INSIDE: STUDENT CHOICE AWARDS RESULTS
Proposed bill threatens Uganda’s LGBT community OPINION Fall theater season wraps up with two imaginative plays CULTURE Bulldogs begin preparations for Hawaii Bowl SPORTS
Check out today’s special insert to see the winners of The Collegian’s 2012 Student Choice Awards
WEDNESDAY Issue DECEMBER 5, 2012 FRESNO STATE
COLLEGIAN.CSUFRESNO.EDU
SERVING CAMPUS SINCE 1922
Philip Dhanens remembered Family and friends of the late Fresno State freshman reminisce about his life and legacy By Rogue Morales The Collegian Walking into the Dhanens home, one is greeted with smiles and warmth, but the warmest smile of all comes from a senior portrait in the living room. The photo rests on a cabinet in remembrance of Philip Dhanens, the 18-year-old Fresno State freshman who lived in the house before his death. Philip died Sunday, Sept. 2 after attending a party at the Theta Chi fraternity to which he was pledging at the time. The cause of death was acute alcohol poisoning, according to the Fresno County Coroners Office. He left behind his mother and father, Diane and Paul Dhanens, as well as his two older brothers, Niles and Joseph
Dhanens and his girlfriend of more than two years, Zoe Tucker. Philip was bor n and raised in Bakersfield and was always larger than his two older brothers, their mother said. She remembered when Philip was in kindergarten; she was washing mud off of his feet and was so surprised to see his ankles were larger than hers. She thought that they were swollen and asked the pediatrician if Philip was okay. The pediatrician only said that Philip was going to, “be a big boy.” Philip grew to be 6 feet 5 inches. Philip was a little bit different, Diane said, always standing out in one way or another. He was always the tallest kid in his classes and while his brothers would look on with terrified faces while their mother scolded them, Philip would giggle or laugh. In kindergarten, Philip would get in trouble for talking in class. It was always the same, said his mother. He would lean over and tell jokes or make the other children laugh. Philip kept these habits into high school, leaning over to tell friends and classmates things. “He was very into humor at a very young age,” Diane said, and he was able to talk to just about anyone. Once while Philip and his uncle were having dinner, a woman in her 60s was
“H
e was very into humor at a very young age.”
Photo courtesy of Zoe Tucker
Even from a young age, Philip Dhanens’ mother knew he would going to grow up to be a “big boy.”
— Diane Dhanens, Philip Dhanens’ mother
Roe Borunda / The Collegian
In the Dhanens family’s living room, Philip Dhanens’ high school graduation photo is displayed underneath a piece of artwork he made in school as a child.
celebrating a birthday party. She was sitting close to where Philip was eating. “Philip leans over and asks her, ‘how many years young are you?’ What 15-year-old is going to say that?” Diane said. They hit it off and they chatted throughout the night. Philip was always one to hug people, said his mother, and sometimes lift them up into a giant bear hug. He would also lean on his mother and Zoe, always in an affectionate manner. “I would go ‘No no no! Don’t lean on mommy!’” Diane said. Philip attended Garces Memorial
Orchestras mix in ‘Fire-y’ concert By Sammy LoProto The Collegian
Roe Borunda / The Collegian
Nearly 200 members comprised of The Fresno State Symphony Orchestra and the Youth Orchestras of Fresno collaborated under the leadership of Thomas Loewenheim for Sunday’s Planets of Fire concert at the Saroyan Theatre.
Even 100 years after Igor Stravinsky ignited the musical world with his masterpiece, “Firebird Suite,” students around the world still perform it. On Sunday night the Fresno State Symphony Orchestra and the Youth Orchestras of Fresno took to the stage at the Saroyan Theatre for their Planets of Fire concert, featuring the “Firebird Suite” as the finale. The stage at the Saroyan was barely big enough to accommodate the nearly 200 musicians hailing from five different counties, and representing 70 Valley schools. Thomas Loewenheim, professor of cello and strings at Fresno State, had the unenviable task of rehearsing each orchestra separately, before their combined rehearsal together at the Fresno State concert hall on Saturday. “This accomplishes a number of See CONCERT, Page 4
High School, a Catholic school in Bakersfield where he played football for three of his four years. Philip’s oldest brother Niles recalled Philip viewing school differently than his brothers had growing up. “We were there for the grades, he was there for the relationships,” Niles said. Philip’s mother said his greatest passion in life was Zoe. “He really wanted to get married and have a family,” Diane said. The two met their freshman year in high school and Philip liked Zoe from See DHANENS, Page 3
Road safety a concern as winter weather sets in By Alan Wileman The Collegian As the weather changes for Fresno State students, so are the driving conditions on the road. Whether it is a short five-minute drive to campus or a hourly commute from a neighboring city, Fresno State students are preparing to drive in bad weather. One of the most common dangerous conditions for students during these winter months is the thick Tule fog which is caused by rapid decreasing temperatures and heavy rainfall. These particular circumstances create the blanket of fog Central Valley residents See SAFETY, Page 3