Tuesday Oct. 21, 2014 by Daily Titan

‘Red Folder’ comes to CSUF

Rallying for mental health

Mental health initiative aims to prepare faculty to address student needs

Active Minds club teaches awareness for people with or without an illness

News 3

Tuesday October 21, 2014

Features 4

The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton

Volume 96 Issue 28

MARIAH CARRILLO / DAILY TITAN

Cadet AJ McCartney is lowered from the roof of McCarthy Hall as part of the Cal State Fullerton ROTC Army Titan Battalion training Saturday afternoon.

ROTC tackles McCarthy

CSUF Army ROTC Battalion cadets built trust and camaraderie by scaling down a campus building

DARRELL KING Daily Titan Cadets of the Cal State Fullerton Army ROTC Titan Battalion waited their turn as they watched their peers rappel down six stories of McCarthy Hall on Saturday. While some were excited to rappel, others were a little nervous, but the purpose of this exercise was to build confidence among cadets

as well as help them overcome any fears they may have. This on-campus conditioning was part of their off-campus training weekend which was held at the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos. The exercises at the base included virtual training on mounted vehicles, simulated live fire weapons training and how to handle a vehicle rollover in a Humvee, a high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle. Rappelling is an exercise where cadets slide down towers or buildings, while secured by a double rope

around their body. While one cadet is rappelling, another is on belay. The cadet on belay is responsible for securing the rope at the bottom. In case the cadet that’s on rappel starts falling, the belay will pull the rope straight down which locks it up and prevents the cadet on rappel from falling any further. “The belay’s job is to make sure the other guy doesn’t fall to his death,” Master Sgt. Lukie said. Rappelling may be too frightening for some, and while ROTC military instructors understand that, they still hope their cadets

accomplish the experience. “One of the seven army values is personal courage, and this definitely takes personal courage to step off a six-story building dangling by a rope,” said Lt. Col. Mark Waters, a professor of military science at CSUF. “It’s a big character building exercise ... This helps them get some confidence in themselves and confidence in their fellow soldiers or cadets.” “This is terrifying,” said senior cadet and public affairs officer for the battalion, Jessica Lopez. Despite being fearful, Lopez also

expressed her excitement about the rappel because they all work so hard and this exercise will serve as a stress-reliever. “On paper, training is only three days a week, but it’s a full-time job,” she said. The rappelling experience varies among the cadets ranking. MS1 cadets, which means they are military science freshmen, are less experienced than MS3’s and 4’s—juniors and seniors—who have done it in the past. SEE ROTC

Veterans demonstrate unity Student veterans and staff participated in a dragon boat race to cultivate teamwork

CIARA GUTIERREZ Daily Titan

COURTESY OF CSUF

Health Sciences Professor Sora Tanjasiri was awarded over $1.5 million to fund cancer research in Pacific Islander communities.

Cancer research granted funds Over $1.5 million in grants funds studies on cancer in underrepresented communities

CYNTHIA PLEITEZ Daily Titan The National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health awarded a Cal State Fullerton professor over $1.5 million in grants to fund cancer research. Sora Tanjasiri, professor of health science, received the money in four grants to fund research in three main

areas. About $870,000 went toward Weaving an Islander Network for Cancer Awareness, Research and Training (WINCART). WINCART grants have helped fund Tanjasiri’s research since 2010. The new funding will allow her to build upon her past research and efforts to promote awareness of cancer prevention within Pacific Islander communities in Orange, Los Angeles and San Diego counties. SEE CANCER 2

“Three! Two! One! Power! Power! Power!” Lucia Aguirre, Cal State Fullerton student veteran, roared at her fellow veterans encouraging them to move strongly in sync. As the drummer, the responsibility of the teams synchronization fell on her shoulders. “Reach! Reach! Reach!” she yelled. “Keep in sync!” Regardless of the drill sergeant-like orders, Aguirre’s strict motivation paid off for both the Titan Tilapias and Blue Falcons at the LA Dragon Boat Festival on Saturday. Both teams improved their times dramatically over the course of three races, especially the Blue Falcons who took home fourth place in their division of 12 and won an added bonus of $80 for having the best team spirit. Jose Guevara, president of the CSUF Student Veterans Association and team captain for the Blue Falcons, felt

CIARA GUTIERREZ / DAILY TITAN

Lucia Aguirre, dressed in blue wings and sporting a mohawk, leads the Blue Falcons team with the synchronized beat of her drum.

that the team walked away with much more. “It was just awesome— the camaraderie we built up (and) the teamwork we were building up,” Guevara said. Before their journey began, it was the hope of director for Veterans Student Services, Lui Amador, and assistant director of the financial aid office, Monica Coloso, that the students

would experience a day to set aside their daily lives and enjoy each other as a team. “One of the goals is that they work together as a team. Leave everything else aside. Leave it outside the boat—your identities, your responsibilities or your roles or what not. Just come together as a team. And, they’ve done that,” Coloso said.

At the end of the day, Guevara agreed they achieved that goal. “It brought us together, and at the end of the last race, we weren’t even talking about anything but beating the other teams on the water. We didn’t care about anything else but those other teams,” Guevara said. SEE BOAT

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PAGE 2 OCTOBER 21, 2014 TUESDAY

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DTBRIEFS

27 PERCENT OF 20 YEAR OLDS

Charges filed in death of student

Drivers in their 20s make up 27 percent of the distracted drivers in fatal crashes.

156 CITATIONS FOR CELL PHONE VIOLATIONS

In 2013, University Police at CSUF issued 156 citations for cell phone violations.

660,000 DRIVERS USING CELL PHONES WHILE DRIVING

1 new text msg

At any given daylight moment in the U.S., approximately 660,000 drivers are using cell phones or manipulating electronic devices while driving.

EYES ARE OFF THE ROAD FOR FIVE SECONDS ON AVERAGE Five seconds is the average time your eyes are off the road while texting. When traveling at 55mph, that's enough time to cover the length of a football field blindfolded.

Sources: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, University Police, Virginia Tech Transportation Institute

BERENICE ASHIKIAN / DAILY TITAN

Slowing down distracted driving PRactical ADvantage members compete in Project Yellow Light to promote safe driving

ROSELYNNE REYES Daily Titan A group of Cal State Fullerton students are working to bring an end to distracted driving. Four members of the PRactical ADvantage class in the College of Communications are working with Mazda Motorsports to promote Project Yellow Light, a scholarship competition open to high school and college students which aims to promote safe driving habits. The competition was created by Virginia mother Julie Garner after her 16-year-old son Hunter died in a car accident. High school and college students are invited to create videos that promote safe driving. The Ad Council, a nonprofit organization that distributes public service announcements, will edit the winning campaign into a PSA to be aired on 1,600 TV stations nationally, where it will run for a year. First place winners each get $5,000. Second and third places will take home $2,000 and $1,000, respectively. The PRactical

ADvantage team, led by student Lesley Roberts, is working with Mazda to spread the word about the dangers of distracted driving and promote the scholarship at the same time. “They feel that youth are the ones that are most affected by this and if we tell them what the problem is, which is distracted driving, and give them an opportunity to make a video or reach out to their peers, that we will be able to find a solution to this problem that unfortunately takes so many lives every year,” Roberts said. Although it is most often associated with texting and driving, distracted driving refers to anything that causes a distraction, whether it is eating, texting, putting on makeup or playing music. In 2013, University Police at CSUF issued 156 citations for cell phone violations alone. “We all are guilty of distracted driving, whether we want to admit to it or not,” Roberts said. “I feel like our generation for some reason seems to be hit the hardest.” In an effort to reach out to interested students, the team, which consists of public relations and

advertising majors, will visit the Irvine campus during finals week to pass out flyers and snacks, informing the students of distracted driving and the scholarship. “We just feel that it’s kind of our duty in a sense as well to kind of get this scholarship out and it’s kind of a voice for our youth to figure out a solution to this problem,” Roberts said. The group has also enlisted the help of fellow CSUF student and semipro racecar driver Kenton Koch. Together, they will visit El Toro High School in Lake Forest next month to talk about the dangers of distracted driving as well as the scholarship program. “When I’m on the road, I want to be driving with people that aren’t having their heads in their laps looking at their phone,” Koch said. “I actually feel safer on the race track than I do on the streets because of how people are distracted.” Students can submit videos online starting Oct. 31 and have until April 1, 2015 to enter. For more information about the scholarship, visit ProjectYellowLight.com.

The Los Angeles Police Department charged a 28-year-old Long Beach man Monday with murdering a Cal State Northridge student from Saudi Arabia that had been missing for a month, according to the Los Angeles Times. Augustin Rosendo Fernandez was charged with one count of murder in the death of 23-yearold Abdullah Abdullahtif Alkadi, an electrical engineering international student. Prosecutors filed special circumstances which allege the murder happened during a robbery and carjacking and that Fernandez used a knife. They will later decide whether to seek the death penalty against Fernandez. Alkadi’s body was found dumped along Interstate 10 in Palm Desert last week. - NEREIDA MORENO

ISIS renews Iraq attacks In what Kurdish government officials call a renewed effort to gain territory, ISIS fighters launched about 15 attacks Monday in northern Iraq on Kurdish forces, according to CNN. The attacks included the detonation of a military truck filled with explosives that killed six and injured seven more at a Peshmerga security checkpoint. ISIS forces also attacked areas in the Sinjar mountains, including the village of Sharaf ad-Din, which holds a shrine important to the Yazidi community. Militants managed to capture two villages nearby Sharaf ad-Din, but both villages were reportedly unpopulated. Peshmerga forces, using European and American weapons, repelled ISIS militants who attacked the Nineveh Valley near the dam.

Cancer: Grants fund continued research

- CYNTHIA WASHICKO

Over $400,000 of funding will also go to Pap test intervention to enhance decision making among Pacific Islander women. Finally, the CSUF Health Promotion Research Institute (HPRI) and the UC Irvine Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center received funding to augment research on cancer in underrepresented communities. The significance of the funds to the HPRI is not in the monetary value but the pilot and long-term projects and studies it will spearhead, Tanjasiri said. The funding comes as an installment in a four-year grant that is expected to total over $1.3 million by 2015. “We can support so many different cancer-related research projects dealing with tobacco cessation, physical activity promotion, Pap testing and an array of pilot studies co-led by faculty at CSUF and UC Irvine,” Tanjasiri said.

An Irvine man was sentenced to two years in prison yesterday after pleading guilty to a hit-and-run that killed his girlfriend and injured his young daughter on Halloween last year. Francisco Montano, 22, was convicted of fleeing the scene after his girlfriend, 21-year-old Gloria Sanchez, jumped from the vehicle holding their 13-month-old daughter while Montano was driving the family through Santa Ana on West Edinger Avenue. Sanchez died at a local hospital and the child sustained minor injuries. Montano was driving his black Toyota RAV4 without a valid driver’s license when the incident occurred. He later turned himself in to authorities.

CONTINUED FROM

Funding will be split between CSUF and UCI researchers, said Health Promotion Research Institute Program Manager Sandy Bennet. “The $100,00 is split. The UCI researcher gets $50,000, the Cal State Fullerton researcher gets $50,000, and its for a twoyear project. So they get approximately $25,000 each year for two years,” Bennet said. Areas of research for the pilot projects include social support for cervical cancer survivors, gender disparities in early onset melanoma, tools for Latina Breast Cancer survivors and investigation into national and local retail advertising of e-cigarettes aimed at minorities. Members of the communities central to the research oftentimes don’t utilize the resources available for cancer prevention, making the research critical, said Department of Health Science Manager Jasmine

DeGuzman Lacsamana. “The research that has been shown for Pacific Islanders shows that there’s a very low rate of Pap testing and utilization of these types of preventive services,” DeGuzman Lacsamana said. Screenings for cervical cancer include the Pap test and human papillomavirus (HPV) testing, which can detect cancer or abnormalities that may lead to cervix cancers, according to the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health. “It’s important because, for one that’s the research, this is the focus of this project and, two there’s just very little research that is done on Pacific Islanders and different health outcomes,” DeGuzman Lacsamana said. WINCART and the Pap testing research areas share community partners and some similar goals. WINCART, however, encompases multiple projects including tobacco cessation.

Hit and run driver sentenced

- AMBER UDDIN

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NEWS

PAGE 3 TUESDAY OCTOBER 21, 2014

Structure defaced with graffiti

YUNUEN BONAPARTE / DAILY TITAN

At least 23 occurances of graffiti vandalism appeared on the fourth and fifth floors of the Nutwood Parking Structure over the weekend. Posts, walls and ceiling beams were defaced with graffiti depicting large faces and words in teal and yellow spraypaint. University Police were not able to provide further detail on the vandalism Monday afternoon. As of Monday night, the vandalism had yet to be removed. Read full coverage of the graffiti in the Thursday issue of the Daily Titan. – AMBER UDDIN and SAMUEL MOUNTJOY

Red Folder assists students in distress Initiative equips faculty and staff with information they can use to aid students in distress

AUBREY SAULS Daily Titan Last month, Cal State Fullerton joined a list of California universities to implement the Red Folder Initiative to make on-campus resources easily accessible for students in distress. The Red Folder Initiative is a statewide effort on California State University and University of California campuses, and is currently accessible to all faculty and staff in the CSU and UC systems. The initiative’s purpose is to prepare faculty and staff to identify and react appropriately to students coping with mental distress. It provides faculty and staff with markers to look for in struggling students, and the correct ways to respond. Faculty will be better equipped to identify and respond to students in need of

assistance and provide them with or direct them to the appropriate resources. The initiative stresses the importance of getting help to those who need it in order to prevent serious consequences, including severe declines in academic performance, disruptive behavior on campus or suicide. Each campus will provide and distribute a “red folder” to faculty, staff and assistants. The handout includes tips and information on how to approach a student in distress. The UC system started this process in 2012, and the CSU system is following suit. The initiative is a joint effort of the California Mental Health Services Authority (CalMHSA) and the Student Mental Health Initiative (SMHI). CalMHSA’s mission is to give mental health and wellness services to California cities and counties. SMHI is an initiative within CalMHSA that applies CalMHSA values specifically

towards the educational system. The CSU system is providing the folder as an electronic resource on faculty portals. A printed copy of the folder was also distributed with faculty and staff paychecks in September. The initiative outlines three themes for faculty and staff to follow: see something, say something, do something. The first section encourages faculty to identify troubled students. Indicators of troubled students and the proper methods of approaching them are outlined in the handout. The initiative then encourages faculty or staff to say something, pointing out that a distressed student will likely exhibit problems in the classroom and at work, with friends, family and in social settings. Bringing the issues to the attention of the individual or appropriate resources is an important step. Finally, Red Folder encourages action. Depending on the

AUBREY SAULS / DAILY TITAN

A student walks by the Student Health and Counseling Center at Cal State Fullerton. The SHCC is one of many resources on campus for students coping with mental distress.

situation, faculty can direct students to contact appropriate resources or, if the situation warrants it, call campus security or 911. Guidelines

include that people in anguish may not turn to family or friends and doing something about their situation can save their academic

career or even their life. If you know of someone in mental distress, contact Counseling and Psychological Services at (657) 278-3040.

City Council to vote on police ticketing software $10,000 software will allow officers to issue tickets and access vehicle data with smartphones

HEATHER MYERS Daily Titan Fullerton Police Department (FPD) may soon be upgrading its software system to include smartphone ticketing. Fullerton City Council will vote this evening on whether or not FPD will receive this new software. FPD Police Chief Dan Hughes is seeking approval to use $10,368 in asset

seizure funds to purchase smartphone ticket writers. The funds will also include training, licensing, support and supplies on both purchases. Also requested in the same agenda item is $25,800 in asset seizure funds to purchase new professional standards software to facilitate the filing of paperwork. The new ticketing software, Watson Mobile Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD), is made by DataDriven, a Tennessee-based

law enforcement software company. The software will allow FPD to access vehicle data and issue citations by scanning a driver’s license. The software can also be used to obtain signatures and fingerprints. Watson Mobile CAD can be used on an officer’s Android phone or tablet. Key features of the software include GPS (using Google Maps), latitude and longitude capture, call event and status updates and real-time CAD notifications.

This new software can significantly cut down an officer’s time spent ticketing a traffic violation by eliminating the need for the officer to handwrite driver and vehicle information. It will also cut down on the constant back and forth between the police vehicle and stopped motorist. By implementing this new smartphone system, FPD can reduce paper costs because it will be a mostly paperless device. The citations would look like a small

credit card receipt instead of a multi-page ticket. DataDriven also provides the professional standards software for police laptops and computers, called Watson Field Reporting. This software includes five categories of services: incident, crash, ticketing, CAD and evidence. “Watson provides law enforcement officers with immediate access to information provided by police database software,” according to their website.

FPD will also accept two donations at the council meeting. One $15,000 donation from the Ebell Club of Fullerton will go to the purchase of a police dog. Retail giant Target will award a $1,500 grant to the department to fund the “Shop with a Cop” program in December. The grant will fund $100 shopping sprees for 15 low-income families in the area. Children will be paired with an officer and buy gifts for their family members.

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FEATURES

PAGE 4 OCTOBER 21, 2014 TUESDAY

Boat: Student vets paddle CONTINUED FROM

MARIAH CARRILLO / DAILY TITAN

Cadet Michael Preciutti tackles the rappeling training exercise with the encouragement of his peers.

MARIAH CARRILLO / DAILY TITAN

A climb specialist secures Cadet Marybel Oyoque’s rope before she descends.

MARIAH CARRILLO / DAILY TITAN

Student climb specialist, Cadet Umang Mehta, assists Cadet Tawni Myers.

ROTC: Breaking down fears CONTINUED FROM

“I’m nervous,” freshman Marco Aguilar said. This is Aguilar’s first time participating in the exercise and while he acknowledges his nervousness, he also recognizes the benefit of completing the task.

“It teaches you to face your fears. Once you get down you’re going to feel like you accomplished something big,” Aguilar said. He later went on to successfully scale the building. Some cadets struggled with nerves, but they were all heavily encouraged to take

the plunge. Trust is something that can’t be stressed enough— not just for completing the rappel, but for the Battalion as a whole. “Its everything in what we do. It’s the cornerstone and baseline for every unit. You have to trust your peers, your

subordinates and your leaders,” Maj. Brad Isler said. Isler, who is new to the program, recognizes how imperative cadet encouragement is. “The camaraderie, knowing that they all did it together, and got through it and helped each other out—it’s

great,” he said. After every cadet finished the rappel, they were dismissed with a newfound feeling of camaraderie. The next big event ahead for the CSUF ROTC Battalion is a 5-10k walk-run which will take place on campus Nov. 9.

He believes that his team had a distinct advantage because they were a team of trained veterans who operate and think alike. “It’s that fearless factor in us that we have. We’ve done other stuff way bigger than this and it’s just like let’s give it our all and re-adapt, improvise and overcome any situation … that is one of the biggest things that the veterans have to offer,” Guevara said. Apart from this newfound sense of unity and friendship, the veterans enjoyed a fun day full of exciting small competitions aside from the races. The festival hosted five competitions throughout the day: best drummer, best team uniform, best team spirit, best food and best spectator group. The best drummer competition required each drummer to perform a solo in full costume in front of the festival attendees. Unfortunately, Aguirre, the drummer for both Titan teams had no idea this would fall into her job description. “This morning we told her ‘oh yea, by the way, you need to do a little spiel and a little dance up front.’ So she didn’t know … And she did a great job, great energy.” Coloso said. Aguirre, who wore blue wings, an orange beak and a giant blue mohawk, approached the single drum and improvised in front of the crowd with a rhythmic drum solo, finishing with a caw and a pose of a falcon. Her teams roared with cheers of pride and gratitude while Amador and Coloso smiled at the success of the hard work they had invested. “I couldn’t have been more happy in terms of the outcomes. Just our ability to come outside and really connect with the students. As a new person on the campus with a brand new staff, I couldn’t think of a better way to connect with my staff and with the students that we service,” Amador said.

Finding your niche TROI MCADORY Daily Titan Cal State Fullerton’s Active Minds is a club on campus that strives to create a comfortable environment where students can openly discuss mental health issues. A mental illness refers to a wide range of conditions that affects one’s mood, thinking and behavior. Some examples can be anxiety, depression and addictive behaviors. Edwardo Lopez, psychology major and student president of Active Minds, said the club’s focus is to lower the negative stereotypes attached to mental illness. The club works to decrease stigma that is associated to mental illness by provoking conversation and bringing the issues students go through to light. He hopes this helps ease students into dealing with those issues by speaking out and gaining more information. “We hope that people will be able to talk about it so it’s not put in the dark,” Lopez said. He was drawn to Active

Minds because of an event that took place last year on campus called Send Silence Packing—backpacks adorned the Titan Lawn with stories of those who committed suicide. The event was used to show how suicide affects college students, although not all the stories pertained to college students. Send Silence Packing was particularly powerful for Lopez, and it made him look at the bigger picture. He decid-

“

saw Active Minds on campus I began to have passion and wanted to help those who are experiencing the same things.” She went through a tough and painful period in her life where she felt she wasn’t loved, worthless and ugly, she said. Hwang wanted to be able to encourage others because she knew what it was like to be in a dark place and what it was like to have these conditions.

“

The Active Minds club at CSUF advocates for mental health awareness for all

Active Minds

We hope that people will be able to talk about it so it’s not put in the dark. EDWARDO LOPEZ Student President of Active Minds

ed he would do whatever he could to help other students and get them talking about mental health issues. Active Minds member and health science major Esther Hwang was drawn to the club because of her own personal experiences with mental illness. “I went through depression, an eating disorder and had suicidal ideations,” Hwang said. “So, when I

Organization Advisor Jovannys Mejia feels passionate about dispelling the negative connotations attached to mental illness. He believes Active Minds provides a space for students to express their passions for mental illness awareness because 1 in 4 people deal with it in his or her lifetime in varying degrees. “I think a common theme is an opportunity for people

to learn,” Mejia said. “Any club is a community and I think that’s what we’re trying to work towards. We’re trying to work toward building a family on campus that addresses these issues.” Some upcoming events for students to relax and enjoy will be a movie showing in the Housing Piazza in about two weeks of the comedic, romantic drama film It’s Kind of a Funny Story. The film centers the attention on a clinically depressed teenager who admits himself into a psychiatric ward. After the showing, there will be an open discussion for viewers to speak about what they’ve learned on mental health and the stigmas. One of the club’s signature events is called the Calm Before the Storm, which takes place the week before finals. It serves as a stress reliever where there are therapy dogs of various breeds such as labradors and Welsh corgis for participants to play with. Hwang said this is her favorite event and always attends. “I always go to the pet therapy to pet the dogs, and it really helps,” she said.

COURTESY OF ACTIVE MINDS

Members of Active Minds strive to dispel the negative connotation attached to mental illnesses.

“Seeing those puppies excited to see you really lifts your spirits.” If you or anyone you know is suffering from any form of mental illness, please visit the Counseling

and Psychological Services (CAPS) in the Student Health and Counseling Center for further help and information. Dial (657) 278-3040 or the 24/7 Suicide Prevention Hotline 1-800-273-8255.

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OPINION

PAGE 5 TUESDAY OCTOBER 21, 2014

Moving toward new energy sources The shift to alternative energy needs to happen as fossil fuel becomes totally inaccessible

ALEX GROVES & GUSTAVO VARGAS Daily Titan The era of fossil fuel usage will undoubtedly have to come to an end. Not because of political influence or lobbying, but because fossil fuels are finite while other forms of energy are sustainable and make sense for the long term. The question of how much money this nation should expend on clean energy has often been debated, with proponents of fossil fuels saying that alternative forms of energy are costly and ineffective. However, this perception is outdated. Across the world there are examples of functional energy systems that aren’t based on coal or other forms of fossil fuels, but rather on more sustainable sources such as wind and the sun. In Hawaii, where energy costs are skyrocketing, outdoor brand Patagonia has teamed up with Hawaiian company Kina’ole Capital to install solar panels on 1,000 homes in Hawaii. The implementation of the solar panels will be a positive move toward energy independence because it will drastically lower energy costs for those households. Residents will only have to pay for the energy produced by the solar panels, resulting in energy bills that will be 40 percent lower than Hawaii’s average. Each solar panel is tailored to the individual’s

COURTESY OF WIKI IMAGE

Large scale wind power has made the role of fossil fuel plants less relevant and has pushed electricity prices down, decreasing the profitability of coal and gas power stations, in Baltic nations.

home needs in order to avoid producing an excess of energy. If an excess of energy is produced, homeowners will be able to get credit from their utility company as the remaining energy will be sent back to be used as backup like rollover minutes on a cell phone, said Kina’ole Co-Founder Blair Herbert in a Businessweek interview. Patagonia hopes that other U.S. companies start thinking about doing the same in an effort to bring further awareness to these types of projects while creating more jobs.

This sounds like a very beneficial relationship for both homeowners and businesses. Hopefully more companies begin to follow their lead, and even innovate on it. It’s not just Hawaii that’s benefitting from alternative forms of energy as of late. Multiple Nordic countries have seen significant reductions in the costs of energy per megawatt hour as a result of an increase in wind power, according to a Reuters report. This, paired with lessened energy use as a result of static economies, has

lessened dependence on coal in the region and lowered energy prices overall. Other countries are starting to follow suit with this model. Denmark wants to eventually have all their power and heat generated from renewable energy sources by 2035, first by making the switch from coal use by 2030. Meanwhile, as countries around the world are facilitating cheaper forms of alternative energy, our traditional forms of fuels are depleting. The peak oil and coal theory has suggested that there

will be a point after which we reach our peak extraction of fossil fuels. This theory states that fossil fuels will be phased out of the marketplace over time because the remaining deposits will become increasingly difficult to mine. After that time, we’re only ever going to see declining quantities of these substances. Oil industry experts have contested for a while now that peak oil isn’t something that stands to reason. They’ve argued that new technologies have allowed them to reach deeper and collect more oil than they

have in past decades. But this stance overlooks a key concept: fossil fuels, no matter how you look at them, are finite. There’s a division in the peak oil and coal camp among those who believe we will run out of these fuels sooner and those who believe we will run out these fuels later, but the point remains the same: there is a day when we will run out. Why delay the inevitable when we can start to form comprehensive solutions now? We see various places throughout the globe where people are using sustainable alternative forms of energy to lower costs and even create jobs. It’s more sensible to honor this model as opposed to one that’s doomed for failure. There’s a camp in the United States that believes that an increase in alternative energy stands as a smart approach for the nation’s future. A recent study by the Union of Concerned Scientists said it was possible to increase the nation’s electricity gained from non-hydro renewable sources by more than 23 percent. That’s really not hard to believe considering that 17 states across the country have standards in place which require a higher percentage of reusable alternative energies than what’s required by the Environmental Protection Agency. Nine of those states factor in wind and solar. With statistics such as these, its high time that people realize the benefits of technologies which foster an increase in alternative energies.

Primary elections shouldn’t be ignored BRITTANEY CARPENTER Daily Titan November is rapidly approaching, and with it comes cooler weather, holiday feasts and general elections. Prior to the general elections are the primary elections. This year the primary elections were held on June 3, 2014 in California. The primaries narrow down the list of potential candidates for office. Without these often overlooked pre-elections, the media would not be able to provide adequate coverage for the vast amount of activity happening for every person running for office. The primaries are an important section of the election process. In June, California governor primaries held 15 candidates, in which one candidate from each party is chosen, based on the most received votes. Based on the June primaries, Jerry Brown will faceoff against former Assistant United States Treasury Secretary Neel Kashkari in the Nov. 4 election. Brown received 54.4 percent of the primary votes, and Kashkari received 19.1 percent of the votes. If the primaries did not exist, following the standings of 15 nominees would be almost impossible to achieve. In deciding on the potential general election winner, keeping track of the politics and ideals of only two candidates can be enough of a challenge without increasing the number of runner-ups. Keeping track of the

large amount of potential candidates requires the time and knowledge regarding American politics that most people are not able or are unwilling to afford. Unsurprisingly, news interest in the midterm elections never topped 16 percent in 2014, according to a Pew Research Center poll. Sadly, looking at the average turnout of voters, there are too few interested citizens to have more than two candidates. This year was a record low for the state of California, with only 25 percent of voter turnout in the June primary. More needs to be done to gain and keep public interest in the political process,

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system. Caucus was the name of the public meetings held during colonial times where matters regarding elections would be brought forward to be voted on by town officials. Since then, primary elections have been categorized as partisan and nonpartisan, direct and indirect. Partisan refers to open primaries that require only declared party members to vote on the potential candidates. Nonpartisan, on the other hand, are closed primaries that allow citizens to vote who have not declared a party affiliation. Direct means that voters decide on the candidates, while indirect refers to vot-

The political process does not end on Election Day. Young people need to stay involved in the process by continuing to pay attention to the conversation and holding their leaders accountable for the decisions they make, PATRICK MURPHY Congressman especially the youth vote, which has a historically low voter turnout. U.S. Representative of Florida Patrick Murphy is the youngest current member of congress and believes that young adults are instrumental to choosing the nation’s leaders. “The political process does not end on Election Day. Young people need to stay involved in the process by continuing to pay attention to the conversation and holding their leaders accountable for the decisions they make,” Murphy said in an interview with MTV. The primary system became commonly used in the early 20th century following the use of the caucus

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Record-low poll results show Americans don’t take the entire election process seriously

ers electing delegates who ultimately decide on candidates at a convention for nominating. Primaries occur several months before general elections to properly plan for each candidates’ media coverage, televised debates, campaigns and fundraisers. Narrowing the list of nominees allows the two designated opponents to battle for media coverage without causing an entire war with 13 other candidates. Forgoing the primaries would possibly cause an even stronger decrease in the voter turnout. Without primary elections, the entire nomination process would be noticeably less organized. FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: @THEDAILYTITAN

OPINION

PAGE 6 OCTOBER 21, 2014 TUESDAY

Deadly virus and bacterial studies need to be monitored more closely GUSTAVO VARGAS Daily Titan The media’s recent obsession with all things ebola has unsurprisingly brought forth the question of whether we need to continue to invest in the study of bacteria and viruses in case of a sudden outbreak, or rather mothball the research and simply work on containing the current situation. The White House announced Friday that it would temporarily pause new funding for experiments that aim to study certain infectious agents by way of making them more dangerous. I can certainly see why they had to make such a decision and think their heedfulness and precautions should be applauded. Particularly, the White House would like scientists who are involved in research on the influenza, SARS and MERS viruses to hold off on their work, by their own decision of course, until all the risks are re-examined. It is interesting to see that they are only asking and not demanding, considering the potentially lethal and plague-like repercussions of ignoring this request. This type of research involves the process of

making a virus more “powerful,” or simply more pathogenic or contagious in order to better understand it, is known as gain-of-function. An example of this method would be the attempts to create a more contagious version of the H5N1 avian influenza in order to learn which mutations made it that way in the first place. Those who oppose the gain-of-function way have been more at ease knowing such research has been put on pause. “The government has finally seen the light. This is what we have all been waiting for and campaigning for. I shall sleep better tonight,” said Peter Hale, the executive director of the Foundation for Vaccine Research, in an interview with the New York Times. It’s interesting to note that this moratorium is meant only for research on the influenza virus and the coronaviruses that cause SARS and MERS. To my surprise, no mention of Ebola was made, which has been reported to be quite lethal. I imagine that either they are too busy handling the current crisis that Ebola has been responsible for, or they are secretly tampering with Ebola to see what it can be capable of. I know if

I was in a position to make that happen, I probably would. This debate over gain-offunction research started in 2011, when scientists at Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands discovered how to make the bird flu virus spread faster among ferrets. This was alarming for people due to the fact that humans catch the same flu as birds do. “There is always a risk,” said Anthony S. Fauci, the director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases in a telephone news conference held by Science. “But I believe the benefits are greater than the risks.” I agree that the benefits can, at times, be greater than the risks. As unintelligent as it may sound, we shouldn’t let fear keep us from potentially achieving something great in medicine and science. There is this fear that research published in scientific journals or in the media by scientists and even journalists might give terrorist a chance to replicate such findings, or even lone scientists with their own agenda. “Being in the free and open literature makes it easier to get a lot of the good guys involved than the risk of getting the rare bad guy

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The temporary pause requested by the White House is expected to end when the U.S. government has adopted a federal policy regarding gain-of-function studies on the basis of the deliberative process.

involved,” Fauci said. Both journalists and scientists are rarely fond of censorship, but the high level risk that these matters pose have made some of them agree that information like this may be too dangerous to share with the public. There are even some who believe that no one should have ever been allowed to create such dangerous germs in the first place because it’s very possible, even likely, that information and even the virus itself could leak. Some

scientists argue that if the virus can be made in the lab, then it could certainly happen on its own in nature. “Public involvement in this deliberative process is key, and the process is thus designed to be transparent, accessible and open to input from all sources,” said National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins in a statement. “These studies, however, also entail biosafety and biosecurity risks, which need to be understood better.”

I think it’s important to research these dangerous and deadly viruses so that we may better understand them and ultimately survive them, provided that there is very tight security and precautions around the research. Whether only a select few scientists should be made aware of such studies or whether the research should be public so that all can be informed is a question I still have to answer. Although if it were up to me, I would have a little of both.

MAD MIKE follow us @theDailyTitan

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Distracted walking results in more injuries per mile than distracted driving. studies found in http://www.buffalo.edu/news/releases/ 2014/02/022.html