Aztec achievements recognized Awards ceremony highlighted hard work of SDSU affiliates Ana Ceballos senior staff writer Associated Students hosted the annual Aztec Achievement Awards last Thursday evening, recognizing excellence in the numerous contributions from San Diego State’s own faculty, staff, students and community members. SDSU president Elliot Hirshman
proudly acknowledged the efforts of attendees, saying the event was a highlight of hard work. He ended his speech by saying, “You make us proud and you make our university great.” During the ceremony, there were several emotional moments. Some of these included colleges and friends dedicating a moment of silence to mourn fellow Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity president, Barzeen Barzanji, to affectionate introductions to esteemed award winners. A few of the awardees were the Student Affairs Board for the “Most Improved A.S. Board & Committee
... There were several emotional moments ... colleges and friends dedicating a moment of silence to mourn fellow Sigma Alpha Epsilon president, Barzeen Barzanji ...
MONDAY April 30, 2012 Volume 97, Issue 112 W W W.T H E D A I LYA Z T E C . C O M
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President Hirshman at the Aztec Achievement Awards. | PETER KLUCH, SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Award,” the College of Sciences for the “Most Improved College Council Award,” and Joe Ferrero, former A.S. vice president of finance, winning the “Outstanding Alumni Award.” Ferrero set up a scholarship for student leaders with financial need.
The ceremony also served as a smooth transition from the current A.S. representatives to the newly elected A.S. executive officers. The event also served as an opportunity to thank individuals and commemorate the past accomplishments of the board.
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Chinese Islam expert offers insights Professor James D. Frankel lectures on unique ethnic group Ilgin Karlidag staff writer University of Hawaii at Manua professor James D. Frankel visited San Diego State on Tuesday to lecture about a special topic: Chinese Islam. While many might think it uncommon to use the words “Chinese” and “Islam” together, Frankel is considered an expert in the subject. “When people find out that there are Muslims in China they wonder how many, and the answer could be 20 million to 200 million,” Frankel said laughingly. “This is a controversial figure because it’s hard to count.” Although counting the number of Muslims is difficult in a country such as China, which has a population of 1.4 billion, experts suspect there may be more than 100 million Muslims in China, according to Frankel. The lecture explained the history of how the Hui people, one of many Chinese Muslim groups, have historically adapted to Chinese and Muslim culture simultaneously. The ancient Silk Road, which connected the Mediterranean region to
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China, brought Muslim traders to the heart of the Chinese Empire for economic reasons rather than religious, Frankel explained. “The Muslims started to speak exclusively Chinese. Arab, Turkish and Persian men married Chinese women and their children were bilingual, but eventually the use of foreign Islamic languages diminished,” Frankel said. One characteristic distinguishing the Chinese Muslims from the rest of the population the most is that many do not eat pork. This is one of the reasons why the Han people, who constitute 90 percent of the population, don’t know much about the Chinese Muslims, according to Frankel. “The Muslims don’t eat pork and therefore cannot go to a Han Chinese home and have, for example, dinner with them because of the fear of being contaminated by the pork meat,” he said. Frankel said the Han look down on the Chinese Muslims in a general sense because they know very little about them. The differences between the two groups causes prejudice, according to Frankel. “When I lived in Beijing, I took a cab from a mosque and the cab driver asked, ‘What are you doing at a mosque? Why would you be interested in them they’re so weird,’” Frankel said.
Campus life Dr. Cathie Atkins reported to Associated Students that San Diego State recently attained the highest continuation rates in the university’s history. The one-year continuation rate increased to 88.3 percent in 2010 from approximately 78.2 percent in 2007. The university is especially proud of the increasing diversity throughout the campus, and the 87.4 percent continuation rate for African-American students. According to Atkins, the California State University system’s continuation rates on average are in the 70th percentile range. Four years after its suspension, the Theta Chi fraternity will return to SDSU. It will begin recruitment this fall. To
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SPORTS Read about the Aztecs’ performance at the UCSD Invitational.
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As many as 20,000 Muslims enter this Chinese mosque for Friday prayers. | MCT CAMPUS
“When people find out that there are Muslims in China, hey wonder how many, and the answer could be 20 million to 200 million.” James D. Frankel, professor at University of Hawaii at Manua
expand sorority life, Alpha Gamma Delta will open a new chapter. The International Student Association may lose its voting rights for the coming fall semester. According to Rules Committee Chair Alex Arena, the annual report members turned in did not have “credible evidence” proving they fulfilled their community service requirement. If the appropriate evidence is not submitted by June 4, voting rights will be suspended for a year, with the chance to shorten it to a semester if the organization follows Rules Committee guidelines throughout the fall semester. ISA representatives said there was “misfunction” within the association, which A.S. was unaware of.
Restructuring Restructuring meetings are complete for the spring semester. The committee has a new general structure for A.S. this fall. The next step will be to define the boards and committees within the councils, complete the new bylaw drafts and determine council names and membership details. The Residence Hall Association, Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic Council will not be completely eliminated from A.S.; they will be placed on a board or committee within the new structure, but it has not yet been decided which one.
–Compiled by staff writer Amy Williams
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The telephone rings. I answer it, expecting to hear the voice of the dead, reassuring me of mortgages in the next life. B A C K PA G E
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