Thursday March 26, 2015 by Daily Titan

ROTC curriculum changes tactics News Thursday March 26, 2015

Board agrees to TSU plans

Baseball earns series split with Nebraska 3

The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton

Sports

Volume 97 Issue 32

Titans sweep Roadrunners

Trustees hear plan to raise CSUEU minimum wage DREW CAMPA Daily Titan During the Cal State University Board of Trustees meeting Wednesday the board approved a $20 million overhaul of the Titan Student Union. The trustees approved schematic plans that called for the expansion and overhaul of the Student Union, which brought the trustees attention Tuesday. The Student Union, which opened in 1976, will have a new focal point and will be expanding 26,500 square feet to accommodate a growing student body. Preliminary plans are to be completed by May, and the project is projected to cost $491 per gross square feet or roughly $13 million. Construction should begin in September with an estimated finish date of March 2017 and a total cost of $20 million. Renovations include the addition of a grand staircase from the lowest level of the three-story complex that connects to the existing bowling and gaming areas. The interior atrium will be expanded large enough to host lectures and other events. There will also be castin-place seat walls and precast modular seating— which include low walls that can be used as seating—and free form benches and community tables in the courtyard. SEE TRUSTEES

MATT CORKILL / DAILY TITAN

Freshman outfielder Samantha Vandiver lays down a perfect bunt and beats the throw to first. Vandiver went 3-for-6 in the doubleheader sweep of the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners. Vandiver tied the school record of an 18-game hitting streak first set by former Titan Marci White in 1993.

Softball extends winning streak to eight games RUDY CHINCHILLA Daily Titan On a day when the temperatures rose above 80 degrees in Fullerton, the Titans softball team did not wilt under the heat as they extended their winning streak to eight games in a row. The Titans swept the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners in their doubleheader. The Titans won the first game of the afternoon, 4-3, before completing the sweep by winning the second game 3-1. Fullerton Head Coach Kelly Ford elected to start the game with Desiree Ybarra in the circle. Ybarra entered the game

SOFTBALL GAME 1

GAME 2

VS 5

3 having allowed zero runs in 7.1 innings against the State University of New York at Buffalo, and her ERA was down to an impressive 2.53. Unfortunately for Ybarra, the no-run streak came to an end early in the game. The Titan infield showed defensive cracks in the top of the second when second baseman Samantha Galarza and right fielder Delynn Rippy failed to catch a popup fly from Madison Bundy. Bundy’s hit drove in Julea Cavazos, who had stolen third, putting the Titans

1 behind on the scoreboard, 1-0. Selena Gonzalez’s hit evaded both Ybarra and shortstop Shianne Brannan, allowing Bundy to cross home and make it a 2-0 game in the Roadrunners’ favor. Bakersfield extended their lead in the top of the third. A shaky Ybarra loaded the bases, prompting Ford to change things up before things got too out of hand. Ybarra would end the game with three earned runs in 2.1 innings pitched.

Christina Washington replaced Ybarra in the circle, but the Roadrunners still managed a run. A Jo Larios grounder drove in Sydney Raeber and put Bakersfield ahead 3-0. While the Fullerton infield cleaned up its act after the third inning, the offense—sans Taukeiaho due to a minor knee injury— continued to struggle. The Titan batters ended the game with seven hits, but only one of those came in the next two innings, as the Titans headed into the sixth still trailing by three runs. Heading into the top of the sixth trailing by three runs, the Fullerton defense did their job, catching two grounders and a line drive to prevent Bakersfield from increasing its lead. After that, it was up to the batters to trigger the comeback in the bottom of the inning. Courtney Rodriguez

finished the game 2-for3, but was critical of her performance. “I think I did okay, but I think there are still areas I need improvement on,” she said. “My first at-bat wasn’t very good and my second was okay. I just feel like I need to have a better plan.” Despite her self-critique, Rodriguez brought the Titans back with aplomb. With runners on first and second, Rodriguez hit a 2-RBI triple that cut the Fullerton deficit to 3-2. Rodriguez then crossed home herself, courtesy of a sacrifice fly from Sarah Moore, to make it 3-3 heading into the seventh inning. Bakersfield failed to put up any more runs in the top of the seventh, giving Fullerton the green light to mount a come-from-behind victory. SEE SWEEP

Spirituality is more than a choice of faith Understanding, choosing and losing a religion FIONA PITT Daily Titan Springtime can serve as a metaphor for new awakenings. With spring comes the celebration of religious holidays and observances. This year, the week long fasting period of Passover, celebrated within the Jewish faith, will land on April 3. Good Friday, which marks the end of Lent for Christians and Catholics, arrives on April 3, with Easter Sunday following on April 5. But what is spring break if one is not religious? Can a person who is not religious simply choose a religion and become a true believer? For Douglas Swanson, communication and public relations professor at Cal State Fullerton, who teaches and delves into matters concerning religion and the media, the time as an undergraduate is the ideal time in life to question one’s beliefs and decide, “who you are as

a person and how you look at this world,” he said. Society tends to want to label everything, but rather than aligning themselves with a certain denomination, people should first define what spiritual values are important to them, Swanson said. What are an individual’s core values when looking into a set of spiritual or non-spiritial beliefs? Even if someone holds a strict belief, it is valuable to question it, Swanson said. “If you want to believe something, you need to know why you believe it and you need to be able to strongly support that belief system when people challenge you,” Swanson said. James Santucci, professor of comparative religion at CSUF, said in this day in age there’s less emphasis to stay within a certain group. The freedom to explore religion is there for those who have a, “mildly inquisitive nature,” Santucci said. College students may have the freedom to indulge in numerous religious and spiritual ideas, Santucci said yet the trend he has noticed since teaching at CSUF is a gradual loss of religious beliefs.

FIONA PITT / DAILY TITAN

A former Wintersburg Japanese Presbyterian Church located in Huntington Beach dates back to 1934. The church has been empty and in limbo with windows boarded since 1990.

“The move towards loss of religion and a gradual increase of the atheistic and agnostic viewpoints is especially evident in your generation,” Santucci said. “If you compare the millennials with the ‘greatest generation’ back in World War II, the difference is something about 10 to 15 percentage points of the population, in each of those groups, it’s greater on the

side of agnostic—atheist for the younger generation.” It has happened in Europe and it’s starting to happen here, Santucci said. Swanson suspects the notion of tradition is turning young people off—sparking renewalist organizations, he said. Any religion in decline would agree that their values may still be relevant; it’s

people’s perceptions that can change, Swanson said. “My advice to students or to anyone aligning with a religious organization is to find out what do they say, and what do they do, and do these two things link,” Swanson said. Additionally, ethical inconsistency is not quick to find. Trends may show that

young people are believing in religion at a lower rate. But Swanson reminds students that religion is still very much relevant because the traditional separation between church and state is still being violated in many ways by politicians that “wrap themselves in the flag and pray on TV,” he said. SEE RELIGION

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NEWS

PAGE 2 MARCH 26, 2015 THURSDAY

Business growth to be focus of seminar DREW CAMPA Daily Titan A pair of successful Internet and business leaders will offer their expertise to Fullerton residents today during a seminar on how to use technology to grow a small business. Manish Bhardia, founder and CEO of IT consulting firm Adeptek, and consultant Eric Klauss will host a threehour workshop titled, “Modern Biz: Time to Look at New Technology to Reduce IT Costs and Grow” at the Fullerton Public Library. The workshop is catered to small business owners seeking help with a variety

of issues, including mobility and presentation problems. The focus, though, is on how technology can aid in the expansion of businesses while cutting costs. Giving back to the community was a role he particularly enjoyed, Bhardia said. “It’s not part of the job, but part of the Microsoft Community Connection,” Bhardia said. “And part of that is to educate organizations like schools (and) Fullerton.” “Microsoft Community Connection helps connect local business organizations with Microsoft Partners to educate small businesses on how current technology solutions can help them operate more efficiently and empower them to grow their business,” according to the Microsoft Community Connections webpage. Bhardia has been

involved in the workshops since 2013, and said his focus is on the business development for his company.

“

It’s not part of the job, but part of the Microsoft Community Connection, and part of that is to educate organizations like schools (and) Fullerton

“

Experts to discuss how technology can build businesses

MANISH BHARDIA Adeptek CEO “The company specializes more on the custom solutions and these custom solutions could be on the cloud technology or could be on

the enterprise-based custom programming like integration work or desktop software or mobile applications,” Bhardia said. The library holds a business workshop about once a week, except for the holiday season, when there is not much activity, said Tim Mountain, Fullerton Library’s Adult Services division manager. “It is open to the public, it’s free and they do take walkins as well,” Mountain said. “So, we try to accommodate everyone we can. I’m not aware that we’ve ever had to turn anybody away.” Registration is at 9:30 a.m. and the seminar will begin at 10 a.m. The workshop is open to the public and interested parties can register through the workshops section of the website Score114.org.

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The Cal State University Board of Trustees approved plans for the Titan Student Union expansion Wednesday.

Trustees: Board hears wage plan CONTINUED FROM

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The project will be funded from Titan Student Center and Associated Students, Inc. reserve funds collected through student fees. In addition to the student union expansion, the board also heard from a group of staff arguing to raise the minimum wage of California State University Employees Union workers to $15 an hour. Mike Geck, an IT consultant at Cal State San Marcos and CSUEU vice president for organizing, laid out a 12page plan that stated 1,201 CSU employees from across 24 campuses, including the Chancellor’s Office, made less than $15 an hour. Of the 1,201 employees, 861—about 72 percent—are classified as custodians. Another 257 —about 22 percent—are listed as administrative support assistants. Of the 24 offices, Fullerton ranked fifth in the number of employees paid less than $15 an hour, with 79. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo ranked first in number of employees earning less than $15 an hour, with 118 and San Diego State was second with 99. Seventy-two of Fullerton’s employees are designated under “operations support” while the final seven are classified as clerical and administrative support. For Geck, the wage issue hit home. “It really spoke to me because I was one of those people,” Geck said. “And now that I’m doing better, I’m not pulling the ladder up behind me. I’m not shutting the door behind me, I’m trying to hook people up to get to where I’m at and a good start for that is the $15 minimum wage.” Geck made his presentation during the brief public comment period in which speakers are given three minutes to address the board. One such speaker came from Day Porter Jenifer

Monarrez, an employee with the Facilities Management department of the CSU. “You know you hear about it in the news and you hear about it here and there and in emails and stuff,” Monarrez said. “You know it’s different when somebody asks you to be a part of it and actually speak your mind and stand up for the people who can’t (because of) fear of management or whatever it may be.” Geck estimated that it would cost Fullerton $21,140 a month to bring all its CSUEU classified staff to $15 an hour. Employees would receive an approximate 10 percent– roughly $250–monthly raise. CSUEU’s proposal mirrors other $15-an-hour campaigns that have found success in Seattle and San Francisco. The Los Angeles City Council is also debating the merits of a minimum wage of $15.25.

TSU Expansion Renovations • Approved by the Board of Trustees during their meeting early Wednesday.

Timeline • The TSU expansion is expected to begin sometime this summer. • Project is expected to be finished by March 2017.

Cost • First phase to cost $13 million and total cost at completion of project is estimated at $20 million.

Saul Tinoco Fax (657) 278-2702 ads@dailytitan.com

The Daily Titan is a student publication, printed every Monday through Thursday. The Daily Titan operates independently of Associated Students, Inc. College of Communications, CSUF administration and the CSU. The Daily Titan has functioned as a public forum since inception. Unless implied by the advertising party or otherwise stated, advertising in the Daily Titan is inserted by commercial activities or ventures identified in the advertisements themselves and not by the university. Such printing is not to be construed as written or implied sponsorship, endorsement or investigation of such commercial enterprises. The Daily Titan allocates one issue to each student for free.

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NEWS

PAGE 3 THURSDAY MARCH 26, 2015

ROTC sees curriculum changes Changes meant to reflect modern military conflicts RUDY CHINCHILLA Daily Titan In order to comply with new federal mandates, the Cal State Fullerton ROTC program will be undergoing a change in curriculum. The new curriculum is already in effect for freshmen and senior cadets in the CSUF Titan Battalion, and focuses on providing more leadership training through a stronger emphasis on critical thinking skills, said Capt. Scott Eden, an assistant professor of military science. “What we’re trying to get away from is the ‘right answer’ type of training,” Eden said. “What we’re trying to do is to get a deeper understanding of problem-solving as a whole.” The changes come after Maj. Gen. Peggy Combs, who took over cadet command at Fort Knox—ROTC headquarters—in 2014, began phasing in new ROTC directives aimed at preparing cadets for the changed nature of modern military conflicts, Eden said. “Back in the day it was us versus the Russians, or us versus the Germans; it was always force-onforce,” Eden said. “Now it’s a very grey area because you’re having to do more than just fight someone else in a uniform. Now you’re having to possibly build schools, provide water and electricity.” While the new curriculum will place less emphasis on the memorization of

ETHAN HAWKES / DAILY TITAN FILE PHOTO

ROTC cadets take part in military exercises. Curriculum for cadets will change with new federal mandates calling for cadets to be prepared for modern military tactics.

tactical planning, basics of patrol bases and squad and platoon movement will not be abandoned altogether. Junior cadets will now be charged with teaching the tactical aspects to freshmen and sophomore cadets, a deviation from the old model that had seniors in charge of teaching tactics, said senior cadet Scott Brown. Due to the fact that tactical minutiae will be covered in basic training— which happens six months after cadets graduate—the training that takes place on campus will now focus on preparing cadets to think on their feet and come up

with sound solutions to a swathe of different scenarios, Eden said. Samuel Lee, a senior cadet, feels that the new training has prepared him for post-graduation army life. “I’m learning and I’m preparing myself as a platoon leader, hopefully, when I commission. So I won’t be too lost when I get into my unit,” Lee said. “I’ve been learning a lot and I’ve been enjoying it.” With the changes in curriculum also come new exams for cadets. Junior cadets who have traditionally taken the Cadet Leadership

Course, formerly known as the Leader Development and Assessment Course, will now take the GRE. The new test is meant to even the playing field for cadets and encourage them to major in STEM programs, which are desirable in the army, Eden said. The old curriculum took a cadet’s grade point averge into account when determining his or her placement in the Army, discouraging some cadets from choosing more challenging majors, Eden said. “When we put so much emphasis on GPA as far as your ranking and where

you get active duty, and what station you get and your branch, what’s the benefit of you taking engineering if you know you’re going to get a worse GPA and it’s going to hurt you?” he said. While grade point average will still play a factor, the new test will ensure that science, technology, engineering and math majors, who may have a somewhat lower grade point average due to the challenging nature of those fields, stand on even footing with cadets with less demanding majors. An overarching ROTC

test that covers the curriculum taught between freshmen and junior years will be phased in in the summer, Eden said. While the new curriculum and tests have presented a new challenge, the ROTC instructors have generally adjusted well to the changes, Eden said. “We’ve trained the same way for a long time,” Eden said. “I think this is a needed injection of some fresh ideas because we don’t want to become stagnant. We have the greatest army on the face of the planet and we want to keep it that way.”

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FEATURES

PAGE 4 MARCH 26, 2015 THURSDAY

Housing good will for others Titans team up to help construction with Habitat for Humanity ELIZA ARMAS Daily Titan Titan Public Relations teamed up with Habitat for Humanity, Saturday to help build houses for low-income families that either live or work in Orange County. The clock struck 7:30 a.m. on a gloomy Saturday morning, as the sun hid behind an overcast sky. The sound of heavy work boots made their way into a dirt-laden housing complex as six Cal State Fullerton students hurried to sign in before the start of a day filled with volunteer work. “I thought it was a really

good opportunity because it’s so close to Cal State Fullerton, so I feel like this would have the most immediate effects in our community,“ said Arianne Antonio, outreach director for Titan PR. Habitat for Humanity—a nonprofit organization that brings people together to build homes—gathered volunteers from 7:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. at its La Habra location to help with the process of turning a house into a home for families in need. “(Habitat) gives these families the chance to have affordable housing where otherwise they may be living in their car,” said Kandy Killingsworth, a Habitat for Humanity site supervisor assistant for the La Habra site. “They have money but they just don’t have enough

money to pay what the outstanding rents are around here.” It gives children and families the chance to have a home, Killingsworth said, where in some cases they don’t even have their own bedrooms. The day started with each student making a name tag for him or herself by writing their name on a piece of blue duct tape. A brief safety meeting covered Habitat’s goals and an overview of the day’s tasks followed shortly after. Killingsworth, who has been with Habitat for the past six years, led the safety orientation. The orientation went through a flip chart that described what Habitat does and why they do it, basic duties the students will be

working on for the day and where the supplies, such as gloves, brooms and safety goggles are kept. Killingsworth then separated students into groups that would tackle a different home at the construction site. Anything from sweeping up piles of dust, moving around drywall, inserting cardboard in air vents and throwing out trash was part of the teamwork involved to help. “We’re helping the process of the house. Every little bit that we’re doing is helping to make the house a home for the people that are coming … It’s a really cool experience,” said Alysha Shetty, 20, CSUF business management major. When a group finished their task, they would report

to Killingsworth, who would assign them their next job. Killingsworth originally started as a Habitat for Humanity volunteer until she realized how much she admired what Habitat stood for. Eventually, after dedicating several volunteer hours with the organization and AmeriCorps, they hired her, she said. Since then, Killingsworth has embodied the meaning Habitat carries for families. “(Habitat means) hope for families that otherwise wouldn’t have any hope. They give families a chance, and it gives me a chance to learn how to appreciate what I have,” Killingsworth said. Not only does Habitat for Humanity aim to eliminate substandard housing through constructing homes, but also through rehabilitating and

preserving homes by advocating for fair housing policies to help families improve their living situations, according to their website. As of now, Habitat for Humanity has construction sites in Santa Ana, Cypress and La Habra. “Everybody, no matter what their age is, should volunteer because it gives you the chance to see what really is out there, what really needs to be done—whether it’s at a park picking up trash or doing construction—I just think that you get to a point where you need to give back,” Killingsworth said. “Everybody needs to give back a little bit.” To volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, visit habitatoc. org/volunteer or call the volunteer services coordinator at (714) 434-6200.

Religion: Understanding your beliefs 1

If college students are leaning more toward an agnostic or atheist mindset, one could suspect that they are then accepting scientific conclusions, which can contrast with religions present in American society. Department Chair and Professor of Liberal Studies, James Hofmann studies science and religion. He is currently looking into misunderstandings around molecular clocks, a technique used by paleontologists and biologists, in regards to how species relate to each other and other common ancestors. Harvard paleontologist, Stephen Jay Gould, was

notorious for saying that religion and science are two separate domains that don’t overlap. However, in some cases they do, Hofmann said. For example, Hofmann deals with questions that religion and science would differ on: How old is the earth? Was there a global flood that was responsible for all the geology of the earth? Were the plants and animals created separately? For some Christians, those are religious beliefs and in that case, there is a conflict with scientific conclusions. Those particular Christians don’t represent all of Christianity. Rather, there is an equal number, if not more, who say that those particular

issues concerning evolution are scientific issues not central to Christianity, Hofmann said. “What’s important about

“

morality,” Hofmann said. It’s unfair to lump all Christians—let alone all religions—together into one category. Santucci teaches in

There are some people who are more sensitive and more overwhelmed by the beauty and elegance of the universe.

JAMES HOFMANN Department Chair and Professor of Liberal Studies Christianity really doesn’t intersect with science because what’s important to Christianity is how we should live our lives, the status of Jesus Christ, a relationship with Jesus Christ, and those are not scientific issues, they’re religious issues that have do with

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comparative religion courses that there is truth in all religions, but it’s buried and encrusted by false teachings or misunderstood teachings. One can decide to become a believer or to switch a religious view for another person, for example a marriage

or relationship, but the question arises of how deep and how meaningful that belief is psychologically. “Do you really believe or are you sort of along for the ride?” Hofmann asked. But when it comes to being spiritual, different from being religious, Hofmann doesn’t consider it a choice. Rather spirituality seems to be something that comes with life. But for some, they’re just not psychologically oriented that way. Being spiritual is, “believing in phenomenon or states of being that can’t be understood in physical terms. You feel a resonance with non material structure or destiny that can’t be understood

scientifically,” Hofmann said. It’s still a question, though, why some people believe and why some simply cannot. “I’m not sure if you can decide to become one of those people. There are some people who are more sensitive and more overwhelmed by the beauty and the elegance of the universe. They feel compelled to believe there is more to it than just the physical comings and goings of things … that to me is what spirituality involves,” Hofmann said. One can certainly choose to be religious. However for others, religion and spirituality are simply tied up with emotions that can’t be understood very well, like love.

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FEATURES

PAGE 5 THURSDAY MARCH 26, 2015

Aspiring teachers get crafty

ADRIANA NAJERA / DAILY TITAN

A group of exotic animals, made from recycled materials and papier mache, were created by students in CSUFâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Next Generation Science Standards credential program, as a way to better incorporate aspects of engineering with arts and crafts. The students created native animals from tropical rainforests and the Savanna Desert.

ADRIANA NAJERA / DAILY TITAN

The papier mache sculpture project was funded by SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union Center for Creativity and Critical Thinking.

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ADRIANA NAJERA / DAILY TITAN

A turquoise toucan perched among other animals within the display. The project was led by Andrea Guillaume, a credential program professor.

OPINION

PAGE 6 MARCH 26, 2015 THURSDAY

Hearing safety awareness lacking Taking care of your ears while young may prevent hearing loss ANGIE PEREZ Daily Titan While walking into a nightclub with friends: the music is blaring, the vibration of the bass consumes your body from ears to chest, the high pitch sound surrounds your existence and bass waves bouncing off the walls are creating a unique energy in the air. You lean over to comment how well the DJ’s mixing, but the music drowns out your voice, making it almost impossible to have a conversation with the friend standing two feet away from you. Around 1.1 billion teens and young adults’ hearing is in danger of permanent loss, according to the World Health Organization.

The reason for this new concern is due to an excessive use of headphones and exposure to entertainment venues with unsafe sound levels. Younger generations aren’t thinking about the consequences they’ll face when they’re older involving premature hearing loss. Proper precautions need to be taken to protect their ears, because lifelong hearing loss is a heavy price to pay. Nightclubs and bars usually range from 104 to 112 decibels, which is considered an unsafe sound level, according to the World Health Organization. People are spending too much time listening to their earphones due to the easy, unlimited access to music today. Sure, people can conveniently listen to music for hours, but that doesn’t mean they should. All those countless hours spent with headphones on while walking to class, doing homework or

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working out adds up. An estimated 12.5 percent of children between ages six and 19 have suffered from irreversible hearing loss due to excessive exposure to unsafe sound levels, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while 15 percent of Americans aged 20 to 69 suffer from permanent hearing loss, according to the National Institution of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. These studies show a gap of only 3.5 percent between adolescents and the elderly hearing loss rate, putting the youth at an alarming rate of endangerment. This endangerment can be prevented in most cases, but prevention is being carelessly ignored by young people today. In 2005, there were 75 percent more earphone users than in 1990, according to the World Health Organization. Major side effects of

loud noise exposure can affect speech comprehension, social and educational progression and the ability to work, according to the World Health Organization. To avoid harmful listening habits, Palo Alto Medical Foundation suggests a couple of pointers to practice safe listening levels that everyone should listen to. First, use headphones instead of earbuds. Earbuds are placed in the ear and directly project sound into the ear canal, whereas headphones are over the ear and allow space for sound to travel. Avoid listening to volume levels over 85 dB. Take breaks and use the 60/60 rule, which limits use of earphones to 60 minutes per day, with the volume no more than 60 percent on a device. Music is a valuable component to any generation’s culture. Listening to your favorite songs on full blast creates

AMANDA SHARP / DAILY TITAN

The millennial generation face the mounting danger of exceedingly premature hearing loss if listening habits continue.

a form of escapism that many enjoy. However, if the consequences of unsafe sound levels continue to be ignored, younger generations run the risk of losing the ability to enjoy music in the future.

If people around you are able to hear the music playing from your earbuds, that’s an indication of damaging sound levels. Turn the volume down for what? To avoid premature hearing loss.

Invisible disabilities neglected Students need to be aware of those with unseen disabilities KLARISSA ALCALA Daily Titan Many people associate a disability with being blind, deaf, or having any impairment that involves a wheelchair. These disabilities are visibly obvious and often have many support services available. In universities like Cal State Fullerton, Cal State University policy requires certain services to be available. Some of the most common services include disabled person parking, transcription services-like Braille-and interpreting services. They are required to provide services that empower students with disabilities to be able to achieve not only academic success but determination to strive as well. There are many disabilities, however, that aren’t so obvious and are referred to as “invisible disabilities.” Invisible disabilities can include anything from Crohn’s disease, an inflammatory bowel condition, post traumatic stress disorder and chronic fatigue syndrome. These issues are less obvious unless you are the person living with it. As a campus, CSUF does not differentiate between disabilities, whether it’s physical, such as blindness or mental like attention deficit disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

AMANDA SHARP / DAILY TITAN

Students living with invisible disabilities are misunderstood by most people because their disabilities are internal. Just because a disability isn’t seen, doesn’t mean it isn’t significant.

Any college student with a disability, no matter what it is, will be required to fill out an application for disability support services and will also need a doctor’s note. The student is then assigned a counselor, who they’ll meet with every semester, and are given an accommodation letter to provide to their professors. CSUF offers many disability resources through the Student Health and Counseling Center, Counseling and Psychological Services, Career Center, WoMen’s Center and more. While there are many services available for students living with a disability, oftentimes people with invisible disabilities feel misunderstood. Unless you are a counselor

on campus or work closely with disability support services, it’s hard to understand why someone who looks “normal,” gets to take an exam in a different location, or why they are granted a longer time on an assignment or test. The number of college students with invisible disabilities continues to grow and oftentimes, students with these disabilities are afraid to speak out about their issues. It’s not uncommon to be judged or accused of receiving special treatment. Even though the accommodations can be made, universities need to make students feel more comfortable about coming

forth about their needs. Students and any employee who truly needs help and struggles with day-to-day activities should be able to utilize all of the resources available to them without feeling discriminated against. People are afraid to speak up about medical conditions they battle with fear of losing or not getting a job. PTSD, anxiety disorders and many other issues that aren’t so obvious, are still disabilities that people need to be educated on. While disability resources are available, the bigger issue is helping people realize that there is a such thing as an “invisible disability,” and it isn’t just an excuse people use to get out of doing work.

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