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New music prof accepts call to rebuild orchestra

Fresno State’s music department added a new face during the summer—a master cellist, soloist, chamber musician and conductor who the department hopes will revive the long-defunct campus symphony orchestra.

Thomas Loewenheim, Ph.D., a native of both Germany and Israel who most recently taught at Indiana University in Bloomington, brings a wealth of experience as the newest instructor of string instruments.

Strings are perhaps the most crucial part of a symphony orchestra, and according to music professor Thomas Hiebert, the strings section at Fresno State has been deficient for some time.

Enter Loewenheim, who was hired, in part, to build up the orchestra.

Loewenheim came to Fresno State because he found it to have “fantastic facilities, fantastic faculty and a strong will to have an orchestra.”

Loewenheim said he had high hopes for one day conducting a university orchestra that would rival any other in the state or even the nation, but for now, the orchestra is being built from scratch.

“Hopefully people will come here because it’s the best education they can get and it’s affordable,” Loewenheim said.

Still in the process of moving in, Loewenheim’s office walls are completely bare. But prominently displayed in the room is a grand piano, although Loewenheim admits he doesn’t play it.

“The cello’s hard enough,” Loewenheim said. “It’s better for me to focus on this one instrument.”

When he conducts an orchestra, however, Loewenheim finds it necessary to focus on everything and everyone, including the audience. The aim, he said, is “to get a fantastic product of everyone doing what they’re supposed to do.”
He imagines the orchestra as a model of society, with everyone responsible for their own actions—first for their own section, then to the larger group, then to everyone in the room. Loewenheim also sees it as an opportunity to build relationships, express goodwill and build a spiritual foundation for those involved.

“Instead of blowing up others, why can’t we just believe what we want and accept others?” he said. “With the orchestra, we bring people together and learn how to work together.”

Born in Hamburg, Germany, Loewenheim moved to Israel with his family when he was very young. His musical training started early, but the cello was particularly stressed.

“It was my mom’s idea,” Loewenheim said. “She plays cello and decided I was going to play cello.”

A fan of all string instruments, Loewenheim said he liked the cello because of its wide range in pitch and because “it’s the closest instrument to the human voice.”

Lately, another of Loewenheim’s interests has been research, particularly in rediscovering pieces of music repertoire from past eras, such as forgotten concerti, chamber music and unaccompanied cello work.

“I’m the Indiana Jones of music libraries,” Loewenheim said.

Yet his heart still lies with the orchestra, in which he has starred as a cellist, soloist and conductor, among other roles over the years.

He said, “When you combine that many types of instruments harmoniously, you just don’t hear a sound like that anywhere else.”

Orchestra Info:

Auditions for University Orchestra to be held next
week in the Old Music Building for all instrument sections.

Interested individuals
should contact Thomas Loewenheim
for more information.

What is ASI?

While many students are crashing classes and begging instructors to add them to their roll sheets, a few have been checking out classes they don’t plan to add.

That’s because they’re just stopping by to introduce themselves.

They’re students who want to tell the story of what it’s like to be involved in the campus community and inform their peers about what Fresno State has to offer. And they only need a few minutes to tell students what Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) can do for them.

For incoming freshmen, or apathetic students who may not know, ASI, formally Associated Students, is Fresno State’s student government, which includes senators who represent each of the colleges or schools on campus.

“We basically bit the bullet,” ASI President J.P. Moncayo said of this semester’s tedious new method of reaching out to the student body.

Now in his second term, Moncayo said ASI realized it has to be more aggressive about communicating its message to students by outlining what they do for the campus.

Going from classroom to classroom is “the hardest way” to spread the ASI word, yet it’s a “very strong way for us to get the word out on top issues,” Moncayo said.

The visits offer information about ASI funding that’s available to campus clubs and organizations, low-cost health insurance and the phone number for the campus police department.

These start-of-the-semester presentations will continue to hit classrooms, Moncayo said, “until we exhaust it.”

So far, ASI officers have presented themselves to 800 students in this manner. They plan to increase that number to at least 2000 students over the next two weeks.

But ASI doesn’t intend to have the student body at hello. The group plans to use classroom presentations proactively to educate students on hot topics such as a possible increase in parking fees that may eventually require a student vote. From there, ASI will inform students what options they have when it comes time to vote.

“We’re gonna get our hands really dirty,” Moncayo said.

Erica Dement, ASI’s communications director, said some of the new ways they plan to increase student involvement is through Bulldog Squad, a new campus spirit group she anticipates will launch in early October.

While Dement discussed ways students can improve their campus experience by applying for positions in ASI and the Bulldog squad, she said students who aren’t members of any campus organizations can still see ASI’s impact on the campus community through scholarships they fund, the library laptop program and the Pick-a-Prof service, which allows students to rate and review professors.

She also hopes ASI’s office will be a welcoming one for the student body.

According to Moncayo, students can turn to ASI if they come across issues such as problems with professors.

“The office is a great place to start,” Moncayo said, since ASI is “more prone to know who to contact” when complaints about instructors arise.

He also hopes the ASI office will be a “good front desk for the university and student life” so students can drop by whenever they’re looking for answers.

“The problem we have on campus is students not being aware of what’s going on,” said D.J. Clovis, ASI’s director of student involvement.

He said he hopes to alleviate the “I didn’t know what was going on” mentality by creating a calendar of events to give students advance notice of events happening on campus.

Clovis’ goal is simple: he wants everyone “to be excited to be a Fresno State student.”

ASI has a central point they hope to get across to the student body.

“Every student is a member of ASI,” said Mackee Mason, ASI’s senator of athletics.

The belief is one Moncayo hopes will push students who want to see change around campus.

“My hope,” Moncayo said, “is that people who are really angry will join ASI.”

Free music: you get what you pay for

I like free music. Who doesn’t?

My unquenchable thirst for downloadable music — legal or questionably legal — took a strange turn when a friend turned me onto the archives of the United States military bands. The Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps bands all have their own websites.

As far as I could find, our friends in the Coast Guard were left out. Please correct me if I’m wrong. I’ve been looking for a copy of their song — the catchiest of any branch — to no avail.

Read more

Beyonce caught up in smoke

Juan Villa / The Collegian

Juan Villa / The Collegian

Juan Villa / The Collegian

Juan Villa / The Collegian

Moncayo looking forward to second term

Juan Pablo Moncayo hasn’t felt like an ordinary student in a while. The dance instructor- turned-executive has come a long way – in more ways than one.

“I went from an average student to vice president,” Moncayo said. “It was crazy.”

After winning his first election to student government, Moncayo served as vice president of Associated Students in 2005-06.

Now, in his final year at Fresno State, Moncayo begins his second consecutive term as AS president.
The double major in physics and business administration was the first international student to be elected AS president. He ran unopposed in last spring’s election.

In an interview with the Collegian just before summer break, Moncayo talked about coming to the United States from Ecuador, becoming a student advocate, and forming the outlook for AS this year.

Portillo (P): Many students on campus will be incoming freshman or transfer students, new to Fresno State. What might people not know about you?

Moncayo (M): I’m going to be a sixth-year senior. I was born in Ecuador, born and raised [there] until I was six, and then I came here to the United States for another six years before I moved back.

So, I’m kind of a product of both countries.

I have two brothers. They both live in Florida. I am really close to my family.

I’m actually pretty laid back. I love music. I love jazz and a little bit of everything. My iTunes is crazy; I have like 14 days worth of music.

I have two days of house music, two days of salsa music – just a whole bunch of different stuff.

P:What was your experience like when you came to the United States and Fresno for the first time?

M: We came and lived in Van Nuys, which is not the richest place in L.A. County, in the San Fernando Valley. … It was really interesting to grow up there for the first six years.

Then, when I was 12, my dad wanted to be a pilot. He had been training for a while when he found a job back in Ecuador that would allow him to start his pilot career.

We all moved back and I did my high school there.

From there, I came straight from Ecuador to Fresno. I came as an international student, while the rest of my family [went to] Florida. I’ve been the only one out here since 2002.

… I think the first two days were pretty scary. I’ll be honest: I was terrified, oh my God. I would be in these panics, like ‘Oh my God, what am I doing.’

… I would very nonchalantly move away from a situation, going to the bathroom to wash my face, and tell myself that it’s OK.

For two years, I remember how I thought it was so scary to walk in front of the [Free Speech Area] booths. … It was such a new environment that it takes awhile to get used to.

It’s interesting when you actually get to know half of the people in the booths.

P: What led you into student government?

M: I was a salsa instructor. I did that for a while with the Fresno State Salsa Club. It was one of the clubs I got involved with first.

I had never taught anything like that before, so I learned how to be a teacher. … I did not get involved in student government until later.

When I first came to Fresno, I didn’t know [Associated Students] existed. I didn’t realize how powerful it was. … I’m the kind of person that gets really frustrated if I can’t at least talk to the person in power. And the United States is a great place to be able to do that.

That’s how I slowly started becoming aware of how the system worked, because I had a few concerns about different things on campus. It’s funny because it’s innate and inherent in me to complain.

I got involved in a group called the USU Board. It’s a group of students that oversee the Union. … Through them, I got to see how AS works. I realized how cool it was. [Associated Students is] one of the organizations with the most potential I have ever seen.

P: In the last Associated Students election, you ran unopposed. Did you feel an obligation or a sense of responsibility to run for a second term?

M: I didn’t know I was going to be unopposed until the day I was unopposed. You never know. I thought about it a lot because it was my senior year.

On one side, I felt like I really worked hard last year. But I didn’t feel like if I left at that point that I was done.

I was not comfortable with the fact that I hadn’t pushed myself to the limit and pushed a few things to the limit.

Russel [Statham] and I talked and asked ourselves, “Well if you had one more year, what would you do?” … We talked forever. But running again makes it very difficult for new people to get involved.

That’s something I really had a hard time with. The other thing is, I knew if I ran again that I could help new people and new students get involved.

I really enjoy the service part of it. I enjoy talking to students and finding out what their concerns are.

I’m a lot less about the recognition. … I like spending more time in the core of things.

P: What are some of the biggest challenges of your job as president?

M: I think in this position, your job description is so vague that you will never feel like you are doing a good job.
It sounds like a joke, but the hardest thing about it has been to make sure I still have good health. You get involved and you realize how important the position can be, but it can consume you pretty easily.

There will never be a service that we create that will provide service to everyone. This is what makes our job really fun, but also really hard. There is no typical student.

The average Fresno State student, if you actually look, gives you no data. The margins are just so wide.

The average age is 23, but we have 70-year-old students and we have high school students. It’s really all over the map.

P: How do you feel about the level of student involvement on campus?

M: If students choose not to get involved with Associated Students they should remember that they are the direct deciders.

We have a system for you to show your concern – it’s called voting. I mean, the Student Rec Center was built because 70 percent plus voted and said, “Yes, we want this built.”

You will always have students who will be angry about a decision, and you will have others that will be really happy.
Our job is to discern, “OK, what is best for students and what are most students saying?”

Until 20,000 students realize that they are important, it’ll be really hard for me to sell that to anyone else.

P: What does the new school year look like for Associated Students?

M: I’m excited because the knowledge we have is going to be enough to make this year more productive. We have an understanding of what projects are going to be achievable and at the same time what will provide the most benefit to students.

It’s going to be crazy but fun.

Finding the last parking spot

The overcrowded lots, congested aisles and little bright green envelopes sprinkled all over campus are just a few signs of a new semester at Fresno State.

Hectic traffic the first few weeks of school, students should be prepared in order to avoid parking tickets and missing classes.

“Come early,”said Amy Armstrong,University Police Department Public Information Officer, advised the 20,000 students attending classes.

“Give yourself time to park; give yourself time to walk to class.”

Parking tickets are the most common ticket given out, Armstrong said, often resulting from students being pressed for time.

“Someone will catch you,” Armstrong said.

From her experience, many students receive citations for trying to display last semester’s pass in their windows, while others choose not to purchase a pass at all, she said.

For those wishing to avoid such problems, student/visitor passes can be purchased for $68 at two locations on campus: the cashier’s window at Joyal Administration and the University Police Department office located at the University Student Union.

Students needing only short-term or temporary parking can purchase daily permits for $3 at various kiosks surrounding campus.

University Police staff are also around to hand out daily permits at the start of the semester in order to reduce congestion at the machines.

While parking problems are certainly not new on campus, some new additions are under way to combat them.

One possible solution to relieve parking congestion is the new “photovoltaic” solar-paneled structure being built in Lot V. This structure, in conjunction with Chevron, will help generate electricity for the campus, as well as provide additional parking.

“Nine hundred and sixty-three spaces will be added to Lot V,” Armstrong explained, with a portion of them reserved for staff and faculty to purchase for 24-hour per day use.
“Even with that portion taken out, there will still be more student-parking available than before the structure was built.”

Another new addition underway are the 10-hour parking meters that will be available at the north end of Lot V. While other parking meters on campus only allow a stay of two hours or less, the new meters will better accommodate those taking night classes.

While the additions to Lot V are not expected to be completed until early October, overflow parking will be available at the Save Mart Center except for when events are going on.
Until the projects are finished, following Armstrong’s tips may make your parking experience less stressful.

Top 25

1. USC (0-0)
Week 1: Idaho (0-0)
Quarterback John David Booty is looking to the lead the Pac-10 Conference Champion Trojans back to the BCS National Championship game after a Rose Bowl victory last season.

2. LSU (0-0)
Week 1: at Mississippi State (0-0)

The Sugar Bowl Champions from the SEC lost four players to the NFL, but Coach Les Miles has everyone in Baton Rouge expecting a national championship.

3. Michigan (0-0)

Week 1: Appalachian State (0-0)
Tailback Mike Hart and quarterback Chad Henne returned for their senior seasons and are ready to lead the Wolverines to the top of the Big 10.

4. Florida (0-0)
Week 1: Western Kentucky (0-0)
The reigning national champions will have their work cut out for them in the SEC, but Coach Urban Meyer’s squad is ready to defend their crown.

5. Texas (0-0)
Week 1: Arkansas State (0-0)
Sophomore quarterback Colt McCoy turned a lot of heads as a freshman and under Mack Brown’s tutelage will try to lead the Longhorns to the top of the Big 12.

6. West Virginia (0-0)
Week 1: Western Michigan (0-0)
The dynamic duo of running back Steve Slaton and quarterback Pat White make the Mountaineers the heavy favorite in the Big East.

7. Wisconsin (0-0)
Week 1: Washington State (0-0)
A physical defense makes the Badgers a formidable threat in the Big 10, but a position battle at quarterback could slow down the offense.

8. Virginia Tech (0-0)
Week 1: East Carolina (0-0)
With the tragic events of last spring’s shooting behind them, the Hokies are motivated and looking to make a run in the ACC to show everyone that high-quality football is played in Blacksburg.

9. Ohio State (0-0)
Week 1: Youngstown State (0-0)
With most of the offensive weapons from last season now playing in the NFL, Coach Jim Tressel will look to center on his experienced defense to win games.

10. Oklahoma (0-0)
Week 1: North Texas (0-0)
The defending Big 12 champions lost to Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl, but look for the Sooners to contend with Texas for a conference title.

11. California (0-0)
Week 1: Tennessee (0-0)
The Golden Bears have a three-headed, offensive monster in the form of quarterback Nate Longshore, running back Justin Forsett and wide receiver DeSean Jackson. Watch for them to give USC a run for their money in the Pac-10.

12. Louisville (0-0)
Week 1: Murray State (0-0)
Quarterback Brian Brohm is number one on Mel Kiper’s draft board for 2008 and will lead the offense of the reigning Big East Conference champions.

13. Auburn (0-0)
Week 1: Kansas State (0-0)
The SEC is probably the toughest conference in college football, but the Tigers are ready to regain form after stumbling a bit in 2006.

14. Tennessee (0-0)
Week 1: at California (0-0)
The Volunteers will receive an early test from the Golden Bears, but senior quarterback Erik Ainge made huge improvements last season.

15. Georgia (0-0)
Week 1: Oklahoma State (0-0)
The Bulldogs have depth at running back and sophomore quarterback Matt Stafford made huge strides in his freshman season.

16. Penn State (0-0)
Week 1: Florida International (0-0)
The question for the Nittany Lions is the same every year. Does Coach Joe Paterno have another big run left in him? In the not-so-competitive Big 10, probably.

17. UCLA (0-0)
Week 1: at Stanford (0-0)
After last year’s storied victory against USC, the Bruins look to contend in the Pac-10 with ten starters back from last year’s defensive unit.

18. Rutgers (0-0)
Week 1: Buffalo (0-0)
The Scarlet Knights’ aim is to prove that last year’s 11-win season was no fluke and make an even bigger statement in the Big East. Running back Ray Rice is the cornerstone of Greg Schiano’s offense.

19. Nebraska (0-0)
Week 1: Nevada (0-0)
Bill Callahan’s Cornhuskers are looking to rebound after a five-loss season in 2006. With a tough non-conference schedule including USC and ACC Champion Wake Forest, Nebraska will have their work cut out for them in the Big 12.

20. Florida State (0-0)
Week 1: at Clemson (0-0)
The Seminoles keep faltering year after year, but Coach Bobby Bowden is looking to turn things around in Tallahassee and make a run at an ACC title.

21. Arkansas (0-0)
Week 1: Troy (0-0)
Running back Darren McFadden placed second in the Heisman voting last season. With a returning offensive line that is solid, McFadden will try and carry the Razorbacks in the ever-competitive SEC.

22. Texas A&M (0-0)
Week 1: Montana State (0-0)
The biggest challenge for the Aggies in 2007 will be becoming a contender in the Big 12, and with 15 starters returning this could happen.

23. Hawaii (0-0)
Week 1: Northern Colorado (0-0)
With potential Heisman candidate Colt Brennan at quarterback for the Warriors, this pass-happy offense will look to turn some heads not just in the WAC but in the BCS in 2007.

24. Boise State (0-0)
Week 1: Weber State (0-0)
Running back Ian Johnson is a potential Heisman candidate and will look to lead a Broncos offense that will center on the running game in 2007.

25. TCU (0-0)
Week 1: Baylor (0-0)
The Horned Frogs could be the Mountain West Conference version of Boise State. Nine starters are returning from a defense that ranked second in the nation last season.

Honorable Mentions:

Notre Dame – The loss of quarterback Brady Quinn is a blow to the Fighting Irish and they will need to rely on an experienced defense to crack the top 25.
Georgia Tech – The Yellow Jackets might sneak up on foes in the ACC. While they face stiff competition at Notre Dame, they have 17 starters on their side.
Boston College – The Eagles are coming off a strong season with a bowl victory over Navy. Ever year they keep improving and this season could be the one in which they top the ACC.

Dog Bites

Women’s Soccer

The Fresno State women’s soccer team opens their season 7 p.m. Friday against UC Irvine.
This is the last home game for the ‘Dogs before going on a six-game road trip during the month of September.
Tickets are $1 for this game only.
The ‘Dogs will return home Sept. 28 to host UTEP before beginning conference play Oct. 12.

Women’s Volleyball

The home opener for the Fresno State women’s volleyball team will be Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Save Mart Center.
The ‘Dogs will host Idaho State and tickets for this match will be $1.
Regular-price tickets are on sale for matches against UC Davis Aug. 31 at 7 p.m. and St. Mary’s Sept. 2 at 2 p.m.
Conference play begins at home Sept. 13 against New Mexico State.

Men’s Basketball

Fresno State Bulldogs basketball star Hector Hernandez saw 13 minutes of action Monday night for the Mexican National Basketball team at the FIBA Americas Championship in Las Vegas.
Mexico lost to the US team 127-100. Hernandez shot 50 percent from the floor, scoring six points. The senior forward grabbed five rebounds, had one assist and one steal.
Houston Rockets guard and former Fresno State basketball star Rafer “skip to my lou” Alston was arrested early Monday in New York City. Alston has been charged with slashing a man’s neck inside of a New York ity nightclub.
This is the second time this offseason that Alston has been arrested. Alston was drafted in 1998 following his junior season

Football

Coach Pat Hill announced Monday that the Bulldogs will be without senior defensive tackle Jason Shirley for the first two games of the season.
Shirley, a key part of the Bulldogs run-defense, has been suspended for “conduct detrimental to the team,” Hill said.
Hill did not share what Shirley did to be penalized, but stated that the case did not involve any forms of legality.

No catching waves for Udwadia

Fresno is where it’s at for Jay Udwadia, the Fresno State men’s tennis coach.

While he accepted the position of associate head coach at Pepperdine University last week, he has since decided to stay with the Bulldogs.

“I took it pretty hard,” Pepperdine head coach Adam Steinberg said. “I want Jay to be happy and I feel his heart is in Fresno.”

Steinberg got the call Monday morning and although a little disappointed, he agrees with Udwadia’s decision announced Tuesday.

“I agree that he should stay and build what he started,” Steinberg said. “He’s going to be amazing and there is a great tradition of tennis [at Fresno State].”

In his past three seasons at Fresno State, Udwadia has a 38-28 dual-match record and coached his team to the finals of the Western Athletic Conference tournament the past two seasons.

Three players were in the top-30 of last season’s region rankings under Udwadia’s coaching.

Before coaching at Fresno State, Udwadia coached one season at Drake and was named Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year.

He is 60-32 in his four years coaching.

The associate coach’s position at Pepperdine became available after the former Pepperdine associate head coach, Per Nilsson, resigned to take over as head coach at Mississippi State.

“After he left, I thought of Jay,” Steinberg said. “I consider him a tremendous coach and respect his coaching ability.”

Steinberg said he was excited to be working with a friend of 10 years, but Udwadia’s final decision does not affect their friendship.

“Jay is a great coach,” he said. “Fresno is lucky to have him.”

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