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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
T h u r s d a y, M a y 1 9 , 2 0 0 5
Disabled students provided with aid
Daily Titan
Vo l u m e 8 0 , I s s u e 5 3
w w w. d a i l y t i t a n . c o m
Local school ranked 21st by Newsweek
El Mariachi
Advanced placement program classes were major factor in decision
Center offers computer lab with specially equipped software, workstations
By COURTNEY SALAS Daily Titan Staff
By MEGAN DANGERMOND Daily Titan Staff
Classes can be hard enough, sitting for over an hour scribbling to keep up with a lecturing professor talking just a little too fast. Now, consider how it would be not being able to hear the lecturer or see the PowerPoint screen. Disabled students at Cal State Fullerton get a variety of assistance. From computer labs and tutoring to computer programs that downloads what a PowerPoint lecture says to interpreters that translate a teacherʼs words into sign language. However, as much help as these methods are, students sometimes still have difficulties in their classes. The Disabled Students Services office located in University Hall helps disabled and impaired students work with the school to allow disabled students an equal education, as required by the No Child Left Behind Act and other legislation. The center has a computer lab with special software and wheelchair-accessible workstations, books on cd, magnifiers, places to study and a variety of staff, some disabled themselves, to assist with students. Students come to the center so they can be assigned the services they need. Hearing-impaired graduate assistant Paul Brennan, who works in the computer lab, said that all of the computers in the DSS center are equipped with programs such as Jaws, a screen-reading software, that help students access information, as well an accessible work station in the schoolʼs library. However, as of last week not all of the web pages on the libraryʼs system were compatible, making it difficult for students to access the information on the page. He also has used the Jaws software on his laptop in class as well. He wears headphones to listen better to the audio of what is on the screen in one ear as he listens to the teacher and types notes from both onto his laptop. To a student that can hardly write and listen to the teacher at the same time, this may seem an impossible feat, but Brennan is used to tuning out what he doesnʼt need to hear. The center also puts books about 250300 books on cd for students, which is far easier to navigate than the cassettes Brennan was given while he was a student at Saddleback College, he said. “Try to find page 129 on a cassette DISABLED
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ALEJANDRO CANTU/Daily Titan
Jesus Trinidad plays his trumpet during a song for the Graduates’ Recognition Reception at the El Toro Campus on Wednesday. Trinidad was part of a four piece mariachi band that performed and took song requests.
Fullertonʼs Troy High School was ranked 21st in Newsweek magazineʼs list of Top 100 public schools in the nation earlier this month. Troy, which is located across the street from Cal State Fullerton, moved up in the rankings since last year, up from 97th or 98th, said Chuck Maruca, principal of Troy High School. “The Newsweek article that came out listing the top 100 schools in the nation is done on a basis of trying to determine the quality of educational programs available to kids,” Maruca said. Maruca said one factor they look at when ranking the schools is the number of tests students have taken in advanced placement program classes, like the Troy Tech Magnet program and International Baccalaureate program. “The number of students involved in those programs is divided by the number of seniors in that class, this is the formula that is devised by Newsweek and they rank schools on the basis of that performance because those academic programs are noted for being high quality,” Maruca said. He said these are types of programs that lead students to colleges and universities. “When you look at the article, there were roughly 27,600 public high schools in the United States. So to be ranked No.
21 in the United States and to be one of the strongest, obviously, in the Western states, is quite an honor, but I would say that the honor should go to the staff who teaches the kids and the students who work hard and try to excel in those programs,” Maruca said. He said itʼs a credit to the teaching staff and the support staff at Troy High School who help the kids excel. Maruca said it was great to see the school move up so much in rank since last year. “I donʼt know that weʼve done anything different, what we have always tried to do is encourage kids to take the highest level possible that they feel that they can deal with,” he said. Maruca said the advanced programs offered at Troy, such as the magnet and baccalaureate programs, have challenged students on a different level than the average high school student. He said the students in these programs take extremely challenging courses and are given the opportunity to work in the field of their choice. “The whole concept of our Troy Tech Magnet program and our International Baccalaureate program, as well as our Advanced Placement program, is to provide opportunities for kids in a very edgy, well-known competitive world of college,” Maruca said. He said there is a high success rate of the students coming out of the programs. “Our Troy Tech Magnet program is great because we have students coming in from all different counties and over 100 different junior high schools,” said TROY
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Annual benefit in Orange hopes to find cure Fifth ʻWalk for Hope and a Cureʼ 5k funds research for neuromuscular disorder By KRISTI ALLEN Daily Titan Staff
Over 500 people will take part in the fifth annual Friedreichʼs Ataxia Research Alliance Walk for Hope and a Cure this Saturday at St. Norbert church in Orange. People from Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties will be participating. Registration will be at 7:00 a.m. for the 5k event. FARA is a non-profit organization dedicated to accelerating research to find treatment and a cure to eliminate Friedreichʼs Ataxia and other related disorders. The walk has become the nationʼs largest
contributor to the fight against Friedreichʼs Ataxia, a rare and life threatening neuromuscular disorder. Organizers said proceeds will go directly to finding a cure. The walk has received support from the local community and has become one of the highest grossing fundraisers nationwide. Sponsors include R.J. Noble Co., Outback Steakhouse and Union Bank of California, among others. Orange Mayor Mark A. Murphy, and Baseball Hall of Famer Rod Carew, along with 11-year-old Chelsea Lane, all plan on participating in the event. Lane was diagnosed with Friedrichʼs Ataxia at the age of 5. She is an Orange resident who is now in a wheelchair and is legally blind. She has been an inspiration for the walk, participants said. “When I heard about this annual 5k walk and what it stood for, I realized that I canʼt pass up the opportunity to help others in
need,” said Jenny Williams, a participant in the event. “Iʼm definitely going to take part in this amazing opportunity. I canʼt wait to participate,” Friedrichʼs Ataxia is an uncommon neurodegenerative disorder that, in the United States, affects one in approximately 50,000 children. It can cause muscle weakness in the arms and legs, as well as vision, hearing and speech problems, major spine curvature, diabetes and serious heart conditions. Most often, patients are diagnosed while between the ages of 5 and 15 and usually donʼt make it beyond their 20s. Currently, there is no cure, but some researchers believe that a cure is approximately three years away. The cure could unlock the way to other neurological diseases. “There is a growing conviction that treatments can and will be developed and the resulting insights will be broadly applica-
ble across a wide range of neurological disorders such as Parkinsonʼs, Huntingtonʼs, and Alzheimerʼs,” said Robert E. Andrews, a U.S. Representative. The Walk for Hope and a Cure invites the public and children are welcome. The walk begins after registration and Outback Steakhouse will provide lunch. There will be raffle prizes and live music and activities will be provided for everyone. One can participate by sponsoring, walking, pledging, volunteering, donating and by cheering on the walkers. “When I was diagnosed with Friedreichʼs Ataxia at the age of 9, it changed me, my fatality and my friends in more ways that I may ever know. In obvious ways, it has made me worse, but in other ways it has made me better. I think I have the good fortune of seeing people for who they really are,” said Bridget Johnson a Friedreichʼs Ataxia patient.
Graduates at risk of losing healthcare
Just ducky
Losing full-time student status could mean forfeiting parentsʼ insurance coverage By DESDEMONA BANDINI Daily Titan Staff
LAUREN HARGROVE/Daily Titan
Two mallard ducks take a dip in the fountain in front of Langsdorf Hall.
Graduating for many students includes enrichment via a degree, an opportunity to begin a new life and endless possibilities for the future. But it may also mean no longer being covered under their parentʼs healthcare policy when they lose their fulltime student status. Knowing the risks and the options for individual health insurance could benefit and prepare students. A yearly survey answered by students and put out the Health Center indicated that roughly 44 percent of Cal State Fullerton students are currently uninsured. The average cost of individual insur-
ance can vary, but so can what is actually covered. Kathy Baker, the new assistant director of the Health Center suggested Kaiser as an insurance starting point for low-income students. “The weight of an extra monthly bill would fall to the students, unless they have the good fortune to have parents able to foot the costs,” Baker said. “Many students fall into the low-income range due to working part-time, yet even if they live at home, many cannot afford the extra $200 a month for Kaiser and will not qualify for the county aid, Medi-Cal either.” If a student has a preexisting condition, such as diabetes, and is dropped from their parentʼs health plan without continuing their coverage, that gap in coverage could cost them. Baker said many students are unaware that health insurance companies have the right to deny treatment for new policyholders with preexisting conditions
for a six-month waiting period, excluding any benefits relating to it, including medication like insulin,” she said. Mary Herman, the director of health education and promotion at the Health Center, said she encourages students to weigh the pros and cons of not being covered by health insurance. “I have heard of a case where a student graduated and did not renew their healthcare policy on their own because they had always been healthy and, boom! Six months later they had appendicitis. It is not easy to be sick and to be in debt at the same time. Five hundred dollars toward a policy would have saved this student a fortune,” Herman said. Herman also suggested that students add medical benefits to their auto insurance and keep up with annual visits and preventive screenings, especially women. HEALTHCARE
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