Volume 103 Issue 48
The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton
Tuesday May 8, 2018
New police chief adjusting to campus Titans
softball pitcher unites team with positivity
Head of security wants to increase training for university officers. AMANDA CHACON Staff Writer
Taylor Dockins hasn’t let her fight with cancer keep her from making an impact. KATHRYNE PADILLA Asst. Sports Editor
Raymund Aguirre was sworn in as University Police chief on March 18.
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KATIE ALBERTSON / DAILY TITAN FILE PHOTO
He is really good at relating to people, and is able to make a good impression on the community. That is pretty important since the climate for law enforcement is so critical.
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Raised by a father in the military and a mother in social work, Raymund Aguirre knew he wanted to do something similar to his parents. Aguirre said he came to the realization that he wanted to be in law enforcement, seeing it as a combination of the professions of his parents, who he considered heroes. He also cites the ‘70s cop TV series “Adam-12,” set in Los Angeles, as another inspiration. “They dealt with regular people and regular problems. That’s what policing is all about, it’s helping the community find solutions for some of their problems … and of course bringing criminals to jail,” Aguirre said. While Aguirre said he knew that being the chief of Cal State Fullerton University Police was a job that he could do, he said he wasn’t exactly sure the university would call back when he applied. After four months, he received a call for an interview that would eventually allow him to continue his career in higher education law enforcement, his self-proclaimed niche. In February it was announced Aguirre would replace Dennis DeMaio as police chief, and he officially started March 1. Aguirre’s desire for connecting with people is something that his son, Matthew Aguirre, brings up often. “He is really good at relating to people, and is able to make a good impression on the community. That is pretty important since the climate for law enforcement is so critical,” Matthew Aguirre said. Raymund Aguirre’s career in law enforcement started in the Palo Alto Police Department. About a year later, he moved to the Foothill-De Anza College District Police Department in Los Altos Hills.
RAYMUND AGUIRRE University Police chief He said policing in a college setting yields more of a direct connection to the public than policing in a city department,
because the cities typically have a larger number of residents and high-risk calls. Raymund Aguirre has since
worked at several different college police departments. Before he took the position at CSUF he was the chief of the San Diego Community College District Police. His former colleague at the department, Lt. Gilberton Torres, said Raymund Aguirre would occasionally take care of work on the field. SEE BADGE
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Moon Cat Cafe connects felines with families
A renovated van gives people a chance to enjoy coffee and dessert while interacting with furry friends. PRISCILLA CARCIDO Staff Writer
Stepping into a large van with the promise of some coffee and cats might sound unusual at first, but walk into the Moon Cat Cafe and discover the little faces peering up with curiosity, making the risk worthwhile. For a $12 entrance fee, visitors can enjoy a drink, a pastry and spend time with cuddly creatures in the first mobile cat cafe, according to its website. Janet Pao founded the Moon Cat Cafe over a year ago. In her renovated van, she travels to different locations throughout Los Angeles and Orange counties to provide an environment for people to bask in kitty glory. With a lack of cat parks and cat beaches, Pao said cat cafes widen the options for people to hang out with their feline friends. “For cats, options are a lot more limited, so that’s why I believe cat cafes have become more popular. Other than a shelter or a foster home, there’s really not a lot of public places that you get to interact and meet adoptable cats,” Pao said. She partners with several nonprofit rescue shelters around L.A. and Orange counties like Milo’s Sanctuary and Beach City Kitties to increase awareness about the shelters’ mission and also display adoptable cats. While there are traditional brick-and-mortar cat cafes, having a cat cafe on wheels gives Pao a unique opportunity to reach more people. “It allows me to really partner with a lot of different communities and different rescues instead of just one. I get to bring the cat cafe experience directly to people,” Pao said. At the first annual City of Brea Pet Expo 2018 last Saturday, the Moon Cat Cafe FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: @THEDAILYTITAN
PRISCILLA CARCIDO / DAILY TITAN
Cheese received several adoption inquiries at the 2018 City of Brea Pet Expo.
partnered with Cats In Tow, a local cat rescue shelter. Malichai, Sweety and Cheese were the featured cats roaming around the cafe ready to find homes.
While Sweety and Malichai hid behind climbing trees and under towels, Cheese was the ham of the trio. SEE MEOW
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As country music plays in between innings at Anderson Family Field, freshman pitcher Taylor Dockins line dances outside of the Cal State Fullerton softball dugout while she awaits to return to her spot in the lineup. However, most wouldn’t guess Dockins is a freshman based on her performance in the pitcher’s circle. Her coaches said she approaches the game like a senior returning back to the field, hungry for a win. “We always try to find those kids that you don’t need to teach much, you just fine tune them. You couldn’t ask for a better athlete like Taylor,” said Caitlin Grimes, Titans volunteer assistant coach. Dockins is a well-known, decorated athlete throughout the softball community. In her four years of high school, she was a twotime Big 8 All-League athlete and MVP. In her senior year alone, Dockins was named MaxPreps Player of the Year, California Gatorade Player of the Year, Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year, All-American Player of the Year and So-Cal Player of the Year. “Spend a day sitting there talking to her to see how her mind works and how she thinks, you’ll understand why she had success,” said Jorge Araujo, Titans Associate Head Coach However, she became an inspiration to the softball community, nationwide, because of her fierce battle with cancer. “They always say I’m an inspiration, but really I’m only living my life and making the best out of it,” Dockins said. During the summer of 2016, fatigue and severe pain overcame Dockins during a softball tournament. She was rushed to the hospital, where blood tests revealed that her liver was the cause of her pain. A CAT scan uncovered a tumor in her liver, which was quickly removed. Dockins’ doctors suggested that she put her glove to rest, but her competitive nature and positivity gave her the endurance to be cleared in time for the start of her senior season at Norco High School. “(The doctors) told me I wouldn’t see the softball field for a year, and I proved them wrong and was back on the field in two months,” Dockins said. After she joined the Titans roster in 2017, doctors found new spots on her lungs, and with fear of it spreading, Dockins began chemotherapy and set dates for ablation. But that didn’t stop her from staying active on Anderson Family Field. Between Dockins’ trips from the hospital to the field, Titans catcher and long-time friend Julia Valenzuela said Dockins surprises her teammates on a regular basis. “I even had asked her ‘Tay, how are you feeling?’ and she said, ‘I’m doing good. I think running some foul poles would help me feel better,’” Valenzuela said. SEE IMPACT
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