The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton
Tuesday May 1, 2018
Volume 103 Issue 44
CSUF climbs Forbes’ university ranking Men’s golf tied for first place Cal State Fullerton is now 68th out of 300 U.S. Best Value Colleges in the United States.
News
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The Titans are one round away from wrapping up the Big West championship
Sports 8
State claims CSU lacks safety oversight ‘Silk Road Unity Festival’ honors diversity
Event includes activities reminiscent of the cultures on the ancient trade route. DIANE ORTIZ Staff Writer
DALIA QUIROZ / DAILY TITAN
The chemical safety audit, which said the CSU system failed to ensure safety policies and processes systemwide, and observed four of the 23 CSU campuses.
Auditor Elaine Howle points out deficiencies in campuswide chemical handling protocols. BRANDON PHO News Editor
The California State University Chancellor’s Office was berated by California State Auditor Elaine Howle in an April 24 review of the CSU’s oversight of the handling of hazardous materials on its campuses. “The Chancellor’s Office has not actively ensured that campuses have adequate policies and processes to protect the health and safety of those who work with or near hazardous materials,” said Howle in the audit. “Despite the fact that many of these deficiencies have remained unresolved for nearly two decades, the Chancellor’s Office has not taken the steps necessary to hold the campuses accountable.”
Of the CSU campuses, the audit reviewed Cal State Channel Islands, Cal State Sacramento, San Diego State and Sonoma State. It concluded that the Chancellor’s Office had not ensured that campuses consistently submit required annual reports regarding their health and safety programs, even though the reports are “critical to its oversight efforts.” Aditionally, Howle said some campuses even failed to “adequately” monitor key safety equipment, unspecified in the audit, to ensure it was in proper working condition, and that several campuses did not properly notify employees regarding rooms containing asbestos. While Cal State Fullerton was not named in the report, nor was it visited by anyone from the auditor’s office relating to this specific case, the university had its own chemical scare on Feb. 19 when a 24-year-old student received burns while conducting an experiment in an outdoor lab on the north side of the engineering building. The chemical combustion left a
white cloud of smoke wafting over two buildings on campus. “We are using the (audit’s) findings as a resource in ensuring that our policies and procedures are current,” said Jeff Cook, CSUF chief communications officer. The audit was requested by the California State University Employees Union and in an April 23 statement, the union laid out specific examples of what they claimed was a lack of systemwide oversight. “At CSU Sacramento, a 10-month delay occurs before the campus community is notified of lead in the drinking water. Staff are also ordered to clean up a hazardous chemical spill without proper protective gear. The employees involved in the cleanup subsequently report severe and catastrophic health problems,” said Khanh Weinberg, the union’s communications officer, in the statement. SEE HAZARD
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The Smokers Club Festival lights up the Queen Mary Musicians like Wiz Khalifa and Kid Cudi headlined the two-day event. BRIAN ALVARADO Asst. Lifestyle Editor
Along the harbor that the Queen Mary calls home, thousands of concertgoers came together to lose themselves in the hip-hop atmosphere, chill vibes and tons of herbal greenery for a mini two-day getaway on Saturday and Sunday. As if Goldenvoice didn’t already have its hands full with two weeks of Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, followed by Stagecoach this past weekend, the concert and music festival company did not ease up with The Smokers Club Festival in Long Beach. The Smokers Club Festival was by no means perfect but flourished on most aspects that a festivalgoer would expect. Looking at both days, the lineup was slightly top heavy with Wiz Khalifa, Schoolboy Q, Lil Skies and Lil Pump performing Saturday. Sunday still showcased Ty Dolla Sign, Kid Cudi and up-and-coming rapper Lil Xan, but taking an overall glance, it seems that Saturday’s names were more notable to music fans
BRIAN ALVARADO / DAILY TITAN
Wiz Khalifa performed his entire ‘Kush & Orange Juice’ mixtape to close out the first day of the festival.
who may not be sunken in to the rap industry. There was a flurry of unexpected appearances to the lineup. Big Sean, a rapper hailing from Detroit, made a very brief pit stop during Khalifa’s set. MadeinTYO, best known for his hit tracks like “Uber
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Everywhere” and “Skateboard P” jumped on Ty Dolla Sign’s performance, similar to Ty Dolla Sign’s show at The Observatory in Santa Ana in February. MadeinTYO also popped his head in for Mac Miller’s set. Trippie Redd, a singer and rapper who is one of the young stars gaining notoriety through social
media, didn’t show up to his set. As if event coordinators had seen this coming, Young Thug was the emergency replacement and filled Trippie Redd’s spot. Another glaring hole was the absence of Los Angeles-native Drakeo the Ruler. SEE RAP
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The ancient Silk Road was a network of trade routes connecting people from Asia all the way to Europe, serving as a melting pot of culture, according to the Muckenthaler Cultural Center. The connecting roads were vital for trading and paved the way for shared languages, religion, philosophies and sciences among people from different walks of life. Cal State Fullerton students joined the Muckenthaler Cultural Center in honoring the historic route during the first annual “Silk Road Unity Festival.” The community was invited to share goods, services and ideas like many did long ago. Noah Sanchez, the project manager for M.J.N. Public Relations, a CSUF student-run public relations firm that helped promote the event said the multicultural festival was unique in its diversification of heritages present. “This festival is celebrating (different traditions, beliefs and food) by bringing all of those elements together,” Sanchez said. “I think that is a good thing today, to celebrate diversity and appreciate different cultures across the world.” The Brookhurst Community Center and Park in Anaheim was transformed into a blast from the past through performances, trade and exhibition rooms, a film festival, panels, family arts and food from the cultures along the Silk Road. The main stage, the East Room, held performances like Turkish guitar playing and Syrian wedding dancing. Girls of all ages from the Savithri Arts Academy adorned in vibrant colors and gold jewels performed Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi, ancient classical dances originating in India. The sound of Taiko drummers from the Shinnyo-en Buddhist temple released rhythmic sounds, giving life to the standard showroom. The trade room featured goods from Syria, Iran, Pakistan and Turkey, demonstrating what would have been observed on the silk and spice routes. Embroidered and brightly colored clothing hung along the room and handmade art from all over the Middle East was displayed in separated sections that represented their origins. Farrell Hirsch, the CEO of the Muckenthaler Cultural Center, said this event was especially important because it highlighted all of the cultures that may not get recognition otherwise. SEE HERITAGE
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