THE COLLEGIAN MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2016
FRESNO STATE'S STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1922
‘Only the first week of school and I already have to buy Plan B.’
MORE INSIDE
Yak of the Week:
FRESNOSTATE.EDU/COLLEGIAN
MMA
Bellator 148 rumbles into Save Mart Center Darlene Wendels • The Collegian
Paul Daley (left) throws a left hook toward Andy Uhrich during the welterweight main event of Bellator 148, held at the Savemart Center, Friday, Jan. 29, 2016. Daley knocked Uhrich out with a right uppercut within the first couple minutes of the first round.
BULLDOG EXPRESS
All aboard the new campus shuttle By Razi Syed @TheCollegian
The new Bulldog Express brings students living nearby to campus.
Courtesy Photo • University Communications
Hoping to cut down on the number of students needing campus parking spots each day, Fresno State began a student shuttle service on Jan. 25 to take students living close-by a lift to campus. The Bulldog Express is free for students, faculty and staff when they show their ID cards and will run Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. The buses seat 40 people, and have four seats in each row. One of the buses had a mechanical issue during the first week and a large van is temporarily being used in its place, said Abigail Hudson, president of
See EXPRESS, Page 3
SCHOLARSHIPS
Think you might not qualify for financial aid? Think again By Julissa Zavala @TheCollegian
“I don’t get financial aid because my parents make too much money,” is a sentiment that many college students have heard, if not said themselves. The middle class seemed to be a dreaded status for a college student. Student’s parents made too much money for a student to
qualify for financial aid, but not enough money to pay for years of higher education. Students who fall in the middle class range may now have an incentive for filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) because of the recently implemented Middle Class Scholarship (MCS) that has been around since 2014. The MCS is a scholarship for undergraduate students who at-
tend a University of California or a California State University system school, make at least a 3.0 GPA, whose parent(s) earn up to $150,000 and have a maximum annual household asset amount of $150,000. Alexis Perez, ambassador for the MCS, said that tuition for UC and CSU schools had skyrocketed since the early 2000s and now
See FAFSA, Page 3
Graphic by Bethany Izard
OPINION
GOT OPINIONS? We want to hear them. COLLEGIAN-OPINION@CSUFRESNO.EDU MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2016
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
CSU FACULTY STRIKE POSSIBLE
STUDENTS SHOULD SUPPORT TEACHERS By Diane M. Blair CFA Fresno State Chapter President
By now most students know that the faculty on our campus and across the 23-campus California State University system are in a labor dispute with CSU management. You’ve seen faculty members wearing red, you’ve read statements regarding possible strike actions in your syllabi, and you’ve probably seen signs around campus about the “Fight for Five.” So why have you heard faculty saying, “We don’t want to strike, but we will?” The specific argument is over how much faculty members will be paid. For more than 10 years, the pay of CSU faculty has remained flat and lagged behind inflation. The average faculty member at Fresno State has lost the equivalent of over $13,000 in purchasing power in the last decade, and this is a serious problem for faculty and our families. This is also a serious problem for CSU students because it’s harder to hire and retain talented faculty for your classes. In addition, more than half of your instructors work on temporary assignments at low pay. Most of them do not get full-time work in the CSU, so they must rush to other jobs or teach classes at other institutions to make ends meet.
2
Yaks of the Week
From the bowels of the anonymous app Yik Yak – a five mile radius from Fresno State
I waste so much gas in the parking lot. Paul Schlesinger • The Collegian
Students walk passed boxes that the Fresno State CFA chapter used in a skit called “Race to the Bottom” to illustrate the plight of CSU faculty and students on Thursday in front of the Kennel Bookstore.
This disinvestment in faculty is really a disinvestment in the classroom and the university’s core educational mission. Even with the campus-wide equity program implemented by President Joseph Castro last year, the average earning at Fresno State (what faculty actually take home in their paychecks before taxes) is less than $48,000. The CSU Chancellor’s office likes to talk about average base salaries, but that assumes everyone works full-time. Even when you consider full-time base salaries, the average faculty salary at Fresno State is still less than $63,000.
CSU faculty members are by far the lowest paid educators across the state, and that includes not only the University of California system but the community college system and K-12 teachers as well. As faculty we care about our students and we want every student to succeed. We want and believe that teaching in the CSU can and should be a solid middle class job that enables us to support our loved ones while we help students get college degrees and secure their own place in the middle class. We hope a satisfactory resolution will be reached between faculty and CSU management.
We will keep students updated throughout the semester regarding any possible strike actions. In the end we believe we must stand up for ourselves and for the importance of our role protecting the university’s core mission. We think this is an important lesson for our students, too. There is a point when people must say, this has to be fixed, and we will not give up until it is fixed.
C
COMMENT: The Collegian is a forum for student expression. http://fresnostate.edu/collegian
My cat smelled so I rubbed a dryer sheet on her, now she smells like fresh laundry. Girl by the IT bldg parking lot with a bike helmet, I love you. I’m not part of the Democratic Party and I’m not part of the Republican Party. But I am sure as hell part of the pizza party. To the girl that just shared an armrest with me during lecture… What are we? I’m hungry and it smells like a baked potato in the Science Building. Vote online! The winner will appear on the front page of next Monday’s Collegian!
Paul Vieira • The Collegian
THE COLLEGIAN The Collegian is a student-run publication that serves the Fresno State community. Views expressed in The Collegian do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff or university. fresnostate.edu/collegian
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THE COLLEGIAN • NEWS
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2016
PAGE 3
AMERNET STRING QUARTET
Darlene Wendels • The Collegian
Jason Calloway plays the cello with the Amernet String Quartet in Fresno State’s Concert Hall, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016.
Free shuttle runs Monday through Friday EXPRESS from Page 1 Associated Students, Inc. The cost for the shuttle will be $653,446.13 for three semesters, parking and transportation manager Tom Gaffery said. The two shuttles run simultaneously along the route and will stop at Bulldog Lane, Millbrook Avenue, Campus Drive at North Gym, the Save Mart Center parking lot and Campus Pointe. “It takes about a half-hour to complete a trip,” Gaffery said. “A bus comes to the stop every 15 minutes.” Fresno State has been looking for a way to deal with the short supply of parking spots. “I know that last year, even, it was something that had been discussed more casually that maybe a student shuttle would be an alter-
native to a parking structure,” Hudson said. “I’m sure you’re familiar with all the conversations that have gone on about a parking structure – it’s like $40 million to build it. It’s not really in the cards as an immediate solution.” As of fall 2015, Fresno State has an enrollment of 24,136. The university believes that around 2,400 students living near the school could potentially be regular riders of the Bulldog Express. “Our data shows that we’ve got in excess of 10 percent of our student population that live within a mile of campus,” Gaffery said. University officials also hope that students driving to school and parking on campus can utilize the Bulldog Express. “Parking at the Save Mart Center lot is fine, if you have classes on the east side of campus,”
Gaffery said. “But sometimes, parking at the Save Mart Center lot and then having to be on the west side of campus – that’s a bit of a walk.” In the next several months, Gaffery said the school hopes to add a feature to the Fresno State mobile application that would allow students to get real-time tracking of Bulldog Express shuttles along with estimates of stop arrivals. Thuy Nguyen, a graduate student studying education, has enjoyed riding the shuttle the first week. Nguyen noted that she once waited around an extra 10 minutes when the shuttle wasn’t on schedule but, “I like it anyway,” she said. Nguyen looks forward to being able to have real-time tracking for the buses.
Discussions for a shuttle became more serious around September 2015, Hudson said, and university officials determined the shuttle would be able to begin service in January. During the end of the fall 2015 semester, Fresno State interviewed companies interested in operating the campus shuttle. Ultimately, Chicago-based SP+ Transportation was picked to run the shuttle because of their experience in running other university shuttles and the speed at which they could begin service, Hudson said. It took around four months from the time the university seriously considered a shuttle and having the shuttle in operation. “Most of the companies that applied said they couldn’t do it by January, and that they’d want
to start in the fall,” Hudson said. “But we knew that we wanted to offer it to students in January so we made sure it was a very quick turnaround. Fresno State President Dr. Joseph Castro really wanted it to be available in January.” Under the arrangement with SP+ Transportation, the company will own the buses, hire and train drivers and take care of maintenance of the buses. There are no estimated ridership numbers available for the first week but Hudson said she has been using the shuttle and has always had at least one person riding with her and up to as many as 10 other people. Hudson said she expects more people will ride the Bulldog Express as they learn about the new shuttle.
Deadline to apply for FAFSA and MCS is March 2 F FRESNO STATEE FAFSA from Page 1
middle class students need financial aid as well as students from low income families. “The California government has created their own initiative to provide more aid to those families that fall within that middle income bracket,” Perez said. “Just to make sure that it’s not a burden for their children to go to a university in California.” Monique Mejia, coordinator for the MCS through California Student Opportunity and Access Program (Cal-SOAP), said that she thinks students are intimidated by the financial aid process or they just don’t realize that they qualify for certain grants or scholarships. “All they have to do is fill out the free application for FAFSA,” Mejia said.“There’s no special button that they have to push,
they just fill out the FAFSA like normal and if they are eligible then they will receive the aid money.” Perez said that the application will recognize if a student is eligible for the MCS and will automatically enroll the students who qualify. “Scholarship is attached to the name of this grant, so a lot of people hear that and they think of a separate application or they think that they need to write a personal statement or provide more personal information,” Perez said. “Which is not the case.” Mejia said that last year 150,000 students were expected to qualify for the scholarship, but that only about half of that number applied, thus allowing more scholarship money to be allotted to qualifying students. Depending on how many students fill out the FAFSA and
qualify for the MCS, Mejia said that students in the UC system should expect to get around $1,100, and CSU students should expect to get around $700. “That $700 can buy them a laptop or some of their books or their rent for one month,” Mejia said. Mejia said that Cal-SOAP is trying to bring awareness to the MCS by attending functions at high schools and putting up flyers at community colleges to let possible transfer students know that they can receive money when they transfer by just applying for FAFSA. The Middle Class Scholarship is for incoming freshmen, continuing students and transfer students throughout the UC and CSU systems. The deadline in California to apply for FAFSA and the MCS is March 2.
happening toMORROW registration still open Apply online
Asi.fresnostate.edu
NEWS
4
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2016
WEATHER
Storm dumps record-breaking rainfall on Fresno
An overturned big rig blocked the southbound lanes of Interstate 5 along the Grapevine as a result of a storm system that dumped rain and snow across the state.
By Paul Schlesinger @PaulSch_Photog
An El Niño-fueled storm system brought record-breaking rainfall to Fresno and dumped snow in the Sierra Nevada on Sunday.
Fresno received 0.98 of an inch of rain on Sunday, breaking the previous record of 0.96 of an inch from 1963, said Scott Rowe, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Hanford. The record rainfall was much more than the third of an inch of rain originally forecasted to fall in Fresno.
“It was a healthy dosage of precipitation for the central San Joaquin Valley,” Rowe said. In the mountains above Huntington Lake, China Peak Mountain Resort reported receiving over 2 ½ feet of snow since noon Saturday, with most of the snow falling on Sunday, said Tim Cohee, CEO and general manager
Courtesy Photo • California Department of Transportation
for China Peak. Interstate 5, the main route from the Valley to Los Angeles, was also affected by the storm as a traffic collision involving a big rig blocked multiple lanes on the southbound side of the freeway along the Grapevine, the California Highway Patrol said. Mostly to partly cloudy skies
are expected this week as the Valley dries out as the storm system barrels toward the Midwest. Fresno is forecast to reach 54 degrees on Monday, with temperatures dipping to 35 at night. The high is expected to be 54 again during the day and 38 during the night on Tuesday.
EDUCATION
Obama seeks $4.1 billion to expand programming classes By Toluse Olorunnipa Bloomberg News/TNS
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama will ask Congress for $4.1 billion to expand computer programming classes
in every public school, the White House said Saturday. The proposal, backed by technology firms including Apple, Google and Microsoft, will be included in Obama’s fiscal 2017 budget, to be released Feb. 9. Teaching basic coding to more
grade-school children is necessary to expand the U.S. economy, Obama said. “In the new economy, computer science isn’t an optional skill — it’s a basic skill,” Obama said Saturday in his weekly television and radio address. “I’ve got a
plan to help make sure all our kids get an opportunity to learn computer science.” The president’s proposal would provide $4 billion to states and $100 million to school districts over three years that could be used to train teachers, expand course
offerings and improve programs that encourage girls and minorities to pursue technology careers. The White House said technology companies had pledged to increase their investments in computer-science education as part of the initiative.
HMONG
New Hmong minor a glimpse into future By Jasmine Castrellon @TheCollegian
First in the western United States and fifth in the nation, Fresno State plans to offer a Hmong minor next semester through the Linguistic Department in the College of Arts and Humanities. The Central Valley has one of the largest Hmong populations in the nation and Fresno State, having a highly populated Hmong student body, now has the need
for a Hmong minor. The minor calls for 18 units in Hmong culture, history and language and was proposed by Dr. Kao-Ly Yang, a Hmong and French professor. The Hmong minor is still awaiting approval from a few committees, but Yang is confident everything will be ready for the fall semester. Yang said that as the coordinator, she believes the four main objects of the minor are: to learn the language, answer to students’ need, help create future leaders and to advance students’ academ-
ic writing skills. “You have a lot of students who would like to get reconnected to their culture,” Yang said. “In order for you to succeed in mainstream society, to become a lawyer, doctor, teacher, engineer, reporter, you have to know your culture and be proud of who you are.” Yang had a lot of Hmong students who insisted that she should push for a Hmong minor at Fresno State. Keng Vang, president of the Hmong Language Club at Fresno State, told Yang that he
did not want to graduate until he received his minor in Hmong. “I’m the oldest son in my family so there is a lot that is expected from me. I’m supposed to be the one who holds the culture and traditions and be the model for my younger siblings,” Vang said . “It would be great if I have a minor, so that I’ll have proof that I’m fluent in Hmong.” Dr. Honora Howell Chapman, associate dean of Arts and Humanity, supports and said that having a Hmong minor at Fresno State is important for students.
“It provides emotional benefit for the students who get to study their family’s language, culture and identity. They can ask questions about what it means to be Hmong today, what it will mean for children eventually,” Chapman said. “I think any time you have the opportunity to learn about your family's history and background, you become a more complete person; you become a more whole human being.”
THE COLLEGIAN • POLITICS
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2016
PAGE 5
Presidental candidates on immigration 57%
“We are a nation of immigrants.”
•
Dismantle inhumane deportation programs and detention centers.
•
Pave the way for a swift and fair legislative roadmap to citizenship for the eleven million undocumented immigrants.
•
Ensure our border remains secure while respecting local communities.
•
Regulate the future flow of immigrants by modernizing the visa
•
Triple the number of ICE officers.
•
Nationwide e-verify. This simple measure will protect jobs for unemployed
system and rewriting bad trade agreements.
Bernie Sanders (D.) U.S. Vermont Senator
• •
38%
“We need strong borders. We need a wall.”
Donald Trump (R.) American businessman
Americans.
Enhance access to justice and reverse the criminalization of immigrants.
•
Mandatory return of all criminal aliens.
Establish parameters for independent oversight of key U.S.
•
Detention—not catch-and-release. Illegal aliens apprehended crossing the border
department of Homeland Security (DHS) agencies.
must be detained until they are sent
“America needs comprehensive immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship.”
Hillary Clinton (D.) Former Secretary of State
•
Fight for comprehensive immigration reform legislation with a path to full and equal citizenship.
•
37%
Defend President Obama’s DACA and DAPA executive actions.
•
Do everything possible under the law to go further to protect families.
•
Conduct humane, targeted immigration enforcement.
•
Expand access to affordable health care to all families.
•
Promote naturalization.
home, no more catch-and-release. •
2016
Defund sanctuary cities. Cut-off federal grants to any city which refuses to cooperate with federal law enforcement.
•
End birthright citizenship.
“It’s not that we don’t know how to solve illegal immigration. What is missing is the political will to get it done. And, as president, I will get it done. We will secure the borders.” •
Build a wall that works.
•
Triple the number of Border Patrol agents.
•
Increase vital aerial surveillance.
•
Provide additional equipment and technology along the border.
•
Finish the biometric tracking system at our nation’s ports of entry.
Ted Cruz (R.) U.S. Texas Senator
13%
All polling percentages represent the latest for New Hampsire whose primary is Feb. 9.
Take A Ride On The Bulldog Express
POLITICS
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2016
6
IOWA CAUCUS
Presidential candidates take last shots before Iowa caucuses By David Lightman, Anita Kumar & Lesley Clark McClatchy Washington Bureau/TNS
DES MOINES, Iowa — Presidential candidates offered closing arguments — with insults and accusations — as they crisscrossed Iowa in search of votes the day before voters head to caucuses. With huge blocs of voters still undecided on their choices, Republican front-runners argued over who was a true conservative. Democrats clashed over the meaning of Hillary Clinton’s latest email controversy. The State Department designated 22 of the emails that Clinton, the former secretary of State, sent or received on her private server as “top secret,” giving critics an another opportunity to attack her for not to properly securing sensitive information. Clinton said Sunday that that “it was not the best choice” to use a private email system for government business, and charged that Republicans were using the issue to beat up on her. “I just want this matter resolved,” she said on ABC’s “This Week.” Clinton led 45 to 42 percent over Bernie Sanders, the independent senator from Vermont, in the Des Moines Register/ Bloomberg Politics poll released Saturday. There were echoes of 2008 for Clinton. She began that campaign as a strong caucus favorite, only to finish third behind Barack Obama and John Edwards. Sanders, a self-proclaimed democratic socialist, has had a similar surge. He’s campaigned on ridding the U.S. of income inequality. “I thought that message would resonate,” he said Sunday of his popularity in Iowa and elsewhere. “I did not think it would resonate as fast as it did.” His campaign announced Sunday that it raised more than $20 million in January, almost all from small online donations. The fight in the closing hours was for a sizable pool of undecided voters – 16 percent of Clinton backers said they could still switch, while 29 percent of Sanders supporters said the same. The big variable is turnout. “We will win the caucus on Monday night if there is a
Riccardo Savi • Sipa USA/TNS
GOP presidential candidates Dr. Ben Carson, Donald Trump, Sen. Ted Cruz (R- Texas) and Jeb Bush on stage during the CNN Republican presidential debate at the Venetian in Las Vegas on Dec. 15, 2015.
large voter turnout,” Sanders told an audience in the Iowa town of Manchester. Clinton does well with voters over 45, while Sanders has a huge edge with younger voters — but they traditionally are more reluctant to caucus. Obama’s appeal eight years ago was a big factor in attracting those voters, but so far, there’s little evidence of a similar new voter turnout. While 60 percent of 2008 Democrats were first-time caucusgoers, this time about one-third are expected to be new. Among Republicans, the race Sunday remained an often bitter brawl. Donald Trump and Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Marco Rubio, R-Fla., took turns insulting each other Sunday. “Ted is a liar. This is why nobody likes him,” Trump said on ABC. As ads by Cruz supporters charge Trump has only recently discovered conservatism, Cruz himself tried not to respond to his rival’s latest attacks. “I’m not going to engage in personal attacks,” Cruz said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” He was less generous to Rubio, who’s been under fire for his 2013 support for a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Rubio backed away from that
position after conservatives criticized him. Still, Cruz said, “a vote for Marco is a vote for amnesty.” Rubio fired back. “The lie that his whole campaign is built on is that he’s the only conservative and everyone else is a sellout and a RINO (Republican in name only) and it’s absurd,” he said. When he campaigned over the weekend, Cruz stressed his religious ties and his loyalty to the conservative cause. He urges supporters to “awaken the body of Christ that we may pull back from the abyss.” Cruz is for that vote with retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, and others, and hasn’t quite convinced a lot of sympathetic voters. “I like where Cruz stands, but sometimes he comes off as a little harsher than I want,” said David Smith, a software engineer from Ames. Mobilizing the Republicans’ evangelical bloc could inch him closer to Trump. While the Register poll had Trump up 28 to 23 percent over Cruz, it found that 47 percent of GOP caucusgoers said they were evangelicals, down from 57 percent four years ago. If evangelical turnout swells to 60 percent Monday, Trump’s projected lead shrinks to 1 percentage point. Anita Kacmarynski , a volunteer from
Newton, is trying to get out the word. “We believe in the Constitution. We believe in the Bible. When you’re in the room, you feel that Cruz will do what you believe in,” she said. Rubio, a favorite of mainstream Republicans, could benefit from a familiar caucus scenario. Should supporters of like-minded candidates who are faltering — like Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor, or Chris Christie, the governor of New Jersey — decide they have little chance, they could switch to Rubio. Mark Lansing, a Dubuque credit counselor, found Rubio to be “most articulate, the best opportunity for us to win in the fall, by far. I love that he supports traditional values, his heart is in the right place.” Trump, he said, is “the worst possible candidate.” Trump retains solid, seemingly unshakeable support. He campaigned Sunday with Jerry Falwell Jr., president of Liberty University, a Christian school with strong evangelical ties. Trump’s refusal to debate Thursday apparently didn’t hurt him. His supporters are unfazed by charges that he only recently embraced conservative principles, and cheer his eagerness to flout conventional wisdom and political behavior.
TRUMP
Trump says he would consider appointing justices to overturn samesex marriage decision By Sarah D. Wire
Los Angeles Times/TNS
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump told “Fox News Sunday’s” Chris Wallace that he thinks the Supreme Court, which last year ruled that same-sex marriage does not violate the Constitution, should have left decisions about same-sex marriage to individual states. Trump and fellow Republican candidate Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, are battling for the support of Iowa’s evangelical voters as the state prepares for Monday night’s first-in-
the-nation caucuses. Trump said he’d “strongly consider” appointing Supreme Court justices who would overturn the court’s 5-4 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, the landmark 2015 case that legalized same-sex marriage across the country. “I don’t like the way they ruled … I disagree with the Supreme Court from the standpoint that it should be a states’ rights issue and that’s the way it should have been ruled on,” Trump said. “I would have much preferred that they ruled at a state level and let the states make those rulings themselves.”
Riccardo Savi • Sipa USA/TNS
Presidential candidate Donald Trump walks on stage during the CNN Republican presidential debate at the Venetian in Las Vegas on Dec. 15, 2015.
THE COLLEGIAN • SPORTS
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2016
SUPERBOWL
PAGE 7
Paul Klee: Super Bowl 50 is Von Miller vs. Cam Newton
David T. Foster III • Charlotte Observer/TNS
Mark Reis • Colorado Springs Gazette/TNS
Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton steps off the stairs after the team’s plane landed at Mineta San Jose International Airport on Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016, for Super Bowl 50.
Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller hoists the Lamar Hunt trophy following Denver’s 20-18 win in the AFC Championship game against the New England Patriots on Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016 in Denver.
By Paul Klee
In the 2011 draft, Newton went No. 1, Miller No. 2. They share a history. How Miller got to this point _ the eve of his first Super Bowl week, since he missed Super Bowl XLVIII due to a knee injury _ is more complicated. This is Von 3.0. The first iteration earned Defensive Rookie of the Year and piled up a franchise-record 30 sacks over his first two seasons. Von then was a toned-down version of Von now, challenging strangers to games of Connect Four and spending longer than he needs to signing autographs outside Mile High. The second Von was a ghost. He faced legal issues like traffic tickets and a missed court date, and he faced stuff that threatened his career. Failed tests put him in the NFL's drug program and earned a suspension. He bulked up, his neck disappeared, and so did the free spirit who was happy to explain the difference between "layers and fryers" at his chicken sanctuary in Texas. "I wouldn't call it a full (chicken) farm," said Miller, a poultry science major at Texas A&M. It's always risky to claim someone is a changed man, on the straight and narrow, since we never truly know what's going down beyond the locker room. We just don't. But the Von you see now is definitely not the Von from two years ago. Since the first week of training camp when Miller declared, "I love this team," he has been a steady stream of sacks (13.5
overall), shenanigans (gifting to teammates underwear "that increases blood flow to their area") and sack dances (if he drops Newton, who wants to bet he dabs?) "If I was a quarterback, I'd probably be doing the exact same thing," Miller said. What changed? "DeMarcus Ware," he said. Here, let Von tell it. "You get to see greatness up close and personal," he said. "The coaches tell you this is what leadership looks like. You've got all these greats that come through here, and they tell you this and they tell you that, but having a real-life example just a couple feet from me... Him being my idol, it was just great. "I get to come in and see what type of shoes he wears every day, how he laces up his shoes, how he comes to work. How does he handle adversity and all that stuff? I got to see it up close and personal. That helped me be the type of person I am today." Powerful stuff, right? Consider John Elway's acquisition of Ware in 2014 a double splash. Both benefited Miller, and not by coincidence. One, the Broncos scored a bookend for Miller's pass rush. Two, Elway landed a mentor for Miller, who soon will sign the most lucrative contract for a defensive player in league history _ if he's not hit with a franchise tag. I asked DeMarcus: How is Von different now from when you arrived in Colorado? "Von was going through some things off
the field, but you have to understand that sometimes you're young for a while and you have to grow up," Ware said. Simple enough. Media are trying their damnedest to complicate and turn Super Bowl 50 into a contrived political statement. Labeling quarterbacks by their race makes for juicy clickbait, but don't fall for it. See, the coolest thing about the games we play is that they don't care. They don't care about your ethnicity, your background. They care about whether you can play. Sports are mostly silly, but sports remain an unbiased meritocracy. In a locker room, race is seldom an issue until outsiders inject it into the situation. Newton being a black quarterback wasn't a thing until media made it a thing. I have yet to meet a person in Colorado who cares about Newton's skin color, only those who wonder this: Can the Broncos beat the Panthers and their absurdly gifted, 26-year-old quarterback. Without knowing it, Miller offered the freshest take on the black vs. white nontroversy that serves as low-hanging fruit in an otherwise riveting Super Bowl. "That's one of my favorite quarterbacks," Miller said. "Peyton (Manning) is obviously my favorite quarterback, but other than that, it's Cam." Real recognizes real, not skin color. Von 3.0? The best player in Super Bowl 50 recognizes an opportunity.
Football has rolled its calendar over to a new year. I'm really excited about the assistant coaches that Tim DeRuyter has added to his football staff. With signing day coming up next week and spring football at the end of February, now is the time when the 2016 season really starts. Bulldog Foundation and football season ticket renewal packets will be hitting mailboxes next week. We can't thank you enough for your long-standing support. Your donations to our scholarship fund, as well as your football ticket purchases, are
the backbone of our department. Every donor matters and every donation makes an impact on our student-athletes. The BDF also launched its new website last week (bulldogscholarshipfund.com), which will make the ticket renewal and donation process easier for you. Our dedicated team is here to help you with any questions you might have, so please give us a call or stop by our offices any time. Lastly, we look forward to the upcoming release of the 2015 Fall Mountain West All-Academic Teams. Our student-athletes
continue to impress us with their dedication in the classroom. That is an important part to their education, growth and development as well as a focus for us as a department. It is our calling to have athletics and academics rise together at Fresno State. We want Fresno State to be the best in the Mountain West and to make this community proud. Please jump on board and join us in that mission. Go `Dogs! Jim
The Gazette/TNS
DENVER – The best player in Super Bowl 50 is African-American, constantly dancing, some people don't like him, and no one is making a big deal out of it. 'Sup, Von. "Howdy," Miller says often. The biggest stage in American sports was made for a man who once referred to himself as Vonnie Football. Have you noticed the Broncos' eccentric linebacker relishes the spotlight? Oh, just a little. The dress shoes studded with gold spikes. The fur-trimmed Elmer Fudd hat. Wrapping up his media obligations last week by taking a quick Snapchat. "Sunday," he said of his self-imposed social media hiatus. "I'm back on Sunday." For the Broncos to upset the favored Panthers on Feb. 7, Miller must perform like the All-Pro pass-rusher who wrecked Tom Brady and the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. Two { sacks and an interception? That's a start. "The best defensive performance in Broncos history," Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe said of the 'D' as a whole on Denver's 104.3 FM The Fan. Miller Time would give Denver a shot at emptying the tank on Cam Newton and the Carolina juggernaut that carry a 17-1 record into Levi's Stadium next Sunday.
AD Bartko releases letter to Red Wave BARTKO from Page 8 our teams. Let's pack the Save Mart Center the rest of this year and help our teams stay hot as they chase Mountain West titles. Our men's team ranks seventh in the Mountain West in attendance and our women's team third, which I believe we can do much better than that. Come out and watch Marvelle Harris chase down Melvin Ely's school scoring record and watch Bego Faz Davalos put up double-doubles just about every night.
NDAY
Men’s Tennis vs. St. Mary’s, 2 p.m.
ESDAY TU
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MO
FRESNO STATE ATHLETICS CALENDAR N ES D URSDAY FRIDAY A ED H T W Women’s Basketball vs San Jose State, 7 p.m.
Women’s Tennis @ ITA Team National Indoors Equestrian @ TCU
TURDAY A S Lacrosse vs PomonaPitzer, 2 p.m. Men’s Basketball vs UNLV, 4 p.m.
ND SU AY
SPORTS
8
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2016
SWIMMING & DIVING
‘Dogs fall to rival Spartans on Senior Day
Darlene Wendels • The Collegian
Fresno State and San Jose State swimmers compete in Saturday’s meet at the Aquatics Center. The Spartans came out on top 153-147 in a meet that came down to the final event.
By Collegian Staff @TheCollegian
The swimming and diving team dropped its regular season finale 153-147 to Mountain West in-state rival San Jose State Saturday afternoon at the Fresno State Aquatics Center. In the back-and-forth meet, the Bulldogs held a 143-140 lead heading into the final race but weren’t able to hold off the Spartan relay team of Riley Spitser, Brynne Beneke, Taylor Lehr and Marley Maluafiti in the 400-yard free relay. The Bulldog relay team of Leah Hatayama, Katelin Britton, Kali Conlon and Tarryn Rennie recorded a time of 3:30.24, just 2.23 seconds behind San Jose State. “It’s disappointing that we lost the meet,” Bulldogs’ head coach Jeanne Fleck said. “But we swam faster than we’ve ever swam in a dual meet all the way across the board from start to finish. Everybody
came with their ‘A’ game.” Fresno State kicked off the meet with a win in the 200-yard medley relay with the team of Ugne Mazutaityte, Brooke Rodriguez, Tarryn Rennie and Leah Hatayama finishing with a time of 1:44.61. But San Jose State answered back with wins from Riley Spitser in the 1,000-yard (10:36.65) and 200-yard free (1:51.65) to give the Spartans a 37-18 lead. The Bulldogs, however, snatched the lead back with wins from Mazutaityte and Brooke Rodriguez in the 100-yard backstroke and 100-yard breaststroke, respectively. Hatayama pulled off a 50-yard free win with a time of 23.46 to cut San Jose State's lead to 66-65 heading into the break. The senior then returned with another win, this time in the 100-yard free (51.94). The ‘Dogs continued the momentum and grabbed a 108-99 lead after taking first place in consecutive events as Mazutaityte and junior Hailee Baldwin took
the top spots in in the 200-yard backstroke (2:00.14) and 200-yard breaststroke (2:21.57), respectively. But the Spartans weren’t done as Spitser brought her team back with a victory in the 500-yard free (5:03.07) over Fresno State’s Casey Kennemann. Junior Esme Gullick then picked up a 200-yard individual medley win to put Fresno State up by three points heading into the deciding 400-yard free relay. In total, the Bulldogs recorded nine first place finishes – in one relay and eight individual events. The ‘Dogs are about two weeks out from the Mountain West Championships, which take place Feb. 17-20 in College Station, Texas. “We swam our best and we gave them everything we’ve been able to give them,” Fleck said. “We had a great meet. I’m feeling great going into the Mountain West Championships.”
ATHLETICS
Jim Bartko Issues Letter to the Red Wave Hello Red Wave, What an exciting start to 2016 it has been for the Bulldogs! I must say how proud we are of our women's tennis team and coach Ryan Stotland for their huge victories over No. 34 Arkansas and No. 9 UCLA last week. The win over the Bruins advanced our team on to the Sweet 16 of the 2016 ITA Indoor Championships. It will be our third trip to the Sweet 16 since 2008, which is the most from any
school in a non-Power 5 conference. We look forward to cheering them on next week in Wisconsin. Our freshman phenom swimmer Ugne Mazutaityte was selected by the Lithuanian Swimming Federation to swim at the European Aquatics Championship in May, giving her an opportunity to qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games in the backstroke. We all look forward to watching her pursue her dream of reaching the Olympics. No
Bulldog swimmer has ever competed in the Olympic Games. Our women's basketball team is off to an 8-0 start and atop the Mountain West standings. Men's basketball is 11-2 at home this year and 5-3 in conference play, remaining in the top four in the league standings. They both are playing really well right now and it is time for the community to buy in and support
See BARTKO, Page 7