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Money: An infographic detailing the costs of attending one year at Chico State broken down by tuition, additional fees and other expenses. A2
Piece of the past:
More than 1,000 Chico community members gathered to witness the opening of an 89-year-old time capsule at Bidwell Mansion on Nov. 29. B5
Opinion Thanksgiving: Arts & Entertainment editor, Ashiah Scharaga, navigates through her first holiday in a divided home. A6 Veronica Hodur/The Orion
Sports Record breakers: Athletes from Chico State’s golf, volleyball and basketball teams have broken six records this semester. B1
A+E
Exhibit: Guest curator Reed Applegate shares the work of John Ayres, artist and former professor, who would’ve been 100 years old this year. B7
Chico State’s Independent Student News Source since 1975 theorion.com | Wednesday Dec. 3, 2014 | Vol. 73, Issue 14 | First copy free, additional copies 50¢
Diversity
Rise in Hispanic, black students
World AIDS Day
David McVicker
News Editor
Chico State’s enrollment of students from a mix of backgrounds rose to its highest point in history. The biannual university census, a student enrollment demographic survey, reported significant increases in many ethnicities to higher levels than ever before. Chico State President Paul Zingg attributes the success in attracting a diverse population to campus programs aimed at getting these students to consider Chico State. Black undergraduate student enrollment at Chico State has also risen from 267 to 350 students, according to the census. “Having 94 African-American incoming freshmen is incredible,” Zingg said. “That’s the most we’ve ever had. But that number pales in comparison to the amount of Hispanic students at Chico State.” Hispanic students have tripled in the last KATIE decade, increasing PETERSON from 1,548 to 4,291 Program coordinator, — 26 percent of the Cross-Cultural student population. Leadership Center This is the first year that Chico State will be eligible to apply for recognition as a Hispanic-serving institution, a federal program designed to help U.S. colleges that assist first generation, low-income Hispanic students. “We have a lot of first-generation college students of color and they are not sure how to navigate the system,” said Katie Peterson, the program coordinator of the CrossCultural Leadership Center. Administrators need to better evaluate recruiting practices on the campus, she said. “What we’re looking at in terms of diversity is a systematic oppression,” Peterson said. “There are certain identities that face institutional racism.” Both Peterson and Zingg agreed that Chico State needs to provide competitive incentive to continue to attract and retain the best professionals who will in turn attract the brightest minds from all ethnicities. David McVicker can be reached at newseditor@theorion.com or
@DavidPMcVicker on Twitter.
Photographs by Ernesto Rivera/The Orion
Warren Haskell, director of the community chorus Doin’ it Justice, Voices for Peace, conducts the choir through a rendition of “Stand by Me” Monday at the World AIDS Day celebration at Trinity United Methodist Church.
Chico honors victims of virus David McVIcker
News Editor
M
ost people celebrate their 30th birthday by trying something they’ve never done before: zipping through the clouds strapped to a nylon parachute or trekking across the country with their closest friends. Former Chico Mayor Scott Gruendl spent his 30th doing something he’d never done before too. He spent it in a dingy lab facility being told by a group of doctors that he is HIV-positive. He was staring into the abyss of a quick and likely painful death. Or so he thought. Now, 20 years later and healthy as he’s ever been, Gruendl spent the last day of his final term as mayor reflecting on his life experiences and how he’s fortunate to have come this far. Gruendl: 1 HIV: 0. “I wasn’t supposed to live this long,” he said, emotionally shaken. “I never thought I’d make it to 50. That was a goal for me. I said, ‘I’ll never live to 50. If I live to age 50, that would be miraculous.’ So I can’t even tell you how important it is to be here tonight.” Chico State and Chico celebrated World AIDS Day with an informational fair in the Bell Memorial Union on Monday afternoon and a celebration of those lost to the disease at Trinity United Methodist on Monday evening. Organizations such as the Butte County Health Department, Chico State’s Gender & Sexuality Equity
Former Mayor Scott Gruendl, left, reads a proclamation declaring Dec. 1 Chico AIDS Day at the World AIDS Day celebration. Center and the Chico State’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion set up booths in the BMU and spent the afternoon informing students, faculty and staff on the dangers of the continuing HIV and AIDS pandemics and what can be done to stop them. Fabi Paniagua, intern with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, said the campus is working with a number of organizations on World AIDS Day to inform students about the dangers of HIV and AIDS and how they can help to combat the disease. “We’re definitely advocating to go get tested,” she said. “You don’t really know
the signs until you go get tested. This is a disease that can live dormant inside of you. There’s still a lot of stigma to it so most don’t know that people can live successful lives.” The HIV and AIDS viruses are most commonly passed by unprotected sex with an infected partner and the sharing of drug-injecting equipment, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While there is no known cure for HIV and AIDS, treatments have been developed to curb their spread.
» please see AIDS | A3
University Farm
New sprinkler system improves usage, productivity Robert Engels
Staff Writer
Chico State’s University Farm has implemented a new watering system that faculty, staff and students who work on the farm think will improve water efficiency. The month-old wheel line irrigation system will upgrade water usage while reducing the amount of labor needed by students and employees at the farm, said Dave Daley, University Farm administrator. “It’s much more efficient than some of the other techniques we’ve used,” Daley said. “Much better than flooding. That just takes a lot of water.” Flooding, also known as furrow irrigation, is when farmers flood small trenches running through their crops in order to irrigate. The new wheel line will only be used for the organic alfalfa field at this time. The field is close to 30 acres of land. The current wheel line is about 900 feet long.
Instead of moving sprinkler systems by hand, the wheel line will roll from one water valve to the next because of a motor that connects to the piping that hold the wheels and rotary sprinklers, according to Kevin Renker, farm maintenance and equipment operator. “We thought this was the best option for our farm,” Renker said. The new system comes at a good time as the farm was concerned with their water reserves due to the current drought. Daley said the new system will do three major things for the farm: • Improve efficiency of water usage • Increase productivity around the farm • Adds another technique available to teach the students at the farm “We have to find stuff that is going to work for us here,” Renker said. John Domogma/The Orion
Robert Engels can be reached at newseditor@theorion.com or
Kevin Renker, University Farm staff member, explains how the newly-installed waterlines irrigate the fields at the University Farm.
@sulayyy on Twitter.
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