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Collegian Sports Men’s tennis received the atlarge bid for the NCAA tourney, Page 12
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Arts & Entertainment Despite low-crime rates and revitalization, downtown carries a stigma, Page 4 May 5, 2010 | Wednesday
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Despite improvements, air gets F By Joe Bailey The Collegian Fresno’s air quality has improved over the last couple of years but is still so severely polluted that it earned a grade of F from the American Lung Association’s “State of the Air” report. Fresno is in the top six of all three statistical categories the study used, including unhealthy ozone days, shortterm particle pollution and annual particle pollution. The pollution is linked to asthma and other lung issues. The numbers are based on 20062008 figures. Susie Rico coordinates programs for the Central Valley’s American Lung Association branch. The org anization aims to revive the region’s air quality that has had a devastating impact on the younger population. “I have to say that there is probably one in five in the Valley who do have asthma,” Rico said. “In California asthma is one of the leading causes in school absenteeism and the
By Christian Beltran The Collegian
Photo by McClatchy Tribune
number one reason they are hospitalized.” Rico said she was not shocked when she heard that Fresno received a failing grade from the report. “I was hoping that our grade would be at something other than an F,” Rico said. “But all eight counties have been at an F the past seven years.” Rico said that Fresno has made efforts to improve the quality of the air and there have been results, but the county still received an F because of tighter grading cri-
Fresno’s poor air quality An American Lung Association report on air quality placed the Fresno-Madera area at fourth worst in the nation
McClatchy Tribune
See QUALITY, Page 8 Infographic by Michael Uribes / The Collegian
Commuting puts pressure on student wallets
Matt Weir / The Collegian
Twenty-seven percent of first-time freshman and 57 percent of seniors commute to school nationwide, according to the National Survey of Student Engagement. Five percent of Fresno State students live on campus.
By Lacee Solis The Collegian W h e n C a n d i c e Ro m a n o plans out her class schedule each semester she bears in mind the 84-mile commute she has to make from her home in Porterville to Fresno State. “I pretty much have a three-
Hundreds gather for immigration protest
hour roundtrip,” Romano said, “and that’s if there’s no fog, it’s not pouring, no accidents or traffic. It makes it difficult.” T he 33-year-old English major is one of many students who commute to campus multiple times a week because of financial hardship or other
obligations that prevent them from relocating closer to campus. A report by the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) defines commuter students as students who live off-campus while attending school. The definition can be narrowed down primarily to
spotlight students who do not live within walking distance from campus and must make more of an effort to physically get to campus. Fresno State is considered a commuter campus because of the large population of students who commute to school. Roughly 1,000 students live on campus, which accounts for about 5 percent of the entire student body, according to a study by The Henry Madden Library. A majority of Fresno State students live off-campus in Fresno or in one of the many small towns located in the Central Valley from Madera, Tulare and Kings Counties. Romano estimated that on top of the time commitment she makes to drive to school three days a week, she budgets between $1,200 to $1,500 a semester on gas. “I’m one of those people that ran out of gas one too many times in my adult life. I now have this concept that if it hits half a tank, fill it up,” Romano said. “I’ve gotten in the habit of every day before school I go to the gas station, so it’s like a half a tank every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at least. It takes a pretty good chunk of change.” Elizabeth Silva said she has See COMMUTER, Page 9
Fresno State students marched Saturday alongside 3,000 protesters at the May Day rally through the streets of downtown in support of a comprehensive immigration reform. Fresno joined demonstrat i o n s a c ro s s t h e c o u n t r y in cities like Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and New York. The event comes a week after Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, signed a law that authorizes police to arrest an individual based on the suspicion that he or she is undocumented. However, recent changes to the bill, aimed to avoid racial profiling, allows Arizona police to inquire about a person’s legal status only while addressing other unlawful activities. Raul Moreno, the University Migrant Services (UMS) coordinator at Fresno State, joined protesters in a chant of “Si, se puede (yes, we can).” Moreno, who works closely with undocumented students, said an immigration refor m would allow illegal immigrants to become active members of society. “It is time to legalize those living in the shadows,” Moreno said. “Everyone deserves to be treated as human regardless of immigration status.” Moreno said undocumented students can contribute to the United States. The May Day Committee org aniz ed the event that began at 4 p.m. at Eaton Plaza, near the Old Fresno Water Tower, with a rally featuring performances by traditional Mexican dancers and speakers from local groups such as Peace Fresno and the Brown Berets. Nearly 700 demonstrators marched through streets surrounding City Hall before ending back at Eaton Plaza. Cesar Sanchez, the Associated Students, Inc.’s (ASI) 2010-2011 vice president of finance elect, said he marched in support of the Dream Act, a bill that would provide undocumented students who graduate from U.S. high schools, arrived in the United States as minors and have been in the country continuously for at least five years prior to the bill’s enactment with the opportunity to earn permanent residency. “ T h e D re a m A c t wo u l d help Fresno State students, because the university has a significant amount of undocumented individuals,” Sanchez See PROTEST, Page 9
Opinion The
Collegian
That’s What the People Are Saying On the meaning of ‘bigotry’
“D
Opinion Editor, Tony Petersen • collegian-opinion@csufresno.edu • Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Page 2
oes the desire of a people to preserve its unique and separate ethnic identity and cultural character, de facto, constitute bigotry?” — Pat Buchanan, The American Conservative
Disillusioned graduate A better Op-ed
A
merican politician and diplomat Adlai Stevenson once said, while addressing a graduating class, “When you leave here, don’t forget why you came.” As graduation season hastily approaches, digesting the concept of graduating is as equally bewildering as it is enthralling. The great graduation paradox has impending graduates at a crossroads. On one end of the spectrum, receiving a degree is a mark of completion to the grueling and what seems like endless phase in one’s life. It’s a conclusion to all night studying, horrid group projects and feeling plagued during midterms and finals. On the same note, graduation is like being handed a blank sheet of paper with permission to start the next chapter. Students receiving diplomas at their commencement ceremonies on May 21 have contemplated how to start over. Just as soon as students are able to proudly shift the fringed tassel from the right side of the cap to the left, a symbolic gesture signifying the official completion of one’s schooling, life’s unpredictable breeze seems to brush it back over. In the last year I’ve contemplated the perplexing matter of what to do after the congratulations have all been said, the celebration ends and reality
Gypsy Life Lacee Solis ensues. As an act to divert my postgraduation jitters, thoughts of my high school graduation continually replay in my head. Graduating high school seemed less celebratory and more a rite of passage for my group of peers and me. What we envisioned the first day we anxiously stepped on campus our freshman year became reality promptly four years later. The mood was light, the optimism was high. Bright-eyed and just of legal age, high school graduates have a fearless aura about them. I remember possessing a type of self assurance I never experienced before. With the days of compulsory school no longer prevalent I was free to live out my passions with complete abandonment of a legal guardian’s authority. Somewhere along the way I lost my “I can do anything” luster. The bad thing about increased freedom and will to do whatever one wants is the
accompanying responsibility, which proves to be expensive. It requires a young adult to either learn to live without much or to get a job. I decided the latter was more reasonable. Getting caught up in the flurry of wanting to make my family proud I decided to attend community college. I frequently considered why I was at school since I spent two years just going through the steps, not really taking much in. Of course when I transferred to Fresno State as a junior I haphazardly picked a major out of necessity. I figured I would have some grand epiphany along the way that would advise me which way to go and what to do for the rest of my life. I’m still waiting for that whimsical “aha” moment. I often wonder how many students get caught up in the rush of it all and unintentionally end up being fragments of who they originally set out to be. For some, the new role is far better than what they imagined, but for others like me it can evolve into an unpleasing role formed out of fear and disregarding passion. I came to Fresno State to discover what I wanted to and who I was set to become. The answer is still pending, but I’m starting to realize the discovery phase may be the most exhilarating part of it all.
Things aren’t looking good T
hings aren’t going so well for America. Our government is more than $12 trillion in debt, and with a $1.6 trillion deficit, Uncle Sam’s fiscal outlook is not likely to get any better anytime soon. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 9.7 percent of America’s workforce is unemployed. Underemployment—which includes the unemployed plus those who work part-time or have stopped looking for work—is at 16.9 percent. Recently, 1.6 million gallons of oil spilled into Gulf Coast, devastating the ecosystem while killing 11 people. Our anti-terrorism efforts have once again proven to work only when the terrorists are so inept they can’t deploy their own bombs. Our people are highly divided on partisan, ideological and racial and ethnic lines, the recent immigration law in Arizona highlighting this division. Our troops are still fighting abroad in Iraq and Afghanistan, with no end in sight to the latter. Iran supposedly wants a nuclear weapon, and our allies in Israel won’t listen to us and continue to isolate themselves in the Middle East, ipso facto making us alienated in the region. That’s a pretty bleak picture. It’s not often we hear about all of our troubles—our news channels would rather focus on politics and fluff pieces rather than bringing the truth
THE
The Right Tone Tony Petersen
“O
ur anti-terrorism efforts have once again proven to work only when the terrorists are so inept they can’t deploy their own bombs.” about the day of reckoning the United States is driving toward. The reason for this is that we are an inherently optimistic nation. Pessimism does not win elections in this country. We always believe things will be fine, that things will get better. In this way, all Americans are progressives—in the sense that we believe in Progress, that America is the greatest country on earth and if we do have problems, we will pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and make it right. There is certainly nothing wrong with this. Sometimes optimism does, in a way, make things better. In the 1980s, Ronald Reagan ran perhaps the
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most optimistic administration of the last 50 years, and tax rates fell, the economy improved and the Cold War ended. However, this is not always the case. The problems now are starker. There is no longer a sense that things will inevitably get better. In fact, it seems inevitable that things will get worse. Between our entitlements system and our empire abroad, it’s looking more and more like the United States will go the way of Argentina and Weimar Germany. Just once I’d like to see a politician tell it how it is. Tell us that if we continue down our current course, the result is economic collapse. Tell us that there are no quick fixes to our problems. Tell us we can’t continue to pander to each constituency and remain a great country. But don’t expect it. Pessimism can be a healthy thing. When people are too optimistic, they may get content. Complacency is not usually a big problem for people when things aren’t going great. And the solutions are simple; they just aren’t easy. There are many problems in America today. They can be fixed. But it won’t be fun. And it remains to be seen if our government has the will to do the fixing.
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 © 2010 The Collegian.
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way
By Alberto Torrico
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
F
ifty years ago, visionary leaders created California’s Master Plan for Higher Education. For decades, the master plan provided millions of Californians with opportunities to pursue their academic ambitions and improve their vocational skills. Now, however, our higher education system is reeling. The visionaries are gone and our community colleges and public universities are bruised by cuts, furloughs and everincreasing fee hikes that threaten affordability and access for students across California. Stories about this decline can be found on campus after campus. A University of California, San Diego professor worries about students’ inability to get into the classes they need for graduation. California State University, Sacramento officials consider turning away qualified students because more people want to enroll than the university has funding to handle. A CSU student concludes the system is creating a generation of student debtors. A report this month by the Public Policy Institute of California found that the state is confronting two main crises in higher education: Budget cutbacks and an education skills gap. By 2025, the state will have a shortage of one million college educated workers relative to demand unless we substantially increase rates of college enrollment and graduation. Yet with all this daunting news, we spend more on prisons than we do on all three higher education systems combined. There’s a better way. Tens of thousands of Californians have marched on college campuses and city streets to save higher education. My bill, AB 656—the Fair Share for Fair Tuition bill—will generate almost $2 billion a year for our community colleges and public universities. It would levy a 12.5 percent extraction fee on oil companies. California is currently the only major oil producing state that does not impose an extraction fee on oil companies. Even former Governors Sarah Palin of Alaska and George W. Bush of Texas both levied oil fees and used them to help fund higher education in their states. Now is the time for California to join the rest of the nation. Alberto Torrico is the Chair of the Select Committee on Prison Reform and Rehabilitation as well as candidate for California Attorney General. For additional information, visit: www.AlbertoTorrico.com.
C
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Wednesday, May 5, 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 Reacted with embarrassment, maybe 8 Moderate pace 15 Legally gone 16 Ignorant 17 Spenserian beings 18 Sparks resident 19 __ pro nobis 20 Fry corrugation 22 Company abbr. 23 Undersized one 25 Nearly a billion people live in them 26 “So will I ... make the net / That shall enmesh them all” speaker 27 Rhone tributary 29 Janeane’s co-star in “The Truth About Cats and Dogs” 30 Asked for a hand? 31 Excite 33 Seen from above, as a view 35 In person 37 Deceptive lingo 40 Carbohydrate used in jellies 44 Chilled 45 Abner’s radio partner 47 Prefix with graphic 48 Court org. 49 Techies’ campus hangout 51 They can get high 52 FDR home loan gp.
Puzzle byTom Heilman
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PUZZLE SOLUTION: http://collegian.csufresno.edu Copyright 2009. Tribune Media Services, Inc.
53 Become payable 55 Austin-to-Del Rio dir. 56 Make notes? 58 Scholarly 60 Italian colony from 1890 to 1941 61 Frenzied fits 62 Chamber group member? 63 Watching carefully DOWN
Page 3
1 “Don’t miss this chance” 2 Hurrying along 3 Information gatherer 4 Where BMW was born 5 Worldly 6 Activist who said “You can kill a man but you can’t kill an idea” 7 First “Mission: Impossible” TV production company
8 Many ad circulars 9 Law school newcomers 10 Yielded 11 Old carrier 12 Project, as cheer 13 Aptly named red tabby who played Cat in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” 14 Police radio lingo 21 Knucklehead 24 Manhattan district 26 Spray targets 28 Cream of the crop 30 Magazine revenue item 32 Airport on Flushing Bay, briefly 34 Sewer’s target 36 Safe call 37 Bumps along 38 Close to the coast 39 A, B or C, e.g. 41 Deadline, metaphorically 42 Upset 43 “A cinch” 46 Managed 49 Public promenade 50 Raeburn van __, cartoonist who drew “Abbie an’ Slats” 53 Defense structure 54 “The Long, Hot Summer” vixen __ Varner 57 Class action gp.? 59 “Rugrats” infant
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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
Office hands Someone who has soft hands for doing office work and little or no hard labor. Source: UrbanDictionary.com
Arts & Entertainment The
Collegian
Page 4 • Arts & Entertainment Editor, Danielle Gilbert • collegian-features@csufresno.edu • Monday, May 5, 2010
DOWNTOWN DOWN By Bethany Rangel The Collegian
Nightlife, bright lights, crowds of people—these elements may describe some cities thriving downtown. For the city of Fresno, however, a thriving downtown may be a distant goal rather than a reality. Fresno’s downtown, aside from housing the city’s courthouse, Fresno Housing Authority office, Police Department and other government agencies, serves little purpose as a center of consumer interest. Many are simply too afraid to venture there because of the large population of homeless, the deteriorating buildings and the lack of resources offered. The Fresno Bee’s crime map lists downtown Fresno as having less violent crime than surrounding areas. One reason for these numbers, Bee reporter Russell Clemmings supposed, is that the area is virtually vacant after the work hours, leaving few people to serve as potential crime victims. Still, the opinion remains that downtown is dangerous, ridden with homeless, and an “eyesore.” Although, downtown was once the thriving center of Fresno, downtown currently falls short. As recent as the 1960s, Fresno’s downtown was a center of commerce and community activity. The Fulton Mall, a focal point for shoppers, gained national recognition for being the first of its kind, according to the Fresno County and City Historical Society. Downtown Fresno offers smaller, locally owned restaurants, vintage and thrift stores and outdoor produce markets. Despite being located near Highway 180 and 41, the area remains deserted. Dr. Michelle DenBeste, of Fresno State’s Social Science Department
said, “People are just too afraid to be out downtown.” Events like ArtHop coax visitors downtown once a month. DenBeste said visitors and artists fear downtown and refuse to venture beyond the Tower District after nightfall. Some Fresno State students explored empty buildings in Fulton Mall during the fall semester of 2009 for Urban Entrepreneurship, a class taught by Craig Scharton, director of Fresno’s Downtown and Community Revitalization Department. Students were asked to create business plans for redeveloping the area. Mechanical and industrial engineering major Casey Ogden said he does not consider downtown to be a place he would spend time in. The 22-year-old said he rarely goes there. “The gang population in Fresno scares me, period,” Ogden said. Even though the Fresno Bee’s crime map lists downtown as having fewer violent crimes than some of its bordering neighborhoods, Ogden’s fear may hold some validity in regards to Fresno as a whole. CityRating.com listed Fresno as having 1.3 times the national average of violent crime in 2003. Along with Ogden’s fear, his distaste for the scenery also keeps him away. “Remove all gangs and signs of gangs, clean up the buildings and remodel,” Ogden said. These kinds of actions, he believes, would make downtown much more appealing. Housing also posed an issue for Ogden. Mixed-use housing development such as the Iron Bird
Lofts and Vagabond Lofts are priced at around $900 for a one-bedroom unit. “I don’t believe $900 is affordable for anyone who is attending school and working part time,” Ogden said. The result of all these issues keeps Ogden living, working and playing elsewhere in Fresno. Mary H. Rodriguez, Marketing Coordinator for the Fresno Housing Authority, experiences downtown daily from her office located at the north end of the Fulton Mall. Rodriguez has worked downtown for six years, seeing many businesses come to the area and leave again. “The improvement in creating mixed-use housing is an excellent move for Fresno,” Rodriguez said. However, Rodriguez fears there are not enough incentives to convince residents to move to the area. “After [work day] hours, almost all the shops are closed leaving no reason to be hanging out in the downtown area, Rodriguez said.” The recent Fresh & Easy store opening on Tulare Street was welcomed by the neighborhood. Rodriguez still thinks the lack of more businesses and anchor stores is evident by the lack of consumers choosing to shop downtown. At her office, Rodriguez searches for affordable housing for families receiving housing subsidies. The costs of downtown housing remain high for these families though. The mixed use housing, in particular, Rodrigue z believes, is unusually high.
“Families are unable to seek affordable housing close to the services they need, such as our agency [the Fresno Housing Authority],” Rodriguez explained. Rodriguez hopes redevelopment and preservation of the area will occur to create a community that includes retail, restaurants, residential areas and attractions like museums and family events. “Downtown Fresno is lacking attractions,” Rodriguez mused. “During baseball games or shows at the Convention Center, people tend to head back to other areas for dining.” Mayor Ashley Swearengin aspires to make Fresno a “top-tiered city”. However, Swearengin stated on her website that one of the biggest roadblocks to redevelopment has been the City’s own laws and ordinances. Some of the changes Swearengin hopes for include improved parking, façade improvement programs, improved directional street signs, vacant building codes and expedited permits for business developers. The path to a revitalized downtown includes many aspects and comes with numerous challenges. Students like Casey Ogden want to feel safe. Employees like Mary Rodriguez want affordability and convenience. “If we want to improve our confidence and self image as a city, Fresno must have a vibrant downtown,” Swearengin said. “Otherwise, it will be impossible to meet our long-term goals in creating jobs, reducing crime and improving distressed neighborhoods.”
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
The Collegian • Arts & Entertainment Arts & Entertainment Editor, Danielle Gilbert • collegian-features@csufresno.edu
Page 5
Collegian news briefs Staff and news services LOS ANGELES _ Three years after the Los Angeles Archdiocese agreed to the largest priest abuse settlement in U.S. history, a key element of that agreement - public release of accused priests’ personnel files - remains unfulfilled. Release of the documents rivaled monetary compensation as the central part of the $660-million settlement agreement in 2007. In 2002, documents filed under seal in court and later made public showed the archdiocese knew about child molestation allegations against priests but did
little more than transfer them from parish to parish. UNITED NATIONS _ Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Monday demanded strong U.N. sanctions against Iran for defying demands to halt its enrichment of uranium. The public clash over the aims of Iran’s nuclear program dominated the opening day of a major U.N. review of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, the 40-yearold pact underpinning the global system to curb the spread of nuclear arms. “Iran will not succeed in its efforts to
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divert and divide,” Clinton said. “The treaty is weakened when a state flouts the rules and develops illicit nuclear weapons capabilities.” COLUMBIA, S.C. _ South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster has cleared Gov. Mark Sanford of any criminal conduct for two trips to South America to meet his Argentine lover and, also, his use of state aircraft, upgraded airfare and campaign money. McMaster, a Republican candidate for governor, said Monday that the “evidence does not support, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the governor knowingly, willfully and intentionally set out to break state law.” In March, Sanford settled 37 civil charges with the State Ethics Commission related to his use of upgraded airfare, state aircraft and campaign money. Sanford admitted no wrong-doing but agreed to pay $74,000 in fines and an additional $66,223 to reimburse airfare, use of state aircraft and campaign money. SAN JOSE, Calif. _ In a multimillion-dollar political battle between oil companies and Silicon Valley tech leaders, opponents of California’s landmark global warming law turned in about 800,000 signatures Monday for a November ballot measure to suspend AB 32, which was signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006. Opponents say it will cost California jobs during a bad economy by increasing the price for fuels such as gasoline,
and electricity bills. Supporters say the law already is helping the state’s green tech and renewable energy industries by driving demand for cleaner energy. PHILADELPHIA _ This weekend dozens of versions of Children’s Tylenol and several other infants’ and children’s medications made by Johnson & Johnson’s McNeil Consumer Healthcare division were recalled. Parents voiced fears to pediatricians and pharmacists, and asked questions about the affected products - two dozen formulations of Tylenol, known generically as acetaminophen, along with liquid formulations of Motrin (ibuprofen), Benadryl (diphenhydramine) and Zyrtec (cetirizine). So far, the advice for parents is clear: McNeil says they should stop using any of the affected products, meaning any liquid formulation of those medications made by McNeil. SAN FRANCISCO _ Consumer watchdog groups say a draft congressional bill falls short of its proclaimed intention of protecting the privacy of consumers using the Internet. The bill would require companies to disclose when they collect information from consumers and use it to target ads. Consumers could opt out of targeted advertisements. Marketers would have to get consumers’ explicit consent before collecting sensitive information such as race or sexual orientation.
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e d o c n i C
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
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The Collegian • Features Features Editor, Michelle Furnier • collegian-features@csufresno.edu
“C
ancer never sleeps, so we don't either.” — Chariya Newton, Senior Relay For Life manager
Running toward the cure Sticking with the events “24 rule,” organizers hope to raise at least $24,000 By Tara Albert The Collegian The Relay For Life event at Fresno State is centered on the number 24. The goal of the 24-hour walk is to have 24 teams and 2,400 Facebook fans raise $24,000 for cancer, said Chariya Newton, the senior Relay For Life manager. Newton said the Facebook fans will represent the 2,400 college students that will be diagnosed with cancer this year. She said the 24-hour period represents a day in the life of someone with cancer. “Cancer never sleeps, so we don’t either,” she said. The event hits close to home for Newton, who first got involved with Relay For Life about 14 years ago. Newton was a volunteer for the American Cancer Society, when she joined a team to support a coworker diagnosed with lung cancer. Since then, she became an employee for the American Cancer Society when she was diagnosed with endometrial cancer in 2000. The cancer spread to her uterus, forcing her to have a hysterectomy. “This year I celebrate 10 years of being cancer free,” Newton said. The event is a fundraiser and a way to educate the college community about cancer, Newton said. The funds will benefit cancer patients and their families. “Fresno State has an opportunity to educate college students about how to prevent cancer, create awareness, help raise funds towards research and help provide funds toward programs and services for cancer patients,” Newton said. The American Cancer Society set the fundraising goal for $15,000, but Newton said organizers hope to raise at least $24,000 to keep with the “24 Rule.” According to the Relay For Life website, the first relay was in May of 1985. Gordy Klatt, a surgeon, wanted to get more funds for the local American Cancer Society, so he spent 24 hours circling the track at Baker Stadium at the
University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Wash. He raised $27,000 during the first year from donations by nearly 300 friends, patients and family. Klatt then worked with a small committee to plan subsequent relay events that featured teams of runners and walkers. During the first team relay in 1986, 19 teams raised about $33,000. Ashley Lyons-Robinson, a business major at Fresno State, is the event chair for the Relay For Life event at Fresno State. Lyons-Robinson said that teams camp out, walk the track, participate in activities and enjoy the music and entertainment throughout the day during the relay. She said most relay events are community based, but this event is college oriented. The money raised from the event will go to the American Cancer Society, which provides different services for cancer patients and their families. “Ninety-two cents of every dollar goes to funding cancer research and providing services,” Lyons-Robinson said. Each team must have at least one person on the track at all times for the entire 24-hour period. The walk starts at 9 a.m. Saturday and ends at 9:30 a.m. Sunday. Registration begins at 8 a.m. Saturday. Lyons-Robinson said the event will finish with the fight back and closing ceremonies, which start at 9 a.m. The event will be at the grassy area near the Science II building. The event is hosted in conjunction with the American Cancer Society and Colleges Against Cancer. The organizations are also joining 367 colleges and universities across the nation to host relays on their campuses. This is the first college Relay For Life at Fresno State, and it is just the beginning Newton said. “It’s our inaugural event, so many more years to come,” she said. So far, the event has 26 teams and more than $4,000, Lyons-Robinson said.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
QUALITY: Geographical makeup of the Valley combines with the heat to worsen pollution CONTINUED from page 1
teria. “The EPA recently tightened its air quality standards on which they base unhealthy air,” Rico said. “There is a positive because our air quality is improving, we have to pay attention to the last 11 years because the standards have changed.” According to the report, Fresno County has lowered the number of bad ozone days over the last couple of years, but the short-term and longter m numbers have gotten worse. Kay Busby, a nurse practitioner at the Student Health Center, said she sees a lot of students suffering from asthma. The warmer weather, Busby said, will only make the symptoms worsen. “Bad emissions from cars and trucks and manufacturing emit these pollutants,” Busby said. “When combined with the ozone it tends to be a lot worse during the summer months.” When harmful ozone reacts with heat it becomes much more harmful, Busby said, and with an increase of flowering plants the pollen can worsen
allergies as well as asthma. Busby said the potential ramifications of asthma and other breathing problems can be devastating. “Lung problems are being linked to heart disease and other health problems which can account for lots of time missed from work and school,” Busby said. Busby said that asthma can be an inherited disease but can also be brought on by outside factors. “People have allergic asthma that involves the immune system,” Busby said. “Asthma is also triggered by an overreaction to lung tissues from an exposure to irritants.” Rico said there are a lot of misconceptions about why our air is so polluted. “I would say that it is not the businesses [creating majority of pollution], it is the cars and vehicles,” Rico said. “I hate to say this, a lot of people want to blame agriculture for the bad air, but it’s us who drive cars creating a lot of the particulates.” Rico added that commuting has such an impact on air pollution increases when school
starts in August as more parents pick up and drop off their kids at school. Rico said there are environmental features of the valley that create the perfect storm for pollution. “With our geography we are completely surrounded by mountains so all the pollution created here stays here.” Rico said that there are ways every person can make a difference in improving the quality of our air other than complaining. “The first thing people can really do is drive one day less per week when it’s possible,” Rico said. “If you have a cell phone charger unplug it. Use fluorescent bulbs. People don’t realize all the different things that contribute to pollution.”
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COMMENT: The Collegian is a forum for student expression. http://collegian.csufresno.edu
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The Collegian • News News Editor, Thaddeus Miller • collegian-news@csufresno.edu
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
COMMUTER: Fresno State, a commuter campus, services students across the Central Valley CONTINUED from page 1 to get gas in her Nissan Sentra about two to three times a week because of her daily commute from Hanford to Fresno. She said she’s fortunate because she lives with her parents and they help her out with her gas expenses. “The commute just sucks,� Silva said. “I used to live in Fresno and lived 10 minutes away from campus. Going from a 10-minute drive to an hour drive is a big difference.� After living in Fresno for two years, Silva had to move back in with her parents because she could no longer afford to live on her own. “I was supposed to graduate [last] May, but I ended up not passing a class,� Silva said. “I couldn’t afford to live on my own with the income that I had because I was working at Target at the time. So, I had to move back home with my parents, because that was my only option.� Mandatory classes for her athletic training option were mostly at 8 a.m., Silva said, which meant she had to wake up extra early to deal with traffic to make it to class on time. “I really didn’t have a choice, because the classes were only offered in the morning,� Silva said. “I hate it, I really do. I usually have to go every morning to get coffee, because I need to keep myself awake while I’m driving. It’s draining.� Silva said the timely drive
home always resides in the back of her mind when she makes plans to hang out with her friends in Fresno. “If I was going to be spending time with friends I would have to try to find arrangements to stay at someone’s house, because I knew it would be too late for me to drive back home,� Silva said. “Most of the time, it just gets to a point where I say no because I have to drive home.� Silva said with the amount of money she spends on car maintenance, gas and other necessities she purchases throughout the day, it would probably be the equivalent to putting up the money to live in Fresno. “I never really sat down to think if I spend as much as when I was living in Fresno, but it would probably almost come close to it, just by the gas,� Silva said. “If there was something like a shuttle from Hanford to Fresno I would definitely take that option. I wouldn’t have to put the miles on my car and I wouldn’t have to spend it on gas.� The NSSE study on commuter students focused on the time commitment students had to make as well as if they received the same quality of education compared to students who lived on-campus or within walking distance from campus. The report found that stu-
d e n t s wh o c o m m u t e a r e less likely to be as engaged in the campus community with co-curricular activities, inter nships, study abroad programs and community service, because their time constraints. Romano said her commute prevents her from participating in campus activities and feels as if she’s leading two separate lives. In Fresno State’s Campus Master Plan, one of the goals proposed by the school is to “broaden the experience of commuter students with diverse facilities and a range of transportation options.� Amy Ar mstrong, public infor mation officer for the University Police Department, said various programs offered at Fresno State are set up to help commuter students. Programs like the Commuter S e r v i c e s a n d Re d B i ke Program are designed to help lessen the cost and time most commuting students face. F i f t y - s e ve n p e r c e n t o f seniors commuted compared to only 27 percent of firstyear freshmen, concluded the report. Commuters were also more likely to devote more time taking care of dependants and working off-campus. The study found that overall, commuter students were just as engaged in their education as students who lived on or in walking distance of the campus. Romano, who is anticipating a spring graduation, confir med that she will ear n her Bachelor’s degree in the expected two years since she’s transferred from Porterville College. “Looking back, I’m grateful because I think I take things much more serious because it is more work for me,� Romano said
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Christian Beltran / The Collegian
Approximately 700 protestors, including some Fresno State students, marched near City Hall to ask for sweeping immigration reform.
PROTEST: Sparked by Arizona law CONTINUED from page 1 said. “Certain people may conveniently categorize these students as distant. The truth of the matter is that these students are our best friends, our sisters [and] our brothers.� Sanchez said, many times the immigration status of these students was not their choice, because they immigrated at a very early age. Amid a sea of American flags and people in white shirts showing the “Reform Immigration for America� emblem, messages directed toward President Barack Obama crowded the streets. “Obama, we voted for you,� read a sign. “Obama, you lied to us,� read another while a young man wearing a graduation gown displayed “Obama, I have a dream. You have the solution. We have the votes,� on a large cardboard sign. Also, “Brown is not illegal� was held high on a sign in reply to Arizona’s new law. Police escorted marchers as they approached intersections. A man played theme songs such as “The Star-Spangled Banner� and “Respect� while leading the crowd with chants from a sound system set up in
the back of a truck covered in American flags. F re s n o S t at e a r t m a j o r Mauro Carrera, a member of the Brown Berets, said the group fought for unity, equal rights and a comprehensive immigration reform. “This movement calls for the students to implement their student duty in a call for social justice,� Carrera said. “It is part of an ideal university-education curriculum to demand for equality.� Carrera supported undocumented students saying education is a basic human right. To close the event, speakers at Eaton Plaza expressed the need to end immigration raids saying it separates innocent families. They also opposed a temporary guest program arguing it would allow employers to discriminate per mit holders. Camille Russell, the Peace Fresno president, urged Obama and the Congress to address the broken immigration system. “We need a humane and just immigration reform,� Russell said. “We need it now.�
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
The Collegian • Sports Sports Editor, Brianna Campbell • collegian-sports@csufresno.edu
Page 10
Paxson speaks from the heart Vice President of the Chicago Bulls apologized for his incident with Bulls coach. By David Haugh McClatchy Tribune If John Paxson really wanted to clear his conscience Tuesday, he could have added apologies for trading LaMarcus Aldridge for Tyrus Thomas or giving Luol Deng a $71 million contract, among other things. But the Bulls vice president saying he was sorry for his role in the physical confrontation March 30 with coach Vinny Del Negro over Joakim Noah’s minutes represented enough public flogging for one day. What Paxson’s mea culpa lacked in punctuality _ better late than never, I suppose _ it made up for in sincerity. “I hold myself accountable,” said Paxson, who cleared the air with Del Negro at a morning meeting. “I am not at all proud of how I handled the situation. I was trying to protect our player and I went about it the wrong way. It was a heat-of-the-moment type of thing.” Of the three men who read their lines on cue at the Berto Center production, Paxson’s words came across as the most genuine and believable. If Paxson, Del Negro and general manager Gar Forman had shown as much respect for each other on the job the past two years as they did Tuesday for the show, the Bulls never would have needed to call a news conference to correct a mistake. Which is what Tuesday’s firing confirms Del Negro was in Bulls history, a mistake. Yet it was good for Chicago to see Paxson out of the basketball bunker and better to hear him take responsibility for something he should have owned up to a month ago. He looked uneasy, sounded nervous and made some of us worry about the condition of his back because it can’t be easy to carry the weight of the world on one’s shoulders. “I’m comfortable with who I am as a person,” said Paxson, appearing anything but. Still, he spoke from the heart, most poignantly when suggesting that one incident of inappropriate anger doesn’t define who he has been to the Bulls organization. That must have been the same rationale Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf applied when deciding not to discipline or fire Paxson the way some CEOs would for attacking a subordinate. Objectively, it’s a benefit of the doubt Paxson has earned in this city. A couple of the other things Paxson mentioned earned only doubts. For
instance, somebody please explain how a coach the Bulls fired with a year left on his contract qualifies as a success in Paxson’s eyes. “Vinny didn’t fail, and I don’t think we did,” Paxson said. And James Johnson was the steal of last year’s NBA draft. Paxson’s other curious revelation came when he said in passing that “I don’t have the ability to override Gar or anything like that.” Unless I missed a press release, Paxson’s title of vice president of basketball operations would suggest otherwise. More likely, Paxson made the comment to stress the not-so-subtle message the Bulls sought to spread that Forman fired Del Negro, Forman will conduct the search for his replacement and Forman probably will pick up the new guy at O’Hare. A jury of Bulls officials will offer input during the deliberation process, but apparently a Forman will have the final say. Message received. But it’s hard to imagine Paxson taking a back seat if the Bulls pursue Doug Collins or _ gasp _ drag this out and Phil Jackson leaves the Lakers as speculated if they’re upset in the Western Conference playoffs. I don’t know if Forman can find the right coach, but I suspect the Lake County housing market would recover quicker if he were a realtor. The guy can flat-out sell, a word that came up several times during his 40 minutes at the microphone. Naturally, in case Chris Bosh was listening to the pitch, Forman accentuated the positives about the solid structure of the Bulls (tradition, Derrick Rose, Noah) while glossing over any possible cracks in the foundation (Paxson’s temper tantrum, Reinsdorf’s commitment given his pending purchase of the Phoenix Coyotes). “We’re looking for the best coach, teacher, leader,” Forman said. “At this point, I wouldn’t rule out anybody.” I would. Eliminate every candidate without NBA head coaching experience _ no more Del Negro-esque experiments. Similarly, stay away from college coaches as they historically struggle making the transition. That includes Kentucky’s John Calipari, who coached Rose at Memphis and has ties to LeBron James. Chicago has enough politicians with corrupt pasts. If Forman really didn’t have a list of candidates, as he claimed at the dais, it had to be because he left it in his car. The Bulls have been researching possi-
Chris Walker / McClatchy Tribune
Chicago Bulls Executive Vice President for Operations John Paxson apologizes on Tuesday, May 4, 2010 for a physical incident between him and now-dismissed Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro.
bilities since Christmas. As for Forman’s off-hand remark that the search could spill into July, he can’t be serious. If Forman still is looking in July after the search for Del Negro took 56 days, his job may be the next one the Bulls try to fill. Forman never has faced a bigger
basketball decision. The right choice, coupled with the right free agent, immediately could catapult the Bulls into Eastern Conference title contention. The wrong choice could result in another public apology for negligence if the Bulls squander this opportunity. Happy hunting.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
The Collegian • Sports Sports Editor, Brianna Campbell • collegian-sports@csufresno.edu
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Walk-on or walk-off Many Fresno State students pursue the student-athlete life even though they were not recruited. By Brianna Campbell The Collegian Around this time of year we hear about athletes signing letters of intent to put on a Bulldo g unifor m for the upcoming season. What we don’t always hear about are the athletes that are not approached, but instead go to the coach and ask for a chance to make the team. Walk-on athletes are nonscholarship athletes that train hard to get a once in a lifetime opportunity to make a collegiate team without being asked. Many Fresno State students take the risk of embarrassment and tryout despite the chance of being rejected. For freshman Tyler Stirewalt, his athletic career at Fresno State is still left to be determined. The prospective quarterback from Aquinas High School in San Bernardino led his team in passing yardage and was a First Team AllCIF Eastern Division selection as well as Co-MVP. Stirewalt threw a total of 2,835 yards his senior year, averaging 236.3 per game as well as rushing for 149 yards. “Over the summer after my senior year I worked out a lot with a trainer back in my hometown,” Stirewalt said. “I basically worked out every day. I worked out with my brother, threw balls every day, worked on my footwork, ball accuracy and things like that.” Walking on to such a big
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team as Fresno State leaves no room for slack and requires nothing short of your best. “It is a little intimidating when you come up here the first time, but it’s good, they welcome you. We have a nice little family over here.” But when all is said and done, the athletes do not regret their act of bravery to put on the cardinal red uniform. “I was very happy that I had a chance to come up and actually play Division I sports,” Stirewalt said. “I was very excited to come up here.” Unlike Stirewalt, Fresno native Showron Glover didn’t have as smooth of a transition on to the basketball team. The 5-foot-10-inch guard from Sunnyside High School averaged 18 points, 5.9 assists and 4.6 steals per game. He then continued his career at Fresno City College and continued on to College of the Sequoias, where he played for two years. “In high school, I felt like I was overlooked, because I was small,” Glover said. “ I am a small guy, and I was smaller back then in high school.” After his two years at junior college he attempted to be a walk-on for Fresno State. “ What would be better than to come here in my hometown and try to play,” Glover said. Glover was short two classes for a transfer in 2008 and planned on making those classes up at the College of the Sequoias, over the summer. But that didn’t stop Glover from spending many hours playing with the team and getting to know the players at open gym, as well as speaking to assistant coaches. “I really wanted to come to Fresno State,” Glover said. “When I was in high school I would come up here and play with Demetrius Porter and Melvin Ely in open gyms. I always wanted to come here.” But things were not going as well as Glover would have wanted and he received anoth-
Brianna Campbell / The Collegian
(Above) Freshman Tyler Stirewalt worked hard to get a spot on the team. (Right) Showron Glover took his opportunity to play for Canada and won a MVP award and a Canadian Interuniversity Sport title.
er offer. “The situation that I was in, that I had to take two classes, made it tough for them because it was right before season. I guess they didn’t want to take the chance on me,” Glover said. Glover knew he wanted to be pursued for his talents and ability. He saw Canada as a new beginning where he could start over and make a name for himself in an all new environment. “What is better. A coach that wants you to come right now and do this, or a coach that is unsure about me.” Glover continued to Canada t o p l ay fo r t wo ye a r s at University of Saskatchewan where he averaged a team high 28.1 points per game and led the country in steals. Glover led his team to the C a n We s t C h a m p i o n s h i p s to win the trophy and the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) title, and he was
Courtesy of Darren Brown / QMI Agency
named CIS First Team AllCanadian. Call it a missed opportunity for Fresno State, but Glover is grateful for the opportunity he had to go to another country and play ball.
“I feel like Fresno missed on a good opportunity, but at the same time things happen for a reason,” Glover said. “It was a great experience for me in Canada and a humbling experience.”
Sports The
Collegian
May 5, 1969
Sports Editor, Brianna Campbell • collegian-sports@csufresno.edu • Wednesday, May 5, 2010
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Fantasy is where it is at The Right Tone Tony Petersen
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antasy baseball is the reason baseball is still one of America’s most popular sports. (I love making blanket statements that nobody can prove. It’s fun. Try it sometime.) Think about it. Baseball is boring unless it’s the playoffs or your favorite team is playing. Nobody wants to watch the Brewers play the Pirates. Heck, I’d rather watch a Spongebob Square pants rerun. S o why d o p e o p l e s t i l l watch? Fantasy baseball. That Brewers-Pirates game that I would normally skip over for Spongebob? Now that Ryan Doumit of the Pirates and Rickie Weeks of the Brewers are on my fantasy team, I have a vested interest in the outcome of the game. I’m interested. That doesn’t happen without fantasy baseball. But fantasy is more than that. See, guys like to be in charge of stuff. We take pride in it. In fantasy, we own our own team. We draft players, trade players, pick up free agents, talk trash to league opponents, everything under the sun. We’re the coach, general manager and owner. And we like it that way. It adds to the arguments that we used to have, except now we’re more sophisticated. Our grandfathers argued over Willie, Mickey and the Duke. Now, we can argue over Albert, A-Rod and Hanley, except now instead of arguing batting average and home runs, we pull out on-base percentage (OBP), on-base plus slugging (OPS) and, if you’re really a stat geek, batting average on balls in play (BABIP— not exactly the catchiest acronym). We’re smarter than we used to be, and that’s thanks to fantasy. Without fantasy baseball, the sport would not be as fun as it is now. And isn’t that what it’s all about? Sports like horseracing, boxing and, no offense to photo editor Matt Weir, hockey aren’t as followed as they used to be, partly because a large segment of the sportswatching population thinks they’re boring. Baseball has bucked that trend because of fantasy. It’s time we embrace it. Now, excuse me, I have to go see how Doumit and Weeks are doing. I need a win this week.
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Today in Sports...
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23rd NBA Championship: Boston Celtics beat LA Lakers, 4 games to 3
Undrafted to Super Bowl
Worrell knows what it feels like to go undrafted and to work hard for a free agent contract. By Vongni Yang The Collegian Fo r m a ny c o l l e g e p l ay ers, hearing their names announced during the NFL Draft is a dream come true. But for the players who don’t, it’s a disappointment. Cameron Worrell, a former Fresno State player, was predicted as a late-round prospect in 2003 by most experts after posting a strong senior campaign. As a senior in 2002, Worrell led the team in tackles from his safety position, recording 109 tackles and a sack. Worrell also intercepted a team-high five passes, forced two fumbles and was second on the team with seven pass breakups. He earned first-team All-Western Athletic Conference honors after a spectacular senior season. After the season, Worrell believed that he had a good chance to be drafted. He spoke to many teams leading up to the draft. Worrell said he had a few positive conversations with team representatives, and he had a good understanding where he might be selected. “There were three or four teams who told me I was on their draft board, as a lateround guy,” Worrell said. But during the 2003 NFL Draft, Worrell was bypassed by all 32 teams, in every round. However, going undrafted didn’t mean that Wor rell
Brianna Campbell / The Collegian
Cameron Worrell was predicted to go in the late rounds of the NFL Draft, but signed a free agent contract, still making an appearance in the Super Bowl.
wouldn’t have a shot to play in the NFL. After the draft had concluded, he was invited to a minicamp tryout with the Chicago Bears. An opportunity to play in the NFL was all Worrell needed. “I got an opportunity and I really took advantage of that,” he said. With a fighting chance to make an NFL roster, Worrell impressed the coaching staff during his tryout and soon after the team offered him a free agent contract.
“I had a good weekend and signed a free agent deal,” Worrell said. But his chance to make the opening day roster was still slim. “I had to come into minicamp and really earn an invite to training camp,” Worrell said. He still had to compete with other players, including a safety who was drafted in the fourth round. Many assumed that Worrell wouldn’t make it past the preseason.
“ I d o n ’ t t h i n k a ny b o dy expected me to stick around and make the roster,” Worrell said. But during training camp and the preseason, Worrell made an impression on the coaches with his work ethic as a player. “I kind of just played every down like it was my last down in the NFL,” Worrell said. “It sounds cliché, but that was really the mentality I had. That’s what got me to making the team and having an NFL career.” I n a f ew s h o r t m o n t h s, Worrell worked his way from the bottom of the totem poll and being an unknown player to being a member of an NFL team. “I really started from the ve r y b o t t o m a n d wo rke d my way up pretty quickly,” Worrell said. Worrell went on to have a respectable six-year career as a professional football player, with the Chicago Bears, the Miami Dolphins and the New York Jets. He excelled on special teams and had his best season statistically in 2007 with the Dolphins, where he started seven games and made 56 tackles and a pass deflection. “I look back on my career with a lot of pride and a lot of joy,” Worrell said. “I got to play in the Super Bowl.” Not bad for a player who had to walk on at Fresno State.
Second chance at NCAA With a at large bid into the NCAA Tournament men’s tennis has a chance to prove themselves. By Megan Morales The Collegian After suffering a heartbreaking loss to Hawaii on Saturday in a battle for the WAC title, the Fresno State men’s tennis team will have a second chance to prove themselves as they take on Bringham Young University in the first round of the NCAA tournament. T h e t e a m , c o a ch e s a n d media gathered for a selection party Tuesday at Victory Grill to anxiously await their seeding. After hearing the results, the crowd roared and applause went around as excitement a n d d e t e r m i n at i o n f i l l e d the hearts and minds of the Bulldog clan. “It’s a really great opportunity to get back our revenge and show the nation who we really are,” senior Tejesvi Veerepalli said. Veerepalli experienced a tough injury last week when he cramped up during his final set while ahead 4-1 in the
championship match, resulting in a heart-rending defeat by Hawaii’s Jeremy Tweedt. Fortunately for the Bulldogs, their star will be back in full force come tournament time. “I’m feeling really good and I’m ready to be back on the court,” Veerepalli said. “I’ll be more than 100 percent for sure this weekend and the coming weekend.” Watching Veerepalli in agony was difficult for the crowd to watch as they sat in disbelief, but watching his player suffer without being able to help was even tougher for head coach Jay Udwadia. “It’s one of those tough things as a coach because you really want to win that championship for the community, but when you have a player injured you just have to hope for the best,” Udwadia said. “It was a tough day, and we fell a little short.” Udwadia said he and his Bulldogs are excited for the tour nament and although
Brianna Campbell/ The Collegian
After losing in the final match for the WAC Championship title, Tejesvi Veerepalli is ready to battle back for the NCAA Tournament.
they have yet to face BYU this season, he is confident in his team’s ability to perform. “I know they’re [BYU] a tough team, but I feel pretty good about our chances,” Udwadia said. “There’s no doubt in my mind that when the match is on the line we can
push through and it doesn’t matter who we’re playing.” Fresno State (18-9) will take on BYU (21-6) on Friday, May 14 in Los Angeles on the USC campus.