Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Page 1

W EDNESDAY, M AY 7, 2014

Volume 95, Issue 52

Twitter During the lockdown at Cal State Fullerton in December 2012, which was caused by armed robbery suspects attempting to evade police on campus, some students and faculty barricaded their classroom doors. However, in numerous lecture halls throughout the campus, doors did not have locks, and the recommended barricading technique can be foiled by doors that open outwardly.

Door locks complicate security

Issues with many CSUF facilities invalidate safety procedures KAYLI CRAIG, DAVID COATS & ASHLEN DOMINGUEZ Daily Titan

Just a few days before finals week in December 2012, the Cal State Fullerton campus was locked down when alleged armed robbery suspects fled through

Steven G. Mihaylo Hall. The campus remained locked down for eight hours as police searched the buildings. Some students and faculty barricaded themselves inside classrooms, but others were unable to do so. CSUF has since purchased a video titled Shots Fired On Campus – When Lightning Strikes, which explains what to do if an active shooter is on campus, and the university has encouraged students and faculty to view it.

The video recommends if it is not possible to safely escape, the best course of action is to hide in a room that can be locked and/or barricaded. However, most classrooms on campus can only be locked from the outside, and a key is required to lock them. Assembly Bill 211, passed in 2011, mandates that classrooms with five or more people should be lockable from the inside. This fairly new law only applies to K-12 schools that receive

state funding, and existing buildings are not affected by it. Since the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in December 2012, at least 16 shootings have occurred at college campuses in the United States, according to the Washington Post. The buildings that have classrooms have at least one door within them that cannot be easily locked in case of an active shooter. The door would first need to be opened, then locked

from the outside with a key. For example, Steven G. Mihaylo Hall has 22 lecture halls, none of which can be locked from the inside. Approximately 1,000 feet from where the suspects who caused the lockdown had entered campus, Jason Shepard, Ph.D. was teaching communications law to 115 students when the lockdown occurred. SEE LOCKDOWN, 3

ASI supports neutral restrooms University Affairs next to discuss genderneutral restrooms NICOLE WEAVER Daily Titan

Courtesy of Love War Student DJs have made a career with their music, creating tracks for companies like Ryan Seacrest Productions and MTV Productions.

Titans hope to spin DJ scene Students have found success in music career GINA VAN STRATTEN Daily Titan

Two Cal State Fullerton students hope to one day make their mark on the music industry, and they are already walking the path of making that dream come to fruition. Alex Tirheimer and Alex Evert, 22 and 21 respectively, are radio-TVfilm majors at CSUF and DJs outside of school.

They have been making music together, going by the name Love War, and that music has become a huge part of their daily lives. They said music is more than a hobby. “Music has recently become more of a habit for me and I am glad, because I don’t think I could ever be happy being in a regular nine-to-five kind of job,” Tirheimer said. Making music has become a source of income for both Tirheimer and Evert. SEE STUDENT DJS, 5

Associated Students Inc. has recommended a policy that would implement gender-neutral restrooms on Cal State Fullerton’s campus. The recommendation will be discussed during the University Affairs meeting Thursday. A gender-neutral restroom would qualify as being a restroom that anyone of any gender can use, and would either be a single stall or a multi-stall facility. In previous years, CSUF has designated certain restrooms gender-neutral during events such as the regional Queer People of Color Conference and the Social Justice Summit. ASI has considered the recommendation for some time. “Meeting with a number of students throughout the year, this topic of gender-neutral restrooms came up and we decided to take it on in the committee,” said Carlos Navarro, the ASI chief

administrative officer. “Also … I noticed that many other CSU campuses were opening up gender-neutral restrooms on their campuses while Fullerton was not.” The recommendation is intended to allow restrooms to be more inclusive, as well as provide a safe personal space for those who fall outside the male-female gender binary. People who would benefit from gender-neutral restrooms include transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals, parents and other guardians of small children, caregivers, people who are breastfeeding, and people who are in need of extra privacy. Navarro said he expects slight backlash at first by the student body on the grounds that they will not understand the issue at hand. “We do not wish to see multi-stall facilities converted into gender-neutral facilities, but rather rebranding existing single stall restrooms to say ‘gender neutral’ and for all future buildings constructed on campus to include one of these types of restrooms,” Navarro said. Gender-segregated bathrooms compromise the

SCOTT BEALE / Flickr Associated Students Inc. recently approved a recommendation in support of adding more gender-neutral restrooms in the future.

safety of transgender and gender-nonconforming people, Navarro said in a presentation to the University Affairs committee. “Almost no one—transgender, queer, or cisgender—conforms perfectly to gender norms all of the time, thus the gender binary is restrictive for all. Policing gender in or outside of the bathroom can lead to discrimination and violence,” Navarro said in his presentation. Based on a campaign University Affairs participated in over the past, the response so far to

gender-neutral bathrooms has been favorable. Students who were surveyed during the “temperature check” campaign this past year responded positively when asked about gender-neutral restrooms. In terms of University Affairs and the ASI Board of Directors agreeing on the recommendation, Navarro is confident in the outcome. “I feel as though our University Affairs committee and our Board of Directors will see the benefits of gender-neutral restrooms,” Navarro said.

For the Record: In the issue published May 6, in the article titled “No plan for parking,” the article incorrectly refers to the Cal State Fullerton Geographic Information System Research Center as Geological Information Systems. Additionally, the graph shows the availability of parking on Feb. 3, not Feb. 2.

INSIDE CSU RESEARCH Web developer for Obama campaign will keynote student research conference NEWS 2 FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: @DAILY_TITAN

HEAD COACH Daron Park hopes for greater success in second year with Titan women’s basketball SPORTS 8 VISIT US AT: DAILYTITAN.COM


NEWS

PAGE 2

THE DAILY TITAN

MAY 7, 2014 WEDNESDAY

Social science to be showcased Web developer for Obama campaign will keynote event MATTHEW MEDINA Daily Titan

Students from 17 California State University campuses will come to the Titan Student Union Thursday for a research conference to be headlined by a key player in the successful campaign to reelect President Barack Obama. The 39th annual Social Science Research and Instructional Center (SSRIC) Student Research Conference will feature 24 research panels. Each will include multiple CSU students who will offer separate research, but the panels will include similar presentations. Before the panels, Kyle Rush, who worked with the Obama for America campaign in 2012, will give the keynote speech.

“It’s so interdisciplinary that, from a faculty perspective, it’s great to be able to get out there and see and hear the student research,” said Stephen Stambough, Ph.D., who helped organize the event. “So we hear geography panels or sociology panels, and as a political scientist, they’re going to deal with some of the same issues, they’re just going to deal with them in a different way.”

“From a faculty perspective, it’s great to be able to get out there and see and hear the student research.” STEPHEN STAMBOUGH Chair, Politics, Administration and Justice

Pi Sigma Alpha, the political science honor society, will present the

FOR THE RECORD

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keynote address from Rush, a Cal State Fullerton alumnus who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science in 2008. Rush, who worked with computers and software as a hobby, served as the deputy director of front-end web development for the Obama for America campaign in 2012. “We worked 10-hour days, seven days a week, but what an incredible experience,” he said in a CSUF news release. Rush was tasked with managing the online donation systems, developing the systems to work with all devices and making sure they could handle high demand from donors during peak times like the Democratic National Convention. “He was in a few of my classes; he was a very good student,” said Stambough, the chair of the division of politics, administration and justice. “I’m excited about seeing him again.” The Obama campaign’s fundraising methods were key to securing victory, both in 2008 and 2012, Stambough said. “(Rush’s) job was partially the IT side, but then also developing the strategy of targeting potential voters and potential donors in a way that Democrats haven’t done in the past, and Republicans still haven’t done,” he said. “The Obama campaign led the way on that, which is why the Obama campaign turned into the Obama presidency. They ran a better campaign

DTBRIEFS Santa Ana man killed near home

Courtesy of Cal State Fullerton Keynote speaker Kyle Rush, an alumnus who graduated in 2008, was a web developer for the 2012 Obama for America campaign.

than (their opponents).” After the campaign died down, Rush worked as Director of Technology at the New Yorker, where he helped redesign the magazine’s website and create a payment system for its content. He is now the head of optimization at Optimizely, a San Francisco-based startup focusing on website software. Rush’s experience, Stambough said, demonstrates how social science research methods can be applied in the real world

in ways that people do not always realize at first glance. “For Kyle, it’s less about presidential politics and more about how you can use the tools of social science research in a wide variety of careers,” he said. The SSRIC is a CSU-wide program funded by the Chancellor’s Office. In addition to holding this annual convention, the center helps support and facilitate research for students through access to databases and summer training programs.

Outgoing dean stresses international learning William G. Briggs, dean of College of Communications, pushes for students to think globally MATTHEW MEDINA Daily Titan

As his time with the College of Communications comes to a close, outgoing Dean William G. Briggs trusts that Irene Matz, Ph.D., will continue his work and emphasize a more global learning experience. Along with the progress on the Latino Communications Initiative, a certificate program to prepare students for careers with Spanish-language media outlets, students from Cuban universities will participate in specialized workshops at Cal State Fullerton over the summer to study digital journalism. The partnership came after Briggs, along with Provost Jose L. Cruz, Ph.D., and other faculty members, took a trip to Cuba to meet with universities and explore opportunities for entertainment and tourism. “Whether that grows into a regular course here, or something like that, that remains to be seen,” he said. “This is something that we’re setting up especially for the Cuban students.” In addition to its existing exchange programs with universities including the DongAh Institute of Media and Arts in South Korea, the college is in talks with universities in Moscow to provide international learning opportunities, especially for radio-TV-film students. “Russian filmmaking is considered by many people to be the best in the world, going back historically,” Briggs said. “And for us to be partnering up with this great Russian tradition is a very nice thing for Cal State Fullerton to be able to say.” Beyond learning internationally, taking an interdisciplinary approach to education is also a priority going forward for the university. “The provost has indicated that he’s interested in hiring faculty who can teach in more than one department, who can teach maybe even in more than one college,” Briggs said. “Cross-disciplinary education is going to be more and more of an emphasis going forward, and I think that’s a good thing.” Briggs pointed to the Latino Communications Initiative, which encourages students and faculty from the communications and modern language departments to work together, as an example of cross-disciplinary education. “We know in communications that the more skills you have, the better chance you

Vidal Quevedo, 27, has been identified as the victim who was fatally shot outside of an apartment complex early Tuesday morning in Santa Ana. The Orange County Register reported that Quevedo, a resident of the complex, was in the parking lot when he was shot in the upper body at around 2:30 a.m. It is still unclear what Quevedo was doing outside at that time. Quevedo was taken to UC Irvine Medical Center in Orange, but he died from his injuries, authorities said. Bloodhounds with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department attempted to track the shooter, but the scent trail ended at Bristol Street. The investigation is ongoing. - ASHLEN DOMINGUEZ

Fire damages Muckenthaler in Fullerton Fullerton investigators are searching for the person responsible for a series of fires that were set at the Muckenthaler Cultural Center, according to the Orange County Register. So far, the damage to the property is estimated to be about $25,000. The most recent fire occurred at around 4:30 p.m. Monday, which is the seventh fire so far. Due to the repeated incidents, the center recently installed surveillance cameras, and officials are reviewing the footage. Footage from the incident Monday showed a woman in a pink, short-sleeved top and dark pants with a white backpack near the scene of the crime. However, the investigation is still ongoing. - ASHLEN DOMINGUEZ

ELEONOR SEGURA / Daily Titan, File Photo William G. Briggs worked on partnerships between CSUF and international universities.

have of finding a job and being successful at it,” he said. “It’s very difficult if you’re just a specialist and can only do one or two things.” Briggs wants to spend more time with his family in Northern California, and that was the main reason he chose to retire now, he said. “It was a hard decision, because I really do love this job,” he said. “I love working at Cal State Fullerton and the people that I work with.” If possible, Briggs said he would still like to join communications faculty and students in annual specialized trips to developing countries. As part of a specialized international reporting course, students partner with medical organizations and others providing aid to locals, then create longform and multimedia journalism based on their experiences. The most recent trip was to Guatemala in February. Matz, who has served as associate dean since 2009, has worked closely with Briggs over his three-year tenure, so she is familiar with the college’s current programs and goals. “As dean, she’s going to be charting her own course, too, and she’ll make some decisions and take some directions that she thinks are appropriate, and that’s the way it should be,” Briggs said. “But I think that things should pretty much stay on course.” Matz will become the interim dean on June 1, and a committee is scheduled to begin its search for Briggs’ permanent replacement in the fall 2014 semester.

Pro-Russian forces clash with Ukraine Ukrainian military forces began a push to remove pro-Russian forces from the city of Slovyansk Monday, according to the Associated Press. Pro-Russian militia said there were 10 people killed, including civilians. Arsen Avakov, Ukraine’s interior minister, said four government troops and 30 militants were killed during the gun battles. News and government organizations have not yet been able to verify these statistics. Following the incident, the foreign ministers of Ukraine and Russia met Tuesday to discuss the situation. A meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Swiss President Didier Burkhalter is scheduled for Wednesday. - ASHLEN DOMINGUEZ

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NEWS

MAY 7, 2014

WEDNESDAY

PAGE 3

THE DAILY TITAN

Many doors open outward LOCKDOWN Continued from PAGE 1

Develop a survival mindset involving:

“It was very scary for a lot of students, and I, as an instructor felt helpless to protect my students,” said Shepard, a professor of journalism. He added that he was unable to lock or barricade the classroom door. Shepard estimated that his classroom was locked down for six hours. During that time, they watched the news as a class, and as the hours passed, students began to leave on their own. He was not able to lock himself and his 115 students safely inside because he was not issued keys to his classroom. Professors are only issued keys to their offices and classrooms that are sometimes locked, but for those classrooms that are always unlocked, like the classroom in the Humanities Building that Shepard was using that day. Those classrooms are unlocked in the morning and locked at night, he said. The Campus Emergency Preparedness website reminds faculty to know how, and if, their classroom doors lock, and it encourages them to go over emergency preparedness procedures on the first day of class. However, if professors are not issued keys, it does not matter whether or not they know how to lock their classroom door. Because it is not a requirement for professors to go over what is on their syllabus, the university continues to remind students to watch the video. Students logging in to their portal recently may have noticed the newest highlighted message. In fact, the message titled “Guidance for Surviving an Active Shooter Situation” is always at the top of the portal. There is no way to track who is watching the video, said Sue Fisher, the emergency preparedness manager at CSUF. Fisher gives lectures on preparedness to classrooms, departments and other campus organizations. After the lockdown in December 2012, the school purchased rights to the video, and professors have been advised to show the video each semester. Fisher said if she had to guess, she

awareness preparation rehearsal Find rooms with locks, blockade the door and get totally silent. Turn off lights and all electronics.

Figure out what's going on and decide best course of action:

Can you get out safely?

Can you hide out?

Will you take out the shooter? If it’s safer to hide out, find a hidden location.

OFF

Try to call for help as soon as it's safe. Spread out if you're hiding in a group to avoid everyone being shot.

If possible, avoid places that might trap you.

EXIT

If you can get out,

get out fast. Get away from the shooter & immediately call for help.

MIKE TRUJILLO / Daily Titan (Source: Shots Fired on Campus – When Lightning Strikes)

would estimate the school spent around $10,000 on acquiring the rights. The school chose the specific video because it dealt with an active shooter situation on a school campus and it gives people an idea of what to do in that situation according to Fisher. The role of the video, “is to clarify what everyone’s role is,” she said. School shootings are an unfortunate trend throughout the nation, and have already happened on the CSUF campus. The 1976 shooting in the Pollak Library that left seven dead was the worst massacre in Orange County history until the Seal Beach shooting in 2011. Despite the history, a real plan of preparation and action is still lacking. Just before spring break, University Police organized an active shooter workshop, which entailed

a presentation of the video and a short question-and-answer session with Cpl. Jose Rosales, a crime prevention and university services officer. After the presentation, fully clothed in protective padding, Rosales showed students how to take down an armed gunman. The hands-on style approach to this training engaged the students, but only about 25 people attended—of those, only four had seen the Shots Fired video. Rosales said he hopes to have more of these workshops, but as of yet this is only the second to have taken place since the 2012 lockdown. Although there have been past active shooter drills on campus, there hasn’t been a campus-wide drill since 2011. Just last week Fullerton Junior College had a routine active shooter drill where its campus was on full lockdown.

Even Associated Students Inc. President Rohullah Latif had not seen the video and was unaware the video existed. “I think we definitely need to reassess this and look at different ways that we can channel this information out to students,” he said. But even with the knowledge from the video, the fact that almost a year and a half after the December 2012 lockdown, the locks still haven’t been changed. “It was really alarming to me to learn that those doors were not able to be locked from the inside,” Shepard said. “To me, (hanging the locks) is a fairly simple thing that should have been done right away to ensure that that instructors and students can at the very least lock their door if an active shooter is on campus.” Fisher said the school is aware of this and is in the process of addressing it.

“Facilities right now is starting to change over an awful lot of the locks,” she said, contributing the change to the necessity to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. “We’re aware of the problem and trying to fix that through the gradual changeover, when we change over the hardware to the ADA-compliant hardware.” There are 346 classrooms and teaching labs spread across 21 buildings on campus, according to data provided by the school. However, information regarding on which side those doors can be locked was not provided by Facilities Operations in time to be included in this article. The information is in the process of being gathered, a CSUF official said. Facilities Operations should be able to collect all information on classroom locks early in the summer.

Students, professors reflect on lockdown 2012 event raises concerns of campus security procedures KAYLI CRAIG, DAVID COATS & ASHLEN DOMINGUEZ Daily Titan

Cal State Fullerton has made headlines more than once with possible gunmen and fatal shootings on campus. In the summer of 1976, a custodian at CSUF opened fire in the Pollak Library. Edward Charles Allaway, 37, entered the library with his .22-caliber rifle, killing seven people and injuring two during his violent rampage. He was arrested the same day after he called the police to confess. Although Allaway was initially convicted on seven counts of first-degree murder, he pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity and was sentenced to a state mental hospital, where he remains to this day, according to the Orange County Register. In 2012, the CSUF campus went into high alert when two armed robbery suspects allegedly fled on foot through campus, leaving the campus on lockdown for more than eight hours. The suspects did no harm and only one of them was found on campus and arrested. More suspects were arrested in the following weeks. Although the community of CSUF escaped a dangerous situation, the experience left the campus uneasy, especially those who were locked in during the ordeal.

Roommates Tyler James and Jasmine Aquino were just two of the many students who were stuck in classrooms during the lockdown. Although they were in separate classrooms at the time of the event, they were able to keep in touch with one another through their phones. James, a third-year sociology major, had just sat down in her class when her professor came inside in a panic, locking the door behind her because she had heard there were gunmen on campus. Without having all the details about what was going on outside their classroom door, James and about 10 other students in her class took it upon themselves to put a plan into action of how they would barricade the door, while other classmates worriedly called home. However, Jasmine Aquino said there wasn’t any faculty in her classroom during the ordeal. “There wasn’t a lock on the door,” she said. Aquino and the other 12 students in her class began to barricade the door because they were unsure if the door was even locked from the outside. Both James and Aquino think that the training video Shots Fired On Campus – When Lightning Strikes should be mandatory to watch as events like these can happen anywhere and at any time. Looking back on the history of CSUF, dangerous situations such as these can happen, and it is best for students and faculty to prepare themselves for the worst in the case of an emergency.

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REPORTED WEAPONS ON CALIFORNIA CAMPUSES

United States Department of Education This chart shows the number of reports of weapons on college campuses in California. Incidents at Cal State Fullerton include the Pollak Library shooting in 1976, which left seven dead, and the death of physics professor Edward Lee Cooperman in 1984.

GUN INCIDENTS AT CSUF • September 1973: CSUF policemen begin to carry guns on campus • July 1976: Pollak Library shooting leaves seven dead and two injured • February 1978: Suspected gunman on campus; no suspect arrested

• May 1978: Gunman goes on shooting spree beginning in Pub and ending at Visual Arts Building; he was arrested and no one was injured • October 1984: Professor Edward Lee Cooperman shot and killed on campus by student Minh Van Lam, who claimed it was an accident; Lam was convicted of manslaughter in March 1985

• May 1997: Shots fired on frat row; no one injured or arrested • Oct 2004: Gunfire on frat row wounds one student; suspect was not found • December 2012: Fleeing armed robbery suspects attempt to evade police at CSUF; campus put on lockdown for eight hours

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PAGE 4

THE DAILY TITAN

OPINION

MAY 7, 2014 WEDNESDAY

No prayer in meetings NICOLE WEAVER Daily Titan

There is no place for religion within the government

Plugged In Watching out onto my wrist, but at the moment the best step for me to take is to not become an early adopter. Recently I embarked The current crop of on a trip to Guatemala to smartphones available cover the countries medi- right now are the Pebcal conditions for aninter- ble and the line of Samnational reporting class. sung Galaxy Gear watchIn an area without cellu- es. There are others, but lar service, carrying my their prices are in the phone around with me $300 range, significantly was nearly pointless, and I more than I, or the averneeded to buy a watch to age consumer, would pay tell time. for a watch. It had been a long time The Samsung Galaxy since I wore a watch, Gears are too expensive since grade school prob- and only work with select ably, but I found the as- devices, making the only pect of donning a watch viable option for someone again appealing. Maybe in the market for a smartthe older we get the more watch the Pebble. time-oriented we have to While the Pebble may be and the joy of pulling a be nice, the Steel, the latshiny phone out of a pock- est and most attractive et is diminished. model of Pebble watch, Another reason wearing still runs the same intera watch excited me was the nals as its original Kickidea of preparing my wrist starter counterpart six for the inevitable onslaught months later. of smartwatches being reI know the watch will leased. These are the watch- only be better as time es that connect goes on. via Bluetooth The Moto Having and pump in360 is one formation such information, of the first as phone calls watches comand Twitter even something ing out this feeds to my as basic as the summer that wrist. runs Android One app that time, accessible Wear, Google’s does this but mobile operat a glance for desktops ating system feeds our is PushBullet, that puts Goowhich sends generation’s gle Now funcphone notifitionality in a cations to the need for instant watch. desktop incase Between gratification. you don’t have Google’s wrist your phone operating sysnearby. After wearing a tem and the rumor that regular old-fashion watch Apple will dive into the for nearly three months watch market soon, Peband using PushBullet, I can ble, a much smaller comsay honestly I am ready to pany, will inevitably redon a Bluetooth connect- lease a new model of ed information delivery smartwatch to compete device. soon. Even with analog More information availwatches, convenience is able at a glance just plays a big factor. Sure, pull- into how we consume ing a phone out of a pock- technology. et doesn’t take long, but The convenience of even the few seconds these watches will allow wearing a watch saves us to be the first among makes a big difference. our friends to hear the Having information, latest news about one of even something as basic the Jonas Brothers apas the time, accessible at pearing on Hawaii 5-0. a glance feeds our generJoking aside, conveation’s need for instant niently receiving importgratification. Sometimes ant information is only I even look at my watch going to get better and to find the date only to better. remember it doesn’t do We’re getting to the that. point where news will be Subconsciously I al- instantaneous with our ready want it to do more. thoughts. Luckily for me, smartSmartwatches along with watches have existed for the soon-to-launch Google sometime now and are Glass will make that future begging to be cinched arrive much faster. ETHAN HAWKES Daily Titan

THE NEWS THAT MATTERS TO YOU

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Congratulations religious zealots. The Supreme Court has ruled in favor of allowing prayer to take place before government meetings, despite the existence of the First Amendment. A 5-4 ruling stated that religious prayers before government meetings in the town of Greece, New York, did not violate the Establishment Clause and therefore are allowed as long as no religion is endorsed or disparaged, and those present are not preached at to convert. For the past 15 years, the town of Greece, a predominantly Christian town with fewer than 100,000 people, has been offering chaplain-led prayers before monthly town council meetings. These chaplain-led prayers have all been Christian in nature, explicitly invoking the name of Jesus Christ. However, a complaint was filed in 2007 regarding the nature of the invocations, but since then only four prayers have been delivered by non-Christians. Separation between church and state exists for a reason. It shouldn’t matter which religious prayer is delivered, religion of any kind has absolutely no place within the government. It’s strictly stated that the government should never take a stance of any kind regarding religion, and to remain neutral on matters of faith, so how does it make any logical sense to allow local governments to engage in religious practices? What is the purpose of prayer during a government function? The only thing a

MIKE TRUJILLO / Daily Titan A recent Supreme Court Decision has made it okay to hold prayer before city council meetings.

sectarian prayer does is bully a captive audience of nonbelievers with its personal message. The stance that the court is taking on this issue pulls from Marsh v. Chambers, a 1983 court case that established that prayers before the Nebraska state legislative sessions were constitutional just because “history” said so. Obviously, the United States has grandfathered in quite a bit of traditional Christian behavior despite the modern interpretation of the Establishment Clause, as is seen with this new case, Town of Greece v. Galloway.

“No one can fairly read the prayers from Greece’s town meetings as anything other than explicitly Christian—constantly and exclusively so,” said Supreme Court Associate Justice Elena Kagan. “The prayers betray no understanding that the American community is today, as it long has been, a rich mosaic of religious faiths.” But take a minute to imagine if the town of Greece’s population had been Muslim, instead of Christian, and had been reciting prayers from the Quran before monthly meetings over the past decade. Considering that town

board meetings are frequented by average citizens who are required to appear for everything from zoning charges to business permits and must endure a sectarian prayer before conducting their business. Would the Supreme Court have ruled the same way if that were the case? Fox News would have most definitely had a heart attack upon hearing that kind of story. There really is no place for religion within the government sphere. But with this new ruling, Jesus just might make more appearances in city council meetings.

Science of the Impossible “Smart” umbrellas GUSTAVO VARGAS Daily Titan

When it rains, most people bring an umbrella with them wherever they go. Rain, for most people, can be an inconvenience. But for others, it’s a welcomed phenomenon. Either way, rain tells us a lot about our planet and on a smaller scale, it tells us about the local climate. It’s necessary for meteorologists, hydrologists and weather reporters to use rainfall data that is gathered from a device known as a rain gauge, also known as a udometer, pluviometer or an ombrometer. The data can help determine how much rain a certain area gets during a single event or an accumulation over time. This is important not only for safety reasons such as flooding, but also for farmers who depend on rain patterns. Rolf Hut, a professor at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, aims to turn the common umbrella into a rain gauge. Hut has created a prototype “smart” umbrella, or brolly as it is called in the UK, that he showcased in Vienna at the European Geosciences Union (EDU) General Assembly.

The prototype sports a sensor that can detect vibrations from the raindrops falling onto the outer side of the umbrella which it then sends information via a phone to a computer using Bluetooth technology. “We have radar and satellites, but we’re not measuring rain on the ground as we used to; it’s expensive to maintain the gauges,” Hut told the BBC News. “Therefore, agencies are reducing the number, and that’s a problem for people who do operational water management or do research into hydrology because they don’t have the access to the data they use to.” The innovative ideas that will hopefully benefit us are appearing frequently as technology becomes more efficient. Some initial experiments checking for accuracy had

the umbrella alongside a proper rain gauge. These experiments have given good results, Hut said. He is aware the concept may have trouble landing a foot, but is confident in its future. “Eventually every umbrella would come with this technology, or at least premium umbrellas would. And if you wanted to be involved, the moment you opened the umbrella, it would start sending data to your phone which uploads it to the cloud,” Hut said. People are already heavily integrated with other technologies such as smartphones and tablets; I can see some people enjoying the idea of contributing data. “We would then have hundreds of rain gauges moving along a cityscape

and that could greatly improve our ability to understand urban hydrology; it would greatly improve our ability to predict urban flooding and take measures when things are going bad,” Hut said. The idea is definitely not impossible. The lack of actual rain gauges out there is not only been made aware by Hut, but also Chris Kidd of the US Space Agency (NASA) is in favor of more integrated rain gauges. The need for real-time rain gauges that can be easily accessible would greatly benefit our data’s accuracy. Kidd is worried about the reliability of such data from crowdsourcing if people are not accurate with how they interpret the data. “We need to look at ways to improve the networks. In the Sahel, for example, there’s an interesting project where they’re paying farmers for the data, and to make sure the rain gauge keeps operating. These farmers also get paid for the quality of the data. In this way, they are invested in the gauge,” Kidd said. Money as an incentive usually helps, and I think it’s not such a bad idea in this case, when umbrellas can play a key role in telling us about our local weather.

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detour

may 7, 2014

wednesday

PAGE 5

THE DAILY TITAN

‘Game of Thrones’ crowns a new king Lost love and familial tension color this week’s episode eric gandarilla Daily Titan

Game of Thrones is no stranger to uncomfortable, hard-to-watch scenes. Most of the time, sex, gratuitous violence or incest is involved. They make certain scenes hard to watch, but it’s also part of what gives Game of Thrones its oh-so-unique charm. This week’s episode had one of the most uncomfortable scenes of the season. And it was between Sansa and her aunt Lysa Tully. They have been brought together thanks to Littlefinger’s smuggling expertise. Unfortunately, Sansa’s situation might have only gotten slightly worse rather than making the turnaround for which she would have hoped. Lysa’s sweet reminiscing about how her sister and Sansa shared a sweet tooth gradually became bitter. Lysa has always loved Littlefinger since she was young and it is apparent she feels some resentment toward Sansa’s mother for never paying any attention to Littlefinger. Some of that resentment has now shifted toward Sansa as every question she asked her made their conversation seem less like a conversation and more like an interrogation. By the end if it, Lysa was in such a manic state worrying whether or not Sansa had slept with Littlefinger that

Courtesy of HBO Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) has been smuggled out of King’s Landing by Littlefinger (Aiden Gillen) and she now finds herself under her aunt’s protection. Her aunt, Lysa (Kate Dickie), has become resentful toward Sansa for her mother’s neglect toward Littlefinger.

her nails looked as if they were about to dig into Sansa’s skin. She repeatedly asked if Sansa had slept with Littlefinger and every time she asked, Sansa denied it. By the end of it Sansa was crying and screaming, hoping her aunt would believe her.

Lysa eventually came to believe her and embraced her niece. But a hug is hardly enough after a verbal assault such as this. To make the situation worse, it seemed Sansa already has an arranged marriage with Robin, her cousin.

North of The Wall, Brann and John were nearly reunited. They were a mere few feet from each other, when, in typical Game of Thrones fashion, they didn’t see each other. It’s probably a good thing though, Starks reuniting normally ends badly.

Over in King’s Landing, Tommen Baratheon has been crowned as the new king. He’s not the psychopath that Joffrey was, so he should prove be a better ruler. However, his youth and inexperience along with his grandfather’s request that

he should listen to his elders most likely means that his grandfather will be calling the shots. Tommen will likely only be acting as the face of the crown. The takeaway from this episode: Don’t mess with Hodor’s kung-fu grip.

CSUF DJs hope to shape music industry STUDENT DJS Continued from PAGE 1

They recently began working with and sending their original music to the music departments for Ryan Seacrest Productions and MTV Productions. “We build a catalog of our songs for MTV Productions and send it in to them. When they are editing their footage, they use parts of our songs behind the scenes,” Evert said. A few of their songs have already been used by these companies. Their aspiration in creating music for television is to one day hear their tracks transformed into theme songs. Both have come to learn what type of music each production company prefers. “MTV wants ‘ragers’, songs that you hear in the club that get the girls moving and dancing,” Evert said.

However, in addition to making specific songs to cater to these television companies, they still find time to create other types of music that they enjoy. The genres they produce most are electronic dance music and pop music, among others. Both Tirheimer and Evert grew up performing in bands and playing instruments such as the piano, drums and bass. They use this experience now to set themselves apart by incorporating real instruments into their EDM songs, Tirheimer said. Evert said they really enjoy the overall creative aspect of music. They get inspiration from songs that were popular decades ago. “Music is always changing, but it is also reimagining and recycling itself, so we like to pull aspects and techniques from old vibes and transform them into songs that would work

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today,” Evert said. They try to pay attention to what is playing on popular radio stations and use those songs for inspiration in their music. “We listen to a lot of the old songs that have remained popular on K-Earth 101—I mean that radio station is literally always playing,” Tirheimer said. Another source of inspiration comes from focusing on their aspirations. They said they want their original songs to have a lasting effect on the music industry. “We just want to make good music that makes you want to dance and makes you feel something. We want to make our mark on music,” Tirheimer said. Both Tirheimer and Evert find the ever-changing quality of the music industry to be what keeps them interested in continuing to make music.

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detour Nightmare Air to bring the noise to CSUF PAGE 6

May 7, 2014

THE DAILY TITAN

wednesday

Los Angeles-based alternative rock band to play Becker Sonam mirpuri Daily Titan

As his roommates swooned over a mediocre acoustic artist at a coffee shop, Dave Dupuis came to realize that he could do better. Dupuis, Swaan Miller and Jimmy Lucido are the members of Nightmare Air, who will be breezing their way on to the Becker Amphitheater stage today. “We are an alternative, upbeat, wall-of-sound rock band,” Dupuis said. Nightmare Air is a rock band from Los Angeles. Dupuis plays the guitar and sings, Miller plays the bass and sings, and Lucido lays down the beat on the drums. The two original members, Miller and Dupuis, had been creating music together for nearly a decade before Lucido joined Courtesy of Nightmare Air them a couple of years The members of Nightmare Air strive to deliver what they describe as a mind-blowing performance for their audiences. Their performance at the Becker Amphitheater ago. today will be their first outdoor concert, a contrast to their usual light show-accompanied set. “Swaan and I have known each for about 10 Air’s other singer assists attending their concert. indoor shows are usually to getting air on a skate- plans for the future of their years … but we didn’t start the group in distinguishing “Inspiration comes from accompanied with a light board),” Dupuis said. music, including a brand the band until probably them from other bands. seeing those bands (that) show. The band previously re- new album to drop later about three years ago, and “(Swaan) helps set us blow your mind … Soni“It is an exciting visu- leased its album, High In this year. then two years ago we met apart because she’s this cally and visually it’s like al-heavy show,” said Du- The Lasers, about a year “We’re doing one more Jimmy, the drummer, here floating voice above this ‘Wow!’ … I want that to puis explaining his conun- ago and has been tour- West Coast tour … then we go in Los Angeles,” Dupuis wall of sound of music,” happen for people,” Dupuis drum with playing in an ing for the past two years to Europe for about a month said. Dupuis said. said. outdoor venue. straight. in June. And then we’re going He said the band has a For the members of Performing in the Becker The name of their band CSUF students can ex- to come back to LA and work unique type of sound. Nightmare Air, musical in- Amphitheater will be a new came from a skateboarding pect that the band will de- on the (new) record in Au“(We are) a noise-pop spiration comes from dif- experience for Nightmare movie that Dupuis enjoys. liver its best performance gust,” Dupuis said. band,” said Dupuis when ferent feelings from var- Air as it is an outdoor ven“(Nightmare Air) is an for its concert. Nightmare To listen to Nightmare describing the style of mu- ious experiences and ue, which they are not ac- obscure reference from a Air aspires to be a good Air’s music or see their vidsic Nightmare Air plays. Dupuis wants the audience customed to. They typically skateboarding film from kind of noise. eos, go to NightmareAirIn addition, Nightmare share in those feelings by play in indoor venues. Their the late ‘80s. Air (refers Nightmare Air has big Music.com.

Alumni explore Old West in short film Former Titans and airmen team up for cowboy-themed film Mia McCormick & Kristen shelby Daily Titan

In order to shine a light during dark times, two Wyoming airmen and Cal State Fullerton alumni took on the creative mission to put together a film that painted a portrait of modern American cowboys. Lucas Rider and Cole Smith, both graduates of the CSUF class of 2009 collaborated to create Miami, NM after reconnecting during a work function. Rider and Smith knew each other through a mutual friend and met up at a work function last spring. With Smith’s passion for storytelling through motion pictures he would soon become the project’s writer, executive producer and director. Before meeting up with Smith, Rider’s attempts at producing films on his own hadn’t quite left the

Courtesy of Lucas Rider CSUF alumni and current U.S. airmen Lucas Rider and Cole Smith hope to have wrap production of their cowboy-themed documentary Miami, NM by July and begin showing the film at festivals.

ground. Working as a nuclear missile launch officer kept him busy, so his own projects were frozen for the past three years up until he

met Smith. Miami, NM is a film about the Zimmer family who live in the town from which the film gets its name and

raise, rope and ride cattle on their family farm. This is a short documentary that follows this family and the small town love for

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cowboy culture that seems to be a losing its fervor in small towns like Miami, New Mexico. The Western documentary first started to take shape when Smith began following the Zimmer family: the father, Steve and his two sons, Marshall and Parker. Steve has written half a dozen historical pieces about working cowboys. Steve is a working cowboy himself and has watched his young sons grow into cowboys in their own right, practicing the traditional cowboy way of life. Rider and Smith are the two principal producers working on this project. Collectively, the film crew of Miami, NM, has had over 10 years of experience in the entertainment industry. Rider alone has worked KTLA Morning News, CBS’ Amazing Race and small network productions as well. The film team set up a Kickstarter campaign to help subsidize the cost of production and running of the film with a goal of $8,500. The film is still currently

being shot in Miami and is looking to wrap filming in July. The team is hoping the film will begin making its rounds by mid to late fall of 2014. A premiere is already in the works in Fort Collins, Colorado. The premiere will take place at Smith’s favorite movie theater, The Lyric Cinema Café in Colorado, and they will be inviting those who donated on Kickstarter to the premiere. Rider plans to go on to show his work at film festivals. Miami, NM will be submitted to both big and small festivals this fall. They are working tirelessly with various media outlets, and making their calls and emails to get this film into film festivals all across the United States Rider said the small documentary has a very unique story that would be very appealing to festival fans. Smith said he hopes they can get into Big Sky and the Newport Beach Film festivals as well. For further information on the film, visit their Facebook page at Facebook.com/ MiamiNewMexicoFilm

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The Daily TiTan’s

PAGE 7

MAY 7, 2014

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ARIES

(MARCH 21 - APRIL 19):

Communication and education are central themes as Mercury enters Gemini for the next few weeks. Words flow with velocity. Ignore prejudices and complaints (including your own). Obstacles today add chaos. Weed out impractical ideas, and focus on handling a structural problem. Follow the fun.

TAURUS

(APRIL 20 - MAY 20):

Discover new ways to bring in cash over the next few weeks with Mercury in Gemini. Communication with connections facilitates a rise in profits. Maintain objectivity. Hold out for what you think is best. Old tricks don’t work as well as expected... keep practicing.

GEMINI

(MAY 21 - JUNE 20):

For almost three weeks, you’re exceptionally quick and clever with Mercury in your sign. Focus on personal adaptability. You can shift what’s needed for the result you want. Plan your strategy for profit and savings, and proceed with caution. Make sure equipment’s in good repair.

CANCER

(JUNE 21 - JULY 22):

Get thoughtful over the next few weeks with Mercury in Gemini. Introspective inquiries reveal hidden layers of beauty and complexity. Listen to your angels. Don’t get limited by the past. Try a different tack. Mix traditional wisdom with a fresh perspective. Take charge.

LEO

(JULY 23 - AUG. 22):

For the next few weeks with Mercury in Gemini your team is extra hot and negotiations go well. Collaborate, schmooze and share info. Friends are eager to help, but could distract you with diversions. Keep your promises, and stick to the plan.

VIRGO

(AUG. 23 - SEPT. 22):

Advance your career over the next few weeks with Mercury in Gemini. Evaluate your position. There could be a test. Finish a lingering renovation project. Don’t spend overmuch on expert opinions. Follow regulations and treat authority respectfully. Fix it and move on.

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LIBRA

(SEPT. 23 - OCT. 22):

For about two weeks with Mercury in Gemini, expand your influence as new opportunities arise. Envision the longrange implications. Explore, travel and satisfy your curiosity without getting extravagant. Friends remind you what’s important. As the initial phase ends, plot your next move.

SCORPIO

(OCT. 23 - NOV. 21):

Talk over financial changes and new circumstances with your family over the next few weeks with Mercury in Gemini. Reassess your assets. Reduce your personal workload. Financial paperwork makes more sense now. Cut unnecessary frills, and hone your budget to your true priorities. Attitude is everything.

SAGITTARIUS

(NOV. 22 - DEC. 21):

Keep cutting expenses, especially on entertainment. Your partner teaches you new tricks over the next few weeks with Mercury in Gemini. Use practical building blocks. Let others do the talking, and practice focusing your listening. It seems easier to understand what they want.

CAPRICORN

(DEC. 22 - JAN. 19):

Follow the money trail. You’re better at solving puzzles over the next few weeks, with Mercury in Gemini. Don’t touch your savings. Great discipline is required. At least the work is interesting... work on articulating the perfect words to get your point across.

AQUARIUS

(JA. 20 - FEB. 18):

Get your chores done early. Keep decreasing your obligations. For about two and a half weeks, it’s easier to find the words with Mercury in Gemini. Communications barriers dissolve. Expressing your affection comes naturally. Write a story, make a video, and pitch your latest project.

PISCES

(FEB. 19 - MARCH 20):

Accept or assign responsibility in a difficult situation. Take it slow. Resolve issues creatively. Curtail spending. You find it easier to express yourself at home over the next few weeks, with Mercury in Gemini. Communicate with your family, and share the load. Work together.

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SPORTS

PAGE 8

THE DAILY TITAN

MAY 7, 2014 WEDNESDAY

Park preaches the three E’s CSUF women’s basketball coach enters 2nd season MICHAEL HUNTLEY Daily Titan

ELEONOR SEGURA / Daily Titan Matt Chapman (right) carried the Titans on offense with his solo home run. CSUF didn’t need much help at the plate in its win.

CSUF pitchers outduel defending champions Chapman homer propels the Titans to sweep over UCLA MICHAEL HUNTLEY Daily Titan

The Cal State Fullerton baseball team won a low-scoring affair against UCLA Tuesday at Jackie Robinson Stadium. The win was the Titans (24-20, 7-8 Big West) second of the year against the Bruins, the team that eliminated them from the postseason in 2013. The Titans won the previous matchup at Goodwin Field, 4-3, on April 8. Grant Dyer started on the mound for the Bruins (23-22). The freshman is second on the team in earned run average and leads the Bruins in wins with six. The Titans put pressure on Dyer early but were unable to capitalize. Junior Clay Williamson led off the game with a single and advanced to second base on a wild pitch by Dyer. Junior Matt Chapman drew his 20th walk of the season to put runners on first and second. But Dyer got sophomore David Olmedo-Barrera to line out to end the inning with no damage on the scoreboard. Dyer ran into trouble again in the second inning. A.J. Kennedy and Keegan Dale each hit a single to lead off the inning. A sacrifice bunt by junior Austin Diemer advanced the runners to second and third base. Williamson walked to load the bases with two outs for the Titans. First baseman Tanner Pinkston grounded out to strand the runners. The Titans finally got on the scoreboard in the third inning. Chapman hit his seventh home run of the season to left-center. The solo shot was his first since April 18

against Cal Poly. Freshman sensation Phil Bickford took the mound for the ninth time of his young career. He entered the game with more strikeouts per game than any Titan starting pitcher. He is one of four Titan pitchers ranked in the top 15 in the Big West in ERA. Bickford rebounded from a disappointing outing in his last start where he lasted just over four innings and allowed six runs in a loss to San Diego last Tuesday. No Bruin runner advanced past first base until the fifth inning. Bickford threw nearly six innings and allowed zero runs on just four hits. He lowered his ERA to 2.13 and struck out six Bruins on the night. Junior Willie Kuhl relieved Bickford of his duties with two outs in the sixth inning. He did not allow a baserunner in 1.1 innings of work and notched his 27th strikeout of the season. His 1.12 ERA is the best on the team. The UCLA bullpen led by freshman Scott Burke and Nick Kern shut down the Titans for the remainder of the night. They allowed just three hits and struck out three Titans in five innings of work. Junior Koby Gauna shut the door and earned his fourth save of the season. It was his first scoreless outing of the season. It was also his first save since April 12 against UC Santa Barbara. The win was the Titans fifth shutout of the season, and they shutout their opponent for the second straight game. The Titans hope to continue their hot pitching against UC Riverside this weekend at Goodwin Field. For more information on the baseball team and all Titan Athletics, go to FullertonTitans.com

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Three words are uttered by Cal State Fullerton women’s basketball Head Coach Daron Park at every press conference: effort, energy and enthusiasm. The three E’s are etched in the minds of every player and coach at CSUF. “The cornerstone of this program was going to be tremendous energy, effort and enthusiasm from day one,” Park said. The players embraced those three E’s and welcomed Park with open arms. “We were excited to have a change. We were excited to have someone who was so excited to be with us,” senior captain Alex Thomas said. “More than anything we were just excited to add someone new to our family.” CSUF is Park’s first Division I head coaching job of his career, but he is far from inexperienced. He was the head coach at Westminster College where he worked alongside one of his mentors named Tommy Connor. He then served as an assistant coach to the legendary Elaine Elliot at the University of Utah where he helped lead the Utes to backto-back NCAA tournament appearances. After his career at Utah, Park landed an assistant coaching job at women’s basketball powerhouse Maryland University. He coached under national champion coach Brenda Frese. He served as an interim coach in 2008 while Frese was on maternity leave. He helped lead the Terrapins to a 33-win season and an appearance in the Elite Eight.

ELEONOR SEGURA / Daily Titan Daron Park will look to build on his first season as the CSUF women’s basketball head coach.

Park’s experience as an interim coach at an elite program was instrumental in preparing him to lead his own Division I program. “All of my experiences leading up to this point helped put me in a position to be a head coach here,” Park said. “Everything that happened this year, there wasn’t anything I hadn’t seen or hadn’t experienced before so I think it made me a little more comfortable in this role.” One experience Park went through early this season that he is unfamiliar with was losing. He had only one losing season as a Division I assistant coach on his resume when he was hired at CSUF. The Titans experienced turmoil early in the season, losing top player Mya Olivier in their season opener. They entered winter break owning a dismal 1-8 record, which was the worst in the Big West Conference. Park and his staff did not lose hope in the team, and

the Titans won five of their next six games. “All we asked of the kids for the first quarter for the season was to come in and play with the three E’s every day, and we need to get better every day. We’re not looking at wins and losses. We’re looking at improvement,” assistant coach Tammy Reiss said. “We never deviated from our plan. At no time did we show panic. At no time did we show that we didn’t believe in the process,” Park said. “We diligently talked about the positives that we could take away as we were going through the season.” The positive reinforcement from Park and his staff after the underwhelming start to the season proved to be effective once conference play began. The Titans won eight conference games, which was three more than they did in their previous season. “For our first year to say we were competitive night in and night out with

every team in the conference gives us great hope moving forward that we can continue to be that way,” Park said. The future for the Titans is promising. They have six players returning, including guard Samantha Logan who was named to the AllBig West Freshman team as well as a few incoming players. “I think next season they’re going to win even more,” Thomas said. “If they continue to stay in the process and continue working the way they’ve been working they’re going to get a lot better.” Park also expressed his optimism for CSUF women’s basketball. “I really believe you take a tremendous amount of growth from year one to year two,” Park said. “I expect next year will be a lot of fun because we will be able to spend less time learning the process … we can be a very exciting team next year.”

Titans headed to UC Riverside CSUF hoping to improve offense in Big West matchup JOHNNY NAVARRETTE Daily Titan

With just 10 games remaining in the season, the Cal State Fullerton baseball team returns home after a four-game road trip for a Big West Conference matchup with UC Riverside. The series will begin on Friday at 7 p.m. with the second game played on Saturday at 6 p.m. The series will conclude on Sunday with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. The Titans will look to bounce back in conference play after dropping two of three games to rival Long Beach State, the first series loss against the Dirtbags since 2008. CSUF (23-20, 7-8 Big West) hopes to continue its success at Goodwin Field where it boasts a 16-6 record, including an eightgame winning streak. Matt Chapman leads the way for the Titan offense with team highs in home runs with five and runs batted in with 36. His .293 batting average is good for third on the team. The other power source for CSUF is J.D. Davis, who enters the series with three home runs and 27 runs batted in. While the junior’s .297 batting average is second best on the team, Davis leads the team with 42 strikeouts this season. Tanner Pinkston comes into the game as the Titans’ hottest hitter with a nine-game hitting streak.

AMANDA SHARP / Daily Titan The Titans are riding a two-game winning streak and will look to carry that into their homestand against UC Riverside, which will be crucial to improving their Big West Conference record.

The sophomore leads the team with a .319 batting average, being the only Titan batting over .300 this season. Pinkston has one home run and 17 runs batted in and is tied with Davis for the most hits on the team with 51. Despite the difficult season, the Titans have endured. They come in with a 2.16 team earned run average, marking the best in the conference. Led by Thomas Eshelman (6-2), the sophomore has thrown a team-high 69 strikeouts in 94.1 innings. In his last start versus Long Beach State, Eshelman threw a four-hitter but got no run support in a 1-0 loss. Grahamm Wiest (3-4) looks for his third straight quality start.

In his last two starts versus Hawaii and Long Beach State, Wiest allowed eight hits and one earned run, while striking out 12 batters in 19 innings pitched and notching a minuscule 0.47 earned run average. The Titans’ pitching staff needs to stay on top of its game as UC Riverside (2023, 8-7 Big West) enters with the most home runs in the conference with 19. The Highlanders’ main power threat is third baseman Nick Vilter, who is batting .306 with nine home runs and 29 runs batted in. The junior leads the team with a .563 slugging percentage. The Highlanders currently lead the Titans by one game for fourth place in the conference. In its last series, UCR lost

two of three to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. On the mound, UCR will look to Zach Varela and Jacob Smigelski to keep the Titan offense silent. Varela (5-3) has a 3.12 earned run average in 69.1 innings pitched while Smigelski (6-5) has a 3.33 earned run average and a team-high 53 strikeouts in 73 innings. In last season’s series, the Titans took two of three from UCR, including a 12-0 victory. The series, in which the Titans scored 32 runs, came during a stretch where CSUF won 14 of its final 15 games, with the one loss coming to the Highlanders. For more information on the CSUF baseball team and all Titan Athletics, go to FullertonTitans.com.

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