December 5 2014

THE COLLEGIAN FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

FRESNO STATE'S STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1922

FRESNOSTATE.EDU/COLLEGIAN

Senior wins Marshall Scholarship

MOUNTAIN WEST CHAMPIONSHIP | SATURDAY, 7 P.M. ON CBS

Political science student Gavin Baird to attend school in London

By Alexandria Garcia @TheCollegian Paul Vieira • The Collegian

Fresno State and Boise State, perhaps part of the biggest rivalry in the Mountain West Conference, will meet again Saturday for the fourth time in three seasons. The Bulldogs are 6-6 and playing for their third-consecutive Mountain West title. Boise State is 10-2 and the heavy favorite.

Fresno State is going to have to put all the stops for the upset. P8.

AWARDS: Amid up-and-down season, eight Bulldogs land allconference honors. Seniors Tyeler Davison and Deron Smith lead the way. P8

"It’s time for us to make more progress than we’ve made. I’m not interested in talk; I’m interested in action."

— President Barack Obama

Fresno State student Gavin Baird has been awarded the prestigious Marshall Scholarship, receiving full funding to attend the London School of Economics and Political Science while earning his master’s degree in international relations.

The Marshall Scholarship is a program financed by the GAVIN BAIRD United Kingdom government, offering U.S. scholars the opportunity to study in the UK. Founded in 1953, it was named in honor of U.S. Secretary of State George C. Marshall. The scholarships are given as a gesture of appreciation from the British to their American counterparts after the U.S. assisted them under the Marshall Plan following World War II. Baird, a senior political science major with a minor in economic s, said it was an incredible feeling

See MARSHALL, Page 3

FULTON MALL

Olivier Douliery • Abaca Press/TNS

Protesters in Washington block 14th Street near Pennsylvania Avenue to protest the Staten Island, N.Y., grand jurya s decision not to indict officer Daniel Pantaleo in the Eric Garner chokehold case, on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2014, in Washington D.C.

Garner case incites rallies in NYC

By Tina Susman & James Queally

Los Angeles Times/TNS A grand jury Wednesday opted not to indict a white policeman in the killing of Eric Garner, an unarmed black man whose last words — “I can’t breathe” — became a rallying cry for protesters who blamed his death on racial profiling and police abuse.

The decision, coming nine days after a Missouri grand jury declined to charge a white officer in the death of Michael Brown,

drew swift reactions that reflected the passions that have increasingly surrounded such cases across the country.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and other officials, anxious to avoid the violence that erupted in Ferguson after Officer Darren Wilson walked free, urged calm as activists called for demonstrators to converge at Times Square, Rockefeller Center and other landmarks.

De Blasio, whose wife is black, invoked their teenage son, Dante, and said his heart went

out to Garner’s family.

“This is a subject that is never far from my family’s minds,” de Blasio said. “I’ve had to talk to Dante for years about the dangers he may face” and the special care he should take in his interactions with police.

Fresno State sociology professors held discussion forums on Ferguson and the Garner case, allowing students to weigh in on their reactions to the events.

“We have a lot to continue to do in terms of work around all of our justice systems, educa-

Preservation of art debated as plans move forward

By Briana Montemayor @brimonte_carlo

tion, higher education,” Fresno State sociology professor Tania Pacheco said. “There’s more work to do. We’re not living in a post-racial society.

“I really feel that the college campus can serve as an opportunity to teach them how to talk about social problems.”

President Barack Obama said the case “speaks to the larger issues that we’ve been talking about now for the last week, the last month, the last year and, sadly, for decades, and that is the

The question of whether or not vehicles will drive through the six-block pedestrian Fulton Mall in Downtown Fresno is becoming more and more a matter of when, not if.

Yet as the lengthy project progresses, some community members are concerned about the pedestrian mall’s artwork.

The Fresno Arts Council, one of the groups critical of City Hall’s revitalization project, was alarmed over plans to tear down certain areas of the mall to make room for a narrow and winding automobile corridor.

See GARNER, Page 6

See FULTON MALL, Page 3

OPINION

GOT OPINIONS? We want to hear them.

COLLEGIAN-OPINION@CSUFRESNO.EDU FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

2

WITNESSING INSTITUTIONAL RACISM “None of the ambiguities that existed in the Ferguson case exist in the Staten Island case, and yet the outcome is exactly the same. No crime, no trial. All harm, no foul.” -Jon Stewart

By Jesse Franz

@JesseOfTheNews With a clenching jaw, I was able to understand those who said that Trayvon Martin’s death was a tragic mistake of circumstance, not an issue of race. Though I disagreed, I was not there.

Through grinding teeth, I was able to bring myself to terms with those who argued that the killing of Michael Brown was an act of self-defense, not because he was black. Though I disagreed with the grand jury’s decision, I was not there.

However, the entire world was there to watch the death of Eric Garner. Today, we must remember an indisputable truth that has somehow been forgotten, and rededicate ourselves to the work of rectifying it: racism still exists.

Garner’s death was broadcast across the nation, and this time there is no argument.

The 43-year-old unarmed, asthmatic father was killed by an overzealous white police officer’s chokehold while attempting to arrest him on suspicion of selling unpackaged cigarettes in Staten Island.

The officer didn’t shout racial slurs or brandish a Klan membership card while doing it, but he didn’t have to to inflame racial tensions. The officer, in all likelihood, had a racial view similar to one that all white people, including me, have had at one point or another.

It’s one colored by media stereotypes and social pressures that have caused whites to knowingly or unknowingly treat blacks differently. I can nearly guarantee

Michael Henninger • Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/TNS

Protesters rally against police brutality and racism by marching with their hands up along Liberty Avenue on Dec. 4, 2014 in downtown Pittsburgh.

the officer didn’t approach Garner thinking of what he could do to harm him, but in approaching Garner, the officer saw him as a threat and not a fellow citizen.

In the end, this single act speaks to the wider problem of police acts disproportionately affecting people of color every day.

Garner noted this moments before his death as he said, “Every time you see me, you want to mess with me. I’m tired of it.

This stops today.”

He shouldn’t have had to die for his words to come to fruition.

On Wednesday, a Staten Island grand

jury decided not to pursue criminal charges against the officer, who had twice previously been sued for constitutional rights violations, according to The Washington Post.

Racial issues often hide behind ambiguity relying on the testimony of one witness over the account of others. However, in the case of Garner, it was wide out in the open.

The evidence was clear; the camera’s were rolling. And even though, with indisputable evidence, we can say that a police officer’s overuse of force caused the death of an unarmed black man, the criminal justice system declined to protect him.

It’s that same criminal justice system that enforces the law in such a way that one in three black men will go to prison sometime in their lifetimes: It’s in the same nation where blacks have lower income, less wealth, fewer opportunities for quality education and lower homeownership rates than whites.

As an American, you’re left with two options. Either institutionalized racism still exists and is restricting black opportunity and equality, or white people are inherently better in our society. The latter claim is both irrational and the very definition of racism. However, those are the only two options.

While this case is still fresh, one thing is clear: the anger that I long imagined would boil over in this situation never came. Instead, it was replaced by an immense sorrow, as through the last few weeks I’ve watched us fall decades behind where I once thought we were in the evolution of race in America. As we’ve become more polarized as a nation, so have our views on race. Now, rather than having a conversation about what is racist, half of us are refuting the claim that racism even exists.

In our ultra-partisan national psyche, it almost seems as if the fact you are conservative or the fact you are liberal is now the primary thing coloring your view of the issue.

The question of whether racism exists and whether we should wage a fight against it shouldn’t divide us, especially along those partisan grounds. Race in America isn’t a Democratic problem. It isn’t a Republican problem. It’s an American problem.

Tribune News Service

THE COLLEGIAN The Collegian is a student-run publication that serves the Fresno State community on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Views expressed in The Collegian do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff or university.

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THE COLLEGIAN • NEWS

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

PAGE 3

Despite objections, few options to stop project FULTON MALL from Page 1 Mayor Ashley Swearengin’s plan to open Fresno’s downtown corridor to vehicular traffic was approved in February by the Fresno City Council. Those plans were then upheld in October when a judge dismissed a lawsuit to stop the project.

The Downtown Fresno Coalition lost a suit alleging City Hall botched an environmental report on Fulton Mall – squashing hopes of halting the projects’ progress.

City Hall says the project is necessary for revitalizing a rundown area that has been neglected due to decades of Fresno’s northwest expansion. Meanwhile, downtown leaders critical of the project fear the mall’s historical art and presence will be compromised.

Advocacy groups aiming to preserve Fulton Mall in its current state are engaged in a last-ditch effort to block the makeover.

Although it seems Swearengin, who ran for office in 2009 on the platform of revitalizing Downtown Fresno, is getting closer to achieving one of her earliest goals as mayor.

“I think this will be a major catalyst to Fresno,” said city council member Lee Brand, who voted yes in the affirmative.

Brand said pedestrian malls like Fulton Mall have failed across the country, succeeding only under special circumstances.

“As long as the mall is there, it would never rejuvenate without traffic,” Brand said.

Lilia Gonzalez-Chavez, executive director of the Fresno Arts Council, said while the group is not opposed to the revitalization of the Fulton Mall, it is concerned about art pieces that would eventually be removed in the construction process.

“Putting the street on the mall will change things,” she said.

While the group does not oppose the plans laid in effect, Gonzalez-Chavez said the mall “is an art piece” in itself.

She also noted that the city has permitted the place to deteriorate, saying that this lapse has accounted for a lot of the challenges the mall has faced.

“As a result, we have a mall that is not attractive as it could be if it were properly maintained,” Gonzalez-Chavez said.

Craig Scharton, the city’s former business development director, works for the Downtown Fresno Partnership and is a business owner at the Fulton Mall. He said 175 cities have removed pedestrian malls and consequently catalyzed revitalization in the area – 90 percent of them within the first four years of the change.

“We have actual facts that show that when pedestrian malls are removed, downtowns turn around almost overnight,” he said.

Scharton is one of the chief supporters of the plan to remodel Downtown Fresno and said efforts will be launched to preserve the art in Downtown Fresno.

“All of the art will be removed, restored and then replaced,” Scharton said. “They are using a $1.5 million from the grant that will go toward restoration. If you love our Downtown art, this is the best thing that’s ever happened.”

Scharton believes some people oppose the plan for revitalization because they view the Fulton mall as an intact piece of art, but added that the revitalization of the mall is “the best thing we can do.”

Kate Upton, former chair of the Downtown Fresno Coalition (DFC), which was formed in 2002 when the Fulton Mall was first in danger of being removed, said the mall has been scapegoated as the root of downtown’s downfall.

A Z E

H Z T I P I T H ST

O V O PR

W

LOCATION:

DATES & TIMES:

Lynnette Zelezny, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Dennis Nef, Vice Provost

University Student Union Lounge Area (near the fireplace)

Tuesday, December 9th 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Paul Schlesinger • The Collegian

Pedestrians walk through the Fulton Mall on Thursday. The plan to renovate the mall to allow automobile traffic was approved by the Fresno City Council in February.

“Our pedestrian mall has been blamed as the cause of the problems downtown,” Upton said.

“Being able to drive down those six blocks won’t fix our economic issues,” she added.

Despite Swearengin saying that the area’s art will be preserved by removing and reinstalling them elsewhere, Upton said “what is being ignored is that the entire mall is an example of landscape architecture.”

“There is an integrated design of the waterways, plants, trees, mosaics and fountains,” she said.

The revitalization of Downtown Fresno was also the original goal when Garrett Eckbo, an acclaimed landscape designer hired by city fathers, started work on the plan in the 1960s that led to the pedestrian mall’s construction. Eckbo, who died in 2000 at the age of 89, was known internationally for his work.

However, the trends that eventually would move the city’s center of gravity away from Downtown were already far

enough along, even then.

“The economic problems of the businesses on the Fulton Mall trace to the land use decisions made by the City that led to northern residential and commercial sprawl of Fresno, not the introduction of a pedestrian mall,” said Doug Richert, cochair of the Fresno Downtown Coalition.

Richert explained that the Fresno Downtown Coalition supports revitalizing the Fulton Mall, but is opposed to the destruction of the mall to insert traffic.

“Reintroducing traffic to the Fulton Mall will destroy this unique historical and cultural place,” Richert said. “Most major metropolitan areas are finding ways to limit the space allocated to cars and increase the space dedicated to pedestrians. Fresno is doing the opposite.”

C

COMMENT: The Collegian is a forum for student expression. http://collegian.csufresno.edu

Baird one of 31 students nationwide to earn award MARSHALL from Page 1 when he received the congratulatory phone call about earning the scholarship, one he is still in shock about.

“It was just an honor to be interviewed,” Baird said. “Then to find out I actually got it. I’m still almost speechless, but just really looking forward to the experience.”

Baird was one of 31 people who won the scholarship nationwide. The pool of applicants each year is usually between 950 to 1,000, Baird said.

He was awarded as one of three winners of the Northern California region.

Despite the extensive process to apply, Baird said he was nonetheless glad he did it. The scholarship was something he thought about in high school, but it was Fresno State mass communication and journalism professor Dr. Bradley Hart who inspired him and really sparked his interest, Baird said. Hart’s education at

the University of St. Andrews in Scotland and the University of Cambridge made it seem realistic, Baird said.

“He’s been beyond what I ever could’ve expected, he’s just fantastic,” Baird said.

“He’s been helping out every step of the way. He helped pursue the dream.”

Part of the scholarship includes being able to select a university in the U.K. to attend.

Because of Baird’s interest in immigration policy, when he is finished with his masters he hopes to write and implement policy himself. Following the scholarship, he has plans to continue his education and pursue a PhD. “Fresno State has been an incredible experience for me. It’s really given me everything I needed to do this,” Baird said.

“It’s been a great experience, so hopefully I can take what I learned in Fresno and move along with it.”

4 Indie punk bands play up local music scene

By Colby Tibbit @robotmilk

East Coast indie punk bands Lemuria and Into It. Over It. played Wednesday night at local venue Strummer’s, located in the center of Fresno’s Tower District, as part of their nationwide tour, which ends in mid-December in Nebraska.

Local twee punk band Sci-Fi Caperopened for the two touring bands, and played their infectious, poppy take on pop punk, with bassist and main vocalist, Emelia Guadarrama, singing her catchy, upbeat tunes about love and youthful exuberance.

Sing-alongs with the crowd have been a constant occasion during their sets, and Wednesday was no exception.

Following Sci-Fi Capers was the first half of the mainline acts, Into It. Over It. A solo project fronted by Evan Weiss, a prolific Chicago singer songwriter and influential figure in the emo indie scene in the United States. Weiss has been in countless bands and played Fresno earlier this year in May, in one incarnation of his craft at the indie rock festival Nickfest, and helps manage a record label and recording studio for various bands.

The songs he played were heartfelt, emotive, and left many people holding each other and singing along. While it was just him and a acoustic guitar, he emphasized the empty sound with energy and upbeat

ARTS & ENTE Logan Downing • The Collegian

Top: Lead singer and guitarist Sheena Ozzella of Lemuria on Wednesday night. Lemuria and Into It. Over It. are currently on a joint nationwide tour.

Bottom: Bassist Emelia Guadarrama of Sci-Fi Caper sings to the crowd at local music venue Strummer’s while drummer Jorge Guzman plays along the set.

The local band opened for Lemuria and Into It. Over It.

songs, creating a positive atmosphere coinciding with his more melancholy songs. He closed his set on a fan favorite and one of his more popular songs, “Anchor.”

Buffalo-based Lemuria was the second half of the headlining act. This being their 3rd time in Fresno, Lemuria has created a growing cult following each time they are on the West Coast. They play powerful, catchy, indie pop punk. Lead by guitarist Sheena Ozzela, Lemuria has been the face of the emergence of female-fronted punk bands that have increased in popularity in the indie circuit.

Lemuria played fan favorites including “Dogs,” a revenge-breakup anthem that the crowd pumped their fists to, while screaming their hearts out. The crowd was relatively small, but every person present was a die hard fan, singing along to every line and verse. They played new unrecorded material and were met with an extremely positive response, among their Fresno fans.

To finish the night, Into It. Over It. and Lemuria shared the staged and played a special set consisting of songs written by each member, which were unrecorded, as they were trying out the songs while on the nationwide tour.

As a closer, all members ended the night with a cover of the 80s classic to “Melt with You,” by Modern English, which then caused the entire venue to sing along to the cult classic.

Chicago singer songwriter Evan Weiss fronts his solo project emo indie rock band, Into It. Over It. Bottom left: Lead singer Max Gregor of Lemuria plays into their second set.

THE SHORT STUFF: HOLIDAY EDITION Friday

Saturday:

Holiday Street Faire and Santa arrival

Children’s Electric Christmas Parade

Downtown Selma will host its Holiday Street Faire with activities, vendors and an appearance by Santa on Friday at 4 p.m.

The event will also include music, photos and holiday crafts.

For more information, visit www.cityofselma.com.

Christmas at Kearney The Fresno Historical Society will host its “Christmas at the Kearney Mansion Museum” with several dates for publicly guided tours. These tours will differ from previous ones as the mansion is fully decked out for the holidays along with the museum’s shop.

For more tour dates and information, visit www.valleyhistory.org.

Old Town Clovis Kiwanis Club will host this holiday tradition in Old Town.

The Children’s Electric Christmas Parade will feature decorated and lighted floats, marching bands, equestrian acts and more.

The parade starts at 6:30 p.m. in Old Town Clovis.

For more information, visit oldtownclovis.org.

67th annual Nation’s Christmas Tree City Toyland Parade Since 1925, Sanger has been known as the “Nation’s Christmas Tree City,” because of the city’s hosting of Trek To The Nation’s Christmas Tree Ceremony at the General Grant Tree in Kings Canyon National Park.

The annual parade will feature food

vendors, arts and crafts booths in Brehler Square and at 7th and N Streets. The parade starts at 11 a.m. on Saturday.

For more information, visit www. sanger.org.

2014 Tinsel Toy 5K run The Tinsel Toy 5K run and one-mile walk will benefit the Salvation Army and local high school cross-country teams.

Those who bring unwrapped gifts to the run or walk will have their gift donated to the Salvation Army of Tulare’s Holiday Toy Drive.

The one-mile walk will begin at 8 a.m. and the run at 8:15 a.m. The event will begin at the Tulare Outlet center.

For more information, visit www.visaliarunners.org.

Upcoming Events 85th annual Downtown Fresno

Christmas Parade

This year’s theme is “Candy Canes and Christmas Carols.” The annual parade is set to go on rain or shine. All floats will begin at Merced Street on the Fulton Mall and will finish at Kern and N Street.

The parade will be on Saturday, Dec. 13 at 11 a.m.

For more information, visit www.downtownfresno.org.

Jingle Bell Run for Toys for Tots Participants will wear jingle bells to run or walk along the 5K or 2-mile Christmas Tree Lane (Van Ness near Palm and Shaw Avenue) course.

Those who bring an unwrapped toy or gift for Toys for Tots will receive a Santa hat. Hot chocolate and cookies will be given out at the finish line.

The 5K starts at 9 a.m.

ERTAINMENT THE BREW

Lagunitas ‘Sucks’ doesn’t suck

REVIEW

By Troy Pope @darktroy

Lagunitas Sucks

 For beer enthusiasts, trying a new beer is an exciting event. When a beer hits the shelves, it’s a matter of when you’ll try the new beer, not if, but it doesn’t have to be brand new for to hold the same level of excitement.

Lagunitas Brewing Company, the Petaluma, California-based brewing company, is known for its inexpensive hoppy beers.

In 2011, construction issues at the brewery led to a shortage of the popular seasonal brew called Brown Shugga’. With that in mind, Lagunitas brewed a “substitute.”

Lagunitas Sucks, self-labeled as the “Brown Shugga’ Substitute Ale,” is excellent. It boasts strong hops and a sweetness uncommonly found in Lagunitas beers.

5

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

The aroma resembles that of a barley wine or strong ale more than an IPA, the beer type Lagunitas is widely known for.

After all, Lagunitas IPA is the number one selling IPA in California.

Despite the smell, the first taste of Sucks is heavy in hops. While Lagunitas beers usually allow you to enjoy the delicious hops flavor, this beer immediately goes in the opposite direction.

After the initial sharp, hoppy flavor, your palate is quickly greeted with an unusual sweetness.

Sweet like honey, the beer finishes very cleanly and leaves you wanting more of the strange flavor shift.

It finishes so quickly and smoothly that you won’t believe that it’s a heavy 8-percent alcohol by volume.

The beer that Lagunitas started putting out seasonally after its yearly edition of Brown Shugga’, has apparently made the leap from to seasonal year-round beer for the brewery.

The one downside to the beer is that the only way to buy it in the retail market is big, unclassy 32-ounce bottles. Beer is beer, so

it doesn’t really matter how you drink it, but you can probably expect to be intoxicated after only one because of its size.

Regardless, if you find it on tap in a bar,

Courtesy of Lagunitas Brewing Co.

or see the 32-ounce bottle on the shelf, it is definitely worth the purchase. You won’t be disappointed by its complexity or flavor.

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PAGE 6

THE COLLEGIAN • NEWS

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

Students trend toward alternative transport

By Jackson Moore @JacksonMoore_BB

You may not see many unicycles or Segways around campus, but more students are looking for ways to get to Fresno State other than the traditional four-wheeled automobile.

At a time when owning a car is the standard and automobiles are becoming more and more accessible, colleges around the nation are actually seeing an increase in students finding alternative means of transportation.

Fresno State is no exception.

This trend isn’t just about students being actively aware of their environment either. Fresno State parking and transportation manager Thomas Gaffery said it’s happening in part because the department is making efforts to bring students to campus in alternative ways.

“When you read about best practices in terms of transit, the best way to get people to adopt those strategies is to make them more convenient than driving your car by itself,” he said.

And that’s exactly what the Traffic Operations department has aimed to do in recent years.

After finding that about 10 percent of students live within a mile of campus, Traffic Operations has made an effort to get those students to campus without taking single-passenger trips.

“That’s really a population of students that we try to target, in terms of ways to help them come to campus, so that they don’t make single vehicle trips,” Gaffery said.

One of the ways that Fresno State is trying to do this is with funding it has received to improve Barstow Avenue. The funding is aimed to make bicycle transportation much safer and easier for students to get to campus on two wheels, instead of four. The university has recently received $1.2

million in funding to make the improvements, which will include expanding bike lanes on both sides of the road.

Too Far to Walk But what about the other 90 percent of the student population? Are they cutting back too?

Some students who live farther than a mile away, yet still within a reasonable distance, also ride their bicycles to school. The Barstow Avenue project will try to help such students by not only improving bike lanes, but also providing off-road trails that will connect the bike trails of both Clovis and Fresno.

Other driving alternatives include carpooling and taking the bus. Fresno State currently offers designated parking spots for students who carpool. However, for many, the city bus may take too long or not be in a convenient location. Of current available buses, the routes suggested to students are the Fresno 9 (Shaw), 28 (Willow to Shaw to Blackstone), 38 (Cedar) and Clovis 10 (Shaw).

“When we hear feedback from our students on why they may not take the bus, or the bus isn’t convenient, it’s often, ‘ell it doesn’t come frequently enough’ or ‘we don’t know when it’s coming,’” Gaffery said.

There is a plan in place to make the bus a more realistic option for many students. In the near future, the city will be working on a Shaw Avenue corridor which will have buses arriving every 10 minutes.

In the long-term general plan for the city, and the master plan for Fresno State, the bus stops along the perimeter of the university will be taken off the roadways and will be converted into a bus transit center on the campus.

Some Students Don’t Need the Push But even if these efforts weren’t being made, many students say they would prefer to get to school

A maintenance employee works on the bike barn near the University Student Union on Sept. 2.

by means other than driving a car.

For some students, convenience is the main factor in their transportation alternatives. There are several apartment complexes well within walking distance. One such complex is Campus Village on Barstow Avenue, almost directly across from Bulldog Stadium. The apartments even have a banner along the street side that reads, “Live close, drive less.”

“Just the quality of the place, and the distance on top of that, made it really easy,” said David Fernandez, a Fresno State student who lives at Campus Village. “It’s real easy to walk to, bike to, skate to... I am definitely not wasting as much gas as I did last semester.”

TJ Howton, an assistant manager at Mainland Skate and Surf at Fashion Fair Mall, said that with a longboard, students may be able to get to school faster than by car from certain distances.

“I would say that’s a huge advantage, to go with the longboard instead, because you can get a considerable sized distance in a

good amount of time,” Howton said. “A lot of times, between traffic and trying to get a parking spot and get to your class, it’s probably the same amount of time or even less to do the whole process.”

The Cool Thing to Do Though the convenience is key for many, there is also a “coolness” factor for students who ride around on boards or bikes. Howton says the board sales for Fresno State students have increased over his three years at Mainland.

“We definitely get a lot of students. That’s probably the majority of our skateboard sales,” Howton said. “It’s always picking up.

Everybody who buys a board tells their friend or sees their buddy riding around campus.”

Fresno State student Tanner McKeand, a bike enthusiast and employee at Steven’s Bicycles located at Willow and Nees avenues, said that students primarily come in seeking to purchase bicycles for transportation or to get their flat tires repaired.

Darlene Wendels • The Collegian

“They’re also coming in to look for bike locks to lock up their bikes. We’ve had a few students that were new to the area that were looking for a quick way to get to and from school. They were looking for basic entry-level bikes,” McKeand said.

Just this semester three bike barns were built on campus – near University Courtyard, the University Student Union and the Student Recreation Center. These large fenced-in areas provide bike racks with safety precautions so the students using them won’t become victims of theft. The bike barns are in the final steps, which will include a door that is activated by student ID cards.

Near each bike barn is also a DERO fix-it station. The red contraptions serve as a place for students to set up their bike and use the station’s tools to make repairs. The stations will also have a QR code that, when scanned, will send you to how-to videos for any necessary repair.

Jury refuses to indict officer in chokehold death GARNER from Page 1 concern on the part of too many minority communities that law enforcement is not working with them and dealing with them in a fair way.”

“It’s time for us to make more progress than we’ve made,” Obama said. “I’m not interested in talk; I’m interested in action.”

Garner, a 43-year-old father of six, died July 17 during an altercation that began when several police officers tried to arrest him on suspicion of selling illegal cigarettes on a Staten Island sidewalk. An onlooker’s video showed one officer, Daniel Pantaleo, locking his arm around Garner’s neck in what appeared to be a chokehold.

“I can’t breathe,” Garner gasped several times as other officers piled on him. The medical examiner ruled his death a homicide due to compression of the neck and chest, but the 23-member grand jury did not find reasonable cause to indict Pantaleo.

New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand called the jurors’ decision shocking. “The death of Eric Garner is a tragedy that demands accountability,” she said. “Nobody unarmed should die on a New York City street corner for suspected low-level offenses.”

Gillibrand and fellow Sen. Charles E. Schumer, both Democrats, called for a Justice Department investigation. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said he was

opening a federal inquiry that would be “thorough, fair and expeditious.”

“This is not a New York issue nor a Ferguson issue alone,” he said. “We must seek to heal the breakdown in trust that we have seen.”

The grand jury’s decision shocked many New Yorkers because of the graphic video that showed Garner falling to the ground and struggling to breathe as Pantaleo held on to him. But the police officers’ union said Garner’s obesity and other health problems contributed to his death. It said that Pantaleo did not use a chokehold and that Garner caused the altercation by resisting arrest.

Pantaleo, 29, who was stripped of his gun and badge after Garner died, issued a brief statement through the union. “I became a police officer to help people and to protect those who can’t protect themselves.

It is never my intention to harm anyone and I feel very bad about the death of Mr. Garner,” he said. “My family and I include him and his family in our prayers and I hope that they will accept my personal condolences for their loss.”

Pantaleo remains the subject of an internal NYPD investigation. It was not clear whether he would return to duty.

Garner’s widow, Esaw Garner, rejected Pantaleo’s condolences.

“Hell, no. … My husband is 6 feet under, and I’m looking for a way to feed my kids

now,” she said at an evening news conference at the Harlem headquarters of the Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network.

Gwen Carr, Garner’s mother, said she was “truly disappointed” by the grand jury, but urged protesters “to rally in peace.”

Demonstrators took to the streets of New York and major cities across the country, including Philadelphia; Atlanta; Oakland, Calif.; San Francisco and Washington, D.C., blocking traffic and staging “die-ins.”

There were some arrests, including 30 in New York, police said, but the protests were largely peaceful.

De Blasio quickly rearranged his Wednesday evening schedule, which had included presiding over the annual lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, and headed to Staten Island to try to calm protesters.

“Today’s outcome is one that many in our city did not want. Yet New York City owns a proud and powerful tradition of expressing ourselves through nonviolent protest,” said de Blasio, who took office in January with promises to mend relations between black and Latino communities and police.

The Garner case won’t help in his quest.

Neither will the shooting death last month of an unarmed black man, Akai Gurley, by a policeman patrolling a Brooklyn housing project. Police Commissioner William J.

Bratton called Gurley’s shooting a tragic accident, but activists have said it is another example of police being overly aggressive toward African-Americans.

Grand jury proceedings by law are secret, so it is impossible to know what swayed the panel’s decision. The district attorney in Staten Island, Daniel Donovan, said he had asked for a court order to make public “specific information” in connection with the jurors’ investigation. Donovan said more than 38 interviews were conducted with 22 witnesses, including first-responders and forensic experts, during the investigation.

Legal experts say it is always challenging to get indictments of uniformed law enforcement officers because of jurors’ tendency to trust their word against others’, and because prosecutors who work alongside police run grand jury proceedings and control what evidence jurors see and hear.

Even in cases where video appears to work against police, as in the 1991 Rodney King beating in Los Angeles, civilians often find it difficult to believe the officers responsible for protecting them could be guilty of wrongdoing. The LAPD officers were charged in the beating but acquitted, triggering the 1992 riots.

Ricardo Cano contributed to this report.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

Fresno State returns home from road trip, beats UCR

THE COLLEGIAN • SPORTS

PAGE 7

MEN’S BASKETBALL

‘Dogs snap five-game losing streak

BULLDOGS from Page 8 Senior and leading scorer Alex Sheedy came off the bench over seven minutes into the game on Wednesday, with Fresno State holding an early 12-7 lead. She had missed practice this week with the flu, but made up for lost time, scoring 13 of the Bulldogs’ next 16 points in a 4-minute span alone. Sheedy’s spark gave the ‘Dogs their biggest lead to that point with a 13-point margin.

“I just felt like I needed to come in and make a good impact, not just pity myself,” Sheedy said. “I was really happy that I was able to do that right away.

“I was ready today and I was ready to get back. It was nice to get back on the court and play with my teammates again.”

The Highlanders posted a 10-3 run, but the Bulldogs’ shooting from 3-point range kept them in front. Fresno State led 33-26 with one last possession of the half. Junior guard Alex Furr pulled off a step-back jump shot from well beyond the 22-foot, 1.75-inch distance that the professionals shoot 3-pointers from.

Furr’s shot was nothing but net as the buzzer signalled halftime.

In all, Fresno State made 7-of-14 3-point at“I just felt like I needed to come in tempts in the first half. and make a good impact, not just pity UC Riverside was 0-formyself. I was really happy that I was 6 from that distance. able to do that right away.”

The Bulldogs carried Furr’s momentum into — Alex Sheedy, the second half. Draper Fresno State senior forward connected on another 3-pointer leading to an 8-2 run to open the second half, extending the lead to 15. Riverside closed the lead to seven points, but the Bulldogs went on an 18-5 run to push the lead to 18 points.

Sheedy led the Bulldogs with a double-double on 21 points and 11 rebounds in only 16 minutes of play. Alex Furr had 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting from 3-point range and Robin Draper also finished in double figures with 11 points. Center Bego Faz Davalos led the team in rebounds with 12.

UC Riverside guard Brittany Crain entered Thursday’s game leading the nation in scoring with an average 29 points per game.

Crain managed only 10 points against the Bulldogs, making 4-of15 attempts from the field.

“We really had a focus of where she was at,” Fresno State head coach Jamie White said. “We started Stephanie Rovetti. Steph got the call and definitely came through for us. I thought she gave [Crain] fits early. She was everywhere that she was and we just said faceguard. If [Crain] doesn’t have the ball, don’t let her get it, if she does get the ball, use your fouls.”

Crain wasn’t the only one struggling. The Highlanders made only 36 percent of their field goal attempts compared to 41 percent for Fresno State. The Bulldogs also made a total of 10-of-19 3-point shots on the night, while UCR made only 2-of-16 attempts.

Fresno State improves to 4-2 on the season. The Bulldogs have a quick turnaround, playing on Saturday morning at George Washington at 11 a.m. PT. It will be a one-game road trip before the Bulldogs return for three straight home games.

Darlene Wendels • The Collegian

Fresno State forward Karachi Edo slams one in toward the end of the ‘Dogs’ victory over UC Irvine Wednesday at the Save Mart Center.

By Daniel Leon @DanLeon25

Three Bulldogs scored in double figures to help lift the Fresno State men’s basketball team past UC Irvine 72-63 Wednesday night at home.

The win over the Anteaters (3-3) helped the ‘Dogs, who are now 2-6, end a five-game losing streak.

“I thought that our guys did a really good job of setting the tone early tonight,” Bulldogs head coach Rodney Terry said. “And I think they sustained it throughout."

Sophomores Paul Watson and Karachi Edo dropped 23 and 21 points, respectively, while junior guard Marvelle Harris contributed 14 for the night.

The 21 points marked a career-high for the 6-foot-6 sophomore forward, and he added 10 rebounds to record a double-double.

Watson, one of the leading scorers from last year, continues to be productive for the Bulldogs, ranking third on the team in points per game with 12.6.

“We need Paul to score,” Terry said. “Paul is a guy that we need every night to be a really good defender for us and a guy who rebounds the basketball and scores for us. I thought that he came in and did those things for us tonight at a high level.

“Much like Karachi Edo. Karachi needs to defend, rebound and give us a low post presence and and he did that tonight with scoring in the post..”

With things neck-and-neck midway through the first period, Fresno State used 14 first-half points from Watson go on a 12-2 run to get out to a 36-27

lead at the half.

Defensively, the Bulldogs took advantage of 17 Anteater turnovers, including 10 in the second half to pull away.

UC Irvine cut the ‘Dogs’ lead to as low as six in the second half in the final minute, but seven straight points capped by a dunk by Edo helped seal the first victory for the Bulldogs over a Division I opponent this season.

"We haven’t been in that situation much this year," Terry said, "and obviously, we have to work on finishing ballgames down the stretch. But I was really proud with the way they stayed together.

I thought they played as a team and played really hard tonight.

“This was absolutely one of our best defensive performances. This team that came in here is an NCAA-caliber team. We knew it was going to be a grind tonight, and I'm just really proud of how the guys dug in stayed together.”

Like the Bulldogs, a trio of players for UC Irvine also totaled double digits, led by Will Davis and Jaron Martin with 12 apiece.

“It’s definitely a great feeling,” Watson said. “In the past 48 hours, we just came together and got our roles down. We knew what we needed to get done and we couldn’t talk about it anymore we just had to go our there and do it.”

For its following contest, Fresno State goes on the road to take on CSU Bakersfield (1-6) this Saturday at 7 p.m.

“This is a good starting point for us right now,” Terry said. “We just have to continue to build on being a good team and being good teammates.”

SPORTS

8

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

THE BOISE BATTLE CONTINUES Fresno State stays undefeated at home, beats UC Riverside SATURDAY 7 P.M. - CBS

AT

Darlene Wendels • The Collegian

Fresno State quarterback Brian Burrell practices for the Mountain West Championship game that will take place Saturday at Albertsons Stadium in Bouse, Idaho.

By Daniel Leon

At the time, the 10-point defeat marked the Bulldogs’ second loss of a three-game skid.

After an up-and-down season that featured adversity time and time again, the Fresno State football team is in contention for what it had its eyes set on the whole time: a Mountain West Championship.

This time around, the Bulldogs will take on longtime rival Boise State (10-2, 7-1 MW). The Broncos are currently ranked No. 22 in both the College Football Playoff Rankings and the AP Top 25 polls.

“We’re really fired up,” Fresno State head coach Tim DeRuyter said. “The only people that believed that we were going to be here [in the championship] were our players and our coaching staff. There was probably a little doubt in that group particularly after how we played in that Wyoming game. I’m really impressed with the way our guys rallied and the way our assistants really improved and developed them throughout the year and found ways to win. It just shows you what you can do through perseverance.”

In the Oct. 17 meeting earlier this season, the Broncos took the Milk Can back, topping the ‘Dogs by a score of 37-27. In that game, Marteze Waller rushed for 164 yards and two touchdowns. Boise State running back Jay Ajayi also had a solid performance on the ground, carrying the ball 30 times for 158 yards and a couple of scores.

The contest was close leading up until the fourth quarter, before the Broncos used their trickery to pull away.

“We didn’t finish,” Burrell said. “We were in the game late, tired through three quarters, and they beat us in the fourth quarter.”

Burrell playing key role in Bulldogs’ resurgence

@DanLeon25

Junior quarterback Brian Burrell was benched for redshirt freshman Zack Greenlee Nov. 1 against Wyoming. But since then, he has found some consistency.

Burrell had played a pivotal role in the Bulldogs’ latest three wins, averaging 225.6 passing yards per game and accounting for nine touchdowns in the span.

“I think each week he’s getting better and more confident,” DeRuyter said. “He’s throwing on time and our offense is playing fast when he does that. Those are things that he’s capable of, and we’re seeing much more from him. We're still not 100 percent there, and he knows that. That’s why we go out and practice to try to get there. The fact that he has really improved his game is why we’re in this game today.”

Burrell is 3-0 since being benched, all of those three wins coming in virtually must-win games to keep Fresno State in contention for a third-straight league title.

“We’re definitely lucky to be in the situation we are,” Burrell said. “With that being said, we’re going to make the most of this opportunity.”

The 'Dogs' 12-game 2014 season saw a three-loss, three-win pattern that ended with the team at .500 with a 6-6 record.

“We had a really strange journey to get here,” DeRuyter said. “It’s nothing we would have ever scripted, but our guys have known all along that this is the goal: get in this game and then hopefully finish and win this game.”

Saturday’s Sports Authority Mountain West Championship Game kicks off at 7 p.m and will be televised nationally on CBS.

FOOTBALL

Darlene Wendels • The Collegian

Fresno State guard Stephanie Rovetti defends UC Riverside guard Brittany Crain during the ‘Dogs’ 73-61 victory Thursday at the Save Mart Center.

By Jackson Moore @JacksonMoore_BB

There were many things going the Fresno State women’s basketball team’s way, as it beat the UC Riverside Highlanders 73-61 Thursday at the Save Mart Center.

Robin Draper and Alex Furr opened the game with back-toback 3-pointers for the Bulldogs. It was a sign of things to come from deep, as the Bulldogs shot a 53 percent clip from 3-point range.

73 61

See BULLDOGS, Page 7

Davison, ‘Dogs earn league honor

By Daniel Leon @DanLeon25

Logan Downing • The Collegian

Fresno State defensive lineman Tyeler Davison (92) holds onto a Hawaii rusher during the ‘Dogs’ 28-21 victory over the Rainbow Warriors Saturday at Bulldog Stadium.

The Mountain West Conference named Bulldog seniors Tyeler Davison, Josh Harper and Derron Smith to the All-Mountain West first-team earlier this week.

This marks the third conference selection of Smith and Davison’s careers and the second for Harper.

Junior running back, and 1,000-yard-plus rusher, Marteze Waller earned second-team accolades along with one of his offensive teammates, senior lineman Cody Wichmann.

Third-year offensive lineman Alex Fifita, senior outside linebacker Donovan Lewis and freshman tight end Chad Olsen were part of the league’s honorable mention.

Along with the first-team honors, Harper and Smith were invited to play in the 2015 Reese’s Senior Bowl while Davison earned an invite to play in the 2015 East-West Shrine Game.

Davison’s strong performance earns CFPA honors Davison was also recognized by the College Football Performance Awards for most outstanding play by a defensive lineman for his dominant performance in back-to-back weeks.

In last week’s win over Hawaii, the senior nose guard had five tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble. The week prior, he contributed in shutting down Cody Fajardo and the Wolf Pack in the second half of the game as he accounted for eight total tackles, a forced fumble and a sack.