Tuesday March 3, 2015 by Daily Titan

Student participation is focus of debate changes News Tuesday March 3, 2015

Students to gain Dropbox storage

Baseball hosts Malibu for a midweek clash

Sports

Volume 97 Issue 19

The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton

Professional lizard Student pride chaser: Jason Wallace focus in ‘Titans’

Fifty gigabytes of cloud storage to be free to students

Campus community gather to discuss strategic plan

SVETLANA GUKINA Daily Titan

DEVIN ULMER Daily Titan

The Cal State Fullerton Department of Information Technology is preparing to offer free Dropbox accounts to provide a better student-teacher file-sharing experience and increased storage to students. Students will receive an email invitation to register for their Dropbox account sometime this month, said Rommel Hidalgo, assistant vice president for information technology and IT division financial manager. In its pilot phase, the number of Dropbox accounts will be limited to 5,000, and students will have to register for the limited accounts on a firstcome, first-served basis, he said. The IT department spent $250,000 on Dropbox for faculty, staff and students. $41,000 of that amount paid for the 5,000 Dropbox accounts for students, Hidalgo said in an email. The free accounts will belong to students for the entire time they are enrolled in CSUF, Hidalgo said. The main goal of implementing Dropbox on campus is to provide cloud storage and facilitate better student-teacher collaboration, Hidalgo said, who is also a faculty member in the Steven G. Mihaylo College of Business and Economics. Faculty and staff were already given free Dropbox accounts with unlimited storage space in November. Chuck Grieb, a professor and program coordinator in the Department of Visual Arts, is already looking forward to the usage of Dropbox for students. SEE DROPBOX

RUDY CHINCHILLA / DAILY TITAN

Site steward for the Desert Studies Center located in the Mojave National Preserve, Jason Wallace (above) makes sacrifices and lives a rugged life for his devotion to the desert and his reptile studies.

Zzyzx isn’t the end of the road not for Jason Wallace RUDY CHINCHILLA Daily Titan Sometimes the hustle and bustle of a big city—the noise, the cars, the people—is too much. Sometimes a person just has to get away from it all. Sometimes he takes a break by going on vacation. Sometimes he does so by relocating. Sometimes he relocates to the middle of the desert. “Everyone keeps showing up and it gets busier and busier and more and more congested, and I felt I did my part: I left, and I gave my spot to somebody else,” Jason Wallace said, recalling his decision to leave his hometown of La Habra. As the site steward of the Desert Studies Center—otherwise known as Zzyzx—in the Mojave National Preserve, Wallace is in charge of overseeing facilities operations, as well as collecting data on desert reptiles, a continuation of his thesis research. A graduate of Cal State

RUDY CHINCHILLA / DAILY TITAN

Jason Wallace inspects a desert horned lizard to demonstrate how to tell the creatures gender as part of his research to collect data on desert reptiles.

Fullerton with a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in biological science, Wallace has wandered off the beaten path, both figuratively and literally. Wallace knew from a young age that he was destined for the outdoors. His passion for nature would eventually have him chasing lizards out in the middle of the desert. Wallace’s path toward Zzyzx seems almost like a prophecy fulfilled. The 40-year-old herpetologist had always had some sort of connection with the Mojave

National Preserve, dating back to his days as a youth. Wallace recalls the trips he and his family took out to the National Preserve when he was a child. The family would leave home and arrive at Baker, California just in time for sunrise. They stopped at the Mad Greek restaurant, where they would eat strawberry pancakes or waffles before heading into the preserve. “I loved this whole area anyway. And then to see this place, also here, not realizing

I was driving by, as a kid, my future co-worker all those years ago,” Wallace said, “ ... is kind of trippy to think about.” That co-worker was Robert Fulton, site manager of the Desert Studies Center. Fulton and Wallace finally met when Wallace was doing his graduate research at the Desert Studies Center in 2003. “I don’t think he had any clue he’d end up here,” Fulton said. “It just kind of fell that way.” SEE DESERT

Nearly 400 faculty members, students and administrators came together Monday for a discussion on how to bolster collaboration and heighten the experiences of CSUF students during this semester’s Titans Reach Higher Town Hall. The meeting, which addressed the university’s five-year strategic plan, focused specifically on high impact practices, student success teams and “Titan Pride.” President Mildred García opened the meeting by welcoming those in attendance before topics were discussed. Mary Ann Villarreal, director of strategic initiatives and university projects, identified high impact practices as those which increase retention and persistence of students. As part of the strategic plan, the university has an established goal of having 75 percent of students involved in at least one of these practices within their first year, as well as to add involvement in a subsequent practice related to their major. Part of the meeting was aimed at establishing what those practices were and how the university could reach its strategic plan goal, Villarreal said. “Today’s conversation is really to help identify what are people doing and how we are going to get there,” she said. Student success teams were another focus during the meeting. The purpose of the teams is to create an integrated process between student affairs and academic affairs in order to bridge the achievement gap and meet the goal of integrated SEE HALL

A rotten smell for a beautiful bloom

After eight years the corpse flower graces us again NAYARA ASSIS Daily Titan

Cal State Fullerton has been home to an unusual flower, the corpse flower, for almost eight years. It started to bloom on Sunday, at 5 p.m. and was fully bloomed at midnight on Monday. When the corpse flower is in full bloom, it actually smells like rotting flesh, said Gregory Pongetti, the Living Collections curator of the Fullerton Arboretum. The plant is also known as titan arum or by its scientific name Amorphophallus titanum. “We had one bloom back in 2006, and we took pollen

from that plant and went down to another plant that was blooming at another botanic garden in San Diego, the San Diego Botanic Garden,” Pongetti said. “They took the pollen from the one that bloomed here, pollinated that flower and got a bunch of seed, and this is the result of that pollination effort.” There are a few indicators Pongetti looks for to tell when the flower will bloom. The flower will start to loosen at the top, then a little liquid comes from the base of the flower, which signals it will flower soon, he said. A successful pollination of the open flower is called an infructescence, where the plant looks like “a big corn cob” with fruits containing the seeds attached, Pongetti said. SEE FLOWER

NAYARA ASSIS / DAILY TITAN

The Amorphophallus titanum before and after bloom in the Fullerton Arboretum. The flower is available for viewing and is expected to collapse within two days. VISIT US AT: DAILYTITAN.COM

NEWS

PAGE 2 MARCH 3, 2015 TUESDAY

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DTBRIEFS Teacher found hanged

NAYARA ASSIS / DAILY TITAN

Students participate in one of the week’s first events, a dining etiquette class. Other events will give students the chance to put their skills to the test and network with employers.

Business madness comes to campus Weeklong event will teach students business basics MEGAN MENDIBLES Daily Titan A weeklong series of events will give students the tools they need to navigate the ins and outs of the business world. Business Madness Week, offered by The Steven G. Mihaylo College of Business and Economics aims to give students looking for their break into the business world the chance to do just that. Hosted by the Business Inter-Club Council, day by day events will give students a chance to learn about a number of facets to the business industry. Lessons from each day will build on the previous day’s events, with the aim of leaving students more knowledgeable about the fundamentals of business by the end of the week, said Jessica Macaspac, vice president of the Business Inter-Club Council. Each day has been assigned its own theme to encapsulate the lessons that students are meant to take away from events held throughout the week. Monday’s theme was Business 101, and the day featured events that taught students the business basics, including a resume review, overview of appropriate business attire and a dining etiquette review. Jasmine Redd, Black Business Student Association member, said she was excited to see her hard work as a decorator come to fruition for the dining etiquette portion of Monday. The theme for Tuesday’s events will be style and success and that theme will be part of a business pageant from 6-8:30 p.m. Pageant contestants will compete for Mr. and Miss

Business 2015. Contestants will compete through different rounds, and their business responses during the Q&A portion will determine who wins the title, said Jessica Macaspac, vice president of programs for the Business Inter-Club Council. Each round will test contestants on what they learned during Monday’s events, Macaspac said. Wednesday’s learn and grow theme will culminate in “An Evening with Magic Johnson,” during which the former Lakers-player-turned-businessman will take the stage Wednesday evening. A business career expo and panel with the Institute of Real Estate Management will play into Thursday’s take action theme. During the career expo, students take what they have learned from the previous days and apply it themselves to network with potential employers, Macaspac said. During the institute panel, real estate professionals will give students insight about their involvement in the business world, Macaspac said. Friday, a dance marathon to benefit the Childrens Hospital of Orange County will conclude the week with a give back theme. The TitanTHON, a six hour dance marathon benefiting CHOC, raised funds to benefit the hospital. The group reached its $8,000 fundraising goal. Tickets to the dance marathon were sold for $15, and funds from the sales were used to meet the group’s goal, said Becki Vasquez, executive board member for the dance marathon. All tickets for an “Evening with Earvin Magic Johnson” are available in the Titan Student Union. Tickets for the Dance Marathon can be bought online at events.dancemarathon. com/event/titanthon.

Business Madness Week Events

The arrival of the accounts will make it easier for Grieb to share course materials with students when class is not in session, he said. Grieb is currently using Vimeo to share his video tutorials with classes, but he is not satisfied with lack of privacy there. “This (Dropbox) might provide a way to do it in a way that isn’t so public, too, where it’s just for my students,” he said.

Sharing files via Dropbox could potentially alleviate the amount of content on Titanium, Hidalgo said. “It’s coming from a cloud-based storage, as opposed to coming from our own on-campus servers, so it takes some of that hardware pressure off of those instances,” added John Carroll, Ph.D., director of the Academic Technology Center. Amir Dabirian, vice president for information technology and chief information officer at Cal State Fullerton is

- RUDY CHINCHILLA

LAPD defends officers

TUESDAY • Business Pageant • Participants will be judged on their ability to use information taught during Monday’s events. • Pavilions ABC • 6 - 8:30 p.m.

A bystander to the shooting of a homeless man by Los Angeles Police Department officers claims that the man did not reach for an officer’s gun, CNN reported. Anthony Blackburn, who recorded the video of the incident in which multiple officers first struggle and eventually shoot a homeless man on LA’s Skid Row, said the man was already on the ground when he was shot. The LAPD police chief, however, pointed to a partially engaged slide on one of the officer’s pistols and a still shot from the video, showing the man reaching for the officer’s waistband, as evidence that the man was reaching for a weapon before he was shot.

WEDNESDAY • ‘An Evening with Magic Johnson” • Former Lakers player turned businessman will speak to students. • Titan Gym • 7 p.m.

THURSDAY • Business Carreer Expo • TSU Pavilions • 10:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. • IREM Panel • Real Estate professionals will share experience • Heterbrink AB • 2 - 4:30 p.m.

- NAYARA ASSIS

Iraqi forces advance on Tikrit

FRIDAY • CHOC TitanTHON Dance Marathon • Proceeds go to CHOC Hospital • TSU Pavilions • 7 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Dropbox: Students to access free accounts CONTINUED FROM

A high school teacher was found by students hanged inside her classroom Monday, according to the Orange County Register. Jillian Jacobson, a 31-year-old photography teacher, was found hanged inside her El Dorado High School classroom at around 8:40 a.m. Students discovered Jacobson’s body after another teacher opened the locked classroom door and placed her body on the floor. By the time paramedics arrived, Jacobson was in cardiac arrest. All efforts were made to revive her, according to Placentia Police Lt. Eric Point, but Jacobson was declared dead at the scene. Students at the school were released for the day after the incident.

currently working with Dropbox to get a discounted rate for future graduates to migrate from student to personal accounts, he said. Hidalgo expects to see a high demand for Dropbox accounts, he said. “The 5,000 seats should go pretty quickly,” he said. “We will probably have a waiting list for the next 5,000.” If his predictions come true, additional accounts will be purchased for all students sometime in the fall semester, he said.

Iraqi security forces began a large-scale offensive to take back the city of Tikrit from ISIS militants, according to CNN. The Iraqi forces, backed by both Shiite and Sunni fighters, began attacking ISIS strongholds around Tikrit Monday, backed by Iraqi warplanes and helicopters that also struck ISIS targets in and around the city. The effort to take back Tikrit, which was captured by ISIS in June 2014, comes in the wake of a wide-scale offensive ordered by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Sunday. In all, around 30,000 fighters have joined the effort to recapture the city. - RUDY CHINCHILLA

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NEWS

PAGE 3 TUESDAY MARCH 3, 2015

Election debate season to begin College-specific debates aim to bring in more students ELAIZA ARMAS Daily Titan

AUSTIN WALLACE/ DAILY TITAN

Hundreds of faculty and staff members attended the TSU to discuss various elements of the university’s strategic plan.

Hall: Campus officials examine strategic plan CONTINUED FROM

Each of CSUF’s eight colleges is assigned its own student success team. Administration and faculty from those colleges were able to meet their student success team and discuss what they do and what their plans are. “We say we are going to be the model, the national model comprehensive university, but we have some internal practices that we can highlight and share with each other,” Villarreal said. University pride, the third major area of focus during the meeting, dealt with how to engage students at CSUF to get involved with events and the campus community.

“We talked about Titan Pride and the positive atmosphere and community we have on campus, and also how different departments around campus help students, faculty and alumni who have been involved at Cal State Fullerton,” Colleen Ortega, athletic academic services department intern, said. Titan pride does not limit its definition to merely athletics, but is to create a university-wide sense of community and belonging, Villarreal said. After all three categories were addressed at the tables, a Q&A session occurred and featured Shari McMahan, Ph.D., dean of the College of the Health and Human

Development and deputy provost; Vijay Pendakur, Ph.D., associate vice president for Student Affairs; Harpreet Bath, President and CEO of Associated Students, Inc. and Robert Flores, Ph.D., assistant dean of Student Affairs at the Irvine campus. During the question and answer session, administrators responded to questions on how the university intended to increase resources for transfer students with responses that included increasing advising for transfer students. They also addressed questions on how the university plans to encourage students in multiple colleges to continue in school beyond their first year. Solutions to that could

Town Hall High Impact Practices • Meant to increase student retention

Titan Pride • Officials engaged in conversation about what being a proud Titan means

Student success teams • Create an integrated process between Student Affairs and Academic Affairs

Associated Students, Inc. has revamped the election debate process this year, changing locations and Q & A methods to bring more students into the electoral process. “It’s something new, what we’re doing—sort of like uncharted territory, but it’s something that we’re willing to try out to see how it works,” said Victoria Gomez, elections commissioner for Associated Students. This year, Associated Students is aiming to get students, who do not usually attend outreach events, to come out and vote on their favorite candidate, she said, and to challenge candidates by asking them questions and address concerns they have about their college. “I want them to be challenged so that they are ready for the position, so that they know the importance of this position of representing students,” Gomez said. The first debate of the Spring 2015-16 associated students elections will take place today for the College of Education and College of Communications, starting at noon. The hour-long debate, which will take place until 1 p.m., will be the first hosted at the Education Courtyard in an effort to raise student attendance, Gomez said. Wednesday, the debate for the College of the Arts and the College of Natural Science and Mathematics will take place on Tuffy Lawn from noon to 1 p.m. Then, on Thursday, the debate for the College of Health and Human Development and the College for Engineering and Computer Science will start at noon in front of the Engineering and Computer Science building. Associated students is marketing more toward engineering and computer science majors this year because the building itself is far from

campus and most students stay within their building, Gomez said. “We want to go to the students that don’t really get out of their college building to be able to listen to the debates ... and then get informed, and get involved, “ she said. The debates will continue into the following week when the College of Humanities and Social Sciences kicks off their debate at noon in front of the Humanities Quad on March 10. On Tuesday, March 11, the Steven G. Mihaylo College of Business and Economics will have their debate at the Mihaylo Courtyard from noon to 1 p.m. Associated Students President Harpreet Bath and Associated Students Executive Vice President Michael Badal will lead the final elections debate on March 12 from noon to 1 p.m. at the Central Quad. Originally, each debate was to have 20 minutes reserved at the end for questions, but students will now be allowed to ask questions throughout the debates, as each representative presents their platform, Gomez said, and this is where students can vocalize what they want from their representatives. “It’s so important because that’s where students will meet the candidates and the candidates will meet the students. These are people who are going to represent them and they should meet the students that they are going to represent,” Gomez said. If a certain demographic on campus doesn’t come out to vote, the interests of those students won’t be represented on the board or associated students, Gomez said. “In order for a student body, a student government to be representative of students, ... as many students as possible need to vote so they can be represented,” she said. Voting will take place on campus March 17-19 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voting polls are located in front of Steven G. Mihaylo, TSU, Pollak Library, McCarthy Hall and the Piazza. Students can also vote online through their portal at Vote.Fullerton.edu.

City to consider legal counsel options

Council will discuss options for legal representation SPENCER CUSTODIO Daily Titan

The Fullerton City Council will decide Tuesday whether or not to retain the city’s legal counsel with an increase in hourly rates, according to an agenda recommendation filed by the Human Resources Department. This comes after an increase of $450,000 in the legal fee appropriation in the mid-year budget review that was passed by the council during the previous meeting. The council will consider employing three different law firms. Liebert Cassidy Whitmore law firm has been representing Fullerton in labor disputes since 2012. The

firm, which provides labor and employment law services, requested an increase from $300 an hour to $325 an hour. Atkinson, Andela, Loya, Ruud & Romo law firm has similar expertise. The firm has proposed an increase of $40 an hour and have set the rate for their partners at $290 an hour. They also proposed $150 to $250 an hour for associates and paralegals. Filarsky and Watt law firm proposed an hourly rate of $280—a $50 increase. Attorney Steve Filarsky has provided legal services for the city, but does not employ associates and paralegals for Fullerton legal cases. The council will also decide whether or not to resume publication of public notices in the Fullerton News Tribune as part of its community outreach program. The Community Development Department

estimated the contributions to the newspaper to cost $4,560 a year. The department recommended redesigning the public notice format to include multilingual contact information on notices, or notices produced in different languages. Spanish and Korean are the two languages being considered. The department is also recommending an email notification list to inform residents of public hearing notices in addition to a community project review meeting. In the memo, it is recommended that project applicants, along with the city, hold a meeting for the public while the project is in design review. Community project review meetings would be required for projects that require a zone change, specific plan, specific plan amendment or general plan amendment. Projects that

AMANDA SHARP / DAILY TITAN

The Fullerton City Council will be reviewing their options for legal counsel now that an additional $450,000 has been appropriated from their budget for legal purposes.

need a tract map of five parcels or more, or projects that require a negative declaration, mitigated negative declaration or require an environmental impact report

would require a community project review meeting if the council approves. A standardized process for disclosing conflicts of interest and recording outside

meetings or site visits is also up for council consideration from the department. The department included a sample form attached to their memorandum.

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FEATURES

PAGE 4 MARCH 3, 2015 TUESDAY

Desert: From the zoo to Zzyzx CONTINUED FROM

COURTESY OF JAMES PARHAM PH.D.

Katrina Awalt (above) measures a fossil for her fundamental research on rare leatherback sea turtles in the lab of James Parham Ph.D.

Breaking new ground for fossils STEPHANIE GOMEZ Daily Titan The ink hasn’t dried on Katrina Awalt’s degree in geology from Cal State Fullerton and she has already lead a co-authored a paper in hopes of publishing her groundbreaking research concerning a local marine creature, the Pacific leatherback sea turtle. “It’s important because we don’t know a lot about the leatherback sea turtle, we know that there is the one existent species alive today, but we don’t know exactly when it started declining,” Awalt said. Five to 10 million years ago, there used to be six or seven other species of leatherbacks alive and nobody really knows when those other species started declining and why they went extinct she said. As co-author of the study, James Parham, Ph.D., assistant professor of geological sciences and faculty curator

at the John D. Cooper Archaeological and Paleontological Center is Awalt’s advisor and fellow researcher on west coast leatherback turtle. Their paper will be submitted for publication this summer and once published, the research will provide a framework for future leatherback sea turtle studies, Parham said. “It is original research, it’s not like a cookbook where we can see what people have done before and then just replicate it,” Paraham said. “Katrina is looking at fossils that nobody has studied before and she is asking questions and doing science that is brand new and pioneering new ground.” With no previous studies as a standard to quantify these fossils, a way to measure the species had to be created, Parham said. By conducting a morphological study, where researchers examine the fossils and compare them to other specimens, it will help increase the database of information known about the leatherback sea turtle, Awalt said. “We have these five leatherback turtle fossil specimens

from Orange County and I’m doing a comparative study of them. I’m measuring and describing the fossils that we have, which is mostly shell ossicles,” Awalt said. Ossicles are tiny pieces fitting together in a mosaic pattern that make up the back shell of the turtle. Awalt estimates she measured about 1,000 of these little pieces for

“

university, she was going all out. “Just because I didn’t think I could do it, it (paleontology) was never something that I ever took seriously; and then when I went back to school I was like, ‘well screw it, I’m going to do this,’” Awalt said. With guidance from a professor, Awalt decided to get

Katrina is looking at fossils that nobody has studied before ... that is brand new and pioneering new ground.

“

CSUF alumna plans to publish study on rare OC marine fossils

JAMES PARHAM PH.D. Assistant Professor of Geological Sciences her paper. At the start of her college career, Awalt didn’t have ossicles in mind, but after a four and a half year break, she enrolled in CSUF with a newfound attitude. “If I’m going to do this, I’m really going to do this. I’m going to do something that is difficult for me, and is a challenge, and something that I have always wanted to do but never thought I could do,” Awalt said. Awalt knew she didn’t want to waste her time, and if she was coming back to the

her bachelor’s degree in geology and enrolled in the program during the same semester Parham started working at CSUF. The two were introduced shortly after. With Parham specializing in vertebrate paleontology, the timing worked out perfectly Awalt said. Now 30, Awalt originally enrolled in university classes for social work. However, her plans changed and in Fall 2014, she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Geology from CSUF. As part of the requirements

every Bachelor of Science major in the Department of Geological Sciences must submit an undergraduate thesis. Because of Awalt’s interest in vertebrate paleontology, she became Parhams first undergraduate thesis student. Research like this has been done on other specimens from different parts of the world, but never on west coast leatherbacks. A critically endangered species, the pacific leatherback sea turtle is the official California marine reptile. On a normal day, Awalt can be found at her current job, working as a field monitor on construction sites looking for fossils as they cut into the sediment at LSA Associates Inc. The chance to continue gaining a practical application of paleontology will help her in her career, Awalt said. Awalt is planning to apply to graduate school in the next year and continue studying vertebrate paleontology and leatherback turtles. The content, however, will depend on who her thesis advisor is, but having a publication under her belt couldn’t hurt the process.

Flower: Gagging and flourishing CONTINUED FROM

“If the pollen doesn’t take, then the whole flower will just kind of shrivel up and fall over, kind of like that dormant leaf,” Pongetti said. Once bloomed, the flower has two days before it will collapse, but with or without pollination, the underground root will survive, he said. This uncommon bloom seems to be gaining more popularity as its availability increases, Pongetti said. “When people do have the flower, then they pollinate it and they typically produce a lot of seed—I mean you can buy these plants from nurseries on

the internet,” he said. All of this is a joint effort between the Fullerton Arboretum and the Biology Greenhouse Complex. The leaves and the flower itself grew at the greenhouse and were then donated to the Arboretum, where it is now blossomed. The corpse flower is exposed at The Orange County Agricultural and Nikkei Heritage Museum inside the Fullerton Arboretum. They are open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. every day. In the museum, visitors can see the flower and displays explaining all different stages of its life cycle; as the emerging leaf, a leaf in full and even some seeds, one that is germinating.

NAYARA ASSIS / DAILY TITAN

The opening of the flower produces a ghastly smell of rotten corpse, hence the name corpse flower. Flies are then attracted to the bloom allowing for cross pollination.

Updating you from the newsroom and around the campus.

By 2007, after spending time as a professor at CSUF and Orange Coast College and after spending seven years as a zookeeper at the Santa Ana Zoo, Wallace finally gained employment at the Desert Studies Center. The desert offers hidden treasures. Animals like ducks, coyotes and foxes convene in and around manmade Lake Tuendae pond as the sun reflects off the water in the day. Pink, yellow and purple hues reflect off the sky as the sun sets behind the distant mountains at dusk. Frogs croak and stars glisten big and bright in the sky at night. But serenity can come with a price. An expanse of sand and rows of hills— interrupted only by desert bushes and Wallace’s pickup truck in the distance—line the blue sky in the horizon. The talkative Wallace stops to observe the scene. That momentary pause allows silence to set in, underscoring the isolated nature of the desert. Zzyzx operates on a skeleton crew of three men, and the center is a long way from home. “He definitely works really hard and he lives harsh, so we do, we miss him a lot,” said Priscilla Mathis, Wallace’s younger sister. While Wallace works in the desert, his sister and two brothers still live in or around Orange County. “I don’t go back and visit as often as I’d like because I’m always trying to go in the opposite direction to see my wife and my dogs and my house,” Wallace said. But even Wallace’s wife gets to see him only sporadically. Wallace owns a house in Boulder City, Nevada, but he has to split his time between home and work. “I can do anywhere from a week to two or three weeks at a time, and then I’ll go home for hopefully an appropriate amount of days,” said Wallace. When Wallace is home, though, he is only there for three or four days out of the week, often not even consecutively. “It’s the only part of this job that I think is kind of getting old,” Wallace said. However, Wallace is also keenly aware that he is not the only one who has to make sacrifices for the sake of his work. “You show me one person who thinks life is always awesome. But it’s not always crappy, either. I couldn’t give you a ratio of good-to-bad, but it’s more good than bad,” Wallace said. Despite, some of the negative aspects of the job, Wallace is still able to enjoy the small things, like watching lizards do “little push ups” at each other. “To this day I can watch lizards and just kind of crack up,” Wallace said. In the end, Wallace seems perfectly content with his job, and he hopes people can appreciate the wonders of the desert as much as he does. “Overall, I kind of like assisting folks in experiencing something they may have never experienced, or seeing an aspect of the desert environment that they didn’t appreciate,” Wallace said.

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OPINION

PAGE 5 TUESDAY MARCH 3, 2015

Fraternities are tarnished by rape

Fraternity culture and traditions endanger women on campus ANDREW MCLEAN Daily Titan

The benefits of being in a fraternity may include a large group of friends, fun social gatherings, servicing a community and networking opportunities. But fraternities are full of storied traditions like initiations, which have come under fire for potentially endangering female students. It’s common knowledge that being in a fraternity will expose participants to a party scene, but what exactly goes on in those parties are only known by the fraternity members or sorority members they associate themselves with. Members of fraternities are 300 percent more likely to be the perpetrator in a rape incident and females in a sorority are 74 percent

more likely to be a victim of rape, according to The Guardian. These shocking statistics tell the story of an environment fueled by alcohol and drugs, leading to bad judgement, a lack of morals and spelling danger for females. Many fraternities do not allow male outsiders into their parties or social gatherings for fear that if a visitor breaks a rule, it will negatively affect all the brothers in the fraternity. Oftentimes, such actions can lead to the suspension of a fraternity. In 2014, officials at the University of Virginia believed fraternities promote a dangerous climate and suspended all fraternities from their campus after a first-year student was raped by 7 different men at a Phi Kappi Si party, according to Time magazine. The victim was so distraught after the incident that she became suicidal. Though this incident only involved one fraternity, UVA decided to suspend

all fraternities, a ban that is still under effect. It’s great to see UVA take such serious action on an issue that many universities would prefer to brush under the rug. Univiersities like Wesleyan have also taken note and handling fraternity-related rape incidents with swift action. Wesleyan University, located in Middletown, Connecticut has been peppered with stories of rape these past few years. This includes the dismissal of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity whose house was nicknamed the “Rape Factory,” according to Daily Mail. Wesleyan University sent out an email to students informing them on the intent to make all fraternities co-ed. It’s unclear how much this will alleviate the issue, even though it’s a great start in addressing the issue. Even the best and brightest at Yale University has come across hot water for the actions of one of their

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Fraternities have made headlines recently for incidents relating to rape and violence against women. The agressive and hyper-masculine identities of frats have endangered female students.

fraternities. In 2010, Delta Kappa Epsilon pledges marched through campus chanting, “no means yes, yes means anal,” according to The Guardian. These can be the actions

of a few that tarnish the reputation of many reputable fraternities. Some fraternities are great organizations that actually promote chivalry, a sense of community and help further members’

careers. Yes, they still have parties, and having fun is a huge part of fraternities, but if that fun risks the safety of other students, then their actions shouldn’t go without consequence.

Violence against men is no different LILIANA MOTA For the Daily Titan He sits across the table chowing down his steak burrito from Chipotle, occasionally sipping on his iced tea with extra lemon, because that’s how he likes it. A warm smile lights up his face as he continues to talk about his crazy weekend.

As he stretches his arm out to grab Tabasco sauce, large purple, green and yellow bruises become visible. The smile instantly fades away when he’s asked how those bruises came about. After a couple minutes of going back and forth, he spills the beans. He was at work and a female co-worker grabbed him, dug her fingers into his arm and ended it with a pinch. It was a natural instinct to turn around and hit whoever had touched him, but when he realized it was a girl who

had hurt him, he caught himself and walked away. She thought it was funny, but he thought differently. Things like this are far from hilarious.

Why is it okay for her to hit him? To injure him and get away with it? Why do most people laugh when a woman hits a man, but fly off the

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Nearly three million physical assaults in the United States happen to men and they seem to be disturbingly overlooked.

If his hand would have slipped and he would have hit her, even pushed her, there would have been outrage. Why? Because he’s a man and men are not supposed to hit women.

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There’s a double standard for men in domestic violence

handle when it’s the other way around? The reality is, violence toward men is just as unacceptable as violence toward women. If a woman hits a man

and he hits back, she had it coming. It goes back to the notion of treating others the way you’d like to be treated. He is a tall guy, over six feet, and she is relatively small, which comes to show, regardless of size, a man is still vulnerable. More than one in four men have been victims of domestic abuse, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but it’s rare that a man being abused by a woman gets publicity. A man who is abused is seen as weak, unmasculine

and cowardly. But the woman responsible for an attack is applauded for “teaching him a lesson.” Nearly three million physical assaults in the United States happen to men and they seem to be disturbingly overlooked. Everything boils down to one thing: treat others with respect. Hitting someone because it’s “entertaining” or “fun” is not right. If you wouldn’t want something done to you, don’t do it to another individual.

Fast food creations make feasting fun New menu creations from fast food chains show creativity MARICELA GOMEZ Daily Titan Blackened burgers, chicken corsages and edible sugar coffee cups are just a handful of peculiar inventions that have appeared on fast food menus throughout the world. Have fast food restaurants lost their mind? Perhaps not. Fast food chains have taken an eccentric path in creating different food items for the average consumer, and that probably isn’t a bad thing. In a 2013 Gallup poll, eight in 10 Americans have consumed fast food at least once in a month. It’s evident the nation consists of fast food consumers and the demand for innovative food items are needed. Restaurants like KFC and Taco Bell are some of the many fast food restaurants

that have altered their food menus with whimsical creations, like the Waffle Taco, the A.M. Crunch Wrap, the Double Down sandwich that substitutes bread for chicken breasts and the edible “Scoff-ee” cup sold in the United Kingdom. Taco Bell’s creative team must choose at least 12 out of the 4,500 innovative concepts to be provided on the menu—the “Waffle Taco” was one of the chosen few to be a breakfast item, according to Taco Bell’s Secret Recipe for New Products. The “Waffle Taco,” was transformed at least 80 times, constantly renovating the form, taste, texture and flavor before the final product, according to Bloomberg Business. Fast food consumers may love or hate edible creations, but the risk-taking actions from fast food restaurants is admirable. People may believe the items are ridiculous inventions, but it takes a lot of effort and consideration to create interesting food.

The wary perception of the product doesn’t overshadow people’s actual intention from trying and eating them. Sure, many people may say they dislike the idea of honey being drizzled onto a meat or an egg and cheese Waffle Taco, but an overwhelming curiosity will usually get the better of them. Fast food restaurants are thinking outside the box, injecting a dose of fun and creativity into everyday food items. It’s easy to roll your eyes at the new recipes fast food joints are cooking up, butdon’t knock it until you’ve tried it. It’s hard to escape the social media buzz about new products through friends on Yelp, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Consuming the restaurant’s peculiar food becomes a unique experience that no typical cheeseburger, taco or salad on the menu will provide. These inventions are fun and distinct products that

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Favorite fast food chains are always cooking up new edible creations, keeping customers on their toes. KFC’s Double Down sandwich takes a new spin on the typical burger.

drift from the ordinary menu at fast food restaurants, creating diversity in the fast food culture.

When looking past the bizarre menu items, one can find that time, innovation and creativity were

emphasized in making food entrees to spice up the appetite of the fast food consumer.

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Students need class rules College students make classroom rules a neccessity SVETLANA GUKINA Daily Titan Classroom policies are annoying, but it doesn’t hurt to have them. When college students stand up against classroom rules, justifying it with the fact that they are adults and they should not be disciplined, they clearly forget that discipline is one of the main characteristics of a mature adult. The most common rules that students are not

satisfied with are enforced attendance and bans on food, drinks and electronic devices in class. However frustrating it may be, these rules do make sense, simply because missing classes results in poor academic performance. Laptops distract users and students around them from studying and eating in class creates extra noise irrelevant to the course work. These simple points are backed up by scientific research, and scientific data is something an adult should take into account. The reason why teachers enforce attendance

is because it actually matters. It may seem like going to class isn’t really a big deal, especially when it comes to grades, but research indicates the opposite. The chance of students earning a passing grade are eight times higher when they regularly attend class, according to a study conducted by Sadri Alija, Ph.D., in South East European University in Macedonia Similarly, scientific data can explain why banning electronic devices, like laptops in class, can actually help students. Numerous studies prove using laptops in class

interfere with learning, according to a study titled “In-class laptop use and its effects on student learning.” Moreover, it interferes with the learning process of those seated nearby, affecting students who do not have laptops. This way, even people who may want to concentrate on class work won’t be able to do so. This is where the claim “I am an adult” really works against the complainers, because adults understand they have to respect the rights and needs of others. If “adults” do not understand this, it’s up to an

educational institution or faculty to protect the mature students by enforcing classroom policies. The same applies to eating and drinking in class. Touching food wraps, chewing and sipping create extra sounds, which are distracting in a learning environment. Multiple studies have proven that one’s attention can be “involuntarily captured by sudden changes in a train of otherwise repeated sounds,” according to a study titled Towards A Cognitive Model of Distraction by Auditory Novelty. This means that if a student, for example, hears

only a lecturer’s speech and ambient sound of the classroom for half an hour, the sound of someone opening a bag of chips will immediately steal the student’s attention, even if he or she is determined to listen to the teacher. Students should be treated as adults on college campuses. But they should behave like adults as well. Maturity and adulthood are defined by self-discipline and consideration for others. If a student can’t follow simple rules meant to help themselves and those around, he or she is not adult enough for college.

MAD MIKE

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