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TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 2013
WWW.DAILYAZTEC.COM
VOLUME 99, ISSUE 81
A.S. elections kick off with debates editorial J. Hutton Marshall
MAR. 5, 2013
TUESDAY
TV stations jump the shark with overwhelming advertising money
Managing Editor
The Associated Students debates begin today. For the next three days, candidates running for an executive position on A.S.’s newly established board of directors will debate in front of Hepner Hall on Campanile Walkway. These students will represent the interests of San Diego State students on campus and abroad for the next academic year.
chicago tribune /mct
Raquel Casal Rocha Contributor
Even if you don’t think voting in student government elections will change the world, don’t miss this chance to have your voice heard. Student government is a strong sedative for many students at SDSU. Even though only about 10 percent of students actually vote in the election in the average year, the elected students make key decisions that impact student life on campus for an entire year. Student government played a large role in changing the policies regarding bike and skateboard laws on campus, and it will greatly influence whether smoking will be completely banned from campus in the near future. Each of the elected will also receive a salary
A Upper left: V.P. of financial affairs candidate Dara Majdi; Upper right: V.P. of univeristy affairs candidate Washington Navarrete; Lower left: financial affairs candidate Mariah Kelly; Lower right: university affairs candidate Morgan Chan.
of nearly $27,000, not to mention the portion of student fees they’ll be deciding how to spend. You might want to make sure you don’t despise these candidates before you allow either of the aforementioned to happen. Today, the debate features candidates for the vice president of university affairs and vice president
of finance. Tomorrow’s debate will feature vice president of external affairs and executive vice president and Thursday is for the presidential candidates. All debates take place from noon to 1 p.m. Even if you don’t think voting in student government elections will change the world, don’t miss this chance to have your voice
courtesy of associated students
heard. Voting on WebPortal takes minutes, and the outcome of these elections can have a potentially dynamic impact on your time at SDSU. Check out pages two and three for today’s candidate bios. We’ll be printing these every day of a debate. Look for our endorsements on Monday when voting begins.
dvertising is a big deal in the U.S., as in many other countries. However, according to a report by Zenith Optimedia, the U.S. had the world’s largest ad market in 2011. Last year, North America ad expenditures almost equaled those of Europe and Latin America combined. The numbers are projected to keep growing. Commercials are everywhere and have an impact on everyone’s lives, even those who think they don’t notice and aren’t affected by ads. It doesn’t matter if someone ADVERTISING continued on page 6
USD basketball star SD bids for binational Olympics sentenced to prison
local Stephanie Saccente Senior Staff Writer
Former University of San Diego basketball player Brandon Johnson was sentenced to six months in prison on Friday for soliciting team members to fix games. The onetime basketball star reportedly manipulated games while on the team during the 2009-10 season and attempted to the following season when he was no longer attending the school. According to ESPN, 26-year-old Johnson has the highest profile of the 10 defendants indicted in April 2011. Apart from a game-fixing scheme, he was also involved with an illegal sports gambling operation and marijuana distribution. Johnson is the fifth defendant to be sentenced thus far. Johnson has denied ever fixing a game he played in, although the UT San Diego reported that Johnson’s telephonecalls,whichhadbeensecretly transcribed, possibly implicated him. “Coach was like, ‘How you ain’t get a shot up,’” Johnson allegedly said in one of the conversations. “I’m in the locker room, like, ‘You can say what you want, but that’s a G ($1,000) right there.’” The government reported Johnson made between $5,000 and $10,000
local David Hernandez
for manipulating approximately four games during the 2009-10 season. According to the U-T, after his arrest, Johnson admitted to federal agents that he received several thousand dollars from bettors after games, but was not involved in manipulation. According to the U-T in a recorded phone conversation of Johnson, he is heard saying, “Wish I woulda did every game.” After his sentencing on Friday, USD released a statement about the case and how it does not represent the school or its athletic program, according to the U-T. “The actions documented in the case against Mr. Johnson do not reflect the mission and values of the University of San Diego and our Athletics program,” the statement said, according to the U-T. “We will continue to fully cooperate with the NCAA and will have no further comment on this matter until the NCAA completes its review.” Since his arrest, Johnson has lost basketball contracts in multiple countries including China, Romania and Venezuela. He hopes to play professionally after serving his sentence, according to the U-T. Johnson, who currently lives in Jersey Village, Texas, has been ordered to report to prison on May 31.
Staff Writer
San Diego Mayor Bob Filner wants to join Tijuana, Mexico and bid to bring the 2024 Summer Olympics to the San Diego-Tijuana region. On Feb. 19, San Diego, along with 34 other cities, received a letter from the U.S. Olympic Committee to stimulate interest. “Our objective in this process is to identify a partner city that can work with us to present a compelling bid to the International Olympic Committee and that has the right alignment of political, business and community leadership,” USOC CEO Scott Blackmun said in the letter. The letter described the requirements for the cities, including 45,000 hotel rooms, an Olympic village for 16,000 athletes and officials, an international airport, good public transportation and a workforce of up to 200,000. San Diego Tax Fighters chairman Richard Rider is opposed to the idea of San Diego hosting the Olympics. Rider told 10 News the bidding process costs millions,
in addition to the expenses of hosting the games. “Who’s going to pay the difference? The tooth fairy? The state of California? I don’t think so,” Rider told 10 News. San Diego State international communications professor John Eger believes the costs shouldn’t discourage San Diego from hosting the Olympics. Eger said money doesn’t necessarily have to come from the city’s budget. It requires commitment from
I’m not a big fan of the Olympics, but I’d like to see Tijuana and San Diego work on a big idea, one that we’ve been invited to discuss. john eger
SDSU international communications professor
the host city to raise money, he added. Most importantly, Eger said globalization is reshaping the world with powerful economic regions being important. He believes the Olympics have the potential to blur the lines between Tijuana and San Diego. “The world is being reborn because of technology. Lines are blurred between nations, states
and cities,” Eger said. “San Diego and Tijuana have the potential to be a great 21st century city, more like region.” Eger added that most foreign companies making investments in this region commit to both sides of the border. “Manufacturing occurs in Tijuana, but companies offices are located here,” Eger said. Filner announced his intentions to join forces with Tijuana during the inauguration of San Diego’s affairs office in Tijuana on Feb. 22. As part of a campaign promise, the office seeks to build closer political, economic and cultural ties between the two cities. Filner has also advocated for Tijuana and San Diego to share the same area code in order to become a more unified region. Among other reasons, the area code would save costs of calling long distance. “I’m not a big fan of the Olympics,” Eger added. “But I’d like to see Tijuana and San Diego work on a big idea, and the Olympics is a big idea, one that we’ve been invited to discuss.” Aside from his announcement, Filner has not discussed his plan to bid with Tijuana. The final vote to decide the host city of 2024 will take place in 2017.