February 6, 2020

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Thursday, February 6, 2020

The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton

Volume 107 Issue 6

Trump cleared of impeachment charges After months of uncertainty, the Senate will not remove the president from office. JESSICA BENDA Editor

In what might have been the culmination of a continuous

power struggle between the political parties, the United States Senate voted to acquit Donald Trump on both articles of impeachment yesterday. Trump, who was historically impeached last December, faced charges by the House for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. His acquittal

follows months of Democrats and Republicans wrestling for control, feeding the political turmoil that has extended far past the walls of the White House. The vote was 52-48 on the first article regarding abuse of power, and Senator Mitt Romney was the sole Republican

to side with the Democrats’ unanimous guilty vote. For the second article regarding obstruction of justice, all Democrats voted guilty, and all 53 Republicans — Romney included — voted for acquittal. Donald Trump Jr. took to Twitter to denounce Romney, calling the Senator “forever

bitter” and a “member of the resistance.” The impeachment process has yet to remove a president from office. President Trump tweeted that he would be discussing the country’s victory on the “Impeachment Hoax” in a public statement today at 9 a.m. PST.

Infectious virus reaches California Cal State Fullerton faculty says students are at low risk of contracting coronavirus. CATIE ROBINSON FOWSIA SHARIFF Staff Writers

Cal State Fullerton’s chancellor’s office issued a campuswide notice Jan. 27 regarding the first cases of novel coronavirus in California. Novel coronavirus is a form of coronavirus which originated in Wuhan, China, but has spread worldwide. Concerns were raised when a male in his 50s traveled from Wuhan to Orange County. However, the Orange County Health Care Agency reassured the public, saying that the “risk of infection to (the) public in Orange County is believed to be low.” On Jan. 30, an update on

the notice stated that all campus-related travel to China will be suspended, which includes the study abroad program. Any travel to the country will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.CSUF Director of Health Services Mary Becerra and CSUF Director of Environmental Health and Safety Pearl Boelter sent the initial notice to students. In the letter, the university called for students to take “prudent measures to protect against the spread of germs.” “Coronavirus has been around for a long time. It’s your typical common cold,” Becerra said, adding that it is distinct because it was discovered in a Chinese market where animals are present. It can be transmitted to people through animals such as bats, cattle, camels and cats. SEE ILLNESS 3

FOWSIA SHARIFF / DAILY TITAN

Students can visit the Student Wellness Center on the northside of campus at Cal State Fullerton.

Council Softball batting for five in a row approves condos Upcoming construction causes concerns among Fullerton residents. ELIZABETH TOVAR KELLY BOONKRONG Staff Writers

DIANA TRAN Asst. Editor

On Tuesday, the Fullerton City Council approved a 33-unit condominium proposed by Brandywine Homes that will be built on Bastanchury Road with a 4-1 vote, despite a majority of residents opposing the development. Originally used for oil exploration, the 2.4 acre vacant site is owned by the Fullerton Public Library Foundation. The new residential development, located at 751 E. Bastanchury Road, will include one building with three units and six other buildings with five units each. Each two-story building will include a garage with space for two cars each, as well as 33 guest spots for the entire community. The adjacent property is Beechwood Elementary School, in which a kindergarten class is closest to the proposed development. Alex Hernandez, the Brandywine Homes project developer, dispelled concerns about the children’s privacy. “We’re going to have an 8-foot wall at the property line,” said Hernandez. “Not only does it serve as a physical barrier, but it provides acoustical resistance as well.” SEE HOUSING

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ELIZA GREEN / DAILY TITAN

Junior Sam Kennedy tries turning the double play at Easton Stadium on Mar. 26.

The Titan’s enter the season as the favorite to win the Big West championship. JIYO CAYABYAB KELLY BOONKRONG Staff Writers

It’s the beginning of another season for Cal State Fullerton softball, and the team are the favorites to win their fifth consecutive Big West title. The Titans are not newcomers to the Big West conference as they have built a reputation after four years of consecutive championship wins. Fullerton head coach Kelly Ford, the 2019 Big West Coach of the Year, plans to take on the 2020 season with no distractions. “My job is to make sure that the student athlete stays present — keep them playing

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this game pitch by pitch. That sounds simple, but it’s the hardest thing to do in this sport,” said Ford. After competing in 56 games, the team finished their 2018-19 season with an overall record of 38-18 and 18-3 at the conference. Their 2019 season ended with losses of 7-3 to Weber State and 7-4 to Missouri at the UCLA Regionals. They finished their season with a 2.62 run average and a .285 batting average. “I think our seniors are going to carry us through an amazing season,” Ford said. “We will compete every pitch because this group will not let anything other than that happen in 2020.” CSUF’s 2020 team remains mostly intact from last year, as eight of their starting nine are returning members, along with their entire pitching staff. Included on the pitching staff

is Dani Martinez, who was awarded Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year in 2019. Among the returning players is senior infielder Irie Sofiele, who is ready to take the Titans to their fifth Big West championship victory. “Our team culture means attacking whatever is in front of us — whatever is in our present moment, and we’re just going to do that this season on our way to getting a five-peat and to OKC,” Sofiele said. Throughout her previous three seasons, Sofiele has played 111 games with a total of eight home runs, 57 hits and a .259 batting average. Fullerton will begin their 2020 season with the Titan Classic, a four day home tournament from Feb. 6 to Feb. 9, where they will compete against Middle Tennessee State, San Jose State, Utah State, University of the

Pacific and Loyola Marymount University. The first game of the the Titan Classic is against Middle Tennessee, and it will be held on field one at Anderson Family Field today at 6 p.m. Middle Tennessee is returning with eight starters and their top three pitchers this season. They finished the 2019 season with an overall record of 29-30. Middle Tennessee is led by star Summer Burgess, who was named to Conference USA’s Preseason Team. Burgess was also a part of the Conference USA Freshman Team in 2017 as well as the All-Conference First Team last spring. The annual Titan Classic will host a total of 17 games over the course of the fourday tournament. Viewers can register to watch each of the games through a live stream on FloSoftball. VISIT US AT: DAILYTITAN.COM


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