrested overseas each year, and one-third of these arrests are on drug-related charges. When travelers are arrested and detained, they might not know that there is very little anyone can do to help. An American consular officer cannot get anyone out of jail, nor can they represent those charged or offer legal counsel. “There is no get out of jail free card,” said Tom Kelly, assis-
tant press spokesman for the U.S Embassy in Mexico. If a traveler in a foreign country is caught buying, selling, importing, carrying or using drugs, it can lead to some very harsh penalties. Consequences include interrogation and delays, followed by trials – potentially involving mistreatment and solitary confinement for up to one year under very primitive conditions and/or extensive trials conducted in a foreign language with delays and postponements. If convicted, suspects may face weeks, months or life sentences in foreign prisons that may incorporate harsh labor, weighty fines and callous lashings. “Realize you are in another coun-
try and obey that country’s laws. It’s so easy to travel to Mexico, and since they don’t require visas, people feel they are just going from state to state,” said Jim Dickmeyer, press spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Mexico. “The laws here are not the same as in the United States and people need to be aware of that.” When drugs are involved, bail is most often not an option. There is nothing anyone can do because once a person leaves the United States, U.S. laws and constitutional rights do not apply. “Just as when a Mexican visits the U.S, they are subject to U.S. law. It works both ways,” Kelly said. In many countries, the burden of proof is on the accused to prove
their own innocence, and evidence obtained illegally by local authorities may be admissible in court. Few countries offer drug offenders jury trials or even require the prisoner’s presence at their trial. “The consular can visit you in jail and give you a list of attorneys,” Dickmeyer said. However, they cannot guarantee the professional capability or reliability of the attorneys, nor can they suggest one. “ ,” he said. The consular can also inform family members and communicate requests for money or aid, but only with consent. They can dispute exploitation or abuse to the approTravel safe 3
Japanese anime not underground interest anymore
A walk in the clouds
Campus club created for student enthusiasts of overseas animation By Michael Ocampo Daily Titan Staff
James Carroll/Daily Titan
Clouds fill the sky over White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico as participants in the Bataan Memorial Death March near the halfway point of their 26.2 mile high desert trek.
Huddled together in darkness, a clan of students sit spellbound, staring intently at the vibrant, surreal images on the projection screen. The expressions on their faces—amusement, horror, revulsion, wonderment—can only be deciphered from the glow emanating from the canvas. They are mesmerized by tales of animated zombies, ninjas, nerds and puppet-controlled robots; pizzas and soft drinks surround them; and every now and then, someone roars a battle cry of approval.
Competition includes 100-mile desert race By Joseph Gavica Daily Titan Staff
Typically, most students work on final projects, presentations, experiments or a thesis during their senior year. This can be a dull and excruciating experience for some students. Cal State Fullerton mechanical engineers may have found a way around the sometimes-dull motions of completing a degree. To help combat the tedium of grad-checks, advisements and papers, CSUF engineers build a race car and travel to Arizona to race it in
said Samuel Barill, project manager of SAE International’s Collegiate Design. “Winners receive monetary awards along with a trophy, but that is not all that is gained by competing in these events.” The object of the competition is to provide SAE student members with a complex project that involves planning and manufacturing tasks commonly encountered when introducing a new product to the consumer industrial market, Barill said. “The Mini-Baja project is an integral part of our capstone design series of classes,” said Jesa Kreiner, project advisor of the Mini-Baja competition and mechanical engineering professor at CSUF. Kreiner said the classes – namely EGME 414 and EGME 419 – repre-
sent the climactic experience of the mechanical engineering program. “Student members of the SAE function as a team to design, build, test, promote and race a vehicle within the limits of the rules,” said Brian Detro, the team captain of CSUF’s racing team and senior mechanical engineer. According to the SAE Mini-Baja competition rules, each school is given the same 10-horsepower Intek Model 20 engine donated by the Briggs and Stratton Corporation. The engine cannot be modified in any way and every school must use the same fuel. Also, each year the SAE competition requires that each school’s Mini-
children as young as 7 are acting out sexual behaviors – such as having oral sex with a sibling or attempting intercourse, she said. “This problem is not mentioned often because we don’t want to recognize it,” Chassman said. “People don’t want to think about children having sex.” The average age for the onset sexual behavior is about 11 and 12, with some children engaging in sexual acts as young as 5, she said. Abuse is cyclical, she said. Abused children and teenagers attempt to repeat the behavior they were victims of when they act out a sexual behavior, Chassman said. When imitating the learned behavior, they don’t understand what they have gone through or what they are doing, she added. There are some children and teenagers who engage in this type
of behavior as a form of retaliation because they were abused either physically or sexually, she said. These kids are angry and want to hurt others, she added. Children and teenagers engage in physical sexual behavior because of a lack of appropriate affection and attention in their families, the Chassman said. “Acting out a sexual behavior fills the emptiness within.” “So many of us are hungry for a connecting relationship,” Chassman said. “If we experience a sexual [encounter] we get the feeling of closeness.” From the children’s and teenagers’ perspective, the sexual behavior is a way of establishing a close relationship – rather than a negative and violent experience, she said. “Needs are being met. We all need to be touched,” she added.
In addition, establishing sexual intimacy gives a sense of being loved and cared for, and a feeling of belonging, Chassman said. These children and teenagers feel they have found something very powerful and magical when they engage in a sexual behavior, Chassman said. Pornography also plays a role in the sexual behavior of children and teenagers, Chassman said. The Internet makes accessing pornography easier for children and teenagers, and eventually, they get addicted to it, she said. They attend to this addiction every time they are unsupervised by an adult, she added. Pornography is also accessible from home if the parents keep magazines or videos, she said.
Son of former asisstant sheriff convicted on six counts of sexual assault The Associated Press
One student’s shirt reads: “Don’t make me go Zelda on you.” No, it isn’t the Cal State Fullerton “Star Wars” Club’s movie night. It’s the Cal State Fullerton Anime Club’s movie night in the Titan Student Union. “We gather because we want to enjoy [anime] together,” said Orion Tippens, 28, the club’s president. When most people think of Japanese animation, or anime (pronounced ah-nee-may), they think of big-eyed schoolgirls, karate masters and seizure-inducing critters with funny names. It is simply dismissed as just another bubbly Saturdaymorning cartoon. But unbeknownst to them is a rich form of storytelling that most American cartoons and even television shows lack, Tippens said.
SANTA ANA – The son of a former assistant sheriff and two codefendants were convicted on several counts of sexual assault Wednesday in a 2002 videotaped attack on an intoxicated 16-year-old girl. The three were acquitted on some charges and jurors deadlocked on still others in the assault in which the young men were accused of using, a pool cue, juice bottle and cigarette to penetrate the unconscious minor. “Every woman has a right to say no to sex,” Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said. “Performing sex acts on the body of an unconscious woman is a crime. It is a crime if the perpetrator is a student, a laborer, an executive or the son of an assistant sheriff.” Greg Haidl, 19, the son of former Orange County Assistant Sheriff Don Haidl, was convicted of six counts of sexual assault, and acquitted of assault with a deadly weapon. Jurors deadlocked on two sex assault counts. Keith Spann, 20, was found guilty of five counts of sex assault, and
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Titan racing team prepares for competition All aboard Annual Mini-Baja an off-road race as one of their final projects. The race is part of Society of Automotive Engineer’s 100-year anniversary and annual Mini-Baja Competition, which will take place June 1-4 in Tucson, AZ. Mechanical engineering schools across the world compete each year – designing and building a MiniBaja that must survive the severe punishment of rough and challenging terrains. The competition’s highlighted events include a hill climb, rock crawl, and in celebration of SAE’s 100-year anniversary, a 100-mile endurance race across the hot Arizona desert. “There are currently 121 registered teams from all over the world,”
finds Haidl guilty
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Children use sex as form of attaining intimacy Authorities claim that sexual abuse behaviors are cyclical, damaging By Carolina Ruiz-Mejia Daily Titan Staff
Cal State Fullerton counseling department faculty members spoke at noon on Wednesday in University Hall about children and teenagers that act out sexual behaviors in order to attain emotional intimacy. The event was presented by the Women’s Center. Linda Chassman, a marriage family therapist for 20 years, conducted a four-year research program to document these behaviors and came to share her knowledge with CSUF faculty and students, she said. There are reported cases in which
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Gabriela Alonso/Daily Titan
The Fullerton Train Station is a means of transportation for many Cal State Fullerton students to and from school.
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2 Thursday, March 24, 2005
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The Women’s Center presents Clear Vision, Strong Choices: Women, Diversity and Leadership conference. The conference will share insights, knowledge and experience between successful women in diverse cultures and will promote opportunities to educate, develop, support and inspire women. It will take place in the TSU Pavilions between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Lunch will be provided. For more information call (714) 278–3928.
85 militants killed in U.S. raid in Iraq BAGHDAD, Iraq – U.S. and Iraqi forces killed 85 militants at a suspected training camp along the marshy shores of a remote lake, one of the highest guerrilla death tolls of the two-year insurgency, officials said Wednesday. They said citizens emboldened by the January elections are increasingly turning in intelligence tips. The raid at Lake Tharthar in central Iraq turned up booby-trapped cars, suicide-bomber vests, weapons and training documents, Iraqi Maj. Gen. Rashid Feleih told state television.
Delta Sigma Pi is sponsoring a Blood Drive on campus tomorrow. Keep your eyes open for the blood mobile between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. between the library and the bookstore. Call (714) 598-8945 for more information.
U.S., Canada, Mexico vow cooperation
WACO, Texas – President Bush and leaders of Mexico and Canada promised new cooperation Wednesday, yet dustups over defense, immigration and trade – burrs under the saddle, in local slang – continued to strain North American relations. To demonstrate unity, Bush, Mexican President Vicente Fox and Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin appeared together at Baylor University to announce their neighborhood pact.
Graduating students: Don’t forget to watch the “Graduate with Titan Pride” video on the Titan Online Web site, www.fullerton. edu/commencement. Watching the video and taking the test after is the only way that you will be able to pick up commencement tickets in April.
Nation
Schiavo’s parents suffer more setbacks PINELLAS PARK, Fla. – Terri Schiavo’s parents saw their options vanish one by one Wednesday as a federal appeals court refused to reinsert her feeding tube and the Florida Legislature decided not to intervene in the epic struggle. Refusing to give up, Gov. Jeb Bush sought court permission to take custody of Schiavo. The desperate flurry of activity came as President Bush suggested that Congress and the White House had done all they could to keep the severely brain-damaged woman alive.
Social Security said to go broke in 2041
WASHINGTON – Social Security will begin paying out more in benefits than it receives in taxes in 2017, twelve years from now and a year earlier than previously estimated, trustees said Wednesday in a forecast adding fuel to the debate over changes President Bush wants. The trustees estimated that the program, which is about to be inundated with baby boom retirees, would go broke in 2041, also a year earlier than in their previous annual report. After then, benefits would have to be cut by more than 25 percent if payroll taxes aren’t increased.
14 feared dead in Texas refinery blast
TEXAS CITY, Texas – An explosion rocked a BP oil refinery Wednesday, injuring more than 100 people and sending flames and black smoke billowing into the sky in a blast so thunderous it could be felt for miles. At least 14 people were feared dead. Workers were searching through rubble for survivors or bodies Wednesday night. The cause of the blast was not immediately known. Most of the injured suffered broken bones, cuts, concussions and other injuries.
Local
Parents of cougar attack victim sue SANTA ANA – The parents of a mountain biker killed by a mountain lion last year in Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Orange County, contending the county should have known the park was dangerous. Mark Reynolds, 34, was mountain biking on Jan. 8, 2004, when he was attacked by the cougar at Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park. The mountain lion also attacked another biker, who survived, and the cougar was killed. Parents Donna and Gary Reynolds of St. Joseph, Mo., said in the suit made public this week that the county should have known that the park was in “dangerous condition” because cougars prowled it. Orange County officials refused to comment on pending litigation. Reports compiled from The Associated Press
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A fan stays warm in her coat during an evening Titan softball game. The team’s next game is at UC Santa Barbara Saturday at noon.
Faculty
focus
Professor Galloway shares philosophy of sex, love, marriage By Areseli Cuevas Daily Titan Staff
Scott Galloway, a Cal State Fullerton professor of philosophy and liberal studies, grew up in Placentia wanting to be doctor, but when he realized that he needed to be on call for 72 hours straight he said he quickly changed his mind. A childhood rebel of sorts, Galloway said he didn’t always get his way. When long hair was the thing to have, his
father made him get a crew cut. As a teenager, when all he wanted was to rock out with his band, his parents wanted him to play football instead. Nonetheless, his experiences have brought him where he is today.
If you’re looking to get back into shape, but feel like you don’t have the time, Fitness and Wellness Programs in the Kinesiology and Health Services Center might be the answer. Pilates will be in KHS, room 264 from 7:00 a.m. to 7:50 a.m., “Cardiography” in KHS, room 266 from 12:10 p.m. to 12:55 p.m., “Cardio Funk” in KHS, room 203 or “Yoga” in KHS, room 264 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., “Kickboxing” in KHS 203 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and “Total Conditioning” in KHS, room 264 between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
OC rock n’ roll gets its due with “The Orange Groove: ‘Orange County Rock n’ Roll History.’” The exhibit explores the impact OC rock has had on popular music and will take place at the Fullerton Museum Center located at N. Pomona Avenue in Fullerton. The exhibit will open at 7 p.m. and costs $4 to attend. As part of the Association of Inter-Cultural Awareness’s AICA Week, spoken-word performances will be held in the main quad from noon to 1 p.m. For more information, call (714) 278-2914. The Newport Beach Central Library located on 1000 Avocado Avenue in Newport Beach presents art from Chuck Jones, the man behind hundreds of animated characters including the Looney Tunes. The free exhibit will be open until March 28 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day. 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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Thursday, March 24 Showers Low 48°
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Friday, March 25 Mostly Sunny Low 47°
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Saturday, March 26 Partly Cloudy Low 52°
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Compiled from The Weather Channel
their culture is totally different from what we have
How did you go from wanting to be a doctor to being a professor of philosophy? Well, I double majored in psychobiology and philosophy. When I was in college I was a teaching assistant, and I swear the day I walked into a classroom and started talking to students I lost all interest in going to medical school.
Why is your philosophy of sex and love class your favorite? Well, because I think about sex all the time; plus, its fun. People often think about sex [long pause] and love. But most people think very shallowly about what sex is. It seems very obvious to them what sex and love is; these things just seem like obvious truths, so the goal of the class is to challenge people’s expectations about what they think these things are. Once they have to define sex … they no longer know.
I understand you worked in a pub before, tell me about that. [Laughing] A pub seems like such a classic experience, plus I kinda like beer. It was a wild experience; the whole attitude the English have about drinking and the role it plays in
Considering you spend a lot of time in your class ridiculing marriage, why did you decide to get married? I have a negative view about marriage, I have my doubts about it as an institution that can satisfy people.
Suzanne Sullivan/Daily Titan
However, marriage is about compromise and how much it is worth being together. In my relationship it was needed for [it] to work and I value my [wife], but I rather not participate in it.
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more rigorous drug laws, which enforce mandatory jail sentences for from page 1 people found guilty of possessing priate authorities. even small amounts of marijuana or “We can make sure you’re being cocaine for individual use. treated well and given proper care,” “Think before you do anything, Dickmeyer said. whatever it may be. You can imagMarijuana is not the only drug ine the full range of activities,” that can get travelKelly said. ers into trouble. The Drug laws differ list includes hashish, from country to If you’re arrestheroin, mescaline, country and many ed, we don’t prococaine, quaaludes, do not respond vide legal advice. ecstasy and speed lightly to drug to name a few. It offenders. In some You are subject to is also important to countries, anyone the country’s laws. note that purchasing who is caught prescription medicawith even a small Jim Dickmeyer tions in bulk quantiamount intended U.S. Embassy spokesman ties can call for susfor personal use is picion of drug trafliable to be tried ficking. and receive the “Under Mexican law, no mat- same penalties and sentence as the ter the amount, you must have a large-scale trafficker. prescription for the medication or “I’d urge anyone traveling abroad else you could be subject to legal to visit our Web site at travel.state. dispute,” Kelly said. gov and gather all the information Drug paraphernalia such as available on the country they’ll be bongs, pipes, needles and the like visiting,” Aggeler said. “The more could also warrant an arrest. information we have as travelers, The Bahamas, the Dominican the better equipped we are for our Republic, Jamaica, Mexico and the international adventures and the Philippines have recently passed more fun our travels will be.”
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“[This] is good information that we all need to know to help [other people],” said Blanca Ruiz, 43, an audience member and Fullerton College student. Ruiz said she wished she had known this information before because one of her children was sexually molested. Sex is a healthy component in a relationship, but when children and teenagers use sex as an escape
to their problems, it’s not healthy, Chassman said. Yurr Naito, a sociology major at Fullerton College, said she was surprised to find out children and teenagers act out sexual behaviors. Naito said this as a serious problem and thinks people should learn about it. Through her study, Chassman said she hopes to find how therapists can help children and teenagers who engage in sexual behaviors so when they become adults they can have healthy relationships.
Thursday, March 24, 2005 3
Officials encourage beach safety Experts say beware of rip current dangers while on spring break By Amanda Pennington Daily Titan Staff
With spring break rapidly approaching, students may soon find themselves flocking to the sunny and inviting beaches of Southern California. Once the car is packed with all the essential beach goodies, beachgoers should take time to understand the power of the ocean – especially rip currents. Rip currents are narrow channels of swift-moving water that travel perpendicular to the shore, and can pull unwary swimmers in over their heads. These currents are caused by crashing waves. When present, rip currents, also called rip tides, can prove dangerous for even advanced swimmers. The key to surviving an encounter with a rip current is to remain levelheaded. Alison Wittwer, assistant director of Rec Sports and surfing instructor at Cal State Fullerton, said rip currents can be dangerous,
baja
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Baja be 25 percent different than last year’s model and still adhere to their guidelines. “Because the make-up of the teams change with every school year, it is hard to predict what school will win the competition based on a school’s result from past years,” Barill said. Kreiner said schools that do consistently well in the competition are Cal Poly Pomona, the University of Wisconsin and the University of Michigan. He added that they do better because they have a tradition of working on this project with resources significantly larger than
but that most of the drownings occur when people panic. “The big deal is not to panic,” she said. “If you feel the water undercutting your ankles, get a big breath of air and let go. Don’t fight it because eventually it will release you.” Wittwer starts her surfing class every semester in the CSUF pool, where she tests each student’s swimming ability and teaches him or her about ocean safety. “We institute a buddy system,” Wittwer said. “They have to be within eyesight of each other.” Wittwer said she also teaches her students how to swim out of a rip current; telling them the best thing to do is to pick out an object onshore to watch and to swim parallel to the beach. She said not to swim against the current. Rip currents will not carry a person out to the far depths of the ocean, said Marsha Gear, communications director of California Sea Grant, a program managed by the University of California San Diego. For swimmers caught in a rip current, a lifeguard can be a welcomed sight. “We’re working through the lifeguards,” Gear said. “We started at the southern border and we’re
CSUF’s and have many more team members. For over 20 years, CSUF has participated in the competition – last year finishing No. 60 out of 120. John Estudillo, Titan racing team member and senior mechanical engineer major, promises improvement from last year’s results. “Last year the CSUF Mini-Baja [vehicle] could not compete in three of the four events which really hurt our score,” said Estudillo. “This year we definitely want to be ready for all the events. Our goal is to finish in the top 25 percent.” CSUF’s racing team includes six mechanical engineering seniors with very diverse backgrounds and cultures. The team members are: Noriyuki Muto, Brian Detro, John Estudillo, Hussain Ghareeb, Thang Dang and Roy Huynh.
working our way north, contacting cities and life guarding stations.” Signs warning swimmers of potential dangers have been set up to warn visitors at some beaches Orange County beach signs should be up by this summer, Gear said. Next week, there will be no lifeguards in the guard towers on Newport Beach, but there will be lifeguards patrolling the beach in trucks, said Josh Van Egmond, a lifeguard officer with the City of Newport Beach. “The best thing to do is to check in with the lifeguards to check the conditions,” Van Egmond said. “We’re happy to talk with anyone who calls into the station to let them know the conditions.” Van Egmond also suggests having swim fins when swimming in the ocean. The fins allow a person caught in a rip current to swim more forcefully out of the current, which can be frightening. “… All of a sudden you feel like you’re getting sucked out,” said Becky Baumgartner, a radio-TVfilm major and surfer enrolled in the beginning surfing class. “You have no control.” After storms and large surf – such as this week’s rain – rip currents have a tendency to become
“The team members have worked wonderfully together and challenged one another to come up with a superb design,” Kriener said. “All are genuinely excited and committed to the project and putting in untold hours of work.” Kreiner said he worries about the team’s performance in their other classes because the project is so time-consuming. “The present team is a wonderful one, perhaps the most sophisticated ever,” Kriener said.“The team members are passionate about automotive sports and extremely familiar with the use of complex analytical and computer aided tools so that they can model various components of the vehicle and optimize its design.” The team said they encourage all students and faculty to come by the shop in room E-22 and check out the
more frequent. Martin Valles, a junior journalism major and an experienced member of the surfing class, said that he had noticed the ocean’s current moving more quickly after the recent storms. Students who go to the beach can watch for indicators of a rip current in the water. Wittwer said to look for murky water that doesn’t seem to be moving with the rest of the surf. However, a rip current is not always visible to the eye. Signs are another matter. “Read all posted signs,” Wittwer said. She also said if beachgoers are unsure of conditions, they should ask a lifeguard. Ross Pounds, lifeguard captain for the City of Seal Beach, agreed, adding that swimmers should watch out for colored flags at the beach. “Green is okay to enter, yellow means take caution and red is extreme danger – do not enter the water.” For more information about local conditions and rip currents, visit the National Weather Service Web site, http://www.nws.noaa.gov/ or the Newport Beach Lifeguard’s Web site www.newportbeachlifeguard.org. vehicle, offer any kind of assistance or just talk cars. “We are about 75 percent complete with our project,” said Hussain Ghareeb, foreign exchange student and member of the Titan racing team. “But we can always use fresh ideas to make our Mini-Baja better.” “Hopefully our team can leave a legacy for future engineering students who will compete in this design competition,” Estudillo said. “Maybe we can put CSUF on the map for designing and building very competitive vehicles and encourage engineering students to come to CSUF.” The team said they need help getting more parts, tools and need creative ideas of how to paint the MiniBaja. All inquires are welcome and can be sent to briandetro@yahoo. com.
6 Thursday, March 24, 2005
Rain dampens ‘Dive-In Movie’ but not spirits Wet weather forces Rec Sports social event to move inside By Joseph Santos Daily Titan Staff
The “Dive-In Movie” scheduled to take place at the Titan Pool on Tuesday became a sit-down affair because of the ill-timed, rainy weather. The event was put on by Rec Sports, and was originally set up to be a social mixer in which students could swim and eat while watching the movie “Friday Night Lights.” However, because of the rain, it was moved to Pavilion C in the Titan Student Union at the last minute. Rec Sports hoped that the event would attract students by giving them a relaxing and social environment, said organizer. “It was supposed to be an outdoor event where students could socialize with others. We wanted to do this to kick-off spring break,” said Alison Wittwer, assistant director of Rec Sports. “I think next time we’ll do it before exam week.” Signs directing students to the TSU instead of the pool were put up in the Kinesiology and Health
Science buildings when the rain began to fall, Wittwer said. About 30 students were in attendance despite the unexpected detour. “I saw the signs when I walked by,” said Mark Lopez, a Cal State Fullerton political science major who said he had already seen the movie, but decided to stop in anyway. Students in attendance for the movie were offered pizza, soda, cookies and popcorn before the movie started. Additionally, there was a table set up where they could enter a raffle to win prizes after the movie. Students came and went during the movie and about half of them stayed the duration of the event. After the screening, an official movie poster, a CD and a “Friday Night Lights” DVD were raffled off to the students that entered. The change in venues did not hinder the overall success of the event, said Lo. “I thought it was great,” said the criminal justice major and Rec Sports employee. “It’s a shame that not a lot of people came out this time. We need to have more students come to these events and show more school spirit.” Rec Sports plans to hold more events like this one in the future with hope that they will attract more students.
Word on the web: • Catalina Island is alternative hot spot for spring break • On second anniversary of War in Iraq, Internet offers ways to support troops • What makes a feminist today?
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year club member Ryan Rosete, 24, said that characters like Naruto, the lonely boy ninja who makes mischief to gain attention, keep him watching. Rosete said one of the themes in the anime is moving up in society by working hard. “I like the message,” he said. Tina Hoang, 23, a senior account-
deadlocked on another sex assault charge. Haidl, who has been in custody, appeared to bite his lip at one point; his co-defendants cried as the verdicts were read and were taken into custody afterward. “It’s extraordinarily disappointing. It’s beyond words, but it is a day everyone knew might come. It’s a tragedy for everybody,” Nachreiner’s attorney, John Barnett, said outside
court. He said an appeal was under consideration. Prosecutors said the trio could be sentenced to prison or probation. Haidl faces a maximum of 18 years, Spann 16 years and Nachreiner 14 years. They had faced up to 23 years if convicted on all counts. The key evidence was a 21-minute video of the July 6, 2002, attack at the home of Don Haidl, a multimil-
lionaire businessman who resigned as assistant sheriff to focus on his son’s legal battle. In the latest trial, jurors had to choose between two starkly different scenarios: that three young men violently abused an unconscious teen, as prosecutors contended; or that a 16-year-old girl was a willing participant in what the defense claimed was a “weekend sexcapade.”
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“It’s not just kids’ stuff,” he said. Though animated, Japanese cartoons weave strong characters and developed plots as well as any wellwritten movie, Tippins said. One example is the story of Naruto Uzumaki, a ninja in training, whose constant mischief stems from his absolute loneliness. The anime “Full Metal Alchemist” tells of two brothers who, after accidentally deforming themselves with alchemy, venture on a quest to restore their bodies. Experts agree that anime offers enthralling storytelling. But the element that drives an anime’s plot, and hooks its readers, is its empathetic characters. Animes are known for their developed characters, but nowhere is that more apparent than with their villains. As in American cartoons, time is spent developing an anime’s hero, explaining what motivates him to bust bad guys. But unlike American animation, anime evil doers are evil for a reason. “Sometimes they’re bad to the bone the way Disney bad guys are. More often, it’s a sympathetic character; there’s a reason he’s bad,” said Matt Thorn, a cultural anthropologist and cartoon and comic professor at Kyoto Seika University in Japan. “The difference in storytelling [between American cartoons and anime] is the humanity that underlies the story,” said Fred Ladd, who is credited by anime aficionados as a pioneer in helping to introduce anime to America. Ladd said anime invokes empathy because it resonates with Japan’s homogenous society, who share the same language and culture. He said it’s easier for readers to empathize with characters when they come from the same cultural background.
Rape
“They’re from the same roll of sushi,” Ladd said someone once described the phenomenon to him. Apparently, empathy doesn’t just resonate with Japanese, but with anime fans in the melting pot of the United States. Even though giant robots and aliens introduced him to anime, two-
ing major and club member, said shojo anime, a type of anime geared toward women and about relationships, resonates with her because “I like watching high school romance.” Another reason anime is so popular is because it stimulates selfreflection, said Hirokaza Kosaka, visual arts director of the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center in Los Angeles. “[Japanese] animation tells you who you are; Western paintings tell you who they are,” Kosaka said; meaning that whereas Western artists tend to boast about themselves through their paintings, anime writers ask the viewer to decipher the series’ message by using their own experiences. “Animes have a message which is deeper than ‘Kids, don’t do drugs’, ” Tippens said. But first and foremost, the purpose of The Anime Club is to socialize, not to analyze, Tippens said. So far, the club has 200 members on its e-mail list, though a steady 35 physical bodies attend the weekly meetings, Tippens said, adding that anyone even remotely interested in anime is welcome to attend. “If you’ve never seen an anime in your life, come on in. We’ll get you educated,” the president said. He added the club shows a myriad of animes from action and horror, to comedy and romance, to sports and philosophy—and yes, even giant robots and scantily-clad women. As for those who deem anime as nerdy and its followers as (even worse) un-cool, Tippens extended an anime olive branch of friendship. “If they’re curious, like good storytelling, like good art, come join us. Those who do will be rewarded,” he said. The Anime Club meets Mondays in the TSU Alvarado AB room from 10:30 a.m.- 1:00 p.m.
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acquitted of assault with a deadly weapon and sexual penetration with a cigarette. Jurors deadlocked on two counts. Kyle Nachreiner, 20, was convicted of four sex assault counts, acquitted of three others and one count of assault with a deadly weapon. Jurors
Julie anne ines/For the Daily Titan
Anime club members sit mesmerized by ninjas, nerds and puppet-controlled robots in the Titan Student Union Wednesday.