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Sanctuary studies lives, medicine of American Indians By CARMELLIA MUNGUIA Daily Titan Staff
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Surf Report Huntington
1-3 ft. ankle- to waist-high and poor conditions.
San Clemente
1-3 ft. ankle- to waist-high and poor conditions.
Compiled from surfline.com
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U.S. military deaths in Iraq (March 2003-Nov. 2, 2005)
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Last Wednesdayʼs death toll 2,001 The Associated Press
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President Milton A. Gordon responds to a student’s question at the Pizza With the President event in the Quad on Wednesday. Students were invited to personally ask President Gordon questions while enjoying free pizza. ASI Executive Vice President Drew Wiley, pictured left, also fielded questions from students.
Dining with the presidents
Students have chance to vent concerns to university leaders By KELLI FADROSKI Daily Titan Staff
Itʼs not often that students are given the opportunity to be wined and dined by university presidents – well, given pizza and soda, and the chance to voice their opinions and ask questions directly to campus leaders. Associated Students Inc. hosted Pizza With the Presidents yesterday to a crowd of about 200 Cal State Fullerton students and faculty members in the Quad. This bi-annual event brings students and campus leaders together and presents an open forum for students to speak up about whatʼs happening on campus and about current political issues that will soon, if not already, be affecting them. In the leadership panel were ASI President Mona Mohammadi, University President Milton A. Gordon, Vice President for Student Affairs Robert Palmer and ASI Executive Vice President Drew Wiley. In past semesters, there have
been only two campus presidents present to answer student questions. This semester was special because two more campus leaders, Palmer and Wiley, were invited to join. The event took two months of planning, and surprisingly, four individuals with ultra-busy schedules were able to come together quite easily for the event, said Deanna Plascencia, ASI director of public relations. Pizza with the Presidents started five years ago by the suggestion of then ASI President Mary Grace Cachuela. “I liked the idea when Mary Grace presented it to me, and itʼs a great event that I look forward to because students and faculty all come out,” Gordon said. The event isnʼt a formal suitand-tie discussion, rather itʼs a relaxed arena for individuals to share their ideas – and, of course, enjoy pizza. “I realize that the crowd is here when the pizza is being served and once the pizza is gone the crowd tends to thin out,” Gordon said. CSUF students took advantage of the opportunity to speak to the presidents and came up with an array of questions that focused around key issues being voted
on in the ASI election that ends today. Several students voiced their concerns over parking on campus and increased student fees. Nahia Le, senior accounting major, was curious about how parking would improve in the future. “I want to ask about the parking problem,” Le said. “We spend almost $150 and we spend a lot of time looking for parking, especially for the morning students.” Other students raised issues concerning current programs on campus. Mike Deleon, a senior human services major, running for ASI Director of Health and Human Development, inquired about the Health Centerʼs immunization waiver form. Although an immediate answer could not be given, Gordon assured that the matter would be looked into. “I suspect that when we look at it, we will see that there is some requirement that is necessary,” Gordon said. “If not, thatʼs great and we can look at what we can change or not.” Although the presidents were put on the spot, Mohammadi wasnʼt worried about being asked tough questions.
“Being in this job everyday, I think, prepares you because youʼre given a lot of knowledge about whatʼs going on around campus and even statewide issues,” Mohammadi said. This semesterʼs crowd was the largest he could remember, Gordon said, and he was greatly pleased with the turn out. “I hope that they realize that they can ask student leadership and university leadership any question they want and they are going to get a responsible answer to their question,” he said. Mohammadi believes the event is a great way for CSUF students to meet their leaders. “I think a lot of students donʼt even know who the university president is,” Mohammadi said. “Itʼs a great way for them to put a face to the name and gives them the opportunity to get their voice heard on specific issues.” The questions studentʼs asked werenʼt uncommon. “I always expect parking questions,” Gordon said. “We didnʼt get any athletic questions, I usually expect those like ʻWhen are you going to bring back a football team?ʼ but I thought overall that the questions asked were really responsible questions and they did a great job.”
High school students try college Campus organizations host first local Black Conscious Conference By DIANIKA ABBOTT Daily Titan Copy Editor
More than 160 black high school students from the Orange County and Inland Empire areas, visited Cal State Fullerton Wednesday for the first Black Conscious Conference. This conference – sponsored by the Black Chamber of Commerce, the University Outreach office, the African American Resource Center (AARC), the Afro-Ethnic Student Association (AESA), SisterTalk and the Sigma Rho Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. – endeavored to introduce black high school students to the pos-
sibilities of higher education. “[We hope] to give AfricanAmerican students an experience of college by displaying the four components of higher education, which are academics, dialogue, networking and entertainment,” said Courtney Collins, Black Conscious Conference coordinator. The students, who represented various backgrounds, kicked off the day with a motivational speech, which encouraged them to believe they are capable of attending college. According to the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, only 51 percent of black students graduate high school and out of that 51 percent, only 9 percent of those students are minimally qualified college applicants. Guest speaker Corliss Bennett, USCʼs director of the Center
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Cal State Fullerton Afro Ethnic Student Association president Wanjiro Eley, left, answers questions for high school students at the Black Conscious Conference in TSU Pavilion A on Wednesday. for Black Cultural and Student Affairs, said one of the best ways to get black students to go to col-
lege is to give them a first-hand CONFERENCE 4
Nestled in Modjeska Canyon among oak trees, a few wild species and nature is the Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary. Site manager Birkin Newell, a local biologist, will lead visitors on a two-hour tour of sanctuary trails on Saturday. Modjeska Canyonʼs unique role in Southern California is that it was a home to American Indians called Gabrielinos. Gabrielinos is a name given to this group by Spanish missionaries who came to the area to convert indigenous people to Christianity. These indigenous people lived off the land, and were hunters and gatherers. Today, they no longer roam the canyons, but are missed by locals who cherish the canyon. Karen Cornell, the director of Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary, said Modjeska Canyon has a unique united community, where people are protective and concerned of their environment. At the sanctuary, Newell plans to recreate this hunter and gatherer scenario by having participants search for specific plants that the group will be using for certain activities. “I want them to have the feel of a hunter and gatherer like a Native American,” Newell said. One of the first activities will be collecting acorns from Oak trees. After collecting them, they will be soaked in water for 20 minutes, boiled, mashed up and used to prepare a meal. Acorns were one of the most important food supplies for Gabrielinos. Women gathered acorns and made acorn mush or bread. Newell said part of the learning process is participating. They will also make American Indian cords with a yucca plant, which is a spiky plant that is three feet high, “like an agave.” A musical instrument will be made from a branch from the elderberry tree. Newell said this instrument makes a noise like a rattle. Participants will also learn about other sacred herbs, plants and trees. Eugene Jones, a CSUF professor of biology and a botanist, said most of modern remedies have been derived from native plants. He said American Indian herbal remedies have been researched, and researchers have been able to prove that the cures work. Today, Toyon, an analgesic, is used for aches and pains. American Indians used its bark and leaves to cure stomachaches. It also produces a berry used for tea and soothing purposes. The willow treeʼs salicylic acid is commonly used in Aspirin. The acid is taken from its bark and leaves. Another American Indian herb is Mugwort, which is used to cure poison oak infections, it can WORKSHOP 4