Daily Titan - Thursday, Sept. 13, 2012

Page 1

Online Exclusive

What’s Inside: NEWS 2

Box office manager dies OPINION 4

Life lost: The Arab Fall FEATURES 6

Travel: Maui more than just a beach A taste of many cultures - Check out what Titans had to say about AICA’s multicultural event.

Vo l u m e 9 2 , I s s u e 6

SPORTS 8

Women’s soccer hosts tournament

T H U R S D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 3 , 2 0 1 2

dailytitan.com

19 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ALBERTSONS TO CLOSE Store closures are expected to generate $35 million over the next 12 months. Photos compiled by Robert Huskey and William Camargo.

STATE | Board of Trustees

Board to decide on unit cuts

Proposal may eliminate nine upper-divition GE units for all majors RAYMOND MENDOZA Daily Titan

Stale profits lead to closures Parent company Supervalu Inc. plans to close a total of 27 stores

BEVI EDLUND Daily Titan

Due to suffering sales, Supervalu Inc., the parent company of Albertsons, announced Sept. 5 that it will close 27 underperforming stores, including 19 in Southern California. Closures of the retail food stores also include four ACME stores (Fresh Market) and one previously announced JewelOsco location, according to a press release. Eight other undisclosed stores are expected to close by Feb. 23, 2013, the end of Supervalu’s fiscal year. Among the 19 closing stores are two locations near CSUF, in Fullerton at Harbor Boulevard and Imperial Highway, and in Anaheim at Brookhurst Street and Katella Avenue. It is likely that many of the stores will close before Dec. 1. Lilia Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for Albertsons, said Albertsons is focused on moving forward, and that the company is still dedicated to giving their customers the

best experience possible. “We’re just focused on turning this around, and getting rid of the underperforming stores so that we can focus on business again, this is the most important step, which is why there is so much attention on this,” she said. In a statement, Supervalu’s president Wayne Sales said, “These decisions are never easy because of the impact a store closure has on our team members, our customers and our communities.” He also said the decision was made to reduce costs and improve shareholder value. The closures of the stores are expected to generate $35 million in cash within 12 months, and $80-90 million over the next three years. The Los Angeles Times also reported that over the past two fiscal years, Supervalu has suffered dramatically in sales, including a $1.5 billion loss in 2011 and a $1 billion loss in 2012. “It was a disabled decision to make based on the fact

that it affects our team-members and our customers,” Rodriguez said. All the employees have a collective bargaining agreement, since they are part of a union, and many of the employees will have bumping rights, but many will still be affected by this decision. Some will be transferred to different stores and districts. Gilbert Rocha, front store manager at the closing Fullerton location, said the store will keep employees based on seniority. Rodriguez said there will be layoffs. “That’s the tough part — the tough part that makes this decision so difficult,” she said. Supervalu currently has 130,000 employees. It is believed that because Target and Walmart have added grocery sections to their stores, supermarkets such as Albertsons are taking economic hits. SEE ALBERTSONS, 2

CAMPUS | Missing property

SEE UNITS, 3

SPORTS | Fullerton Classic

Theft is most common crime on campus

Titans to host tournament

Women’s volleyball to host a nine-match, five-team tournament at Titan Gym ANDY WALLER Daily Titan

Unitersity Police reminds students and staff to remain vigilant in guarding valuable personal items PETER PHAM Daily Titan

Property theft has always been an issue at Cal State Fullerton—it was among the most frequently reported crimes on campus last semester. Because of the high numbers in property thefts, presentations are being given to further inform students on campus about how to handle their belongings while at CSUF. “Property crime is the number one issue on our campus,” said Cpl. Paul McClain of University Police. “Our people-to-people crime are very low, even though they still occur on our campus, it’s just at a significantly infrequent rate… During all of our safety presentations—our tabling events—we try to educate our students and faculty-staff about proactive measures they can take to prevent theft of their property.” Faculty and staff are urged to close and lock the doors behind them whenever they leave their offices with valuables inside.

At this month’s CSU Board of Trustees meeting, members will discuss an eliminating the nine upper-division general education classes that some students are required to take before graduating from Cal State Fullerton. According to a memorandum from the Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Academic Officer, Ephraim P. Smith, the issue concerning the elimination of the nine units is meant to take on many goals. This includes the possibility to alleviate the amount of debt students will carry at the time of their graduation, increase the amount of student access to CSUF for freshman and community college transfers and subject fewer students to “third-tier” tuition fees. One major talking point of the agenda was to allow more students to attend CSUF since fewer upperdivision units means a faster turnaround for graduation. Michael Uhlenkamp, director of media relations for the CSU Chancellor’s Office, outlined the item as a benefit for both current and prospective students as well as the CSU. “The idea is that it would provide access for students,” Uhlenkamp said. “There are theoretically more units available to distribute among other students so it would allow us to bring in, potentially, another 12,500 students across the system. I think that is the biggest reason.” Uhlenkamp also said students would be able to obtain their degrees faster since it would mean fewer classes for some majors. Acting Associate Vice President of Undergraduate Programs Edgar Trotter, Ph.D., said the government sets a limit to the amount of credit hours that CSUF is allowed to offer and thereby teach.

PETER PHAM / Daily Titan

According to University Police, petty theft is the most common crime on campus. Frequently stolen items include laptops, smartphones, books, wallets, purses and bikes.

McClain said if staff members are unable to lock their door, it is recommended that they lock their personal property in a drawer so that it is out of plain sight. He advises students to keep a close eye on their property as well. Theft most frequently occurs in Pollak Library and the TSU, McClain said. “What we find over the years is that students who are studying in those areas don’t want to be bothered by picking up their personal property, po-

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tentially leaving the table or study area to go get a drink or use the restroom,” McClain said. Students should report thefts as soon as they occur. One of the biggest problems is that students wait, sometimes up to a month, before filing an official report with the University Police, McClain said. Students should also make a log of the make and model of their electronics. SEE THEFT, 3

The Cal State Fullerton women’s volleyball team will welcome Oregon State, San Diego State, Brown and Santa Clara to the Titan Gym this weekend for the 2012 Fullerton Classic. They are hoping momentum swings their way as the Titans are coming off winning two out of three games in the Nevada Tournament against the University of Nevada and Cal State Bakersfield. The two-day event will kick off Friday with four games beginning at 11 a.m. with a strong matchup right off the block between Santa Clara (7-3) and SDSU (6-2). Santa Clara will also play another tough match against Oregon State (7-2) on Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. The Titans (5-4 overall) will open the tournament against Brown at 1:30 p.m. on Friday before hosting the SDSU Aztec squad at 7 p.m. that could arguably be in the Top 25 rankings discussion.

“This tournament has great competition for us to play. I want to see my team compete hard against each team we play. We need to continue to solidify our style of play that we want to take into Mountain West conference play,” said SDSU Head Coach Deitre Collins-Parker. Saturday will have five volleyball matches. The day will start with Brown taking on Santa Clara at 9:30 a.m. Brown will also take on SDSU at 5:30 p.m. On top of playing Brown, the Aztecs will also square off against Oregon State at noon. Fullerton will match-up against Santa Clara at 2:30 p.m., before wrapping up the final game of the Fullerton Classic against Oregon State at 7:30 p.m. The Titans will be given a run for their money. This tournament presents a tough task ahead for the Titans since the four other teams in the tournament come in with a combined record of 22-10. The tournament will wrap up the Titans’ preseason. SEE CLASSIC, 8


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Daily Titan - Thursday, Sept. 13, 2012 by Daily Titan - Issuu