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Quran mixup creates protest
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OC agency aims to stop alcoholism
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New initiative aims to curb abuse of alcohol among CSUF students
Newsweek retracts inaccurate report that resulted in bloodshed
By KRISTINA RIDENOUR Daily Titan Staff
The Associated Press
NEW YORK – Newsweek magazine, under fire for publishing a story that led to deadly protests in Afghanistan, said May 16 it was retracting its report that a military probe found evidence of desecration of the Quran by U.S. interrogators at Guantanamo Bay. Earlier in the day, Bush administration officials brushed off an apology that Newsweekʼs editor Mark Whitaker made in an editorʼs note and criticized the magazineʼs handling of the story. “Itʼs appalling that this story got out there,” Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said as she traveled home from a one-day visit to Iraq. “People lost their lives. People are dead,” Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said. “People need to be very careful about what they say, just as they need to be careful about what they do.” Following the criticism, Whitaker released a statement saying the magazine was retracting the article. “Based on what we know now, we are retracting our original story that an internal military investigation had uncovered Quran abuse at Guantanamo Bay,” Whitaker said. Newsweek reported in its issue May 9 issue that U.S. military investigators found evidence interrogators placed copies of Islamʼs holy book in washrooms and flushed one down the toilet to get inmates to talk. Whitaker wrote in his note to readers that “We regret that we got any part of our story wrong, and extend our sympathies to victims of the violence and to the U.S. soldiers caught in its midst.” Whitaker said in his editorʼs note that while other news organizations had aired charges of Quran abuse based on the testimony of detainees, the magazine decided to publish a short item after hearing from an unnamed U.S. official that a government probe had found evidence corQURAN 3
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GABRIELA ALONSO/Daily Titan
Brett Simpson, of the Orange County Octopus, sizes up the face of the wave during a new competition called The Game. The best-of-three championship series finishes today in Huntington Beach. See story on page 6.
Kidnapper receives death penalty for child murder Jury decides life in prison not adequate in Samantha Runnion case The Associated Press
SANTA ANA – A jury Monday decided a factory worker should get the death penalty for killing Samantha Runnion, a 5-year-old girl who was seized kicking and screaming outside her home in a case that stirred outrage and led to stronger efforts to rescue abducted children. Alejandro Avila, 30, was convicted last month of murder, kidnapping and sexual assault in the 2002 slaying.
The jury had a choice between the death penalty and life in prison without parole, and took about seven hours over two days to decide. Orange County Superior Court Judge William Froeberg set sentencing for July 22. Outside court, Samanthaʼs mother Erin Runnion called the jurors “amazing” and thanked them for the decision. “Itʼs hard to believe itʼs over,” she said through tears. “The fact of the matter is one is down but my baby is still gone and there are still going to be children victimized if we donʼt do something to stop it.” After her daughterʼs death, Runnion started a foundation to help parents protect children from
predators. Defense attorneys had urged jurors to spare Avilaʼs life, arguing that the abduction of Samantha was an impulsive act prompted by a brutal childhood in which he was beaten by his father, raped by an uncle and neglected by his mother. The defense had no comment Monday, and jurors left court without speaking to reporters. But alternate Lisbeth Heywood, who said she agreed with the juryʼs decision, dismissed the defense argument. “He had been a victim and he knew what it was like to be a victim. He didnʼt need to make Samantha Runnion a victim,” said Heywood, 40, who works for the
on May 2. “I miss the daily interaction with students and colleagues,” she said. “But Iʼll still keep in touch with the university.” Fleckles came to CSUF almost 24 years ago when Dean of Graduate Studies and History Professor Giles Brown hired her in October of 1981. Previously, she had been working as the assistant graduation admissions director at Wheaton College. Regarding her efficiency and moti-
vation on her new job, Brown said, “She made my job easy and she was always pleasant.” As the graduate studies director, Fleckles was not only working with and advising students - she was also helping graduate program advisers by sharing her wealth of knowledge on university policies. “Gladys did so much for and with students,” said Jeanie Weir, Flecklesʼ secretary of eight years. “Her forte was that she could sit down and talk
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The County of Orange Health Care Agency unveiled its new initiative to help curb alcohol abuse among students and discussed future efforts in its first meeting on Monday. The agencyʼs Alcohol, Drug Education and Prevention Team bestowed grants to Cal State Fullerton and the University of California, Irvine to implement a plan to use a variety of methods to reduce highrisk drinking among Orange Countyʼs young adults, ages 18 to 24-yearsold. “We are all here for the common goal of keeping our students safe when it comes to alcohol abuse,” said Dean of Students Kandy Mink. The reason for obtaining the grant was initiated by various incidents that occurred on CSU campuses four years ago. These incidents included one death and one hospitalization. The campuses were concerned about the alcohol abuse, so the committee created a plan to focus on the problem. Some of the various ways they tried to seek out students was to reach them through sub-communities among first-time freshmen, the Greek Life system, athletes and resident students, said Mink. Once the schools received the grants, the Campus Community Alcohol Management Project was born. With this project, CCAMP aims to reduce access to alcohol by underage drinkers in order to result in a decline of underage students who purchase alcohol. Additionally, it aims to result in reducing the number
of students who supply alcohol to youth and the number of students who experience alcohol-related problems such as alcohol poisoning, fights, sexual assault and regret, according to a press release from UCIʼs Health Education Center. Thomas Parham, the assistant vice chancellor of Counseling and Health Services at UCI, welcomed the crowd at the meeting. He spoke about why he was interested in the program and why he felt alcohol abuse was such a huge problem among young adults. “I have known several friends who have gone through alcohol problems. I also have been a victim of a drunk driver and had to receive extensive spinal surgery,” he said. “I believe the main factor when dealing with students with substance abuse problems is to remember that they are dealing with enormous peer pressure when it comes to the consumption of alcohol.” Barbara Ryan, a senior advisor at the Center for College Health and Safety, outlined various research methods and stories from the field during the meeting. The research is used by the group to help pinpoint effective ways to make students become more aware of the alcohol-related problems on campuses. Various strategies include brief, personal interventions at student health centers, increased enforcement of minimum-age drinking laws, campaigns that correct misconceptions students have about drinking and the banning of alcohol on campus, Ryan said. “Each year, 1,400 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 years old die from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, including motor vehicle crashes, while 500,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 years old are unintentionally injured under the influence of alcohol,” Ryan said.
Gladys Heckles waves goodbye to Fullerton past Previous coworkers, faculty members pay tribute to CSUF retiree By STEFANIE FRANKLIN Daily Titan Staff
Today marks the third week of retirement for Graduate Studies Director Gladys Fleckles, since her goodbye party at Cal State Fullerton
with troubled students so that when they left, they were a lot happier than when they came in.” Fleckles developed CSUFʼs first thesis manual as a compilation of style tips and guidelines for graduate students. She also held an accompanying thesis workshop for students and presented at other seminars too. Weir said Fleckles held workshops for international grad students to help acclimate them and outline the expectations of the university.
Fleckles developed the starting blocks for the university-wide View project, which helped market the graduate program and initiated growth of new graduate programs and courses. She secured university-wide graduate orientation funding from Associated Students Inc., implemented and maintained the Giles T. Brown Outstanding Thesis Award, helped to write the proposal for non-resiFLECKLES 3
Unveiling mystery behind outdoor campus sculptures Artistic creations hidden throughout CSUF reveal stories of inspiration By APRIL MILLER Daily Titan Staff
It wasnʼt meant to become a piece of art. But the 10-foot, vanilla and chocolate topped ice cream cone, rumored to be rescued years ago from an ice cream shop near the campus, has become part of the outdoor sculpture collection at Cal State Fullerton. “Originally the ice cream was strawberry and pistachio,” said Marilyn Moore, an assistant to the art director on campus. “But [School of the Arts] Dean Jerry Samuelson liked chocolate and vanilla, so it was painted white and brown.” In addition to the ice cream sculpture, just north of the new parking structure
and south of the Titan Student Union lies a treasure of sculptures by internationally known artists. Some are tucked into alcoves and some are placed in plain sight. Some have been donated and some have been left behind by students. They have become part of the ambiance of the CSUF campus, and there is a story behind each one. Seven pyramids appeared on campus near State College Boulevard and Dorothy Lane about 30 years ago. The pyramids were built of approximately 1,000 burlap bags that were stacked six feet high and 70 feet long. Over time, the bags have disintegrated and the adobe soil in them has worn away. It was meant to disappear over time, Moore said. Now itʼs no more than a berm of dirt, which bicyclists and skateboarders try to conquer. “The Wall Gazing Gallery” by Richard Turner, appears to be a small set of bleachers half in and half out of a reflecting pond. This covered piece of art
encourages people to sit, read or relax and watch ducks swim past. “My favorite sculpture isnʼt here in the Arts Center; itʼs Michelangeloʼs ʻDavidʼ,” said Scott Hilton, a grad student who is graduating with a masterʼs in art. “I appreciate the fact that a destroyed piece of art says something about history.” The statue had been at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, but fell during the 1987 Whittier earthquake. It is now located, in all of itsʼ broken glory, north of the Education Classroom Building near the 57 Freeway. It was donated to CSUF and lies in the approximate position in which it originally fell. Near the construction of the new Performing Arts Building is “Water Wall” created by the late Professor Ray Hein. Water streams down this copper and bronze abstract sculpture, which has turned various shades of turquoise from the copper weathering. “Some of the pieces need to be cleaned
up or painted,” Moore said. Compiling a new brochure detailing the 30 pieces of art on campus would be nice, she said. The “California Carwash, 1887,” tucked behind the north side of the Visual Arts Center, is the work of Dustin Shuler, a California artist. This piece incorporates palm trees depicted in rusted metal with a flattened car hanging between them. An unknown student attached his project of a wire body hanging by his fingertips to the roof of the sculpture building. “I always loved that piece, especially at this time of year when students are hanging on,” said Jerry Samuelson, the dean of the Arts Department. Some sculptures are hard to find, but a casual stroll through corridors and buildings on campus reveals the beauty and humor of the treasure of sculptures. Just one question remains unanswered: if it were real, how many gallons of ice cream would the ice cream cone hold?
APRIL MILLER/Daily Titan
A student looks up at the wire sculpture hanging by its fingertips to the side of the sculpture department building in the Visual Arts Center.