Thursday, March 2, 2017

Thursday March 2, 2017

The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton

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Volume 101 Issue 14 INSTAGRAM & TWITTER @THEDAILYTITAN

Eric Canin: What we know so far

Feb. 8: Canin is in an altercation with members of the CSUF College Republicans club during a counterprotest for the No-Ban-No-Wall march.

Feb. 10 to 17: The anthropology department forwards emails and a letter containing violent rhetoric regarding the incident to University Police.

Feb. 9: University Police files charges with the OC District Attorney’s office after College Republicans club President Chris Boyle presses charges.

Feb. 24: CFA Fullerton issues a response to the university demanding Canin’s reinstatement. It says Canin has received death threats and is in poor health.

Feb. 22: CSUF completes its internal investigation, finds a campus employee “struck a student.” Canin said he is suspended.

Mar. 1: The CSUF College Republicans club tells the Daily Titan that they are circulating a petition to have Canin dismissed.

Feb. 28: University Police say messages on Feb. 10 to 17 do not legally qualify as death threats.

JASON ROCHLIN / DAILY TITAN

GOP club petitions Police address Students share ‘death threats’ views on Canin for dismissal

CSUF College Republicans get signatures.

BRANDON PHO ASHLYN RAMIREZ Daily Titan

The CSUF College Republicans took to Titan Walk Wednesday to circulate a petition calling for part-time lecturer Eric Canin’s permanent dismissal from campus, said club President Chris Boyle.

Canin and three members of the Republicans club were involved in an altercation during a Feb. 8 counter-protest to the No-Ban-No-Wall march on campus.

“We would like them to

know the strength of our voices and the fact that there are students who are upset about this,” Boyle said.

Canin was suspended following the altercation.

An internal investigation “substantiated the charges that a physical altercation occurred,” and “a campus employee struck a student” said University Chief Communications Officer Jeffrey Cook in a Feb. 22 email.

Canin said after the incident that he “did not touch anyone” and a statement released by the California Faculty Association reinforced that he “categorically denies having struck anybody.”

SEE BOYLE

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Officials determine elements of a crime were not met.

SARAH WOLSTONCROFT Daily Titan

University Police received “no direct death threats” in regard to parttime anthropology lecturer Eric Canin following a Feb. 8 altercation between Canin and members of the CSUF College Republicans club. “(Death threats have) to be very specific and the person that is making the statement has to have the ability to carry that out,” said University Police Capt. Scot Willey.

The rhetoric reported to the police was violent in nature and related to the altercation, Willey said.

The altercation occurred on campus during a counter-protest to a march against President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. Canin was suspended following the incident.

A CSUF internal investigation found that “a campus employee struck a student,” said Chief University Communications Officer Jeffrey Cook in a Feb. 22 statement.

Canin “categorically denies having struck anybody,” said California Faculty Association Fullerton Faculty Rights Chair Tyler McMillen Friday.

SEE THREATS

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Students and faculty talk about part-time lecturer.

JASON ROCHLIN Daily Titan

Anthropology major Michelle Recchia took contemporary anthropology with CSUF lecturer Eric Canin because the time slot fit her schedule best for the course she was required to take.

The junior said Canin’s “cordial” mannerisms, “energetic” personality and willingness to share personal stories with his students elevated the class beyond the lower-level

anthropology courses she has taken before.

“He seemed to really inspire me to want to learn more about contemporary anthropology,” Recchia said.

However, Canin is no longer teaching this course, nor is he teaching the other three he was slated to teach for the fall semester. He was suspended following a Feb. 8 altercation with members of the CSUF College Republicans club.

An internal university investigation found that “a campus employee struck a student,” said CSUF Chief Communications Officer Jeffrey Cook in an emailed statement.

SEE CANIN

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Leading scorer leaves basketball program Iman Lathan departs after tumultous season.

BRYANT FREESE Daily Titan In addition to losing its 11th consecutive game, Cal State Fullerton women’s basketball has also lost its leading scorer.

Iman Lathan told the Daily Titan she quit the team Monday.

Lathan was seen on campus Wednesday while the team was in San Luis Obispo preparing for its game against Cal Poly. A spokesperson for the team told the Daily Titan in a statement Wednesday that the redshirt junior was not on the trip due to “disciplinary reasons.”

Lathan has led the Titans in scoring throughout the season even while coming off the bench for 13 of the 24 games she played in.

This is the second

consecutive year the Titans’ leading scorer has opted to leave Head Coach Daron Park’s program.

Michelle Berry led the Titans in scoring last season before transferring to Virginia Tech over the offseason as part of an exodus that saw six non-seniors leave the program.

It was not just athletes who fled the team after last season. Two of the assistant coaches on staff last year–Steven Fennelly and Abi Olajuwan–are no longer with the team. Karen Middleton, the associate head coach, was not brought back at the end of her one-year appointment Lathan is not the first player to leave this season. Freshman Keimeshia Walker left the Titans midseason “to pursue other opportunities,” according to a press release. Kimari Hollis committed to CSUF for the 2016-17 season but never appeared in a game for the Titans and was not on the roster to begin the year.

With a 3-27 record last

season and a 4-24 record so far this year, Park has lost more players than he has won games over the past two seasons.

Tensions between Park and Lathan became public during the Titans’ 7051 loss to UC Davis on Jan. 19. Lathan expressed frustration with Jordan Jackson for not converting a layup and was subsequently benched. Lathan returned later in the second quarter.

“These are teachable moments for everybody, and everybody’s going to be held accountable,” Park said after that game.

“If there’s a reaction that I don’t think is appropriate, then I’m going to address it. That’s what the head coach does.”

Lathan appeared in the team’s next two games before being benched for two contests. At the time Park declined to comment on the matter.

Following her benching for the contests against UC Davis and UC Santa Barbara, Lathan worked her

KATIE ALBERTSON / DAILY TITAN STOCK PHOTO

The Titans’ leading scorer Iman Lathan was averaging 15.3 points per game while coming off the bench in 13 of her 24 appearances. Lathan left the team Monday.

way back into the rotation and was back in the starting lineup one game after returning.

The uninterrupted playing time didn’t last long.

In the Titans’ 55-45 loss to Hawaii Saturday at Titan Gym, Lathan played

Groups ask for funding for city reconstruction

Fullerton City Council should rethink repeal

The Community Development Citizens’ Committee heard presentations regarding projects looking for backing.

Sex offenders are now able to live near schools and daycare centers with less restriction. This danger comes from officials’ acquiescence.

News

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Opinion

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12 minutes, all in the first half. Her season average was 28.4 minutes per game.

In the first half of the game against Hawaii, Lathan’s father made a comment to the referee near him. While Lathan’s

father did not use profanity, the referee still kicked him out of the game.

Lathan, who was on the court at the time, appeared to ask the ref what the issue was.

SEE EXIT

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Men’s basketball finishes up season

Sports

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Cal State Fullerton heads into the final weekend of the regular season tied for third place in the Big West with Hawaii.

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PAGE 2 MARCH 2, 2017 THURSDAY

Canin: Lecturer held in high regard CONTINUED FROM

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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NEWS DTBRIEFS Two dead in Fullerton car crash

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Canin said after the altercation and in a statement Friday from California Faculty Association Fullerton Faculty Rights Chair Tyler McMillen that he did not strike anyone.

Cultural Anthropology Program coordinator Barbra Erickson, Ph.D. is now teaching Canin’s Anthropology 310 online and Anthropology 481 courses.

Erickson said part-time lecturer Linda Crowder, Ph.D., is teaching his online and in-person Anthropology 305 sections.

Canin is “personally devoted to human rights” and has been “both a friend and a colleague” for the past 15 years, Erickson said in an email.

“Together with his many other friends and colleagues, both faculty and non-faculty, here and at other universities, I know him to be an excellent teacher who has always enjoyed classroom discussions and seminars that allow everyone to express their opinions,” Erickson said in an email.

Canin earned his Ph.D. from Columbia University and did ethnographic fieldwork for his dissertation in Nicaragua, Erickson said in an email.

From 2013 to 2014, he also served as the president of the Southwestern Anthropological Association (SWAA), a regional association of

KATIE ALBERTSON / DAILY TITAN

Eric Canin, received his Ph.D. from Columbia University and did fieldwork in Nicaragua, according to the anthropology department

anthropologists and students from California, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico that promotes research and growing public interest in the field, according to the SWAA website.

“If I were to be asked to describe him as a professor, one of the first things that would come to mind would be his love of interacting and engaging intellectually with students,” Erickson said in an email.

According to the student-driven professor-review website Rate My Professor, 83 percent of students who write reviews of Canin indicated they would take classes with him again. Between his 77 ratings, he has an average overall quality score of 3.6 out of 5.

“He always seemed very

professional,” Recchia said.

“I liked the fact that he would talk about his doctoral experiences and how he went to Nicaragua.”

Junior illustration major Maddie Villalovos said a friend who took one of the courses Canin taught in the past recommended she take his Anthropology 305 class this semester.

“He would tell us to email him if we had any questions about anything,” Villalovos said.

Recchia said that Canin had a calm demeanor in class.

“He didn’t seem aggravated or didn’t seem mean or anything,” Recchia said.

“Even when we were debating topics ... He was very mellow from what I viewed him to be.”

Threats: Analyzed CONTINUED FROM

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“Dr. Canin has been in poor health, and his condition has worsened since the incident of Feb. 8, 2017. He has received death threats and reported them to the police,” McMillen said.

Willey said the University Police department was forwarded five to six emails and one letter sent to the anthropology department related to the incident.

“They stopped (coming in) pretty much about a week ago. It was just the onslaught, the day or two right after the incident, that we got word of the emails and those reported to us and then it stopped. We have not heard anything since then,” Willey said.

The anthropology department has been contacted by people “as far away as New Jersey, who are unconnected with Cal State Fullerton”

regarding the incident, said coordinator of the Cultural Anthropology Program Barbara Erickson, Ph.D. in an email. “(These people) have felt compelled to write, mail, email and leave telephone messages that range from disturbing to violent to disgusting and to obscene,” Erickson said in an email.

Emails were sent to “random” people within the anthropology department, Willey said. Some senders appear to be “prolific posters” who copy and paste hateful rhetoric and anti-left sentiments on multiple sites, he said.

“We are looking at each one of them very closely to see if any of them meet any of the elements of the crime,” Willey said.

CSUF College Republicans President Chris Boyle, who pressed charges against Canin following the incident, said his

club members have not contacted Canin since the incident occurred and are not associated with any violent rhetoric or threats he may have received.

“That is not how my students operate,” Boyle said.

“We know that we are in the right and want to continue doing the right thing. If we were to go and do something criminal, illegal or immoral, it would degrade our standing ... We are going through the proper channels and making sure the authorities are taking care of it.”

Boyle said he understands people getting upset over the situation because parents fear for the safety of their children.

However, he said he does not condone people lashing out.

“I do not doubt his story that he has received threats and I think that is unfortunate, and I feel for him. Even if he attacked a student, he does not deserve strangers calling with death threats,” Boyle said.

Annual dinner will honor CSUF educators

College of Education conference to award six individuals.

MARIA ONG Daily Titan

Six educators will be honored Sunday in the TSU during the Honor an Educator awards.

The 12th annual commencement is a signature event hosted

by CSUF College of Education, said Barbara Caganich, CSUF College of Education director of development.

“Think about your own

experience–your own educational experience. There are so many teachers who dedicate their lives to helping and teaching others, and yet, they are so often unrecognized,” Caganich said.

Caganich said the event was partly funded by three different sponsorships, including Teacher Created Materials, a program that creates “materials by teachers for teachers and students,” according to its official website.

Since then, the program’s purpose has always been to pay tribute to educators “who have made a difference in the lives

of others” and to raise funds for scholarships that will be awarded to current College of Education students, according to its website.

The honorees will be given a certificate on stage by the Dean of the College of Education Lisa Kirtman.

“This is just one small way for us to recognize just some of the most incredible individuals and educational partners,” Caganich said.

The Honor an Educator dinner and ceremony will be held in the Titan Student Union Pavilion Sunday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

CORRECTION In a correction published on page two of the March 1 issue, Aurelio Agundez’s name was spelled incorrectly.

Two passengers died when they lost control of their car and crashed into a tree in Fullerton Tuesday night, according to the Orange County Register.

The accident occurred around 8:40 p.m. on Rosecrans Avenue.

Fullerton police said speeding might have caused the accident.

While it was unknown who was driving at the time, the Orange County Coroner’s Office confirmed the occupants of the car as Oscar Diaz, 23, and Valeria Tinoco, 17. Both passengers were from La Habra.

Lt. Andrew Goodrich said that both occupants died at the scene.

- AMBER HAMILTON

Man awaits verdict for matricide A jury started deliberating the case of Gabriel Antonio Espinoza, 32, Wednesday after the prosecution argued that he killed his mother for financial gain, according to the Orange County Register.

It was alleged that Espinoza killed Emma Po s a d a s - E s p i n o z a , 58, for the purpose of gaining more than $429,000 from both her life savings and her life insurance. The body of Posadas-Espinoza was found behind a La Habra carport on July 21, 2014.

Espinoza’s defense attorney Frederick Fascenelli argued that the perpetrator was instead Posadas-Espinoza’s best friend, whose husband was having an affair with Posadas-Espinoza at the time of her death.

- BRANDON PHO

Glittery Ash Wednesday for LGBTQ About 150 religious leaders across the country smeared ashes mixed with purple glitter on parishioners’ foreheads Wednesday in a show of support for the LGBTQ community, according to the LA Times.

Glitter Ash Wednesday began in 2016 when New Jersey Episcopal priest Liz Edman wanted to come out as both queer and Christian.

Edman posted photos of smearing the glitter ash on her forehead, which spread across social media and gained the support of numerous churches across multiple denominations.

This year, enough glitter and ash for 15,000 people was shipped across 29 states and three countries by Protestant minister Marian Edmonds-Allen.

- AMBER HAMILTON

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NEWS Boyle: Republicans seek Garcia comment

PAGE 3 THURSDAY MARCH 2, 2017

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Cal State Fullerton University President Mildred Garcia has not released a personal statement regarding the matter.

“I feel very disappointed that Mildred Garcia thinks it’s appropriate to stay silent when one of our professors attacks a student,” Boyle said. “They haven’t communicated what the suspension means.”

When contacted Wednesday, Cook referred to his initial statement and reiterated that the university is taking “appropriate action.”

Boyle said students from the College Republicans club have contacted the CFA and encouraged other students to express their disapproval with the CFA defending Canin.

“I think it is very unfortunate, and I think it takes away from their mission,” Boyle said. “I understand that their purpose is to stand up for professors and advocate for professors’ ability to teach in the classroom, but when they go and stand up for a professor who violently attacks students, it brings them down in their message, and it

degrades their platform.”

CFA Fullerton Chapter President Michele Barr said in an email Wednesday that she has not received any comments from students about their stance on the issue.

The CFA statement said the university “failed to produce any physical or video evidence” to prove Canin struck a student.

Following the altercation on Feb. 8, the Republican Party of Orange County released a statement on Facebook in support of the CSUF College Republicans club.

“This professor’s actions are completely indefensible and the Republican Party of Orange County expects the campus administration to take the appropriate steps in holding him accountable,” the statement read.

Boyle said his club will continue to get petition signatures on Titan Walk for Canin’s dismissal.

“That is the only acceptable outcome,” Boyle said.

“He should never be allowed on campus again after an attack on students.

We are not going to let up until we’ve been assured that’s the case.”

KATIE ALBERTSON / DAILY TITAN

CSUF College Republicans club President Chris Boyle said the club is working to get signatures for a petition calling for part-time lecturer Eric Canin’s dismissal from CSUF. Boyle said they will continue to gather support on Titan Walk.

CSUF gets nearly 70,000 applicants Record numbers of prospective students for the fall semester.

KATIE ALBERTSON / DAILY TITAN

Groups came to request funding for projects like improving the streets between Brookhurst and Basque at the Community Development Citizens’ Committee meeting Wednesday.

City departments request CDCC funds

Groups make proposals for city street reconstruction.

ASHLEY HALEY Daily Titan

Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding and city street reconstruction were among topics discussed at the Community Development Citizens’ Committee (CDCC) Wednesday at Fullerton City Hall.

Kevin Kwak, senior civil engineer of the city’s public works engineering department, gave a presentation about a proposed project to improve streets between Brookhurst and Basque, a 0.7-mile stretch that is located

in the CDBG area.

The entire proposed projected is expected to cost over $3 million, Kwak said.

“The cost of construction is about $1.1 million just for the street improvements,” Kwak said. “If we were to receive the $300,000 plus, the difference would be made up by public works funding.”

The Public Works Engineering Department also need $1.2 million to improve sewer lines and “a little less than a million dollars” for water line improvements, Kwak said.

Kwak thinks it would be “a good investment for the CDBG to participate.”

Originally, there was not enough funding to reconstruct Euclid to the west city limit.

Therefore, the Public Works

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Engineering Department broke the streets into segments to make improvements as it gets funding, Kwak said.

Housing programs assistant Susana Flores presented the proposed budget for new CDBG funds and explained how the city of Fullerton works to improve the homes of people that qualify for grants.

Fullerton citizens were not present for the public comment section of the meeting.

This meeting followed Monday’s meeting regarding grants for nonprofit organizations.

At the next CDCC meeting scheduled for March 20, committee members will make funding recommendations for nonprofit organizations and other city programs, Flores said.

PRISCILLA BUI Daily Titan Admissions for Cal State Fullerton reached a record-breaking number of nearly 70,000 student applicants for the 2017 fall semester.

“I think we are just becoming a very first-destination campus. We are one of the first choices that students want to go to,” said Jessica Wagoner, director of admissions. “Our university is known not only statewide, but nationwide.”

The university received 69,939 applications in total with 45,394 applications coming from incoming freshmen and 24,545 applications coming from transfer students, according to CSUF news.

The result of such high numbers came from a 3-percent increase in entering freshmen and a 1-percent increase in transfers, Wagoner said.

CSUF tended to break the record number of applicants every year even though that wasn’t always the standard for the rest of the CSU campuses, Wagoner said. Some campuses received a higher or lower number of applicants compared to the previous years, depending on the eligible students and the

graduating classes in California, she said.

However, despite the staggering amount of applications, the university’s enrollment target will remain the same since it wasn’t driven by the number of its applications.

“Because we get a lot of applications, we don’t admit a lot more people. That’s not how it works. It would be great if that’s the way it worked in a growing institution,” Wagoner said.

She said the university’s enrollment target is based on the budget determined by the CSU chancellor’s office. While a little less than last year, the enrollment target for undergraduates this year is about 4,200 freshmen and 4,000 transfers, Wagoner said.

“That’s not (the) overall campus target. There’s also a number there for full-time students,” Wagoner said. “We have over 40,000 students right now on campus and they have an overall target, but I’m just speaking of the enrollment target.”

Wagoner said it will be a challenge to handle a higher volume of applicants, but it wasn’t that much of an increase.

CSUF might have slightly higher requirements in some areas for incoming freshmen and transfers, Wagoner said.

This included the eligibility index, which was a calculation that was based on a student’s highest test scores per subject

and his or her overall GPA from 10th to 12th grade.

In this case, the eligibility index might be “slightly” raised, Wagoner said.

“And I say slightly because that’s important. It doesn’t mean it’s going to jump dramatically,” Wagoner said. “(It’s) probably a slight increase in our GPA requirements for transfers coming in.”

She said local students will still have an advantage. Incoming freshmen will come in at a lower eligibility index while incoming transfers will be accepted with lower GPA requirements than those who are out of state.

Part of CSUF’s appeal to prospective students was because the university had one of the best business schools in the state while also having stellar programs in education and engineering, Wagoner said.

The university also made efforts to reach out to students.

“Our outreach department has really transformed over the past couple of years to reach out to more students beyond just our local area,” Wagoner said.

Despite CSUF being a highly impacted campus, Wagoner said she didn’t want to see a decrease in incoming applicants.

“We want to increase. We don’t want to see our application numbers go down,” Wagoner said.

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FEATURES

PAGE 4 MARCH 2, 2017 THURSDAY

Students share stories of faith, purpose and glass blowing.

KYLE BENDER Daily Titan Bryan Sy Quietly using his laptop in the TSU, Southern California native and first-year student Bryan Sy sat in his ROTC uniform adorning an ash cross on his forehead. These distinct aspects of his life intersect because of his religious upbringing and his desire to explore.

Receiving a Catholic education from kindergarten to eighth grade helped Sy form a unique worldview.

“My faith has been a cornerstone for my entire teen years,” Sy said. “I wasn’t really that close to my faith back in elementary school. It was usually going through the motions most of the time.”

After Catholic school established the foundation, Sy became more in touch with his faith during his early years in high school when he joined his local youth ministry.

“It just taught me that there’s a lot more to my faith than what I was taught in Catholic school,” Sy said. “It helped me connect with others going through the same things as me.”

His faith has left him well-equipped to handle college life and the emotions and stressors that come with it. Sy joined ROTC with hopes of

finding job satisfaction and leadership experience.

“I thought it would give me purpose and direction in life,” Sy said. “I wanted to explore it, see the world … because I’ve stayed in (Southern California) for most of my life.”

Because out-of-state universities were just financially out of reach, Sy saw a convenient opening in ROTC. “I saw the military as a good opportunity to explore the world,” Sy said.

“I want to be stationed in South Korea, Japan and Germany. Those are my top-three at this moment.”

While his future station may not be set in stone, Sy finds comfort in his faith. “(I’ll do) whatever God has planned for me,” he said.

Emily Brasch & Rachel Perez The giggles of Emily Brasch and Rachel Perez could be heard from the Clayes Performing Arts Center as they sat coloring in one of many installation art pieces surrounded by the Visual Arts buildings.

Brasch and Perez are both arts majors who thoroughly enjoy glassblowing.

Despite the potential burns or cuts that may come from the art, the two say it remains rewarding.

“That’s the only downside of glassblowing is that you will burn yourself,” Brasch said. “Luckily, it’s not that bad, and you still like it enough that you’re like, ‘Ok, I’m going to keep doing it,’” Perez said.

With two glass blowing

KATIE ALBERTSON / DAILY TITAN

Raised in a Catholic household, Bryan Sy saw ROTC as an opportunity to both explore the world and gain leadership experience.

classes under her belt, Perez is looking forward to attending the Pilchuck glass school over the summer in Washington.

“There’s this really famous stained glass artist (Cappy Thompson) that we actually learned about when we took the (glassblowing) class,” Perez said. “So I think it would be cool to learn from her.”

The two happily returned to their coloring in the tent surrounded by neon-colored Styrofoam cones and balls in the “Enchanted Forest” made by B Knisley and Gabe Gandara for Linda Kroff’s installation art class.

KATIE ALBERTSON / DAILY TITAN

Emily Brasch (left) and Rachel Perez (right) enjoyed their sunny Wednesday afternoon in the “Enchanted Forest,” one of the many installation art pieces sprawled around the visual arts buildings.

Interdisciplinary publication discusses change

“Boom“ contemplates the intricacies of California and media.

ANDREW SALMI Daily Titan

As it strives to inspire interdisciplinary studies and a sense of wonder about how the world works across the Golden State, the “Boom California” team said it set its sights on expanding journalistic excellence in 2017 with its new online open-access journal format.

The peer-reviewed interdisciplinary journal held a panel Tuesday night in the Pollak Library to discuss social and cultural issues in California.

Jason Sexton, “Boom” editor and lecturer in the CSUF Honors Program, hosted the happy hour event with food and refreshments

for everyone in attendance.

Sexton said he views “Boom” as a combustion engine, constantly compiling the wonder and inspiration that creates studies within the state of California.

“We’re trying to illustrate peer-review essays and peer-review academic work that is vetted by scholars from various disciplines,” Sexton said.

Interim university librarian Scott Hewitt made Sexton a library faculty fellow last summer when “Boom”was brought to CSUF. “He was interested in taking a regular journal and converting it into an open-access journal, and open access is very important to libraries because the cost of journals is going up so dramatically,” Hewitt said.

Tuesday’s panel featured three CSUF faculty participants, including the chair of

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department of biological science Sean Walker, associate professor in the department of health sciences Michele Mouttapa, assistant professor in the division of anthropology Sarah Grant and communications honor student and Daily Titan news editor Jason Rochlin.

Walker said he has noticed news coverage of education slipping in math and science as of late and how the role of the online journal has become that much more important going forward.

“You see students who aren’t excited about that sense of wonder and seeing the world in a different way, understanding how organisms interact, understanding that the great diversity of life is woven together,” Walker said. “I think that now we have an immense challenge, and the state of California is a wonderful place for this.”

Natalie Monterrey, a

freshman honors business student at CSUF, was one of just a few students in attendance at “Boom California” Happy Hour.

Monterrey said the panel gave her insight to the interplay between the multiple cultures in California.

“My favorite part (of the workshop) was how we were comparing what we’ve noticed lately (in California),” Monterrey said.

Monterrey immediately caught onto what “Boom” wants to do going forward concerning academia in California, as she also said the increase of interdisciplinary studies is something to get excited about.

Mouttapa and Grant, who are professors of health science and anthropology, respectively, also expressed their ideas of interdisciplinary studies in California that should be included in future “Boom” articles.

In working over the years with the St. Jude Hospital Healthy Communities Initiative, which serves to decrease childhood obesity rates in lower-income communities, Mouttapa said these articles will give issues within public health and humanities a more colorful and individualized approach.

Rochlin, who was the only student to speak as a member of the four-person panel, has worked as a student journalist for the past six years. He said he continues to learn new ways of becoming more knowledgeable in different subjects and getting a new perspective on life through journalism.

“I’d argue that journalism is probably one of the best ways to get a better grasp on how to see a place like California. Because if you ask me, the best way to be able to see a place is

to gather as many perspectives on that place as you can and weave it together,” Rochlin said.

Rochlin also put a lot of emphasis on what he defines as “good journalism,” stating the importance of having the media and society being able to understand each other to the fullest extent.

“In an era where news media seems to be under attack increasingly every day, we should remember, especially now, the importance of having a media in our society in order to do things like this. To build a stronger democracy by informing the public so that they know what they’re doing and by gathering these stories to carry on for posterity,” Rochlin said.

Disclaimer: Jason Rochlin is a News Editor at the Daily Titan

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OPINION Trump must ignore Un-relenting Kim PAGE 5 THURSDAY MARCH 2, 2017

DANIEL INGA Daily Titan The assassination of Kim Jong Nam, the half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, at Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur International Airport has many people scratching their heads wondering what this means for the rest of the world. The United States and its Asian allies, South Korea and Japan, need to be extremely careful when evaluating and responding to North Korea’s actions.

Although the North Korean government is denying involvement in the murder, according to the New York Times, all signs are pointing in its direction since the lethal poison used was a rare VX nerve agent.

Most countries stopped the use of this type of weapon after the Chemical Weapons Convention of 1997 the New York Times reported.

North Korea was not a part of that convention and is reportedly known to have a rather large reserve of banned and dangerous chemical weapons, but it can’t be confirmed.

What can be confirmed, however, is that North Korea tested nuclear-capable missiles in early February. News of the test arrived while President Donald J. Trump was entertaining Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla. The U.S. has long been aware of North Korea’s nuclear reputation, who despite international calls to calm down continues its nuclear programs. This is clearly an intimidation and provocation technique from North Korea toward the leaders of the two countries it antagonizes the most.

North Korea is testing the new U.S. administration to see what type of reactions the new leader of the country it loves to provoke will have. In Trump, they can see a president who has some concerningly thin skin.

And seeing as how easily bothered Trump and his administration have been recently, the concerns arise.

The North Korean dictator’s brandishing is an attempt to rile up the thin skinned U.S. president. The only way to combat this is diplomatically, otherwise, it might be catastrophic.

A war of words was started with Iran in early February as former national security advisor Michael Flynn promised to put it “on notice” for conducting a missile test that seemed dangerous to Flynn. It seemed like the Trump administration was ready to take military action against Iran as Flynn critiqued the Obama administration for not responding adequately when it dealt with Iran in the past.

Thankfully, Flynn wasn’t given the opportunity to escalate this issue any further, but it’s concerning that Trump placed sanctions on Iran in response to this on Feb. 3.

With Trump’s controversial executive orders, along with his reaction to Iran, it is only a matter of time before Trump tries to flex his military power.

An aggressive response to North Korea would be a huge mistake and it would fall right into its ploy.

While it may not have the capabilities yet, an obvious target for North Korea would be California because of its proximity, according to a 2016 Washington Post article.

One would certainly hope the Trump administration wouldn’t risk the lives of Americans for an international issue that should be solved diplomatically.

North Korea throws a temper tantrum each year, with much of it falling upon deaf ears, but the potential for North Korea to snap increases each day. This recent development of the strange tactics the country employs should prompt Trump to figure out a strategy to deal with the tyrant.

The U.S. cannot afford to underestimate an already agitated leader of a starving nation.

There needs to be a new found commitment from the United States and South Korea to start diplomacy again with North Korea while still condemning the country’s treatment of its own people and its other controversial actions.

Restrictions on sex offenders not strict enough

ILANA LAGRAFF Daily Titan On Feb. 7th, Fullerton City Council unanimously repealed an unconstitutional ordinance.

The city ordinance, No. 3149, made it a misdemeanor for sex offenders living within 2,000 feet of daycares, schools and parks. The state law the city now defers to will allow any sex offender not on parole or specifically prohibited by the court to live anywhere they wish.

While the repealing of the ordinance is constitutional, it still puts children in more danger.

Unfortunately, because of this repeal, there are now questionably lenient restrictions on where sexual offenders can live once they are off parole. This is something that city council should have been prepared for and ready to fix ever since a 2015 California Supreme Court decision deemed similar restrictions in San Diego as unconstitutional.

Even so, members of the Fullerton City Council are not happy about being forced to repeal this law.

“This is disgusting, obviously. The state courts have decided that communities cannot take further steps to protect its citizens, especially its children,” said Councilwoman Jennifer Fitzgerald at the Feb. 7th Fullerton City Council meeting.

Although Fitzgerald’s reaction is just, she and the other

city council members should not have been surprised when a man on the sexual offenders list sued Fullerton for enforcing the unconstitutional restriction that he claims made him homeless.

While it is problematic that the individual could not find a home due to his sexual offender status, the settlement

“

offenders list for indecent exposure, which includes relatively harmless things like public urination or having sex in a car.

But when one looks specifically at the 94 registered sex offenders in Fullerton, the overwhelming majority of them have committed “lewd or lascivious acts with a child

This is disgusting, obviously. The state courts have decided that communities cannot take further steps to protect its citizens, especially its children.

“

Fullerton’s repealing of prior living limitations is dangerous for public.

JENNIFER FITZGERALD Fullerton City Councilwoman should not have ended up with offenders being allowed easier opportunities to strike again.

On one hand, the state law may be more understanding because of the relatively thin line of rules that someone can be put on the list if crossed.

People are put on the sex

under 14 years of age,” according to the California Megan’s Law Website, negating any sympathetic excuse one may have.

There are probably some people on this list who have learned their lessons and don’t plan to harm anyone else, but the risk of allowing sex offenders to live out their

perverse daydreams across the street from an elementary school is too high.

Council members knew they were being sued and even had a lawyer tell them that they would probably have to repeal the law, so one would’ve hoped that city council had been working diligently before it was officially repealed in order to rectify this situation.

“We would be interested in moving in a direction of securing more protection if we thought it was legally possible,” said Fullerton Mayor Bruce Whitaker.

Anyone can see that all this red tape would make it harder to create and pass a sufficient law, but Fullerton’s City Council were members voted into office so that they could protect their constituents–even if they have to be creative about how they do it.

Whitaker said that no city council member has come to him with any initiative

in terms of addressing the “back-and-forth” legal situation or the costs involved in creating a new protection or restriction law.

Fullerton needs a new law as soon as possible that cannot be deemed unconstitutional under California law and simultaneously protect its citizens.

If the law that was in place was creating homeless sex offenders, then that undermines public safety since they have no means of reporting where they are living.

So, this is a chance for city council to pass an even better law for its people.

It’s going to be harder to protect people and children if cities are not allowed to limit where these dangerous people can live and the only barrier is members of city council that should come up with a better law that serves the public justly, rather than complaining about its dangers.

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SPORTS Men’s basketball enters final week

PAGE 6 MARCH 2, 2017 THURSDAY

The Titans’ last two games will determine tournament seeding.

HARRISON FAIGEN Daily Titan

After collapsing down the stretch in a streak-ending loss to Hawaii, Cal State Fullerton men’s basketball will host UC Santa Barbara at Titan Gym Thursday before closing its regular season at Cal State Northridge Saturday.

Cal State Fullerton (86) is tied with Hawaii for third place in the conference heading into the final week of the season and have already clinched a spot in the Big West Tournament. The Titans could jump into first or second place if they win their final two games and either UC Davis or UC Irvine lose their last two contests.

More of an immediate concern to the Titans than the standings is their final home game of the season Thursday, in which they’ll host the last-place Gauchos.

UCSB (3-11 Big West,

5-21 overall) has posted the worst offensive efficiency in the Big West so far, scoring 88.2 points per 100 possessions. The Gauchos have done so with the conference’s worst field-goal percentage (37.4 percent), 3-point percentage (29 percent) and second-worst freethrow rate (drawing free throws on 31.8 percent of their possessions).

Leading the way in scoring for UCSB has been junior guard Gabe Vincent, who leads the team and ranks seventh in the Big West with 14.8 points per game. Amid team-wide poor shooting from distance, Gauchos guard Eric Childress has stood out by canning 35.3 percent of his 3-pointers, good for 16th best in the Big West.

In the Titans’ last game against UCSB, Big West leading scorer Tre’ Coggins (17.3 points per game) dropped 22 points, including six 3-pointers as CSUF cruised to a 79-53 victory.

Following their showdown with the Gauchos in their final home date of the season, the Titans will travel to Northridge to take on

the Matadors.

CSUN (7-7 Big West, 1116 overall) dealt the Titans their first loss of conference play on Jan. 7, holding Coggins to 11 points on 12 shots to eke out a 70-65 victory.

CSUF has gone 7-5 since that loss, including a fourgame winning streak that was recently snapped with the loss to Hawaii. The Matadors have done the inverse, going 5-7 to fall to fifth place in the Big West.

Matador guard Kendall Smith sits right behind Coggins as the second-leading scorer in the Big West, averaging 16.2 points per game. He serves as the engine for a Matadors offense that ranks third in the conference in offensive efficiency, scoring 106.8 points per 100 possessions.

CSUN’s defense has been less stout, allowing 106.3 points per 100 possessions for the third-worst defensive efficiency in the Big West.

The Matadors’ 3-point defense has provided less resistance than a red cape being waved at a bull, as opponents have knocked

KATIE ALBERTSON / DAILY TITAN STOCK PHOTO

Sophomore guard Kyle Allman attacks the rim in Fullerton’s 81-71 victory over Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Jan. 28. Allman is averaging nine points per game for the Titans.

down 38.4 percent of their threes against CSUN, the second-worst 3-point defense in the conference.

Following the conclusion of this week’s slate of games, the Big West tournament will tip off March

9 at the Honda Center in Anaheim with the Titans’ game time to be determined by seeding.

Exit: Lathan latest Titan to depart team CONTINUED FROM

1

Lathan appeared in the team’s next two games before being benched for two contests. At the time Park declined to comment on the matter.

Following her benching for the contests against UC Davis and UC Santa Barbara, Lathan worked her way back into the rotation and was back in the starting lineup one game after returning.

The uninterrupted playing time didn’t last long.

In the Titans’ 55-45 loss to Hawaii Saturday at Titan Gym, Lathan played 12 minutes, all in the first half. Her season average was 28.4 minutes per game.

In the first half of the game against Hawaii, Lathan’s father made a comment to the referee near him. While Lathan’s

father did not use profanity, the referee still kicked him out of the game.

Lathan, who was on the court at the time, appeared to ask the ref what the issue was.

Minutes later, Lathan was taken out of the game and did not step foot on the court again.

“That’s a coach’s decision. There was something I wasn’t pleased with, and I’m going to handle it,” Park said following the loss to Hawaii.

Coach Park has continuously told the Daily Titan that Lathan’s benching is a “coaching decision” but has never specified why he has made that decision.

He won’t be asked again.

Harrison Faigen contributed to this report

KATIE ALBERTSON / DAILY TITAN STOCK PHOTO

Cal State Fullerton women’s basketball Head Coach Daron Park has a combined record of 7-51 in the past two seasons and has lost eight players. Iman Lathan left the program Monday.

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LEISURE

PAGE 7 THURSDAY MARCH 2, 2017

THIS WEEK ON CAMPUS

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“You know, there’s one place that all the people with the greatest potential are gathered. One place and that’s the graveyard. People ask me all the time, what kind of stories do you want to tell, Viola? And I say, exhume those bodies. Exhume those stories. The stories of the people who dreamed big and never saw those dreams to fruition. People who fell in love and lost. I became an artist—and thank God I did—because we are the only profession that celebrates what it means to live a life.”

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ARIES

(Mar. 21 - Apr. 19)

CANCER

(Jun. 21 - Jul. 22)

You’re ready to break off and blaze your own trail as even the most amicable agreements with others feel like dependence. A climax to a longer story between you and a partner or close friend is finally at hand when rebellious Uranus stands directly opposite preachy Jupiter in your 7th House of Relationships.

You might think your prospects are limited by your past mistakes, but in reality you could be outgrowing the shoes you wear. You find yourself rethinking career possibilities, and for once the future doesn’t seem as restricted by your personal history.

(Apr. 20 - May 20)

You long to be liberated from your previous concept of success now, and surge ahead without the help of conventional advice. They say slow and steady wins the race, but you can’t seem to escape your craving for instant gratification when it comes to achieving your goals.

GEMINI

VIRGO

TAURUS

When the structure of your daily routine gives way to internal stirrings, it’s as if a latch that has been slowly slipping is at last unhinged. It could be hard to understand exactly what is going on, but it’s clear that something is different.

(May 21 - Jul. 20)

You’re dying to mix things up today, whether the people around you support or undermine your efforts. Electricity crackles through your 11th House of Social Circles when revolutionary Uranus opposes affirming Jupiter, prompting you to shake off anything stagnant in your network.

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LEO

(Jul. 23 - Aug. 22)

(Aug. 23 - Sep. 22)

You’re not often found without a plan, but today you might be questioning your projected course. You’re wondering if it’s time to cut your losses and move on from an energy sink that drains you.

LIBRA

(Sep. 23 - Oct. 22)

CAPRICORN

(Dec. 22 - Jan. 19)

You may think you finally calmed the waters, but this is precisely when your boat gets rocked. Although you are often busy navigating the seas of interpersonal relationships, someone close to you turns into a wild card that pits your desire for balance with their individualistic ideals.

You believe you have explored all your options, but deeper analysis uncovers a previously overlooked avenue for improvement. Reframing your thought process eases your mind, giving you more mental energy to handle the transformations that are occurring within you.

(Oct. 23 - Nov. 21)

(Jan. 20 - Feb. 18)

SCORPIO

You don’t want to rely on anyone else to get you through the day, but right now your closest friend may be a much-needed ally. Realizing your health and happiness need a major overhaul can be too much to process if you take it all in at once.

SAGITTARIUS

(Nov. 22 - Dec. 21)

t’s as if your best idea has been refracted by a prism, scattering it in different directions that each has its own unique appeal. As a lover of the road of many rather than of the path of few, you’re more likely to be exhilarated than daunted by the colorful explosion of possibilities before you.

AQUARIUS

Your horizons are rapidly expanding now, but you’re still anxious to shatter the monotony of the immediate situation and rearrange the pieces.

Even if the resulting mosaic is crude in comparison to the bigger picture, you might feel that anything is better than waiting around for the present to catch up to your ultimate master plan.

PISCES

(Feb. 19 - Mar. 20)

A serious evaluation of your values is in order, especially if you are basing your decisions on others. While compromise is essential for healthy relationships, a conflict in priorities causes you to reconsider your choices.

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SPORTS Titans hope to find consistency on road PAGE 8 MARCH 2, 2017 THURSDAY

Baseball heads to Houston searching for a strong showing.

BRYANT FREESE Daily Titan

Following a 2-1 series victory over UNLV last weekend to get its record back over .500, Cal State Fullerton (4-3) baseball hits the road again for a three-game series with the University of Houston at Darryl & Lori Schroeder Park.

Throughout the young season, the Titans have shown why they’re ranked No. 7 in the country by Baseball America, but at times they’ve also shown that they can be beaten by anyone on any given night.

“We have not been consistent. We have not been consistent offensively or defensively,” said Head Coach Rick Vanderhook. “We’ve been consistent pitching, but we just have

not had consistency swinging the bat or catching the ball. I thought catching the ball we would be super good, but we haven’t.”

Fullerton has 52 hits on 236 at-bats, resulting in a .220 batting average. While the team hasn’t combined for a batting average to boast about, redshirt third baseman Taylor Bryant and sophomore right fielder Ruben Cardenas have had strong performances at the plate thus far.

Bryant has posted a .458 batting average on 11 hits, eight RBIs and one home run, all of which are team highs.

Cardenas doesn’t have the same flashy numbers as Bryant, but he has quietly been a key factor for the Titans’ offense with six RBIs and three extra base hits, as well as one home run.

The Titans’ offense has struggled to get on base and get runners across the plate consistently, averaging a .321 on-base percentage and 4.14

runs per game.

Starting pitchers Connor Seabold and Colton Eastman struggled in their last outing against UNLV. In the first game of the series, Seabold went six innings while giving up four earned runs and 10 hits.

In Eastman’s last start, he showed signs of not having control of his pitches, going two innings and giving up one earned run. Seabold and Eastman still have respectable ERAs of 2.77 and 2.00, respectively.

Left hander John Gavin has been an ace on the mound so far this season. In two appearances, Gavin has given up 10 hits, two walks and just one earned run with a 0.67 ERA while striking out 12 batters.

Fullerton’s pitching staff has shown it can be among the best in the country, but the Titan offense will be facing off against a duo from Houston, whose numbers show they can compete with the best.

KATIE ALBERTSON / DAILY TITAN STOCK PHOTO

Hank LoForte (center), whose walk-up song is “Sweet Dreams” by the Eurythmics, has three hits in 21 at-bats this season.

Houston senior John King and sophomore Trey Cumbie both have an ERA of 1.12 on the season and have led the Cougars to a 6-2 record.

It may be tough for the Titans to up their batting average against pitchers that have given up a .190 and .281 batting

average, respectively.

“We’ve just had some physical and mental breakdowns.

If we can get by those this weekend, we’ll see what we can get,” Vanderhook said.

“I don’t think we’re going to rake on Friday night, we’re facing a potential first-team

All-American guy ... Hopefully we rake him, but we’ll see what we get out of it.”

The first game of the threegame series begins Friday at 4:30 p.m.

Harrison Faigen contributed to this report.

Softball hosts 15-team tournament The Titans attempt to regain momentum after a rough start.

TODD HADLER Daily Titan The Cal State Fullerton softball team is set to host the annual Judi Garman Classic from Thursday to Sunday at Anderson Family Field.

The event will include 15 teams from around the country. This year’s lineup is Florida, Michigan, Iowa, UCLA, Indiana, Arizona State, South Carolina,

UC Berkeley, Washington, Long Beach State, Fresno State, Baylor, Northwestern and Cal State Fullerton.

The Titans will play Arizona State (12-3 overall) Thursday, Michigan (9-4-1) Friday, UCLA (13-3) Saturday and finish with Baylor (14-3 overall) Sunday. All four teams are ranked in the top 25 of the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll.

CSUF is coming off a lackluster showing at the Mary Nutter Classic where the team went 1-3 in the tournament, dropping its record to an even 8-8. The team’s only win came against Utah with

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Titan pitcher Kelsey Kessler throwing a two-hit shutout.

Kessler, the reigning Big West Pitcher of the Week, posted another strong week with a 3-1 record and a 2.58 ERA, including two complete game shutouts against Utah and Houston along with 27 strikeouts. Kessler leads the Big West with five wins.

Behind Kessler are sophomore pitchers Trish Parks and Sydney Golden. Parks has a 2-2 record and is averaging 7.50 strikeouts per seven innings. Golden has a 3.05 ERA despite not having won any games (0-4).

Senior outfielder Delynn Rippy had a strong week at the plate, collecting 12 hits for a .480 batting average.

Rippy has the top batting average in the Big West at .407.

As a team, the Titans have been very successful at the plate, leading the Big West in hits, runs, doubles, stolen bases and on base percentage. CSUF has three of the top five batting averages in the Big West with Rippy in first, senior catcher Lexi Gonzalez in second with .405 and junior outfielder Samantha Vandiver in fifth with .373.

Rippy, Gonzalez and

Vandiver have contributed heavily to the team’s .290 total batting average, which also leads the Big West.

Last year, the Titans did well at the Judi Garman Classic, posting a 4-1 record. The team beat Arizona State, San Jose State, Northwestern, North Carolina and lost to Wisconsin.

CSUF last played Michigan in 2015, getting shutout 9-0. Michigan outfielder Kelly Christner leads the Big Ten conference with a .600 batting average.

UCLA faced the Titans three times last year with the Bruins coming out on top all three times. CSUF

is losing the all-time series against UCLA with its record standing at 3542-1. The Titans have lost their last five games against UCLA. The Titans last played Baylor in the 2014 Mary Nutter Classic, winning the game 6-1. CSUF has only played Baylor seven times in the program’s history, winning five of them.

Each day of the Judi Garman Classic will feature at least seven games across both softball fields. CSUF’s first game on Thursday will be at 5 p.m. against Arizona State at Anderson Family Field.

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