Fresno State lays off four plant operations employees

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Page 8
November 2, 2009
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Campus Life
Monday
Photo by Matt Weir
By Brian Maxey
The Collegian
Every other Wednesday at 7 a.m. a
handful of students and other members of the public make their way to the
third floor of the University Student
Union to attend senate meetings for the
Associated Students, Inc.
Of those handfuls of people, some
address the senate during public comment. The breadth of topics during
these open floor comments range from
students promoting events to people
expressing their concern for the manner in which the university handles certain situations.
This year, on top of
a new early morning
meeting time, ASI
has imposed a five minute time limit
for the public to address the senate.
For some, the new time limit is seen
as a barrier between students and ASI,
but for ASI, they see it as a necessity.
The Collegian sat down with ASI
executives Jessica Sweeten, Lauren
Johnson and Alex Andreotti as well as
students who have addressed the ASI
senate during public comment this
semester.
Andreotti, ASI’s executive-vice president, said that this was the first time
that the student-run government has
ever set a time limit.
“After consulting with our advisor
See SPEECH, Page 6
Several local clubs culminated to put on a Dia de los Muertos celebration Sunday evening. The event started with a ceremonial run, followed
by the setting up of altars in memory of the deceased. At 4 p.m., workshops were held to inform people about health issues that effect Chicano
and indigenous people. The event ended with traditional ceremonial dances performed in the Peace Garden. The celebration will continue
today at noon, and a closing ceremony is scheduled for tonight at 7 p.m.
"It's a celebration of our ancestors and honoring traditions," said Patricia Zermeno, who dances with the cultural organization Yotztolteptl.
Cold weather brings Fresno State lays off four
rodents indoors
plant operations employees
By Kristin Berquist
The Collegian
The main doors of McKee
Fisk are typically used each
day by students, faculty and
staf f. But more recently
rodents have been spotted
making their way through
those doors as well.
“There’s a cute little squirrel at McKee Fisk that
jumps up and down and
sets off the automatic
door. I’ve seen him,”
s a i d R i ck F i n d e n ,
associate director of
plant operations.
T h e s q u i rrels,
Finden said.
“The police [building] is a
surprising one,” he said. “All
of a sudden it just got some
family or a clan [of mice] that
moved in, and we’re working
hard to eradicate them.”
In September, the Phoebe
Conley Art Building was host
to a rat, Finden said. Mice
were spotted in
both the Lab
School
McClatchy Tribune
like all rodents,
are primarily
looking for food as
well as a warm place to escape
from falling temperatures,
Finden told The Collegian in a
phone interview. McKee Fisk
isn’t the only building on campus that deals with rodents
during this time of the year.
Recently, several mice moved
into the University Police
building on Barstow Avenue,
a n d
Speech Arts
in October.
Professor Jef f Hunter
teaches set design and works
in the scene shop in Speech
Arts where he said a mouse
was spotted twice last week.
Hunter said during cooler
weather mice are seen in
See INVASION, Page 6
Thaddeus Miller
The Collegian
T he layof fs of four
California State University,
F resno plant operations
e m p l o ye e s i n D e c e m b e r
will result in delays in the
response time to service
requests, according to plant
operations administrators.
The employees received
notification in October of
their impending layoffs.
In response to this year’s
state cutbacks, the Unit 6
skilled trades staff voted
in favor of inevitable layoffs over furloughs. Unit 6
includes electricians, plumbers, painters and other maintenance employees, except
custodians, grounds workers
and equipment technicians.
Rick Finden, associate
director of plant operations,
said that the Lock Shop would
probably be affected most by
the staff reduction. The Lock
Shop takes care of all of the
doors on campus.
Finden said there are
approximately 22,000 keys,
several thousand door locks
and hardware, all of which
need constant maintenance.
Finden also said that the
Lock Shop’s staff was already
small, so one less employee
would be a big hit. Lock maintenance is a 24-hour operation, according to Finden.
“It’s going to be a real challenge,” he said.
The four layoffs included
two painters, one carpenter
and one Lock Shop employee.
The retirement of a facilities
worker brings the number of
reduced workers to five.
Graffiti will still be
a d d r e s s e d i m m e d i a t e l y,
because it tends to g row
exponentially, according to
Finden. However, the layoff
of two painters means that
other painting needs may
have to wait.
“We’re going to do our best
to try to keep up on things, but
it’s an old campus,” Finden
said. “It’s wearing out.”
Gary Wilson, senior director for facilities management, said that the most obvious change would be delays
in service. The real problem
is the number of work orders,
Wilson said.
“The misconce ption is,
people turn in a work order,
they expect it to get done like
today or tomorrow,” Wilson
said. “I mean we have over 50
buildings, you know?”
Wilson said that the campus’s facilities are so old that
they need increasingly more
maintenance.
“It’s nobody’s problem, but
that’s our challenge,” Wilson
said.
The maintenance orders
will have to be prioritized
with health and safety at the
top, according to Wilson.
“We’re not going to cut back
on the things that students
need every day,” he said.
All of the work orders
will get resolved eventually, according to Wilson. In
the past, whole shops were
reduced.
“In ’92, for example, the
whole paint shop was eliminated,” Wilson said. “That’s
a bigger impact. Where I’d
have to say, ‘We can’t help you
at all.’”
Wilson said that the most
important point is that there
still is a staff, and plant operations has the opportunity to
prioritize work orders.
“ I t ’ s a s t at e p ro bl e m , ”
Wilson said. “It’s not [just] a
Fresno State problem.”
Opinion
The
Collegian
That’s What the People Are Saying
On setting the clock back
here. You have now given yourself the
illusion -- as all of us do, every spring
and autumn as we adjust our clocks and
watches -- that you are in control of the concept of time.”
“T
— Bob Greene, CNN.com
Opinion Editor, Haisten Willis • collegian-opinion@csufresno.edu • Monday, November 2, 2009
Page 2
You aren’t really conservative One-Finger
L
ast week, Gallup polled
Americans on their ideological affiliation, and the results
weren’t necessarily surprising. Of
those polled, 40 percent claimed conservatism, 36 percent branded themselves as moderate, and only 20 percent
called themselves liberal (makes one
wonder if Sam Tanenhaus will write a
book pronouncing the death of liberalism.)
What’s more prevalent, however,
is the shift in American thought on
issues toward the conservative side.
According to Gallup, those that
think there’s too much government
regulation jumped up seven points
since last year. Americans favoring a
decrease in immigration has increased
11 points. Those calling themselves
pro-life rose three points. Respondents
believing that the global warming
threat is exaggerated went up six
points.
What this tells us is that conservatism, contrary to those proclaiming
that it was delivered a death knell by
the most recent election, is primed for
a comeback.
But this begs the question: What is
conservatism?
This has been the perennial question since conservatism coalesced into
a national movement in the 1950s, for
there has never been a prescribed definition of the word. National Review,
the most popular conservative magazine of the last 50 years, started out as
The Right Tone
Tony Petersen
really a mixture of libertarians, traditional conservatives, and virulent antiCommunists, only anti-Communism
being the glue that held this ever
antagonistic group together.
The libertarians (those that still
call themselves conservatives) would
define it as a belief in free markets,
sound money and little foreign interventionism. They have a generally
positive view of man and believe left
to their own devices, they can do much
more good than when tied down by
government bureaucracy.
The traditional conservatives define
conservatism as, well, hard to define.
It’s not an ideology, taught the great
20th century conservative philosopher
Russell Kirk, and as such there are
few prescribed notions that one must
agree with in order to count as a conservative.
The anti-Communists are the most
bellicose of the group. In the Cold
War they favored an aggressive stance
toward Russia, and now they favor the
same posture towards “terrorism.”
Surveyors of the political scene
have tried to lay the recent failure of
conservatism at the feet of the former
two groups. Incessant belief in the
free market and social issues turned
off independents and moderates from
conservatism, they say. Fervent antiillegal immigration views made the
movement one of only WASPs, veering
it down the path to disappearance with
the changing demographic.
Does the aforementioned Gallup
Poll not prove this idea wrong? Since
the election of Barack Obama, conservatives have protested his economic Keynesianism and supposedly
radical social views and look what has
happened—independents have gotten
more conservative, from 29 percent to
35 percent.
No, conservatism fell because of the
messianic ideology of the latter group
that permeated the Bush administration and mired us into two unnecessary and unwinnable wars. It relies
on bombastic talk radio hosts who say
ridiculous things to get ratings to be
the intellectual force behind the movement. Conservatism fell because it
strayed from conservatism.
Why is this the one position that is
never examined?
Conservatism is a winning issue,
as upcoming elections will most
likely show. But the conservatism that
should be campaigned is not the Bushism that ran its party, its philosophy,
and its country into the ground.
Tricky life for ‘boomerang kids’
I
remember the glorious day I
turned 18. The transforming age
to adulthood meant the end of
curfews, groundings and asking for
permission. It was an insurgence of
freedom that seemed almost too good
to be true and, in my case, was short
lived.
My grandiose dreams of a flourishing nightlife with no one to answer to
quickly transformed into an expensive
endeavor. I never imagined how much
the “cost of living” actually cost. As
I was beginning my college career I
found myself broke and quite discouraged.
After about a year I realized I was
trying to work and go to school full
time, while doing neither of them
very well. I decided my education
needed to be more of a priority so I,
along with my pride, packed up and
moved back home.
At first I felt ashamed to tell anyone I was living at home with my parents and younger brothers. It seemed
as if everyone else I knew was going
out and making it on their own.
Now, at 21, I know the last two years
at home were not only beneficial to
my savings account, but I was also not
alone.
Hard economic times and a dismal
job market have caused many adult
children to move back home. The
coined term for this phenomenon,
“boomerang kids,” refers to adults who
THE
privilege. In my case, while there are
no strict “ground rules” I must abide
by, there are certainly implicit conducts of behavior I adhere to.
I don’t come home in the early
morning hours, stumbling through the
door and I inform my mother if and
when I’m going out, in addition to if
I’ll be home that evening. Oh, and no
boys allowed.
Lacee Solis
Living at home while trying to learn
how to be an adult presents some
move back home after attempting to
complex challenges. On one hand, one
leave the nest and, in essence, failing.
feels they should be treated as an adult
Like many college students still livat home in the same way others treat
them in a social or professional
setting. There are moments when
I feel I shouldn’t have to disclose
don’t come home in the early mornwhere I’m going or if I’ll be home
ing hours, stumbling through the
since I no longer need my parent’s
permission to do so.
door and I inform my mother if and when
At the same time, growing older
I’m going out, in addition to if I’ll be home
doesn’t mean parents care any
that evening. Oh, and no boys allowed.”
less, and they are still concerned
about their child’s well being. I
know that when my mother incesing at home, one benefit is being able
santly calls me just to make sure my
to get financially prepared when movdate isn’t a psychotic murderer and
ing day does come. The cost of living
I’m still alive, she means well.
at home is minimal compared to living
Living at home can provide an
alone or with roommates and paying
opportunity to save up and pursue
rent and various other bills, plus other
future goals with the means to do so.
costs associated with surviving.
I’m making sure that when graduation
While not coming with a cash price
approaches and I bid my home faretag, living at home comes with a difwell, I will not have to come knocking
ferent cost. One being that residence is
at my parent’s front door again.
no longer a requirement but more of a
Gypsy Life
“I
Collegian
The Collegian is a student-run
publication that serves the
Fresno State community
on Mondays, Wednesdays and
Fridays. Views expressed
in The Collegian do not
necessarily reflect the views
of the staff or university.
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All content Copyright © 2009 The Collegian.
Editor in Chief
News Editor
Features Editor
Arts & Entertainment Editor
Sports Editor
Opinion Editor
Photo Editor
Multimedia Director
Webmaster
Newscast Reporter
Multimedia Reporter
Online Sports Reporter
Editorial Board
Brian Maxey
Jakob Smith
Michelle Furnier
Danielle Gilbert
Logan Hopkins
Haisten Willis
Matt Weir
Joel M. Ede
Anna Jacobsen
Whitney Vasquez
Sergio Cortes
Jimmy Graben
Brian Maxey
Haisten Willis
Salute
Culled each week
from discussions
in The Collegian
newsroom.
Thumbs up
31-27
Utah State gave us a fright, but we
came out all right. You don’t tug on
Superman’s cape, he brought us a great
escape. The Aggies thought they’d get a
treat, but it was all a trick and a defeat.
OK, we’ll stop now, promise.
Thumbs down
Fresno State remix of “I
Gotta Feeling” by Y101
Among the lyrics: “Tonight’s gonna be
the ‘Dogs’ night. Tonight’s gonna be a
Bulldogs night. Fresno State, mazel tov.
Jump out that sofa, meet me off Shaw.”
Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot.
Thumbs up
Time change
Yesterday was the one day a year you got
to sleep an extra hour and it was all okay
because of the “time change.”
Thumbs down
Time change
However, if you arrive to class late today
you will look like the most pathetic waste
of human skin that ever lived. And it will
be true.
Thumbs up
New law about bar closing
times
Some bars will be able to stay open until
4 a.m.! Yes sir!
Thumbs down
New law about bar closing
times
Oh yea, about that... last call will still be
at 2.
Thumbs up
Basketball season
The first scrimmage is this Wednesday.
Now is your last chance to dream of a
magical season that won’t involve any
embarrassing losses, players getting
arrested or losing in the first round of the
WAC tournament to Something State.
Dream now, you’ve only got 48 hours
left!
Local Advertising Manager
National Advertising Executive
Business Development Executive
Art Director
Assistant Art Director
Distribution Manager
Accountancy Assistant
Business Manager
Advertising Faculty Adviser
Editorial Faculty Adviser
Online Faculty Adviser
Lee Lawrence
Landon Reda
Mike Williams
Brandon Ocegueda
Edgar Vargas
Savannah West
Pasindu Samarasekera
Virginia Sellars-Erxleben
Jan Edwards
Jefferson Beavers
Reaz Mahmood
Arts & Entertainment
The
Collegian
Page 3 • Arts & Entertainment Editor, Danielle Gilbert • collegian-features@csufresno.edu • Monday, November 2, 2009
The daily crossword
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis
Los Angeles Times
ACROSS
1 Shapely legs, slangily
5 Peak
9 Makeup maven Lauder
14 Actor McGregor
15 Flightless South American
bird
16 Not cloudy
17 *Like secret military facilities, to civilians
19 “Lucy, you got a __ ‘splainin’ to do!”
20 High on the hwy.
21 Scatterbrained
22 Gillette razors
23 Slip by
25 Give life to
27 Artist’s support
30 401(k) cousin, briefly
31 Like horror films
34 Not worth debating
36 Chowder ingredient
40 Actress Spelling
41 Moisten the bird
42 One who saves the day
43 Screwy
44 Golden __: senior citizen
45 Part of VCR
46 Souse’s affliction, for short
48 Red-breasted bird
50 “The Avengers” heroine,
to Steed
54 Log-on need
58 Old photo tint
59 Muscat resident
Puzzle by Pancho Harrison
C
PUZZLE SOLUTION: http://collegian.csufresno.edu
Copyright 2009. Tribune Media Services, Inc.
62 Suffix in enzyme names
63 Towels (off)
64 *Furniture with folding
legs, usually
66 1/16 of a pound
67 Cancel, as a newspaper
story
68 Ski slope lift
69 Villainous look
70 __ gin fizz
71 Given moment, which
can begin both parts of the
answers to starred clues
DOWN
1 Crystalline stone
2 Beyond bad
3 Cosa Nostra
4 NBC show with Baba Wawa
skits
5 Military forces
6 IOU
7 Queens ball team
8 Unchallenging college
course
9 Oblong cream puff
10 *One-armed bandit
11 Prefix with
-cycline
12 Trouble greatly
13 Clear, as a tape
18 “My guess is ...”
24 *Movie that evokes prior
times
26 TV’s Nick at __
28 ‘Zine on the Net
29 Runner-up
31 Initials on a Cardinal’s cap
32 Dove sound
33 Golf ball path
35 Other, in Mexico
37 Had followers
38 “__ you kidding?”
39 Cow sound
41 Military command center
45 Stop in on
47 Ad to lure you in
49 __ of joy: new baby
50 Popular PC interface
before Windows
51 Second showing
52 Chiropractor’s target
53 Secures using a key
55 Synagogue leader
56 Muslim’s faith
57 Tractor maker John
60 Letters in a box
61 Singer Guthrie
65 Lawyer: Abbr.
C
Complete the grid so that every row, column and
3x3 box contains every digit from 1 to 9 inclusively.
SOLUTION: http://collegian.csufresno.edu
Word of the Day
Movember
Held in November, this is the month in
which people gather together to grow and
compare mustaches. Participants begin the
month clean shaven and cultivate their mustaches throughout the month. The month
climaxes with participants comparing and
appreciating one anothers mustaches in a
manly, non-gay way.
Source: UrbanDictionary.com
Hall
of fame
turns 25
By Glenn Gamboa
Newsday
NEW YORK — Rock and rollers certainly know how to party.
To celebrate the 25th anniversary
of the founding of the Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame, the genre’s biggest
stars — Bruce Springsteen and The E
Street Band, Stevie Wonder, Simon &
Garfunkel and special guests including James Taylor and Sting — set out to
trace music history Thursday night at
Madison Square Garden.
Jerry Lee Lewis opened the evening with “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’
On,” fittingly looking like the elder
statesman he has become. After all,
the genre he helped pioneer is not
only old enough to merit a museum,
but the actual hall of fame began celebrating its 25th anniversary with the
star-studded concert Thursday night.
(The second part, featuring U2, Aretha
Franklin and Metallica, gathers Friday
night at The Garden.)
“I’m a fan of everybody up here and
I’m slapping my head at some of the
pairings,” said Tom Hanks, whose
company is co-producing a four-hour
version of the show for broadcast on
HBO in November.
He wasn’t alone. The night was filled
with once-in-a-lifetime, head-slapping
moments.
Wonder got choked up in the middle
of his tribute to Michael Jackson, fighting back tears as he sang “The Way
You Make Me Feel” with John Legend,
before pulling it together and finishing
the song.
Crosby, Stills and Nash were joined
by Taylor to do “Love the One You’re
With” in four-part harmony, as part of a
celebration of the California folk movement of the ‘60s. Paul Simon recreated
“Late in the Evening” to include doowop backing vocals and a jazz break,
before reuniting with Art Garfunkel to
power through a lovely version of “The
Sound of Silence,” representing both
doo-wop and folk.
Both anniversary concerts are fundraisers for the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame Foundation, which handles both
the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and
Museum in Cleveland and the Rock
Hall Annex in SoHo.
The events turned The Garden, and
the area around it, into Rock Star
Central, with even A-listers getting
star struck.
“I’m sharing a bathroom with Darlene
Love,” Bonnie Raitt said backstage. “It
doesn’t get better than that.”
New rules
for Oscar’s
By Rafer Guzman
Newsday
With the release of “Amelia,”
a big-budget film starring Hilary
Swank as Amelia Earhart and
directed by Mira Nair, it seems like
the Academy Awards season has
officially begun.
So this might be a good time to
ask: How is the best picture race
shaping up?
This year’s rules for the award
have changed: Ten films, rather
than five, will be considered for best
picture, a move designed to stoke
new interest in the Oscar telecast.
Already there’s hope that the wider
field will mean more diversity
(indie fare, comedies, overlooked
gems), though pessimists counter
that it will simply include more
mainstream films even less deserving of a nod.
It’s too early to place bets, but 2009
has had few obvious best picture
candidates. Stephen Soderbergh’s
“The Informant!,” starring Matt
Damon as a real-life corporate whistle-blower, made only a small splash.
Oscar winner Jamie Foxx played a
mentally ill homeless man in “The
Soloist” (also based on a true story),
but the film didn’t strike the same
chords as “Ray.” And we haven’t yet
seen a snowballing hit like “Juno,”
“Little Miss Sunshine” or last
year’s surprise winner, “Slumdog
Millionaire.”
Still to come: “The Road,” a postapocalypse drama based on Cormac
McCarthy’s book; “Up in the Air,” a
glossy comedy-drama with George
Clooney and Vera Farmiga; “Nine,”
a musical from the director of the
Oscar-winning “Chicago”; “The
Lovely Bones,” based on Alice
Sebold’s acclaimed novel; and
“Precious,” a gritty drama whose
unknown star,
Gabourey Sidibe,
is generating
some Oscar talk.
About the
only thing
that seems
certain is a
best actress
nomination for
Meryl Streep,
who played
Julia Child in
Norah Ephron’s
“Julie & Julia”
(a movie that
could rack up
other nods). No
offense to Streep,
but haven’t we
seen that
Oscar
ceremony
before?
After all,
she holds
the
15-nomination
record.
Page 4
The Collegian • Arts & Entertainment
Arts & Entertainment Editor, Danielle Gilbert • collegian-features@csufresno.edu
Monday, November 2, 2009
The blessing and bane of my existence?
Basically, everything seems like a big
damn deal on these shows. I absolutely
love “Project Runway” and to a lesser
extent it’s extremely derivative counterpart “The Fashion Show,” but does
designing and sewing a miniskirt
require that much bitchiness and
tears? Probably not, but that’s what
Get Me out of Here” on NBC, which
transported 13 quasi celebrities into a
Costa Rican jungle for charity was the
most hazardous of all my reality show
afflictions and almost cost me my
future college education. I found selfproclaimed world’s first supermodel
Janice Dickinson’s blatant lies
The Canopener
Angelica Cano
U
nfortunately, I love reality TV.
In between the research projects,
album reviews, PowerPoint presentations and massive cramming for
exams, I resort to the embarrassing
comfort of the beast that is reality television.
It’s mindless entertainment, I know.
And most of the time the “stars” of
said shows are out for a cheap and easy
rise to the top of American celebrity,
but that doesn’t make them less hysterical or diverting.
As college students our lives are pretty much jam-packed. Many of us are
taking on more hours at work or even
more jobs as school fees increase and
graduation dates extend further into
the future. After tiring days of taking
orders from professors, bosses and parents sometimes senseless distraction, I
think, is the perfect prescription.
The supposedly crucial aspect
of reality TV is my favorite part.
“E
very time i turned on “Rock of Love” or
“Rock of Love 2” or even “Rock of Love
Bus with Bret Michaels,” i feared my IQ would
drop 20 points.”
makes it so entertaining and such
an escape. For 30 minutes to an hour
the audience gets to retreat to a place
where colors and patterns of fabric are
the only things that matter.
Reality TV adoration is not for the
weak at heart, however. The scoffs
I received as I divulged to my coworkers I watch Bravo’s “Millionaire
Matchmaker” were hard to take. And
every time I turned on “Rock of Love”
or “Rock of Love 2” or even “Rock of
Love Bus with Bret Michaels,” a series
that follows the dating escapades of
the lead singer of 1980s rock band
Poison, I feared my IQ would drop 20
points.
Last summer’s “I’m a Celebrity,
about stealing food
and peeing in the camp
(when those actions
were caught on camera)
hilarious. My mom, however, did not and threatened to cease and desist
paying my college fees if
I watched the show ever
again. From then on I had
to hide my addiction.
Not everyone empathizes with the
inclination towards reality TV and
understandably so. Often there are
no plots, no morals and very little
authenticity in many of today’s shows,
but there is peace of mind in the fact
that I am not alone in my love of real-
ity show category. As noted in a New
York Times article from May 2009 by
Edward Wyatt, the talent show hit
“American Idol” is the highest-rated
show on television.
The loudest complaint of the genre is
that most shows are
scripted and, therefore,
are not a reflection
of everyday reality,
which I completely
agree with. But when
grown adults pretend
their six-year-old
son was swept away
in a metallic, UFOshaped balloon or
two airplane pilots
overshoot their
destination by
150 miles because
they were on their
laptops, I have
to wonder if the
world isn’t a reality show and we
just live in it.
David Swanson
McClatchy Tribune
C
COMMENT: The Collegian is a
forum for student expression.
http://collegian.csufresno.edu
‘Thriller’ at the box office
Review by Bethany Rangel
The Collegian
Wearing orange fitted pants and a
silver metallic blazer, the King of Pop
dances back into the hearts of fans one
final time, while preparing for what
should have been Michael Jackson’s
most epic musical tour.
Originally shot as footage for
Michael Jackson’s personal
library, “This Is It” became a
collection of memories depicting his final moments before
his death in June 2009.
“This Is It” shows audiences
a glimpse of the final days in
the life of Jackson. Not the
Jackson surrounded by negative publicity and court cases,
but rather the icon fans across
the globe have known and loved
for decades.
Surrounded by talented performers and under the direction of Kenny Ortega, Jackson
emerges the true star with his
legendary dance moves and
famous vocals.
The film takes Jackson’s best
qualities and brings them to
light. His passion for music and
his ability to take the simplest
movement and create an iconic
dance move will live on to influence the entertainment industry for decades. Audiences hear
the songs that elevated Jackson
to a pop culture icon.
In just under two hours,
“This Is It” travels through
some of the most influential songs and elements of
Jackson’s 45-year music career.
Under Ortega’s direction and
using only hand-picked dancers and musicians, Jackson’s
tour unfolds before audiences’
eyes.
Film components ranging
from a re-created “Thriller” set up to
vintage black and white footage bring
to life the vocals. Costume designers
struggle to create a flamboyant, lightcatching wardrobe typical to Jackson’s
sense of style.
Surrounded by singers, dancers and
backstage crew all at his beck and call,
Jackson reveals a very down-to-earth
and relatable personality. His interactions with the crew, back-up vocalists
and dancers reveal a sense of respect
and care for the individuals as well as
for the art they create together.
On multiple occasions throughout the film Jackson emphatically
exclaims, “This is it!” More than
just song lyrics, he repeats
these words to explain what he
believes his audience wants to
hear, to describe a feeling or
emotion he wishes to capture,
or when discussing his love for
the planet and belief in a need
for environmental awareness.
“This Is It” explains Jackson’s
outlook and need to express his
views.
Despite Jackson’s rehearsal
attire ranging, from Ed Hardy
track pants and an oversized
jacket to flashy gold ankle
length pants, a few signature
accessories remain constant:
his aviator sunglasses, which
he wears religiously both
indoors and outdoors, and also
white socks with black loafers.
It’s clear that Jackson’s element is performing, as he
effortlessly masks any strain
or exhaustion from the long
rehearsal hours. His dedication
and passion is evident in even
the tiniest elements of each
piece of music.
Portraying only the best characteristics of Jackson, the film
invokes memories of his life,
his talent and his impact on the
musical landscape.
More than just a movie about
Michael Jackson, “This Is It”
truly captures the essence of an
influential pop culture history
and will forever be a monumental work in his honor.
Rick Nease / McClatchy Tribune
Box office
Here are the
top new films
at the box office
for the weekend
of Friday, Oct.
30, through Sunday, nov. 1, based on
estimates of ticket sales compiled by
Yahoo.com.
1. Michael Jackson ‘This is it’
Distributor: Sony Pictures
Weekend gross: $21,300,000
Overall gross: $32,509,000
Release weeks: 1
2. Paranormal Activity
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Weekend gross: $16,540,000
Overall gross: $84,780,000
Release weeks: 6
3. Law Abiding Citizen
Distributor: Overture Films
Weekend gross: $7,303,000
Overall gross: $51,385,000
Release weeks: 3
4. Couples Retreat
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Weekend gross: $6,097,000
Overall gross: $86,663,000
Release weeks: 4
5. Saw VI
Distributor: Lionsgate
Weekend gross: $5,560,000
Overall gross: $22,824,000
Release weeks: 2
C
VIDEO: Check out the new movie
releases at The Collegian online
http://collegian.csufresno.edu
Monday, November 2, 2009
The Collegian • Features
Features Editor, Michelle Furnier • collegian-features@csufresno.edu
Page 5
Photos by Brianna Campbell / The Collegian
“It’s not what you taught them about advertising but
what you taught them about life.” said Paul McDougal,
a student of Asahina and the person who gave her the
award. Asahina has worked with more than 9,600 students.
By Gina Torres
The Collegian
Cheerleader, motivator, mentor,
inspiration: these are words used by
colleagues, friends and students of Dr.
Roberta Asahina at the second annual
Mass Communication and Journalism
Alumni and Friends Hall of Fame
induction on Oct. 29 at California State
University, Fresno.
Asahina started at Fresno State
in 1984 as the first female faculty
member in the Department of Mass
Communication and Journalism.
“It’s been bliss. Is this heaven? No,
it’s Fresno State,” Asahina said about
her time at the university.
Asahina knew she wanted to be a
teacher her whole life.
She has been a mentor to students for
more than 26 years.
According to Asahina, not only does
she teach her students something
new everyday, but they teach her too.
Asahina said that she likes to hold a
mirror up to her students face and
show them who they are and what they
can make of themselves.
Michael Williams, former student of
Professor inducted
into MCJ
Hall of Fame
Asahina, said she had a huge impact
on him and if it weren’t for her, he
wouldn’t be at Fresno State.
“I called her to see what the advertising program is all about, and it was
everything I wanted to hear,” Williams
said. “She sold me on Fresno State’s
advertising program.”
Brandon Lindner, a for mer student and Fresno State alumnus, said
Asahina convinced him to make advertising his emphasis.
According to Lindner, Asahina has
a tendency to push students to be the
best they can be even when they don’t
feel they can do it. She reassures them
that they can do anything if they put
their mind to it.
“Dr. Asahina was more than a teacher,” Lindner said. “I believe she cares
so much about her students that she
would do anything she could to help me
now, postgraduation, even though I’m
working in a different field.”
Linder is now a financial planner and
praises Asahina for working him so
hard and never giving up on him.
“The lessons she taught me that
impact me as a financial planner, were
that there are going to be instances
where you get tasks that you don’t want
to do and might want to hand off to
other people,” Lindner said. “These can
actually be some of the most rewarding
and beneficial projects to take on.”
Linder was one of the five students
who perfor med a rap dedicated to
Asahina at Thursday night’s ceremony.
Asahina said she knows each of her
students and remembers each of the
campaigns. She has taken seven teams
from Fresno State to the American
Advertising Federation’s National
Student Advertising Competition
(NSAC).
According to the American
Advertising Federation’s Web site,
each year a corporate sponsor provides
a team with its history and current
advertising situation. The team must
research its product and design a campaign for the client.
Travis Huff, an alumnus from Fresno
State, was a part of the Yahoo campaign.
“I remember our long nights, and
excited dreams of taking down the
NSAC. When we took fourth our
dreams were crushed, but Roberta just
smiled and said ‘great job,’” Huff said.
“Dr. Asahina is a friend, an inspiration and mentor,” Huff added, “She
has inspired me to stay aggressive and
energetic throughout life's struggles.”
‘Yoga for Truckers’
Brought to you by a former Marine
By Nancy Pasternack
McClatchy Tribune
Former Marine Joe Cabral, 69, splits
his time between long-haul trucking
and teaching yoga at Beale Air Force
Base near Marysville, Calif.
He is in the process of trying to get
a business under way called, Yoga For
Truckers.
If he has his way, every major truck
stop in the nation will soon feature
rooms full of long-haul truckers doing
downward dog, sun salutations and
various warrior poses.
Cabral said the typical trucker lifestyle is an unhealthy one, badly in need
of reform.
“You run long and hard out there,” he
said of life on the highway, “and when
you stop, you got a buffet 20-feet long.
Eating is the only privilege you have.”
When Cabral first started driving a
truck in the early 1960s, he got a bit of
physical activity loading and offloading his haul, he said. But labor laws
changed all that.
“Now,” he said, “you just see [truckers] getting fatter and fatter.”
Cabral first became interested in
trucker health when he was searching
for a way to stay alert on the highways
without taking drugs.
A friend suggested wheatg rass
drinks.
“I tried it and there wasn't any immediate result,” Cabral said.
Eventually, however, he noticed a
difference. He began making regular
stops wherever he knew there was a
juice bar.
“Over time, I was able to spend more
hours on the road without a nap," he
said.
Cabral now grows the stuff himself
outside his home near Wheatland, and
works as an X-ray technician at Rideout
Memorial Hospital.
Somewhere in the last decade, he
came across a book he enjoyed that
talked about the benefits of practicing
yoga.
“It was written by a new age guy,” he
said, “but it got me interested.”
He began practicing yoga four years
ago under the instruction of an Air
Force pilot's wife.
“I loved it from the first day,” he said.
He teaches three yoga classes a week
at the Harris Fitness Center. His students are pilots, airmen, civilian workers and Air Force spouses.
Before a recent Tuesday morning
class at Beale, Cabral, and his wife
Jean, 83, pulled into a parking space -both of them astride a Harley-Davidson
motorcycle.
Yo g a, the slender and bearded
instructor said, is something he can
continue learning about and doing all
his life.
He still considers himself to be a relative beginner in the practice of yoga.
But Cabral doesn't mind being a student and teacher, simultaneously.
His life progression has set him up
to excel in both roles. “I'm a real late
bloomer,” he said.
Page 6
The Collegian • News
News Editor, Jakob Smith • collegian-news@csufresno.edu
Monday, November 2, 2009
SPEECH: Students want receptive
INVASION:
Prevention is key in attitudes from ASI executives
stopping rodents
CONTINUED from page 1
CONTINUED from page 1
the building every once in
a while, but it always gets
taken care of quickly.
After spotting the mouse,
Hunter said he consulted a
recent e-mail sent out from
the department of risk management and sustainability
about rodent infestation prevention. He now keeps all
snacks stored in tin boxes.
Plant Operations is responsible for eradicating and
eliminating building entry
points whereas the department of risk management
and sustainability deals with
prevention and clean-up,
Finden explained.
In a phone interview with
Lisa Kao, environmental
health and safety manager,
she said that assistant vice
president for risk management and sustainability
David Moll refused to talk
to The Collegian. Kao also
would not comment, except
to say that she sent out an
email encouraging prevention.
Dennis Dooley, owner of
Dooley Pest Control, has
practiced pest and rodent
control at Fresno State for
15 years. Dooley said he
receives several calls at this
time of the year about mice
on campus.
To catch mice, Dooley uses
glue traps, which are plastic trays with a thin layer of
very sticky glue. Basic snap
traps are used when trapping
rats, and Dooley said he uses
Tootsie Rolls or jelly beans
for bait. According to Dooley,
chocolate is a big favorite
among rodents.
“If you’ve got a Snickers
bar around, look out,” he
said. “Peanuts and chocolate, they can’t beat that.”
Historically, the east side
of campus has had more
rodents because of its close
p rox i m i t y t o o n c e o p e n
fields, Finden said. He said
the Science building, Joyal
A d m i n i s t r at i o n and the
Leon S. Peters building tend
to be the biggest targets of
rodents.
The Leon S. Peters Business
Building has rodent activity every year, Dooley said.
He suspects the fiber optic
cables running into the building act as entry points for the
rodents.
Dooley said exclusion is the
key to prevent rodent infestation. Exclusion is simply
sealing the entry points into
a building. Last year, the
North Gym had a significant
problem with rats coming
through empty pipes into an
old bathroom used for storage. Once the entry point
was discovered, Dooley said
it was a quick process to trap
the rats and eliminate the
problem.
For rodent control, the
first thing to do is keep them
from getting in the building,
according to Dooley.
“You can trap all you want.
If you don’t find out how
they’re getting into the building and stop that or seal it up,
you’re wasting your time.”
Due to a number of labs
that work with seeds, the
Agricultural Sciences building often has mice. After last
year’s campaign to seal the
building, coupled with staff
and faculty maintaining good
housekeeping practices, the
mouse problem isn’t as bad,
Finden said.
Dooley said it is important
to keep outside doors closed,
especially as the temperature
drops. He also suggested storing food in closed containers
and cleaning up crumbs after
eating.
“It just goes on and on
with different buildings at
different times of the year,”
said Finden of rodent control. “It’s definitely more
of a problem in the winter,
because it gets cold outside,
there’s nothing to eat and
so [rodents] just come in. It
becomes a real challenge."
[Gary Nelson] and other members of the office we found it
necessary to limit time to be
fair to every member of the
public,” Andreotti said. “Five
minutes is actually a lengthy
amount of time.”
She also added that all senate meetings must adjourn by
8:50 a.m. because some of the
senate members have 9 a.m.
classes.
Student Mauro Car rera
feels the time limit is meant to
silence student voices.
“They make it very clear
and very obvious that you are
limited in what you can say,”
Mauro said. “I would assume
that having meetings at 7 a.m.,
you would hardly get a student to come out and speak
about their concerns. So, the
limit speaks a lot about their
willingness to outreach to students.”
Recent fee hikes, class cuts
and furloughs have brought
about a renewed interest in
student government for students like Polo Ortiz, who says
that he recently started attending senate meetings because
ASI has not taken students’
concerns into consideration.
Sweeten, ASI’s president,
said that senators listen to
everyone who addresses the
public and takes their suggestions into consideration.
“I appreciate anyone who
will come before the senate and give their opinion,”
Sweeten said. “It takes time
out of students schedules to
come to a student senate meeting and we’re going to take
every request seriously.”
However, during the Oct. 21
senate meeting, student Tom
Boroujeni was warned by ASI
while he was addressing the
senate to sit down or he would
be removed from the meeting. The Collegian reported
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on Oct. 23 that the university
police were contacted during
the meeting in case Boroujeni
needed to be escorted out.
“All I was going to ask was
‘do they want all of the bylaws
to go through or just some of
them?’” Boroujeni said.
Bourojeni said that he
became upset when ASI members put his right to speak in
front of senate up to vote.
“I have the right to ask questions and speak in front of the
senate when they have a guest
[speaker], but instead they put
my right to speak up to vote.”
According to Boroujeni, his
request to address the senate
was shut down by the three
executives and then later put
up for a vote, with only five
senate members voting in
favor of him speaking.
“The tone from ASI is very
defensive,” Boroujeni said.
“They think we’re only [at the
senate meetings] to get them
out of office or to spite them.
It’s not that at all.”
A S I s e n at o r Ja m i e S a n
Andres says that she has
noticed the type of response
from senators this semester
toward students who speak
during public comment.
“When students approach
me with these kinds of questions I feel that there is a certain amount of carelessness in
addressing student concerns
and adhering to the documents
by which we are bound,” San
Andres said.
The three ASI executives disagreed stating that their goal
is to fulfill the ASI mission
statement and represent the
majority of students.
“If the senate does not vote
in favor of what the public is
saying it doesn’t meant that we
aren’t listening to them or taking them seriously,” Andreotti
said. “We are the elected student government, so we have a
vested interest in everyone."
Monday, November 2, 2009
The Collegian • Sports
Sports Editor, Logan Hopkins • collegian-sports@csufresno.edu
Page 7
HOPKINS: Mathews got
stronger in the fourth quarter
CONTINUED from page 8
line, the Bulldogs force fed
Mathews and he would not
be denied. The junior rushed
seven yards and then for 46
yards. He capped the drive
with a 10-yard touchdown
burst and a calm touchdown
celebration.
Everyone in the stadium
knew Mathews would come
through.
“He’s a workhorse, man,”
Hill said. “Everybody is looking for 21, there is no question
about that.”
And there is no question
that he cannot be stopped.
But it wasn’t over just yet.
Down 31-27, with four minutes
remaining, Borel had one
last chance to get his team to
the end zone and get its first
points of the second half. The
drive stalled after four plays
and left the Aggies with a
fourth down and five yards to
go on their own 37-yard line.
Decisions, decisions. The
Aggies contemplated the situation. Should they go for it
and trust their guy to get five
yards when he needs it or take
their chances trying to stop
Mathews?
Utah State’s coach Gary
Andersen chose to take
his chances trying to stop
Mathews. Hindsight is 20/20,
but did he really think he
could stop Mathews? Or did
he not trust his best player?
Either way, bad choice.
The Bulldogs got the ball
back with 3 minutes remaining on their six-yard line. In
the shadow of their own end
zone, the ’Dogs had one choice
and once again, everyone saw
it coming.
With 1:10 remaining after
picking up one first down
and milking the clock, the
Bulldogs faced a third and
seven. The Aggies had no
timeouts remaining. All the
Bulldogs needed was a first
down to ice the game and
complete the second-half
comeback.
Easy decision. Trust your
best player.
“[In the huddle before the
play] I just looked at all my
linemen’s eyes, they looked
at me and we just smiled,”
Mathews said.
Mathews picked up 11 yards
on third down and seven. The
next play ran was a quarterback kneel-down from the
victory formation. The closer
sealed the deal and got to keep
on smiling.
Mathews had 145 yards and
the go-ahead touchdown in the
second half, willing his team
to victory. As the game went
on, he only got stronger and
faster and more elusive. And
he showed Utah State how to
finish a game.
“He sure ran good at the
end,” Hill said.
I couldn’t have said it any
better, coach.
C
PODCAST: Just how important is
Ryan Mathews?
http://collegian.csufresno.edu
Brianna Campbell / The Collegian
Tailback Ryan Mathews saved his best for last, totaling 145 yards and one touchdown in the second half.
The Collegian’s Players of the Game
Ryan Mathews
Offense
Chris Carter
Defense
Kevin Goessling
Special Teams
The Collegian hands out game balls to its Players of the Game following every football game.
Offense: Of course, the game ball goes to the closer, Ryan Mathews. The tailback had 185 rushing yards and two touchdowns, gaining 145 yards in the second half.
Defense: Defensive end Chris Carter seemed to be one of the only defenders not fooled by misdirection plays in the first half and his stats showed it. He had 10 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss.
Special Teams: Kicker Kevin Goessling has made 10 of his 11 field goal attempts in 2009. On
Saturday, Goessling hit a 50-yard boot and had some room to spare.
Coming up next ...
The Bulldogs swept the month of October, finishing 4-0 after beginning the season 1-3.
November will surely be more challenging for Fresno State. The month begins with a trip to Idaho
to take on the Vandals, a 7-2 team with a 4-0 home record.
Garcia finishes second at WAC Championships
By Collegian Staff
Fresno State’s Erick Garcia finished second at the cross country
Western Athletic Conference (WAC)
Championships on Saturday in Reno,
Nev. He finished three seconds behind
the winner in the 8K race.
Led by Garcia, a junior from Parlier,
Calif., the Bulldogs were able to finish second in the WAC, which was
the team’s best finish in 18 years. The
Bulldogs finished second at the Big
West Championships in 1991.
Three players from the men’s team
were named to the All-WAC team.
Garcia was named to the first team,
and teammates Paul Zwama, who finished 10th, and Danny Vartanian, who
finished 13th, both earned second team
honors.
The women’s team finished fifth at
the championships. Roxanne Sellick,
who finished eighth in the 5K run, led
the Bulldogs. This was her fourth top
10 of the season.
Sellick was the only member of the
women’s team to earn All-WAC honors,
making the second team.
Along with Sellick, the women’s team
got high finishes from seniors Marissa
McPhail and Jennifer Hernandez, who
finished 15th and 22nd, respectively.
The Bulldogs will next compete at
the NCAA Regional in Eugene, Ore., on
Nov. 14.
In the regional race, the men will run
a 10K and the women will be running a
6K race.
Sports
The
Page 8
Collegian
Bulldog sound bite of the week
“He’s one of those guys who wouldn’t get
wet moving around in a shower.”
-Coach Pat Hill on USU quarterback
Diondre Borel
Sports Editor, Logan Hopkins • collegian-sports@csufresno.edu • Monday, November 2, 2009
FRESNO STATE BULLDOGS 31, UTAH STATE AGGIES 27
Fourth-quarter heroics
Matt Weir / The Collegian
Tailback Ryan Mathews, the Bulldogs’ Superman, made the play of the game in the fourth quarter. On third and long with 1:10 remaining, Mathews picked up 11 yards and sealed the victory.
All Utah State needed was a closer
Saturday at Bulldog Stadium, the
Utah State Aggies played a near-perfect first half of football.
After 30 minutes of play, Utah
State was up 27-17 on
the home team and
quarterback Diondre
Borel was on pace for
a career-type day. He
controlled the game,
keeping the ball in his
hands for 20 minutes,
racking up 237 total
yards and two touchdowns.
Logan
The Bulldogs’
defense could barely
get a hand on the guy.
The sideline was the team’s leading
tackler in the first half.
“He’s one of those guys who
wouldn’t get wet moving around in
a shower,” head coach Pat Hill said.
“That guy is quick.”
I couldn’t have said it any better,
coach.
The dual-threat signal caller was a
nightmare of a matchup for the ’Dogs’
defense.
But he sure isn’t a closer.
Utah State is 1-3 in the Western
Athletic Conference (WAC) in 2009.
The first two of the three losses were
both by three points and Saturday, the
Aggies lost 31-27.
In all of those conference games, especially against Fresno
State Saturday, the
Aggies wouldn’t have
been in any of them
without Borel. He’s
the best player on the
team and the main
offensive weapon. But
first half stats don’t
Hopkins
really matter in the
end.
Luckily for Fresno
State, that same adage applies.
Tailback Ryan Mathews, the nation’s
leading rusher, had only six carries
and 40 yards in the first half.
But when the pressure was on,
trailing in the fourth quarter, Fresno
State’s closer was at his best. With six
minutes left in the game, with his team
down three points, 27-24, it was time
for Mathews to take over.
Starting on their own 22-yard
The Lo Down
Matt Weir / The Collegian
The Bulldogs gave up more than 500 yards of total offense to Utah State and surrendered 27
points in the first half, but clamped down in the second half, keeping the Aggies scoreless.
See HOPKINS, Page 7