2007 02 15

Page 1

Online DailyTitan

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Since 1960 Volume 84, Issue 10

Welcome to the Jungle

Faith Minus One

Exploring the untamed wilds of the Arboretum NEWS, p.3

Bruemmer is on a bullet train to OPINION, p. 8 hell – if it exists

Daily Titan

Thursday February 15, 2007

The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton

More Time For Taxes This Year

‘Mac’ing for an iPod

Experts give tips to help make the 2007 tax season smoother By Aleksandra Wojtalewicz Daily Titan Staff Writer news@dailytitan.com

By ALINE LESSNER/Daily Titan Staff Photographer

Pucker Up - Stephanie Nicols and Monica Hall, 20, assume the position during the “Kiss Your iPod” contest on Wednesday. Teams had to outlast one another by holding their lips to an iPod Nano box. The pair won the second round of the competition and each got an iPod Nano.

One Long Kiss, Two New iPods By Lauren McKinney

Daily Titan Staff Writer news@dailytitan.com

Titan Shops sponsored two “Kiss Your iPod” contests Wednesday in front of the bookstore as part of a Valentine’s Day promotion. The first contest started at 9:30 a.m. with eight participants. The contest required the contestants to pair up into teams and kiss an iPod for as long as possible. The winning pair would each receive an iPod Nano. Graphic design majors Cassie Dubar, 21, and Tris Huffnagle, 25, were the first team to arrive.

“We’re going to win no matter how long it takes,” Dubar said. “We have been practicing, so we’re pretty confident.” Each pair had to stand across from one another while making sure their feet did not cross a line and both lips had to be on the iPod at all times. Additionally, they could not use hands to hold up the iPod. The first team dropped the Nano 10 minutes into the contest and the winning couple, Dunbar and Huffnagle, took home the prize after 20 minutes. “I knew we were going to win,” Huffnagle said. “We were using our hands to communicate when it

started slipping and we ended up champions.” Titan Shops had a similar contest last semester where students had the chance to win an iMac computer by kissing the box the computer was stored in. Derek Tobias, an Apple computer representative, said that after a few hours went by, the contestants had to play Simon Says in order to eliminate people. “We’re not expecting this contest to last as long as the last one,” said Angie Dulay, department manager for the Titan Shops. “It seems like SEE IPOD - PAGE 3

MULTIMEDIA

o Check out the multimedia section of dailytitan.com for video coverage of “Kiss Your iPod.”

Update on CSUF Murder Suspect University documents subpoenaed in murder case of 4-year-old son By Adam Levy

Daily Titan Executive Editor alevy@dailytitan.com

Gideon Walter Omondi, the Cal State Fullerton student accused of drowning his 4-year-old son Richard, appeared in the Orange County Superior Court in Fullerton Tuesday for a pre-trial deposition. The proceeding enabled the prosecution and defense to exchange information pertinent to the case.

The engineering major turned himself into Fullerton Police Department at 9:30 p.m. on Sept. 10, 2006. He allegedly told authorities he OMONDI had drowned his son earlier in the evening. Officers dispatched to Omondi’s Fullerton apartment found the youngster’s lifeless body tucked into his bed. Appearing before Judge Roger B. Robbins, Omondi was represented by Orange County Deputy Public Defender Arlene Speiser. The 35-

year-old Kenyan remained in the courtroom holding cell throughout the proceedings. “Basically we set pre-trial to make sure the defense has the correct information,” said Senior Deputy District Attorney Steve McGreevy in a phone interview. Mcgreevy said the meeting was a way for the sides to debrief each other on evidence germane to the upcoming trial. Subpoenaed documents from the CSUF Children’s Center were received and placed in the court file in January. McGreevy said he could not comment on the content of the documents. Omondi came to the United

April is approaching, and April showers are not the only storms that rain down on students at this time of the year. Filing taxes hover over students as they prepare to flood the post office to mail their tax returns. This year, students have two additional days to file taxes. The Internal Revenue Service is extending the date for filing 2006 tax returns to April 17 because April 15 falls on a Sunday and April 16 is Emancipation Day, a legal holiday in the District of Columbia. The holiday celebrates the signing of the Emancipation Act by Abraham Lincoln in 1862. Under a federal statute, District of Columbia holidays affect the whole nation. Although the current tax instructions state to file taxes by April 16, they were printed before the IRS realized its mistake. Even though the due date is extended, IRS Commissioner Mark W. Everson said in a written statement that the IRS encourages taxpayers to get a jump-start on their taxes to ensure that enough time is allocated to accurately prepare their tax returns. For some Cal State Fullerton students, the additional two days will not make a difference on their tax filing. “I file for financial aid so I have to file my taxes by March,” said bio-

chemistry major Tabitha Lowry, 23. Yet the last day to send in tax returns is “still the busiest day of the year as far as letter mail and traffic congestion” at the post office, said Richard Maher, U.S. Postal Service spokesperson for Southern California. The extension “might have a slight affect,” said Maher, “[because] people like to wait till the last minute.” The U.S. Postal Service will work with local police departments to try to ease traffic congestion at the post office. To avoid any problems that might arise with sending taxes, Maher advises students to make sure their postal site collects letters until midnight. “Do not go to the neighborhood blue postal box because the collection time might not be until the next morning,” said Maher. He also recommends writing the return address on the envelope and using the envelopes provided by the IRS. “Make sure you also have enough postage,” said Maher. “If you have a lot of papers [in the envelope], add more postage.” Yet the traffic congestion is “certainly not like years past due to technology,” said Maher, “About 70 percent of people file electronically.” When opting to file electronically, tax professionals can send a person’s tax return electronically, or one can send his or her own taxes electronically from home, using software programs such as TurboTax or TaxCut. Software like TurboTax guides users through the return step-by-step and asks easy-to-understand ques SEE TAX - PAGE 3

Remembering the Past

States a year ago on a student visa. Aside from a few traffic violations, he had no criminal record before turning himself into custody – he has been held at the Orange County Jail since. Omondi’s next scheduled appearance in court comes March 23 for a preliminary hearing. McGreevy indicated that Omondi will be charged under “lying-in-wait” circumstances, which could bring a harsher sentence. He said the decision whether to seek the death penalty will likely be made in “the next few weeks.” When asked how long he anticipated the legal wheels to turn, McGreevy said, “This isn’t a case that’s going to settle anytime soon.”

Behind the Scenes of Performing Arts Center By Christin Davis

For the Daily Titan

news@dailytitan.com

Planning lasted nearly two decades for the new Performing Arts Center at Cal State Fullerton and since opening in January 2006, the venue has dramatically altered the arts community at CSUF. Jerry Samuelson, dean of the College of the Arts, said the new Performing Arts Center “has made a tremendous impact on the quality of

programs in the theater, dance and music departments. Our students, for the first time, have facilities to match their hard work and discipline. The faculty feels this venue has elevated the students’ performance capabilities and see the quality continuing to go up.” Initial phases for the project began in 1992, according to Mike Smith, CSUF Director of Design and Construction, with a recommended 1,200-seat facility by the California State University Board

Tuesday Sports

of Trustees. Later redesigned into four discipline-specific performance venues, the project cost $48.5 million, which Smith said came predominantly from state funds as well as over $2 million from community donors. Known for innovative architectural and acoustical design, Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates (HHPA) was selected to design the new center. In October of 2006, Pfeiffer Partners Inc., as they are known, and the CSUF Performing Arts Center were

selected for an award for education design from the Concrete Masonry Association of California and Nevada in conjunction with the American Institute of Architects California Council. Located on the west side of California State University Fullerton’s campus, the 109,000-square-foot Performing Arts Center is home to four performance venues, rehearsal

By CARLOS DELGADO/Daily Titan Staff Photographer

HISTORY - Check out Introspect on Page 4 and 5 for coverage of the African Heritage Festival held in Long Beach on Feb. 10 and 11.

SEE PAC - PAGE 3

MULTIMEDIA www.dailytitan.com

can roemer tame the wildcats?

TITAN ONLINE

BASEBALL COVERAGE Full recaps of this weekend’s series against the University of Arizona

PODCASTS Check out the Daily Titan for regular podcasts, slideshows and videos of campus news.

weather

TODAY

TOMorrow Sunny Skies High: 68 Low: 46

Sunny Skies High: 72 Low 47


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