Volume 94, Issue 13
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013
dailytitan.com
NEWS | CRIME
Student charged with felonies for explosives A student living on campus was arrested following an explosion SAMUEL MOUNTJOY Daily Titan
A Cal State Fullerton student pleaded not guilty to two felony charges Tuesday. Vincent Hemsley, 19, was arrested on campus Saturday night for possessing an explosive device in public, and for igniting an explosive device, University Police said. Hemsley admitted to throwing explosive bottles mixed with cleaning fluids off a higher-level balcony of the Sycamore double apartments, said Lt. Scot Willey of University Police. Officers arrived to a call around 10 p.m. Saturday reporting an explosion. Investigation revealed an explosive that had been recently detonated. His apartment was searched with his permission and evidence consistent with materials used in the device were found. People standing in the patio area below the balcony reported seeing somebody throw
something from an above balcony shortly before the explosion. There were no reports of injuries. He also admitted to throwing similar devices from the balcony in previous weeks. Hemsley is still being held in custody at Orange County Jail on $1 million bail awaiting an Oct. 2 pretrial hearing and Oct. 4 bail hearing. Campus housing explicitly prohibits weapons and explosives and possession may result in immediate dismissal from residency, according to the student housing handbook. Christian Woods, a business major, was in his fourth-floor apartment in Sycamore on Saturday night when he said he heard a series of pops and then a loud explosion. At first, Woods was concerned that there was a gunman, and considered fleeing with his cousin, friend and girlfriend. He said police were on the scene for more than an hour. White residue is still visible on plants below the balcony as of Tuesday afternoon. An assault with a deadly weapon charge was dropped at his arraignment.
DYLAN LUJANO / Daily Titan
Community members attended a city meeting Tuesday night to explain their viewpoints on why the closed library should reopen in the future.
Mayor champions library Mayor Bruce Whitaker urges public support for reopening of Hunt branch MATTHEW MEDINA Daily Titan
The Hunt Branch Library in southwest Fullerton closed on a temporary basis in April, and to Mayor Bruce Whitaker, that is a shame to be amended as soon as possible. In his monthly “Talk Around Town” event, which was hosted at the library, the mayor asked the public to support him more visibly on the issue in city council meetings and elsewhere. He said that some perceived criticisms of the library, such as its relatively secluded location and close proximity to the main library in the city, were positives in his eyes. “Our wonderful new main library, with its expansion, already hits capacity quite frequently,”
Whitaker said. “When that happens, no matter what service it is you’re providing, you need some area to overflow and to provide ancillary space for that activity.” Maureen Gebelein, director of the Fullerton Public Library system, said although financial issues are not new for libraries, significant hardships for the libraries that she oversaw began in 2009. At the time, the Hunt Branch Library was open five days a week, but over the past four years the library budget has reduced by 28 percent. “We’re all fighting for the same general fund money, and like Bruce said, there’s a lot of need,” she said. Gebelein said that starting in 2011, the city council agreed on a plan to keep the library open two days a week. However, that situation had problems, including increased loitering by homeless residents. Gebelein said that the Fullerton
NEWS | LAW SCHOOL
SAMUEL MOUNTJOY / Daily Titan
Explosive bottles were thrown from a balcony at Sycamore Hall.
NEWS | BLOOD DRIVE
Angels shortstop vists campus blood drive Campus blood drive has exceeded goal of 50 donations per day BRIAN CHESTER Daily Titan
Angels shortstop Erick Aybar made a special appearance at the campus blood drive on Tuesday in the Titan Student Union Portola Pavillion. Aybar is part of the Los An-
geles Angels of Anaheim team that hosted their own blood drive this summer. The Dominican Republic native was accompanied by his translator Rafael. Aybar posed for pictures with students and handed out pre-signed photographs. The Major League Baseball star also took time to autograph T-shirts and baseballs. “It’s good to try and help some guy that will need it,” Aybar
NEWS 2
Diversity Dialogue starts with “Women and Islam” OPINION 4
Hydraulic fracturing causes more harm than good DETOUR 5
12 Angry Jurors kicks off fall theater plays SPORTS 8
Titan Gym gets makeover for 2013 season FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: @DAILY_TITAN
OC judge gives keynote speech at Law School Fair New format encourages pre-law students to pick brains of law experts ROBERT REYES Daily Titan
Orange County Superior Court Judge Donald Gaffney knew he wanted to be a lawyer since he was 10 years old. said, expressing support for the blood drive. “I feel really good that Rafael brought me here and I enjoy it, the time we are here and seeing everybody.” Aybar represented the Angels’ team support for blood drives. Although he has yet to make a contribution himself, the shortstop doesn’t rule out the possibility of one day becoming a donor. “Someday, if somebody need it, and they can’t get it, then I can do that,” Aybar said. Students who come to donate are provided with complimentary snacks and beverages, as well as an air conditioned room for relaxation. SEE AYBAR, 3
He can still remember picking up a green and white encyclopedia to look up the word “lawyer” and finding pictures of the Harvard Law School and someone making an argument in court. “I have never wanted to do anything other than law since that day,” Gaffney said to the audience of pre-law students at the Law School Fair in the
Library Board of Trustees voted in 2013 to close the Hunt Branch Library with the intent of establishing a plan to reopen it for five days a week. Gebelein said that although the homeless population became a problem when the library was closed for much of the week, she does not have any issue with homeless residents coming there. “A large portion of our population is homeless or has challenges, and they’re welcome,” she said. “Our criteria is: don’t break our code of conduct; if you break our code of conduct, you’re kicked out.” Stephen Baxter, an advocate for lessening criminal penalties that affect Fullerton’s homeless population, said that the issue of homelessness is a permanent one and that the city should rethink how it approaches the problem. “It costs taxpayers and businesses no matter what,” he said. “If you go to any library in the daytime, half the people there
are probably homeless.” The mayor acknowledged that the library had legitimate obstacles to overcome before reopening, but said that cost was the main issue and other problems were not that significant in his eyes. “Within a budget, there are priorities,” Whitaker said. “You try to keep everything as intact as you can; if that means tightening the belt, that should be done more universally and not just lop off some appendage, like this library.” Whitaker estimated that about half a million dollars would be necessary to repair and improve the library until it is able to reopen. He added that the financial difficulties, including numerous roads in disrepair and aging water mains bursting under pressure, were indeed significant obstacles to being able to dedicate that money.
Titan Student Union on Tuesday. For the first time, students hoping to go to law school were treated to a fair of their own. The change in format was to create a more intimate meeting between students and representatives from schools near and far like Loyola Law School and Gonzaga University according to assistant professor of criminal justice Stacy Mallicoat, the event’s primary organizer. The new format is more productive for visiting law schools than years past because it allows them to talk to more informed students according to John McTeague, the director of admissions for the University of West Los Angeles.
“I think it’s great to speak directly to law students because they already seem to kind of be prepared for what to expect,” McTeague said. “They know the right questions to ask.” Pre-law students also had their own keynote speaker, Cal State Fullerton alumnus Judge Donald Gaffney of the Orange County Superior Court. “It’s a great model for students from Cal State Fullerton to see somebody graduate from our program, go to an exceptional law school, do incredibly well, be able to come back to Orange County and serve his community,” Mallicoat said.
SEE MAYOR, 3
SEE LAW FAIR, 2
ELEONOR SEGURA / Daily Titan
Angels shortstop Erick Aybar autographs the shoulder of a fan in the Titan Student Union on Tuesday.
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