Thursday, April 27, 2017

The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton

Thursday April 27, 2017

Volume 101 Issue 42

WWW.DAILY TITAN.COM

FB.COM/THEDAILYTITAN

INSTAGRAM & TWITTER @THEDAILYTITAN

HOMELESS IN OC

Life along the riverbed

Dogs give homeless owners security Pets improve quality of life for the unsheltered.

PAOLINA COMOUCHE SARAH WOLSTONCROFT Daily Titan

SARAH WOLSTONCROFT / DAILY TITAN

After being evicted from the freeway side of the Santa Ana River in February, many of the homeless moved their tents to the area by the big “A” of Angel Stadium.

Santa Ana River homeless encampment faces harsh weather, lack of resources and conflicts with the community.

SARAH WOLSTONCROFT Daily Titan Dozens of the 4,452 homeless people in Orange County are living in tents strung along the Santa Ana River in Anaheim and Orange.

The homeless face numerous challenges, as do

the public officials handling maintenance and enforcement of the public areas they call home.

“It sucks out here, but something about it makes you stay. For some people, it is

CSUF baseball has been inspired by a 9-year-old.

who players say has contributed as much to Cal State Fullerton baseball’s success as any active member of the team. “(Swanson) has become an inspiration. He’s helped us get to where we are. He’s helped us through our highs and lows,” said Titans pitcher John Gavin. “He’s someone that helps us get out of bed. He’s someone that helps us realize that we are so fortunate to play a game that we all love.”

Swanson joined the Titans in October after being introduced to the team by a nonprofit organization called Team IMPACT that says it seeks to “improve the quality of life for children facing life-threatening and chronic illnesses” by connecting them with local college athletic teams.

Swanson’s family has since relocated to Nashville, Tenn. in pursuit of better treatment, a move that’s meant he can’t be around the clubhouse that has adopted him as its collective little brother.

the drugs. For some people, it is the lifestyle. Some people, they feel free, and some people are just stuck,” said Casper, a 22-year-old homeless man who, in February, had been living along the river for four months.

Sleeping outside Everyone living along the river has to deal with the weather.

Anaheim had multiple months in 2016 that saw cold nights and rainy mornings; sometimes temperatures

dropped to the 30s.

“It was horrible. It was really hard to have shelter that would last without the wind blowing it away or your campsite flooding or just everything falling down and crashing on you and you are just sleeping in wet blankets,” said Stephen Wilds, a former member of the 18th Street gang.

In February, Wilds, 25, had been living on the river for more than six months after his father kicked him out of his home in Norwalk. He came to Anaheim to find his mother,

who was also homeless and living along the river.

Wilds does not have a tent and sleeps wherever he can, but he’s ready for a change.

“I met up with my mom out here and I wanted to live her lifestyle, but I don’t want to live this lifestyle anymore.

I’m ready to cry and have a nervous breakdown because I don’t know what to do anymore. I really want to go indoors and sleep indoors every night,” Wilds said.

SEE RIVER

2

At the corner of the parking lot under the big “A” at Angel Stadium, dusty tarps and battered tents cling to a chainlink fence along the Santa Ana River. Dozens of homeless people sift through piles of tattered belongings as cars roar past on the 57 freeway.

A small group of people huddle together with smiles on their tired faces, their eyes all fixed on the same thing— three little puppies playing together in the dirt. Although they were playing, the dogs also showed signs of aggression.

“You haven’t even seen the half of it,” said Blue, a 33-yearold homeless woman.

The 6-week-old puppies— River, Lila and Shadow—are “the only consistent thing in my unpredictable life,” Blue said, who has been living on the streets of Orange County for five years.

An estimated 10 to 25 percent of homeless people in the United States have pets, according to the 2015 Feeding Pets of the Homeless report.

SEE PETS

4

The friendship that fuels the Titans HARRISON FAIGEN Daily Titan FULLERTON— When Jake Pavletich walked through the door of Coben Swanson’s house, he was peppered with darts from an automatic Nerf gun. But the foam projectiles weren’t the only things that struck him.

“Right then, it hit,” Pavletich said. “Like ‘Wow, we’re actually making this kid be happy.’”

Every time Cal State Fullerton baseball players walk in or out of their dugout, they get a reminder of Swanson, a 9-year-old boy with autism and a type of leukemia known as acute lymphoblastic lymphoma.

Sitting next to the Titans’ supply of pine tar is a gleaming, white clone trooper helmet to remind them of the 34th member of their roster,

SEE SWANSON

8

MATT BROWN / CAL STATE FULLERTON SPORTS MEDIA

Coben Swanson (center) signed with the Titans in October. He’s the youngest person to sign a National Letter of Commitment in the team’s history. Swanson has a form of leukemia known as acute lymphoblastic lymphoma.

Indivisible rallies against proposed budget

Forensics club members argue for sport

Vanderhook to stick with new starters

Activist group supports National Endowment for the Arts and encourages writing to Rep. Ed Royce.

Speech and debate team competes on a national scale as they build relationships and life skills through practice.

Titans will try to find new rhythm in weekend series at home against Big West neighbors UC Irvine.

News

3

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: @THEDAILYTITAN

Features

5

Sports

9

VISIT US AT: DAILYTITAN.COM

PAGE 2 APRIL 27, 2017 THURSDAY

HOMELESS IN OC

SARAH WOLSTONCROFT / DAILY TITAN

With over 4,000 homeless people in Orange County, dozens of tents line the Santa Ana River from Angel’s Stadium to the Honda Center.

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.

Corrections will also be made to the online version of the article.

Please contact Editor-in-Chief Hayley M. Slye at (657) 278-5815 or at editorinchief@dailytitan.com to report any errors.

Editorial

Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor News Editor News Editor News Assistant News Assistant Sports Editor Sports Social Media Editor Sports Assistant Opinion Editor Opinion Assistant Opinion Assistant Opinion Assistant Features Editor Features Assistant A&E Editor A&E Assistant A&E Assistant Copy Editor Copy Assistant Copy Assistant

Hayley M. Slye Micah Augimeri-Lee Jason Rochlin Sarah Wolstoncroft Brandon Pho Priscilla Bui Bryant Freese Harrison Faigen Mariana Vera Rishu Bhardwaj Ilana LaGraff Ashlyn Ramirez Athena Sobhan Kyle Bender Briggetta Pierrot Kaleb Stewart Sarah El-Mahmoud Darlene Casas Aaron Valdez Ashley Haley Victoria Kim

Layout Editor Layout Assistant Layout Assistant

Christopher Sheats II Megan Maxey Tracy Hoang

Photo Editor Photo Assistant Social Media Editor Social Media Editor Assistant Social Media Editor Assistant Multimedia Editor Multimedia Assistant Illustrator Webmaster Adviser Editor-in-Chief (657) 278-5815 News Line (657) 278-4415

Katie Albertson Bailey Carpenter Zack Johnston Katrina Roybal Angie Noriega Ryan Porter Mia Agraviador Cathryn Edwards Ashish Merani Bonnie Stewart editorinchief@dailytitan.com news@dailytitan.com

Advertising Director of Advertising Asst. Director of Adv. National Sales Executive Marketing Executive Graphic Designer Graphic Designer Account Executive Account Executive Account Executive Account Executive

Paige Mauriello Marco Roza Dominick Lorenz Evelyn Cadena Ariel Cortez Sophia Shimamura Ivan Diaz Aaron Rivera Allia Ward Alyssa Verano

Business Manager

Jeevani Midigaspe

Adviser Distribution Advertising (657) 278-4411

Michelle Kurland Thomas Grimes Fax (657) 278-2702 ads@dailytitan.com

© Copyright Daily Titan 2017 All Rights Reserved The Daily Titan is a student publication, printed every Monday through Thursday. The Daily Titan operates independently of Associated Students, Inc. College of Communications, CSUF administration and the CSU. The Daily Titan has functioned as a public forum since inception. Unless implied by the advertising party or otherwise stated, advertising in the Daily Titan is inserted by commercial activities or ventures identified in the advertisements themselves and not by the university. Such printing is not to be construed as written or implied sponsorship, endorsement or investigation of such commercial enterprises. The Daily Titan allocates one issue to each student for free.

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: @THEDAILYTITAN

NEWS

SARAH WOLSTONCROFT / DAILY TITAN

In the area that some of the homeless consider “suburbia,” there are makeshift ladders leading up to tents under the bridge near the Honda Center.

River: ‘A whole other society’ CONTINUED FROM

1

Conflicts The Santa Ana Bike Trail runs right through the homeless encampment, creating problems for the homeless and for people using the trail, according to the homeless individuals and the 2016 Orange County Executive Office Assessment of Homeless Services in Orange County. (LINK) The tents and makeshift homes sit along the outskirts of the Angel Stadium parking lot.

People driving by and parking at the stadium sometimes shout slurs at the homeless, Casper said. “‘The Riverbed People.’

That is what we get called,” he said.

Angel Stadium officials would not comment on the presence of the homeless.

People on bicycles speed down the trail and even swerve at them, said some of the homeless who live on the river.

The county assessment, however, found that having the homeless there discourages people from using the trail because they don’t feel safe.

Wilds and Casper said they are often misjudged by visitors using the trail because they are both covered in tattoos.

Wilds has devil horns tattooed on his head. Teardrops and a “5150” tattoo mark Casper’s face.

“You can’t judge a book by its cover out here. Somebody may look like a bad person, but they are probably the nicest guy you’ll meet,” Wilds said. “I may have devil horns, but we are nice people.”

The homeless along the river clashed with public officials in February when the Orange County Public Works tried to evict them from the banks of the river so the county could store rocks and sand there.

OCPW handles maintenance of the area for the county and works with law enforcement to lessen the impact the encampments have on public spaces.

The wooden posts and eviction signs came in handy as building materials to stabilize tents and makeshift dwellings, Casper said. Those evicted simply moved to the other side of the river.

So far, the county hasn’t intervened again.

“There are no immediate plans to take any action at this time. Discussions will take place between the agencies involved to find a solution,” said Lt. Lane Lagaret of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department in an email.

Encampment Neighborhoods “This place pulls you in,” Casper said. “It’s different. It is like a whole

SARAH WOLSTONCROFT / DAILY TITAN

Stephen Wilds wishes officials would provide his community with help finding mental health housing. A 2016 county assessment found that Orange County lacks needed mental health services.

other society.”

The encampments are divided into neighborhood-like sections, Casper said.

“Suburbia” is considered the “rich” area. People in this section have known each other for multiple years and keep themselves and their area cleaner. The tents are tucked under the top of a bridge where the cement slopes up. Makeshift ladders allow individuals to climb up into the tents.

Families and older people live in what Casper calls the “country” section. A young girl was playing on a tire swing under a tarp there in February. Puppies were wrestling in a fenced in area.

Another section is known as “ghetto suburbia.” Casper and Wilds both stay in this section which contains a harder crowd of former gang members and people with addictions. The section has the most trash strung about.

“There is a lot of people that ain’t decent at all, and everybody steals around here. We have a lot of problems with that,” Wilds said.

The “untouchables,” who are known for violence and theft, stay under the Orangewood Avenue bridge, shrouded by dark tents and tarps, Casper said.

People mostly stay in their own sections.

“Most of these people aren’t welcome in other areas,” Casper said. “If they were to approach with respect and dignity, they might have a chance. (You can’t) let your area be a pigsty. The biggest thing is cleanliness.

You can’t let your area look trashed.”

Resources Life along the river always comes back to the basics: food, water, shelter and a place to go to the bathroom.

“Everything would be perfect if we had a few outhouses and a trash pickup twice a week,” said Mike, a homeless man living in the “ghetto suburbia” section of the

encampment. “If everyone acted accordingly, we would have this place looking like a park the whole time.”

People with bicycles can leave the encampment during the day.

Some people will go to local fast food restaurants and purchase something off the dollar menu to use the restroom, but others will resort to just using the open area near the river, Casper said.

Most people living in the community use bicycles as their main form of transportation. Old and rusted handle bars, wheels and frames are frequently strung along the pathway in all sections of the encampment.

Before being incarcerated for eight years in Missouri at the age of 14 for an armed robbery and hitting an officer, Casper said he was involved with BMX. He used his childhood experience and understanding of bicycle parts to help others fix and find the best parts.

Many living in the encampment ride along the trail playing music through portable speakers hooked up to their iPods.

For people who are not homeless, cellphones are a status symbol, Casper said.

“Out there it is like, ‘Who has the best phone?’ Down here it is like, ‘Who has the best speaker?’ he said.

People living in the community often have to make do with the resources they find.

Casper pointed to a man sifting through old bicycle parts, scraps of wood, old tent poles and trash at the bottom of the riverbed. “We call that noodle grooving.”

“Sad to say, I’m about to go down there and use it because I need tent poles. I have a tent over here and I don’t have the poles to hold the roof up. People use trees and stuff, but I’m not going to put trees in my house and get ants,” Casper said.

Some people visit the encampment to donate food, blankets, clothes, flashlights and other useful supplies.

One day in February, a

group of volunteers handed out pieces of cake on one of their member’s birthday.

“I figured for my birthday I just wanted to come by,” the volunteer said. “I figure I can’t be there for people’s birthdays, so why not make it about everyone’s birthdays.”

Mental Health Wilds said he struggles with drug addiction and mental health problems.

“Everybody that does drugs out here, it’s a mental disorder. It’s like a disease kind of. You’ve got mental problems from it because you’ve been doing it so long.

You develop schizophrenia from it,” he said.

Thirteen percent of homeless adults have a serious mental illness and nearly two-thirds of them are unsheltered, according to the 2015 biennial Unsheltered Point in Time Count report.

Wilds struggles with thoughts of committing suicide. One thing that stops him is imagining his family crying if he did. His other reason is his religion.

“Jesus Christ wouldn’t like that. I don’t think he forgives people who commit suicide,” he said.

Orange County does not have enough services for mental health and substance abuse treatment. The resources it does have are part of a large complicated system that is difficult to understand and access without assistance, the County Executive Office assessment found.

Wilds wishes officials would come to the encampment and help people by setting them up with social workers and appointments for mental health housing options.

“That would also kind of help out everyone around here.

Everybody individually needs to get a little plan going. They can’t do it all on their own,” Wilds said.

Ashlyn Ramirez, Kaleb Stewart and Paolena Comouche contributed to this report.

VISIT US AT: DAILYTITAN.COM/NEWS

NEWS Rally supports saving funding for the arts

PAGE 3 THURSDAY APRIL 27, 2017

Indivisible CA D-39 takes to CSUF against Trump’s budget plan.

TODD HADLER Daily Titan

CSUF College of the Arts students performed at a rally Wednesday to encourage Titans to write to their legislators about voting against President Donald Trump’s proposed federal budget, which would eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).

The rally was held by members of Indivisible CA D-39, the volunteer activist group that represent California’s 39th congressional district.

“Taking away arts funding, especially in marginalized communities, threatens to take these voices away and so I hope you’ll join me in urging our congressional representatives to make sure the NEA receives the funding it needs to do the good work that it does,” said Sarah Goodwin, member of Indivisible CA D-39, during her opening speech for the rally.

Goodwin said they were hoping to get the attention of Rep. Ed Royce, who represents California’s 39th congressional district.

Students visiting the rally could sign a petition or write personalized letters that will eventually be sent to Royce’s office in Brea.

“We are urging him to take positions that are more representative of what the community actually wants,” said Chris Hon, a member of Indivisible CA D-39.

The event was not aimed at a specific political

audience as the elimination of the NEA is not necessarily a partisan issue, Goodwin said.

“There’s a lot of consensus around the idea of funding the arts,” Hon said.

“It is something that benefits people from all walks of life, regardless of what path you decide to pursue, and that goes across party lines.”

After Goodwin’s opening speech, vocal performance major Cameron Johnson kicked off the rally with a rendition of the national anthem.

Johnson was followed by “The Merry Wives of Windsor” cast members Tate Chu and Kendall Harb, who performed a scene from the opera which ran on campus through part of April.

Molly Robertson, a firstyear English literature graduate student, read an original piece of poetry.

The poem titled “We” was the first time she has ever read her poetry in public.

The poem touched on the various impacts that artists have on the world.

“We are the artists, all of us. Art is living, art is alive and art is not silent,” Robertson said.

Next was junior music education major Anna Thoreson, who talked about how arts funding has affected her life. Thoreson was able to travel the world after joining a performing arts group and spent two years in Japan teaching English through music and the arts.

Thoreson said that whole experience influenced her to come back and pursue a degree in music education.

She said that the proposed budget cuts would put her

TODD HADLER / DAILY TITAN

Kendall Harb (left) and Tate Chu (right) performed a scene from “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” an opera which ran on campus in throughout April, to show support for the National Endowment for the Arts at a rally held by Indivisible CA D-39 Wednesday.

out of a job.

“Without that little bit of exposure that I had in my public education, I wouldn’t have been able to have all of these experiences and just see lives changed through music,” Thoreson said.

The rally concluded with a performance by Fullerton indie group EMAEL. The group’s lead singer Emmanuel Ventura-Cruess is an alumnus from the CSUF music department.

Throughout their set, the group acknowledged support of the NEA and support of arts programs.

“The arts give us a shared language to communicate our joys and sorrows, our struggles and triumphs, and to understand each other in ways we cannot with words alone,” Goodwin said.

TODD HADLER / DAILY TITAN

Chris Hon from Indivisible CA D-39, a volunteer political activist group, encouraged people to write letters or sign a petition for Rep. Ed Royce to vote against President Trump’s proposed federal budget.

WE ARE

Become an ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE to gain experience in Fall 2017

KEVIN LEY / DAILY TITAN

Fullerton Planning Commission revises proposal on ADUs. KEVIN LEY Daily Titan

The Fullerton Planning Commission approved new housing amendments Wednesday regarding Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) in a 4-3 vote.

An ADU is a separate unit on a property, often on a house lot. The unit has living, sleeping, kitchen and restroom areas that are independent of the main property.

The approved amendments allow for building an ADU on a single-family or multiple-family zone and add stipulations that don’t require additional parking if an ADU is in an area with public transportation.

The amendments also reduce limitations on the size of the ADU in relation to the main property and allow for the owner to rent the house without the ADU if the owner decides to move but not sell the property.

The original proposal was amended because the wording restricted property owners from renting out either their main unit or ADU if they were not living on the property, forcing them to sell if they moved.

Multiple changes to the amendments were motioned during the meeting, creating confusion among commission members about what they were voting on.

“I prefer to see things complete and in writing when I’m voting on them. I would like to know exactly what I’m recommending to the council,” said Planning

VISIT US AT: DAILYTITAN.COM/NEWS

Commissioner Ryan Cantor when asking for clarification on a motion by Planning Commission Chair Peter Gambino.

Members deliberated over the effects the amendments could have on residential neighborhoods (R1 zones). A few of the members felt that the purpose of the ADU was for what is considered a “granny unit,” where other family members can occupy the space.

“I don’t want to remove the R1 zone. We shouldn’t create a de facto R2 zone throughout the city, but I also think that just because you buy a property or you decide to add on an accessory dwelling unit, you shouldn’t be able to not rent that,” said Commissioner Nicholas Dunlap. “You shouldn’t be forced to sell that property when you decide you don’t want to live there anymore.”

5

th

APPLICATION DEADLINE

THE DAILY TITAN is 100% student-run and with more than 75 industry awards, we are the exclusive multi-platform media outlet providing news and information to more than 40,000 students, faculty and staff.

The Fullerton Planning Commission reached a recommendation Wednesday for Accessory Dwelling Units in a 4-3 vote.

Amendments benefit owners renting property

MAY

We are looking for

Enthusiastic and self-motivated students who are passionate about sales, advertising, and management.

By becoming an account executive at the Daily Titan, you will: Build meaningful relationships with businesses across Southern California.

Get real-world experience in a part-time position that works with your school schedule.

Enjoy a positive work environment with a team of your peers on campus.

Have the opportunity to grow in the company: Director of Advertising, Assistant Director, and Senior Account Executive.

Apply by sending your resume to Marco Roza at mroza@dailytitan.com

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: @THEDAILYTITAN

FEATURES

PAGE 4 APRIL 27, 2017 THURSDAY

HOMELESS IN OC

Pets: Dogs provide comfort to owners CONTINUED FROM

1

Dogs are important to many of the dozens of people who live along the river. They provide emotional support and in some cases, even physical security.

Blue said that Molly, the mother of the three puppies, is “very protective” of her tent.

“If we are inside and somebody is outside, she lets us know they’re outside before they even get there,” Blue said. “She will escort them out to make sure they’re gone before she comes back.”

Some people living along the river will sift through piles of belongings and steal supplies like bicycle parts and tent poles, said Casper, a 22-year-old man who was living along the river since February. He said dogs provide protection against thieves and violence.

He doesn’t have a dog, but he’s formed a special connection with his friend’s dog named Bella.

“She can sense when I’m angry,” Casper said.

“She is an amazing girl.

She relieves a lot of stress for me when we play with the tennis ball. You got to love them and show them that you care because the dogs will do the same for you.”

The dogs also need to eat, which can be an issue for homeless people who also are trying to feed themselves. But that doesn’t seem to be a problem.

“For a lot of these people, that’s all that they have. Most of them feed their animals before they even eat,” said Sondra Berg, the administrative manager for community outreach for Orange County Animal Control.

One fear the homeless live with is losing their pets.

Officers came to their camp recently and took some of the dogs, Casper said.

If pets are running loose or have bitten a human being, the officers can pick them up and take them to the animal shelter, Berg said.

In general, however, dogs that belong to the homeless are “generally taken care of,” she said.

SARAH WOLSTONCROFT / DAILY TITAN

The homeless population of the Santa Ana River Trail riverbed cherish the companionship of their pets as they love and take care of one another. Blue (right) holds one of her three puppies.

Twenty-eight-year-old Andre Rodriguez keeps his dog Roxy by his side when he begs for change near the 57 freeway in Orange. A friend gave him the German shepard mix

as a puppy and they’ve spent every day of the last five years together.

“My dog gives me more than just company. She gives me her love, and she gives me happiness

when I have none,” Rodriguez said. “She loves me even when I can’t feed her sometimes,” he said as his dirt-covered hands stroked Roxy’s head.

“She’s my light in all this

darkness,” Rodriguez said.

“I wouldn’t trade her for anything in this world.”

Kaleb Stewart and Ashlyn Ramirez contributed to this report.

Motivational speaker advocates for foster youth

Student mother uses experiences to assist others.

DARYLESE SHOOK Daily Titan

Cal State Fullerton student Junely Merwin was 15 years old in 2010 when she entered the foster care system with her 1-month-old son Christian and siblings. Her mother had a nervous breakdown that landed her in a mental hospital, leaving no one to take care of them.

“I was very vulnerable at that time, and all I wanted was help.

I didn’t know what to do. I felt so powerless,” Merwin said. “I was harassed constantly, being told my child was going to be taken away. (I was told) that I was going to end up like my mom and that I wasn’t a good parent.”

Since then, Merwin has thrived as a student and parent, advocating for teen parents through state legislation and local organizations.

Merwin saw several things she thought were inappropriate in her foster homes, from verbal and emotional abuse to hard labor and neglect. When she told her first social worker what was happening, the social worker would run back and tell her foster mom. Merwin felt like she had no one to turn to.

Fortunately, Merwin had an

attorney who saw that something needed to be done when she would go out of her way to visit her and her siblings. Merwin’s attorney successfully leveled allegations against her foster mom to revoke her foster license.

Around the same time, Mara Ziegler, social worker at Public Counsel, did a presentation on the rights of pregnant and parenting students at McAlister High School in Los Angeles, where Merwin attended before entering foster care.

Merwin was pregnant at the time and came to Ziegler unaware of the government benefits she could obtain as a parent in foster care.

“Not only did she share resources with me, she really cared about my well-being and she really cared about the next steps in my life. If I needed anything, I felt comfortable to call her,” Merwin said.

Merwin was attending Cerritos College when she was kicked out of her second foster home. Her grades suffered, and she had to explain her situation to her professors.

One professor, Roger Ernest, gave her a huge break.

“He was just telling me that, ‘You’re a good writer and I really believe in you,’ and that for me meant a lot,” Merwin said.

“I really appreciate that stepping stone he gave me.”

In 2013, she was invited by Ziegler to speak at the Capitol

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: @THEDAILYTITAN

in Sacramento in support of Senate Bill 528, which encourages counties to boost resources to support pregnant and parenting foster youth, Ziegler said.

She spoke to elected officials about her own experience as a teen mother in foster care. Many were so impressed with her story that they told her to contact them if she was ever interested in doing an internship.

Gov. Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 528 into law in 2013.

“I am certain she was instrumental in helping get that bill passed into law,” Ziegler said.

Merwin finished Cerritos College in 2015 and transferred to Cal State Fullerton.

Merwin is also involved with Alliance of Moms, which works to support teen parents in foster care.

“When (Alliance of Moms) started, I was very excited and relieved to know that there was a group that wants to see a change for the teen-parent population in foster care,” Merwin said. “Not many people are aware of the challenges teen parents face in foster care and what services and needs that they do have.”

In January 2015, Alliance of Moms’ hosted its first programmatic “Raising Baby” event, which is a day of interactive parenting workshops for pregnant and parenting teens in foster care. Jules Leyser, co-founder

DARYLESE SHOOK / DAILY TITAN

Junely Merwin’s troubled upbringing in the foster care system served as a catalyst that drove her to be a better mother and help other pregnant and parenting teens in foster care.

of Alliance of Moms, contacted Ziegler to see if she knew of anyone who had an inspiring story to share at the event.

Ziegler immediately connected her with Merwin.

“Junely shared her life experiences and how she overcame some extraordinary hurdles,” Leyser said. “I was absolutely blown away by the way she conducts herself and presents herself and how she is a mother to Christian. She is such a great, great mom, and she did a really awesome job that day.”

It is important for the program to have peer mentors like Merwin, Leyser said.

“She walked in the shoes of the girls that we currently serve and have gone on to find a life that is formed by positive and healthy choices,” Leyser said.

Merwin’s emotional telling of her life story endeared her to the 70 teen moms and dads who attended the first “Raising Baby” event, and she remains involved in the organization, Leyser said.

It was an influential public

speaking experience for Merwin, which made her realize she wants to continue motivational speaking.

Now, she is a peer mentor at Orangewood Foundation where she runs discussion groups and workshops with youth from group homes and foster care. She is also the Foster’s Voice representative in Orange County with the department of education.

“I feel like me speaking and me sharing my story and advocating is what saved my life,” Merwin said.

VISIT US AT: DAILYTITAN.COM/FEATURES

FEATURES Speech and debate builds confidence PAGE 5 THURSDAY APRIL 27, 2017

Forensics competitions produce powerful speakers.

MEGAN MAXEY Daily Titan

Some members of CSUF Intercollegiate Forensics, also known as Speech and Debate Team, tackle an impromptu speech when they compete. They choose a topic and are given two minutes to prepare a five-minute speech with supporting evidence from quotes they’ve never seen before.

“Have you ever had to speak without any kind of warning before?” asked speech coach Collette Blumer. “Some people consider impromptu speaking the scariest thing that you could possibly do that isn’t actually physically dangerous, but we like to consider it exhilarating.”

Confidence, life skills and academic abilities are what students gain from joining the Speech and Debate Team, said director of forensics and assistant professor of communication studies Erika Thomas.

Taylor Medina, business management major and transfer student from Santiago Canyon College, is about to finish her first semester at CSUF and qualified for nationals this year with her oral interpretation program.

“It’s such a supportive community and you’ll never get that same experience where people love listening to each other’s messages ... speaking about current topics and things that really are happening in this world that need to come to light. We’re just kind of sharing our

stories,” Medina said.

During the opening remarks of the forensics showcase held Tuesday for Comm Week, Mariela Garcia, Chicano studies, American studies and philosophy major, got a little emotional while addressing the crowd.

“People will usually look at my three majors and say that is the epitome of my success, but really it’s not.

It’s debate,” Garcia said.

“I credit the activity of debate, my debate experience, my debate friendships, my debate romance … as those kinds of epitomes of success.”

Garcia not only mentioned her appreciation for the academic success debate gave her or the professional networking, but also the ability to travel. Garcia said she never had the opportunity to experience the rest of the country because of her family’s financial situation, but debate allowed her to travel comfortably and make lifelong friendships while doing so.

“Debate has really been the only reason I stayed here to be a Titan. My aspirations were really to just stay here for a year and then move on, but the moment that I walked into the debate team’s facilities and actually took part in the activity, that’s the moment that I knew I had to stay,” Garcia said.

At the showcase, the team gave the audience a taste of what they do. Students on the team performed a variety of events: an informative speech, an impromptu speech, an oral interpretation program and a policy debate.

Platform speeches are informative, persuasive and

VISIT US AT: DAILYTITAN.COM/FEATURES

KATIE ALBERTSON / DAILY TITAN

Transfer student and member of CSUF Intercollegiate Forensics team Taylor Medina qualified for the National Individual Events Tournament for her oral interpretation.

“after dinner specials.” Oral interpretation can be drama, prose, poetry or a program of literature. They are similar to acting and are almost always centered around a social issue.

Students usually stick to either speech events or debate events because they take up so much time to practice and perfect, Thomas said.

The CSUF policy debate teams have qualified for nationals five times in the past seven years. This year, they qualified but were unable to travel to Kansas City where the competition was being held because of Assembly

Bill 1887.

The bill bans public universities in California to request for state-funded travel to Kansas, Mississippi, North Carolina and Tennessee due to laws enacted in those states that discriminate against individuals on the basis of sexual orientation, gender expression or gender identity.

Because they were unable to travel to nationals this year, the team hosted the Western Regional Championship at CSUF on March 17 to March 19. The programs they competed against were Arizona State University, CSU Northridge,

Fresno State, San Francisco State, Southwestern College and Weber State University.

CSUF Forensic students may choose to compete in either platform speeches, limited preparation speeches or debate while on the team. The team competes in an average of 18 tournaments a year and the speech tournaments are usually separated from the debate tournaments, Thomas said.

Debaters on the team compete in policy and public forum debate. These specific types of debate are based on arguments drawn from evidence. Thomas said

researching evidence for arguments has been a central foundation for the team.

This is why they don’t compete in parliamentary debate which does not require evidence based arguments.

Thomas said students grow academically, improve communication and research skills and will find a community when joining CSUF Forensics.

“Being a Titan on this team is really the best experience you can ever have in your undergraduate career. Anybody who can join please join because we are here with open arms,” Garcia said.

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: @THEDAILYTITAN

Elliott Almond 1975

Don Andersen 1962

Paul Attner 1968

Walter Baranger 1986

Tricia Bigelow 1982

Phil Blauer 1980

Mark Boster 1976

Chuck Brauer 1973

Barbara Chen 1999

Nick Chilton 1968

Jackie Combs-Nelson

1970

Ken Daley 1986

Karen Devine 1989

Cathi Douglas 1980

Chris DuFresne 1981

Geno EFFLER 1977

Marissa Espino 1996

David Ferrell 1978

Suzanne Frey 1985

Todd Harmonson 1998

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: @THEDAILYTITAN

VISIT US AT: DAILYTITAN.COM

The Department of Communications is celebrating its 55th anniversary by inducting 55 new membersintoitsAlumniWallofFame.TheDailyTitanisproud thatmanyofthesedistinguishedalumnibegantheircareers at the Daily Titan, the student-run newspaper at CSUF.

Scott Harris 1979

Donna Hatchett 1979

Jerrianne Hayslett

1983

Peter Hecht 1979

Sam Jones 1989

Ann Knowles 1967

Glenn Koenig 1978

Cathy Lawhon 1976

Valerie Orleans 1980

Gene Park 2003

Tony Saavedra 1981

Gary Sherwin 1984

Anita Snow 1980

Terry Spencer 1988

Marc Stein 1991

Keith Thursby 1981

Dan Trotta 1987

Gus Whitcomb 1987

VISIT US AT: DAILYTITAN.COM/FEATURES

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: @THEDAILYTITAN

SPORTS

PAGE 8 APRIL 27, 2017 THURSDAY

MATT BROWN / CAL STATE FULLERTON SPORTS MEDIA

Brittany Swanson (center) said she enjoyed having the Titans come over to spend time with Coben because of the sense of normalcy it gave her and her family. “It was nice for me. I got to cook again, and look forward to people coming over to eat,” Swanson said.

Swanson: CSUF rallies behind Coben CONTINUED FROM

1

Instead, Swanson—a huge Star Wars fan—left the Titans a clone trooper helmet to keep in the dugout for him, and the players say his biggest impact was the way he changed the whole team’s mindset.

Gavin described recently being upset with himself over a poor bullpen practice before “almost slapping” himself when he thought of Swanson’s struggles.

“We sometimes complain about it,” Gavin said. “‘Why do we have 6 a.m. weights?

Why are we lifting? Why are we running?’ Then you turn your left shoulder and you see someone who, at the time, had half of his skull removed, was not able to use pretty much his whole entire left side, was going through chemo every day, was throwing up because of radiation poisoning.”

“You almost were crying in disgust with yourself like, ‘Why am I complaining? Why am I so self-centered? Why am I not like Coben, and just going through my life day to day and just enjoying every minute of it?’”

The Titans have rallied to a 6-3 record in the Big West with 17 games to go in a regular season slate that has come with highs and lows.

The team has tried to keep in biweekly contact with the Swanson family through Facetime and texts.

The chats range from telling his mother Brittany Swanson that they haven’t had a good meal since she moved away, to catching up on Coben’s latest attempts to bug

his sister. The discussions have also included motivational messages for the Titans.

In one video message, Coben giggled while giving the Titans tips such as “fart into your glove so no one smells it.”

As far as advice for the team, he kept it simple.

“Good luck tomorrow, guys, and remember: Don’t suck,” Coben said.

When those speeches can’t fuel them to victory, the Titans joke with Coben that his helmet is what powers them.

“We went on a five-game losing streak, and we called him and he said, ‘What’s going on?’” Gavin said.

“We said, ‘Oh, the batteries (in the helmet) died, so we have to flip the batteries.’ So then we flipped the batteries out and now we’re on a fivegame winning streak.’”

Gavin calls himself “a 7-year-old trapped in a 21-year-old’s body” and Pavletich said he’s “always been a fan of kids.” Both became close with Coben almost immediately, despite the latter initially being shy when meeting the team at BJ’s Restaurant for an introductory dinner.

Brittany said it only took about half an hour for her normally shy son to ask to be seated right in the middle of the group of Titans.

That dinner eventually gave way to visits to the Swanson home for lightsaber fights and Nerf ambushes. Coben would sit patiently atop the staircase at the entrance to their family home, loading dozens of foam bullets into his

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: @DTSPORTSDESK

automatic Nerf gun one at a time with his right hand (the only one he could use due to treatment), excitedly waiting to launch a sneak attack on his new friends.

“It wasn’t like, ‘We’re here because you’re sick.’

It was like they came over, they saw him pick up a lightsaber, they picked up lightsabers. It was just this natural connection of, ‘We’re going to play and do what this kid wants to do,’ and ultimately you would see them having fun too,” Brittany said. “They would all just turn into a bunch of kids when they came over.”

The 9-year-old even destroyed several potential future professional baseball players in “Wii Sports,” including golf, tennis, fencing, bowling and even baseball.

“It wasn’t even close,” Pavletich said, laughing as he recalled Coben trash talking enough to flip his competitive switch. “That game, it’s not the same as baseball but it’s pretty close and he absolutely crushed us.”

Those visits to the Swanson home also featured the Titans building Legos—always Star Wars—with their new friend, which led to a quest to find a set for Coben that he didn’t already have.

Like their attempts to beat him in “Wii Sports,” this one was also unsuccessful.

“I have three of these. I don’t need it,” Gavin recalls Coben saying. “You guys can give it to somebody else.”

More than any Lego set, the best gift the Titans gave

MATT BROWN / CAL STATE FULLERTON SPORTS MEDIA

“I think what fascinated me was just how mature he was as an eight-year-old to be going through this, and how much of a fighter he was,” said starting pitcher John Gavin.

Coben was a new family; a new set of brothers to bond with. Coben officially signed with the Titans on Gavin’s 21st birthday.

“Lots of people don’t really remember their 21st birthday, but I can gladly tell my grandkids that I was inspired by an 8-year-old on my 21st birthday,” Gavin said.

The feeling is mutual.

“There’s guilt in encouraging your child to step into a new group of people when they’re in a fragile state, when they’ve been so weakened and gone through this crazy journey. But then when you realize that your child’s presence is making an impact on the people that you’re pushing them into, that guilt goes away,”

Brittany said. “It actually makes me sad that I didn’t do it sooner.”

The symbiotic kinship between the Titans and the Swanson family has continued throughout the Titans’ season, leading to a new pregame routine for the notoriously meticulous Gavin.

Now, in addition to shaving his arms in an effort to build pitch speed and eating a plate of pasta the night before games, Gavin puts on a clone trooper helmet bearing a “Team Coben” sticker every time the Titans walk into the field.

And while the superstitious Gavin won’t even answer the phone for his girlfriend on days he’s pitching, there are three people he’d

make an exception for: His mother, his father and Coben.

“We care about him more than we can describe, and he’s definitely someone that even though he’s (9 years old), we look up to him as an inspiration to keep fighting and keep pushing through the hard times,” Gavin said.

“If he can push through cancer at the age of 8, then we can push through a fivegame losing streak. It’s something that’s so minimal and minuscule in our lives that we can fight through it.”

Those interested in donating to help the Swansons cover their medical expenses can find their “Team Coben” page on GoFundMe.com.

VISIT US AT: DAILYTITAN.COM/SPORTS

SPORTS CSUF looks to find footing against UCI

PAGE 9 THURSDAY APRIL 27, 2017

Titans need starting rotation to bounce back against Irvine.

BRYANT FREESE Daily Titan

FULLERTON— After a series loss to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, No. 14 Cal State Fullerton baseball will host the struggling UC Irvine Anteaters at Goodwin Field.

“It was not a good weekend for us,” Titans Head Coach Rick Vanderhook told the Daily Titan. “I thought we swung the bats well and played offense, but we got a little worn out as the weekend went along.”

As of last week, CSUF was ranked No. 8 in Baseball America’s top-25 poll, but after its losses to San Diego and Cal Poly, the Titans dropped back six spots to the No. 14 position in the country.

In addition to falling back in the national rankings, the Titans now sit 2.5 games behind Long Beach State for first place in the Big West.

“We just need to regroup and we’ll come back out this weekend,” Vanderhook said.

UCI has had its troubles this season as well. The

Anteaters sit in second-to-last place in the Big West with a 2-7 conference record and have gone 4-17 in their last 21 games and 15-23 overall on the season.

“They (UCI) handled TCU pretty good earlier in the year. I think they’re just in a little bump right now and we’re preparing to play them like we play everybody,” Vanderhook said.

Starting Rotation Change Vanderhook and pitching coach Blake Hawksworth decided to change the starting rotation against Cal Poly, moving typical Sunday starter John Gavin to Saturday and starting Gavin Velasquez on Sunday.

The move didn’t go so well OWEN MAIN / FANSMANSHIP.COM for the Titans. Gavin had his worst start of the season, Right-handed pitcher Connor Seabold has been the consistent Friday starter for the Titans throughout the season. Seabold pitching just three innings leads the starting rotation with a 2.92 ERA and 69 strikeouts, which ranks first in the Big West Conference. while giving up eight hits and a season-high seven earned game of the series, which of last week, third baseman games in February. against the Mustangs, Bryant runs. started Thursday due to Eas- Taylor Bryant had his worst In the month of April, Bry- was an efficient 1-2 hitting “I feel more comfortable ter Sunday. game of the season, going 0-5 ant is now hitting at a .250 av- with two RBIs while drawon Saturday to be honest, just While the switch didn’t at the plate with three strike- erage while his on-base per- ing two walks. Bryant continbecause I did it last year and work out as planned, Van- outs while leaving three run- centage has slightly plunged ued his solid play against the last year just had a little bit derhook said he plans to stick ners on base. to .448. Despite the disparity, Mustangs in game two, gomore experience with it so I with the same rotation in Bryant’s play has dipped Bryant’s overall numbers are ing 2-3 at the plate with two have a good routine,” Gavin this weekend’s series against throughout the season. He still strong, with the redshirt runs and two RBIs while also said. “I almost felt too com- UCI. started off the season hot, junior hitting .311 and post- drawing a walk. fortable on Saturday.” ranking among the top of the ing a .450 OBP. First pitch of the threeGavin did throw against Bryant bounces back Big West with a .458 batting Cal Poly allowed Bry- game series against UCI is USC two Saturday’s ago.

In a mid-week matchup average and a .536 on-base ant to get back on track over Friday at 7 p.m. at GoodHowever, it was still the third with San Diego on Tuesday percentage through seven the weekend. In game one win Field.

Titans hope to continue Big West dominance

Fullerton will try to maintain its recent momentum.

ADAM CASTRO Daily Titan

Big West-leading Cal State Fullerton softball will look to build on its three-game winning streak as it takes on conference rival Long Beach State in a three-game series on the road.

The Titans are coming off a successful series against Hawaii where they swept them in three games, walking off in two of the three.

After a strong showing against Hawaii, outfielder Ariana Williams

and pitcher Kelsey Kessler each took home Big West honors. Williams, who drove in five runs against Hawaii, earned the Big West Softball Field Player of the Week and Kessler earned the Big West Softball Pitcher of the Week for winning all three games of the series.

With their sweep of Hawaii, the Titans were able to improve their home record to 11-12 while they are 11-2 away from Anderson Family Field.

On the heels of the Titans in the Big West are the 49ers, who are second in conference with a record of 8-4. The 49ers are a combined 20-22-1 thanks to a middling home record of 11-14-1.

Last season, the 49ers

were overall 33-22 and 12-9 in the Big West, good for third best in conference.

Long Beach State is coming off a 4-3 extra-innings loss in the finale of a three-game series against UC Santa Barbara, where it lost two out of three.

Over their last nine games, the 49ers are 6-3 and have outscored their last three opponents 17-15.

The 49ers are in the bottom of the Big West in several offensive categories, including team batting average (.241), on-base percentage (.318), slugging percentage (.319) and RBIs (101).

Even with low offensive statistics, Long Beach State has several dangerous

Religious Directory

hitters that CSUF pitchers will need to look out for. Sammi Gyerman leads the team with a .319 average, infielder Nichole Fry has two home runs and 14 RBIs and freshman Aniesa Maulupe has 16 RBIs. In the circle, Long Beach State owns a team ERA of 3.76 thanks to strong performances by Christina Clermont, Devyn Magnett and Jessica Flores. Clermont has a 3.01 ERA with nine wins and Magnett, while Flores have combined for seven wins.

Since 2014, Fullerton has gone 3-6 against the 49ers, including last season’s 2-3 loss.

Fullerton will begin the series against the 49ers Saturday at 1 p.m. at the LBSU Softball Complex.

BAILEY CARPENTER / DAILY TITAN STOCK PHOTO

Sophomore pitcher Sydney Golden has racked up a 3.22 ERA in seven starts for the season.

For more information please contact Religious Director: Paige Mauriello pmauriello@dailytitan.com

Your ad could go here! contact us for more information pmauriello@dailytitan.com

VISIT US AT: DAILYTITAN.COM/SPORTS

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: @DTSPORTSDESK

OPINION Opioid epidemic finally gets addressed PAGE 10 APRIL 27, 2017 THURSDAY

New program will hopefully alleviate addiction.

ILANA LAGRAFF Daily Titan

A

merica has 99 problems, but addressing the opioid epidemic

ain’t one.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced in 2016 that it would give $53 million worth of funding in order to “improve access to treatment for opioid use disorders, reduce opioid related deaths and strengthen drug misuse prevention efforts,” according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Forty-four states were slotted to receive funding through six different programs, and those vital funds have just started to come in within the past few days.

The funds are also meant to “support improved data collection and analysis around opioid misuse and overdose as well as better tracking of fatal and nonfatal opioid-involved overdoses,” according to SAMHSA. It’s about time that something starts to be done about this major problem. It’s a step in the right direction and one that will hopefully inspire action on other problems.

More than 91 people a day die from an opiate overdose and deaths from prescription opioids—drugs like oxycodone, hydrocodone and methadone— this has more than quadrupled since 1999, according to a 2016 study by the CDC. Nikan Khatibi, a board member at CalOptima and anesthesiologist/pain management specialist, said in a March 3 online presentation that the number of deaths attributed to opioid use is “astronomical.”

“What’s sad to say now is that more people actually die from an opiate overdose rather than a car accident,” Khatibi said.

Orange County isn’t immune to this crisis either. Opioid dependence is the second-leading cause of substance-related hospitalizations and the leading cause of death by major drug

categories and combinations in Orange County, according to a 2017 study by OC Health Care Agency.

Not only that, but the OC Health Care Agency reports that over half of all opioid-related overdoses were due to prescription opioids (56 percent; e.g., OxyContin, Hydrocodone).

For the most vulnerable, it is even harder to stop the cycle of addiction. Opioids can produce withdrawal symptoms just hours after the last dose, and the symptoms can last for a week or more, according to American Addiction Centers.

That’s over a week of nausea, muscle cramping, depression, agitation, anxiety and opiate cravings without any resources or help to keep them from relapsing.

“Nationwide, more than 45 percent of the people who suffer a fatal prescription drug overdose are enrolled in Medicaid, the program for the poor that we call Medi-Cal in California,” said Richard Bock, M.D., and deputy chief medical officer of CalOptima, in his 2017 OC Register article.

Though this program is great to have in place, it’s all too easy for certain people to be taken advantage of and be coerced into a downward spiral of addiction.

“Over-prescribing of opioids is twice as high for this group, which has six times the risk of overdose death, compared with the general population. It’s no surprise that addiction is closely associated with poverty, homelessness and mental health issues,” Bock said.

Of the six programs these funds support, the only program being funded for California is the Prescription Drug Overdose: Prevention for States program.

Through this program, states have the ability to enhance prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs), further prevention efforts, execute and evaluate strategies to improve safe prescribing practices, which is exactly what California, especially Orange County, desperately needs.

It’s too soon to say if the funding, the programs and the states are all going to do what needs to be done to help this epidemic, but the prospects are bright. It’s nice to see that the government is finally following through on something that has been negatively affecting the country for a while now.

Hopefully this trend will continue in dealing with the other 99 problems.

CATHRYN EDWARDS / DAILY TITAN

Despite being neglected in the past, the opiate epidemic is finally being addressed on a large scale. Hopefully, this program will be the start of rehabilitation for the many that have fallen prey to the spiral of addiction that was previously ignored.

Letter to the Editor In Response to “China beard ban is vague and misguided”, published April 23 ACKNOWLEDGING FACTS IS NOT ISLAMOPHOBIC In the article “China beard ban is vague and misguided,”. Jade Love makes some valid points about the absurdity of the new Chinese laws that inevitably target Muslim people. It is wrong to blanket an entire culture as extremists based on their appearance alone.

However, the article had strong undertones of assuming those who speak anything negative about Islam is Islamophobic, and this is where I have a problem.

Anytime there is criticism of Islam, the left wing (usually) is quick to change the narrative of the conversation and dish out this accusation.

This is how the left wing wins. Time and time again, it bullies people by labeling them the most awful things possible, inevitably garnering contempt and killing any possibility for thoughtful deliberation.

I wish to unpack some important numbers from only seven countries that have high Muslim populations. Most Muslims are not “extremists,” but many hold beliefs that directly clash with our values.

Here in America, there are Muslims that respect American laws, raise families and go to work just as everyone else does. Travel 7,000 miles east, and

you’ll find cultures of sexism, violence and oppression, and there are facts and figures to back this claim up.

A study conducted by Pew Research Center in 2014 found that within the Muslim populations of Jordan, Lebanon, Nigeria, Indonesia, Egypt, Pakistan and Turkey, approximately 88 million Muslims have favorable views of the terrorist organization Al Qaeda. It’s worth noting that this number has dramatically gone down since 2010 when it was 170 million.

Further, the study showed that out of those same countries, approximately 25.3 million Muslims believed that suicide bombings were often justified in order to defend Islam from its enemies, while approximately 52.5 million Muslims believed that suicide bombings were sometimes justified.

The majority of Muslims in these countries (approximately 459 million) said they believed that suicide bombings are never justified.

A 2013 Pew Research study found that among the same countries (excluding Nigeria), approximately 359 million Muslims favored stoning people who commit adultery. Approximately 356 million Muslims favored corporal punishment for theft and

robbery and approximately 265 million Muslims favored the death penalty for those who leave the Islamic faith.

In 2010, a Pew Research study found that approximately 312 million Muslims, or 19.5 percent of the world’s Muslim population, believe that there should be gender segregation in the workplace.

I am not writing this letter to strike fear in the reader or build disdain for the Muslim people. Quite the opposite actually. It is important that we stand with our Muslim brothers and sisters and fight for their rights, both here in America and abroad.

The only way we can do this is by acknowledging the facts. Many men, women and children are living in oppressive societies and we shouldn’t turn a blind eye to this just because we are afraid we may be viewed as “Islamophobic.”

The sooner we can step away from pointing petty fingers at those to tell the truth, the closer we can get to understanding and making a difference in the world. as-Salâm Alaikum.

By Maurice Michael Pelagias Fullerton resident

SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR

The Daily Titan welcomes letters from the community in order to uphold its duty as a public forum. To submit a letter, email it to editorinchief@dailytitan.com.

Letters will be held to the standards listed in the submission policy found at dailytitan.com/letterspolicy.

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: @THEDAILYTITAN

VISIT US AT: DAILYTITAN.COM/OPINION

LEISURE

PAGE 11 THURSDAY APRIL 27, 2017

THIS WEEK ON CAMPUS

RIDDLE PROVIDED BY Riddles 1 APP

So cold, damp and dark this place, To stay you would refrain, Yet those who occupy this place Do never complain.

•THURSDAY APRIL 27: Grad BBQ 11am to 2pm, Andrew Lippa’s Wild Party 8pm

D E I O S L S G U R N V O I A

to 10pm at CPAC- Young Theatre

•FRIDAY APRIL 28:

Night of the Pachyderm 4:30pm to 6:30pm, Cello Festival Concert 8pm to 10pm at CPAC- Meng Concert Hall

HINT 1: First Letter is G HINT 2: Last Letter is E HINT 3: Number of Letters is 5 LAST RIDDLE’S SOLUTION: INKSTAND

SOLUTION WILL BE PUBLISHED IN THE NEXT ISSUE.

SUDOKU

DAILY QUOTE

PROVIDED BY dailysudoku.com

2

7 6 4 2 4 9

— Piper Chapman

7

“I t hink t hat…when you have a connection wit h someone, it never really goes away. You snap bac k to being impor tant to eac h ot her because you still are.”

1

9 4

5 3

4

— Alex Vause

9

7

8 3 7 7 2 1

5

1

8

3

5

Daily Sudoku: Thu 27-Apr-2006

WORD SEARCH

(c) Daily Sudoku Ltd 2007. All rights reserved.

5

“I’m scared t hat I’m not myself in here and I’m scared t hat I am.”

hard

PROVIDED BY thewordsearch.com

ND A H EALT NTER H T EN ING CE D U T S SEL N U CO

http://www.dailysudoku.com/

WINNER OF THIS WEEKS PRIZE VICKY ARECHIGA $25

ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK:

CRAZY EYES, PIPER, FEDERAL PRISON, POUSSEY, RED, ORANGE, BLACK, JENJI KOHAN, DIAS, PENNSATUCKY, GLORIA, LORNA, BIG BOO, JOE CAPUTO, TAYSTEE, NORMA, SAM HEALY, LARRY, NICKY, ALEX

HOROSCOPE PROVIDED BY tarot.com

ARIES

(Mar. 21 - Apr. 19)

There are many ways to improve your life and today you’re likely to do it by exercising financial control. Your attention naturally gravitates to increasing your income while the Moon is camped out in your 2nd House of Money.

TAURUS

(Apr. 20 - May 20)

You want people to recognize your contribution to the group effort today. But they might not be aware of what you are personally sacrificing in order to be a significant part of the team.

GEMINI

(May 21 - Jul. 20)

You’re not sure why someone is on your case today, especially since you’re just quietly going about your business. However, you might not be able to see yourself clearly while the obstinate Moon plods through your 12th House of Invisibility.

CONTACT US: CLASSIFIEDS@DAILYTITAN.COM

CANCER

(Jun. 21 - Jul. 22)

You can rely on your friends and coworkers to support your efforts today. Magically, people seem to show up with the right skill or piece of information just as you need it. Thankfully, the Moon’s receptivity in your 11th House of Networks enables your actions to resonate within your larger group or community.

LEO

(Jul. 23 - Aug. 22)

Your prime directive today is to seek ways to stabilize your place in your profession or on the job. Happily, the steady Taurus Moon’s presence in your 10th House of Career creates harmonious hookups with powerful Pluto and resourceful Venus, giving you the communication tools you need to accomplish your goal.

VIRGO

(Aug. 23 - Sep. 22)

Sometimes taking a major trip is tricky for you detail-oriented Virgos because balancing the big picture with the specifics can be challenging. Happily, the practical Taurus Moon stabilizes your 9th House of Faraway Places, inspiring you to dream about an upcoming vacation.

LIBRA

(Sep. 23 - Oct. 22)

You are relentless in your drive to uncover the facts today. Perhaps something puzzling at work is pointing to a whole layer of intrigue you are not yet aware of. Or maybe a close friend or partner’s behavior has raised your eyebrows because it doesn’t fit in with what you know.

SCORPIO

(Oct. 23 - Nov. 21)

Hiding your annoyance becomes more challenging as someone close to you grows more obstinate. You fully respect people who passionately defend a cause, but the fixed Taurus Moon’s visit to your 7th House of Others seems to make everyone stubborn for no reason at all.

SAGITTARIUS

(Nov. 22 - Dec. 21)

People seem to be moving faster today and you’re not sure you can keep up with them. Acknowledging that your agenda is different from everyone else’s allows you to detach and set your own pace.

CAPRICORN

(Dec. 22 - Jan. 19)

You’re ready for a bit of lighthearted fun today, but you could anger others if you just run off and leave them to their own devices. Ironically, you are better scheduling your playtime if you are serious about making it happen. © thewordse

AQUARIUS

(Jan. 20 - Feb. 18)

It’s much easier to head out into the world today if you know that your family is safe and everything is stable on the home front. The back-to-basics Taurus Moon is bringing a new wave of dependability to your 4th House of Emotional Security.

PISCES

(Feb. 19 - Mar. 20)

You’re tired of bouncing around from one task to another and look forward to settling into one project today. The solid Taurus Moon creates its own momentum, making it difficult to keep changing your focus now.

VISIT US AT: DAILYTITAN.COM

TUESDAY cont.

4 /25

Covering Political and Social Issues Deepa Bharath – OC Register *Speakers, dates, times, and locations are subject to change.

Sal Hernandez – Buzzfeed

MONDAY

4 /24

Career Connections Expo Hosted by: Latino Communications Initiative & CSUF Career Center Location: Pavilion A Employer Panel | 10:00AM - 11:00AM Network Session | 11:00AM - 1:00PM

1:00PM – 2:15PM | Gabrielino Hosts: Prof. Frank Russell & Student Chapter of Society of Professional Journalists

Disneyland Diamond Anniversary Celebration: A Case Study Suzi Brown – Disneyland Resort 2:30PM – 3:45PM | Alvarado AB Hosted by: Prof. Carol Ames

Understanding the Private in Public Relations

Forensics (Speech and Debate) Team Showcase

Adam Brady – Anaheim Ducks

CSUF Forensics Team

11:30AM - 12:45PM | Hetebrink AB Hosted by: Prof. Jim Collison

4:30PM – 6:30PM | Ontiveros ABC Hosts: Prof. Joel Salcedo & Prof. Erika Thomas

The Business of News

Journalism: More Important Today Than Ever

Walter Baranger – The New York Times 2:30PM – 3:45PM | Tuffree AB Hosted by: Prof. Bonnie Stewart

Tracy Wood – Voice of OC

The First Amendment and Political Speech in Campaign Finance Law

Steve DiTolla – CSUF Athletics 5:30PM – 6:15PM | LH 303 Hosted by: Prof. Henry Puente

Rick Hasen – UCI School of Law Ciara Torres-Spelliscy – Stetson University College of Law

ETC Annual Industry Mixer Hosted by: Prof. Waleed Rashidi 6:30PM – 9:00PM Off Campus: Muckenthaler Cultural Center

Life of a Photojournalist: Expect the Unexpected

Jason M. Shepard – CSU Fullerton Diane Witmer – CSU Fullerton

PR in the Public Sector Deanne Thompson – John Wayne Airport 4:00PM – 5:00PM | TSU Theatre Hosted by: Prof. Gail Love

Silencing Critics Using SLAPPS: New Threats to Free Speech Online Jeremy Rosen – Horvitz & Levy LLP 4:00PM – 5:30PM | Pavilion C Hosts: Prof. Jason Shepard & Prof. Jon Howell

Turning Pro: What Photographers Need To Do Upon Graduation Sean DuFrene – Sean DuFrene Photography Christopher Kern – Mr. & Mrs. Kern 4:30PM – 8:00PM | Tuffree AB Hosted by: Prof. Davis Barber

4:00PM – 5:15PM | Gabrielino Hosted by: Prof. Gail Love

Sports Information Director Duties

Public Relations in Higher Education: The Leadership Role of the Department Chair 5:00PM – 6:00PM | LH 322* & Irvine Campus 209* Hosted by: Prof. Douglas Swanson *This televised panel will be available to students at both locations.

Annette Macias – Citrus Valley Health Partners 3:00PM – 5:00PM | Gilman AB Hosted by: Prof. Marie Loggia-Kee

The Anaheim Ducks And Social Media

Business Journalism: Business Degree Not Required 1:00PM – 2:15PM | Ontiveros ABC Hosted by: Prof. Inez Gonzalez

Brooke Staggs – OC Register

www.fullerton.edu/commweek

4 /26

Shereen Marisol Meraji – NPR West Brian Watt – KQED

Amy Corral – NBC 4 News Julie Patel – Fullerton College

APRIL 24 - 27

WEDNESDAY cont.

Latino Journalists of CSUF Present: You've Got The Job – What You Need To Know About Salaries and Contracts Hosted by: Prof. Holly Ocasio Rizzo 5:00PM – 6:45PM | Ontiveros

4:00PM – 5:30PM | Alvarado AB Hosts: Prof. Jason Shepard & Prof. Emily Erickson

Reaching and Targeting the Hispanic Market

The Future of Televised Entertainment

Stephen Chavez – PR Consultant & Food Blogger 5:30PM – 6:30PM | TSU Theatre Hosted by: Prof. Dean Kazoleas

Keith Durflinger - Southern CA News Group

JR Griffin – FremantleMedia North America John Manzi – KDOC TV Lillian Vasquez – KVCR TV & Radio

7:00PM – 8:45PM | Hetebrink AB Hosted by: Prof. Anne La Jeunesse

4:00PM – 6:00PM | TSU Theatre Hosted by: Prof. Waleed Rashidi

A Thing to be Marveled: Digital Post-Production and the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Life After Titan and Tusk: How Millennials Have Adapted to the New Media Landscape

6:00PM – 6:30PM | Hetebrink AB Hosted by: Prof. Dennis Gaschen

Lori Anderson – Westways Magazine Magdalena Guillen – AOL.com Claudia Hudson – T-Systems Jason Kandel – KNBC-LA Marie Loggia-Kee – CSU Fullerton Darleene Powells – CBSLA.com Kerry Rivera – Experian Lucio Villa – San Francisco Chronicle

PRSSA Gala: A Night Among Graduates

Mike Dillon – Technicolor 7:00PM – 10:00PM | UH 252 Hosted by: Prof. Mike Dillon

CICC Comm Week Mixer Hosted by: Asst. Dean Rob Flores 8:00PM – 10:30PM | TSU Pub

TUESDAY

4 /25

Cultural Strategy in Advertising Natalie Kim – We Are Next 8:30AM – 9:45AM | Pavilion A Hosted by: Prof. Jay Seidel

Exploring Intercultural Communication with my HCOM Degree Candis Tate – ESL Instructor 8:30AM - 9:45AM | Hetebrink AB Hosted by: Prof. LaToya Green

Interpersonal Conflict Management Through Crisis Communications Kristin Daher – Powerhouse Communications 10:00AM – 11:15AM | Gilman AB Hosted by: Prof. Peter Lee

NSSLHA-S.T.A.N.C.E. Career Awareness Day Hosted by: Prof. Terry Saenz 10:00AM – 7:00PM | Pavilion B

What to Expect After Graduation and How to Excel on The Job Ray Gillenwater – SpeakUp 11:30AM – 12:45PM | Tuffree AB Hosted by: Prof. Jim Collison

Breaking Into Advertising and PR Natalie Kim – We Are Next 11:30AM – 12:45PM | Irvine Campus 212 Hosted by: Prof. Keith Kesler

Breaking Into Advertising and PR Natalie Kim – We Are Next 1:00PM – 2:15PM | Irvine Campus 212 Hosted by: Prof. Keith Kesler

Advertising Sales Nickie Hill – OC Register 1:00PM - 2:00PM | Tuffree AB Hosted by: Prof. Michelle Kurland

Family Communications Leann Kaufman – Kaufman Family Law 1:00PM – 2:00PM | Gilman AB Hosted by: Prof. Jason Teven

From A to SLP: Real-Life Journeys to a SLP Career Diane Collins – CSUF Speech Clinic Stephanie Floerke – Troy High School 1:00PM – 2:15PM | TSU Theatre Hosted by: Prof. HyeKeung Seung

From Tinker Bell to Taco Bell: My PR Journey Matt Prince – Taco Bell Headquarters

Hosted by: Prof. Dennis Gaschen 7:00PM – 9:00PM | Pavilion B

This Should be a Movie Keith Sharon – OC Register 7:00PM – 8:00PM | Gilman AB Hosted by: Prof. Jeff Merkow

6:00PM – 10:00PM | Pavilion A Hosted by: Prof. Jeff Brody

L.I.F.E. Symposium Yanitza Berrios – CSU Fullerton ASI Connor Davidson – CSU Fullerton Davey Eaves – Fullerton Joint Union High School District Jack Mierop – Jack Up Your Life Danielle Rath – GreenEyedGuide

Know Your Reader Hugo Martin – LA Times 7:00PM – 8:00PM | Hetebrink AB Hosted by: Prof. Holly Ocasio Rizzo

The Making of Morning Radio on Power 106

8:30PM – 10:00PM | TSU Pub Hosted by: Prof. Jack Mierop

Krystal Bee – Power 106 7:00PM – 10:00PM | TSU Theatre Hosted by: Prof. Robert Van Riel

THURSDAY

Users are People Too

The Counseling Needs of Communication Disordered Client Populations and Their Families

Nathan Manchester – Team One 7:00PM – 9:45PM | Tuffree AB Hosted by: Prof. Brian Song

Ying-Chiao Tsao – CSU Fullerton 8:00AM – 9:15AM | Gabrielino Hosted by: Prof. Ying-Chiao Tsao

Digital, Data, and Creativity Jon Ruppel – Team One Brendon Volpe – Team One

The Power and Function of The Support Group for Oral Communication Difficulties

7:00PM – 8:15PM | Alvarado AB Hosted by: Prof. Gail Love

Ying-Chiao Tsao – CSU Fullerton 9:15AM – 10:30AM | Gabrielino Hosted by: Prof. Ying-Chiao Tsao

Inside the Snitch Tank Tony Saavedra – OC Register 8:00PM – 9:00PM | Gilman AB Hosted by: Prof. Vik Jolly

WEDNESDAY

4 /27

Covering Music in the Digital Age Vanessa Franko – Southern CA News Group

4 /26

The Pros and Cons of Corporate and Non-Profit Public Relations and Marketing

1:00PM – 2:15PM | Tuffree AB Hosted by: Prof. Robert Quezada

Getting to the Center of a Tootsie Pop: Using Qualitative Methodologies to Find the Core Truth of a Product, Brand and Consumer

Julie Cozort – Susan G. Komen OC

Kathy Thibault – Beyond Research

8:30AM – 9:45AM | Hetebrink AB Hosted by: Prof. Richard Favela

1:00PM – 2:15PM | Hetebrink AB Hosted by: Prof. Christina Ceisel

The Pros and Cons of Corporate and Non-Profit Public Relations and Marketing

Daily Titan Alumni Panel

Julie Cozort – Susan G. Komen OC 10:00AM – 11:15AM | Hetebrink AB Hosted by: Prof. Richard Favela

My Journey in “The Business”

Walter Baranger – NY Times Jackie Combs-Nelson – Chicago Tribune Gene Park – Washington Post Anita Snow – Associated Press Marc Stein – ESPN

Kelvin Washington – ESPN

3:00PM – 4:00PM | Alvarado AB Hosted by: Prof. Jason Shepard

10:00AM – 11:15AM | Alvarado AB Hosted by: Prof. Beth Georges

Leadership in Politics and the Academy

AdClub AdCon 2017 Hosted by: Prof. Carolyn Coal 10:00AM – 6:00PM | Location: Pavilion A

Strategic Planning: Before, During, and After Dani Franks – Billabong, USA Linda Luna-Franks – Kid Healthy

Jack Bedell – Orange County Department of Education 5:00PM – 6:00PM | Tuffree AB Hosted by: Prof. Irene Matz

Communications Department Awards Ceremony* *by invitation only.

6:00PM – 9:30PM | Pavilion ABC Hosted by: CSUF Department of Communications

11:00AM – 12:00PM | Tuffree AB Hosted by: Prof. Michelle Kurland

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: @DTSPORTSDESK

VISIT US AT: DAILYTITAN.COM/SPORTS