THE NEWSPAPER OF SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1913 VOLUME 99, ISSUE 26
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 10, 2012
Organic food made accessible
COUNTDOWN TO VOTER REGISTRATION DEADLINE:
campus
Arturo Garcia Staff Writer
This semester, new organic food options became available at San Diego State. However, while student and faculty response has been very positive about these new alternatives, others are not as enthusiastic about the change. The Aztec Market’s inclusion of an organic section, the introduction of Olive Oil café, which features vegetarian and organic options, at West Commons and Peabody’s Organic Coffee are recent additions to the meal plan this year. Although organic options at The Aztec Market are more expensive than non-organic items, the price gap is no as significant as it is off-campus. Non-organic sandwiches at Aztec Market range in price from $2.99 to $3.39. In the organic section, a variety of sandwiches are priced at $6.99, which is $2.70 more than the highest non-organic option. The decision to decrease the cost of pricier organic foods was meant
12 DAYS
paige nelson , photo editor
Customers inside The Aztec Market choose from various organic options in the Seabirds’ organic food section. This section features burritos, yogurts, juices, salads and other organic options.
to accommodate student life. Reduction in pricing at SDSU is possible because the organic section is small and the non-organic sections bring in enough revenue to compensate for the difference. “The reason we are going organic is to improve customer satisfaction, not financials,” SDSU Dining Services Director Paul Melchior said. “We have our students in our best interests.” However, the turnout of a par-
ticular product, Seabirds organic sandwiches, has been less than ideal, according to Melchior. The organic vendor delivers a minimum order of 240 sandwiches per week. Aztec Market and Convenience Store General Manager Cherie Witchell says about half of the sandwiches end up spoiled. “And the numbers aren’t getting better,” Witchell said. “They’re actually getting worse.” Seabirds offered samples of its
Food drive fights hunger
campus
sandwiches to students at the beginning of the semester and plans to return to campus in October for a second sampling. “We want to offer organics on campus, but the only way we can offer it is if people buy it,” Melchior said. “We can’t buy it just to throw it away. That’s not good for anybody.” The story of success comes from OlOrganic food continued on page 2
Tomasini says ‘not guilty’ on murder charge local
Ana Ceballos Assistant News Editor
The suspected murder of San Diego State’s late Director of Student Disability Services Mary Shojai appeared in court on Friday, where he pleaded not guilty to a first-degree murder charge, according to the District’s Attorney’s office. Paul Carl Tomasini, the 64-yearold neighborhood handyman, had been dating Shojai for three years.
paige nelson , photo editor
One of the many red bins around campus meant to hold non-perishable food inside Love Library. All donations to to the Jacbobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank, which feeds more than 350,000 hungry San Diegans.
Laura Nguyen Staff Writer
San Diego State students are participating in the fight against hunger. Colleges Rock Hunger is a food drive campaign collecting donations for the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank meant to feed San Diego’s hungry. Aztecs are competing against University of California San Diego, Point Loma Nazarene University and California State University San Marcos to raise money and the most pounds of food. All donations for Colleges Rock Hunger go to the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank, which feeds
more than 350,000 people in San Diego County each month. Even so, the number of people in need is increasing, making donations even more vital. Each dollar contributed is the equivalent of donating 3.84 pounds of food, which is enough to provide three meals. Despite the competitive aspect, Colleges Rock Hunger is an opportunity for college students to come together and make every dollar count. To donate, Aztecs can drop off nonperishable food in the red bins located around campus, give money at Aztec Markets or any San Diego State Dining Services location, contribute food
Shojai was struck 17 times with three objects including a wooden mallet and two candlesticks.
or money at any Aztec home football game during the month of October; bring donations to the Associated Students of SDSU booth at the BOO! Parade and Carnival on Oct. 27 or provide a monetary donation using the SDSU Virtual Pantry. Students and faculty are encouraged to participate in this effort to help the community and contribute what they can. “It’s humbling to see that you can make a difference,” A.S. Vice President of Finance Eric Ander-
The killing was supposedly triggered when Shojai tried to break up with Tomasini. According to NBC news, the 66-year-old was found in a pool of blood inside her Santee home located on Strathmore Drive shortly before 10 p.m. on Sunday. Shojai, who was struck 17 times with three objects including a wooden mallet and two candlesticks, died from blunt force trauma to the head, according to the autopsy released by the medi-
Aztecs rock hunger continued on page 2
Shojai’s murder continued on page 2
Food truck meet-up draws crowd food & drink
Ashley Williams Staff Writer
The intermingled food scent that is reminiscent of a fair is prominent on Tuesday nights in La Mesa. Different music from various vendors mixes into festive background noise while people sit and enjoy the sites, sounds and food. A woman from Bitchen Burgers yells for someone to pick up her food, a little girl is swallowed by an oversized traffic cone being worn as a hat and friends are scanning the menus for something good to eat. There are no Ferris wheels or farm animals and this is not the San Diego County Fair. Food trucks have been meeting to serve food each Tuesday night for approximately the past five months. This event, which takes place in the La Mesa Best Buy parking lot, draws “a couple hundred people on a good night,” said Super Q food truck employee Albert Lomas. People spread out blankets, perch on curbs, lean against tailgates and sit in folding chairs while enjoying their food. The food trucks Mangia Mangia, God Save the Cuisine, Bitchen Burgers, Crepes Bonaparte, Brats Berlin, Calbi and Super Q line a corner of the parking lot and bring an international flair. Amused-looking Best Buy customers who are not familiar with the event stop their cars and ask what is going on. Food Truck continued on page 3
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