The S tate Hornet December 9, 2009 HORNET INSIDE STUDENT DANCES FOR THE KINGS
C alifornia S tate U niversity, S acramento
E st . 1949
O ne C opy F ree
Funeral for higher ed
Sacramento State student Laura Sieglitz is no ordinary student, she’s also a dancer for the Sacramento Kings. Check out her journey on how she became a dancer and learn about her lifelong passion for dancing.
Sports B4 LOCAL COFFEE HOUSES
J.P. Ryan State Hornet
Worried about finals? Find out some local spots where students go to grab coffee study.
Features B1 IS INTERNET FRIENDSHIP REAL?
Friendships are not found online. You have to go out to find the real thing. That’s what Samantha Palileo says on page A7.
Opinion A5 STUDENTS DEAL WITH THEFT Not everyone on campus has holiday cheer. Read about how artists on campus are responding to a recent theft.
News A3 HOW TO MELLOW OUT
Tests and term papers? Have a lot of stress? See how some students are mellowing out this week.
Robert Graham was one of the lead organizers of the rally that took place Thursday. The rally, which was part of a mock funeral, mourned the “death of higher education.” Nearly 300 Sac State students and faculty joined together and yelled, “They say cut back, we say fight back!” By Kristine Guerra kguerra@statehornet.com At Thursday’s rally, nearly 300 Sacramento State students and faculty members yelled, sang and chanted their protests against fee increases, budget cuts, employee furloughs and fewer, more crowded classes. The protesters, most of whom wore black, gathered at the Library Quad to mourn the “death of higher education.” As they marched around the Library Quad and across campus, they yelled, “They say cut back, we say fight back!”
“We demonstrate today as the start to the student movement to tell California that you invest in us because we matter,” said Associated Students Inc. President Roberto Torres. “It’s not right that we pay more and get less. It’s not right that they (legislators) justify our fee increases as still being cheap.” Robert Graham, one of the lead organizers of the rally, said the protest, which was organized by the Sac State Coalition, is aimed at the legislators, the Board of Trustees, California State University Chancellor Charles Reed and Sacramento
Issue 14 | Volume 62 | No. 14
laid off. “It’s very hard to make a relationship with the professor, to even have them know your name because the classes are so huge,” Ramos said. “There are so few classes available this semester and that’s not right, but the CSU knows exactly what they’re doing when they do this.” Protesters marched around campus carrying a coffin filled with notes with student complaints on them. Some students, like Ramos, painted their faces see Funeral | page A8
Samantha Poulin State Hornet
ASI President Roberto Torres joins the rally and demands changes be made.
Poster artist Theibaud collection acknowledged exhibits at Sac State for hard work By Inna Gritsak igritsak@statehornet.com
By Kristine Guerra kguerra@statehornet.com Tiffany Dreyer started out as an 11-year-old playing around with Print Shop Deluxe and Microsoft Word designing logos and banners for her family’s business. Now, at 26, the Sacramento State alumna is the design manager and gallery coordinator at the University Union and recently won the Debra L. Hammond New Professional Award for her work. “I think that it really comes down to leading by example,” said University Union Director Bill Olmsted. “She’s in a man-
agement position, but she won’t ask her staff to do anything that she wouldn’t do herself or she hasn’t done.” The award was given by the Association of College Unions International, a nonprofit organization consisting of 15 regions and more than 4,000 members from institutions in and out of the United States. The organization gives the award annually to new professionals who “demonstrated exceptional employee service on their campus and volunteer involvement in the college union and student activities see Dreyer | page A5
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State President Alexander Gonzalez. “What we’re looking to accomplish is bring media attention both to Sac State and get the students just aware that there’s a movement starting that’s not going to stop until we get what we want, until we get our money back,” said Rylan Gervase, ASI secretary of state affairs and California State Student Association representative for Sac State. Senior psychology major Corin Ramos said her classes are “very full” and a lot of her part-time professors have been
The Library Gallery’s new exhibit, featuring a collection by world-famous contemporary artist and Sacramento State alumnus, Wayne Thiebaud, will be a traveling exhibit designed to showcase Sac State on a national level. The exhibit will be open to the public Dec. 3 through March 6, 2010. Those who attend will be able to view about 100 items in the Thiebaud colsee Thiebaud | page A8
Dreyer works in “the shop” where she creates posters for various University Union events.
Wayne Thiebaud, alumnus and world-famous contemporary artist, attends his exhibit at the Library Gallery.
New budget aimed to ‘recover and reinvest’ By Kristine Guerra kguerra@statehornet.com
Ryan Greenleaf State Hornet
Carli Knickerbocker State Hornet
The California State University Board of Trustees recently adopted its 2010-11 budget proposal, which asks the state to increase funding for the CSU system by $884 million. The budget proposal, which the Board of Trustees calls a “recover and reinvest” budget, would increase state funding from $2.3 billion to $3.2 bil-
lion. It aims to recover the cuts imposed in the last two years and to reinvest for long-term needs, according to a CSU press release. “The recommendation is to increase funding for the CSU,” said Erik Fallis, spokesman for the CSU Chancellor’s Office. “The state budget process in the last two years resulted in some very drastic cuts to the CSU and a great deal of those cuts are one-time cuts.”
Over the last two years, state funding for the CSU system has been cut by $625 million. The budget proposal seeks to restore $305 million in onetime cuts, which were imposed this year by the governor and the Legislature. “The budget also asks to get funding to reinvest and rebuild in educating future workforce,” Fallis said. see Budget | page A5
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NEWS ROUNDUP Sac State’s weekly news briefs and campus events Textbook returns and sale Three locations will be available for students to sell back textbooks next week. All students selling books back must provide a valid OneCard. Textbooks can be sold at the following locations: Hornet Bookstore: Dec. 14-17 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. University Union Redwood Room: Dec. 14-18 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dining Commons: Dec. 15 and 16 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Giving Tree wrapping party Presents collected from the Giving Tree will be wrapped at 10 a.m. Thursday in the University Union Lobby. The presents will be distributed to kids and teenagers at local schools. Students in charge of the Giving Tree are also working with the Sunburst Projects, a local nonprofit organization that helps families in Northern California dealing with HIV/AIDS.
Drunk driving awareness Giving students the facts about drunk driving and how to avoid getting behind
the wheel is the focus of the Student Health Center for National Drunk and Drugged Driving Awareness Month. There will be a table in the University Union Lobby with volunteers from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. this week with contact information for people who need transportation at night.
Web programming job The University Union is looking for web programmers for the upcoming semester. Students would be paid $9.25 an hour and will work 20 hours a week. Resumes can be sent in a Microsoft Word document or a PDF to asingletary@ csus.edu or dropped off at the Administration and Operations office on the third floor in the Union. The deadline to apply is Dec. 16.
Winter Commencement Seniors graduating this semester will get to wear their cap and gowns on Dec. 18 and 19, with the time and day depending on the college their major falls under. The commencement will be held at Arco Arena. On Dec. 18, the College of Social Sciences and Interdisciplinary Studies will assemble at 11:30 a.m., the College of Arts and Letters will assemble at 2:30 p.m. and the College of Education will assemble at 5:30 p.m. On Dec. 19, the College of Health and Human Services will assemble at 8 a.m., the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics will assemble at 11 a.m., the College of Business Administration will assemble at 2 p.m. and the College of Engineering and Computer Science will assemble at 5 p.m. ▶◀ ▶◀ ▶◀ Contact Mitchell Wilson in the News department at (916) 278-7248. ▶◀ ▶◀ ▶◀
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features@statehornet.com The first copy of this newspaper is free. Additional copies cost $1. All views expressed herein are the responsibility of The State Hornet and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Sacramento State Journalism Program, the Communication Studies Department, administration, student body or ASI unless otherwise noted. The State Hornet is copyrighted, and may not be reproduced in whole or part without the express permission of The State Hornet. Signed articles, letters and artwork express the opinions of the authors and illustrators. Unsigned articles are the responsibility of The State Hornet. The State Hornet reserves the right to reject or edit all submissions. The appearance of an advertisement in The State Hornet does
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Student motive behind Dean says final policy homicide still unknown prohibits early exams By Inna Gritsak igritsak@statehornet.com
By Blazej Bruzda bbruzda@statehornet.com
The investigation continues of the Oct. 21 homicide at Sacramento State’s American River Courtyard residence hall. A police synopsis of the case filed in court papers and a search warrant shed light on what happened the day of the attack. According to the Sacramento Police Department, university police officers responded to a call in the American River Courtyard at approximately 2:10 p.m. It was reported that someone was acting violent and throwing things out the firstfloor window of room 1032. According to the police synopsis, officers could hear grunting noises from within the room. An officer who positioned herself in the courtyard outside the complex with a view of the main window, reported seeing a black male adult swinging a baseball bat at something on the floor. Officers got the room key from Jason Molay, a resident adviser who had reported the disturbance, and opened the door. The court documents state that officers saw Quran Muhammed Jones, 19, in the common area of the suite reportedly holding an 8-inch long knife. Officers repeatedly ordered Jones to drop the knife, the documents state, and after Jones failed to do so, one officer used a pepper ball gun in order to suppress Jones. Documents state an officer fired at least seven rounds into Jones’ chest “with no effect.” Jones allegedly continued to advance at officers with the knife. At this point, an officer fired a bullet into Jones’ abdomen, making him drop to his knees. Although the shot slowed
While some students at Sacramento State are happy to end the fall semester early, others think it is an unfair cut to their education when faculty members give finals exams during dead week. A number of professors at Sac State choose to hold their finals early so that their classes end before finals week. This practice is, however, prohibited according to the finals policy in the university manual, said Jeffrey Mason, dean of the College of Arts and Letters. The professors who are giving the finals early might not be aware of the guidelines for finals in the university policy manual, Mason said. “We have so many part-time faculty, some of them do not understand what the policy is and some of the full-timers forget,” Mason said. “I just want to remind them not to give finals early.” According to the Sac State University policy manual, final exams may not be scheduled during the last week of classes. However, quizzes, lab exams and other academic assignments may be scheduled for the last week of classes, only if they are specified on the course syllabus and have been approved by the college dean. No unscheduled or additional requirements may be imposed on students during the last week of classes. Mason said it is impossible for the university to catch a professor who does not follow the policy because there are too many of them. The only way for anyone to get caught is if a student files a complaint. This would start a department investigation to see if the claim was true or if it was just a misunderstanding be-
Adalto Nascimento State Hornet
Police secure the ARC residence hall after an incident on Oct. 21 that was later confirmed as a homicide. Jones down, documents state Jones “continued his forward momentum” and a second officer fired two more shots, striking him in his right arm and left buttock. Officers said Jones had a “crazed look in his eyes.” One officer later told investigators that Jones’ eyes were wide open and looking in different directions. “He looked really strange,” the officer said. “The whole time I saw him, he had his tongue hanging out of his mouth.” At that point, officers were able to subdue Jones. On his way to the UC Medical Center, police documents indicate Jones had a brief conversation with an officer accompanying him in the ambulance: “What is your name?” the officer asked. “Jerome,” Jones said. “Who is the other guy?” the officer asked. “My roommate,” Jones replied. “What happened?” the officer continued. “He shot me first. He shot me first,” Jones said. Authorities say no one shot Jones except police officers. Following the shooting of Jones, the victim, Scott Hawkins, 23, was found on the
ground unconscious and bleeding from his head. Hawkins was taken to the UC Davis Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. The autopsy of Hawkins revealed that the cause of death was blunt force and sharp force trauma. What appeared like defense wounds were also found on Hawkins’ left arm and left leg, along with a large friction burn located on the victim’s left side of his face. According to the doctor who performed the autopsy, the injuries found on the victim were consistent with being attacked with a knife and a bat and dragged across carpet. Jones has been charged with the murder of Hawkins and three counts of assault with a deadly weapon against a peace officer. Jones and Hawkins shared one unit of the American River Courtyard residence hall with three other students. Each had separate rooms. Jones currently remains in fair condition at the UC Davis Medical Center after undergoing surgery. Jones will face arraignment once he recovers enough to be booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail.
tween the student and teacher, he said. If the situation gets more serious and both the chair and dean of the department think the matter is a problem, they would talk to the faculty to see what they think about the issue and if they were aware of the policy, Mason said. While the problem is serious, Mason does not want teachers to be fired or penalized, but instead wants to make the best situation available to the students, he said. “In the four years I’ve been here, no one has ever complained, in my office, about an instructor giving a final early,” Mason said. However, some students disagree with having finals early because they want the extra time to study, he said. Mason said there are too many faculty members in the university and too many policies for the campus to teach every new professor each guideline. “The policy is in place to protect and support the students, but there needs to be more clarity that specifies what makes up a final,” said Tim Howard, professor of communication studies. This semester may be different than the others due to furloughs. Professors have an excuse for giving finals early since some of them are furloughed during the last day of finals, said computer science graduate student Dane Jew. Some are bypassing the finals policy while still adhering to it by giving section exams, projects or other assignments in the place of the final exam, he said. “One of my communication classes is having the final during the last week of classes because the professor is taking a furlough during the day we
were scheduled to have our finals during finals week,” said Rachelle Balkeslee, junior child development major. Balkeslee said she is fine with ending the semester a week early and that a lot of students think similarly. Some students agree that having finals a week early in general education classes is acceptable. However, they would like to have the extra week to study in classes that are part of their major. “It depends on the class, if it was a class I cared about I would not want it to end early because you’re cutting off education,” said Abby Costa, junior accounting major. “If it was just a general education class I would not mind it getting out early.”
University policy about finals week: Final exams or section exams offered instead of the final exam may not be scheduled during the last week of classes. However, quizzes, lab exams, and other academic assignments may be scheduled for the last week of classes, only if they are specified on the course syllabus at the start of the semester and had been approved by the college dean.
Last day of Instruction: Dec. 11
Finals Week: Dec. 14-18
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Renting textbooks saves money, environment By Miyu Kataoka mkataoka@statehornet.com When Ure Egbuho, sophomore theater major, tried to sell back her pre-algebra book to the Hornet Bookstore last semester, she was turned down because the bookstore no longer used her fourth-edition book and started using a newer edition. “I was so upset because I spent so much money on that book,” Egbuho said. “It was absolutely ridiculous. I ended up using that book as a doorstopper because I had no other use for it.” This semester, she decided to rent her textbooks to avoid the same fate, and she’s not the only one. In addition to the Hornet Bookstore offering textbooks rentals, outside textbook rental companies are also making it easier for students to save money and get their textbooks. Chegg.com is a textbooks renting company with a system similar to Netflix’s DVD renting. Just like Netflix, students can rent textbooks through Chegg. com by ordering them online and receiving them in the mail. Students can save 50 percent or more per textbook if they rent them, said Aayush Phumbha, vice president and co-founder of Chegg.com. Phumbha launched the company in 2007 with his friend Osman Rashid after being frustrated with spending so much money for textbooks every semester. Returning the textbooks at the end of the semester is easy because the shipping is free and students return the books simply by using the orange box in which they were delivered, he said. The pros of renting a textbook outweigh the cons, Phumbha said. “It’s easy on the pocket and students don’t need to worry about selling back the books at the end of the semester,” he said. In addition to saving students money, Chegg.com selects students who are then paid to promote the company. When a student is accepted as the brand ambassador for the company, or the Chegg Champion, the student receives a promotional code to give out to his or her peers. When those peers use the code to rent from Chegg.com, the Chegg Champion receives $5 with every order that uses his or her code. “For each book rented or sold through this code, the Champion receives payment in addition
to valuable real-world experience,” Phumbha said. There are 26 Chegg Champions at Sacramento State this semester, according to Angela Pontarolo, Chegg.com spokeswoman. In addition to Sac State, Chegg.com rents textbooks to students from about 6,400 campuses nationwide. Ciandra Cole, sophomore Spanish major, has been renting textbooks from Chegg.com since last semester. “It’s really easy to use and they have most of the books that you need,” she said. Cole said she has rented four textbooks from Chegg.com so far, and plans to use the website for upcoming semesters. Since the starting of the Hornet bookstore’s textbook rentals this semester, Pam Parsons, Hornet Bookstore director, said it has been a success. “We don’t have the exact numbers to compare because we started this semester, but it has been a success enough to continue into next semester,” Parson said. While the Hornet Bookstore now offers textbook renting, Cole said she would rather order her textbooks from Chegg. com. “I recommend anything over buying from the bookstore,” she said. “So I recommend others to use Chegg. I always go there first to get my textbooks.” With many students struggling with tuition and fee increases, more students are turning to renting their textbooks, Egbuho said. “I don’t want to risk getting turned down again,” she said. “With renting, I can just return my books at the end of the semester and not get upset over whether they take my books back or not.” One of the best parts about renting textbooks is how much money a student can save, Phumbha said. For example, a $140 criminal justice book can be rented for $58 a semester from Chegg. com. At the Hornet Bookstore, the savings are similar to Chegg. com. Students can expect to save 50 percent or more per textbook when they rent them. “The only con that I can think of is that you obviously can’t keep the textbooks,” Parson said. “So if you need a textbook for your major, renting might not be for you.” While students are to return the books at the end of the semester, they have the option of buying the books from Chegg. com if they decide to keep them.
Megan Harris State Hornet
“There just isn’t much cons to renting textbooks,” he said. “There are so many more reasons to why students should rent their books.” In addition to helping the environment by reusing books and killing fewer trees to print new textbooks, Phumbha said Chegg.com plants a tree for every textbook rented from the company. As of this month, the company has planted more than 3,000 acres of trees in 21 different countries. “We have planted over 1 million trees so far,” Phumbha said. “And we have helped students save more than $72 million by renting from our website.” One of the reasons why renting from Chegg.com is better than renting from the Hornet Bookstore is Chegg.com’s effort to save the environment, Cole said. “I love the fact that Chegg plants a tree for every book you rent,” Cole said. While the Hornet bookstore offers textbooks in variety of course sections, not all books are available for rent. Parson said about 15 percent of all textbooks are available to rent from the Hornet Bookstore. “Not all textbooks are available because they need to fall under certain categories,” she said. “Titles that are updated every year or do not get used for multiple semesters are not going to available for renting.” There are about 2.4 million textbooks available through Chegg.com. The trend of textbook renting is growing and it is likely to continue to grow, Parson said. For those who rented textbooks this semester, Dec. 21 is the deadline to return them. Cole and Egbuho both said they plan to rent as many textbooks as they can next year. “I definitely recommend others to rent their books,” Egbuho said. “And I already have a doorstopper; I don’t need another one.”
Ceramic students come together after robbery By Mitchell Wilson mwilson@statehornet.com Nearly $1,400 was stolen from the ceramics guild around 2 p.m. on Thursday during the bi-annual sale of student work in the Kadema Hall Breezeway. “It’s just beyond us that this has happened,” said Stephan Higginbotham, junior studio arts major and head of the ceramics guild. A police report was filed and customers who purchased
artwork with checks have been contacted so they can rewrite them. “(The guild uses) this money to bring in outside lecturers to come in,” said Dania Lukey, art and education graduate. Lukey was one of the artists who had her pieces in the sale. Lukey said that a third of the money goes to the clay club. The guild is now figuring out how to regain some of the money that was lost. “Some students are willing to
Mitchell Wilson State Hornet
Signs throughout Kadema Hall show how upset ceramic students are after money was stolen from their sale.
give 100 percent of their sales,” said Chris Thompson, senior studio art major. Other students who had pieces sold are considering increasing the share they had planned to donate. Nearly a dozen signs stating that the guild was robbed have been placed throughout Kadema Hall. “This was some fellow artist paying tribute to fallen comrades, showing remorse for us getting ripped off,” Higginbotham said. The guild will hold the sale again in the spring and is coming up with ideas to prevent this from happening again. Despite the disappointment and loss of funds, guild members are optimistically moving past the theft. “I think it gets bigger each semester,” Higginbotham said. Thompson says students work is constantly being refined. The one good thing from the robbery is that the guild has had a strong show of support from other artists on campus. “That’s the positive out of all of this. It’s brought us closer together,” Thompson said.
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Budget: Additional funds Dreyer: Alumna praised requested to help CSU for hard work at gallery Continued | page A1 The proposal asks the state to provide $22 million for mandatory costs, which include health benefits, new space and energy. It also asks for nearly $76 million to increase salaries and $47 million to invest in technology, libraries and facility maintenance. The budget proposal has been submitted to the state Department of Finance. The CSU expects the governor to submit his budget plan to the Legislature in January and to have a revised budget in May, Fallis said. “Hopefully we have a budget in June,” Fallis said. “That doesn’t happen every year, but we need to have a budget by June because the next fiscal year starts in July.” Kimberly Nava, interim director of news services at Sacramento State, said it is not yet known how much of the budget proposal is intended for Sac State. In a CSU press release, Chancellor Charles B. Reed described the proposal as a “very ambitious budget.” “This budget reflects the true fiscal needs of the CSU,” Reed said. Kevin Wehr, president of the Sac State chapter of the California Faculty Association, said the $884 million increase in state support is “not enough money” to recover from the cuts and losses to Sac State. “It just brings us to where we were in 2006, and we need to be thinking about 2010-11,” Wehr said. “We can’t be looking backward.” Wehr said the CSU budget proposal should also address student retention rates and graduation rates. Whether the state will be
able to provide the requested funding is still uncertain. The Legislative Analyst’s Office projected that California will face a nearly $21 billion budget deficit in fiscal year 2010-11. Wehr said the problem is that the state simply does not have money to provide the funds requested by the CSU system. “I’m glad that the Chancellor’s Office is requesting additional funds,” he said. “Of course, the question is where the money will come from. I don’t believe the legislators will adequately fund the CSU.” To address the budget cuts, the Board of Trustees has increased state university fees, implemented employee furloughs and closed spring 2010 admissions for transfer students. For the next two years, 40,000 students will not be admitted to the CSU. Freshman and transfer applications for fall 2010, however, have reached 609,000, a 28 percent increase from last year. Fallis said the Board of Trustees has not proposed to increase student fees next school year. Fallis said the CSU system needs the support of students and communities to advocate for the “recover and reinvest” budget. Associated Students, Inc. President Roberto Torres said ASI and the California State Student Association will “push heavily” for the budget proposal. “We will go to the legislators and tell them that no cut is acceptable and to set the priorities of the state for higher education,” Torres said. “We need to make a statement in California that higher education is a priority, and this budget would do just that.” To advocate for the budget,
Torres said students should participate in marches, rallies, letter writing and phone banking campaigns. “Essentially, we just need students to be involved,” Torres said. “It’s in the best interest of students, faculty and administrators to really push for the budget.” Torres said that although $884 million is a lot of money to ask for, a collective effort from all students from public institutions would make it possible.
“Recover and reinvest” budget proposal: $22 million for mandatory costs, which include health benefits, new space and energy $76 million to increase salaries $47 million to invest in technology, libraries and facility maintenance The budget, would increase state funding from $2.3 billion to $3.2 billion. The budget proposal seeks to restore $305 million in one-time cuts.
Continued | page A1 field,” according to its website. Region 15 Regional Director Jeremy Hamlett, who nominated Dreyer for the award, said she was “extremely dedicated and committed” to her job at Sac State and with the Association of College Unions International. Dreyer also volunteers as marketing and website coordinator for the organization. Dreyer graduated from Sac State with a bachelor’s degree in graphic design and a minor in photography. She started working at the Union as a graphic design intern. She now manages a team of student graphic designers, who create designs for the University Union, The Well and Recreational Sports. Olmsted, who used to be Tiffany Dreyer’s boss when she was an intern, said she was “a breath of fresh air.” “She was really not afraid of anything,” he said. “I can just give an assignment to her, sometimes with a lot of art direction, sometimes with a little, and she would just create something really appropriate.” Dreyer’s parents, who owned a small business in Fremont, didn’t expect their daughter to go to college, said her mother Denise Dreyer. “I asked her ‘Do you really need to go to college? You can just work at the machine shop,’” Denise Dreyer said. “But she was very driven with it.” Tiffany Dreyer chose to go to Sac State after being accepted to four other universities and left Fremont in 2001. In spring 2006, she became the first in her family to graduate from college. As a student, Tiffany Dreyer said she was more focused on her studies than on her social
life. She recalled having to study in her car at night because of the noise of students partying in the residence halls. “I hated it,” she said. “I wasn’t one to party in the rooms. I wanted to focus on my studies, but the study room was more of a social gathering for students.” Denise Dreyer said that as a child, her daughter was a tomboy who preferred playing hockey and repairing computers and printers over dancing. She also described her daughter as “creative, artistic and athletic.” “I’ve noticed that when she was younger, she’d look at things differently than how I would, and I knew that there was something going on in her head,” she said. Denise Dreyer said her daughter is a good example for young women. “She was saying that not a lot of people in her position are female,” Denise Dreyer said. “I think this is a really good example for women, that you can be female and young and still lead.” In her position at the Union, Tiffany Dreyer has brought talented graphic designers into the department, Olmsted said. “Her role has really made an impact on the department,” Olmsted said. “From what I can see, the people who work for her and with her love their job, and it’s hard to see that kind of teamwork.” Junior electrical engineering major Alex Morales, who works for Tiffany Dreyer, said his boss is “really organized.” “She’s always on schedule,” Morales said. “Basically, I have a schedule of what I’m going to do for the whole semester.” Dreyer’s design team recently
Ryan Greenleaf State Hornet
Dreyer is the design manager and gallery coordinator at the University Union. won 16 graphic and web design awards, including “Best in Show,” from the Association of College Unions International. Sac State alumna Katie Keithler, who has been Tiffany Dreyer’s friend for eight years, said the award was given to the right person. “I think her hard work, her creativity and solid leadership is what qualified her for that award,” Keithler said. Tiffany Dreyer said she plans to eventually go to graduate school to continue her studies graphic design, which, she said goes beyond just creating something on a computer. “There’s a lot of craft involved in design and the way we were trained was to do it by hand,” she said. “You pay attention and you have a different appreciation for things that are handmade because it’s easy to put anything on a computer, but if you hand draw it, it’s your own.”
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Wednesday - December 9
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Funeral: Faculty, Thiebaud: Alumnus, world-famous students protest artist visits Sac State exhibition
Samantha Poulin State Hornet
Senior psychology major Corin Ramos led students in the rally on Thursday. Continued | page A1
as skulls. Others held signs that said “R.I.P. graduation rate,” “R.I.P. higher education” and “R.I.P. affordability.” Some of the protesters, like senior women studies major Laura Pratt, said the administration doesn’t support the students’ cause. Torres, however, said Gonzalez is supportive of the students. In a written statement to The State Hornet, Gonzalez said he “applaud(s)” the students who participated in the rally. “I wholeheartedly agree with our students’ concerns over rising fees and campus budget reductions prompted by severe cuts in state funding,” Gonzalez said. The students and faculty also protested against CSU’s reimbursements to David J. Ernst, a former high-ranking official in the Chancellor’s Office. According to a report released on Thursday by California State Auditor Elaine Howle, Ernst received $152,441 in “improper expense reimbursements” from July 2005 to July 2008. Ernst billed the CSU for commuter expenses, living al-
lowances, home office expenses, duplicate reimbursements and “unnecessary trips” that have “little or no value” to the university. These “unnecessary trips,” which include trips to attend non-university events in China, Singapore, Australia, United Kingdom and the Netherlands, cost the state $39,135, the report says. The report said the CSU had poor oversight over the reimbursements, and Ernst “consistently failed to follow university policies in submitting requests for reimbursements.” Ernst is now associate vice president and chief information officer at the University of California. Erik Fallis, spokesperson for the Chancellor’s Office, said the CSU is asking Ernst to return the amount cited in the report as duplicate reimbursements or overpayments. This amount is $1,834. The protest ended in front of Sacramento Hall where administration offices are located. Some protesters even marched up to Gonzalez’s office on the second floor of the building. ASI Executive Vice President Shawn Smith said the high turnout at the rally showed that students feel strongly about the issue. “Considering the stakes that we have and fees that are going up so high, I was not really surprised,” Smith said. Torres said students can no longer be categorized as apathetic to issues that concern them. “Today is a perfect example of how that is not the case,” Torres said. “If our students are continually being pushed to the edge, they will come out full force to show that enough is enough.”
Continued | page A1 lection and learn about the life and work of Thiebaud. “Each piece will give our students a tremendous opportunity to study the work of a world-class artist,” said President Alexander Gonzalez, whose Destination 2010 initiative inspired the exhibit. Thiebaud is often described as an artist of the pop art movement. A style that emerged in the U.S. in the late 1950s, pop art is characterized by its artistic representations of mass culture. This art often displays things such as advertisements, comic books and everyday objects. “Pop art, for me, is something that’s not very interesting on the whole,” Thiebaud said. Instead, Thiebaud chooses to call his art “representational.” “(It’s) old fashioned, traditional painting and I try to bring it up to some kind of interest in contemporary life and time,” Thiebaud said. His more recent works of San Francisco streetscapes, which are more realistic and less abstract, are closely associated with photorealism and figurative painting. Thiebaud’s art style can be recognized by his use of heavy pigment, exaggerated colors and well-defined shadows to depict his subjects. Although Thiebaud’s art style has changed over the years, Thiebaud is most known for his prints and paintings of common objects such as cakes, pastries, boots, toilets, toys and lipsticks. The Thiebaud collection was given to Sac State by an anonymous donor in 2004. The Library Gallery exhibit is the largest public display of Thiebaud’s work. Included in Sac State’s Thiebaud collection is a finished painting, accompanied by 17 preliminary drawings lead-
ing up to the finished product. Eight of these drawings are being exhibited at the Library Gallery. “One who looks at this collection is going to learn a lot about printmaking,” said Phil Hitchcock, Library Gallery director. “Wayne Thiebaud and Picasso are probably the two most known, recognized 20th century artists who do paint but are also quite well known for their prints.” Hitchcock said the collection is meant to give Sac State prominence as it will travel around the United States and Europe. “The Thiebaud collection is precisely the type of community support we envisioned under Destination 2010,” Gonzalez said. “The exhibit will strengthen Sacramento State’s connection with the community.” Hitchcock said Sac State is privileged to feature such a respected artist. “He’s one of the most famous artists living in the world right now,” Hitchcock said. “There’s not too many institutions in the United States that can boast of an alumni with this kind of reputation.” Thiebaud is the recipient of three successful degrees from Sac State including a bachelor’s degree in art in 1951, a master’s degree in art in 1953 and an honorary doctorate in fine arts in 1998. Before coming to Sac State, Thiebaud worked as a cartoonist and designer in California and New York and served as an artist in the United States Army Air Force. Christo Reynen, a graduate art student, said Thiebaud’s experience with cartooning and sketching is evident in his work. “This show is a series of etchings, lithographs and wood blocks and you can really see his illustration background on
the walls here,” Reynen said. Fred Dalkey, a fellow artist and friend of Thiebaud’s, said the exhibit shows an evolution of Thiebaud’s style over a period of 60 years. Dalkey attributes Thiebaud’s success as an artist to his work ethic. “He’s an enormously hard worker,” Dalkey said. “Even now, fairly late in his work, he continues to work like a young person, with an added enthusiasm and a burning desire.” Dalkey said Thiebaud’s education has played an important role in his art. “He’s a very well-traveled and very well-read person,” Dalkey said. “He’s probably the most educated artist I’ve ever known, in terms of his knowledge about art and his experience in looking at it.” Thiebaud’s son, Matt Bult, is also an artist. His artwork is on display in the adjoining annex gallery from Dec. 3 to Jan. 23. Bult said he hopes students will learn style and technique from the father-son exhibit. “Especially in Wayne’s things, you can see how different things are laid out, how he does underdrawings for things,” Bult said.
“In my work, I think maybe you can see how I use common elements, found objects, how I’m reusing things to kind of make a different visual realm out of them.” Thiebaud said he is happy his son is exhibiting with him. At the Dec. 3 opening reception, Thiebaud took the time to study and evaluate his son’s work. Hitchcock said Bult’s style is very different from Thiebaud’s. “Matt’s (style) is more abstract. There’s collages and paintings and sculpture in Matt’s. There’s no prints,” Hitchcock said. Thiebaud said he is “flattered” his son is taking his own approach to art. “Everybody should work in their own manner, what they love, what they want to do,” Thiebaud said. Although Sac State is fortunate to feature such recognized collections from both father and son, Hitchcock said this is not the first time the Library Gallery has displayed prominent work. The Bay Area Figurative collection and works by Robert Therrien are examples of other world-class exhibitions previously featured at Sac State.
Carli Knickerbocker State Hornet
Visitors looks at almost 100 items in the Thiebaud collection. The exhibit will be open from Dec. 3 to March 6.
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THESTATEHORNET
Opinion
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D ecember 9, Wednesday
| F a l l I s s u e 14 | S a c r a m e n t o S t a t e
EDITORIAL
A fake funeral, a real problem On Dec. 3, the Sacramento State Coalition, a student activist group, declared that higher education was dead. Mock memorial services were held. Fee increases were protested. Outrage was the word of the day. The anger seemed to be mostly directed at Sacramento State President Alexander Gonzalez, who can do nothing to change the situation we are currently in. A makeshift casket was left at Gonzalez’s office. It was full of slips of paper: short notes about students’ dissatisfaction with recent fee increases and faculty cuts. Gonzalez was not offended by this protest.
Instead, he was pleased with how vocal students and faculty were. “Public higher education in California … will suffer if the state fails once again to fund us at adequate levels,” Gonzalez said. “I applaud the students for making sure their voices are heard by the Legislature and governor.” Associated Students Inc. President Roberto Torres, said he purposely tried not to blame the Gonzalez. “We talked about it before and it wasn’t supposed to be (about Gonzalez),” Torres said. “He is doing his best to make sure students are not affected.” With recent budget cuts,
we have every right to feel that our education has been violated. This is not a problem one university within the system, or one protest, can solve. The State Hornet feels it must restate a point it made earlier this semester: To effect change, we need this entire university system to work together. It is a waste of time to be angry with the president for fee increases that are not his fault. The focus needs to shift from attacking the administration and the Chancellor’s Office to getting more money for the California State University system from
the state government. “Education is a right,” Torres said. “That is what our state Legislature has promised us.” Instead of putting pressure on the Legislature, protestors stood outside of Gonzalez’s office, booing him. So, were there any suggestions for how to get our university more money? History professor Joe Palermo said getting the money should be easy. “If they can find $30 billion for Afghanistan,” he said. “They should be able to find $1 billion for the CSU system.” Of course, the federal government has no control over
the CSU system’s funding, and state money is not going toward the war effort. But Palermo did offer an alternative to reorganizing our national government. He pointed to Assembly Bill 656 as a solution. The bill would tax oil for California universities and community colleges. The bill would give about $1 billion to the CSU and University of California systems. But to get that kind of money, our voice needs to be heard. And ASI is planning on speaking up. Torres has four events scheduled next semester, aimed at bringing the
struggle directly to the Legislature. Once every month during the spring semester, ASI will protest at the state Capitol. “I’m not willing to pay $4,000 a year to not get the classes I need to graduate,” Torres said. With classes being cut and faculty being laid off, can we afford all this turmoil? No. We need to get together if we want to save our university system. “Tell California to invest in us, because we matter,” Torres said. If we want to save Sac State, we need to make the right people hear our voices.
Facebook should The right man to not replace pals represent students By Samantha Palileo spalileo@statehornet.com Friendship means nothing when put in terms of numbers. The fact that “adding” is now a commonplace term in regards to connecting with friends online shows how quantity is the new focus. People can be “friends” with thousands of complete strangers around the globe. Surely, Web-based networking does help to reconnect distant friends and sometimes helps in making new ones. But some of its founding prin-
ciples have reduced friendship to just being about numbers and labels. “There is a structure to (friendship), albeit a fluid and changing one,” said social psychology professor Todd Migliaccio. “Ultimately, we are friends with people for specific reasons … but this may change with the increased connections between people via the Internet.” Some friends are great listeners. Other friends always give the best advice, and some make awesome party buddies. Yet instead of fulfilling these roles, some use online friends solely to help them meet their friend list quota. Gerri Smith, communication studies professor, said MySpace and Facebook have completely altered the way we connect with one another.
McClatchy Tribune
“As far as friendship, we’ve gone a little over the top,” she said. “Someone who knows someone, who knows someone, who knows someone ends up on my Facebook? It’s so far removed … it doesn’t really constitute a friendship.” The friendship dynamic that exists now cannot stand up to what online social networks require. These virtual relationships ultimately impact the unclear definition of who we consider as friends these days. But more might be merrier, in some cases. But how merry could it possibly be if the closest interaction you have with a “friend” is “becoming a fan” of the same celebrity? It is great to have little things like that in common. But those are just the beginning of forging real connections with people. These websites should be used to supplement friendships, not replace them. “The use of the word ‘friend’ is thrown around very loosely and it doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with what friendship ought to be about,” Smith said. And if you thought having one best friend wasn’t good enough, MySpace lets users have up to 40 “Top Friends.” Then when people realize they are not in each others’ “top friends”, grudges erupt and create division among the friendships these sites were intended to strengthen. Instead of talking out our issues, people lash out by demoting you from “top friend No. 7” to “top friend No. 8” or by “deleting” you altogether. Friendship maintenance takes more than just keystrokes and mouse clicks. And it is foolish to think real friendships can survive on status updates and “Like” buttons alone.
STATE HORNET OPINION ONLINE Talk dirty to me
Parents need to talk to their kids about sex sooner, says a recent study. Think about it at statehornet.com
How can a war game tone down violence? The Russian version of the latest Call of Duty video game is different from America’s, and Daniel Vasilchuk is outraged at statehornet.com
Why can’t we be friends?
Samantha Palileo finds out what students consider a friend to be at statehornet.com
By Nelly Hayatghaib nhayatghaib@statehornet.com California is increasing plagued with downfall. There is an economic and societal decline, and an attack on higher education for which we need tangible solutions. Chris Garland is offering them. Garland is running for the Assembly in the 9th district. He is a Democrat fighting for the future of our education, the quality of people entering the workforce and California’s economy. He is the political director for the California Faculty Association, the union representing 22,000 faculty members of the California State University system. It serves to ensure quality education for students, fairness for those who teach and policies that keep higher education accessible. Garland is behind Assembly Bill 656, which would levy a severance tax on big oil companies in the state, bringing in more than $1 billion for higher public education. He helped create the CFA-sponsored bill and make it a priority of the
organization. Rising tuition limits diversity in potential students. Meanwhile, budget cuts not only affect classes offered, but increase the time it takes to graduate. More and more people are unable to afford this. Garland is the first person in two years to remind me there are still politicians who are uncompromising in matters of justice. He is a reason to have hope as ever-increasing student fees and rampant budget cuts plague public higher education, and the economy only further denies people the means to get by. He fights for the environment and public safety and the quality of life for everyone. Garland is committed to protecting our environment and fighting global warming. He worked with former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, D-Los Angeles, who authored AB 32, the bill mandating a 25 percent reduction in California’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2025. He advocates after-school programs, job training and ensuring adequate funding for mental health and drug treatments serving both the youth and repeat offenders to reduce recidivism rates, to “break the cycle of crime, drugs and violence that destroys young lives and ultimately threatens our neighborhoods and the safety of us all.” A latecomer in this race,
Garland was not deterred by the public recognition and financial solidity garnered by his opponents in the months prior to his candidacy. He knows this is not an easy fight but he is still willing. Garland faces four strong opponents. A Sacramento County supervisor and two City Council members have been in the public eye long before the bid for election. But in just the first five weeks following his announcement to run, he raised $30,000. On Oct. 27, he came to Sacramento State to speak to student activists at a meeting of the College Democrats. After the meeting, the College Democrats announced that they officially support Garland’s run for the assembly. Melissa Hurtado, former College Democrats president, was one of the students present. “He believes in us students,” Hurtado said. “He trusts that we can do as good of a job as more established people. (The students present) are all really excited about him.” “He’s offering us experience and the potential for jobs. He’s made himself a resource to us that we really didn’t have before,” Hurtado said. “The best part, though, is that he actually stands for what we believe in. He advocates for us.” In the end, Garland is the candidate for students and a righteous soldier for social rights and justice.
Guest Column California is facing a $25 billion deficit. The California State University is facing continued professor furlough days, a loss of part-time faculty, an increase in student tuition and an imposed reduction of more than 40,000 students. These are just a few of the challenges students may face this spring. During the course of the fall 2009 semester, Associated Students Inc. has worked diligently to not only understand the impact the state’s challenges may have on students, but how we can mitigate those effects. As you already know, being a student is a full-time job - one that doesn’t end with finals or the holiday season. While most of us envision ourselves catching up on sleep, vacationing in some faraway place or just relaxing with friends and family, we
must remember that our fight is far from over. We must keep up with the news, stay involved and remain active on campus and in our communities. Most importantly, we must be prepared. There may come a time when we are asked to stand up and rally for our rights. A time to make our voices heard, to ensure that our needs are not only addressed, but met. That time may be soon, as the governor is set to present his State of the State address and issue his budget proposal next month. California’s legislative committees will also meet to begin discussing bills such as Assembly Bill 656, which would raise $1 billion for higher education. In our continued effort to advocate for students, ASI will hold rallies to help preserve higher education in January and February, before
participating in a statewide march for education on March 22, 2010. ASI will end the semester in April with the 14th Annual California Higher Education Student Summit, CHESS. For your sake and mine, I implore you to get involved. Stay up-to-date on what is happening in your state … at your school. Be prepared and willing to act at a moment’s notice. As I have said before, ASI is only as strong as the students involved. On that same note, Sacramento State is only as good as the students it produces and the issues they deem important. So what does this mean? It means that we have a voice - that we carry weight. ▶◀ ▶◀ ▶◀ Roberto C. Torres President, Associated Students Inc.
Features
B1 Dishes you can make during the holidays THESTATEHORNET
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Hummus
Wednesday
| F a l l I s s u e 14 | S a c r a m e n to S t a t e
Green bean casserole
By Vanessa Garibaldi vgaribaldi@statehornet.com
D ecember 9,
Rice porridge
By Amber Wertman awertman@statehornet.com
By Jennifer Siopongco jsiopongco@statehornet.com
Hummus is a staple in my house and has been my entire life. Hummus is a great alternative to mayonnaise or butter and is fun to spread on toast or dip anything in. This simple taste of smashed garbanzo beans brings me back to memories of sitting at the kitchen table with my brother for a midday or midnight snack.
My mom has made green bean casserole every year for Thanksgiving for as long as I can remember, and every year I never ate it. It was my least favorite dish. However, four years ago, I said to myself, “Just give it a try. You never know, you might like it.” So I tried the dish, loved it, and I’ve been eating it ever since.
Arroz caldo is Filipino rice porridge and is basically equivalent to chicken soup. My mom makes it during cold mornings, especially during the holidays. Why? Because it’s comforting, warm, and keeps you healthy during the holiday flu season. These are the ingredients and recipe for my mom’s basic arroz caldo.
Recipe:
Recipe:
Recipe:
In a food processor, put in two to four cloves of garlic. Start the processor. After the garlic is in small pieces, add a can of garbanzo beans, a tablespoon of Tahini, and a teaspoon to a tablespoon of olive oil. After the ingredients are blended well, add between a teaspoon and a tablespoon of Saracha, depending on how spicy you want the hummus to be. With the Saracha, squeeze about half of a lemon and add a half teaspoon of cumin, and salt and pepper to taste. After you put the hummus in a bowl, garnish the dish with a sprinkle of paprika and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve the hummus with chips, sliced carrots, or spread on toast.
Fry six pieces of bacon on a frying pan until crispy. Add 22 ounces of cut, frozen green beans to the bacon fat for flavoring, mix well. Add one large cut clove of garlic. Add 1 1/2 can of Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup. Add a tablespoon of butter, mix well. Add three-fourths cup of heavy cream. Add pepper for seasoning. Add two-thirds cup of French’s french onion topping. Transfer everything to a casserole dish and put it into the oven. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until hot. Top the dish with the remaining onions and bake for another five minutes.
Put the chicken into an oven pot and cover it with chicken broth. Add grated ginger and black pepper to the broth. Bring the broth to a low simmer (do not boil) until the chicken is cooked. This should take about 20-30 minutes. Add the cooked rice. The rice will turn into porridge. Once the chicken is cooked, take it out and shred it with two forks. Add the shredded chicken back into the pot. You can also use whole chicken legs if you don’t want shredded chicken. Taste and adjust the seasonings as you’re cooking. The porridge is done when it thickens.
Ingredients: 1 can of garbanzo beans 1 tablespoon Tahini 1/2 a lemon 2-4 cloves of garlic 1/2 teaspoon of cumin Olive oil Saracha Paprika for garnish
Ingredients: 6 pieces of bacon 22 ounces of frozen cut green beans 3/4 cup heavy cream 2/3 cup of French’s French onion topping 1 1/2 can of Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup 1 tablespoon of butter Pepper
Ingredients: 3 bone-in skinless chicken breasts or four bone-in skinless chicken thighs (or shredded rotisserie chicken if you’re taking a shortcut) 2 containers of Pacific organic chicken broth 1 large can of chicken broth Water 4 cups of cooked rice Ginger for taste Soy sauce Fresh ground black pepper
Spicy pumpkin soup
Sugar cookies
Pumpkin pie
By Katrina Tupper ktupper@statehornet.com
By Miranda Marsalla mmarsalla@statehornet.com
By Cole Mayer cmayer@statehornet.com
Spicy pumpkin soup has recently become a tradition in the Tupper family’s Thanksgiving feast. It is fairly simple to make and it holds over the hungry relatives while the 26-pound turkey cooks, which takes far too long in my opinion.
I have always loved to bake and decorate Christmas cookies with family and friends. This particular recipe for sugar cookies is one I cherish from my first cookbook, “William Sonoma Kids Cooking.” These sugar cookies are the perfect treat for all holiday gatherings.
Recipe:
Recipe:
Pumpkin pie has been a staple in my household for years. It is often accompanied by other various pies, but pumpkin is always a tradition that is made by my mother. Recently, however, my girlfriend introduced a recipe that uses vodka in the pie crust. By using vodka, the taste of the crust is improved and the finished dough is flakier.
Take one large can of chicken broth and combine it with two leeks and five to seven carrots. Wait until the leeks and carrots are softened and then blend the mixture together. Add a can of pumpkin filling, a quart of whipping cream and one cup of water and blend those contents into the soup for approximately two minutes. Place the contents into a crockpot to warm and add cayenne pepper and curry powder. There are no exact measurements for the spices - just season to taste. I personally add five or six more dashes of cayenne pepper to my personal bowl but not everyone can handle that.
To create the dough, place one and a half cups of flour, one teaspoon of baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt in a mediumsized mixing bowl. In a large mixing bowl, beat one half cup unsalted butter and 3/4 cup granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add one egg and one and a half teaspoons of vanilla extract and beat until well blended. Gradually add the flour mixture until it forms a doughy texture. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least an hour. Before rolling out the cookie dough, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease several baking sheets. Remove cookie dough from the refrigerator and sprinkle a light coating of flour over a flat work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a large circle that is about a half inch thick. Use your favorite festive cookie cutters and place the cookies on the baking sheet. Bake until the cookies are light golden brown around the edges, about 10 to 12 minutes. Frost and enjoy.
Ingredients: 1 can of chicken broth 2 leeks 5 to 7 carrots 1 can of pumpkin filling 1 quart of whipping cream Water Cayenne pepper Curry powder
Photos by Mia Matsudaira State Hornet
Ingredients: 1 1/2 of flour 1 teaspoon of baking powder 1/4 teaspoon of salt 1/2 cup of unsalted butter 3/4 cup of granulated sugar 1 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Recipe for the vodka pie crust: Combine one and a half cup of flour and sugar into a food processor. Add cold shortening butter and the rest of the flour. Pulse six times. Turn out. Then add vodka and water. Shape into discs and chill. For an unfilled pie (i.e. apple or cherry), bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Recipe for the pumpkin filling: Mix all of the ingredients from below and fill in the pie. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes. Let the pie cool, and enjoy! Vodka pie crust ingredients: 2 1/2 cups of flour 12 tablespoons of butter 1/2 cup of Crisco 1 teaspoon of salt 1 tablespoons of sugar 1/4 cup of vodka 1/4 cup of water
Pumpkin filling ingredients: 1 can of pumpkin 2 cans of evaporated milk 1 tablespoon of pie spice 1/4 teaspoon of cloves and cinnamon 4 eggs 1 1/2 cup of sugar Vanilla to taste
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Wednesday - December 9
Features Section
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Faculty challenge students in dance concert By Jennifer Siopongco jsiopongco@statehornet.com Sacramento State’s annual faculty-choreographed showcase, “Dance Sites,” normally features up to 60 dance students, but this fall, the director of the show cut that number to 20. Lorelei Bayne, assistant professor of theater and dance and director of “Dance Sites,” said she chose to have a smaller group of dancers because she wanted students to have the chance to dance in more pieces. She said the concert this year aimed to give students the sense that they were a part of a professional dance company. “They (the dancers) are in more than one piece, so it really does give them a sense of what it’s like to be in a professional company,” Bayne said. This year’s “Dance Sites” has works from eight choreographers, including guest choreographers Deborah Miller-Froh, who danced professionally in San Francisco, and Felipe Barrueto-Cabello, who danced with the Joe Goode Company. Bayne said the choreographers came up with a program order that mixes different styles, feels and emotional tones so the audience is on a ride throughout the whole evening. In “Dance Sites,” Karen Toon, a part-time professor for the theater and dance department and choreographer for the
concert, has a tap piece titled, “Latin Beat, Dancin’ Feet.” In this number, two girls can be seen dancing to the music of “Old Black Magic” on large coin props. Nolan T’Sani, theater and dance professor, has a contemporary ballet piece in the show influenced by his 10-year experience with the New York Ballet. Bayne said T’Sani’s piece “Asayake” was her favorite in the show. “The intensity of the loud drumbeats really got me into the feel of the dancers’ movements,” Bayne said. “I enjoyed watching them mix ballet moves with martial arts in what looked like fight scenes at times.” Linda Goodrich, department chair of the theater and dance department, choreographed a piece called “Celestial Awakenings” for the show. “My piece is about the big bang theory and how from the center of the sun, all these things collided and created this orbiting universe,” Goodrich said. The chimes in the beginning of Goodrich’s dance gives off the feeling of tranquility. The relaxing music can make a person feel as if he or she is floating in space. Goodrich said the dancers in her piece have their faces painted, wear silver body suits
and orbit around the sun. Andrew Hopper, freshman dance major, plays the role of the sun in Goodrich’s piece. He said the lights in “Celestial Awakenings” are special effects that are supposed to symbolize asteroids and comic explosions. The background in this piece, which was gigantic orbiting lights, made the dancers look as if they were orbiting with asteroids. For “Celestial Awakenings,” Hopper said it was hard for him to take on the role of the sun because his piece is long and requires him to dance the entire time. “To prepare myself, I just tried to build my stamina as much as I could,” Hopper said. “I’m working out really hard in rehearsal and in class.” Hopper said it has been great working with the choreographers. “I think all the choreographers really try to push the envelope and do something that is thought-provoking,” he said. Bayne said Miller-Froh will be performing her own solo piece titled, “When It Rains.” Bayne feels that having Miller-Froh in the showcase is a treat for the dance students. “Her being in such a high professional level on stage is great for the students so they can see that level of professionalism on stage,” Bayne said. Inertia DeWitt, senior dance
Ryan Greenleaf State Hornet
Students rehearse for this year’s “Dance Sites” faculty dance show. For the show, students have the privilege of working with professional choreographers. major, said having a small cast for the show helps her prepare for a career in a dance company. DeWitt, who has been in two previous “Dance Sites” performances, said the selectivity in this concert lets every dancer know that he or she needs to work harder. “The fact that they’re letting only so many dancers into this performance is an example of how they’re pushing us,” DeWitt said. Bayne said some of the seniors, including DeWitt, have been growing as dancers since they started at Sac State.
“Inertia is getting ready to graduate. She’s in three works (for “Dance Sites”) and she’s being very challenged with each different one,” Bayne said. DeWitt said one of the dances she is being challenged in is Randee Paufve’s modern dance piece. “Randee’s piece is really difficult because it’s a trio and we never really go off stage,” DeWitt said. “It’s about 10 minutes of non-stop dancing with emotional context to it, so it’s not just turn, turn, turn.” Bayne said one of the difficulties of being in a smaller cast is
that the dancers have to learn to go from one dance piece to the next. “You just have to be prepared to kind of go on a roller coaster and try not to take something from one piece into the next,” DeWitt said. “Dance Sites” will be playing in Sacramento State’s University Theatre in Shasta Hall now through Sunday. For more information, visit: www.csus.edu/dram/ season_0910.htm.
CLUB CORNER | CERAMICS GUILD
Funds for club brings in well-known artists By Miranda Marsalla mmarsalla@statehornet.com Sacramento State’s Ceramics Guild is molding friendships through a common passion for ceramics.
Anne Morrison State Hornet
The Ceramics Guild had a ceramics sale Thursday.
The Ceramics Guild is an organization that promotes the education of ceramics on campus. The club focuses on educating its members by bringing guest artists to campus for workshops and lectures. The Ceramics Guild hosted a ceramics sale outside of Kadema Hall last week. Gia Moreno, senior art education major, said the club holds a sale at the end of each semester. Nearly $1,400 was stolen from the Ceramics Guild on Thursday, the final day of the sale. The box, which stored the money, was allegedly picked up and stolen just hours before the sale was complete. Chris Thompson, treasurer of the Ceramics Guild, said he was upset about the stolen money. “It sickens me. What really upsets me is that for some of the artists this was their first sale and it really just takes the joy of the experience away,” Thompson said.
The guild is working together to find a way to make up for monetary losses from the theft. A portion of the profits helps fund guest speakers, shows and events for the club. Thompson said the club had ceramics artist Jason Walker host a workshop for the club in October. “He is an absolutely wellrecognized artist. He has pieces in various museums around the country. He taught his technique to us students,” Thompson said. “So, we basically got a chance to see a master at work.” The Ceramics Guild, composed of approximately 40 students, has meetings at least twice a month. Meetings are scheduled by announcement in the ceramics studios in Kadema Hall. Although students of varying ceramics skills are welcome to participate in the guild, Thompson said most members are involved in the ceramics department on campus.
“Most students tend to have been bitten by the clay bug. Something about putting your hands in clay and feeling the
dinosaur juice in the clay. It just grabs a person,” Thompson said.
Those who are interested can contact Thompson at cmt55@ saclink.csus.edu.
Wednesday - December 9
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Study spots where you can get your java fix By Katrina Tupper ktupper@statehornet.com Entering an unknown coffee shop, freshman liberal studies major Cynthia Jimenez can instantly tell whether to order her usual white mocha or to exit the shop altogether. Jimenez said coffee shops are the best places to sit down, focus and actually study, although she admits not every coffee shop meets her standards. Jimenez said there are a few telltale signs that turn her away from a cafe, which includes uncomfortable furniture, obnoxious clientele and weak coffee. “I guess you could call me picky,” Jimenez said. “But honestly, I just need a perfect environment to study in. If all of the things don’t add up - like good coffee, tolerable people and cozy surroundings, then I know I won’t get any of my work done.” Jimenez said she has found that Temple Coffee House on 10th Street is the best location for her to get work done. She said one of the reasons she returns to Temple is the atmosphere. The outside of the shop resembles a cottage, while inside, subtle jazz music can be heard. Paintings from local artists hang on the walls for sale and costumers can be found camped out at each of the small two-person tables lining the long and narrow cafe.
Jimenez said the quiet environment at Temple, which is almost void of distractions altogether, forces her to focus on her work. “I can really concentrate in Temple because the majority of customers in there are studying just like myself - unlike Starbucks where a soccer mom walks in every five minutes with seven kids,” Jimenez said. “Not to mention the coffee is delicious.” Travis Cameron, who works at Temple, said each employee is excessively trained, which attributes to the quality of the beverages at the shop. “I trained for 200 hours on the bar (as a barista) and I still only run the register the majority of the time,” Cameron said. “Our boss is extremely picky when it comes to his coffee, but that’s why the customers keep coming back.” Similar to Jimenez, Barry Roth, a high school English teacher, found his safe haven for grading papers in a coffee shop just off H Street called Tupelo Coffee House and Roasting Co. “It’s the first coffee shop I felt really comfortable and productive in and this is some of the best coffee I have had in the area,” Roth said. “Now, out of habit, Tupelo is the place I have to go to in order to get work done. I can really tune everything else out here.” Jennifer Fox, manager of Tupelo, said most indepen-
dently run coffee shops are able to make personal connections with each of their customers. “There are only 40 employees in the entire chain for a reason,” Fox said. “We know the customers names and they know ours.” Fox said that Tupelo’s shops are not only independently run, but owner Chris Pendarvis also owns the roasting company that supplies Tupelo, Naked Coffee Roasting. “Tupelo is all about being local and independent,” Fox said. “We’re really grassroots.” Tupelo’s decor is rustic and earth-toned. The seats are worn in and upbeat ‘80s music can be heard throughout the shop. Kelly Lewis, junior psychology major at UC Santa Cruz, said the coffee shop she frequently visits when home in Sacramento is called The Coffee Garden, located on Franklin Boulevard. Lewis said her love for Coffee Garden started during her freshman year at American River College. She said the cafe provided a calm environment in which she could study. “I love how many different sections of the cafe there are,” Lewis said. “There is the front section where coffee is purchased, then there is the back garden with patio seating and there is also a spacious quiet room through a door in the back of the shop.” Inside The Coffee Garden,
plants, Buddhist art and bonsai trees can be seen. In addition, garden decor and fountains are scattered throughout the backyard garden. Lewis said she always sits in a room called the quiet room because others respect her space. “It’s not like there are actual rules where you have to use your five-inch voice. People just respect each other,” Lewis said. “Also, the quiet room is a lot less cluttered than the other sections of the cafe.” Lewis said she enjoys the clutter of the cafe on days when she can relax because it feels homey, but when she needs to study, the quiet room is a better environment for her to be in. Nicole Sena, Coffee Garden employee, said the shop is family- and community-oriented. She said practically all of the shop’s customers are regulars. “We’re not necessarily better than other coffee shops, we just have different strong points,” Sena said. “For one, our environment is really unique.” Lewis said although Coffee Garden works for her study habits, she understands that other people may prefer to work at different coffee shops. “Generally, I think a good chunk of college students either grab coffee before they study or stay and study in a coffee shop of their choice,” Lewis said. “It totally depends on their preference as to where their niche in coffee shop is.”
Chase Mason State Hornet
As finals time approaches, many students are heading to local coffee shops for some last-minute studying.
Temple Coffee House is located at 1014 10th St. Tupelo Coffee House is located at 5700 Elvas Ave. Coffee Garden is located at 2904 Franklin Blvd.
Ride on fresh powder with Peak Adventures By Cole Mayer cmayer@statehornet.com On Saturday, Peak Adventures will lead a ski and snowboarding trip to Boreal Mountain Resort to teach students and staff how to rush down a mountain of powdery snow. Madison Shepard, senior business major and employee at Peak Adventures, said the trip is aimed for beginners or those who are rusty in their skills. “All of our ski trips lean towards beginners. The trip is even called ‘Learn to Ski and Snowboard,’” Shepard said. “It’s not for advanced riders. The lift tickets are restricted to beginner runs.” The trip will consist of a twohour lesson on how to ski and snowboard, followed by three hours of free ride. Shepard said new snow is the best for riders, especially for those looking for a fast, exciting ride down the mountain. “If the snow is wet, the board sticks,” Shepard said. “The ideal
snow is new snow, powder. It feels like floating.” Shepard said there are also different styles of riding, depending on the skill level of the rider. “Especially for the beginners, it’s about going really fast and not being able to stop,” Shepard said. “A lot of time is spent on their butts. A lot of people just like to go fast and get down the
mountain, but there’s also going for the terrain or doing tricks.” Shepard, who has previously led the trip, said she enjoyed meeting new skiers and snowboarders. “I snowboard at work and in my free time, and I meet new people every time we go on a trip,” Shepard said. “It’s a bonding experience. I ride with them after the lesson, and give
Cost of the trip: Students - $84 Faculty - $108 Public: $120 Price includes transportation, lesson, lift ticket, and rental of either skis or a snowboard.
Courtesy of Peak Adventures
Participants in previous Peak Adventures trips learn how to snowboard down the slopes.
one-on-one time to those who didn’t benefit as much from the lesson.” Ryan Pritchard, junior communication studies major and an experienced snowboarder, thinks Peak Adventures’ trip is a good idea for those who have time to participate. “I don’t have the time, personally. If I did, I’d totally do it,” Pritchard said. “I work part-time at two jobs. It’s the busy season and I go to school full-time. As much as I’d like to, I have no time to go snowboarding.” Kevin Johnson, junior history major, said he had a bad experience when trying to learn how to ski from friends. He thinks it is a better idea to learn from professionals from Peak Adventures. “I tried to have a lesson, but my friends ditched me, so it’s
cool the school is doing this. Learning from professionals is probably safer and more fun than from friends,”Johnson said. Shepard thinks going on the trip is a great opportunity. “It’s for those who have never been, or don’t have the resources like a four-wheel drive car, friends, or the budget,” Shepard said. “It’s convenient for foreign exchange students, or those living in the dorms. It’s just a great package for students.” The cost of the trip for students is $84, staff and faculty is $108, and the general public is $120. The price includes transportation, the lesson, a lift ticket for beginner slopes and rental of either alpine skis or a snowboard. Those who are interested in signing up for the trip can find
out more details at Peak Adventures in the University Union. Paperwork will be filled out and half of the trip’s fee will be taken as a deposit. Signing up over the phone is also possible.
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D ecember 9, Wednesday
| F a l l I ss u e 14 | S a c ra m ento S tate
Best Male Athlete Christian Clark Junior Christian Clark led all Hornet defensive linemen with 44 total tackles this season. His sack total makes him the seventh Sacramento State player since 1981 to reach double digits in a single season. “Its good to know that my performance on the field is being noticed, especially when there are so many talented people that play sports here,” Clark said. In the Oct. 31 game against Northern Arizona, Clark completed the game with eight total tackles. Four of his sacks alone broke the school’s Division I-AA/FCS era record of 3.5, which Tyson Butler set in 2005. “I feel I am self motivated, I do not want to be someone who they say had so much potential but did not take advantage of it,” Clark said. “So that is what motivates me, I want to finish off this year knowing that I gave all I could give.” Clark said he is entering his senior season aiming to go out with a bang by earning a Big Sky Conference first team honor and hopefully being named an All-American.
Best Female Athlete Savannah Abercrombie Sophomore goalkeeper Savannah Abercrombie was a dominant force in the net for Sacramento State’s women’s soccer team this season. Abercrombie started all 18 of the Hornets’ games this season. She recorded eight shutouts. Abercrombie now holds the school record for shutouts with 15. Abercrombie said she attributes her great season to her offseason conditioning. “I worked out with one of my old teammates, Jenny Lawrence, who really helped our team out here and there,” she said. “I worked really hard with her and put in a lot of hours to help me get the job done.” The Hornets started the season with a record of 3-0-2 but struggled at the end of the season and did not qualify for the Big Sky Conference Tournament. Abercrombie said Sac State is better than it played this season and the Hornets are looking to make a run in the Big Sky Conference in 2010. “The season kind of slipped out of our hands toward the end,” she said. “This season was a good learning experience for us.”
Most Improved Male Athlete McLeod Bethel-Thompson It was not until the very end of the season that junior quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson finally received the opportunity to show his skills on the field, and he used every second to his advantage. Bethel-Thompson replaced quarterback Jason Smith in the third quarter of the Causeway Classic game versus UC Davis on Nov. 21 and led the team on a 7-play, 66-yard drive which he ended with a one-yard quarterback sneak for a touchdown. “My goal was to make the most of my opportunities, and I guess I definitely did that,” Bethel-Thompson said. Bethel-Thompson completed 19 of 29 passes for 233 yards and two touchdowns in the two quarters he played. With 20 seconds remaining in the game, Bethel-Thompson found junior wide receiver Brandyn Reed in the end zone to give the Hornets a 31-28 victory over UC Davis. “I appreciate the Hornet showing me recognition, and I give a lot of credit to the guys around me who played well with me,” Bethel-Thompson said. “But I have always been raw. It was just a matter of when I got my chance.”
Most Improved Female Athlete Julie Shutler The Sacramento State women’s golf team is hoping to win another Big Sky Conference championship in the spring. Sophomore Julie Shutler has been a key part of the team’s success this fall. Shutler said she has played pretty well so far this season. “I beat my best score twice this year, that was an accomplishment for me and I improved my stroke average a lot from last year to this year,” she said. She has two top-five finishes in Sac State’s four tournaments. Shutler’s best performance of the year came in September at the Chip-N Invitational in Nebraska when she set a school 54-hole record and placed third in the tournament. Shutler said she was just focusing on her game and not breaking records during the tournament. “I wasn’t actually aware of what the record was. I was just trying to finish the tournament under par,” she said.
Best Coach Mike Linenberger In his 21st season as the head coach of Sacramento State’s men’s soccer team, Michael Linenberger lead his team to its first conference championship since 2001 and the team’s first ever NCAA Tournament appearance. With seven freshmen on the squad, a new coaching staff and a preseason ranking of fifth place in the Big Sky Conference Coaches’ Poll, Linenberger said the Hornets exceeded expectations. “We obviously had a great run, going undefeated in the conference,” he said. “We were very pleased with our conference performance. It was a good season.” Linenberger said the team’s confidence was still high even when the Hornets were in a free-fall midway through the season. “We started off strong the first four or five games and we played quite well. Then we went through a little bit of a skid and lost five of our next six games,” he said. “We made a few changes in the lineup and our system of play and it kind of panned out.” Sac State went on a 10-game winning streak before losing to sixth-ranked UCLA in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. “The players bought into what we were trying to do and the chemistry was fantastic,” Linenberger said. Linenberger said complacency is the one thing he is most worried about going into next season.
Best Female Freshman Rachel Mitchell Freshman Rachel Mitchell of Sacramento State’s cross-country team had a breakout season in 2009. Mitchell competed well in the Hornets’ first two meets. She finished in 11th place at the University of San Francisco Invite on Sept. 5. She finished her first collegiate competition with a time of 18 minutes, 52.9 seconds in the 5K run. She also was the top performing runner among the Hornet women at the Hornet Jamboree on Sept. 12 with a seventh-place time of 18:03. At the Santa Clara Invitational on Oct. 17, Mitchell finished fourth among the Hornet women with a time of 18:14. Mitchell said the transition from high school to college was a challenge for her. “There’s a lot of training at the college level,” Mitchell said. “It’s more intense and it took some time to get used to it.” As far as improving for next season, Mitchell said she has a better idea of what to expect after her first season as a Hornet. Mitchell said one thing that has helped her this season was running with good teammates.
Best Male Freshman Max Alvarez Before the soccer season started not many people expected the freshmen on Sacramento State’s men’s soccer team to play an integral role on the team, but that is exactly what forward Max Alvarez did. Alvarez started 18 of the Hornets’ 21 games in which he led the conference in scoring with 23 points, and he scored the third most goals in school history with 10. Alvarez said the transition from high school to college soccer was harder than he expected it would be. “The play is a lot faster. In high school you can get by on talent but in college you can’t underestimate even the weakest of teams,” he said. Alvarez said even though he had a good season, he still has areas he needs to improve. “I’m left-footed and opponents already know that I go left almost all the time,” he said. “Next season I need to improve my right foot ability, and heading ability during the spring so I am ready to go in the fall.” Sac State is only loses six members from its 24-man roster. Alvarez said he expects the Hornets to be as good in 2010 as they were this season. “The team looks really good for next season. We are going to have a pretty good team going into next year,” he said.
Reporting By: Nick Hunte, Ashley O’Con, Andrew Hazard and Poetiic Reid; Graphic By: Megan Harris; Photos By: Samantha Poulin
Wednesday - December 9
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Memories of his dad keep player focused By Ashley O’Con aocon@statehornet.com Senior guard Antonio Flaggs has been an asset to the Sacramento State men’s basketball team since he began playing here last season. Although nothing could stop Flaggs on the court, he faced a major setback when his father became severely ill. In July 2008 William Flaggs was diagnosed with walking pneumonia, an inflammatory illness to the lungs, which led to his death in February 2009. Kaiser Permanente first diagnosed Antonio Flaggs’ father with what was thought to be asthma and treated him with an inhaler to control his breathing. Within six months, doctors at
Robyn Barnes State Hornet
Hornet guard Antonio Flaggs shoots a free throw against Menlo Nov. 5.
Kaiser discovered his illness was more serious than they had first thought. His father’s condition worsened when the basketball team was leaving to take its longest road trip of the year when the team would play Montana State. Flaggs drove to the Bay Area the night before to see his dad for the very last time. His mom, Jackie Flaggs, had to convince him to travel with the team because his dad telling him to leave wasn’t enough. “I almost had to push him out to the door and he kept calling back all through the night before he got on the plane the next morning. He kept saying I’m not going because I never seen dad like this, dad was always strength to me. I know he needs me,” Jackie Flaggs said. Antonio Flaggs received the call on the way to Montana State from his sister that his dad had died. “Everything my dad told me was always right. So when he told me to go, I knew it was bad. It was for the best. I couldn’t see my dad like that,” Antonio Flaggs said. Senior guard Mike Marcial, teammate and close friend of Antonio Flaggs, was shocked when he heard the news. “We got the notice about noon. I couldn’t even believe it myself because if my father passed away I definitely would want to be there by their side,” Marcial said. “So just to be that far away from home and still have the strength to continue to
play with us is unbelievable. I have so much respect for him.” Antonio Flaggs said that he wouldn’t change the way things happened if he had the chance. “People still ask me if I regret going on that trip and I just say nah, cause that’s what my dad wanted,” he said. “He could have easily told me it would be my decision to leave or go, and obviously I would have stayed. But I have no regrets. It happened for a reason and I think that’s why I’m able to continue on.” Antonio Flaggs’ father always felt that playing sports is what kept a young man grounded. Jackie Flaggs and her husband agreed that getting their kids involved with sports would keep them out of trouble. “My husband had the boys and girls center growing up in Vallejo and if it wasn’t for that then he probably would have been wandering in the streets,” Jackie Flaggs said. “He saw the difference between himself and his friends, who did wander the streets rather than go to the boys and girls club. They had different lives and turned out different. So he was determined. We exposed them to a lot of different things, and sports were one of them.” Antonio Flaggs’ father was not only a role model to him, but he was also his friend and supporter - no matter what condition he was in. “We were as close as it gets. We did a lot of things together. He never missed any of my
games. Ever since I started school he was real sick, but he would refuse to take any medication from the doctors so he could get out of the hospital and come.,” he said. Antonio Flaggs has found a way to cope with his father’s death by appreciating him for playing a significant role in his life. “Some people that have losses in their families always ask why God took them away. But if you think about my pops’ situation, it would be selfish for me to think that way. He was in so much pain so it was his time,” he said. “Now I know everything happens for a reason. I look at it like I had my dad for 20 years of my life. I’ve had a lot of friends that grew up in bad homes that don’t even have dads so for me to have mine for 20 years, that’s a lot. That’s how I keep on going.” Antonio Flaggs has learned from his father that one of the most important skills in life is leadership. “A good leader is a good follower my dad always told me. Amongst my peers I’ve always been taught to lead. You don’t have to follow in order to be ‘cool.’ There are times though when you have to follow in order to learn,” he said. “You always have the opportunity to lead. It all comes down to decision making. My pops in general raised me to be a great decision maker. That’s what I learned from him. That’s exactly who he was.”
Courtesy Photo
Senior guard Antonio Flaggs and his father at Antonio’s graduation from Mount Diablo High School in 2006. Teammate Justin Eller recognizes Antonio Flaggs’ leadership qualities on and off the court. “Antonio’s the kind of guy that doesn’t jump up and down and beat his chest when he makes a good play. He’s not the ‘hey, look at me’ type of guy. He’s more of a leader. He likes to make sure everyone on the team is getting their recognition,” Eller said. Antonio Flaggs said he pays his respects every time he gets on the court by remembering his dad as a father, a friend and a role model. “At the national anthem of every game I give thanks to my pops because I know he would have been there,” he said. Antonio Flaggs gives credit to his father for his continued
success as a young man. “My pops has always been proud of me. When people have kids, they want their kids to be successful. By the time you turn 18, you’re supposed to be able to move out and live on your own,” he said. “I think by the age of 20 my pops had already taught me everything I needed to know and raised me to be who I am today. So he had done his job.” Although William Flaggs’ life was one cut short, Antonio is reminded by his mother that he lived it to its full potential. “I always tell Antonio everything happens for a reason. And sometimes we don’t understand the reason at that time,” she said. “I know that my husband wanted a quality life like everyone else.”
From the Hornets Nest to the Royal Court By Nick Hunte nhunte@statehornet.com Laura Sieglitz, senior math major, began dancing when she was 3 years old. By the time she was a teenager, she knew what she wanted to be: a Sacramento Kings dancer. Sieglitz began auditioning for the Kings when she turned 18 and finally earned a spot on the team after her fourth try last year. “I knew even before I turned 18 that I wanted to become a Kings dancer,” Sieglitz said. “If I had the chance, I would do it all over again anytime in my life.” The former Hornet Girlz Dance Team member has an extensive background in dance. In high school she attended the Natomas Charter Performing and Fine Arts Academy and majored in dance. While there, she performed in many shows, such as “Guys and Dolls” and 42nd Street.” After high school, she continued to study dance at American River College before transferring to Sacramento State in 2006, where she joined the Hornet Girlz Dance Team. Sieglitz left the team in 2008 due to a knee injury. Sieglitz’s mother, Valinda Frost, said she remembers when her daughter began dancing in preschool. She said it has been a
joy to watch her daughter grow and progress as a dancer. “I still have a videotape of her dancing to the Nutcracker Suite when she was 3 years old and she had her pink tutu stuffed in her diaper,” Frost said as she laughed. “I was every bit as proud of her then as I am now.” Sieglitz first described her experience as a Kings dancer in one word: amazing. When asked to elaborate her experiences, Sieglitz just gushed. “Everyone is so supportive. Performing on the court has been amazing, the fans are excited, fun to talk to and fun to perform in front of. I love it,” Sieglitz said. Sieglitz said that her schedule as a full-time student and a Kings dancer is demanding. She wakes up around 6:30 a.m. every day and spends four to seven hours studying in between classes. After her school day, she heads to Arco Arena for a 5:30 p.m. practice that sometimes lasts until 11:30 p.m. Sieglitz said that being a Kings dancer and a full-time student is a balancing act. She said that keeping her priorities straight and having a supportive family are the keys to her success. “I have a lot going on in my life, but having a supportive family at home helps keep me
going,” Sieglitz said. “I always try to stay constantly busy and constantly getting things done, which ensures that I’m able to do it all.” Frost believes that Sieglitz is very motivated, sets goals for herself and works hard at achieving them. “She never gives up,” Frost said. “She might fail at times, but she will never give up until she succeeds. She is an exceptional young woman. She’s definitely the one in a million.” Preschool teacher Jenica Thompson, a close friend of Sieglitz, said she is very driven and motivated as a person and feels that she can accomplish almost any goal in life. “She pretty much tackles anything she wants to do and she has proven that with the Kings,” Thompson said. “That is a pretty high goal to set for yourself and she accomplished it. I look forward to seeing the things that she wants to do in her life.” Following her graduation in December, Sieglitz plans to pursue her teacher credential through Project Pipeline to become a high school teacher. She hopes to earn a full-time teaching position by next fall. Sieglitz said although she plans to start her teaching career next fall, she would like to continue on as a Kings dancer
for at least one more season. She said she has never felt awkward when her fellow students and professors find out she is a Kings dancer. “Whenever students or professors find out that I’m a dancer for the Sacramento Kings, they have all been very supportive,” Sieglitz said. “They all ask me questions, they want to know what it’s like being a dancer. It’s been a very positive experience and it’s a way for me to get to know my fans more.” Frost said she enjoys watching her daughter perform at Kings games and is proud of her accomplishments as a student and a dancer. “She dances like nobody dances,” Frost said. “I get to see her perform and shine in front of all those people and I know that there’s a brain that goes along with it. I couldn’t be prouder.” Sieglitz said one of her favorite moments performing as a Kings dancer are the tunnel chants that the dance team does every time before they run onto the court. “Before I go out to the floor, I start getting nervous like, ‘Oh my gosh, will I forget the first move?’” Sieglitz said. “We do this chant and then we come together as a team, which gives me confidence, and we go out there and kick some butt.”
Samantha Poulin State Hornet
Laura Sieglitz, junior math major, dances for the Sacramento Kings dancers at the Nov. 25 game against the New York Knicks.
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Wednesday - December 9
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Recruitment rules Sports journalism in level playing fields for a rough few years WIN OR GO HOME
By Dustin Nosler dnosler@statehornet.com
By Nick Hunte nhunte@statehornet.com In this day and age, every sports fan wants fast and efficient updates on his or her favorite sports team. The Internet makes this possible, but with the decline of print journalism and the expansion of online sports coverage, the days of true analytical articles may be long gone. Print journalism is definitely hurting. HBO’s Frank Deford said during a September episode of “Real Sports” that the Rocky Mountain News and the Seattle Post Intelligencer shut down print operations. He added that other big print publications like the Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News are in big trouble. Deford then concluded that if newspapers die out, that could put an end to sports coverage as well. He said the main
reason why is because readers pay for print journalism and no one would want to pay to read articles online and it would be more difficult to generate revenue. As much as I like online sports coverage and watching multimedia highlights of sports games, the last thing I want is online sports coverage to be in trouble because of lack of revenue. Also with the Internet, blog postings and tweets are more common and some sports journalists do not agree with the notion of any average Joe having the ability to post a blog. Alan Drooz, principal content producer and columnist for SignOnSanDiego, said blog postings and tweets have diluted the public’s respect for news reporting because of the fact anyone can log onto Twitter and post fast information without having a journalism credential. “They want their news fast, but they also want meat on the bones,” Drooz said. “I had an editor who used to call that ‘putting a tuxedo on a skeleton.’” FanHouse.com’s Jay Mariotti said in a September 2009 article from Sports Business Daily that sports are “made for the
Megan Harris State Hornet
Internet.” “It’s made for the guy who wants to dissect that game he just watched. It’s not made to wait 12, 13 hours. By then there’s a new cycle of news,” Mariotti said. These days seem grim and dark for print journalism. Antonio Harvey, sports correspondent for Associated Press, said the Internet helps with keeping up-to-date with how teams and players are doing that can benefit print coverage. “Everyone wants fast coverage,” Harvey said. “With the Internet though, there are so many resources that I can use to stay updated and write accurate articles.” Harvey said one specific way he stays updated with his sports beat accurately on a statistical standpoint is by following Fantasy Sports leagues. “Sports fantasy teams help with coverage because the updates are accurate and I can easily report on the players and teams that I am following accurately,” Harvey said. Drooz was also optimistic about print journalism staying afloat in this day and age of online coverage. He said although the general economy of the newspaper business is hurting sports journalism and journalism in general, the quality of the reporting is still there. “There are less beat report With sports journalists adjusting to the online movement, the typical analytical article might slowly disappear from print news sources since the online source would have it uploaded first. With the advances of technology making it easier to stay updated on sports, it’s not just about who puts out quality sports coverage, but who can cover it the quickest.
Recruiting is the lifeblood of NCAA athletics. Once a high school student-athlete is eligible to be recruited, it is open season for his or her services sort of. Each sport has its own timeframe for when recruiters may begin their search for the next blue-chipper. Coaches must follow strict guidelines and rules when recruiting. Recruiting is quite complex and time-consuming. The rules are in place to protect recruits from universities whose main concern is winning - not the student-athlete. Some of the major recruiting restrictions includes not calling a recruit before he or she is officially a recruit on the recruiting calendar, not meeting with a recruit unless it is an official visit as designated by the NCAA, and once the student-athlete is officially named a recruit, no practice can take place in front of universities until the allotted time on the recruiting calendar. Katherine Zedonis, athletic compliance director, said the rules are in place to maintain a level playing field when it comes to recruiting. “Over time, every sport has a different culture and makeup,” she said. “The rules have changed for different sports, while others have stayed the same. If one sport will implement a rule, all the other sports will go ‘Oh, that’s a great idea,’ then they want it and it gets implemented for everyone else.” Men’s and women’s basketball and football have a different, stricter set of rules than the rest of the sports in the NCAA. Recruits may only visit campuses on an official visit, usually on the first day of classes. In Division I men’s basketball, recruiters may speak with student-athletes once a month over the phone
Megan Harris State Hornet
on June 15 following their sophomore year. While in Division I football, a recruiter may not begin to make phone calls with student-athletes until the time between April 15 and May 31 of their junior year. “Over time, those sports have put more regulation in place to make sure that playing field stays equal for every single college coach,” Zedonis said. One of these regulations is in women’s basketball. Recruiters may only call student-athletes on or after the Thursday following the Final Four in the beginning of April. Jamie Craighead, women’s basketball head coach, said limiting phone calls makes sense. “If you didn’t limit phone calls, they’d have calls from a coach every single day of the week,” she said. “That’s not really fair to the kid and (his/her) parents.” Zedonis said, from an administrative standpoint, the phone call rule is something the NCAA could look into revising. “I think the ‘phone calls’ would alleviate a lot of the issues that come up,” she said. Zedonis said she keeps track of the phone logs, which are filled out by coaches. Craighead said the most difficult part about recruiting is finding athletes who fit the athletic department’s philosophy:
character before talent. “We recruit a little differently than other people,” Craighead said. “Character is a big thing. It’s not just based on talent.” Craighead also said battling big universities for recruits is something she deals with. “They have facilities that we don’t have,” she said. “(However), there have been huge upgrades on campus - the Rec Center, the dorms - all these places have been a great tool for us from a recruiting standpoint.” Softball head coach Kathy Strahan said recruiting takes up a good portion of her schedule. “It’s probably about half of what I do,” Strahan said. Craighead also said she spends about 50 percent of her time on recruiting. From making phone calls when she is allowed too, to visiting recruits and going to their games, she has a lot to do outside of coaching the Hornets. Golfer Grant Rappleye, sophomore business major, reflected on his and his brother’s recruiting experience with Sac State golf director David Sutherland. “We started getting recruited in our sophomore or junior year (of high school),” Rappleye said. “He didn’t take the job until the beginning of our senior year and we already had a couple of schools call.
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