Tuesday April 26, 2016

The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton

Tuesday April 26, 2016

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Seasoned tennis star is a breath of fresh air

Volume 99 Issue 43 INSTAGRAM & TWITTER @THEDAILYTITAN

Nonprofit celebrates 50 years of helping children

Alexis Valenzuela reflects on her journey to CSUF VICTOR GALLEGOS Daily Titan The score reads 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 8-7 at Wimbledon in London. Professional tennis players Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer trade blows in pursuit of the championship. In the final rally, Federer’s return hits the net giving Nadal the 9-7 set victory and match.

5,426 miles west, in West Covina, California, a 12-year-old girl is practicing as if it is her last match. She’s not imitating U.S. star Serena Williams, but her idol, Nadal.

Alexis Valenzuela, junior co-captain and star of the resurgent Cal State Fullerton women’s tennis team, employs Nadal’s same tenacity and mentality.

“I love his work ethic; the way he plays out on the court,” Valenzuela said. “He fights for every ball. Never lets one go by him.”

Growing up in West Covina, Valenzuela developed a love for the game at 7 years old. She tried other sports, but did not feel a connection.

“I hated (softball),” Valenzuela said. “I cried every day.”

Valenzuela’s parents encouraged her to play tennis.

And after spending time on the court, Valenzuela slowly developed a passion for the game.

“After that, I fell in love with it,” she said.

In high school, Valenzuela excelled during her four years on the varsity tennis squad. She earned numerous accolades, including four-time league champion, four-time league MVP, fourtime first-team all-honors and three-time CIF Southern Section round of 16 qualifier.

Valenzuela had a difficult choice to make by the end of her illustrious high school career. As a class of 2013, 41stranked recruit, she committed to Cal State Fullerton.

“It was one of the toughest decisions in my life,” she said. “I wanted to stay close to home because I have two little sisters, and (for) my family as well.”

She made the choice for various reasons, but none more significant than her love for her family.

“The support I get from my family is unbelievable,” Valenzuela said. “It’s what drives me and motivates me. I want to just make them proud.”

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8

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Joyce Capelle (left), CEO of Crittenton Services for Children and Families and Denise Cunningham (right), the senior vice president, pose next to a mural in the Crittenton headquarters. The children pictured in the mural are some of Crittenton’s clients from the early 90s, whom Cunningham affectionately refers to as “her kids.”

Local agency works to stop child trauma EMILY DIECKMAN Daily Titan On March 31, a day away from National Child Abuse Prevention Month, President Barack Obama issued a proclamation: “This month, let us aim to eradicate child abuse from our society, and let us secure a future for our children

that is bright and full of hope, opportunity and security.”

Crittenton Services for Children and Families is an organization that has been fighting for these principles for the past 50 years.

Lucero Noyola, a former client of Crittenton, looks back on her time there as completely transformative.

Noyola began moving in and out of juvenile hall and juvenile camps when she was 13, but she was placed in Crittenton at age 16. Crittenton was vastly different from any of the previous locations she

had been sent to, she said.

“When you’re in juvenile hall, they don’t see you as a person. You’re just a criminal, and you’re just a file,” Noyola said. “A lot of the kids that end up in places like this are carrying a lot of emotional baggage because a lot of things had happened to them. This place seemed to understand that, and they seemed different from the rest.”

Noyola was part of Crittenton’s residential treatment program for adolescent girls.

The organization also offers wraparound services; foster

care for domestic, unaccompanied and refugee youth; shelter care and integrated behavioral health.

Denise Cunningham, senior vice president of Crittenton and CSUF alumna, said the agency is serving about 500 clients at any given moment.

Although the organization is so large, with offices in several counties, employees at all levels of the organization make sure that the focus stays on what matters most.

“No matter what program, we’re serving children and their families,”

Cunningham said.

Cunningham, who started at the organization as a social worker fresh from graduating from CSUF and has since shifted to an administrative side, spoke about how she has learned the importance of both jobs.

“I don’t touch maybe every kid individually, but I touch them in a different way by dividing the program. My goal now is trying to see the bigger picture of where things are going,” she said.

SEE CHILDREN 4

ROTC obstacle course opens on campus VERONICA FELIPE Daily Titan

PATRICK DO / DAILY TITAN

Cadets train on the horizontal ladder, part of a $200,000 recently built ROTC obstacle course at CSUF. The course will help ROTC students train together without having to travel to Camp Pendleton in San Diego county, the nearest comparable course.

Over 200 guests and ROTC members gathered on Cal State Fullerton’s athletics fields in anticipation of the Roy Lopez Army ROTC Obstacle Course grand opening Friday morning.

The military-grade course was created in memory of Roy Lopez, a former CSUF and ROTC student who committed suicide in 2012 during his senior year. His mother, Adriana Mraz, raised $150,000 to fund the course through fundraisers such as bake sales and garage sales.

The course cost $200,000, and features 10 obstacles that wrap around Goodwin Field.

Construction began in midMarch this year and took 14 days to complete.

“For me to be able to do this in memory of my kid gave me the opportunity to memorialize him within a group that he very much loved and always believed in,” Mraz said.

Annual drive to gather supplies for needy

Trans inclusivity for students is abysmal

Titans prep for nonconference rematch

HomeAid and the Children & Families Commission of Orange County will kick off a week of collecting necessary 3 items for families

Lack of dialogue with transgender individuals in the United Kingdom is leaving people who need assistance 5 abandoned

Fullerton baseball is set to play the UCLA Bruins at Goodwin Field on Tuesday night in order to begin a 8 new win streak

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PAGE 2 APRIL 26, 2016 TUESDAY

DTBRIEFS Arsonist arrested in Costa Mesa

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To close out Sexual Assault Awareness Month at Cal State Fullerton, the WoMen’s Center asks people to wear denim all day Wednesday to promote awareness for sexual assault victims. This event began in April 1999 after a sexual assault case in Italy ended with the accused being released.

FOR THE RECORD It is Daily Titan policy to correct factual errors printed in the publication. Corrections will be published on the subsequent issue after an error is discovered and will appear on page 2. Errors on the Opinion page will be corrected on that page.

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Denim to highlight sexual assault People are asked to wear denim to honor sexual assault victims MONSE RODRIGUEZ Daily Titan

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Sexual Assault Awareness Month will see its last event at Cal State Fullerton on Wednesday with international “Denim Day” in the quad from noon to 1 p.m.

People are encouraged to wear jeans or denim all day to show solidarity and support for survivors of sexual assault.

“Denim Day” in Los Angeles began in April 1999 when Patricia Giggans, founder of the nonprofit organization Peace Over Violence, heard about a driving instructor in Italy who allegedly raped an 18-year-old teenager. The instructor was released after he filed for an appeal.

The teenager said that the instructor drove her out to an isolated road and wrestled one of her legs out of her jeans as he raped her. Afterward, he made her drive back to her home and threatened her if she told anyone about what happened.

The girl pressed charges

and the perpetrator was arrested, prosecuted, convicted and sentenced to jail for rape. His appeal made it to the Italian Supreme Court, where the case was overturned and dismissed. He was released in a matter of days.

One of the judges on the case ruled that, “Because the victim wore very, very tight jeans, she had to help him remove them, and by removing the jeans, it was no longer rape but consensual sex.”

Within hours, women in the Italian Parliament protested the events by wearing jeans to work, giving birth to “Denim Day.” “It really speaks to our culture and the idea that sexual violence in our culture is normalized and perceived to be okay or perceived to be something that can’t be changed,” said Alyssa Raquel Avila, violence prevention educator and victim advocate from the WoMen’s and Adult Reentry Center.

“We have to be the ones to change our culture. We are part of this culture, so all of us have to take a stand to change that because we can change it.”

Avila said that visual events like Denim Day are one way to tell sexual assault

survivors that “our campus supports you, there are resources to help when you are ready.”

Outreach to faculty and staff to wear jeans is important because it would lend support to sexual assault survivors in the classroom, Avila said.

The event offers an opportunity for people to be engaged directly or passively.

Direct engagement can be wearing jeans and listening to the speaker, while passive engagement could be a person watching and asking questions about the event, she said.

The event will also honor and thank the groups, organizations and campus departments who have participated in organizing the event for Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

Berenecea Johnson Eanes, Ph.D., vice president for Student Affairs, will address the community to emphasize the importance of these events at CSUF. “I hope that it gains momentum,” Avila said. “We will take what we see and experience on Wednesday and improve it so that we continue that conversation with students, but also with faculty and staff as well.”

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Tamir Rice’s family gets $6 million The city of Cleveland, Ohio reached a $6 million settlement with the family of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, according to Yahoo News.

Rice, who was gunned down outside his home by Cleveland police officers while playing with a toy pellet gun that was mistaken for a real firearm. His shooting garnered national outrage, yet the officers involved were never charged.

Recent investigations have revealed that the Cleveland Police Department has a troubling history of excessive force.

The case was also associated with the Black Lives Matter movement, which seeks to investigate racial disparities in the use of force by law enforcement.

Real estate executive sentenced

Bonnie Stewart

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A 13-year-old Costa Mesa boy was arrested Sunday on suspicion of arson after seven fires were set throughout the city over the weekend, according to the OC Register.

A police statement released Monday said Costa Mesa firefighters responded to fires set at a residential property, a Honda dealership and outside a Metro Car Wash on Saturday. On Sunday, there were fires at an empty motor home, some vegetation, some debris and a tree.

The suspect was found near Adams Avenue and Pinecreek Drive, where he was arrested and booked into the county’s juvenile hall. Details about his identity have not been released by police.

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After testifying against real estate partner Michael J. Stewart in a $169 million fraud case, real estate executive John J. Packard, 66, was sentenced Monday to two-and-a-half years in federal prison for his role in misleading investors, according to the OC Register.

Pacific Property Assets net worth soared during the real estate boom of the late 1990s through 2009, but prosecutors assert the company morphed into a Ponzi scheme after bank financing dried up in 2009 and was unable to pay its debts.

In his sentencing hearing Monday, the judge and lawyers in the case noted that Packard had a lower level of culpability because it was Stewart who dealt directly with the investors.

- DESIREE HALEY

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NEWS

PAGE 3 TUESDAY APRIL 26, 2016

Seminar to teach effective wage negotiation Workshop to share crucial skills for finding a sustainable job VERONICA MARQUEZ-ESHELBY Daily Titan Mihaylo Career Services is hosting a salary negotiation workshop in order to help students prepare to enter their respective careers.

The workshop plans to focus on connecting students with recruiters, researching companies prior to the interview process and adequately preparing to attend a career fair.

The goal of the seminar will be to instill the confidence, knowledge and skills necessary for students to negotiate

favorable salaries and benefits as they prepare to enter the workforce.

“We like to make it fun.

It’s a mix of teaching students how to budget their money and helping them understand how much they need to negotiate for while being able to research what their value is worth,” said Zoe Sullivan, graduate career adviser and speaker for the event.

Sullivan said that many students are simply eager to receive job offers after graduation and may miss out on critical opportunities to negotiate wages and benefits. “(Students) forget about the fact that they’re in a position where they can actually negotiate their salary,” Sullivan said. “Especially with the way that the market is going right now, it’s more of a

buyer’s market for students and people that are on the job search.”

There are more jobs now because of the amount of baby boomers who are retiring, Sullivan said.

“It kind of ups your value a little bit in terms of being able to have more of that market share,” she said.

Mihaylo Career Services’ mission is to “cultivate relationships with Mihaylo College of Business and Economics students, faculty, clubs, alumni and the business community to advance career opportunities for Mihaylo students and prepare them to be ‘ready to work, ready to lead,’” according to its website.

The center aids students in the transition from college to their careers by providing the resources necessary to

YUNUEN BONAPARTE / DAILY TITAN

Mihaylo Career Services aims to connect students with recruiters and to teach the skills necessary to make a good wage.

explore career options, helping students develop a personal “brand” and aiding in formulating a strategic plan of action in order for students to

land jobs.

The workshop will take place Tuesday, April 26 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. It is open to all Mihaylo

undergraduate students who are interested. RSVPs may be made on the Mihaylo Career Services website in the events calendar.

Event to collect supplies for homeless families Annual drive takes in donated diapers and hygiene necessities JASON ROCHLIN Daily Titan HomeAid of Orange County and the Children & Families Commission of Orange County will be holding their ninth annual HomeAid Essentials Donation Drive for homeless mothers and families with children from April 29 to May 8.

The week before Mother’s Day, public donation bins will be placed in various Orange County businesses and government agencies to collect essential items like

diapers, baby food and hygiene products, to be distributed to shelters like Casa Teresa in Orange.

“We do (the Essentials Drive) around Mother’s Day because we’ve noticed with our recipient agencies that the holidays are a big time for donations, and that inventory often starts lacking around Mother’s Day,” said Melinda Andrade, campaign consultant from Curt Pringle & Associates. “The past couple of years with Essentials, we’ve been able to provide diapers for our recipient agencies for an entire year.”

Donations the Essentials Drive collects will offset the costs of diapers and other hygiene products, which will

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allow shelters to use their funding to invest in ways to help homeless families get back on their feet, Andrade said.

“I’m a mother of two young children, so I know how expensive diapers and wipes are,” she said. “If we can at least alleviate that cost for these shelters and facilities hosting these families, that’s really our goal so they can spend their money elsewhere.”

On April 29, the Essentials Drive will hold its second annual “Builders for Babies” event at Angel’s Stadium from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will feature homebuilding companies like Lennar, Brookfield Residential, Toll Brothers and

the YMCA of Orange County, all competing to build houses from empty diaper boxes. The items inside the boxes will be donated to the drive.

This year, judges for the competition include Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait, Anaheim City Councillor Kris Murray, Orange County Undersheriff Don Barnes and Wahoo’s Fish Taco Founder Wing Lam. “HomeAid Orange County is really the charitable arm of the Building Industry Association of Orange County, and so a lot behind of HomeAid are the Southern California premier homebuilders,” Andrade said. “(Builders for Babies) is a really fun event,

and it will serve as a rally to kind of kick off the campaign that’ll run the following week throughout Orange County.”

The first Builders for Babies event raised about one million of the 1.8 million donated items last year’s drive collected.

“The delivery day will come later in May, even though it was in June last year, because we just had so many donations and so much inventory to count and sort,” Andrade said. “We’re hoping for the same problem this year.”

The Casa Teresa Emergency Maternity Shelter will hold a community partner luncheon this Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. to kick off the

drive. The luncheon will host Essentials Drive community partners, NBC4 Southern California’s Orange County Bureau Chief Vikki Vargas, local elected officials and Orange County sheriff Sandra Hutchens, according to a HomeAid Essentials Media Alert.

“We are honored to have Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens chairing our HomeAid Essentials campaign for the sixth consecutive year,” said Executive Director of HomeAid Orange County Scott Larson in a press release.

“Sheriff Hutchens understands how important this donation drive is for homeless mothers and their infants in our community.”

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FEATURES

PAGE 4 APRIL 26, 2016 TUESDAY

Children: Agency turns lives around CONTINUED FROM

1

Crittenton also has a practicum program that takes on interns who gain hands-on experience in human services at the organization.

“When you’re a practicum student, especially in our residential program, you’re not filing. You’re in the mix; you’re with the kids,” Cunningham said.

Last year, CSUF’s Social Work Department and the Center for Internship and Community Engagement (CICE) named the agency “Most Committed Partner” at the annual CICE Community Engagement Awards.

“Crittenton offers so many diverse experiences for students to learn and be in the field,” said Marcella Mendez, a student field director at CSUF who nominated Crittenton for the award.

Mendez spoke highly of Crittenton’s importance to the community and of the valuable partnership that CSUF has with the agency.

Nine of the 12 students who participated in the first round of the practicum program were offered jobs at the organization, Mendez said.

Joyce Capelle, Crittenton’s CEO, did not start with ambitions to head a social service agency. She took a job at Crittenton with no intention of staying.

“I think my previous experiences in hospitals and in public education all came together here at Crittenton,” Capelle said. “Even by accident, sometimes good things happen.”

Capelle said she tries to stay out of the way of people who work directly with children and clients.

“A lot of the horrible things that happen to kids, I can’t personally help. I don’t have the gift that our staff has of being a direct caregiver or a therapist,” Capelle said.

While Capelle humorously described her job as “an amorphous blob of activity,” what she and every administrator and employee does is keep the purpose of their work in sight.

“It’s really important to break the hold of trauma, to heal it, if you will, give children and young people a

COURTESY OF CRITTENTON SERVICES

Crittenton offers services to children and families throughout the Southern California region in the form of residential treatment, in-home services, foster care and more. It also has a practicum program where students from Cal State Fullerton and other colleges can gain hands-on experience in the field of social work.

sense of agency, a sense of ownership of themselves, and power,” Capelle said.

For a young person who has never had a support system or a sense of personal agency, receiving it through one of Crittenton’s services can be truly life-changing.

Cunningham shared stories about some of the clients she felt Crittenton has touched the most. One young woman arrived at Crittenton at age 16 and now returns to visit Crittenton with her children every year during the holidays.

Another client, who was on Cunningham’s case load as a baby, is still in contact with the program director over 18 years later.

Noyola said that she fell in love with education during her time at Crittenton. Before then, nobody had ever told her she was smart.

“They were little things, but they meant a lot to me,” Noyola said. “They really changed my outlook on life

while I was here, and so I started doing really well in school, and I was very happy because I felt competent.

I felt accomplished.”

Not only is Noyola about to graduate from USC with a double major in psychology and sociology, she now works at Crittenton as an employee.

“And they’re still acknowledging me and my success,” she said. “I love Crittenton.”

From taking care of babies to offering in-home services to struggling families, to training the next generation of people who can make a difference, Crittenton has spent the last 50 years trying to help children.

“We’re big and complicated; we do a lot of different things,” Capelle said.

“But I think ultimately – to transcend all of the programs, curriculum, interventions – the real secret sauce, if you will, is fundamentally having a relationship with a kid.”

on

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COURTESY OF CRITTENTON SERVICES

Undergraduate and graduate students involved in Crittenton’s practicum program have the chance to be involved in the agency’s learning environment, while the agency has the chance to develop future leaders.

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OPINION

PAGE 5 TUESDAY APRIL 26, 2016

Trans support in schools is absent Same-sex schools are lacking in LGBTQ accommodations CODY GION Daily Titan Single-sex schools in the United Kingdom are failing to create an environment that accommodates transgender students and addresses transgender issues.

The fact that schools have been blind to the plight of transgender individuals is unacceptable.

Single-sex schools have failed to recognize the issue, and only until recent criticism from students regarding gender identity have they sprung into action.

“Schools are ill-prepared. And there is a blind spot on that particular issue … I’m fearful that without the right policies and procedures in place, that teachers, staff and school leaders won’t be properly prepared to support young people who come out as trans,” said Graham Easterlow, a teacher at an allmale school in Yorkshire, England.

Susie Green, CEO of Mermaids, a family support group for children and teenagers with gender identity issues, spoke about the trials that children go through and how accommodation needs to be enforced as soon as possible.

In the United States, North Carolina’s “bathroom bill” has made headlines for its blatant discrimination against transgender citizens, but backlash toward the legislation is slowly bringing

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

Same-sex schools in the United Kingdom have a severe lack of support for their transgender students. The United States is making strides to the lessen the plight of the trans community as seen in Tennessee. Countries abroad should take heed of this type of progression.

about public awareness. In contrast, last week, Tennessee officials withdrew a bill from legislation that would have forced K-12 and college transgender students to use bathrooms that don’t correspond to their identified gender.

Tennessee’s dropping of the proposed bill is definitely a step closer to equality.

A territory as progressive as the United Kingdom should look to America to see how to properly accommodate its

trans community.

Easterlow spoke about the issue at an Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) conference in Liverpool.

“There’s a whole load of things around what our duty is to support trans equality and it’s not just about particular races or sexism in the sense of male and binary gender,” Easterlow said. “We have a duty to promote equality. I would like to see every school’s equality drive being to look at gender prejudice.”

On the other hand, America

is making progress in the fight to create an open environment for students who struggle with their identity. The Title IX law prohibits any type of discrimination against gender identity in federally funded schools, according to the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.

“Trans youth are more likely to leave school early and to suffer abuse at home and in the streets. They are vulnerable, often isolated and stigmatised by the wider community,” Green

said to the Huffington Post UK. To better help the schools be informed, the ATL said that it will run a campaign to fund and support young people who are exploring their identities.

Teaching schools how to console transgender students when they need to talk is a vital part of addressing the situation. Information and support is important to ensure that transgender individuals feel welcomed and accepted.

The information taught can even fight the problems they

may face later on within society. The ATL campaign could significantly help those impacted by transphobia by offering support, information and understanding.

With the latest trend of the LGBTQ movement, all federally funded and privately owned facilities should consider hopping on the bandwagon schools are considering in order to ensure every citizen in this country is accounted for and protected under the law.

That way, no individuals are left feeling neglected.

Letter to the Editor “2016 - The election America wanted” FROM DAKOTA WISE It seems that we as Americans just might be the most hypocritical group of people out there.

We love flashy headlines, paparazzi and reality TV. We tune in for every episode of “Game of Thrones” or even worse, never miss the latest rendition of “The Real Housewives of (insert city here).”

Nearly a third of us get our news from digital cesspools — social media, according to the Pew Research Center. In an age where news broadcasts often spend half of their time talking about the latest “pop news” while keeping us more informed about the happenings of Hollywood than D.C., is it really any wonder that our presidential election has turned into a reality TV show?

It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that the latest batch of politicians interviewing for their place at the most powerful desk in the world cannot compare to the great minds that once led the nation in bygone eras. A woman who is under federal investigation; That creepy uncle who lures children in with “free candy;” a billionaire, who contrary to what

some have said, is successfully insulting his way to the Oval Office; a politician whose nomination would guarantee a lengthy lawsuit over his validity to actually become president — our choices aren’t exactly stellar. But this is exactly the type of election the American people wanted.

Perhaps the largest flaw in democracy is that it requires voters to be actively engaged in the political process. It seems that time and time again, history has proven that for some reason or another, groups of citizens are almost guaranteed to lose interest in running their own country.

For the Romans, it was the gladiators (among many other things) that caught their interest. Running a country was hard. Watching men fight to the death with lions? That was just quality entertainment. In order to avoid a topic which has already been the subject of many a paper, I encourage you to do a little research on the uncanny similarity between the United States and the Roman Empire. For those of you who would rather not, here’s the synopsis.

Most agree that we are

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destined for the same fate as the Romans.

What I find most interesting about the fall of the Roman Empire was that it was not in the hands of a greater nation. Sure, barbarians worked as catalysts to an already terminal empire, but the fall of it can almost entirely be blamed on poor internal politics. The people became engrossed in entertainment.

Instead of the gladiators, we have the Kardashians. The average American knows more about the lives of Hollywood stars than the actual policies of presidential candidates, yet will waste no time in describing what a joke this political process has become. The true irony comes from the fact that these very same people cannot get enough of the political drama. This election cycle has caught the interest of more Americans than ever before.

Nearly every state has had their voter turnout for the primary election shatter previous records. For the minority of us interested in actual policy, one thing has become clear — this is not the presidential election America needed; it is the election America wanted.

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OPINION

PAGE 6 APRIL 26, 2016 TUESDAY

TITAN TOONS

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ARIES

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Obstacles seem to be popping up in your path and your plans might not turn out as expected today.

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TAURUS

(Apr. 20 - May 20)

Your confidence is growing by leaps and bounds and you will continue to gain strength in your own convictions day by day. But instead of rushing off to the next great thing, give yourself time over the weeks ahead to absorb your recent accomplishments.

VIRGO

(Aug. 23 - Sep. 22)

Domestic responsibilities weigh heavily on your shoulders these days, possibly preventing you from embarking on a new course.

Fortunately, you’re not in a hurry; you want this change of direction in your life to be built on a solid foundation.

CAPRICORN

(Dec. 22 - Jan. 19)

Although you are naturally driven to achieve success, there’s an internal intrigue pulling you into the metaphysical realms now rather than the physical. Happiness doesn’t reside in possessions; it resides in the soul.

CONTACT US: ADOSHI@DAILYTITAN.COM

GEMINI

(May 21 - Jul. 20)

You may need to contend with an angry partner or coworker now that combative Mars is backpedaling in your 7th House of Relationships. But someone else’s negative emotions become more problematic when you don’t express your own feelings for the sake of convenience.

LIBRA

(Sep. 23 - Oct. 22)

It may be discouraging when people get in the way of your progress because they don’t really understand your intentions. Slow down and let them come around on their own accord. As Tolstoy wrote, “The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.”

AQUARIUS

(Jan. 20 - Feb. 18)

You are motivated to establish plans for your future, but you can get so hung up in the brilliance of your ideas now that you can’t get your scheme off the ground.

Pursue your dream.

CANCER

(Jun. 21 - Jul. 22)

You may grow restless with your life these days because it seems like everything is about your job now. Naturally, there’s more going on in your world but simply keeping up with all your obligations can drain your energy.

SCORPIO

(Oct. 23 - Nov. 21)

It’s to your advantage to reconsider a budget that you thought would carry you comfortably through the rest of the year. Never let the things you want make you forget the things you have. Prosperity is a state of mind.

PISCES

(Feb. 20 - Mar. 20)

The notion of getting ahead in the real world captivates your attention today. But its retrograde motion can bring about detours and delays, so avoid getting lost in self-criticism if you don’t immediately get what you want. Remember you are better served now by working smarter, not harder VISIT US AT: DAILYTITAN.COM

SPORTS

PAGE 8 APRIL 26, 2016 TUESDAY

Titans on the hunt for win over Bruins CSUF baseball reloads for mid-week rematch against UCLA AARON VALDEZ Daily Titan The Cal State Fullerton baseball team looks to bounce back from Sunday’s loss to the UNLV Rebels in a nonconference rematch against the UCLA Bruins on Tuesday.

Heading into Tuesdays’s game, CSUF stands with a 24-14 overall record and 7-2 record in conference play, placing the Titans in a first place tie with the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Mustangs in the Big West standings.

UCLA has been a middle-of-the-road team this season, as it owns a 1918 overall record and is in seventh place in the Pac-12 standings with a 9-9 conference record.

Despite breaking their six-game win streak, the Titans took the series 2-1 against the UNLV Rebels over the weekend and have won 11 of their last 14 games.

CSUF and UCLA last met in late March, when the Titans traveled out to Jackie Robinson Stadium and dismantled the Bruins 14-7. Senior right fielder Dalton Blaser had a field day at the plate, batting two-for-five with three RBIs and three runs scored. Josh Vargas and Coby Kauhaahaa also got in on the action as they each went two-for-four in the contest.

On the defensive end, both the Titans and the Bruins sent seven pitchers to the mound. Freshman righty Gavin Velasquez got the win as he allowed no hits and

recorded a strikeout in 1.1 innings of work.

Offensively, CSUF and UCLA have boasted similar numbers throughout the season with batting averages of .253 and .249, respectively. However, the Bruins have the edge in on-base percentage with .354 compared to Fullerton’s .343 percentage.

UCLA also holds the slight upper hand in RBIs, as the Bruins have accumulated 173 while the Titans follow closely behind with 166.

Senior infielder Tanner Pinkston tops the Titan lineup in overall hitting with a formidable .343 batting average and 27 RBIs on the season. Blaser also dons a .331 average at the plate and has driven in 24 RBIs. UCLA’s redshirt senior outfielder Eric Filia leads the charge offensively for the Bruins. He holds a remarkable .341 batting average and has knocked in 26 RBIs this season.

The Titans’ greatest strength this season is their pitching staff, whose collective ERA of 2.23 leads the Big West Conference. The Fullerton trio of John Gavin, Colton Eastman and Connor Seabold have been reliable on the mound as each has a 2.26 ERA or lower.

Bruin pitching, on the other hand, has struggled mightily this year as its goes into Tuesday’s game with a lowly 4.67 ERA. Right-handed pitcher Griffin Canning, who has made 10 starts this season, boasts a decent 3.45 ERA but has winning record of 5-4.

Before returning to conference play this weekend, the Titans seek the start of another win streak with their game against UCLA on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. on Goodwin Field.

PATRICK DO / DAILY TITAN STOCK PHOTO

Junior Alexis Valenzuela had a decorated high school tennis career before committing to play at Cal State Fullerton. She became a major component of the Titan team during her freshman year, as she posted an excellent 23-6 individual record.

Tennis: California native cherishes family support CONTINUED FROM

1

She arrived to the 20132014 season to a Fullerton team marred in futility and with a brand new head coach.

Valenzuela quickly established herself as a key player for the Titans, ending her first season with a 23-6 individual record.

But the Titans still struggled, finishing with an 8-15 overall record.

Her success continued in her sophomore year as she was part of the Big West Singles First Team for the second consecutive year.

The Titans also improved marginally, from eight wins to 10.

This year, she has helped the Titans blow expectations out the water, with a

regular season school record 17 wins and a 6-2 record in the Big West Conference — good for third in the conference.

Valenzuela’s improvement has not gone unnoticed by Head Coach Dianne Matias.

“I think from her first year, she’s developed more weapons,” Matias said. “(She’s) able to use the court a little bit more. In doubles, too; she’s more of a solid doubles player.”

All this development as a player and team leader, while dealing with chronic asthma.

Valenzuela has had asthma since she was a baby and it is something that she monitors every day. She takes maintenance medication to keep it under control.

“Usually when I feel it coming on, I try and do precautions, where if I know I’m sick I’ll take a couple pumps (of her inhaler) before I play and hopefully that’ll help me out,” Valenzuela said.

Sometimes, however, an inhaler is not enough.

“We were up in Reno and the altitude and weather was really bad,” Valenzuela said. “The altitude didn’t help at all. I was having some problems where I needed a breathing treatment, so I had to stop play and default the match.”

The Titans lost that match 4-2, but Valenzuela did not allow the default and team loss to derail her.

Valenzuela bounced back

in her following match, defeating Colorado State’s Emily Kolbow 6-0, 6-0.

With the regular season already in the bag, Valenzuela embarks on her next journey. The Titans are the third seed in the Big West Championship to be played at Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

They will face Cal State Northridge, a team the Titans defeated 5-2 in March.

Valenzuela is ready to face all challenges, and if she finds herself in a tough situation, she knows athletes such as Nadal always serve as a source of inspiration.

“I try to play similar to him, running after every ball and never giving up,” Valenzuela said.

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