2005 09 08

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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

DAILY TITAN

T h u r s d a y, S e p t e m b e r 8 , 2 0 0 5

w w w. d a i l y t i t a n . c o m

The Buzz

Sports

Transporter 2

Men’s soccer looking for first win of season

Double the action See Insert

Inside

This Issue Opinion

Same-sex marriage bill

By ISAAC FABELA Daily Titan Staff

Titan editorial staff weigh in on controversy over gays, lesbians getting hitched 4

Introspect CSUF student interns at Death Valley castle 3

Sports Volleyball: Titans fall to Aztecs, end winning streak

Word

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On The Web News Healthy eating tips from Cal State Fullerton campus

www.dailytitan.com

Surf Report Huntington

3-4 ft. waist to chest high with occasional 5 ft. and poor-fair conditions.

San Clemente

2-3 ft. knee to waist high with occasional 5 ft. and poor-fair conditions. Compiled from www.surfline.com

Weather Thursday, September 8 Sunny 84º/57º Friday, September 9 Mostly Sunny 78º/57º Saturday, September 10 Partly Cloudy 74º/56º Sunday, September 11 Sunny 73º/55º Monday, September 12 Sunny 75º/56º Compiled from The Weather Channel

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Tunnel project in early stages OCTA, Riverside County collaborate to ease traffic congestion on 91 Freeway

The Orange County Transit Authority and Riverside County Transportation Commission are looking at building a tunnel through the Santa Ana Mountains to ease rush-hour traffic on the heavily congested 91 Freeway. “We know that the traffic problem is still there and we are exploring all options to make that drive easier,” said John Standiford, spokesperson for the Riverside County Transportation Commission. Over the past decade, progress has been made to relieve rush-hour traffic on the 91 Freeway. Commuters can save time and money by using the 10-mile stretch of toll roads built in 1995, or by riding the Metrolink train. Each day, “rail-riders” help to remove over 25,000 automobiles from Southern California freeways, according to the Metrolink Web site. However, despite the positive efforts to ease traffic on the 91, it has been unable to shake its congested reputation. The tunnel project, proposed last month, asked that a Joint Powers Authority be formed and study the geological consequences of constructing a multi-use tunnel between Riverside and Orange counties. The study is still in the preliminary stages, and Standiford pointed out that

Vo l u m e 8 1 , I s s u e 4

Right on pointe

any plan of action is going to take some time to develop. “Itʼs going to take a long time to figure out,” Standiford said. “There are many environmental, geological and financial considerations to be taken into account.” While experts continue to study ways to make the drive easier, toll road commuters have recently had to endure a hike in fees on the 91 Express Lanes. When the express lanes opened in 1995, the fee was $2.50 for a one-way trip. Now, drivers wishing to utilize the lanes can expect to pay $7.00 during peak rush-hour times. “I donʼt even use the Fasttrack anymore,” said Veronica Arteaga, 31, an administrative assistant who travels from Riverside to Irvine during the workweek. “Itʼs gotten ridiculous, and itʼs not even safe anymore. Drivers have no regard for the lanes and merge into them after the toll booths.” Arteaga doesnʼt think a new road is the solution to the traffic problem. “If they build that tunnel, itʼs just going to cause more people to move out there and we are going to have the same problem,” Arteaga said. “Iʼd rather see them use some of the money to build a wall between the express lanes so that people donʼt cut into them and cause accidents. Itʼs becoming more unsafe everyday.” Richard Ortiz, 20, a second-year political science major, said he is glad to see something is being done. “By the time I get to class in the morning my brain is fried from my bouts with road rage,” Ortiz said. “Anything that can be done would surely benefit my academic career.”

JAMIE FLANAGAN/Daily Titan

Dance major Alex Blakey and her classmates listen attentively to music and instructions during their Ballet III course in the Visual Arts building, Tuesday.

Grad check startles students Benefit Looming deadlines, fees complicate graduation process By DANICA HART Daily Titan Staff

Seniors graduating this school year should be very familiar with one date: Dec. 9. If it doesnʼt ring a bell, there could be a problem. Dec. 9 is the deadline for graduation checks. Those planning on receiving their bachelorʼs degree

this June need to have a completed grad check turned in to Langsdorf Hall, Room 114, by the December deadline. The grad check and its looming deadlines often come as a shock to seniors like business major Maria Mehegan, who found out about the grad check purely by accident. “When I first started Cal State Fullerton, they gave me a list of classes to take. I recently went to see my advisor about it and when I was there I remembered hearing somewhere that you need to do a

grad check about a year before you graduate. I asked when is the time to go and apply and they said right now,” Mehegan said. According to the Department of Communications Advisement center, the grad check process usually starts either one year prior to graduation or when a student has reached 90 units. The first step in the process is going to LH, Room 114, filling out the yellow grad application and submitting it to University Hall 180 along with the $115 fee. After paying for tuition, books and a

parking permit, the $115 fee isnʼt always welcome. Communications major Dnrita Shcotand found out about the grad check from her student e-mail account. “I heard that not all Cal States ask you for a fee. Someone said that Long Beach doesnʼt charge you anything for it. Out of curiosity I called them up and they do charge about $35. I found it really surprising, because youʼre paying for the courses and youʼre studyGRADUATION 2

Campus craze creates classroom clash CSUF unlikely to have broad university policy on iPod use; students respond By CHISATO KANEGAE Daily Titan Staff

With Appleʼs iPod and other MP3 players becoming more widely used, a question of classroom etiquette and the use of portable gadgets has arisen. Currently, Cal State Fullerton and other CSUs do not have any policies regarding the use of iPods and MP3 players in class. Vice President of Student Affairs, Robert L. Palmer, said that professors would have the right to make rules regarding the use of iPods in their classes. However, he doesnʼt see the university making a broad-based policy on iPods in the classroom. “I doubt very seriously if the university would want to get into the business of setting a broad-based policy of that nature,” Palmer said. “I personally would be opposed to it. No cell phones, no iPods. I think thatʼs perfectly within the responsibility and right of a professor to do.” Students also feel that professors have a right to make certain rules on iPods, if neces-

sary. Some think that itʼs very disturbing to listen to music, especially when the teacher is trying to teach. Junior Juliet Wilson said that listening to music during lecture is disruptive and the professor should be able to regulate classroom behaviors. “If you want to go and listen to music, then hang out somewhere else,” Wilson said. “Iʼm not the kind of person that can listen to rock and roll or rap and concentrate on what the teacher is saying.” Wilson, a sociology major who is preparing to buy an iPod as a gift, feels that in certain circumstances iPods may be allowed, like during a test. She said that soothing music may calm some nerves, and as long as students donʼt listen to taped notes, iPods might be allowed during tests. Freshman Melchor Alcantara has the same views as Wilson, but questions why students would listen to music during class in the first place. “If you want to listen to music, then listen to music,” Alcantara said. “But why go to class and listen to music and not pay attention to the professors.” Although professors have the right to make decisions about classroom etiquette, IPOD

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Photo illustration by GABRIEL FENOY/Daily Titan

Students across campus can listen to music anytime, even classtime, via various iPod devices

concert spreads peace

Festivities aid local charities, victims of Hurricane Katrina By LISAJOYCE VERGARA Daily Titan Staff

In the shadow Hurricane Katrina comes the anniversary of Sept. 11, a time to reflect on the importance of peace. Peace Center Inc. will host its second annual “Celebration for Peace” festival this Saturday at Fairview Park in Costa Mesa from 11:00 a.m. to 6 p.m. “If we could think of peace as a presence-- a connection to our true being than peace is not a possibility it becomes our reality,” said the Rev. Jim Turrell, one of the keynote speakers for the event and a pastor at the Center of Spiritually Discovery in Costa Mesa. The celebration will begin with free admission and a concert series, followed by an international food court and a variety of entertainment for the teens and children. Attendees interested in peace topics can listen to educators and peace advocates will speak on issues such as environmental concerns and animal welfare. CHARITY 2


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