HSS candidates for board position debate News Wednesday March 11, 2015
Titans advance to next round
Baseball’s win streak halted by USD Toreros 3
Volume 97 Issue 24
The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton
Fighting against the “r-word” at CSUF
SPENCER CUSTODIO Daily Titan
WOMEN’S BBALL
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59 ANDREW MCLEAN Daily Titan
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Justice system’s flaws featured Exonerees speak on issues of wrong conviction
Women’s hoops moves to second round of Big West
The Cal State Fullerton women’s basketball team kicked off its 2015 Big West Tournament run with a win against UC Riverside Tuesday night at Titan Gym. Senior guard Chante Miles led the way with 26 points, five rebounds and eight assists. Senior forward Kathleen Iwuoha was also a force for the Titans as she finished with a double-double 17 points and 11 rebounds. The Titans (12-18 overall, 6-11 Big West) got off to a slow start shooting just 28 percent, but went into the half leading 29-27 due to free throws as they sank 11-of-14 in the first half. The CSUF offense exploded in the second half as the team began with a 10-4 run. The Titans would maintain that lead for the rest of the game as hard-fought defense, efforts for loose balls and hot shooting from beyond the arc proved to keep the Highlanders (17-14 overall, 8-9 Big West) at bay. “We just fed off their frustration,” Iwuoha said. “We got excited for our team and tonight I feel we played as a team.”
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Sports
FRANKIE NAJOR / FOR THE DAILY TITAN
Patrick Ramirez, third year student and member of Autism Speaks and SHPA, was offended when a professor used the word in class. Having a brother with Down syndrome, he was inspired to hold the event to spread awareness.
Derogatory term was focus of student campaign STEPHANIE GOMEZ Daily Titan Hurtful, but still used by many, students campaigned Tuesday for students to strike the “r-word” from their vocabulary. On large chalkboards in the Quad, students were encouraged to pledge, in writing,
never to use the words retard or retarded again. The event, put on by Autism Speaks U and the Student Health Professions Association, instead promoted the “new” r-word, respect, said Patrick Ramirez, 20, a health science major. The boards were filled by early afternoon when they were flipped over to allow for more pledges on the other side. Ramirez brought up the idea to bring the “spread the word to end the word” campaign to campus after scrolling through social media and stumbling
across the movement. “Its very personal to me because my little brother Zachary has Down syndrome, so I often hear that word toward him and it’s very hurtful,” Ramirez said. “He may not understand but I do, my family does.” Ramirez, who is also a resident advisor, originally planned to bring the event only to campus housing, but it became an event geared to the whole campus after Ramirez reached out to other students. “The r-word itself just permeates through all fields, not
just healthcare,” said Mohammed Aftab, 24, president of student health professions association. The campaign aimed for a variety of participants, including clubs, professors and faculty. “Using (the r-word) as a negative derogatory word associates a person with an intellectual disability as negative and that’s what we’re trying to break,” said Jocelyn Frierson, 20, president of Autism Speaks U. SEE CAMPAIGN
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Three exonerees spoke about their experiences and struggles in the legal system at the Wrongful Conviction Symposium Tuesday. The symposium, hosted by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, featured experts along with the exonerees to address wrongful convictions as a social issue. That issue, one of the speakers said, can be caused by a flawed criminal justice system. “We are counting on you, we are no longer counting on those individuals who are in the system ... to flush them out because those individuals are now eroding the system.” Obie Anthony, an exoneree wrongfully convicted of murder, told the audience. “(The wrongfully convicted) need you guys to remember why you decided to become a lawyer.” It isn’t just the system itself that is flawed, Anthony said, but some people carrying out the day-to-day actions that hold it together as well. “There’s something wrong with the people. The people have been distracted by greed and selfishness, that’s what’s wrong with the system,” Anthony said. He cited a prosecutor’s reliance on their conviction rate to further their career as part of what corrupts people in the legal system. SEE CONVICTION
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Arena Theatre to host relatable drama Contemporary play Really Really to open Friday CINTHIA PASILLAS For the Daily Titan Cal State Fullerton’s College of the Arts will perform the play Really Really at the Clayes Performing Arts Center, Arena Theatre on Friday. Really Really is a contemporary drama by Paul Downs Colaizzo that deals with the struggles of today’s youth like sexual harassment, the pressures of school and achieving goals after school. The story starts with Leigh and Grace, two college students, entering into their living room laughing after a night of drinking at a party at their friend, Davis’ place. Grace is bleeding from her hand but seems fine. Leigh has no injuries but seems far more hurt. Everyone believes Davis and Leigh had sex at the party, however Leigh has
a boyfriend, Jimmy, Davis’ friend. Jimmy did not attend the party held at his friend’s house. What really happened at the party is something that “the playwright leaves it somewhat ambiguous.” said Sarah Ripper, director of Really Really. “ Really Really is super relevant to (college students) and touches on topics that are relevant and need to be talked about now more than ever,” said CSUF student, Chelsea Harvey. Ripper chose Really Really from a variety of plays suggested to her, she said. “I read the play and I thought that ( Really Really) had such a strong message,” Ripper said. The play is intense, edgy and funny because it deals with college students and it will connect well with CSUF students, Ripper said. Although the play deals with college students, everyone in the audience can relate to the characters, Ripper said. SEE REALLY
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AMANDA SHARP / DAILY TITAN
Chelsea Harvey (left) and Evette Torres (right) play Haley and Leigh respectively in the contemporary drama Really Really. The play is presented by the Grand Central Art Center and opens Friday in the Arena Theatre on campus. VISIT US AT: DAILYTITAN.COM