DREAM ACT
RIVALRY GAME
CONVICTION
Read about the evolving dynamics of immigration policy in the U.S. page 2
The rivalry between SDSU and BYU comes to an end at this week’s game. page 5
Hilary Swank and Sam Rockwell’s newest flick hits theaters next Friday. page 6
dailyaztec the
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Vol. 96, Issue 22
w w w. T h e D a i l y A z t e c . c o m
San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper since 1913
INDEX:
opinion ... 2
Tw i t t e r : T h e D a i l y A z t e c
sports ... 4
entertainment ... 6
classifieds ... 7
TODAY @ STATE Peace Corps info session career services 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Job search strategies career services 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
backpage- ... 8
Anti-Koala protest planned by AS ANTHONY BRONSON S TA F F W R I T E R
Students at San Diego State are uniting and forming a group to protest The Koala during the publication’s next distribution day on campus. According to its website, “The Koala is a student-run humor publication at San Diego State University.” It publishes “about once a
month or three times a semester, except in the summer.” The publication, which is not a registered student organization, is well-known for its grotesque humor at the expense of students, professors, student organizations and the Greek system. On a typical distribution day, The Koala generates discontent on the SDSU campus for a day or two, but its distribution during the first week of this fall semester caused students to come together to drive the publication off campus.
Ryan Lowy / Staff Photographer
Members of A.S. plan to shred issues of The Koala the next time the alternative newspaper is distributed.
“Everyone has been so frustrated with it on our campus,” Associated Students Vice President of External Affairs Laura Schofield said. “It’s a freedom of speech issue and it’s about where we draw the line between freedom of speech and hate.” The Free Speech Steps in Aztec Center are commonly recognized as an area afforded protection by the First Amendment, but the entire SDSU campus is a free speech zone. Because of this, the university, A.S. nor the SDSU Police Department have any legal right to simply ban The Koala from SDSU. Because students have no legal right to oust The Koala, they are attacking the publication through peaceful protest and raising community awareness. “I think this is such a great opportunity because so rarely do we (students) get that chance to find a common ground, and I think this is something that everyone agrees on that just needs to stop,” Schofield said. “We tried to devise a way that we could get as many people involved with this as possible.” A group of A.S. Council members met two weeks ago to create a plan that aims to effectively halt The Koala from future publication. “We decided to go with a two-pronged process where we would contact anyone that has submitted an ad with them in the past or is in the local area,” Schofield said. “The most effective way to do this would be to have our team go out and visit these businesses personally. The idea behind this is if we stop their advertising funding, they can’t publish anymore.” The second part of the process involves students meeting and confronting The Koala on the next day of its distribution. The group intends to start a text message and e-mail system to alert students when and where to meet during the protest.
“When we notice they’re on campus, we’ll blast everyone that’s on the list,” Schofield said. “What we’ll do is when The Koala is passing out on the steps, we’ll be over nearby with paper shredders and when people get a Koala, they can walk by and shred it with our shredders.” The group can’t walk up to The Koala’s distributors and grab a stack to shred without being charged with theft, but Schofield stressed that once a paper has been handed to a student, what they want to do with it is their choice. “Once they hand you a paper, it’s your property and you have the right to do whatever you want with it,” Schofield said. The SDSU Panhellenic Association has put forward the idea of gathering all of its organization members to walk through Aztec Center to obtain copies of The Koala to shred. She also said the group is out to make a point and they’re not just going out there to shred newspapers for a day. “We don’t just want to shred the paper and be done,” Schofield said. “It’s got to be an educational process. Making sure that students understand why we’re doing this and why it’s so hurtful to have this kind of (newspaper) on campus and the effect it has on people.” In an attempt to obtain comments from The Koala regarding its perspective about the upcoming A.S. protest, editor Alex Gauthier declined to offer a response. To obtain further information or to join the protest group, contact Schofield at as.vp.ext@sdsu.edu, Amanda Pascoe at as.vp.fin@sdsu.edu or Channelle McNutt at as.diversitycommissioner@gmail.com.
Death of beloved anthropology professor SARAH GRIECO MANAGING EDITOR
A longtime San Diego State professor died unexpectedly last week. Joan Miller, an anthropology professor, died in her home Sept. 28. She is survived by her husband Kelly Miller, her son Karl, 24; her son Glenn, 22 and her daughter Diane, 18, all of whom she spoke of often. Department of Anthropology Chair Dr. Seth Mallios informed students and faculty about Miller’s passing via e-mail the following afternoon. Mallios said in the e-mail that the department was shocked by her passing and deeply saddened by the loss. This semester, Miller was teaching four classes and was also the College of Arts and Letters adviser for Associated Students. For more than 20 years, Miller was a fulltime lecturer at SDSU. She specialized in biological anthropology and also taught a cultural film class. In the Spring 2008 semester, Miller took a temporary leave of absence because of health reasons. She returned after a few months to teach summer classes and had taught each fall and spring semester since. Outside of the classroom, Miller was an active member of the Save the Chimps foundation. The nonprofit dedicates itself to rescuing chimpanzees from being used in films and
medical experiment facilities. Miller made an annual trip with her husband to the organization’s headquarters in Alamogordo, N.M. to donate supplies she collected throughout the year from her students. Miller also supported two chimpanzees financially through an adoptive program. Her graduate student assistant Marcos Flores said she was trying to raise funds to transport them from the temporary facility in New Mexico to permanent independent housing in Florida. Flores spent the past three semesters learning from Miller after she handpicked him to be her teaching assistant. “My first impression of her was she seemed like such a cool lady,” Flores said. “She had a smile that could light up an auditorium and made me feel at ease.” Flores enjoyed watching Miller teach because she would engage her students with clever anecdotes and vivid demonstrations. “She loved teaching and she loved her students,” he said. “She was both a mentor and a friend.” Flores is thinking about taking the trip to the Save the Chimps headquarters in New Mexico this year in memory of Miller. Other students have also expressed their sadness with the tragic and unexpected loss. Miller taught multiple general education classes, many of which had more than 100 students.
Julia Gross, an anthropology senior, said she thought Miller was a wonderful professor who made learning enjoyable. “I would have liked to take another class with her,” Gross said. “She was awesome. We’re all sad she’s gone.”
According to the anthropology department, a scholarship fund will be established in Miller’s honor. The memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. on Oct. 9 at Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints located at 6767 51st St.
Photo courtesy of Marco Flores
Professor Joan Miller, who taught at San Diego State for more than 20 years, died unexpectedly last week.