February 3 2010

The

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Arts & Entertainment Mad Duck bar brings Boston feel to Fresno, Page 4 February 3, 2010 | Wednesday

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Celebrating African peoples’ history

By Joe Bailey The Collegian African Peoples’ History Month, also known as Black History Month, kicked off Monday with poetry, guest speakers, and a dance performance.

The celebration will continue throughout the month with more events and activities to come.

Dr. Malik Simba, an Africana

and American Indian studies professor at Fresno State, said “Negro History Week,” as it was originally called, was started by Dr. Carter G. Woodson in the 1920s, but is now celebrated throughout the month of February. Woodson was the second AfricanAmerican to ever receive a doctorate from Harvard.

“Black History Month was started in order to reclaim the achievements African-

Americans made to make this country better,” Simba said.

Woodson believed history was written in a way that was defending racism, Simba said.

“There is one thing about him [Woodson] that is very unique,” Simba said. “He believed that a racist history produced a racist people and a racist nation. For this nation to become nonracist and the See MONTH, Page 6

Matt Weir/The Collegian

Fresno State students sing during African Peoples’ History Month Celebration.

Sharing college experiences

By Mike Boylan The Collegian The Califor nia State University system is utilizing the growing popularity of blogging to allow people to share their stories and experiences.

The 23 CSU campuses have invited all students, faculty, alumni, employees and friends to become bloggers on a Web site called “First Generation,” geared at allowing first-generation success stories to reach a larger audience.

“If you are one of our many faculty and staff who are first generation college graduates,” Fresno State President John Welty said, “I invite you to contribute to the First Generation Stories Project – a project designed to provide inspiration and role models for our first generation students.”

Welty also noted that 35 percent of Fresno State students are the first in their family to attend college, while 15 percent have parents who started college but dropped out.

Welty, who is also a first generation college student, hopes that the blog will provide role models for many other aspiring college graduates.

“The purpose of the First Generation Stories project is to make first generation faculty and staff visible and to let them know that many of their professors, counselors and others have faced obstacles and challenges similar to the ones they are experiencing,” Welty added. “I am a first generation college graduate and intend to submit my story. I invite you to join me.”

Project organizers will collect various stories and use them for student support programs, classrooms and other venues. Also, all authors will retain final approval for their story before it is added to the collection.

From farmworkers to students One program on campus aids students from farmworking families as they become the first generation of university students.

By Thaddeus Miller The Collegian Attending high school in Mendota, Calif., with a mother at work in the fields, Arcadia Nunez was behind in school.

A counselor told her about the University Mig rant Services (UMS) program at Fresno State.

“I didn’t know the process of college,” Nunez said. “It was a whole new experience.”

Nune z attributes UMS with getting her caught up.

She will be graduating in December with a communicative disorders degree.

Last semester, 795 students who come from migrant, farmworking families took classes on campus.

Maxine McDonald, assistant vice president for student success services, said the UMS program is unique in that it caters to students of far mworker families and coordinates with the migrant community.

McDonald said students who come from migrant families don’t have an experienced parent at home to tell them how college works.

The UMS program provides

them with that guidance and mentors them through the system.

McDonald said UMS serves an important purpose.

“Whenever students are involved in their community and campus, it persists that they’ll stay in the community,” McDonald said.

UMS coordinator Raul Moreno facilitates for the students even before they are enrolled at Fresno State.

The majority of the students in the program are L at i n o, w i t h a s m a l l e r population of Southeast Asian and Punjabi students.

Because most of them speak English as a second language, Moreno said the earlier the students can be identified, the better.

“By the time we get them, they’re already behind,” Moreno said. “That’s the urgency for finding them early.”

If the student can be discovered in middle school or early high school, he or she has the chance to make up some academic ground through summer school.

High schools throughout the Central Valley have a counselor designated to

identify the children of farmworkers, and get them on track to attend college.

Before a student can catch up, often he or she needs to be encouraged.

“The first challenge is the motivation part,” Moreno said. “The students need to understand that they actually have an opportunity.”

Once a student has cleared both the educational and academic hurdles, he or she has to figure out how to afford tuition.

In October 2001, California Assembly bill 540 made it legal for the children of farmworkers to pay in-state tuition, assuming that they fit the criteria: the student must have attended high school in California for at least three years, graduated from high school or received the general education diploma (GED), register or be enrolled in a California college and sign a statement that he or she will apply for legal residency as soon as eligible.

Moreno said roughly 80 percent of the students in his program attain their citizenship, a process that he said takes anywhere between three and 30 years.

Each student will have a different path, Moreno said.

The students born in the United States, about 70 percent, will likely qualify for financial aid, internships and scholarships. However, foreign-born students can’t receive federal or state financial aid.

Moreno said few scholarships exist for those immigrant students, so they must rely on community service.

“If you do community service for an agency, chances are, that agency is going to help you out [with a scholarship],” Moreno said.

T h e a g e n c i e s a re n o t bound to any contracts.

However, Moreno acts on the student’s behalf as, in a sense, a lawyer, he said.

Moreno, a Fresno State graduate, was once in the same place as the students he works with. He dropped out of high school to work in the fields.

“A project within the mig rant education program reached out to me, and helped me get out of the fields and get back on track,” Moreno said.

Photo Illustration Matt Weir / The Collegian

Opinion The

Collegian

“W

Opinion Editor, Tony Petersen • collegian-opinion@csufresno.edu • Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Page 2

That’s What the People Are Saying On federalizing culture issues e federalize the culture wars all the time, of course—from Roe v. Wade to the Defense of Marriage Act. But it’s a polarizing habit, and well worth kicking.”

— Ross Douthat, The New York Times

Time to walk the walk T

he debt and deficit seem to have become common themes for the Obama administration.

Indeed, according to The New York Times, he used some combination of those words 19 times in his State of the Union address, words that were trumped only by those of jobs, 29 times, and tax, 21 times.

Thus, we know what the president’s overriding concern is now that the liberal agenda (health care, cap-andtax) has been at the very least stalled in the Congress: the economy. And the president’s rhetoric, at least, has been heading in the right direction.

He announced the beginning of a bipartisan commission whose sole focus would be on decreasing the debt.

He announced that a spending freeze on some domestic spending would be enacted for three years. And, undeniably, he does propose freezing and even eliminating some costly programs in his newest budget proposal.

But Mr. Obama, if I am granted this cliché, has been talking the talk without walking the walk.

First of all, the freeze on some discretionary spending is only a symbolic gesture, much like talk of limiting earmarks is. It will have basically no discernable impact on the budget.

According to The New York Times, of the $3.8 trillion budget the president is proposing, $2.4 trillion is on man-

The Right Tone Tony Petersen datory spending, such as Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and interest on the national debt. One cannot seriously talk of lowering the debt without doing something of impact that relates to the behemoths that are Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.

As well as not dealing with the problems that these programs pose, he has also lived by the politician’s credo—if a government program does not work, subsidize it.

In his newest budget, education, through the massive failure that is No Child Left Behind, will receive $3.5 billion more than last year.

These massive deficits will continue into the near future, and into the not so near future. President Obama admits as much in his budget projections. He predicts budget deficits even into 2020.

Is this really that big of a deal, some may ask?

In short, yes. If we continue down this unsustainable course, our future

will be filled with imminent doom.

For we will have only two courses of action: one, we experience massive inflation that would make Weimar Germany look like a beacon of fiscal sanity; and two, suffer a Great(er) Depression that would cripple our economy for years on end.

That is, unless we make drastic changes as soon as possible.

How do we fix this mess? One thing the president could do is to remove our troops from foreign lands that we occupy—all of them. Aside from Iraq and Afghanistan, we still have troops and bases in Japan, Germany, South Korea, and Italy. We even have troops stationed in England, a country that one wouldn’t think is in danger of being overrun by the terrorist hordes.

This is unnecessary. It is time we become a normal country again.

Bringing our troops home will save billions, even trillions of dollars, and may even be a safer foreign policy.

Something must also be done about Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. They are bankrupting the nation. To be perfectly frank, less benefits must be given. We, as a nation, cannot afford it. Raise the age limit for these programs, and limit the funding.

Something must be done to fix this problem. Unfortunately, it seems that no one in elected office has the guts to even try.

A different type of election A

new election is underway.

There are no feuding political parties or town hall debates, no perfectly practiced candidates trying to garner support on the campaign trail. Voters will not cast their decisions by going to a voting booth or marking a ballot.

The election taking place starts in neighborhood grocery stores and local farmers markets. The 2009 film documentary “Food, Inc.” persuades American citizens to demand safe, nutritious food that is properly labeled so consumers are able to make informed purchases. One way consumers can influence change is similar to any other election: vote.

“Food, Inc.” exhibits how far removed the average U.S. citizen is from the production of their food supply, illustrating the foods that fill the shelves in most grocery stores. While a small percentage of Americans plant or grow their own food, the rest are relying on the supermarket or nearby fast food restaurants. The food we get today is ready-to-eat and processed, resembling food but made mostly from human ingenuity.

After years of eating fresh and mostly unprocessed food, I don’t condemn other diets that might appear to be less nutritious. I realize everyone’s diet is an individual practice of what works best with their schedule and bodies. Despite that fact I do believe that we, as a U.S. population, have been living in ignorance about the

THE

Gypsy Life Lacee Solis food we eat, where it comes from and what it does to our body.

One natural farmer in the film complains that we want to pay the cheapest price for food but don’t realize that it comes with a price. Which consumer wants to buy the cheapest car?

Dollar menus and value meals are now on every fast food menu since the decline of the economy, but what is the real cost to consumers? Are we willing to give up substance and safe food in exchange for an extra buck?

The question lies in who to blame.

Personal responsibility is one factor since people have the freedom and choice to decide what to eat. On the other hand, price might be the biggest culprit to skewing how Americans eat.

The price tag on my weekly grocery bill is nothing to boast about since eating fresh is not cheap. In the film Michael Pollan, food journalist and author, pointed out that most people on a fixed budget are going to purchase what will fill them up as opposed to

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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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what is better for them. Our food system has been skewed, Pollan said, to make bad calories more affordable and accessible than nutritious calories.

The proof lies in the numbers.

Obesity rates are higher today than in any other time in our nation’s history.

According to an article in USA Today published in January, about 34 percent of adults in the U.S. are overweight or obese. The trend is similar in U.S. children, with about 30 percent overweight or obese. Our food system is creating a vicious cycle of people eating more, spending less and loaning out their health.

My family is an exemplary portrait of a typical American family dealing with obesity and the toll it has on the person both emotionally and physically. In the highly innovative and informational world we live in today it baffles me that a head of lettuce is more expensive than a fast food double cheeseburger.

I am campaigning for each person to cast their vote by what they purchase at the grocery store. It’s unrealistic to imagine that everyone will be able to afford all fresh and organic food, but I petition to purchase a few items that will show the corporations in charge of our food supply that we’re ravenous for better food and affordable prices.

Whether anyone is as moved by “Food, Inc.” as I was is a personal judgment, but the underlying message rings true: everyone has a right to healthy food.

Letters to the Editor (collegian@csufresno.edu) All letters submitted to The Collegian must not exceed 250 words in length, must be type-written, and must be accompanied by a full name and phone number to verify content. The Collegian reserves the right to edit all material for length, content, spelling and grammar, as well as the right to refuse publication of any material submitted. All material submitted to The Collegian becomes property of The Collegian.

Each member of the campus community is permitted one copy of The Collegian. Subscriptions are available for $25, on a semester basis. Staff positions at The Collegian are open to students of all majors. Contact the Editor in Chief for details.

All content Copyright © 2009 The Collegian.

Editor in Chief News Editor Features Editor Arts & Entertainment Editor Sports Editor Opinion Editor Photo Editor Multimedia Director Webmaster Presentation/Graphics Developer Online Features Reporter Online Sports Reporter Videographer Editorial Board

Brian Maxey Thaddeus Miller Michelle Furnier Danielle Gilbert Brianna Campbell Tony Petersen Matt Weir Anna Jacobsen Elisa Jimenez Michael Uribes Lacee Solis Allie Norton Sergio Cortes Brian Maxey Tony Petersen

One-Finger Salute

Culled each week from discussions in The Collegian newsroom.

Thumbs up Vegas

President Obama admonishing those who “blow a bunch of cash” in Las

Aside from being good advice (though that doesn’t mean this editor will necessarily heed it when he turns 21), he now has Vegas politicians and business leaders down his throat for threatening the very fragile Vegas ecosystem, which consists of starry-eyed tourists wasting thousands of dollars at the blackjack tables.

Plus, without Vegas, “The Hangover” would not exist!

Thumbs down

The reputed John Edwards sex tape Really, John Edwards? It wasn’t enough that during your campaign for the presidency, when people are watching your every move, you cheated on your cancer-stricken wife. You had to make a sex tape? A SEX TAPE?! Not even “Slick Willy” did that (as far as we know). One can only hope this never, ever, EVER comes out.

Thumbs up

Colbert grilling Ford MSNBC analyst and New York carpetbagger Harold Ford, Jr. is the consummate politician, and not in a good way. He flips and flops on nearly every issue, trying to gain political points with certain constituents. Thankfully, we have Stephen Colbert ready to come to the rescue. Question: why does it take comedians that host late night shows on Comedy Central to get politicians to answer tough questions? If only the mainstream media followed their example.

Thumbs down

Rahm Emanuel calling liberal activists “retarded” President Obama’s Chief of Staff is known for slips of the tongue, but he may have gone too far on this one. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has already called for his ouster over the comment.

He was quick to apologize to the chairman of the Special Olympics, as politicians often are, but how about one to the offended groups?

C

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

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Virginia Sellars-Erxleben Jan Edwards Reaz Mahmood Don Priest

Wednesday, February 3, 2009

The Collegian • Arts & Entertainment Arts & Entertainment Editor, Danielle Gilbert • collegian-features@csufresno.edu

The daily crossword

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis Los Angeles Times

ACROSS 1 Cribbage pieces 5 Shaving gel alternative 9 More than disliked 14 Power co. product 15 “Tickle me” doll 16 Texas mission to remember 17 Volcano feature 18 Equestrian’s control 19 Organizes alphabetically, say 20 Broadway premiere 23 __-card stud 24 Corp. honcho 25 Natural spring 28 Making lots of noise 33 Genealogist’s chart 34 No-treat consequence?

35 Speech impediment 39 Arises (from) 42 Till bills 43 Like draft beer 45 1492 Atlantic crosser 47 Start of a wide-area police radio alert 53 Artist Yoko 54 By way of 55 Athletic shoe’s turf grabber 57 Seating for extra guests, maybe 61 Yell 64 __ club: singing group 65 Decisive victory

Puzzle by David W. Cromer

C

PUZZLE SOLUTION: http://collegian.csufresno.edu Copyright 2009. Tribune Media Services, Inc.

66 Lower in esteem 67 Name on many Irish coins 68 Far Eastern detective played by Lorre 69 Texas Hold ‘em, e.g., and a hint to this puzzle’s theme 70 Boys 71 British weapon of WWII DOWN

Page 3

1 __ Bill: legendary cowboy 2 Romeo or Juliet, marriagewise 3 Swiss city on the Rhone 4 First part of an act 5 Plant with fronds 6 Designer Cassini 7 Ugandan dictator 8 Seles of tennis 9 Discuss thoroughly

10 Often 11 La Brea stuff 12 CPR giver, often 13 Hair styles 21 MIT, for one: Abbr.

22 Berlin’s land: Abbr.

25 Porous organ 26 Brownish purple 27 Inquires 29 Tax-auditing org.

30 Keep after taxes 31 Davis who played Thelma 32 __-Magnon 35 Bonkers 36 Words before instant or emergency 37 WWII invasion city 38 Good bud 40 Wire diameter measure 41 NBC weekend hit, briefly 44 One doing a pirouette, e.g.

46 Brokerage cust.

48 It’s nothing 49 Thingamajig 50 Security devices 51 Start again, as after a computer system crash 52 Military greeting 56 Wyoming’s __ Range 57 Firecracker cord 58 Hip bones 59 Socially inept type 60 Thousands, in a heist 61 Maple syrup base 62 “True Blood” network 63 Acorn’s destiny

C

Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 box contains every digit from 1 to 9 inclusively.

SOLUTION: http://collegian.csufresno.edu

Word of the Day

Evasive mumbling Mumbling the answer to a question in hopes that the questioner won't hear or understand an answer that may get you in trouble.

Source: UrbanDictionary.com

Arts & Entertainment The

Collegian

Page 4 • Arts & Entertainment Editor, Danielle Gilbert • collegian-features@csufresno.edu • Wednesday, February 3, 2010

“I

The

t is just as difficult to make bad food as it is to make good food. The difference is pride.”

— Alex Costa, The Mad Duck

being high-end eats for low-end fare.

“We want the menu to be really affordable,” Llanes said.

“The most expensive thing on

a kaleidoscope of world views to many of the projects involved in The Mad Duck.”

In keeping with the Boston pub theme, there is an adjoining patio in

“W

hether you roll out of bed or roll in off the job, you’re in college or you’re 50 years old, as long as you feel comfortable and have a good time.”

Neighborhood bar transports patrons to Boston and back for a wicked price.

By Danielle Gilbert The Collegian Rarely do you find a relaxed bar and restaurant in Fresno that does not house extras from the “Jersey Shore” or seating that only appeared practical on its blueprints.

However, if you do find such a place that has two happy hour specials and serves food until last call, it is an exception.

That exception: The Mad Duck Neighborhood Grill and Taphouse.

Although the name is a mouthful, the men that oversee the operation, Dustin Llanes, Alex Costa and head chef Kevin Keogh, seek to create the perfect brewhouse atmosphere.

The Mad Duck, a loose anagram of the managing partners initials, launched after a group of long-time friends decided to stop working for

Photo courtesy of The Mad Duck

restaurant owners and start working for patrons.

“We had literally spent years, and thousands and thousands of hours working to fulfill the visions of private owners dreams,” Costa said.

Fast forward one year later: the concept, which formulated around the simplicities that local watering holes lack, hatched. One of the formulas

our menu is $11.”

Not only is the farm-to-table style bar and grill reasonably priced, but the kitchen will serve food until midnight to go along with the bar’s two happy hour drink specials from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and again at 10 p.m. to midnight, seven days a week.

“Chef Keogh has a deep-seeded belief that it is just as difficult to make bad food as it is to make good food,” Costa said. “The difference is pride.”

The tap house, the owners said, was inspired by an old Boston pub motif.

The floor to ceiling distressed brick found inside the tap house was laid by the owners themselves. Costa, Keogh and Llanes not only designed and built the restaurant but also work at The Mad Duck.

“It is one reason it’s taking longer to open, because we have amateurs doing everything,” Llanes said lightheartedly.

Nick Potter, a Fresno State art and design professor, lent a hand and his vision to the project.

“From a fresh perspective on food to interior design, Nick has been invaluable,” Costa said. “The fact that he is a foreigner allowed him to bring

— Dustin Llanes,

The Mad Duck

which guests can enjoy one of eight American craft beers.

“Every beer on tap will be from the states,” Llanes said. “We are focusing on micro brews, a lot of your Sierra Nevada’s and Blue Moons.” He said the draft beers will be periodically rotated in order to feature as many “good ol’ American beers as possible.”

What started as an investment, putting money into a preexisting bar, evolved into a place of their own.

Fueled by family, friends and Fresno, The Duck is a clean and casual place where everyone can hang out, Llanes said.

“Whether you roll out of bed or roll in off the job, you’re in college or you’re 50 years old, as long as you feel comfortable and have a good time,” Llanes said.

The owners agreed. There will be no pretentions, no BS and no dress code when The Mad Duck opens its doors to the public mid-February.

“We take our jobs really seriously, but we’re not serious people,” Costa said.

The soon-to-open speakeasy is sure to be one of Fresno’s best-kept secrets – if The Duck manages to stay a secret.

Game developers see potential, not gold rush in Apple’s iPad.

By Brian Crecente McClatchy Tribune On its surface, Apple’s iPad may seem like a glorified e-book reader, but developers working on games for the system say they see within its extra-large screen and faster processor, great gaming potential.

The iPad is essentially an over-sized iPod Touch. The device features a 9.7inch re-engineered multi-touch screen, a 1Ghz processor and 16GB to 64GB of storage. The device will be available either with WiFi only support or with the ability to connect to the Internet

through a 3G AT&T cell service. The iPad, which hits this March, will sell for $500 to $830.

Game developers looking to support the new device have two ways of doing so. Because the iPad will run the same sort of operating system as the iPhone and iPod Touch, it can also run the same apps

built for those devices. But those apps will either have to run at their original, smaller size, or lose a

Photo by McClatchy Tribune

bit of fidelity when they are artificially enlarged. Developers could also decide to develop games specifically for the device or to develop a higher-resolution version of their iPhone or iPod Touch games for the iPad. PopCap, despite its exuberance for the iPad and successes with the iPhone and iPod Touch, hasn’t yet announced any games for Apple’s latest bit of gadgetry.

While more processing and screen space could mean more complex games, the feature developers seem most excited about is the iPad’s ability to allow the portable device to become a platform for multiplayer gaming.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

The Collegian • Features Features Editor, Michelle Furnier • collegian-features@csufresno.edu

Page 5

Student nationally recognized,FFA president A Fresno State freshman will travel more than 100,000 miles to Japan and 40 different states in presidency role.

By Sarah Kain The Collegian Freshman Levy Randolph, 19, has become the second Fresno State student in three years to be elected as the national Future Farmers of America president (FFA).

Randolph was elected as the 2009-2010 president on Oct. 24, 2009 after months of preparation.

“It took me four months of preparation to run for president which included keynote speeches, student workshops, and studying about FFA and current agriculture,” Randolph said.

“After the preparation there is a test, two essays and a week of interviews with the nominations committee who elect you into your specific positions.”

Randolph, an ag business major, fulfills the duties of president which are workshops and keynote speaking. He also has meetings with leaders in education, government officials, ag industry leaders, and corporate sponsors.

“We are on the road 300 days a year and the other 65 days we have ‘off’ are not always at home because some are rest days when we are not traveling or have work,” Randolph said. The con-

“M

y advice is to be passionate about what you do, to keep an open mind, and take an ag class.”

— Levy Randolph, Ag business major

stant travel and work for the position led Randolph to take this year off of school.

Over the course of his presidency Randolph will travel 100,000 miles.

Randolph said that as a team they go to 40 states in one year and they have a two-week international trip. This year they are traveling to Japan for their international trip.

“In Japan we are spending four days in Tokyo, visiting Toyota, spend four days in rural Japan, visit the U.S. embassy, and meet with Japanese agricultural leaders,” Randolph said.

Randolph will also lead his team in meeting with the Future Farmers of Japan. The program is to help students come together and have better relations.

Though Randolph, a Hemet native, is the current president of the FFA he just stumbled into an ag class in high school.

“I grew up in a military family and was really interested in playing sports,” Randolph said. “As a freshman, a friend convinced me to sign up for the ag class so we could just relax and hang out.”

Randolph’s teacher offered the class a chance to get an ‘A’ in the course.

“We had to present the FFA creed to the class for the ‘A,’ I thought why not I could please my football coach and relax the rest of the semester,” Randolph said. “My teacher liked my presentation so much they drug me to the FFA competition and I ended up being the runner up at the state level.”

From then on Randolph became more active in FFA raising animals for show, prepared public speaking, and managed his school’s garden. When it was time to pick a college he narrowed it down to Chico State, Cal Poly, and Fresno State.

“I picked Fresno State because the faculty was the best there and it fit my major,” Randolph said. “The faculty is very accommodating and they actually give you the time of day.”

Dr. Charles Boyer, Dean of the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, believes that Fresno State is lucky to get a student like Randolph.

“He is a mature, bright, young man.

He is going to be very successful,” Boyer said. “Levy being elected shows how good our students are at Fresno State and I am excited to have this high caliber student at the university, who will enrich the environment for not only the students but the faculty.”

Randolph plans to work toward owning his own youth leadership and curriculum development company after Fresno State.

“My advice is to be passionate about what you do, to keep an open mind, and take an ag class,” Randolph said.

Page 6

The Collegian • News News Editor, Thaddeus Miller • collegian-news@csufresno.edu

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

MONTH: Several events are scheduled throughout February CONTINUED from page 1 people to become nonracist, the mis-education must stop.”

“What he dedicated his entire life to, obsessively, was research. “By locating the facts that were left out or denied in history by the white supremacist school of historical writing.”

Simba said that Woodson was relentless in his mission to right the wrongs that were written in history books.

“He felt that if he could research and publish all the accomplishments and contributions to the growth of civilization made by black men and women that it would set this country free,” Simba said.

“This would accomplish a rejection of racist history.”

Woodson is now known as the “Father of Black History” and created the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, which chronicled achievements made by African-Americans when it published “The Jour nal of Negro History.”

Simba said these contributions to history must continue and Black History Month must be used to inspire more African-Americans today.

“There is a class dimension to the African-American community,” Simba said. “The ones left behind by the civil rights movement and affirmative action in the inner-cities need inspiration and hope.”

Simba said this year’s celebration held extra importance with Barack Obama marking his first year as President of the United States.

“This is a one year celebration of a great achievement,” Simba said. “This is to think about the past and influence the future.”

African Peoples' History Month 2010 Schedule of Events Week Two Movie: Precious

February 11 at 7 p.m. – SSU Fresno State students with I.D. – $2, general public – $4.

Africana Culture Night

February 12 at 6:30 p.m. – SSU

Week One Poetry Jam

This is an annual event featuring music, dancing, fashion, literature, and theater from an Africana perspective.

February 3 at 7 p.m. – The Bucket New and established poets are welcome. Open Mic.

Valentine Auction and Dinner February 12, 13 at 7 p.m. – IT 101, Alumni House

Grading and Evaluating President Obama

February 4 at 6 p.m. – Peter's Ed. Center A lively panel discussion with Africana Studies faculty

Rion “Chicago” Spears performed a poem that was inspired by Black History Month.

“It’s basically a way to celebrate the good, the bad, and the ugly,” Spears said. “It’s a way to show appreciation to

Celebrate Valentine's Day by bidding on a handsome bachelor and attending a formal dinner.

those who have given me an opportunity to come to this university and to get an education, to ride anywhere on a bus, to celebrate everything that was given to me. Celebrate those who fought through a time when people of my color

Week Three Do Ubuntu Film/Fundraiser February 17, 18 at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. – HML 2127

Buy bracelets made by South African women and support women and children in South Africa and Haiti. View the film "angles in the Dust".

Movie: The Black Rock

February 19 at 5:30 p.m. – McLane 121 A documentary chronicling the role of African- Americans in America's first super maximum security prison from the 1930s to the 1960s.

Play: Portraits of Courage February 19 at 7 p.m. – SSU

An examination of overlooked African Americans and their contribution to American History.

weren’t able to do anything.”

Even though February is designated as Black History Month Spears said, he celebrates all year.

“I like to celebrate being a descendent of Africa every day of the year because it’s a

very proud culture,” Spears said. “When this month comes around it makes me feel even more special because we have this time to celebrate and come together as a culture.”

Toyota probes take a new turn

By Ralph Vartabedian and Ken Bensinger McClatchy Tribune The potential for electronic defects in Toyota vehicles to cause sudden acceleration came under intensifying scrutiny Tuesday as both federal safety regulators and congressional leaders said they had begun new probes of the issue.

Toyota has blamed more than 2,000 reported cases of sudden acceleration in its vehicles over the last decade on floor mats and sticky gas pedals, triggering massive recalls worldwide. The automaker has insisted that it knows of no electronic defect that could cause drivers to lose control of its vehicles.

But federal safety regulators disclosed Tuesday that they had begun a "fresh review" of the electronic throttle system in Toyota and Lexus vehicles, which connect a driver's foot to the engine through sensors, computers and wires, rather than a mechanical link.

Regulators are also considering civil fines against the automaker for its handling of the recall, an official said.

The action comes after a g rowing number of independent experts have voiced doubt about Toyota's explanation, saying it cannot account for all the reports of sudden acceleration and that part of

the blame may rest with the electronic throttle system.

The Los Angeles Times reported last fall that complaints of sudden acceleration in Toyota vehicles skyrocketed with the introduction of electronic throttles.

Although Toyota has denied that electronics are to blame, those statements came under sharp attack Tuesday by Rep. Henry A. Waxman, D-Calif., and Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., whose staffs are investigating the company.

In a letter to Toyota, they accused the automaker of telling the public one story about its engine electronics and a different one to committee investigators in recent meetings.

To yo t a r e p r e s e n t a t ive s acknowledged to the committee that a sticky pedal might remain in a slightly depressed position, the letter said, but "they said that this would not lead to full-throttle acceleration." The letter also quotes Toyota re presentatives as acknowledging that it is "very, very hard to identify" the causes of sudden acceleration.

In a media blitz this week aimed at reassuring the public, Toyota executives have insisted that electronic problems are not behind the reports of sudden acceleration.

The letter also raises questions about when Toyota knew that it had a defect in its accelerator pedals. Although it has

publicly said that it became aware of the problems in late October, it told the committee staff that it first learned of the issue in April or May. Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons said the company would "continue to cooperate" with federal regulators. He did not comment on the congressional investigation.

T h e N a t i o n a l H i g h w ay Traffic Safety Administration, meanwhile, said in a statement that it would meet for the first time with outside safety experts, as well as manufacturers and suppliers, to review the potential that electronic defects are part of the problem.

"Toyota's unintended acceleration is going to be a watershed," Ditlow said.

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The 2010 model of the Toyota Prius has not been identified in the probe.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

The Collegian • Sports Sports Editor, Brianna Campbell • collegian-features@csufresno.edu

Page 7

Super Freeney Colts’ Freeney not sure his ankle will let him play in Super Bowl

By Sam Farmer McClatchy Tribune Will he or won’t he?

Can he or can’t he?

It was only fitting that Dwight F r e e n e y, m y s t e r y m a n f o r t h e Indianapolis Colts, showed up to Super Bowl media day Tuesday wearing flipflops. In light of his severely sprained ankle, his status for Sunday’s game seems to flip and flop by the minute.

Freeney, a defensive end who finished tied for third in the league with 13 sacks, didn’t have a noticeable limp as he made his way to his interview table at the event, and though he said the swelling had been bad, his ankles appeared to be roughly the same size.

“I don’t know exactly what’s going to happen,” he said. “Obviously, the competitor in me says, ‘Nothing’s going to stop me from going on that field.’ That being said, you don’t know how (the ankle is) going to be come game time.

I’m going to let the coaching staff and everybody collectively come up with that decision.”

The New Orleans Saints are certainly planning on him being at full speed.

From secretive team President Bill Polian on down, the Colts are notorious for keeping a tight lid on injury information.

“We’re planning on him playing,” Saints quarterback Drew Brees said.

“We feel like they are going to have all of the bullets in their gun and their full arsenal, just like ours. Any time you

play a team like this in an atmosphere like this, you expect everyone to play.”

Freeney confir med reports that he suffered a “grade-3” injury to his lower right ankle (which involves ligament damage) in the AFC championship game against the New York Jets.

That type of injury normally requires three to six weeks recovery time, said Dr. Phillip Kwong, an orthopedic foot and ankle surgeon at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles.

“A patient can mask some of the discomfort with medications,” Kwong said. “He can try to compensate for some of the weakness by taping, or various types of devices in his shoe that lessen the tendency to turn the ankle ...

But the more you tape up and bulk up, the less dexterity he’s going to have.”

Freeney said he has never taken a shot of painkiller before a game, but said, “that’s a conversation me and the docs are going to have to have on Saturday, if it’s even safe to do such a thing.”

Manning up Saints safety Darren Sharper has 63 interceptions in his career, nine of them coming against the New York teams, and has had some big games against Giants quarterback Eli Manning.

He doesn’t expect to have quite as much success anticipating what Eli’s big brother, Peyton, might do in the Super Bowl.

“I don’t know if you want to read Peyton’s eyes too much,” Sharper said.

Photo By: McClatchy Tribune

“He kind of has those cat eyes that’ll trick you if you watch them too much.

The thing with Eli, I got a lot more opportunities against him. We’ll see if Peyton is going to give me some opportunities because of our defense, some opportunities to make plays. He’s just such a technician with the football.

“Earlier on, I got Eli when he was younger. Peyton is a little bit older, so I think he has seen a lot of things that defenses can throw at you. So it might be a little bit of a tougher challenge to get him than it was compared to his

brother.”

Quite a life

Peyton Manning was asked whether it was a pain or strange coming down to South Florida early with some teammates to attend the Pro Bowl.

“I got to fly on a private plane with six of my best friends and teammates,” he said. “We had Ruth’s Chris Steak House food on the plane. The private escort ride to Miami. Shook a few hands, had to wave. Did one interview and made $45,000.

Brees carries hopes of a city

Photo By: McClatchy Tribune

By Mark Craig McClatchy Tribune When you have overcome as much as Drew Brees has in his life, enduring 60 minutes of Super Bowl media day isn’t so bad after all.

Whether it was his parents divorcing when he was in grade school, riding the bench early on at Westlake High near Dallas or never quite reaching 6

feet tall, Brees has always found a way to finish on top.

And whether it was falling to the second round of the 2001 draft, having his right throwing shoulder dislocated two quarters from free agency in 2005 or coping with the suicide death of his mother, Mina, in August, Brees never seems to stop bouncing back.

“He’s like a machine,” Saints guard Carl Nicks said.

Is there a better person that Brees to

carry the hopes of “Who Dat?” Nation, a Saints team making the first Super Bowl in its 43-year history and a city of New Orleans that’s still recovering from Hurricane Katrina 4 years later?

To finish on top this time, Brees must keep Peyton Manning and the Colts from winning their second Super Bowl in four seasons when the two teams meet Sunday in Super Bowl XLIV. It’s hard to bet against Manning.

Then again, people have been betting

against and losing to Brees his whole life.

He wanted to go to the University of Texas. The Longhorns didn’t want him. Brees turned the Boilermakers into Rose Bowl champions while shattering most Big Ten passing records.

The NFL wasn’t overly impressed.

Why? Because Brees went to the scouting combine and was measured a tad under 6 feet instead of his listed height of 6-1.

The Chargers got a bargain with Brees in the second round.

Brees didn’t have a contract for 2006.

The Chargers had former first-round pick Philip Rivers ready to start. So Brees heading into free agency with a busted wing and only the Saints and Dolphins showing interest.

“That was a defining moment in my life and one that brought me to New Orleans.”

The Saints gave him a six-year, $60 million contract with $10 million guaranteed. But it was more than the money that attracted Brees to New Orleans. It was the need to help the city recover from Katrina.

A wrong turn by Saints coach Sean Payton probably helped turn the Saints in the right direction. Payton had just been hired by the Saints and didn’t know his way around town. It was six months post-Katrina, and he was trying to avoid showing Brees some of the worst parts of the city.

He ended up showing Brees the worst as they wandered lost for almost an hour.

“That’s why I say it was a calling for me,” said Brees, whose foundation has raised or committed $3 million to rebuilding the community. “An opportunity that I have to not only come to a city and be a part of the rebuilding of the organization, but the city, community and region as well. There’s no city that deserves a champion more.”

Sports The

Page 8

Collegian

Sports Editor, Brianna Campbell • collegian-sports@csufresno.edu • Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Expectations set high for softball team The Bulldogs receive numerous pre-season accolades

By Vongni Yang The Collegian

Softball team ranked in two preseason polls The Fresno State softball team has already garnered national recognition and accolades before even stepping onto the softball diamond.

The team is ranked in both t h e N at i o n a l Fa s t p i t ch C o a ch e s Association (NFCA) and the ESPN. com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 rankings.

The team believes being ranked is an honor but they know it still takes hard work to accomplish it’s goal.

“Throughout the year, we really need to take care of business and work our way up to the Top 10,” said junior shortstop and team captain Haley Gilleland.

The ‘Dogs are ranked No. 25 in the NFCA pre-season poll receiving a total of 75 points.

“It’s awesome. It’s really exciting,” senior outfielder and team captain Brooke Phipps said about being ranked.

In the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate pre-season poll, the ‘Dogs were ranked 24th while receiving 70 points.

Being ranked in the Top 10 is an achievement the players hope to reach, but winning a regional title and advancing the team’s way into the College World Series is their ultimate goal.

Junior pitcher Morgan Melloh said her hopes for the season are to win.

“Try to go undefeated and get past the WAC Tournament and move onto regionals, super regionals and win that and make it into the top eight for the College World Series,” said Melloh.

‘Dogs favored to repeat as WAC champions With 11 returning letterwinners and seven returning starters, expectations are high for the Fresno State softball team.

The team was selected by Western Athletic Conference (WAC) softball coaches to repeat as WAC champions after winning both the regular season and tournament titles in 2009.

The softball team received six first place votes and tallied up a total of 48 points.

“It’s nice being ranked No. 1 and knowing that all those teams have that much respect for us,” Phipps said.

But Phipps and her teammates believe that being favored before stepping onto the field doesn’t mean much.

“We have a lot to prove still; it doesn’t mean anything right now,” Phipps said.

“We still have to go out there and beat everybody.”

Haley Gilleland and junior pitcher Morgan Melloh were both selected by the coaches to the 2010 pre-season AllWAC team.

Melloh was also named as the pre-

Matt Weir / Collegian File Photo

Hailey Gilleland leads the team this season as captain. She has also been selected by coaches for the 2010 pre-season All-WAC team.

season WAC pitcher of the year.

Pitcher Named to Top 50 Watch List Junior pitcher Morgan Melloh was one of 50 collegiate softball players selected by the Amateur Softball Association (ASA). She’s up for the USA Softball National Colle giate Player of the Year Award.

Melloh won 30 games as a sophomore while appearing in 53 games in 2009.

She pitched 139.1 innings and struck out 450 hitters. Opponent’s batting average against Melloh was .176.

Melloh was a first-team All-WAC selection in 2009 and captured MVP honors in the WAC Tournament.

As a freshman in 2008, Melloh earned WAC Pitcher of the Year as well as being named the top freshmen in the WAC. Melloh won a school-record 42 games in 2008.

This is the second consecutive year that Melloh has been on the ASA Top 50 Watch List.

‘Dogs defeat nationally ranked teams

All-Decade team voting open

Men’s Golf team places 3rd in the Ping Arizona Intercollegiate

Voters decide which Fresno State student athletes make up the team.

By Megan Morales The Collegian

Bryan Cole / Collegian File Photo

Bhavik Patel finished the tournament tied for second place, posting six birdies, three of which were in the final four holes.

While playing in the toughest tournament field of the season, the Fresno State men’s golf team finished third Tuesday in the 2010 Ping Arizona Intercollegiate Tournament with a three-day total of 14-under par.

The Bulldogs took on major challenges facing several high caliber teams, including defending National Collegiate Athletic Association champion Texas A&M, along with No. 3 Florida, No. 15 UNLV, and three other ranked teams.

Sophomore Bhavik Patel posted six birdies, three of which were in the final four holes. Patel tied for second place at 10-under par, three strokes behind University of Arizona’s Rich Saferian.

Junior Bryan Hogan completed the tournament with a 2-under Par score of 69, making 11 birdies in his final two rounds. Followed by teammate Grand Doverspike, finishing at 2-under par, landing a tie in 20th place.

Head coach Mike Watney said the team had a lot of unfortunate things happen early on, but fought through each obstacle, according to gobulldogs. com.

Watney said he is satisfied with the way his team finished, and is happy about the strong start.

The Bulldogs are anxious about the remaining season, but have not overlooked what it takes to get to the NCAA tournament. Last year, the ‘Dogs had to win the WAC tournament in order to secure a spot in the final tournament.

This year they would like to earn that spot early by playing well right away.

While making it to the championship tournament is the ultimate goal for Fresno State men’s golf team, they’re focusing on one tournament at a time.

The Bulldogs will head next to the University of San Diego Invitational on Feb. 8-9.

C

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

By Brianna Campbell The Collegian Bulldog fans have the chance to vote for their favorite student-athletes of Fresno State from the last decade.

Voting currently involves fall sports from 2000-2009: football, soccer and volleyball. Voting is open from Jan. 25–Feb. 7 and the results will be released on Feb. 9.

The only guideline for voting is that the student–athlete must have competed for least two year’s in the decade.

When voting you will have a chance to write-in your own candidate in each position if desired.

This is a great way to be involved with Fresno State Athletics and get your opinion and vote!

Voting will be open for the All-Decade team for men’s and women’s basketball from Feb. 15–28 and baseball and softball from March 8–March 21. Men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s track and field and equestrian will be open for voting from March 29–April 4. to vote log-on to: http://www.gobulldogs.com/ot/fres-all-decade.html.