Faculty union to rally
Amanda Howard’s comeback
California Faculty Association will rally for better wages Wednesday
The redshirt sophomore is finally healthy to play after two ACL tears
News 2
Tuesday October 7, 2014
The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton
Sports 8
Volume 96 Issue 20
Grant drives smart roads
Library feeling growth pains
Civil engineering students receive grant to tackle tough transportation issues
Pollak Library sussing out issues arising with expanded hours, facing budget shortfall
RACHAEL GARCIA Daily Titan
LAUREN GAMACHE Daily Titan
Five civil engineering students received a grant from the Dwight David Eisenhower Hispanic Serving Institutions and Universities Fellowship Program (DDETFP) for transportation-related research. The students have been conducting research on how to solve transportation issues. In the case of graduate student Sneha Upadhyaya, the award helps cement the importance of her work. “I have been conducting research on the modification of soft expansive clays using cement. My research project for the fellowship aims to evaluate the effectiveness of modifying the subgrade soil for roads and highways using cement,” Upadhyaya said. Quang Tran is another graduate research student who obtained the fellowship. His studies focus on natural sustainable pumice as an alternating cement ingredient for future application to the nation’s infrastructure, namely concrete bridge decks and pavements. Tran will present his research in January 2015 in Washington D.C., Ghosh said. This grant agreement, developed by the United States Department of Transportation, will cover the recipients’ tuition fees and fund onetime travel arrangements to the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting in Washington D.C. in January. The fellowship program’s objective is to attract qualified students to the field of transportation and research and advance transportation workforce development. It encompasses all modes of transportation.
Cal State Fullerton’s Pollak Library is facing growing pains as staff prepare to implement the extended hours mandated by the Student Success Initiative (SSI) passed last semester. The library has already begun offering extended hours, and will stay open 24/7 during finals week, the first semester such a policy has been put into place. The SSI allocated $26.67 a year per student to the Support Your Academic Progress category of the fee, which encompasses the extended library hours, along with increased course offerings and expanded advising. Specifically, the fee allocated $79,800 to keep the library open, said Interim University Librarian Scott Hewitt. However, the two-week period of extended hours will cause the library to go over budget, Hewitt said, but university staff is willing to spend the money if it means giving students access to the library to study. Library administration is still working out the details of how to operate smoothly during finals week, but a lack of information is making planning difficult. Since it’s the first year for the library’s extended hours, estimating attendance and required staff is proving difficult. Library administration is also working closely with the University Police to determine the best ways to ensure the safety of students, a process that includes determining how many officers will be on duty during the late hours.
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ALEX GROVES / DAILY TITAN
Kimmi Kraus and 2-year-old Damu playfully interact at the “Wolves: Myth and Mysteries” event at the Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary.
Dispelling wolf fears Wolf dogs interact with audience CESAR GAMBOA & ALEX GROVES Daily Titan
With a bite that equates to approximately 1,500 pounds of pressure per square inch, yellow eyes and razor-edge claws, wolves may seem scary, but one organization is seeking to change this common perception of the animals. The Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary hosted “Wolves: Myths and Mysteries” on Saturday where dozens of people attended for a chance to learn about and interact with live wolves. The sanctuary, owned and operated by the Natural Science and Mathematics Department at Cal State Fullerton, serves as a research center for college students, and also promotes science and environmental education for K-12 schools. As part of an outdoor education program, the event was presented by Kimmi Kraus, a representative for Wolf Totem Ambassadors, an organization which aims to educate and dispel misconceptions of wolves as
a form of wildlife. She began working with wolves, bears, foxes and other animals in 2006 through a volunteer program. Kraus, accompanied by her two male gray wolves, 2-year-old Damu and 17-month-old Cael, discussed cultural mythologies associated with wolves before discussing their behaviors and physiology in front of an engaged audience of adults and children. She wanted the presentation to be a fun experience that would also provide people with valuable information. Damu and Cael are high-content wolfdogs, said Kraus. Pure wolves are incapable of interacting with humans due to innate shyness. Although they are not wild wolves, the selectively bred wolfdogs offer people a unique hands-on experience. The presentation gave the audience a chance to learn about the origin of the werewolf as a mythological creature and also about the mythology surrounding wolves in Native American, Norse and Turkish culture. SEE WOLVES
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WOLF FACTS • Wolves can eat up to 20 pounds of meat in one sitting, which equates to a human eating 100 hamburgers. • The largest wolf ever recorded weighed 175 pounds. • Most wolves in zoos or films are not pure wolves, but a wolfdog hybrid. • Wolves generally weigh between 65 to 130 pounds. They never hit the scale over 200 pounds. • Their bite yields approximately 1,500 pounds of pressure per square inch.
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Business Honors program encourages dreams Students shared their goals on the “Before I Die” wall in the Mihaylo Hall quad.
ROSELYNNE REYES Daily Titan Students and faculty shared their life goals with the Cal State Fullerton community on the “Before I Die” wall, which was erected on Tuesday and brought down Thursday last week. “Write the great American novel” and “Own my own company” were just a couple of the responses on the giant chalkboard located in the Mihaylo College of Business and Economics quad. This is the second semester that the event, created by the Business Honors Program Brand Management team was made available for students. Students and faculty were invited to share their aspirations on the wall. The concept for the event was inspired by the first “Before I Die” wall, which was
created in 2011 in New Orleans. Artist Candy Chang painted the side of an abandoned home in her neighborhood with chalkboard paint after she lost a loved one. Anyone walking by could pick up a piece of chalk and share what they wanted to do before they die. Within a day, all 80 spots were filled with responses. The project has since been replicated all over the world, inspiring people everywhere to reflect on their lives. Project team leader Lisa Nguyen said that one goal of the Brand Management team is to spread word of the honors program. However, the wall is also about encouraging students to share their goals. “It’s not just letting them know there’s a program. It’s about letting them know we’re here, but we want to interact with everyone,” Nguyen said. “It’s to remind students, ‘Keep working hard in school, there’s something
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you want to do.’” Business Honors Director Marcia Clark said the honors program aims to get students working together, an experience which isn’t always possible in a normal classroom. “All of the activities are built toward an individual goal: I as a student want to get an A. They’re not built toward a collective goal where I want to accomplish something that benefits the organization,” Clark said. “So each of these projects are an opportunity for the teams … to gather together to achieve a goal that benefits the organization rather than each individual.” Part of that includes placing students in cohorts, or class groups, who take honors classes together. In the honors classes, students are able to really get to know each other, Nguyen said. SEE WALL
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YUNUEN BONAPARTE / DAILY TITAN
A student adds her life goals on the “Before I Die” wall in the Mihaylo College of Business and Econimics quad. VISIT US AT: DAILYTITAN.COM