Tuesday Nov. 18, 2014 by Daily Titan

Underpass construction begins

Teaching students business

State College bridge construction aims to decrease travel times for drivers

Juice It Up! collaborates with a Cal State Fullerton course

News 3

Tuesday November 18, 2014

Features 4

The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton

DONATIONS TO CSU

CSUF CSU SYSTEM

3.4%

0 0.

96.6% CSUF AS A PART OF CSU DONATIONS

‘13-’14

5 $1

‘07-’08 ‘08-’09 ‘09-’10 ‘11-’10 ‘11-’12 ‘12-’13

DOLLARS IN MILLIONS

‘13-’14

‘07-’08 ‘08-’09 ‘09-’10 ‘11-’10 ‘11-’12 ‘12-’13

DONATIONS TO CSUF

DOLLARS IN MILLIONS

Volume 96 Issue 43

. $0

BERENICE ASHIKIAN / DAILY TITAN

Total for donations to CSUF in 2007-08 excludes a $30 million donation from Steven G. Mihaylo to the College of Business and Economics, the college which now bears his name. Source: California State University Systemwide University Advancement annual philanthropic reports.

CSU sees record gifts

Increase in donations reflect generous alumni and an improving economy

CYNTHIA PLEITEZ Daily Titan A record-breaking $459.9 million in charitable gift commitments to the California State University system was reported for the 2013-2014 year in a preliminary data report. The 36 percent increase from the previous year

includes $16,027,456 in funds raised for Cal State Fullerton. The College of Natural Science and Mathematics received $6 million in gifts, the most of any college at CSUF. Individual donations and anonymous donations raised are tracked by the individual CSU campuses and their colleges, and reported to the CSU system. The diversity of donors is also tracked, and preliminary data indicates that alumni

make up a significant portion of donors, said Elizabeth Chapin, CSU spokesperson. Such a large increase in charitable gift contributions indicates a larger-scale push for more money toward educational institutions. “It’s really important because it just shows that the university’s alumni, the community, business and partners are giving back now more than they ever have,” Chapin said. The amount donated to

CSUF is second only to the 2008 year amount, when alumnus Steven G. Mihaylo contributed $30 million to the College of Business and Economics, which now bears his name. In the 2012-2013 year, the CSU garnered $338 million in gift commitments, a number that indicated not only the generosity of donors, but an improving economy, according to the CSU Annual Report Highlights. “As a reflection of a

rebounding economy, this was a 14 percent increase from the previous year. The gift commitments were comprised of new gifts, pledges and testamentary provisions recorded during the period,” according to the highlights. Donor generosity figures in the preliminary report by the CSU system for the 2013-14 year point to the fact that donors are more willing to give now than in recent years. SEE DONATIONS 2

Board revisits student fees Committee calls for requiring student approval to issue new student success fees

SAMUEL MOUNTJOY Daily Titan A California State University Board of Trustees committee tasked with monitoring “success fees” like the one at Cal State Fullerton found the fee implementation process used by campuses is in need of an overhaul. At the board meeting Thursday, the Success Fee Working Group delivered findings that campuses need to improve clarity, transparency and accountability of how revenue through fees is generated and allocated. Additionally, the group emphasized all fees going forward should be approved with a binding yesor-no student referendum. The group found none of the student success fees currently in place received a binding vote. Of the 12 campuses that have approved success fees, 10, including CSUF, have approved the fees using a process called alternative consultation. That process allowed students to share input on what programs or facilities they felt should have increased funding. Nearly 4,000 students submitted input during the alternative consultation at CSUF. SEE FEE

Turning trash into treasure through composting

The Fullerton Arboretum hosted a class last Saturday that encourages a greener lifestyle

AMBER UDDIN Daily Titan The sound of birds chirping, bees buzzing and the breeze blowing engulfs a group of people gathered under the shade of a cluster of oak trees. In front of them, a pile of old bits of beets, carrots, lettuce and shredded newspaper sits on a table, flies circling above it. The instructor picks up a handful of dark, rich soil and shows it to the audience. He picks out a worm and hands it to the youngest member. As it wriggles around in her hand, she looks as if she was just handed a piece of gold. In the tranquil setting of the Fullerton Arboretum, local residents learned how to live sustainably by composting their waste. Most residential waste ends up in landfills, but citizens of Orange County are learning how to turn trash into treasure in their own backyards. Surrounding cities such as Brea, Placentia, Buena Park, Orange and Santa Ana sponsor residents to attend these classes to help promote a green lifestyle. Compost is non-animal-based food that has been naturally broken down and turned into soil. Rich in nutrients, compost promotes the microbes in soil that provides food for

AMBER UDDIN / DAILY TITAN

Education Program Manager Miguel Macias demonstrates that mostl trash can be recycled into food for plants.

plants, fruit and vegetables. Trimmings from kitchen scraps, old plants and even yard waste are incorporated into the compost pile to decompose. Vermicompost, or worm composting, uses worms to break down waste. Education Program Manager Miguel Macias teaches the workshops at the Arboretum. This fall, the

three workshops focused on tips and tricks for visitors to take home with them to their own compost piles. Visitors learned about hot and cold composting, what to put in and what to leave out, how to get started and how to keep your heap healthy. “I learned a lot about how to use the kitchen scraps, and it’s amazing

how little I throw away now because I’ve been throwing it all in the compost bins and I look at my recycling bin and it’s enormous and my trash that I throw out is like nothing,” said Leticia Cabral, a Fullerton resident who brought her two daughters to the series of workshops. Her daughters were fascinated by the concept of

turning trash into something useful for the garden, and were curious about how worms are used in composting, she said. The Arboretum is trying to incorporate more programs that are fun and can help educate kids and families on how to live sustainably, Macias said. On a larger scale, the campus’ own kitchen and

backyard work together to reduce waste and make compost. As one of the largest food establishments on campus, The Gastronome seeks to produce the least amount of waste by purchasing compostable and eco-friendly products. This includes straws, paper food wrappers, boxes and cleaners. There is also a shredder in the dishwashing area that turns food waste into an easily compostable pulp. Each week, Macias brings about 180 gallons of this pulp from The Gastronome and turns it into useable compost within a month for the farm and the grounds at the Arboretum. “Thirty-seven percent of waste that goes out to the landfill is stuff that we can compost at home. If we do that at home, we can prevent that waste from going out to the landfill,” Macias said. Macias believes that because composting is such a hands-on task, the best way to learn about it is through attending workshops like these, where an expert can answer questions and help work out problems as people start out on their garden adventures. There will be more workshops like the composting series in the spring. For more information on workshops and classes, or to learn more about how to go green, visit the Arboretum’s website at fullertonarboretum.org. VISIT US AT: DAILYTITAN.COM

NEWS

PAGE 2 NOVEMBER 18, 2014 TUESDAY

‘All Points’ to discuss drought Symposium will address water conservation and energy options in California

CESAR GAMBOA Daily Titan The Cal State Fullerton Department of Geography will partner with the Geography Club to host the 18th annual All Points of the Compass symposium next week. The symposium keynote will include a panel discussing the history and future of water in California. The symposium will feature a variety of speakers including faculty, alumni, graduate and undergraduate students presenting an array of geographic research. Speakers will present various perspectives from different stages of research, said Roland Pacheco, president of the Geography Club. That variety will bring new perspectives to the table that otherwise might be passed over, Pacheco said. Among the featured speakers will be David Carle, author of Introduction to Water in

California and Traveling the 38th Parallel: A Water Line Around the World. Joe Berg, water use efficiency programs manager at the Municipal Water District of Orange County, and William Hunt, executive director of operations at Orange County Water District, will also be speaking at the event. The main topic of discussion will be the California drought. Following an announcement from Gov. Jerry Brown early this year that designated the drought as a state of emergency, campaigns promoting efficient water usage have been put into place, and will be addressed during the symposium. “I think part of the geographic perspective is understanding how important it is to use our resources wisely in this kind of age where not everybody is thinking that way,” said Zia Salim, Ph.D., a CSUF geography faculty member and advisor to the Geography Club. The historical context of the drough–the worst in

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recorded California history– will also be featured during the symposium. “(The drought) is a critical issue. There are people who have been talking about this for a while, and now we see it front of us, so I think it’s super important to think about how we got here and where we can go from here,” Salim said. In addition to the drought, talks will feature discussion of California offshore wind energy, an analysis of tree mortality in mixed conifer forests in San Diego County, and the use of derived weather patterns to define seasons and identify climate change. The range of topics to be covered during the symposium all fall within the overall topic of geography, a field of study that covers a multitude of areas, said Greg Weisberg, one of the symposium’s guest speakers and senior geography major. “Geography is anything to do with spatial patterns, spatial distribution, the way

COURTESY OF CSUF

CSUF professor Robert A. Voeks will be a guest speaker at the 18th annual All Points of the Compass symposium.

space influences us and the way we influence space,” Weisberg said. “Space includes natural environments, human environments of space.” Part of the importance of the symposium will be conveying to students how their individual actions can affect a much larger area, he said. “One of the big important topics in geography is the importance of scale, and I

hope that breaks through to students especially with water conservation,” Weisberg said. “We don’t see how our own choices throughout our day-to-day lives influence the region as a whole.” The symposium will be held Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Titan Student Union Portola Pavilion. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m., and the event is free and open to the public.

Donations: CSUF receives millions CONTINUED FROM

While some donations like Mihaylo’s overwhelmingly exceed expectations and economic trends, other results indicate signs of economic recovery, among other factors. “It does show that for the past few years, California has recovered economically from where we were earlier,” Chapin said. “It also shows that we have nearly 3 million alumni now and it shows that they want to give back to their alma mater and they want to help their

future graduates at those campuses thrive.” Notable donors this past year include Russell Benson, emeritus professor of mathematics, who donated $1,656,000 to support undergraduate and graduate scholarships, and Giles Brown, emeritus professor and administrator, who donated $580,000 to support graduate studies. SchoolsFirst Federal Credit union also pledged $500,000 to underwrite partnerships with local schools. As campuses report the

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Arrest made in stabbing Orange County sheriff’s deputies said a man was arrested in Anaheim on suspicion in the murder of a 52-year-old man, according to the Orange County Register. The suspect, 27-yearold Ruben Martinez, allegedly stabbed Maximino Fuentes Clara after an altercation in the street on Sunday, said Lt. Jeff Hallock of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. Clara was given CPR at the scene, but later died from his wounds at the UC Irvine Medical Center. Hallock was originally detained at Cerritos Avenue and Perdido Street on Sunday after police had responded to reports of a man lying on the street. He is being held on $1 million bail and will appear in court Tuesday. - RUDY CHINCHILLA

donations to the CSU system and the final report is finalized, it will be made available to the public online in January. The CSU system report is expected to be an agenda item at the CSU’s Board of Trustees meeting in January. The Systemwide University Advancement report will review new gifts, pledges and testamentary provisions recording during the reporting period. The 201314 report will be available at CalState.edu/UniversityAdvancement. Past reports are available for viewing.

HAVE YOUR VOICE HEARD !

DTBRIEFS

Homeless rates jump in California California is in the midst of a severe surge in the number of homeless children, with more than one-fifth of the 2.5 million children who were homeless in the U.S. last year living in the state. The high cost of living and insufficient affordable housing have driven up the child homeless rate in California, according to the Associated Press. The number of homeless children nationally has climbed to an all-time high, reported the National Center on Family Homelessness. Homelessness can have devastating effects on the educational, emotional and social development of children, the report reads. Child homelessness rose 8 percent nationally from 2012 to 2013. - SAMUEL MOUNTJOY

Manson to be married in prison Charles Manson–an imprisoned cult leader whose followers carried out multiple murders in the ‘60s–is expected to marry his fiance. The couple recently obtained a marriage license, according to a CNN report. A source close to the couple told CNN that Manson and his girlfriend, Afton Burton, have received the license, but no official date for the wedding has been set. Burton moved to California from her native Illinois several years ago and has visited Manson most weekends and calls him on the phone frequently. The wedding will have to happen during visiting hours, and Manson will be limited to 10 guests from outside the prison. - ALEXANDER GROVES

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NEWS

PAGE 3 NOVEMBER 18, 2014 TUESDAY

Fee: Group calls for transparency CONTINUED FROM

On every campus, the student feedback and votes on success fees were advisory and did not bind the administration to heed what students decided. At Cal State Los Angeles, a non-binding student body referendum declined a success fee on that campus, and a fee was still imposed. A thorough consultation process provides a wealth of information for students, but should be coupled with a binding vote, said CSU student trustee Talar Alexanian, a journalism major at Cal State Northridge. “Coupled with students having the final binding vote, this hybrid system really elevates students in their rightful place as the most important stakeholders, and will eliminate the lack of political efficacy that many students have expressed to us with respect to the fee proposal process,” Alexanian said during the board meeting Thursday. Trustee Doug Faigin, who served in the working group, recommended a shift away from the top-down approach that gives implementation power to the university administration in favor of a model where students will be given more control over the fee. Part of that shift would include requiring a binding referendum vote in which a majority of students approve the fee in the originally proposed amount, with information on how the fee would be used available before the decision. The controversy surrounding the fee isn’t with the fact that it will provide increased funding to improve programs, Faigin said, but rather who decides whether or not the fee will be approved and, if so, where those funds will go. In the summer, the California legislature put an 18-month moratorium on success fees as a condition for an increase in funding to the CSU. The working group’s findings will inform future decisions made by the

trustees and legislature. Existing success fees would not be altered. The group gathered information through online feedback forms and three open forums held on three campuses, as well as thorough research of faculty senate resolutions and other methods. Since 2008, 12 of the 23 CSU campuses, including CSUF, have begun charging a success fee. The fees range from $162 a year to $830 a year at full implementation. CSUF’s fee will climb from its current $120.67 a year to $238.92 next year and again to $362 a year in 2016-2017. Faigin applauded the transparency efforts undertaken at several campuses, including Fullerton and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. That same level of transparency, he said, should be required of all campuses looking to implement a fee. The group did not recommend a “sunset clause,” which would put a deadline on success fees being automatically rescinded. Faigin did recommend an alternative, in which the fee would be put up for a vote every six years. Students for Quality Education, a CSU student advocacy group, staged a largescale protest against the fees outside the chancellor’s office Thursday. Associated Students, Inc. President Harpreet Bath, who served on the CSUF Student Fee Advisory Committee and was the sole vote on the committee against the fee testified to the trustees in favor of the fee at CSUF. Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, an ex-officio trustee, said the fees could create a fraying of the system between the “haves and the havenots,” with some campuses charging much higher fees relative to others. He also suggested placing upper limits on fee amounts to prevent fees from ballooning over time. The working group will present a complete list of recommendations to the board in January so the trustees can present to the state legislature in February.

YUNUEN BONAPARTE / DAILY TITAN

The California State University Board of Trustees discuss student success fees which have been implemented at 12 CSU campuses, including CSUF. Fees range from $162 a year to $830 a year. CSUF’s fee will be $362 a year when fully implemented in 2016.

YUNUEN BONAPARTE / DAILY TITAN

Trustee Doug Faigin, president of City News Service, explains the working group’s recommendation that all future fees require a student body referendum vote on the fee once the amount has been decided through alternate consultation.

State College underpass to lessen traffic OCTA project will see a 500foot section of the street lowered by late 2017

AUBREY SAULS Daily Titan Construction has begun on an undercrossing that should alleviate traffic problems on State College Boulevard that will likely be complete by late 2017, according to the Orange County Transportation Authority. The construction is taking place on State College Boulevard between Santa Fe and Kimberly Avenues in Fullerton. Upon completion, it will result in an undercrossing that will eventually see a 500-foot section of State College

Boulevard lowered to dip beneath a railroad bridge that will also eventually be constructed. The tracks cause delays on the boulevard as multiple trains use the tracks throughout the day, forcing traffic to stop as they cross State College. Currently, about 70 trains on average take the Orangethorpe corridor through Fullerton, Placentia and Anaheim every day. That number is predicted to increase to 130 trains daily by 2030. That jump in number of trains factored into OCTA’s reasoning to begin building the underpass now. It was the city of Fullerton, however, that hired the construction firm and

contractor for the State College underpass project. “We have to move the railroad service southbound so we can build a new railroad bridge. That’s what the contractors are currently doing,” said Tresa Oliveri, outreach manager for OCTA. “They’re preparing the railroad property so they can add a track to shift the railroad service onto the newer track.” After that process is complete, Oliveri said crews will go back in and finish the process by building the bridge over State College Boulevard. The project, which will eventually see seven bridges constructed, aims to provide greater

driver and pedestrian safety, shorter emergency response times and elimination of delays, among other improvements. The construction will eventually close off State College Boulevard to motorists starting January 2015. Drivers will then be instructed to detour to Acacia Avenue, which will be temporarily used as a fourlane street. The completed project will “move cars safely and smoothly under the railroad tracks, enhancing and boosting mobility.” The section of State College bordering the west side of campus will not be closed, but drivers will be delayed coming from the south end

of campus, according to OCTA. The construction is part of an effort to separate cars from trains along the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation corridor in Fullerton, Placentia and Anaheim. The Santa Fe Corporation is a nationwide company that transports goods across the country using trains that, at times, go through Fullerton. The cost for the total project, which includes additional construction in Anaheim and Placentia, is roughly $86 million. The funding for the project comes from the 2006 Renewed Measure M Ordinance. The measure implemented a half-cent sales

tax to fund Orange County transportation projects. Other funding comes from local tax dollars as well as state and federal funds. To see what the finished project will look like, Oliveri recommends observing Placentia Avenue, which has recently been lowered. The additional construction includes work relocating sewer lines under the main tracks at Valencia Drive, an installation on a new water line on State College Boulevard, construction of drainage pits in that area and a new storm drain along State College Boulevard. Construction updates are available at OCBridges.com

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FEATURES

PAGE 4 NOVEMBER 18, 2014 TUESDAY

MARIAH CARRILLO/ DAILY TITAN

A Cal State Fullerton student leads a chant at the Students for Quality Education, a system wide student advocacy group, rally against Student Success Fees, during the Board of Trustees meeting in Long Beach on Thursday.

The progression of the SQE rallies

MARIAH CARRILLO / DAILY TITAN

Students for Quality Education protest the recent fees that have been implemented at 12 of the 23 CSU campuses.

WINNIE HUANG / DAILY TITAN

President Mildred García listens to students during the Pizza with the Presidents event in the Quad on Mar. 4.

Carie Rael, graduate student, holds a handmade sign in protest of the enacted Student Success Fee during last semesters Pizza with the Presidents panel in the Quad on Mar. 4.

YUNUEN BONAPARTE / DAILY TITAN

Carie Rael, graduate student, and another student hold signs during the Pizza with the Presidents panel in the Quad on Nov. 6.

Students for Quality Education rallies against the new Student Success Fees during the Pizza with the Presidents panel in the Quad on Nov. 6.

Integrating the business world and classrooms Students will work with Juice It Up! and pitch business ideas to company representatives

DEANNA GOMEZ Daily Titan Working with big name companies like Volvo and Disney is not something most students expect to do before graduating. However, this is exactly what students get to do each semester thanks to one communications elective. Communications 410, Principles in Communications Research, allows students to conduct research for an established company in the business world. At the end of the semester, teams of students compete in a Shark Tank-inspired competition. The teams present their research and pitch their ideas for the company’s potential next campaign. Cynthia King, Ph.D.,

professor of communications, teaches the course. She chooses a new client each semester to be the case study for her class. The client for the fall semester is Juice It Up!, a smoothie company that has two locations on the CSUF campus. Rachel Turney, director of marketing for Juice It Up!, came to campus in September to speak with students about the project and answer any questions they had. “When the opportunity came up, we were really excited to work with Cal State Fullerton. We developed request or proposal guidelines for the students to follow,” Turney said. Juice It Up! asked the students enrolled in the course to conduct research on millennials in order for the company to better reach that particular market. The company also wants to hear ideas on how

to improve its social media presence. The point of the course is to teach students how to effectively conduct communications analysis for a client, King said. Students adopt different research techniques, administer surveys and examine the company as well as the communities they serve. Once the research is done, students will generate ideas on how Juice It Up! can better market to young adults. They will make these pitches during the Shark Tank competition. Although all of the teams are competing for the top spot, Turney said it is very likely that Juice It Up! will utilize and integrate the research and ideas from multiple teams. “Our goal would be definitely to utilize the information that we can probably in multiple, not just one of the projects, but multiple

projects,” Turney said. In the past, the course has used other companies for its case study, but there was no personal interaction or relationship with the companies like there is now. The client last semester was Philly’s Best, a cheesesteak and hoagie shop. King works with alumni to find clients. She has recently been collaborating with alumni at Morgan Marketing and Public Relations to find clients for the spring semester. King said she tries to choose clients that the students can relate to, but makes sure students know that in the real world, they could be pitching to sell a number of things, like toilet bowls. Turney said Juice It Up! knew that the partnership was something they wanted to do when Morgan first approached them with the idea. “We knew right away it

was going to be a partnership we wanted to be a part of, we have two stores on campus at Cal State Fullerton,” Turney said. The Irvine-based company was founded by two CSUF alumni, Larry Sidoti and Dan York, and will celebrate its 20 year anniversary in February 2015. Their history with the campus is another reason the company wanted to closely work with the university. Turney says the company is looking forward to working with the next generation of professionals, and believes that it is possible for some students to create lasting relationships with the company because of the class. Turney and the company’s account executive from Morgan Marketing and PR will return to campus in December to hear the pitches and information the teams have come up with. While networking and getting real world experience is

a large part of the class, another important goal is getting students used to working with numbers. King knows many students chose to major in communications to avoid numbers, but said numbers are just as important for communications as they are in any other field. Students must realize the importance of numbers in their fields, according to King. They must understand them in order to come up with realistic ideas to pitch to companies. King also teaches the public relations management class, and said before Comm 410 was required, students in the management class struggled because there was so much information they didn’t understand. Comm 410 takes away the confusion, and teaches communications students numbers are nothing to fear.

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FEATURES

PAGE 5 NOVEMBER 18, 2014 TUESDAY

Establishing credit in college Credit cards can either be useful for students or potentially troublesome

HEATHER MYERS Daily Titan With the high cost of higher education, paying for expensive textbooks in addition to the high costs of living in California, college students have become among the highest demographics in California living with credit card debt. Thirty percent of undergraduates have at least one credit card, and the average number of credit cards each student owns is 1.57, according to CreditCards. com. Kennebrew said in her experience, one credit card is enough. “(Credit cards) can be beneficial if you can manage it properly, but in the long run it can end up being quite harmful if it is excessively used,” she said. They promote responsibility and help accumulate credit scores to make purchasing a car or a house easier. They are also useful when students do not have the money to pay for tuition costs right away. The average cost of tuition for in-state public universities is around $9,139 per academic year, according to the College Board website. Students who don’t receive financial assistance have part-time or full-time jobs, but sometimes that is not enough to cover the costs of furthering their education. Some are eligible to receive financial aid to pay for classes and fees, but the

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY MARIAH CARRILLO

Thirty percent of undergraduates have at least one credit card, according to CreditCards.com.

cost of living off campus does not get included in that award money. Clarissa Vargas, 19-yearold human communications major, lives near campus in an apartment and has one credit card. “I use my credit card for expenses such as rent or stuff that I do not have money on my debit card for,” she said. Vargas also said she has been able to help her mother out by letting her use the

credit card in times of need. “(My mom) does not have good credit, and I have better credit because I am starting to build it up,” she said. Other than paying rent, students are also turning to credit cards to pay for daily needs. Mariah Kennebrew, 22-year-old dance major, said she uses her credit cards for gas, groceries and other miscellaneous things. The benefits of having a

credit card are clear for students, but sometimes it is hard to get approved for one without any credit history. Kelly Lam, 18, is an undeclared freshman. She attempted to apply for a credit card, but got denied. She said she wanted it to boost her credit and purchase her class textbooks. Having a couple credit cards can benefit college students, however there are risks involved when swiping those cards too much.

On average, there is a 2.62 percent convenience fee when paying college tuition with a credit card, according to U.S. News and World Report. Neglecting to pay off the balance owed each month can result in high late fees and charges. The student can also find themselves in a tough place financially, as it can result in a dent to the student’s credit score. A good credit score is essential when purchasing a

car or a house. Sometimes, employers look at a potential employee’s credit score during the hiring process. Before delving into the world of plastic, there are considerations that need to be thought through. Annual credit card fees, monthly payments and interest rates are all important factors. Once students have addressed these issues, a credit card can be a great resource for them.

Finding your niche

Titan Archaeology club The club attempts to explore Orange County’s unlikely archaelogical history

ROSELYNNE REYES Daily Titan Archaeology often makes people think of a remote desert with dinosaur bones long buried under the ground. They probably don’t think of Orange County. Before orange groves lined fields across the county, Native American tribes were scattered throughout the area. Many artifacts still remain under modern buildings. Although there is no archaeology major available at Cal State Fullerton, there are classes on the subject within the anthropology depart-

“

Within Orange County itself, there’s probably millions upon millions of unfound artifacts.

“

JENNY WIGGIN Titan Archaeology Club President ment. For students who want to start a career in the field, there’s the Titan Archaeology Club. The club is part of the Anthropology Student Association, which is an umbrella organization consisting of many clubs and reports to the Inter-Club Council on behalf of its member organizations. “It helps people get their feet wet,” said Jenny Wiggin, president of the Titan Archaeology Club. “We get

people in touch with ways that they can see how archaeology is relevant in their immediate environment.” The Titan Archaeology Club hosts lectures featuring guest professors from all over the nation and takes field trips to discover archaeological sites around Orange County. In addition, the group works closely with The Cooper Center, which is an archaeological and paleontological center in Santa Ana that was established in 2009 as a partnership between CSUF and OC Parks and was named after professor emeritus James D. Cooper. Many CSUF students and faculty work and do research at the center, including the club’s advisor Edward Knell. In the past week alone, they had two events. During the week, the group hosted a professor from the University of Oregon who also runs the Natural History Museum and presented his research on settlement patterns along the west coast. Over the weekend, they attended Crystal Cove Alliance’s Archaeology Day. “Within Orange County itself, there’s probably millions upon millions of unfound artifacts,” Wiggin said. “There’s so much history here because there’s been people living in this area for so long.” In the future, the group plans to host another lecture with a professor from Cal State Los Angeles and a lecture series in April. They will also help the Anthropology Student Association plan a symposium for Humanities and Social Sciences Week in March. Wiggin said these programs within the club are for

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students who are interested in archaeology and want to know more than just what is taught in textbooks. “It partners you with other students that like archaeology, it helps you get in contact with the right professors and the right people,” she said. “You can actually do stuff with archaeology, rather than just the learning about it from just a theoretical perspective.” Wiggin was a psychology major when she first joined the club and took a couple of anthropology courses to see what it was about. “I noticed that I found myself being way more passionate about that subject than my major,” she said. Wiggin decided to take more anthropology classes and has since made the switch, adding a religious studies minor along the way. “Mostly, it’s the people that really got me involved,” she said. “You learn a lot of stuff and you get to meet a lot of people which, I think that’s really what anthropology really is, interacting with humans.” Although this is a departmental club, membership is open to all majors. “Archaeology is tangible evidence of history,” Wiggin said. “It’s real life stuff that you can touch and go ‘Hey, there was stuff here long before I existed and there will probably be stuff long after I’m gone,’ and archaeology is the way to find that out.” The Titan Archaeology Club meets the first and third Tuesday of every month at 7 p.m. in McCarthy Hall Room 426. For more information about the club, email TitanArchaeologyCSUF@gmail.com. FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: @THEDAILYTITAN

OPINION

PAGE 6 NOVEMBER 18, 2014 TUESDAY

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY WINNIE HUANG / DAILY TITAN

The $100 million addition to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP, will make positive strides for families looking to make the best use of their dollars while staying healthy.

Doubling SNAP is applause-worthy JAMES SMITH Daily Titan Earlier this year, a bill was passed to spend over $100 million over the next five years to double the value of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (also known as SNAP and formerly known as food stamps) dollars when they’re spent on local fresh fruits and vegetables. Those taxpayer dollars are being matched by private money, so in total the program will have over $200 million. This farm subsidy is a genius way to improve the quality and quantity of food available to those

who need it the most, as well as subsidize local farming. It is a clever piece of legislation boosted by public support that has tax dollars working for two groups who are rarely associated, farmers and the impoverished. While it’s almost everyone’s favorite pastime to bash and mock Congress’ inability to pass or get anything done, they deserve a bit of credit for the creation and passing of this bill. Well, maybe not that much credit. They did borrow the idea from an already successful program in its fifth year. Michigan’s Double Up Food Bucks was the idea behind the new bill. The Michigan program works by providing anyone on the

SNAP program with a dollar-for-dollar discount on all healthy, locally-grown fruits and vegetables. This program effectively makes all locally-grown fruits and vegetables half price for those who use SNAP. As of Oct. 1, SNAP provides a maximum month-

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on food. A number that just barely falls into the United State Department of Agriculture’s healthy eating food plan. This new program could effectively double the purchasing power of all SNAP participants, promoting them from the USDA’s “thrifty”

This farm subsidy is a genius way to improve the quality and quantity of food available to those who need it the most.

ly allotment of up to $194 per person, according to the Food and Nutrition Service. The number can decrease down to $146 depending on how many people live in that household. This means that at best, SNAP participants have $6.46 a day to spend

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Providing subsidies for fruit and veggies will help cut down on obesity and feed the needy

food plan to their “liberal” plan. What was initially designed as a program to feed the hungry also helps address the equally serious issue of obesity in America for SNAP’s 46 million participants. Currently over one-third

(34.9 percent or 78.6 million) of U.S. adults are obese, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. This theoretically means that this new program could help 16 million Americans make healthier choices that they previously might not have been able to make. The estimated yearly medical cost to treat obesity in the U.S. was $147 billion in 2008, according to the CDC. Specifically, the medical costs for people who are obese were $1,429 higher than those of normal weight. People who are obese are at much greater risk for life-threatening illnesses including heart disease, stroke, type-2 diabetes and certain types of cancer, which are also some of the leading

causes of preventable death in the U.S. A $100 million tax burden is nothing to scoff at. However, just like most taxes (idealistically), the long term benefits should outway the current cost. By providing 46 million Americans with $100 million worth of discounted produce, this will hopefully put a dent in the percentage of obese Americans. Reducing that number would not only save lives, but save money as well. We need more creative solutions like this. Whether Congress comes up with them on their own or are creatively influenced by the private sector, any way that government tax dollars can be put to use in a way that directly and immediately helps its citizens should be praised.

No point in keeping up with this Kardashian America needs to pay more attention to real news and less reality TV celebrities

ALEX GROVES Daily Titan Kim Kardashian recently appeared nude in Paper Magazine in an attempt to “break the internet.” Full frontal nudes and Kardashian balancing a champagne glass on her rear end were some of the pictures that have gained widespread attention. Her pictures have inspired numerous articles of commentary—good and bad—and a ton of reaction on social media website Twitter. However, Kardashian should not be receiving this much attention. There are plenty of issues all over the world that deserve people’s attention much more than another naked celebrity does. Climate change, President Obama’s planned executive order on deportation and the growing prowess of militant group ISIS in Syria are problems more people should care about. And yet, we see Kardashian achieving her goal of breaking the internet because of all the attention she has been receiving. Aside from the fact that there are more important things to focus on, the attention Kardashian has been receiving is problematic in another key way: Americans

are obsessing over something that isn’t extraordinary or new. Kardashian being naked shouldn’t be a shock to anyone at this point. Her fame has largely been helped through the release of a sex tape that she produced with then boyfriend Ray J. The tape garnered widespread attention when it was released in 2007. The nudity didn’t stop there. In 2010, Kardashian appeared naked in W magazine, covered in silver body paint and nothing else. Kardashian is a woman who has arguably based a good chunk of her career around periodic nudity. The fact that she appeared naked recently should be considered nothing other than a normality at this point. Unfortunately, the amount of attention she has garnered only serves to highlight a bigger problem—celebrity news receives far too much coverage in our society’s culture. Numerous stories have come out regarding the very public feud between rappers Iggy Azalea and Snoop Dogg, and numerous others have come out about Renee Zellweger’s face after she purportedly went through some sort of plastic surgery. As a generation, we’re practically swimming in this ultimately meaningless news coverage, and it’s something we’re vastly aware of. A Pew

Research Center Poll from 2007 said that 47 percent of people under the age of 50 felt there was too much coverage of celebrity news. However, for the life of us, we can’t seem to get ourselves away from this form of news. TMZ, which specializes in entertainment and celebrity gossip, receives an estimated 23.1 million website views per month nationally and 28.6 million website views per month globally, according to Quantcast, a website that analyzes audience measurement. Compare that with the number of website views for CNN at 11.8 million views per month or National Geographic at 3.8 million views per month. We’re enamored with entertainment news; we feed on it. Networks and publications, in turn, give us what we want. Nothing is ever going to get better unless Americans make a conscious effort to focus on the news that matters. It’s time to stop picking up the magazines with silly celebrity stories when they hit the racks, and it’s time to start turning the channel off when the news doesn’t report on issues that directly affect us as people. Or, at the very least, perhaps we can give Kim Kardashian less attention, even if she’s really good at balancing acts.

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Reality TV star Kim Kardashian’s most recent string of nude photos are not worth the attention they are receiving, and are a symptom of America’s celebrity news obsession. VISIT US AT: DAILYTITAN.COM/OPINION

PAGE 7 TUESDAY NOVEMBER 18, 2014

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