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Stimulus money to save courses By Thaddeus Miller The Collegian
Joy Hallare / The Collegian
President John Welty gave opening remarks before the brainstorming began.
A one-time fund will salvage some classes for the fall 2010 semester. The $2.9 million in one-time federal stimulus money came from a pot of $50.9 million that the California State University (CSU) system divided among the 23 campuses. President John Welty made the announcement during Friday’s 2010 budget summit. “This is good news and we are gratified to be able to help our students as we did earlier this school year,” Welty said during the summit. The projected campus deficit of $8.5 million, Welty said, could mean as many as 64 fulltime faculty members, mostly lecturers, would lose their jobs. The federal stimulus money will help to retain some of those jobs and, in tur n, courses. The university already plans to reduce enrollment for the fall back to the size it was in 2000. In a video message before the summit, Welty said a tentative budget would likely be avail-
able in March. The budget would be contingent on state legislature action. More than 100 faculty, staff, students and administrators took part in the second half of the budget summit. Split into 13 groups, the participants took part in a giant brainstorming session to reduce university costs and generate revenue. The groups offered ideas ranging from consolidating redundant programs – one group cited the writing center and learning center – to adding an academic surcharge to every event ticket sold on campus. Vice president for student affairs Paul Oliaro, who took part in the summit, said that last year’s summit spawned useful ideas. For instance, Continuing and Global Education’s winter intersession. “We offered an intersession in January and it was quite successful,” Oliaro said. “And I believe that students appreciated the opportunity to take a course over the three-week period prior to the start of the spring semester,”
Oliaro said a similar intersession will be offered in May. Two common ideas from the participants were for the university to offer more courses online and to discourage students from taking courses outside of their majors. Oliaro said discouraging students from dabbling too much would streamline graduation and reduce the number of “super seniors,” students who have exceeded 120 units but not met graduation requirements. “That would make more courses available for other students who are trying to meet their g raduation requirements,” Oliaro said. Oliaro said that most majors already allow students to take a diversity of courses by way of electives. Another participant, Provost William Covino, the vice president for academic affairs, said the university offered 160 online courses in fall 2009 and is exploring more. “A number of faculty and programs are actively developing new online offerings,” Covino said.
iClicker paying off, say professors, students By Mike Boylan The Collegian A year and a half after the inception of the iClicker on campus, it has proven to be a durable and interactive learning tool. The iClicker, a hand-held device that is typically used in large classes, allows students to answer questions electronically. Answers can then be instantly posted on a projector screen. In some classes, this has replaced roll call and paper based quizzes and tests. P h i l o s o p hy d e p a r t m e n t chair Andrew Fiala is using the iClicker for the first time this semester and says the device is pretty fun. “I like having an interactive class, and the iclicker allows me to ask interesting questions and get immediate answers to them from all 150 of my students,” Fiala said. The results of iClicker survey questions are posted up on the screen as a bar graph, showing how many students chose certain answers. “Upon getting this feedback, I can gauge where the students heads are at and also ask them
why they answered the question the way they did to generate discussion,” Fiala said. “It also tells me how much they’re learning.” Fiala added that the iClicker makes the logistical part of his job more efficient as well. “Grading 150 handwritten quizzes can be time-consuming, so the electronic data I get makes it much easier for me,” Fiala said. According to the Institutional Research Assessment and Planning’s (IRAP) 2008-09 progress report of the strategic plan, the iClicker contributed to the rise in students reading their textbooks in Chemistry 1A. In-class quizzes using the device helped bring the percentage to 85 percent, 35 points higher than previous semesters. H i s t o r y p ro f e s s o r B r a d Jo n e s, wh o h a s us ed the iClicker for two years now, teaches a class of more than 200 students this semester and says the iClicker facilitates an interactive environment that would be impossible otherwise in a class this large. “The iClicker has completely changed the dynamics of
what was previously a lecture oriented class,” Jones said. “I can now involve students and use their responses to clicker questions to improve the contents of my lectures.” The iClicker is most commonly used in large classrooms. However, the devices are limited to one of five multiple-choice answers. So, they may not lend themselves to smalle r
classrooms, Fiala said. “Fresno State used to have smaller classes, which is something I prefer. These large classes that the iClickers are suited for, well, we’d still be losing something,” Fiala said. “Also, in a philosophy class that tends to
demand less concrete answers as opposed to a math or history class, smaller classes are ideal.” Other than the iClicker’s added cost to students, which cost about $32, the iClicker has proven to be an easy to use classroom tool. Ron Durham, director of the Kennel B o o k s t o r e, s a i d there have not been defective
iClickers returned by faculty or students since its introduction. Cheyenne Rael, a studente m p l o ye e a t t h e Ke n n e l Bookstore, said that the iClicker never malfunctioned when she used it in her math class last spring. “It was easy to register and easy to use,” Rael said. “I would have no problem taking another class that required the iClicker. And it is cool that I wouldn’t have to buy another one.” Susan Bartel, who works at the bookstore, offers advice for students planning on using it for multiple semesters: “Students should put some tape over the serial number, because their fingers tend to wear them off and you need that number to rere gister the device.”
Opinion The
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That’s What the People Are Saying
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Opinion Editor, Tony Petersen • collegian-opinion@csufresno.edu • Monday, February 8, 2010
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On America’s debt
oters—certainly American voters—don’t buy the endless “war on” analogies (war on drugs, war on crime, war on terror), and they won’t quickly rally around a war on debt. But they just might appreciate a politician who skips the slogans and tells them the truth.” — Evan Thomas, Newsweek
Time to get rid of Hill? P
rior to Fresno State’s bowl game loss to Wyoming, the athletic department did something they had to do: extend Pat Hill’s contract. Pat Hill’s contract was up after 2010, and it is rare for college coaches to enter the final year of a contract without an extension. This is because if the university is unwilling to show a long term financial commitment to their head coach, it becomes difficult to convince recruits that they should make a four year commitment to the school and creates a mood of uncertainty around the program. I cannot be convinced that Hill’s contract was extended because the school sees a long future together. In the 2008 season in which the Bulldogs finished a disappointing 7-6 overall, the mood surrounding the program seemed to be that Hill and the school were ready to part ways, a scenario many Bulldog fans embraced. Pat Hill’s track record makes it difficult for the school to let him go. I know this. Even considering the tradition of mediocrity that plagues the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), Hill’s teams are consistently among the top three in the conference, year in, and year out. He beats teams he should beat, and loses to teams he should lose to. Compiling a 100-66 record over 13 years is nothing to be ashamed of. The athletic department needs to decide what kind of program they want to be. If being 8-5 every year and
With All Due Respect Mike Boylan attending pre-Christmas bowl games is sufficient, then yes, keep Hill for as long as he wants to stay. But the lingering memories of the 11 win season in 2001 and their conference nemesis Boise State’s quick ascendance from obscurity to a nationally ranked powerhouse has generated a consensus among fans and alumni that just being respectable is not good enough. Hill’s desire to fly to the University of Washington for a job interview in the middle of the 2008 season demonstrates just how quickly Hill is willing to walk, if given the opportunity. The University of Washington shrewdly decided to pass on the conservative and defensive minded Hill in order to give the job to a bright, young offensive coordinator from USC, Steve Sarkisian, who is already turning that program around. The idea of welcoming Hill back with open arms should have been unpalatable to the athletic department and Bulldog fans.
The sad reality is that both Hill and Fresno State feel the other is the best they can do right now. Pat Hill wins just enough games to keep him from losing his job, while not winning enough to land him a more high-profile gig. But the athletic department, knowing full well what the football program’s success does for the university, feel they cannot afford to risk failing miserably, which Pat Hill, with the exception of the 2006 four win season, has never done. Letting Pat Hill go would have been bold, but the alternative was to do just what they did, which was to give a somewhat disgruntled coach an extra $2 million guaranteed to get them seven or eight wins and an insignificant bowl game. Now Pat Hill is in the driver’s seat. With one great season he will walk right off campus and into another football program. With one terrible season then yet again, his detractors will be calling for his head. Why deal with this? By not firing Hill after the 2008 season, Fresno State would have been hard-pressed to adequately justify firing him after a successful 2009 campaign, and was forced to deliver him a contract extension. The Washington interview should have been the straw that broke the camel’s back, but the athletic department, perhaps frightened by their many egregious hiring errors in the past, was, unfortunately, too apprehensive.
Don’t drop our cultures By Oscar Perez The Collegian
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s a cultural competence specialist, I was shocked to hear that the Multicultural/ International (MI) requirements at Fresno State were taken into consideration for elimination. Being culturally competent is not about knowing every aspect of every culture, but rather understanding and accepting everyone for who they are. But how can we understand and accept others for who they are if we don’t learn absolutely anything about them and leave it to Fresno State to make this ignorance possible? What exactly is culture? When many think of culture they automatically think of race or ethnicity. Culture, however, is much deeper than that. Culture is what makes an individual who they are; it is about finding their true identity and being proud of it. We all belong to our own unique cultures, whether it be the Mexican culture, African-American culture, Punjabi culture, Hmong culture, gay culture, deaf culture, Greek culture, feminist culture and so on. Our culture is who we are, and I don’t believe that Fresno State nor
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anybody else should have the right to say, “You don’t need to learn about those people anymore.” I’m not saying that we should force everyone to learn about different cultures. I simply want everyone to understand that it is important and beneficial for their future to learn about the diversity that unique cultures in the world have to offer us. When I heard this news I asked myself, “Can we truly afford to eliminate these requirements? Are we sure that we are thinking about the consequences this might bring?” I think not. I believe that by eliminating these requirements we are increasing the amount of ignorance already prevalent in the world. Fresno State is already culturally incompetent and to eliminate these requirements would be a complete mistake. I believe that these requirements were interwoven into our education because of the ignorance and oppression that the world had and continues to have. Yet, so many students have benefited from such requirements. The MI requirements have helped students gain unique cultural experiences and they have given students the opportunity to learn about different cul-
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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tures they never even thought about. Students’ horizons and knowledge about themselves have expanded to new levels and they have received the opportunity to learn how to work with individuals from different parts of the world, and they have shown many students how to empathize with people that are not like them. The MI requirements in my view are vital to every student’s education and to their personal and professional growth. I come from a little town in central Washington State. Culture, as well as diversity, was never a problem there. Why? There was no diversity. I was 14 years old when I moved to Fresno and had my first encounter with AfricanAmericans, Asian-Americans, Middle Easterners and so on. Now, I am proud to say I am a Californian. I have been given the opportunity to enjoy the many cultures and lifestyles California offers. It’s beauty comes from the different cultures and diversity it offers not only to its residents, but to the world. I just hope that Fresno State truly takes into consideration all the benefits and does not make a decision that will eventually hurt many students, communities and, ultimately, society.
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.
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One-Finger Salute
Culled each week from discussions in The Collegian newsroom.
Thumbs up Super Sunday
No matter what you think of the outcome, does it get any better than Super Bowl Sunday? Good food, great football, the camaraderie of having friends and family there; I think not!
Thumbs down
Half Dome limit on climbers Half Dome at Yosemite National Park, the site where tens of thousands of hikers each year make the pilgrimage to climb it, is now having its access limited to 400 climbers a day by park officials. Sure it will probably limit the amount of fatalities resulting from a fall, but at what cost? We the people demand to test the limits of our mortality!
Thumbs up
Fresno as the drunkest city in America Oh yeah, that’s right, baby! We Fresnans sure know how to party! Everybody else in America knows who to call now. Take that, Chico State!
Thumbs down
Fresno as the drunkest city in America According to USA Today, the criteria was “death rates from alcoholic liver disease, booze-fueled car crashes, frequency of binge-drinking in the past month, number of DUI arrests, and severity of DUI penalties.” Uh, yeah. Our bad.
Thumbs up
Sarah Palin not ruling out presidential bid in 2012 And not because your Opinion Editor is a right-wing wacko (though you may think he is. He’s not. HE’S NOT I TELL YOU!); think of the comedy her candidacy will bring to any race. In 2008 she was only a vice-presidential candidate and didn’t know what she read. Imagine her as the presidential candidate?! Plus, it means Tina Fey back on SNL. Is that a good thing? You betcha!
Thumbs down
13 year old orally commits to USC to play football Really, Lane Kiffin? A 13 year old? Is the USC football program sans Pete Carroll really that desperate? I don’t care if he’s Christ Himself donning a football uniform, HE IS 13 YEARS OLD!!! What’s next? Recruiters at elementary school games? Coaches delivering our children? What will become of society?!
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Monday, February 8, 2010
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 Grandmotherly nickname 5 Hershey’s caramel candy 9 John who married Pocahontas 14 The yoke’s on them 15 In the sack 16 Sci-fi staple 17 Small salamander 18 Therapist’s response 19 Domesticated 20 Pool legend portrayed by Jackie Gleason in “The Hustler” 23 1860s White House nickname 25 Midsection muscles, briefly 26 Pecan or cashew 27 Mingle at the party 28 NBA center who was a three-time MVP 34 Big name in elevators 36 Spider’s creation 37 Shoe without laces, e.g. 38 Emulate Rembrandt 39 Holliday of the Old West 41 Lady’s man 42 It’s in the eye of the beholder 45 Caveman Alley 47 Top draft status 48 Wild West show markswoman 51 __ Lanka 52 Food from a shell
Puzzle by Jerome Gunderson
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PUZZLE SOLUTION: http://collegian.csufresno.edu Copyright 2009. Tribune Media Services, Inc.
53 Female sheep 54 Immigrant’s subj. 55 Meteors, and what 20-, 28- and 48-Across all are 61 Dog from Wales 62 Supermodel Macpherson 63 Hops drier 66 Fire station signal 67 Age, as tires 68 “__, be a pal!” 69 Actress Zellweger
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70 Stitches 71 Mild-mannered Clark DOWN 1 Oui’s opposite 2 Gave the __: fired 3 Arizonan’s neighbor 4 Naysayer 5 Word with trout or sherbet 6 Fixated
7 Majors and Trevino 8 Old music halls 9 Sound from a woodpecker 10 Name of several Norwegian kings 11 Peru’s capital 12 Tootsies 13 Conclusions 21 War site during LBJ’s presidency 22 Antacid brand 23 One-celled organism 24 Attacked by Dracula, say 29 Novel on the Net 30 Kid’s interlocking block 31 Ali Baba’s magical command 32 California NFL team, briefly 33 Involve 35 Feng __: Chinese aesthetic system 40 Picnic side 43 Line on a golf course schedule 44 Hindu mystic 46 Tin alloys 49 Former V.P. Spiro and family 50 Affirmative vote 55 Al Capone feature 56 Sock darner’s target 57 Algerian port 58 Giant who’s not jolly 59 Joy 60 Heavy metal is a subgenre of it 64 Leif, to Eric the Red 65 Blowup letters?
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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
LCD trip When you watch too much football on your LCD big screen. Can apply to other sports or programming in which you sit, staring at the TV for hours. Known to have negative effects on your health. Source: UrbanDictionary.com
Arts & Entertainment Collegian
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Page 4 • Arts & Entertainment Editor, Danielle Gilbert • collegian-features@csufresno.edu • Monday, February 8, 2010
By John Esquivel The Collegian When students, faculty and staff tune in to talk radio or talk shows, the usual national options come to mind: Delilah Rene, The Howard Stern Show and The Savage Nation. However, politician Mike Briggs, has given us another option.
“W
e’ve kind of turned into the network of what’s going on in Fresno.” — Mike Briggs, Central Valley Talk
Central Valley Talk is Fresno’s latest addition that adds something unique: local voices set on Fresno news and events. Briggs, who runs Central Valley Talk from a small room behind his office, launched the site out of frustration. “I like talk radio, but I couldn’t get a signal,” Briggs said speaking of the radio reception he was getting from his second story office. “I then wondered why we couldn’t get talk radio over the Internet.” Matt Wier / The Collegian Briggs then proposed the idea of creating just that: Behind the scenes with “Central Valley Arts & Culture with Rebecca Caraveo.” Featured in the photo above is Mike Briggs (left) and an all Internet radio channel. The Central Valley Caraveo (right) preparing to go on air. The local show runs live each Friday at 3 p.m. and at www.CentralValleyTalk.com Talk Web site officially launched in August 2008. Mike’s son, 14-year-old Clayton Briggs, designed the “There are 220,000 boxes in the Central Valley,” Web site that entire summer to prepare for the August working mother. Viewers can also check out “Tower TV’s” colorful (and heavily tattooed) hosts Duane Leonard said. “I think we are doing something launch. Hansen and Laura Splotch as they talk about all the great.” The idea of becoming a streaming television show latest events in the Tower District. The viewership for each show has skyrocketed well came when Briggs saw a camera sitting in the studio. Briggs recently gave former KMPH news anchor beyond what Central Valley Talk expected. “We’re “We originally had a $200 camera that we bought on John Malos his own show. Malos, who has 12 years of clipping 50,000 viewers a month,” Briggs said. “A eBay,” Briggs said. “Since then, the father and son on-air experience, hosts year and a half ago, we had about 100 viewers a duo moved up to a “Straight Talk with John month.” $10,000 camera.” Malos” every Tuesday Local veteran “Brother Bruce,” who is a frequent Briggs is very and Thursday afternoon. guest on the “Central Valley Buzz,” said he pleased with the or a small town, there are some people Three months prior appreciates the recognition they are giving to local selection of hosts that that are extremely talented. You meet to broadcasting, Briggs artists. he features on Central received a call from Gary “For a small town, there are some people that characters, you build characters.” Valley Talk. “We don’t Cocola, owner of Cocola are extremely talented,” Bruce said. “You meet just want anyone. It Broadcasting, who characters, you build character.” has to be interesting,” — Brother Bruce, offered to put the stream As Central Valley Talk gains viewers, the cast and said Briggs. The hosts Central Valley Buzz on television for free. crew hope to inspire Fresnans to realize that they can tackle everything “He was very kind to help have a voice in the community too. from selling cars, us out,” Briggs said. “For so long, Fresno has been ran by certain news, entertainment, Central Valley people,” Leonard said. “We want to let people know and raising children. talk was then shown that Fresno is a cool place to live.” “We’ve kind of turned simultaneously on channel 33.1 to Central Valley into the network of what’s going on in Fresno,” residents who owned a digital box. Briggs said. “We celebrate what’s going on.” COMMENT: The Collegian is a Chuck Leonard, host of “Central Valley Buzz with Central Valley Talk features shows such as forum for student expression. Chuck Leonard,” realizes the potential of digital “Mommy Talk With Athena,” hosted by former http://collegian.csufresno.edu television. KVSR DJ Athena Matsikas, which deals with being a
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Monday, February 8, 2010
How clean are those pre-washed greens?
The Collegian • Features Features Editor, Michelle Furnier • collegian-features@csufresno.edu
Photo of the Week:
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Danielle Escover
By Kelly Brewington The Baltimore Sun A new study by Consumer Reports finds traces of bacteria in bagged salad and even those labeled “prewashed.” The lab tests of 208 containers of 16 brands of greens found several types of bacteria, including coliforms and Enterococcus, a type of organism found in the human digestive tract and the environment, which could be a signal of inadequate sanitation, the report states. These bacteria don't generally make healthy people sick (nor did the tests find E. coli or salmonella, pathogens that can be deadly). Still, the report calls them “indicator” bacteria, a sign that “not enough is being done to assure the safety or cleanliness of leafy greens,” said Michael Hansen, a senior scientist at Consumer Union, the nonprofit that publishes Consumer Reports, in a statement. Consumer Union also issued a report urging the FDA to set safety standards for greens. Your best bet to avoid any problems, rinse those greens, even the ones whose packages claim they have already been washed.
Want to see your photos published in The Collegian? Send them to Collegian-photo@csufresno.edu to see if they make the grade. The Collegian would like to give readers the opportunity to get published and get involved.
Club reels in spot in finals By Sarah Kain The Collegian
The Fresno State fishing club has already earned $31,000 for itself and the university and the club will compete on April 10 to 12 in Knoxville, Tenn. for $100,000 and a chance to compete in the 2010 Forrest Wood Cup. Business marketing major Joseph Ostarello, 23, made his fishing hobby into the Fresno State Fishing club. “The reason the idea for a club came to me was that I was going on fishing trips with buddies and we would always fight about who has to drive,” Ostarello said. “Then I realized that other Fresno State students must be interested in fishing and a club could bring us together.” After a semester of finding out what it takes to start a club, Ostarello and a few friends started the Fresno State Fishing Club in January 2009. “Since I had the idea for the club, I fell into the position of president,” Ostarello said. This semester the fishing club is focused on competitive fishing. Funding for the club comes from the tour naments they enter. National Guard Forrest L. Wood (FLW) College Fishing sponsors the regional and national meets in which the clubs compete. “The winnings from the tournaments are divided in half so that the club receives half and Fresno State receives the other half,” Ostarello said. Members go out in teams of two with a professional fisherman for about 5 hours. The professional canwnot help the fisherman with their fishing techniques. Each team member can weigh in three fish. The fish must be released and must be alive at judging. Also both members must be full-time students at a university. The western division is new to the fishing circuit because meets weren’t held in the west coast until recently. The Fresno State Fishing Club is one of five college teams to make it to the national finals.
Business marketing major Sark Davidian, 23, and Kong Moua are competing in the inaugural National Guard FLW College Fishing National Championship for a chance to win a prize package of $100,000. “I am really, really excited to go to nationals. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I am glad to be a part of it,” Davidian said. “I hope that the club continues to compete at this high level and maintain our success as a club.” “I want Fresno State to rank in the top 25 fishing colleges,” Davidian said. Davidian also cites Ostarello’s organization as president as one of the reasons the team has been so successful. “He is the best president we can ask for.” The money that the club receives goes to supplies like gas and equipment. It also pays for lodging for traveling members. “We used the money to sponsor a deep sea fishing trip in Santa Barbara for members and people looking to sign up. People paid $20 for food, stay at a beach house and the fishing trip,” Ostarello said. Ostarello encourages people to come check out the club when he holds a meeting later this month. “I want to find more people that want to get involved with local fishing,” Ostarello said. “The competitive fishing is great but it is also nice to have a local meet to fish at that could qualify to go on to a higher tournament.” “When I started this club with my buddies we were looking to go on free fishing trips with other interested people, so we met that goal,” Ostarello said. Ostarello said the team is a part of the first college national fishing finals and Fresno State is the only school to receive first place in two of the five tournaments that were set up by the FLW. “I am very happy with what this club has become in this short period of time,” Ostarello said.
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The Collegian • News News Editor, Thaddeus Miller • collegian-news@csufresno.edu
Monday, February 8, 2010
Winter weather driver safety By Yosimi Santoyo The Collegian
Whales changing tune By Jill Leovy McClatchy Tribune It’s the same old tune, but the pitch of the blues is mysteriously lower – especially off the coast of California where, local researchers say, the whales’ voices have dropped by more than half an octave since the 1960s. No one knows why. But one conjecture is that more baritone whales indicate healthier populations: The whales may be less shrill because they’re less scarce and don’t have to pipe up to be heard by neighbors. The discovery was accidental. Whale acoustics researcher Mark McDonald was trying to track blue whales’ movements using data from Navy submarine detectors. He had created a program to filter out the blues’ songs from a din of ocean noise captured by these instruments. But he kept having to rewrite the code. Each year, it seemed, the whales sang at a lower pitch. At first, the researchers thought it was a quirk. But after a couple of years of adjusting for lower frequencies, “we knew there was something strange going on,” said John Hildebrand, an oceanographer at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego and co-author of the study published recently in Endangered Species Research. So the researchers scoured military data and seismograph readings for clues about what blue whales used to sound like. A retired Navy scientist directed Hildebrand to a trove of tapes stored at Sea World. The delicate old reels were the size of dinner plates. It turned out they contained snippets of blue whale songs from 40 years ago. The tapes eliminated all doubt: In the Beach Boys’ era, blue whales’ voices, while nowhere near falsetto, had been distinctly higher pitched.
Wi t h m o r e wo rk , t h e researchers were able show that blue whales worldwide are using deeper voices lately. Some have dropped their calls by only a few tones, but all showed a steady decline. “It was baffling,” Hildebrand said. Blue whales are shrouded in mystery as it is. Sleek, mottled and silvery, they are rare and don’t reveal much. They don’t leap on the surface as much as humpback whales do. They might, if really flustered, slap their tails on the water. More often, they quietly sink, Hildebrand said. Their song is barely audible to the human ear – a deep bass growl with very long wavelengths befitting very long whales. The tone is so deep that if played in a small room, it’s hard to hear: The long-period sound waves extend beyond the walls. But play a recording very loudly, in a large auditorium, and “you feel it in your chest as much as you hear it,” McDonald said. “It’s awesome.” The researchers pondered possible causes. Warmer temperatures? More acidic seas? Such factors affect the way sound moves through water, but not enough to explain the change, Hildebrand said. The rumble of shipping traffic is thought to affect marine mammals. But the researchers argue that if whales were just trying to be heard above the fray, they would adopt higher, not lower, voices. It’s also possible that the low voice is just a fad. Biologists talk about whale “culture,” and blue whales tend to be conformists. But researchers have said they doubt that a random, learned behavior could spread all over the globe. So they put themselves in the whales’ shoes. McDonald surmised that whales would rather not sing in higher voices if they didn’t have to. They prefer deep and manly – “a lower, sexier frequency,” he said. Among whales, he said, depth of voice may bespeak
more desirable mates with larger bodies. It’s useful shorthand, since it’s hard to get a good look at one’s suitor if he is 80 feet long and swimming in murky water. After the whales were hunted nearly to extinction, they may have been spread so thin that they could no longer find one another easily, prompting them to raise their pitch. Ef forts to restrict whaling beginning in the late ‘60s helped populations rebound. With increased numbers, the whales may not have needed to shout and may have gradually returned to their deep tones. “This hints that some of these great whales are recovering; it’s not all doom,” said co-author Sarah Mesnick, ecolo gist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Service. If whale songs are related to population density, they might aid efforts to count blue whales, Hildebrand said. They once numbered in the hundreds of thousands. Today, their population is thought to be 10,000 or so. Oceanographer Jay Barlow, program leader at NOAA fisheries, cautioned that changes in the whales’ pitch don’t track closely with population changes. California blues, for example, recovered most strongly in the ‘70s and ‘80s, and their numbers may not have grown much since, he said. But Barlow had no alternate theory for the deeper songs, which he sometimes plays on his home stereo. The sound makes his floor shake and upsets his cats. David Mellinger, a marine mammal bio-acoustician at Oregon State University, said that, whatever the reason, the finding “is astonishing.” It recalled to him the first time he heard a blue whale sing. He was on a boat, using headphones, and one passed. “It was a defining moment in my life,” he said. “It made a visceral impression on me. Just this huge animal. I could hear the hugeness of it.”
In the Central Valley, driving conditions can be challenging all year long, but with winter weather approaching commuting to school can be much more hazardous. “ I t i s m u ch m o re d i f f i cult to see clearly when it is dark, cloudy or rainy,” said Amy Armstrong, the public infor mation officer for the University Police Department (UPD). Fresno State has many students who commute long distances daily. Some students spend hours on the road and are concerned about the changes in the weather. During winter months, reduced visibility makes it hard for drivers to commute safely. Some drivers are forced to make changes in their daily routine by leaving home earlier and driving slower. During the winter months, fog is a primary factor in collisions. Some students may forget how dangerous winter weather can be. According to the California Highway Patrol, in 2007 and 2008 there were a total of 172 collisions which resulted in 225 injuries and nine fatalities in Fresno County. Safety officials suggest that students take the necessary precautions, which includes avoiding dangerous driving
practices. Armstrong said the UPD will distribute flyers and brochures to help educate students about winter weather safety. Some Fresno State students, however, already use several strategies to commute safely. “I can say that I am scared when it’s foggy. I just take my time or try to leave my house earlier,” said Crystal Torres, senior liberal arts major. To r r e s c o m m u t e s f r o m Firebaugh, Calif., a small town 43 miles west of Fresno, every Tuesday and Thursday. It nor mally takes Torres about 45 minutes to get to school, but during harsh weather it takes her up to an hour and 15 minutes. Harsh weather conditions can delay students by doubling the time it usually takes them to commute. “Driving in from Mendota, [Calif.] to Fresno in the fog makes me really nervous and forces me to drive safely, which can make me late to school, especially since I have many morning classes,” said Erica Alvarez, senior pre-nursing major. Alvarez said due to all of the accidents that have happened on local freeways, she gets really intimidated and on occasions even misses class.
UPD’s checklist for safe driving: Armstrong suggested several tips for students commuting this upcoming winter season: – Slow down and increase following distance. – Check the battery and all the proper fluids. – Check headlights and tail lights, for visibility. – Make sure the tires have traction control over the vehicle. – Replace windshield wipers so that they clean properly. – Ensure windows are clean for visibility. – Ensure defroster works properly. – Make sure headlights are on for visibility to other vehicles. – Be aware of other vehicles, pedestrians, bicyclist and other things around you so you can respond properly. – Scan ahead so you can react appropriately during winter weather.
Monday, February 8, 2010
The Collegian • Sports Sports Editor, Brianna Campbell • collegian-features@csufresno.edu
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‘Dogs receive continuous honors Student-athletes take honors in WAC Players of the Week By Megan Morales The Collegian With the spring sports under way, Fresno State athletics looks forward to continue its strong showing of individual performances by adding more Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Player of the Week honors. The first 22 weeks of the 2009-10 season were highlighted with 11 different Fresno State athletes named WAC Player of the Week, an honorable achievement awarded to an athlete who stood above the rest in the conference. Fresno State has ear ned 18 WAC Player of the Week honors, with football standout Ryan Mathews and tennis star Anastasia Petukhova leading the way with three each. Without a doubt, the explosive Mathews earned his three WAC Player of the Week honors with an exceptional junior season as the nation’s leading rusher. Mathews averaged just over 150 yards per game en route to 1,850 rushing yards on the season as he dominated conference play statistically. Petukhova, a native of Moscow was a standout on the Bulldog women’s tennis team all year. Petukhova tallied five victories over ranked opponents in the tournament season. Petukhova’s consistent play also led to her being named WAC Athlete of the Month in November. With more than half of Fresno State’s Player of the Week honors coming from football and women’s tennis, the
two programs continued their yearly tradition of individual excellence. Jaleesa Ross, Stacey Luke and Kevin Goessling all earned WAC Player of the Week honors two times each for their outstanding performances in their respective sports as well. Ross, a junior guard on the women’s basketball team, leads the team in scoring, assists, rebounds and steals. Freshman diver Stacey Luke earned her WAC Player of the Week honor early in her Bulldog career winning both the 1-meter and 3-meter diving events at the Beach Cup in Los Angeles. Kicker Kevin Goessling was an impressive seven for eight on field goals from 40 yards or more and a perfect 55 for 55 on extra points. Rounding out the remaining WAC Players of the Week from Fresno State are golfer Bhavik Patel; football players Ben Jacobs, Lorne Bell, and Robert Malone; women’s soccer player Chrissy Smith; and men’s tennis player Rikus de Villiers. These perfor mances along with many others have given fans plenty to cheer for up to this point in the 2009-10 season, and Fresno State has enough great athletes to expect similar success for the remainder of the year.
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Brianna Campbell / Collegian File Photos
Bulldogs previous running back Ryan Mathews received three Player of the Week honors this past season.
Men’s Basketball:
Men’s Club Volleyball:
Vs. Hawaii Rainbow Wahine Warriors Final: 61-51 Mike Ladd led the Bulldogs with 18 points, 4 from the 3-point line and 2 assists. Close behind was center, Greg Smith contributing 16 points and 6 rebounds. Sylvester Sey scored 13 followed by forward Steven Shepp with 11.
Vs. Sacramento State Final: 3-2 A young team for 2010 Hunter Knight led the bulldogs with 14 kills and three and one-half blocks, and support from Chris Hughs with 10 kills, 4 blocks and three assists. Defense was lef by Evan Horn with 16 digs and two aces with help from Justin Potter with 16 assists and three digs.
Women’s Basketball: Vs. Hawaii Rainbow Wahine Warriors Final: 78-69 Haley Munro led with a game-high of 24 points and eight rebounds. Jaleesa Ross had 22 points, 5 rebounds, and career-high seven steals. The Bulldogs shot 41 percent from the court out rebounding the Rainbow Wahine 34-29.
Classifieds Are you waiting for each print edition to read the newest
In the week coming up: Equestrian:
Women’s Lacrosse:
Vs. Stanford Final: 10-8 Seniors Lisa Wells and Jennifer Jory led the team. Wells scored 80 to beat her competitor by 50 and Jory scored 78 over her opponent. Both competed in the equitation over fences competition. Kimmie Steinbuch was selected MVP honors in equitation on the flat scoring a 67 against her competition.
Vs. Central Valley Men’s Lacrosse Club Final: 12-9 The Bulldogs kicked off the season with its first victory in the first of two exhibition games. Freshman Sara Weber tore up the net with a high of six goals. She was followed by teammates Amanda Cross with three, Margaret Wolford with two and Lauren Natale who added one.
Swimming & Diving:
Track & Field:
Vs. San Jose State Final: 122-172 Finishing strong in this season finale the ‘Dogs won seven of Fresno State 13 events. Sophomore Heidi Gjoen swam her best performance in the 200 freestyle posting a time of 1:54.80. Gjoen was followed by freshman Dani Yoho, who recorded a best time of 24.15 for the 50-yard freestyle event. Senior day was acknowledging diver, Blair Hopkins who recorded her best season performance on the boards and a score of 237.37 on a 1-meter dive.
Vs. Run for the Dream Track Meet: Azusa Pacific, Fresno Pacific, USC, Cal Poly, Cal-State LA, Cal-State Bakersfield, Cal-State Stanislaus and Cal-State Dominguez Hills. Senior distance runner Roxanne Sellick took first in the women’s onemile run with a time of 4:59.46. Her third consecutive win in Run for the Dream in the one-mile event. Nine Bulldogs finished in the top three of their events.
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Men’s Club Volleyball: at Chico State, Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday and Sunday at UC Davis Men’s Golf: at San Diego State, Monday and Tuesday Women’s Golf: at Peg Barnard Invitational at Palo Alto, Ca on Saturday and Sunday Women’s Basketball: vs. Idaho, Wednesday at home at 5 p.m. and Saturday vs. New Mexico at home at 5 P.M. Men’s Basketball: vs. New Mexico at home Thursday at 7 p.m. and Saturday vs. UC Santa Barbara at home at 7 p.m. Softball: vs. Santa Clara at home at 6 and 8 p.m. and Fresno State Kick-Off Tournament Saturday-Sunday Men’s Tennis: at Charleston. Virginia at the National Sweet 16 Tournament Friday-Sunday Track & Field: at Husky Classic in Seattle, Washington on Friday and Saturday
Sports The
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Collegian
Sports Editor, Brianna Campbell • collegian-sports@csufresno.edu • Monday, February 8, 2010
Revenge falls short ‘Dogs lose to San Jose State at home By Ben Ingersoll The Collegian On a soggy Saturday afternoon the Fresno State swimming and diving team concluded its regular season dual meet against San Jose State by honoring three athletes in the program’s second annual senior night. Marry Tess Taylor, Rebecca Strmiska and Blair Hopkins completed their regular season careers in Bulldog uniforms, a feat that left head coach Jeanne Fleck with a bittersweet feeling following the meet. “You know, it’s sad because they only got two years to swim for us because we just started the program,” Fleck said. “But they have really helped build the foundations of the future. I am so proud of them, with their attitudes, their scholastics and everything on top of their swimming and diving.” Although Fresno State lost the meet 177-122, the first home defeat of the season, the ‘Dogs left no doubt about their season-long improvement. Earlier this season, San Jose State ran away from the Bulldogs in the first day of the WAC Shootout, winning handedly 176-66. Although Fresno State’s aspirations at revenge fell short
Saturday, Fleck’s young team completed the season with plenty of promise for the future. “I’m just really, really excited,” Fleck said. “I think they’re young but they’re learning every meet. Half of my team is freshmen, so they are just learning how to compete and learning how to race.” Sophomore Heidi Gjoen swam to two first-place finishes out of the four she competed in, adding another strong performance to her already spectacular season. In all, Fresno State took home seven first-place finishes in the 16 events. The dual meet left Fleck excited for her team’s opportunities at the WAC Championships in San Antonio, Texas, Gjoen in particular. “She [Gjoen] did awesome,” Fleck said. “She’s just really building, and she’s going to have a great WAC Championship. She’s just getting better and better. She’s learning how to race and learning how to be a top competitor.” Fresno State’s Dani Yoho, a freshman, also had another strong outing, winning the 50-yard freestyle, placing second in both the 200-medley relay and the 200 freestyle relay, and taking
Matt Weir / The Collegian
Cindy Engle competed Saturday in the 100-yard butterfly posting a time of 1:03.62.
fourth in the 100-yard freestyle event. In the diving portion, Fresno State closed the regular season in stellar fashion. Freshman Stacey Luke set career best scores of 265.87 in the 1-meter dive and 279.07 in the 3-meter dive. Luke’s mark in the 1-meter dive made her the first Fresno State swimming and diving athlete to qualify for the NCAA Zones meet, beginning on March 12. Strmiska, one of the three honored on senior night, also posted her career
best in the 1000 freestyle, coming in with a time of 11:25.38, good enough for fourth place. The trend of career best times is a trend Fleck hopes to see come Feb. 24 in the WAC Championships. “I just want them to all do their lifetime best times,” Fleck said. “If we could move up it would be great and I think we have the capabilities of doing that. But our goal is just to get faster and faster.”
‘Dogs take two events at Run for the Dream Nine Bulldogs finished in the top three of their event By Megan Morales The Collegian Fresno hosted the fourth annual Run for the Dream Indoor Track and Field Invitational at the Save Mart Center Friday and Saturday, which featured elite athletes at the high school, collegiate and professional level. The invitational honors the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and is showcased on one of the fastest indoor tracks in the world. The $1 million Tartan track is the only indoor track in California, making it one of the most attractive venues for schools and athletes to compete in. The event drew high profile athletes, including Mexico pole vaulter Gio Lanaro, U.S. high jumper Sharon Day and U.S. decathlete Bryan Clay, all former Olympians. Nine Fresno State athletes finished in the top three. Roxanne Sellick and Rosario Sanchez led the group, both placing first in their events. Sellick, a senior distance runner, took first in the women’s one-mile run with a time of 4:59.46. This was Sellick’s third consecutive win in the one-mile event at Run for the Dream. Redshirt sophomore Rosario Sanchez stood out for the Bulldogs as she placed first and second in each of her throwing events. Sanchez took home the gold in shot put, marking a 49 foot 1 inch
toss. While in her weight throw event, Sanchez threw a 35-pound weight 53 feet 10.5 inches (16.42m). Teammate Nancy Vizcarra came in close behind Sanchez in the weight throw event finishing third with a throw of 53-2.25 (16.21m). As for other Bulldogs placing in the top three, senior Vanessa Sautebin took third in the women’s 55-meter hurdles finishing in 8.29. Teammate Shanelle Stephens ran her best performance yet in the women’s 55-meter dash timing in at 7.17. Fresno State’s Stevie Brumwell, Meghan de la Torre, Jenna Rogers and Pamela Cruz finished second in the women’s distance medley at 13:24.05. In the men’s weight-throwing events, Bulldog standout Tim Greene placed second and third in his signature events. Greene threw 58-06.50, snagging second place in the weight throw event. Greene then marked a toss of 47-01.75 in the shot put, landing him in third. Overall, track and field director Scott Winsor said he’s impressed with the Bulldogs’ performance at the meet and is excited to be back in season, according to gobulldogs.com. Coming up, the Bulldogs will travel to Seattle for the Husky Classic, Feb. 12 and 13.
Matt Weir/ The Collegian
Vanessa Sautebin placed third in the 55-meter hurdles timing in at 8.29 on Friday night at the Run for the Dream Track Meet.