The Telescope 64.3 by The Telescope

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Palomar College, San Marcos, Calif. monday sept. 20, 2010 Vol. 64, No. 3

the-telescope.com

$14 million budget: College begins school year with high balance kelley foyt the telescope

GRAPHIC BY VICTORIA TRAN | THE TELESCOPE ILLUSTRATION BY JOSEPH BONNET | THE TELESCOPE

Palomar had an ending fund balance of $14 million last year, according to school president Robert Deegan. That means that the college started out this semester with $14 million more than anticipated. Deegan said that the balance is larger than usual. The surplus left some students wondering why Palomar didn’t use some of the money to add more classes to the fall semester schedule. Out of 10 students interviewed, 40 percent reported having difficulty adding classes to their schedule this semester. “I signed up for classes a day after the sign up date, and they were all full,” said student Heather Kirchhof, 19. She explained that she worked the day that she was supposed to sign up. Deegan said that administrators plan on adding new classes in the upcoming spring semester. He explained that new classes were not

Under the influence

Police arresting more drivers at sobriety checkpoints, student tells his story

Carlos Gonzalez | mct campus

Katie Swanson spoke about her friends who were killed in a car accident this year. The crash killed four young people in a car that smelled of alcohol and two people in a charred SUV.

dan mccarthy the telescope

added sooner because data was needed from this semester. The school is currently reevaluating the student need. Administrators will analyze the fill of the class versus the cap and figure out what classes are at the enrollment capacity, he said. “We’re just trying to do what we can with the money we have,” Deegan said. turn to CASH page

melina fickas the telescope

During a 16-day countywide summer crackdown, police arrested 957 drivers for driving under the influence. The amount represents an increase from last year. In the past week, six drivers were arrested and 16 vehicles were impounded, both facts according to articles from the North County Times. Student Bill Scott says he has three DUIs. He got his first at 34 and is currently 53 years old. “It’s a frickin’ nightmare,” Scott said. “You can drink too much and black out and then wake up to the cops or in jail. It’s humiliating because you have to go to jail.” Scott said that he has spent a total of 23 months in state jails because of his DUIs. “They put you in there with rapists and murderers, and you have to go through hell,” Scott said.

Cal Grants go unpaid across state

First time offenders can expect to pay upwards of $7,000 in state and attorney fees, along with a steep insurance increase. For the first three years after a DUI, drivers are considered “high risk” and their insurance premiums quadruple. Scott said he has to take an 18-month course before he is able to drive again. However, he said that because of the $1,550 cost from fines, he is unable to. Scott is currently unemployed. For a first offense, drivers who get a DUI will have their license revoked for four months. If there is a second offense within ten years, the driver’s license will be revoked for a year, according to the DMV website. “It’s not worth it in the long run,” Scott said. “You can take a cab for the fraction of the price. I wouldn’t wish a DUI on my worst enemy.” turn to DUI page

Palomar is among the numerous public colleges and universities in California waiting on delayed Cal Grant payments, a residual effect of the lack of a state budget. Students awarded grants are given a fee waiver, Mary San Agustin, Palomar’s financial aid director said in a North County Times article dated Sept. 11. Colleges are typically given funds to distribute to the awarded students, but many were not issued the money this year because without a set budget, schools have no standing to distribute funds they may or may not have. The administration is currently evaluating whether it can cover the $250,000 in delayed payments with funds on hand. Across the street at Cal State San Marcos, the situation is the same, but on a much larger scale. CSU San Marcos took direct action to aid students with delayed Cal Grants last week, allowing them to enroll and issued advance payments to cover textbook and living costs, in addition to pushing back tuition deadlines. “We don’t have a budget, and without a budget we don’t have any authority to disburse funds,” said Diana Fuentes Michel, executive director of the Student Aid Commission. “Our students did not see any disruption in funds in financial aid, despite the fact that the state has not issued payment yet for Cal Grants,” said Margaret Lutz, the university’s spokeswoman, in the same NCT article. Of the roughly 335,500 students awarded statewide Cal Grants, 1,870 of them are enrolled at CSU San Marcos, in sum eligible for $5.3 million out of $407 million. CSU San Marcos is not the only San Diego area school making adjustments to the budget crunch. San Diego State University will use federal funds to keep their doors open to transfer students for the Spring 2011 semester. In a released statement, the university said, “even though the state does not yet have a budget, federal stimulus money will be made available which will allow us to begin immediately admitting spring 2011 applicants.” SDSU will accept 1500 upper division transfer applicants. According to the release, they enrolled 1990 this fall.

2 |campus beat Campus Calendar M onday , S ept . 20

• Free Effectively Manage Your Time workshop at 5 p.m. in Room 500 at the Escondido Campus • Phi Theta Kappa meeting at 1 p.m. in Room NS-145 • Apple Club meeting at 2 p.m. in Room SU-204

T uesday , S ept . 21

• Inter-Club Council meeting at 12:30 p.m. in Room SU204 • Live Music performed by Justin Froese at 12:30 p.m. in front of the Student Union Quad

W ednesday , S ept . 22

• ASG Meeting at 1 p.m. in

SU-201 • Club Rush event at 11 a.m. in front of the Student Union Quad

T hursday , S ept . 23

• MEChA club meeting at 6:30 p.m. in Room SU-17 • Fire Club meeting at 4 p.m. in the Public Safety Training Center • Leadership Academy at 12:30 p.m. in SU-204

Saturday, Sept. 25

• Free How to Pay for College

workshop at 9 a.m. in Room NS-137 • Advanced Rape Aggression Defense Class at 12 p.m. in Room G-8, San Marcos Dome

Correction There were two errors in last week’s In Depth article “Campus clubs come out in force to recruit.” Encuentros United meets Mondays at 3 p.m. in SU-204 and the ESO meets on Thursdays at 1:30 in front of SU-17. We apologize.

THE TELESCOPE | monday, sept. 20, 2010

Learn ways to pay for college A workshop Sept. 25 will provide both students and parents in paying for college in a holistic sense and approach on how to pay for college, according to organizers. “Paying for College in the 21st Century” is a workshop set for Sept. 25 at 9 a.m. in room NS-137 at the San Marcos Campus. The workshop is being presented by Ted Buchan and Company, an independent investment advisory firm based in San Diego that specializes in college planning. The goal is to inform families on how paying for college affects all aspects of life and to provide the best college experience for all students. The workshop will cover three aspects: Planning and creating the best student profile, preparing an application to best present a student, how to pay for college by getting the most out of Financial Aid and using a family’s resources to the fullest. Any student or parent can benefit from attending this workshop. For more information contact Christine Amely at 760-744-1150 ext. 2702.

It’s Club Rush time! It’s the time of the semester Palomar clubs get excited about; Club Rush. The Office of Student Affars encourage students to stop by the Student Union Quad, starting at 11 a.m., Sept. 22. Numerous Palomar clubs including Phi Theta Kappa,, Pre-med, and the Extreme talent Club will have booths set up offering information. Contact the Office of Student Affairs at 760-744-1150, ext.. 2594 for more information or go online to visit Palomars Clubs websites at www.palomar.edu.

Escondido Center re-opened The Palomar Escondido Center was shut down Sept. 13 and for a few hours Sept 14. due to a power outage caused by a blown electrical cable. The campus was fully operational by Sept. 14 thanks to San Diego Gas & Electric and school officials, according to a official alert sent by Palomar spokeswoman, Laura Gropen.

CSU application deadline extended There is still time left for students to apply for spring transfer to the CSU school system. The application period for spring 2011 upper-division transfers to the California State University school system has been extended from Aug. 31 to Sept. 27. Acceptance by CSU schools will depend on the availability of state funding and the final state budget according the Palomar’s transfer center. Palomar Transfer Center Staff Assistant Dagmar Royer advised that only applicants who fulfilled the necessary credit requirements to transfer before the summer 2010 term are qualified to apply. Applicants will be notified of their application status shortly after Sept. 27. If funding from the state is not approved they won’t accept new students for the spring 2011 term. In such case, applicants may request their application be changed to the fall 2011 term, have their application fee refunded or have their application withdrawn. Students interested are encouraged to visit the transfer center, the CSUMentor website www.csumentor. edu or CSU campus websites for more information.

Courtesy illustration | mct campus

Faculty group wants campus cameras A request by members of the faculty to put in new security cameras around the Natural Sciences building is on track to be approved by the Palomar Faculty Federation (PFF), according to Shayla Sivert, co-president of the organization. The federation, which represents all fulltime and part-time faculty at the college, is overseeing the approval of funding for the project. The cameras are intended to deter crime in and around the building, according to Candi Francis, interim dean for the Natural and Health Sciences Department.

Francis explained that staff members who frequented the building were concerned about its remote location and possible theft of the specialized equipment housed there. According to Sivert, the PFF and district have come to an agreement that the cameras will only be used as a crime deterrent. The Strategic Planning Council has yet to approve the measure, but it is scheduled for a discussion and vote in the near future. Contact the PFF at 760-744-1150, ext. 3948 or online at www.palomarfacfed.org.

CAMPUS WEATHER Monday Sept. 20

74°/57° sunny

Tuesday Wednesday Thursday

Friday

Sept. 21

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Sept. 24

74°/56°

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72°/55°

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sunny

Saturday Sept. 25

74°/57° Sunny

Sunday Sept. 26

75°/56° Sunny

New book club in town: Cast your votes today!

There is a new program on campus aimed at getting Palomar students to join a big book club. Palomar Reads is a new program modeled after KPBS’ One Book One San Diego reading program. Lawrence Lawson, English as a Second Language assistant professor, said he started this new program to help build a sense of community on campus. “Statistics show that a lot of students drop out in their first year and the reason is that they don’t have some way to connect,” Lawson said. Participation in the program is open and voluntary to all. Students, faculty and staff will all read the same

book once the votes are in. Discussions of that book will continue throughout the semester via discussion groups, events, lectures, Facebook and the Palomar Reads website. Three finalist books, “Enrique’s Journey” by Sonia Nazario, “Highwire Moon” by Susan Straight and “Three Cups of Tea” by Greg Mortensen and David Relin, were chosen by students and faculty for their relevance to peoples’ lives. To vote visit Palomar Reads on facebook or tiny.cc/ PCReads by Sept. 31. An event planned for the second week in October will kick off the program and students can enter a drawing for a free copy of the book. For more information contact Lawson at 760-744-1150 ext. 3712.

3 | Opinion

monday, sept. 20, 2010 | THE TELESCOPE

Our viewpoint Blood drive attendance shameful People are lazy. That’s no surprise. But how can you be too lazy to save three lives with only one hour of your time?

Blood shortage

The Red Cross has a shortage of donated blood. Five million patients need blood each year, according to the Red Cross, and less than 38 percent of the population is eligible to donate. And that’s not even considering those who flat-out refuse to help. People in this generation are too selfish to take the time to help save lives. Maybe they don’t realize the importance of it, or maybe they have more “legitimate” reasons. As though reluctant donors weren’t bad enough, the Red Cross also bars homosexual men and intravenous drug users from donating. Say of that what you will — whether it’s the right call in your opinion or not, it dilutes the

numbers of potential blood donors, so the rest of us need to step it up even more.

We are guilty too

We’d love to speak up and lead by example, yet a quick poll demonstrated that only one staff member gave blood the last few times there were blood drives at Palomar. We are as guilty as the rest of you.

The rewards for giving blood

Often, especially when a radio station is promoting a drive, movie or concert tickets are given out and sometimes professors will give extra credit in health and nutrition classes. At the last drive, Palomar gave out coupons for Mimi’s Cafe. But those are the shallower reasons too give blood. You could play a hand in saving lives. In fact, according to the Red Cross, every donation can save up to three lives, and generally only takes an hour.

Don’t bag on plastics melissa caston The Telescope

24-14. Nope, it’s not the score from the last Chargers game, it is the result of the California state Senate’s vote rejecting the Democratic Assembly Bill 1988. AB1988 would have been a ban on plastic bags and would have levied a 5-cent fee for paper bags used by any grocery store, convenience store and drug store in the state. Thumbs up to the state Senate for allowing me to have the freedom to choose what type of bag I will use when and how I want. Approved in June by the California Assembly, AB1988 would have put the state of California in the same category with other USA cities including Seattle, Washington, Portland, Oregon and countries including China, Africa, and Australia in the race to help better the environment. Too bad for Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, the Santa Monicabased creator of the bill. The use of plastic bags will continue with no charge to customers. I love my plastic bags. Not only can I carry four to five on each arm after leaving the grocery store, they can be used for trash cans, to carry lunches to work and so many more ways. Why get rid of them? Helping the environment is completely understandable, but in this day and age, banning the use of plastic bags can cause harm. Jobs will be lost for those companies who produce plastic bags; people will have to buy reusable bags, which will probably be forgotten half the time. Once recycled or thrown away, they end

up in landfills creating more waste. Plastic bags do not decompose easily; it takes an estimated 500 to 1,000 years to decompose in a landfill according to reports complied from U.S. National Park Service, United States Composting Council, New Hampshire Department of Environmental Sciences and the New York City Government. Instead of banning plastic bags, follow the American Chemistry Council’s motto: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Reduce by declining plastic bags when not needed in the grocery store, say for that pack of gum. Reuse by using them for trash can liners in your bathroom or for pet clean up and Recycle by bringing your previously used plastic bags with you the next shopping trip you make. According to the American Chemistry Council website, plastic bags generate 80 percent less waste than paper bags and the production of plastic bag consumes less than 4 percent of the water needed to make paper bags. Whether it’s plastic or paper, there will be some type of issue with the use of either. A big push for reusable bags is in almost every grocery store these days. Whether it’s an Albertson’s grocery store or CVS drug store, those who do not like paper or plastic can pay up to $5 for one and have it for future uses. The problem with that, which happens to me all the time, is what if you forget the bag at home or need to make a quick stop on the way home from work? You have to buy a new one? It should be up to the consumer to use plastic or not, so thank you to the California State Senate for giving us that right to choose.

Of course, people are just too busy to save someone’s life. The bloodmobile shows up in Lot 11 and sits there for a week, and then drives away.Then students have the gall to claim we’d be wasting our time donating, when all the while, we’re wasting their time. Whatever excuse you have, it probably isn’t good enough.

How to help

Eligible donors who are 17 years of age, meet the height and weight requirements and who are in good health are urged to donate blood. The last Palomar blood drive was Sept. 15-17 If you didn’t go, consider checking in at Cal State San Marcos on the 22nd or even at the Temecula Starbucks on Ynez Avenue on the 24th. We will. For more information, or to locate a nearby blood drive, call 1-800-RED-CROSS or visit redcrossblood.org.

Arizona lawmakers on a racist roll

jim atherton | mct campus mark saunders The Telescope

Like a character in a Bugs Bunny cartoon, Arizona is at it again, that rascally state. The Arizona Legislature has passed a bill to eliminate ethnic studies courses in public and charter schools. The bill outlaws classes that are viewed as supporting the overthrow of the U.S. government, hatred of a particular race or are designed for students of a particular ethnic group. If there’s one thing Arizona should be scared of, it’s an energetic high-school student who spends their day gossiping or smoking pot in the bathroom. Exaggerations of high-school students aside, this bill reeks of discrimination and promotes intolerance of students’ differences. Yet, the problem here has noth-

Focused on Palomar

michael hayes| THE TELESCOPE

Palomar student Daniele Hernandez gives blood in the bloodmobile in Lot 11at the last blood drive. Palomar hosts an annual blood drive sponsored by the Red Cross. Any student can sign up to help save lives by calling Health Services or going online.

Volume 66 Number 3

The Telescope is published 11 times per semester. Opinions expressed in the newspaper are those of the individual writers and do not necessarily represent those of the entire newspaper staff, Palomar faculty and staff members or the governing board trustees.

ing to do with race or Arizona’s illegal immigration stance, even though the legislature has made it so. It has to do with the government deciding what material students can and cannot learn and judging, without evidence, the outcome of learned material. The Holocaust and other events of genocide as well as Native American studies, due to federal law, will still find their way into lessons. You can take a deep breath everyone; it is still legal to build hatred toward genocidal countries during class. The reasoning behind all of this can be summarized in a quote from Arizona State Superintendent for Public Instruction Tom Horne. “Traditionally, the American public school system has brought together students from different backgrounds and taught them to be Americans and treat each other as individuals,” Horne said. “Ethnic studies teach the opposite, and are

Address | The Telescope, Palomar College 1140 W. Mission Road, San Marcos, CA 92069 Newsroom | Room MB-1 Phone | (760) 891-7865 Fax | (760) 891-3401 E-Mail | telescope@palomar.edu Advertising e-Mail | telescopead@palomar.edu Staff Writers | Camilo Barrero, Casey Byrne, Marina Cantarelli, Denny Dorsey, Davon Hollis, David Leonard, Daniel Martin, Joseph Melson, Jarred Powell, Mark Saunders, Nick Shumate, Victoria Tran, Michael Treadway, Natalia Vasquez, Emilie Vurik, Chris Wafer Staff Photographers | Layan Ammouri, Breanna Avella, Jennifer Bacon, Steven Balubar, Brak Blevins, Austin Castillo, Ian Chalmers, Christina Dugdale, Rosa Galvin, Tina Hernandez, Doug Holstein, Christopher Kennedy, Reginald Legaspi, Rachel Martin, Rachel Munoz, Huy Nguyen, Mathew O’Neil, Christian Provano, Stacey Prince , Heather Skaggs, Kirgan Snaer, Leslie Surek, Brian Tierne, Allyson Watson, Joshua Yepez

designed to promote ethnic chauvinism.” Traditionally, schools have always brought students’ differences together. Traditionally, schools offered classes focusing on many historical eras and have yet to start any major social problems. Has there been an uprising of adolescents in Arizona no one else knows about? Horne also touched on extreme patriotism or “chauvinism.” This is apparently of greater concern than Arizona growing increasingly fascist with every new law. Patriotism is great for showing loyalty to a country but there is a fine line between loyalty for a country and prejudice of another — we all know who this bill is aimed at. Horne also claims that these programs “intimidate conservative teachers.” Teachers are the authority figures of educational institutions with chosen teaching styles, and they are intimidated? As long as the material is absorbed by students, teachers have had the ability to choose how to teach, in accordance with state teaching standards. Teachers are the ones being intimidating, if anything. The point is, in today’s society the majority of students have a better chance of being socially influenced by Family Guy or the Jersey Shore than in an hour lesson about the Mexican-American War. Public school settings are not known to house debates amongst peers regarding the transfer of Mexico’s land to the U.S. in the 1800s. Besides, who wouldn’t rather talk about Snooki and The Situation?

The Telescope welcomes all letters to the editor. Letters must be typewritten, under 300 words and include the author’s first and last names, major and phone number. Phone numbers will not be published. Letters can be e-mailed to telescope@ palomar.edu or delivered to the newsroom in Room MB-1. The Telescope reserves the right to edit letters for space and grammatical errors and not to print lewd or libelous letters. Lettesr must be receieved one week prior to the newspaper’s publication to be considered for inclusion.

Associated Collegiate PRess

CFAC

California Newspaper Publishers Association

California First Journalism Association Amendment Coalition of Community Colleges

4 |In Depth

THE TELESCOPE | Monday, Sept. 20, 2010

Father of radio/TV program writes history Nick Shumate The Telescope

The old adage goes - those who can’t, teach; however in professor Pat Hahn’s case, nothing could be further from the truth. Pat Hahn is the Radio and Television (RTV) “guru” at Palomar and this upcoming semester he will be adding yet another accomplishment to his career by writing a textbook on the history of American Broadcasting. Hahn was asked to create an entry level textbook and who better than the man responsible for the award-winning RTV program? “He has the experience and the knowledge and he really wants to share that with his students, I’m sure that all his experience will come out in the book,” said Jose Martinez, a student of the RTV program. Hahn has been a part of the RTV program from the get go. He started out as a student on campus under the leadership of his two mentors Russ Jackson and Dana Hawkes. During his sophomore semester he and his fellow students realized they needed a radio station. “We went to the ASG, they gave us $500 bucks and we bought this spindly little disc jockey thing. We took it to the student union building and blasted people out,” Hahn said From the time when students cut their own wires and the “radio station” was moved from a closet with no air conditioner to what is now the drama building, Hahn has been there every step of the way. “That’s what I try to do here, is build that same environment,” Hahn said. It seems so. The RTV program at

huy nguyen | THE TELESCOPE

Above: Pat Hahn, professor of RTV 245, stands by the recently updated equipment used at the Palomar College’ Newstation, where students produce live TV shows during the semester. Palomar has won 37 Emmys since the creation of the program. “We have found a good formula; we train them [students] vocationally, it’s a skill but we also prepare them for a four -year college,” Hahn said. One would think writing a textbook would be a walk in the park

when having so much professional and academic experience. “I thought it would be pretty easy, I was approached by the publisher and I said, ‘Oh yeah, I can whip that out,’” Hahn said. That was two years ago. Having never written a book before, Hahn soon realized how much

goes into a project like this. “It’s a lot of research and a lot of foot work,” but the upside to his hard work, he said, is how much he has learned on the road getting there. “It actually makes me a much better teacher,” Hahn added. With the textbook due out in

Emilie Vurik The Telescope

time for spring semester, Hahn has already set his eyes on the horizon thinking of his next project, a type of reality show. “The confidence and the leadership that Pat has given me, I have no doubt that I can get any job, in any market, for any news station,” said Tyler May, a student of Hahn’s.

events are Flash Dance at Club Rush, and a talent show with The If you have dance in you there is Black Student Union and The Fasha place for you: the Extreme Talent ion Club, according to club members. Club. The talent show is an upcoming Extreme Talent’s goal is to provide student interaction through dance event. Time and location will many types of hip-hop dancing such be announced at a future date. “Everyone getting together for as break dancing, freestyle, and also the talent show is going to be great. choreography. “We like to dance; it’s something I can’t wait, we are so excited about the upcoming talent show,” said that I enjoy doing and something Michelle Jaro, member of Exwe can welcome people to do,” treme Talent. said Dominick Cruz, vice presiAs a member of Extreme dent and co-founder of Extreme Talent people get the opporTalent. tunity to dance and make Their second goal a whole new group of is to have fun and friends. meet new people, “It’s a fun, chill enviwhile pushing themronment where everyselves to exceed their own body learns from each limits. other with different “What I like about Extreme styles of dancing,” said Talent is that it is fun and enerAnthony Rogas, angetic, we meet a lot of new peoother member of Exple and learn many different treme Talent. styles of dancing.” said Justin If you would like Fernandez, member of Extreme to join Extreme TalTalent. ent, meeting times are Extreme Talent was estabTuesday and Thursday lished in the summer of 2009, from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. by Mark Arjona, club presiin room D-6. dent, and Cruz. Club members It all started when want help spreadArjona and Cruz had ing the word an idea to combine all about Extreme sorts of hip-hop dances Emilie Vurik | THE TELESCOPE Talent to everyone together in one club. who is interested in dancing by join“Ext is not only a room full of people learning, it is also a place ing their Facebook group. Members added that choreogwhere you can let go and express yourself,” said Providence Gonzolas, raphy is taught on Tuesdays while open floor (freestyle sessions) are member of Extreme Talent. This year, Ext’s upcoming dance on Thursday.

Monday, Sept. 20, 2010 | THE TELESCOPE

Arts & Culture|

EXCELLENCE WITHIN REACH dan Mccarthy The Telescope

“Halo: Reach” marks the end of an era, a time when the chronology of the Xbox could be described as the periods before and after the three major “Halo” games. “Reach” is both a prequel and a finale, marking the days before the events of the first “Halo,” while taking the evolutionary progress of each preceding title and expanding on the best aspects of each one. As the final game in the series from developer Bungie, it is, in essence, “Halo: Greatest Hits.” And it’s good. Very good. While I may spend more time picking apart certain things I don’t like, I’m the kind of person that will not usually mention something if it’s done correctly.. “Reach’s” story takes place on Reach, a human colony that represents the might of man’s military. The problem, it emerges, is that might is relative and the Covenant, an alliance of advanced aliens, is stronger. Plus they hate humans and embark on species wide genocide. Panic ensues. Enter Noble Team, a group of Spartan super-sailors tasked with a small part of the ill-fated colony’s

defense.You are Noble Six, a faceless and tight lipped replacement member of the elite strike team, filling the role of “press this button to make everything die,” since all the standard roles of sniper, support gunner, engineer and what not are all taken. The role fits most players nicely. The greatest improvement in “Reach” is the addition of armor abilities. In both single and multiplayer, you can choose primarily from sprint, invisibility, armor lock (temporary invincibility at the cost of mobility; center image), a jet pack (left image), hologram and a rolling evade. They are oddly reminiscent of “Call of Duty’s” perk system, but more refined and less ridiculous. They add a great new dimension to the combat mechanics that push this multiplayer offering past that of the Xbox Live-dominating “Modern Warfare 2.” “Reach” is, however, not devoid of problems, especially in the story. Noble Team is made up of facepalm inducing clichés: the leader is American and clean cut, the second in command is a techy Russian chick, the sniper is Asian, the hardcore guy is black, the machine gunner is both gigantic and English and Noble Six is the new guy who is incidentally more qualified to protect Reach than a thousand clones of your cohorts. I feel like I’ve seen this plot before a couple

hundred times. In keeping with the plan to make your allies as purposeless as possible, the friendly AI is absolutely useless, a feat so well accomplished it’s hard to believe Bungie didn’t devote time and resources to perfect their anti-utilitarian qualities.

Your Spartan companions are walking definitions of “dolt” and the armor-suit-less Marines that often tag along with you are not even good distractions, as they have a predilection to walk right into enemy fire obliviously. That is, when not standing idly by. I’m not sure why Bungie devoted space on the disk to code for them. This is particularly strange because “Reach” was billed as a team-based game, stressing how you’ll fight side by side with other Spartans for the first time.

So the core story mechanic is a bust. But that’s fine; since the entire point of “Halo” is a whole lot of killing, it would be no fun to have computer-controlled characters racing you to pull off headshots. “Halo’s” industry-standard-setting multiplayer is excellent. The maps, weapons, game types and vehicles are all balanced and great to play with. “Reach” has cherry picked all the great aspects of the prior four Halo titles and distilled them to their purest form, making this the sharpest multiplayer formula on Xbox Live today. The totality of the multiplayer suite is both an online powerhouse and the kind of local Xbox play that begs for you to park a box of pizza and four friends in front of your couch for late night death matches. This is what makes Halo worth playing. Standard matchmaking is a good as ever, and there are new game types such as “Headhunter,” where players must collect burning skulls from killed players and score them in goals to gain points. The superb “Firefight” setting, where players are pitted against wave after wave of AI-controlled enemies is back from “ODST” and has received a complete overhaul. Now nearly every aspect is customizable, from how much damage you can take to which enemies you fight against, which makes it feel like a fully developed game mode

Graphics courtesy of Bungie Studios

Bungie’s final ‘Halo’ is a masterful swan song to a decade of perfecting the console shooter

instead of the skin and bones structure it had previously. “Reach” also affords Firefight matchmaking rights and allows humans to control enemy elements as well, which creates some particularly entertaining moments. I can say in full confidence that flying around with unlimited jetpack fuel and a golf club against waves of aliens is perhaps my favorite memory of the entire series. Even though it has zero plot or purpose, it captures what games ought to be: purely stupid fun. Microsoft’s m a r ke t i n g blitz employs Video Game the tag line of review “Remember Reach” – and fans will, but not for losses or heroism in a purely fictional setting. Rather, gamers will keep this game Halo: Reach spinning in Xbox 360 their Xboxes for its endlessly replayable out of four stars multiplayer and solid story line that are bound to cause a few too many sick days in the coming months. This is the swan song “Halo” fans hoped for.

HHHH

6 |Arts & Culture

THE TELESCOPE |Monday, Sept. 20

. Best California Burrito . Santana's /Fresh MXN The Search for San Diego's dan mccarthy The Telescope

brown sauce, the latter of which is, without question, my favorite. It’s spicy, a little tangy and I’m not sure what to call this just viscous enough to not run place. all the way to the bottom of my Is it still Santana’s? Is it Fresh burrito when I pour it on. Salsa MXN? Why are there no vowels? engineers, I thank you. Is this supposed to be “Mexican” However, I’m a picky eater because all I see is “Mixin?” and the little things really get to I swear, if I see Betty Crocker me if they’re not done right. This whipping up my caris Santana’s ne asada I’m going What: Santana’s/Fresh MXN Achilles’ heel. to flip. The tortilla Where: 12 Locations If you’ve driven is soft, mushy, County-Wide around San Diego, not warm and Price: $5 plus tax chances are you’ve was obviously Rating: 3/5 Burritos seen the restaurant not given the chain formerlycritical few secknown-as-Santana’s, a brand of onds on the searing flat top to eateries pervasive around the singe the edges. My French fries county and close to Palomar. were on the stale side, by which They are worth eating at. I mean cold, a bit grainy and too Santana’s has flavorful and soft. Together they detract from lean carne asada, good salsa fres- the experience noticeably, but ca and almost completely melted not critically. cheese that caps their California While not the best, Santana’s Burrito off well. It’s sized well California Burrito is a solid, nutsand melds flavors and textures and-bolts take on what a famed together, isolating the fries and SoCal recipe should look like. softer meat with cheese spread Priced well and decently porall over it. tioned, it’s apparent why SanThey sport a stable of four sal- tana’s became a San Diego food sa types—red, green, yellow and fixture.

WHAT’S HAPPENING Tuesday, Sept. 21

Who: The Tommy Castro Band What: Blues When: 6 p.m. Where: Birch Aquarium at Scripps Cost: $35 and up Info: 21 and up 858-534-3474

Wednesday, Sept. 22

Deb Hellman| The Telescope

Fresh MXN, formerly known as Santana’s, has an almost-tasty 1 pound California Burrito for $5.

Swim Instuctors Wanted Instructors $12 - 19 per hour Customer Service $10 per hour Contact Brett at (760) 744-7946

ive t a rn e lt

With another new semester under way, it’s time to update your iPod to get you through finding a parking space at 9 a.m. Thankfully the last year and a half has seen a flourish of new bands in the alternative music scene. White Lies, Semi Precious Weapons, Neon Trees, Meese, Band of Skulls and Broken Bells are all onealbum bands that have debuted recently. So if this is your freshman year at Palomar, check out these freshmen artists. Just watch out as these guys have set the bar pretty high. While not considered a band, the Glee cast has turned out surprisingly good covers, perhaps none better than “Dream On” featuring Neil Patrick Harris. If the Glee sound appeals to you, they have a long list of popular covers from their first season. Although they aren’t new, after five years, late last year the Cribs created their most popular song to date with “We Share The Same Skies.” Download these songs and crank up the volume on this mix. -LC

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Mixing of Alternatives Death By Diamonds and Pearls by Band of Skulls October by Broken Bells We Share the Same Skies by The Cribs Dream On (ft. Neil Patrick Harris) by Glee Cast Girls and Boys in School by Neon Trees Semi Precious Weapons by Semi Precious Weapons Farewell to the Fairgrounds by White Lies

Who: Muse What: Alternative When: 7:30 p.m. Where: Viejas Arena Cost: $62.50 and up Info: ticketmaster.com

Thursday, Sept. 23

What: Krush What: Hip-Hop/Mashups When: 8 p.m. Where: Deco’s Restaurant and Nightclub Cost: $7 and up Info: 18 and up 619-696-3326

Friday, Sept. 24

Who: Margaret Cho What: Musical Comedy When: 9 p.m. Where: Humphey’s Concerts by the Bay Cost: $61.50 and up Info: ticketmaster.com

Saturday—Sunday, Sept. 25, 26

What: Viking Festival When: 11 a.m. Where: Norway Hall, Vista Cost: $7 one day, $11 both days Info: 760-724-6592

Monday, Sept. 27

Wh0: Brian Adams When: 8 p.m. Where: Spreckel’s Theatre Cost: $46 and up Info: ticketmaster.com

NOW ON SALE

Carrie Underwood

Concert at San Diego Sports Arena, Oct. 1. Tickets on sale at ticketmaster.com.

Usher

Concert at San Diego Sports Arena, Nov. 17. Tickets on sale at ticketmaster.com.

News|

monday, sept. 20, 2010 | THE TELESCOPE

CASH Continued from Page 1 Others felt that changes should have been made sooner. “It’s been really hard because everyone’s been putting the brakes on (…) despite the increase in students,” said Shayla Sivert, one of the Palomar Faculty Federation presidents. The state funds 19,500 full time equivalent students every semester, according to Deegan. FTES are classified as students enrolled in 12 units, which means that one FTES could actually be two students who are each enrolled in six units. This semester, Palomar has about 20,400 FTES, or 900 above what the state funds. Palomar receives an addition $1 million once enrollment hits 20,000. It costs the school about $4,500 for every student. That means that Palomar isn’t funded by the state for over $3 million in student costs. “I know that the administrators will say that we’re going over and beyond, but in this situation I think that some exceptions should have been made sooner,” Sivert said. Deegan explained that he wants to plan ahead when budgeting the money. “I don’t want to just spend it,” he said. He explained that he anticipates on using half of the beginning fund balance this semester. On the other hand, quicker budgeting may have benefitted students who are ready to transfer.

“The English class that I tried to crash, I didn’t get in,” said student Adam Teator, 21 “In the future (when) I have to take English 100, I can’t. So in the spring, I can’t apply to a university.” Kirchhof said she doesn’t even bother signing up for waitlisted classes or trying to crash. “Ninety-nine percent of the time I didn’t get in (in the past),” she said. Students who were unable to crash classes may be surprised to learn that 40 percent of classes were still open during the first week of school this semester, according to Deegan. He explained that there’s a delicate balance when forming the curriculum, because students come to Palomar for different reasons. “We want to take care of the student demand but also look at classes that might only be taken by specific majors,” Deegan said. He explained that a portion of the ending fund balance from this semester will be used for the new classes next semester. While Sivert says she wishes that changes would have been made sooner, she thinks that Deegan’s plan for new classes next semester makes sense. “We’re doing well with the resources we have,” Deegan said. “We’ve had to make fewer cuts than many other colleges.”

dUI Continued from Page 1 Drivers that are repeat offenders have a distorted reality, according to Maria Miller, Palomar professor and Alcohol and Other Drug Studies coordinator. “Part of the problem is addiction,” Miller said. “The chemicals in their brains are altered and they don’t think clearly about the consequences.”

In order to get a DUI, drivers must have a blood alcohol content of 0.08 percent for a first offense. Subsequent offenders must only have a blood alcohol content of 0.01 percent. If a driver refuses to take a blood alcohol content test, their license is automatically revoked for a full year, according to the DMV website.

diversions lite|

* For use in boring classes

Stay focused on... the campus blood drive and debate team Online exclusive articles at the-telescope.com

The Hoover dam could stop generating power as early as 2013, according to a Sept. 11 article from the North County Times. The dam has been supplying electricity to California, Arizona and Nevada for the past 75 years. The region’s growing population as well as years of drought have contributed to lower water levels. If the lake will reaches 1,050 feet the dam will cease to run properly. Without the dam, transport costs for water could triple. The population would see a $10 to $20 increase in monthly costs. A local 17-year-old girl accused of killing her best friend and injuring others faces a charge of vehicular manslaughter. The San Diego teen was driving with four other teens when she crossed the centerline of the road and hit a truck head on. Three of the teens suffered injuries, and a 17-year-old girl was killed. Drugs and alcohol were not believed to be involved, but the

teen driving was going nearly double the speed limit in a 35 mph zone. “It’s wrong to charge her so harshly,” student Gaby Alvarez said. “Maybe if she was drunk, but it was just an accident.” The deceased teen’s parents said the driver was like a daughter to them and they hoped the girl wouldn’t be charged, according to a Sept. 13 Union Tribune article.

Chile’s mining minister announced that he hopes to rescue 33 trapped miners by early November. The miners have been trapped 2,300 feet below ground since early last month. For more News to Know, visit the-telescope.com. Get the quickest updates by becoming a fan of The Telescope on Facebook.

Don Bartletti | mct campus

Two male Galapagos tortoises posture for the attention of a nearby female in at the San Diego zoo. They’re in the new $1 million enclosure that features the kind of soil, rock formations and plantings similar to their native habitat.

|Sports

THE TELESCOPE | monday, Sept. 20 2010

East and West harmonize the backfield dan mccarthy & Matthew slagle The Telescope

In football lore, a pairing of running backs is almost always a pairing of opposites --- two distinct offensive threats whose strengths counteract the weaknesses of the other. Call it the balance of the harmonious cleats. Yet what trumps the ever-present narrative of brutish-versus-cagey rushing styles is one where the duo of players are almost entirely interchangeable, giving defenses no rest from their style of ground-based dynamism that stresses tough, physical carries with quick steps and explosive speed. At Palomar, the Comets’ set of backs are sophomores Nick Ricciardulli and Tyrese Jones. On the gridiron, offensive power is predicated on rushing prowess. Without an established run game, there is no air attack; there is no play action --- there is nothing. Opposing defenses can simply sit back and play pass coverage at a laughably one-dimensional offense. The Comets, though, do not have this problem. “They’re a good complement to each other,” head coach Joe Early said. “Tyrese is a downhill runner; he has a quick first step and can split the gaps very well. Nick is more of a lateral threat, an edge player who uses his quickness and agility to get the edge.” “They both have really good speed. They’re not the biggest guys but they’re strong and they’re physical and it’s a really good one-two punch for us.” Ricciardulli is a San Diego man through and through. After spending a year at Humboldt State University, playing for their football program, he found the Northern California scene a bit too laid back and perpetually grey, whether from overcast weather or pot smoke. It was a far cry from Southern California’s climatic perfection. With a mop top cut and gregarious personality, he’s more akin to a full time surfer than an accomplished athlete. Jones on the other hand is every inch the archetypical running back. He’s muscular and thick, sporting lengthy dread locks, a set of grills that would put Lil Jon to shame and adorns his chest with a prominent New York Yankees tattoo. Every inch the textbook running back indeed except, of course, in inches. The native Floridian, like his backfield companion Ricciardulli, stands at five-foot-eight, an average height for males, but rests on the tail end of the size spectrum for collegiate running backs. That is not, however, a negative thing, said running backs coach Mark Halda. “It’s hard to tackle them.They’re not 6 (foot) 4 (inches) so their center of gravity is low and they both run low. Guys that are tackling them are always coming from higher, so they have to breakdown even lower and it’s tough for them to get a shot,” he said. “That’s the one thing that they do well is they run at low pad level and when you watch them, they very rarely ever get pushed back --- they’re always moving the pile.” That is a testament to the duo’s dynamic running abilities, inside the tackles and running east to west. “Tyrese will make you miss by scaring you with his speed and making one plant and cutting back, but Nick will fake right, fake left and then go right again or fake left, break and go left again. So he kind of sets you up and freezes you,” Halda said. “As a defender you sit there and you have to square up and get your feet planted, but as soon as your feet are planted you have no lateral quickness, and Nick is quick enough, from that standing stop, to get by.” Ricciardulli is purposefully the more physical of the two, with a certain love of making and then breaking out of contact with opposing defenders. “I like to hit and my speed helps, too because if I hit someone and they can’t tackle me then I’m out the gate,” he said. That does not mean, however, that Jones avoids contact more or less he simply stresses flexibility.

deb hellman| THE TELESCOPE

Running backs Nick Ricciardulli (left) and Tyrese Jones (right) form a powerful backfield duo for the Comets, combining speed, strength and grit. Although they’re from different backgrounds, the two have at least one thing in common – a love for tough, physical running. “Whatever the defense gives me. I can run between the tackles and I can run outside. How ever the defense gives it to me is how Iím going to take it,” Jones said. Steve Steiner, a 6 foot 7 inch, 325 pound Offensive Tackle said that the two are physical, tough backs that, in agreement with three coaches, run well in the pile. “I like blocking for them... they are both really fast, high-tempo running backs and they know what they are doing,” the sophomore offensive lineman said.

“They will fight for every yard and inch,” he added. But the two are also proficient in one of the positions less glamorous roles -- pass blocking. In that capacity, their job is not to make plays but to protect the quarterback from assaulting safeties, cornerbacks and linebackers the offensive line doesn’t pick up, giving receivers time to get open and allowing the called play to develop. “They are both real good at it,” Ong said. “They pick up the blitz well and they stand

and protect me.” Ong is also the sole team member who ends up on the receiving end of any lapse in pass protection. The pair creates a brutal, multi-threat running tandem that is an offensive force whether theyíre directly in the play or not. The balance of both players’ skill sets along with their well-rounded playing style gives Palomar a fearsome, but congruous, backfield presence. A balance of harmonious cleats, perhaps.