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Artist sees through his darkness After losing his sight, photographer helps others share his vision By MATT BALLINGER Daily Titan Staff
Strong Titan offense outlasts Rebels in overtime, 2-1, for second win of season 6
Opinion Editorial: Common sense about building in disaster-prone areas 4
Kurt Weston searches through his bag until he finds a film canister. He pops the lid, tilts his head back and in two passes swallows the nearly 20 pills inside. Three times a day, adhering to a strict schedule, Weston swallows the pills that make him fatigued; that give him high blood pressure, cholesterol problems and diarrhea; that keep him alive. The 60 pills and twice-daily injections keep Westonʼs immune system from the ruthless devastation of AIDS. He contracted HIV in the early 1980s, he thinks. “I was really quite healthy until I got sick,” Weston said. But in 1991, he was hospitalized with pneumonia. Doctors told him he had only three T-cells, which are the immune systemʼs fire alarm. When T-cells are severely depleted – a healthy person has between 800 and 1,200 – the body becomes an easy target for infection. By 1995, cytomegalovirus retinitis, an AIDS-related infection, had ravaged his vision. Weston was living in Chicago and had been working as a fashion photographer, but winters in the Windy City were taking their toll. So Weston sold his condominium and moved in with his brother in Southern California. Around that time, AIDS medications were becoming increasingly effective. And so began Westonʼs
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One of Kurt Weston’s goals is to show the world that visually impaired artists can create stunning work like those on display now through next year. Catch-22: a need for a battery of pills that makes him feel terrible, but that keeps him alive. Alive to curate an art exhibit, to be creative with his photography, to work with outreach organizations that teach young people about HIV and AIDS, and to begin a masterʼs degree pro-
gram at Cal State Fullerton. “Personally, thereʼs no one that I have a higher amount of respect for,” said Paul Weston, Kurt Westonʼs younger brother. Kurt Weston is blind in his left eye and mostly blind in his right eye. Out of that right eye, he sees
the world as an impressionistic painting. Faces are a blur of flesh tones. But photography provides focus. Weston can make a print and, using intense magnification, see a personʼs features. When taking photographs, he
relies on his technical knowledge and years of professional experience. Photography is about framing and lighting, he said. “The focus part is the most difficult part for me,” he said. WESTON 3
Volunteers flock to offer needed aid Student claims that group with terrorist ties allowed to protest on campus last semester 4
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American Red Cross asks for help; locals, students respond By MELISSA VALBUENA For The Daily Titan
Millions of people answered the call to donate money for the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. Now that Hurricane Rita has hit the Gulf Coast region, the need for help has grown. For students whose wallets canʼt handle another donation but still want to help, the answer is volun-
teering. Before jumping on the first plane to the Gulf Coast, officials advise people to sign up with an organization coordinating relief efforts, such as the American Red Cross. The Volunteer & Service Center, in the Titan Student Union Underground, can refer students to several organizations. Amy Mattern, coordinator of the Volunteer & Service Center, said many students have been coming to her looking for ways to help. One eager student wanted to leave right away, but Mattern convinced him to go to the Red Cross first, which has provided assistance to more than
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The deep sounds from CSUF student Nick Schaadt’s double bass fills Birch Street at Friday’s Brea Jazz Festival.
Training in disaster services consists of two three-hour classes, and being deployed requires a minimum 10day commitment, with the average deployment being 21 days. In recent weeks, Orange County Red Cross has sent more than 1,000 people to the Gulf Coast region, Norton said. They join 163,000 other trained relief workers sent to the area. Registered nurse Marjorie Heintz immediately wanted to go to the area to help. Two days after she contacted the Red Cross, Heintz went to Houston and then to Baton Rouge spending two weeks working graveyard shifts.
“Many [people] were missing family members, not knowing if they were at another shelter, or worse,” Heintz said. “To offer them help and hope was as uplifting for me as it was for them.” Heintz plans to return in the middle of October.The Red Cross also needs local help. Norton helps with clerical work in the Office of Volunteers whenever she has time. People in the program get jobs that best fit their skills, she said. Those with specialized skills, such as Heintzʼs nursing skills, get deployed first. Volunteers can do administrative work, and assist with food, clothing and blood drives.
Students ‘Stand Up’ for a chance to defend civil rights ACLU hosts second annual scholarship writing contest
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250,000 people in the Gulf Coast. “Imagine that you are having the worst day of your life, and people keep coming up to you asking what they can do to help, over and over,” Mattern told him. Though most volunteer after a disaster, organizations always need help, Mattern said. As months go on, the desire to help tends to wane. Donna Norton, a volunteer at the Orange County Chapter of the Red Cross, said her organization expects the need for volunteers in the Gulf Coast to last through December, possibly longer. In order to join, people must attend a one-hour orientation.
The American Civil Liberties Union and Zilo Networks Inc., an entertainment hub for young adults, have launched the second annual Stand Up For Freedom contest for two scholarships. “The contest focuses on what the ACLU continues to do for fighting and acquiring rights for everyone,” said Monica Jara, vice president of communications for Zilo Networks Inc. “We want to open the eyes and ears of Americaʼs youth.” The national contest, which began July 4, challenges college students between the ages of 18 and 29 to use their creativity and knowledge of the political system to defend their rights by either writing a 500-word essay or producing a 30-second public service announcement. This yearʼs contest themes are the Patriot Act, censorship and racial injustice. Organizers suggest focusing on only one theme in the essays and public service announcements. But contestants are encouraged to submit multiple entries, focusing on each of the themes.
“Right now, when our values and freedoms are in jeopardy, it is vital that the next generation of civil libertarians stand up for their rights,” said Anthony Romero, executive director of the ACLU. “We want the college students and the young people of America to use their creativity to discuss civil liberties and issues that impact their lives.”
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We want to open the eyes and ears of America’s youth. Monica Jara Zilo Networks vice president
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Panels of three celebrities will judge contestants on creativity, message and effect of the video or essay. Oscar-winning director Ron Howard, Judge Alex Kozinski of the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, and Grammywinning artist Rob Thomas are just three of the many judges expected for the event. The winner for the public service announcement will receive a $5,000 scholarship and have a chance for his or her video to be shown on
the Zilo Network, which reaches college campuses across the country. The winning essay writer will receive a $1,000 scholarship and have his or her work published on the ACLUʼs Web site, and in future ACLU publications. “Sometimes Americans can take their constitutional rights for granted,” said Edward Fink, chair of the Radio-TV-Film department at Cal State Fullerton. “I think the ACLU competition is a worthy effort to promote studentsʼ deeper understanding of their rights.” The deadline for the contest is Tuesday at 8:59 p.m., and submissions should be made at contestʼs Web site, www.zilo.com/aclu. In addition, a waiver must be signed and submitted through the mail, postmarked no later than Tuesday. “I encourage and have encouraged students to participate. Iʼve already sent an e-mail through the RTVF e-mail server to our students. Hopefully one of them will enter,” Fink said. Entries that do not win will be featured at the Eureka International Film Festival that will be held later in the year. The nonpartisan film festival is dedicated to showing socially conscious political films. The Zilo television network will also show the first and second runner-ups during its programming.