High: 66º Low: 46º
Feb 25, 2013
MONDAY
Obsession wth celebrity weight, page 3
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2013
WWW.DAILYAZTEC.COM
VOLUME 99, ISSUE 76
Activists advocate human rights on campus campus Laura Nguyen Staff Writer
The San Diego State Human Rights Festival brought together students, teachers and the public to educate them about human rights around the world and inspire them to become activists. The festival, which was held from Feb. 18-20, was organized by Amnesty International at SDSU and sponsored by Cultural Arts and Special Events. AI is a global network of activists who campaign against human rights violations. “It is the people in AI and their respective countries that are liberating the world,” film and international security and conflict resolution senior and AI SDSU President Nadir Bouhmouch said. AI’s goal on campus is to bring people together to take action and fight for human rights. The three-day festival is AI’s outreach tool to make a statement through diverse themes, guest speakers and videos. The event’s theme on Monday was women’s rights, featuring Concordia University communication and cultural studies freshman Layla Belmahi. “Everyone should be an activist for women’s rights because a healthy society is one where
SDSU campus offers healthy choices Brittany Turner Staff Contributor
A pin with the words “Write for Rights.” Attendees were offered an opportunity to write about human rights they are interested in to promote activism. The Human Righs Festival lasted three days.
women are participants,” Belmahi said. “You can’t have development without women.” Belmahi is a Moroccan feminist, democracy activist and cofounder of Woman Choufouch, a women’s rights movement born out of the Arab Spring and dedicated to ending sexual harass-
ment and abuse. “It was interesting to hear a woman’s story in all its complications,” Islamic and Arabic studies junior Alexandra Brown said. “I found it self-reflective and it has deepened my understanding about things happening elsewhere.”
courtesy of riley dufurrena
Tuesday’s theme was self-determination of different peoples and featured Lhamo Tso. Tso spoke about her husband, Tibetan political dissident and filmmaker Dhondhup Wangchen, who is HUMAN RIGHTS continued on page 2
Conclave battles scrutiny, search continues
world Michele Pluss Staff Writer
The year was 1417. The Roman Catholic Church was facing a civil war known as the Great Western Schism, during which several factions anointed their own popes—dubbed “antipopes” by church leaders. The schism lasted four decades. An attempt in 1409 to end the turmoil was made by a council of cardinals in Pisa, Italy. Instead of bringing peace, they elected a third pope. This is when Pope Gregory XII became the last pope in the history of the Holy Roman Empire to resign from the Holy Seat. Six hundred years later, on Feb. 28, Pope Benedict XVI became the most recent man to do so. Benedict’s resignation has thrown the Catholic Church into turmoil as it finds itself suddenly without a leader and approaches one of its most holy times: Easter. Tradition dictates the conclave— the time-honored ritual during which cardinals lock themselves in the Sistine Chapel until a new pope is elected by a majority vote —cannot start until March 15. There is some speculation to whether or not that date can be moved so Catholics around the world will have a pontiff by Easter Sunday. Some view this as an opportunity for the church to modernize and
grow with the times. A study released by the Pew Research Center revealed that 46 percent of Catholics believe the new pope should move the church in new directions, with 58 percent in favor of the new pope breaking tradition and allowing priests to marry. The allure of a new, modern pope is quickly being overshadowed by controversy, however, as debate increases regarding who will be allowed to attend conclave. During a time when the Catholic Church has been rocked by scandal and cases of sexual abuse of children spring up in diocese around the world, the public has begun railing against certain cardinals from participating in the election. The cardinal that is facing the biggest outcry not to attend, however, is Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles. Mahony was stripped of his public and administrative duties after a Los Angeles court forced him to turn in files revealing his involvement in the cover-up of child sex abuse cases against more than 120 priests. Despite the controversy, Mahony is determined to participate in conclave, and said he is being “scapegoated” and unfairly disgraced. The Vatican claims the media is contributing to the swirl of scandal surrounding the pope’s resignation. Italian newspapers
Contrary to popular belief, it is posssible to be a healthy college student on a budget Kiss the college days of greasy pizza with a side of bad grades goodbye—it's time to put an end to that tragic combination. But how is a college student supposed to eat healthy on such a small budget without even having money for gas to go anywhere? Don't despair—this article will give you the inside scoop on how to eat healthy at San Diego State on a tight budget. No driving involved! Vegetarian, vegan and glutenfree, oh my! Finding healthy, affordable food on campus is not an easy task. However, imagine how much more difficult it would be to find vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free options and still stay within your food budget. SDSU child and family development junior Hollyanne Setola is a vegan and highly allergic to soy, dairy and gluten. “I have always prepared my meals the night before and brought them to school,” Setola said. “I thought that with my severe allergies, there was nothing I could eat on campus. I could not imagine a place that I could sit down and eat a healthy meal here. That would be so huge for me and such a big help.”
Former Pope Benedict XVI steps down stairs wearing red shoes. He gave his last Sunday prayer and blessing yesterday.
have reported that the real reason Benedict XVI is retiring is because an impending sex and blackmail scandal was about to break. The newspapers gave no attribution to these claims and the Vatican has not responded.
michael k appeler /dpa / zuma press /mct
Despite the political upheaval surrounding his abdication, 100,000 people flooded St. Peter’s Square Sunday morning to attend Pope Benedict XVI’s final Sunday prayer and blessing.
All right, so what are my options? Students should visit Olive Oil Organic Cafe, which provides a huge array of dietary accommodations that are delicious and affordable. “Our motto is, ‘Be free to be yourself, be natural and be organic.’ Whether vegetarian, or
from HEALTHY OPTIONS page 6