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Road construction to disrupt parking lot J

Parking Lot J renovation December 27th – January 8th.

The road that runs north/south through Parking Lot J will be closed for renovation beginning Thursday, December 27th.

During this construction work, access to Lot J parking stalls will be via Woodrow and the one-way frontage road that runs along the east side of the Peter’s building.

The lot will reopen January 8th; however, this date may change depending on weather.

If you have questions or concerns, please call Rod Gleghorn at 278.4360.

Winter break announcements

Announcements from the Office of University Communications:

* The campus will close for Winter Break at 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 21, and reopen Wednesday, Jan. 2.

* The University Police Department (278.8400) will be open 24/7 throughout the break.

* The Farm Market will be closed Dec. 23-Jan. 1. Otherwise, it is open Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Flooded with traffic problems

(December 19, 2007) – The intersection of Barstow and Chestnut is closed due to flooding. Barstow is closed from Sierra Vista Avenue on the west to Willow Avenue. Please use an alternate route.

Traffic signs and personnel are posted where necessary.

The intersection of Barstow and Chestnut will reopen when safe.

Server work will take down staff e-mail temporarily

On January 3, 2008 at 4:00 pm, ITS staff will be taking the faculty/staff email server, zimmer, off-line for maintenance. We expect that this outage will last no longer than 6 hours. This outage is required to move the server to a new location to take advantage of the new network facilities on our campus.

The services that will be unavailable during this outage are as follows:

Faculty/Staff Email
Faculty/Staff Web Services (personal web accounts/pages)
Faculty/Staff/Student Email account creation

Please note that email messages will be queued during the down time and will be delivered after the server is placed back into production.

If you have questions of concerns regarding this outage, please contact me at jim_michael@csufresno.edu.

–
James D. Michael
Associate Director, Operating Systems Services California State University,
Fresno - ITS Dept.
93740-8029
e-mail: jim_michael@CSUFresno.EDU

Main campus web server going off-line

On January 9, 2008 at 4:00 pm, ITS staff will be taking the main campus web server, info, off-line for maintenance. We expect that this outage will last no longer than 6 hours. This outage is required to move the server to a new location to take advantage of the new network facilities on our campus. The services that will be unavailable during this outage are as follows:

Read more

Finals Cram Jam

Finals Cram Jam

Monday through Thursday Mornings
December 17-20
8 am – Free Speech Area
Free Coffee, Tea, Hot Chocolate, Fresh Fruit
Scantrons and Pencils (While supplies last)

Monday
December 17, 2007
Steam Up Your Finals
Student Union Lounge
6 pm-1am – Stress Free Zone
6 pm-9 pm – Free Massages
9 pm – Free Food – Cup of Noodles, Coffee, Tea,
Hot Chocolate & Fresh Fruit (While supplies last)

Tuesday
December 18, 2007
Hype Up Your Night
Student Union Lounge
6 pm-1am – Stress Free Zone
9 pm – Free Food – Energy Drinks, Candy, and Fresh Fruit
(While supplies last)

Wednesday
December 19, 2007
TGI Almost Over
Student Union Lounge
6 pm-1 am – Stress Free Zone
6 pm-9 pm – Free Massages
9 pm – Free Food – Pizza and Soda (While supplies last)

* Stress Free Zone will include:
Games, Puzzles, Giveaways, Exercise Balls
Relaxation Strategies, Sleeping Tips, Study and Test Taking Tips,
and More!

Worst. Christmas presents. Ever.

We asked students about their “worst Christmas present ever” today for Campus Speak, and staff here at The Collegian wanted to get in on the action. I don’t think anyone could top a Christmas where your wife leaves you for her girlfriend and gets you arrested on a false threat of arson, but we’re just not that colorful.

What’s the worst Christmas present you’ve ever received?

Last year, I got a teapot. I don’t know what to do with it. I don’t make tea. I don’t even know how to boil water.
Joanne Lui
Copy Editor

My aunt thought it was appropriate to give a 13-year-old girl a velvet headband with a snowman glued on it. It had a matching neon snowman sweater that was knit.
Megan Reilly
Features Editor

The worst Christmas present I’ve ever received was luggage. I wasn’t going anywhere.
Mike Foster
Advertising Coordinator

It was one of those gift exchanges, and they didn’t define the age range. I was 11 and I got a toy for a 4-year-old. It was like a Bop-It, but for toddlers. You’d pull it, and it would make noise.
Grace Guanlao
National Advertising Manager

My uncle was retired from the Air Force. I hadn’t seen him in 10 years, but he knew I liked sports. He bought me a Stanford hockey jersey. I hate hockey, and I hate Stanford. It’s been sitting in my closet for years.
Jimmy Graben
Co-Sports Editor

One year, my cousin gave me an M&M dispenser, and I hate chocolate. I’m pretty sure she gave me the same thing again. I have a few of them in my closet. I hate chocolate.
Katrina Garcia
Staff Writer

Burger King had this promotional Backstreet Boys CD. My aunt got me and my brother the same CDs. I was probably 15 at the time. I’ve never listened to them.
Matt Gomes
Opinion Editor

Three things: once, I got a pencil sharpener. Someone also gave me a $5 microscope that didn’t even work. And, of course, there’s the usual socks and underwear.
Brent VonCannon
News Editor

It was a sapphire ring with a gold band, but from a guy I had only been with for 3 months. I was 16. I still have it. I tried to give it back when I broke up with him, but he didn’t want it.
Amber Moya
Advertising Sales Representative

Socks and underwear. We called them socks and chonies.
Michael Uribes
Art Director

The worst was probably a toolbox from my father when I was 10. For a 10-year-old girl, a toolbox isn’t that exciting.
Heather Billings
Assistant Webmaster

I did a White Elephant gift exchange once, where you chose a present and other people can choose to steal it from you. I chose a cute little box, but all it had inside it was a lanyard. It was just one of those plastic-y things. It was about six inches long — just a huge lanyard. Nobody stole it from me.
Jessica Szalay
Editor-in-Chief

My dad once thought it would be a good idea to give the family a breadmaker, so he petitioned Santa and the big guy delivered. The big draw was making our own sourdough stock and keeping it in the fridge.
Benjamin Baxter
Columnist, Blogger

The only thing I can think of is probably, like, 10 years ago, my neighbor gave me a wallet that was a used old lady’s wallet. I was 12. At 12, I didn’t have money, so I didn’t use wallets. I still had a piggy bank.
Kim Anderson
Co-Sports Editor

Let me think about it for a bit. I’ll get back to you.
Joseph Hollak
Multimedia Editor and Webmaster

That’s all, folks, at least until classes come back. With any luck, we’ll have daily blogs set up by sometime next semester. Until then, may you have a wonderful Christmas and receive even better gifts.

Basketball players protest verdict

Former Fresno State women’s basketball players Paige Diggs (center) and Kendra Walker-Roche (left) speak on behalf of other former and current players in denouncing the $19.1 million verdict awarded to former women’s basketball coach Stacy Johnson-Klein handed down last week. The rally was in the Free Speech Area on Monday. “The main point is, we support our administration 100 percent,” Walker-Roche said. “This is all our words. Everything we say is the truth.” The players, some of whom testified in the trial, had previously criticized their former coach for her actions, both on and off the court.

University High School among top in country

Each day, the sound of blaring instruments and the vocals of aspiring Broadway performers seep through the walls of the clusters of portable classrooms nestled behind the Fresno State music building — compliments of the University High School (UHS) students.

Recently ranked 36 out of more than 18,000 public high schools in the country by U.S. News & World Report, UHS has given birth to a new way of learning for its 390 students — and the faculty and students at Fresno State.

Established in 2000, the charter high school is one of the few to be located directly on a college campus and focuses heavily on music — requiring that each applicant have an instrumental or vocal background — while following a rigorous curriculum similar to that of same-sized private schools.

Vida Samiian, Ph.D, dean of College of Arts and Humanities and a UHS board member, said the presence of UHS on campus serves a learning purpose for both schools.

“UHS provides a laboratory environment for some of our [Fresno State] faculty to work and collaborate with the [UHS] teachers,” Samiian said. “It shows how forward-thinking we have been as a university because other universities have been following up … trying to develop schools [on their own campus].”

This collaboration comes in many forms, from UHS serving as an “experimental school” in university research to applying for grants that serve a financial purpose for the university and a learning opportunity for the high school.

For example, the university’s food science and nutrition department is now able to finance an herb garden at the on-campus farm, due in part to a joint effort with UHS in applying for a grant. In return, UHS students will be given the opportunity to attend workshops focused on food science, said James Bushman, Ph.D., head of UHS.

“This is a great opportunity because our school represents a lot of good things that are in keeping with what the university wants and what we want for students,” Bushman said. “We do a lot of interactive activities that augment and enrich everybody’s program. In many cases, for a lot of different majors, our presence helps fulfill what they’re doing. So many people benefit.”

In the past, Fresno State students progressing toward their teaching credentials have been allowed to “pop into class on a regular basis” and observe what goes on in a classroom setting, without ever leaving campus, Bushman said.

Counseling majors have found internship opportunities through UHS. The university’s music department studies the various teaching methods employed by UHS faculty, all of whom are credentialed and make up one of the “most educated staff of any school in the area,” Bushman said.

In return, UHS students receive the advantage of being a part of the college experience during their high school years. They get a sense of what college professors expect from students and therefore feel more prepared for, and are more likely to attend, college, Bushman said.

Also, UHS students gain from a rigorous curriculum developed by Fresno State faculty and regional faculty in an attempt to create a school offering courses to thoroughly prepare its students for college, Samiian said.

UHS students are given opportunities to enroll in courses not found in the typical high school. The result is a set of courses that is not only demanding, but also extensive.

“We’re the only high school in this area that believes that music should be taught as a standard core curriculum course,” Bushman said. “If you go to any other high school in town, you can be in a band class … but nobody actually teaches music as a subject of something worthy of knowing and understanding.”

Despite its main focus of music, UHS students are also pushed to excel in an array of subjects ranging from Latin to the sciences. Two years of Latin and five different science courses are both requirements. In addition to the required courses, students are given the opportunity to enroll in college courses and earn college credit.

Bushman said each student will graduate with 23 units of college credit because some required courses are completed directly through the university’s courses.

Kayla Wyllie, a sophomore at UHS, feels that all of the components of the school, including the small class sizes, attribute to each student’s success.

From speaking with UHS graduates who are now attending college at University of California campuses, Wyllie found they agreed on one thing: “they say that [college is] a breeze compared to UHS.”

Bushman said this sentiment is common among UHS graduates because “students feel they’ve done college.

Being here for four years, they feel very comfortable in a college environment. The rigor they get from us, the socialization … all I think adequately prepare them to go out and do fine,” he said.

By combining these two schools, a setting is created where all students and faculty interact and learn from one another.

“It’s kind of simple…you give them an environment where students and teachers can excel, and they will,” Samiian said.

Ashley Swearengin taking care of business

“I love Fresno; I never want to move.”

So said Ashley Swearengin, the seven-year director of Fresno State’s Office of Community and Economic Development (OCED).

No, she wasn’t kidding. While some students may be planning to move out in search of lucrative careers after graduation, this non-Fresno native stayed put, and is reaping the benefits.

OCED, a public-private partnership that serves as a bridge between the university’s ability to generate ideas and regional economic development initiatives, has become a model for a growing number of such partnerships at both the university and regional level.

Community involvement, and seeing the potential for economic growth wherever it may lie, is a big part of the two main projects Swearengin is responsible for running — the Regional Jobs Initiative (RJI) and the Governor’s Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley.

“My basic task was to connect the resources of the university to the region to improve quality of life,” Swearengin said.

From aiding students and other budding entrepreneurs in starting up their businesses at the Lyles Center, to lobbying the government for more economic investment, to sitting down with business leaders and getting them to help their competitors — for the greater regional good, Swearengin is very much invested in both the community and campus sides of the business ledger, and indeed can point to some major successes.

“Water technology is the model,” said Swearengin, referring to the new International Water Technology Center at Fresno State

The International Water Technology Center is a collaborative venture between the university and the San Joaquin Water Technology Cluster, a group of more than two dozen manufacturers of water products. Swearengin has been pushing these collaborative ventures.

Swearengin’s public profile was such that she was appointed to the California Commission for Economic Development, a state economic advisory board, by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger last July.

It is Swearengin’s desire for economic innovation and expansion that’s led her to her next major task: running for mayor of Fresno.

Swearengin announced her bid for mayor Nov. 14, joining a crowded field of seven candidates, all the rest of them male. If elected, Swearengin would be just the second woman mayor in Fresno’s history, and the first since Karen Humphrey’s one term ended in 1993.

Not surprisingly, business is a big part of Swearengin’s campaign.

Swearengin envisions Fresno — better known for its robust agriculture and Fresno State athletics — as the future regional hub of a vibrant economy, one of cutting-edge technology, research, innovative entrepreneurship — of ideas.

In the new knowledge-based economy, ideas are tangible, Swearengin said.

“To be successful, it’s all about having the best and brightest people,” Swearengin said.

The four cornerstones of a Swearengin administration, according to her campaign Web site, would be: jobs and education, safe and quality neighborhoods, effective and responsive government, and regional leadership.

The jobs and education component is the “biggie,” Allyson Robison said in an e-mail to The Collegian. Robison served as a communications assistant and project coordinator in the OCED under Swearengin.

“Ashley can inspire people to work together, and when they work together, they solve problems,” Robison said.

Swearengin’s qualifications were similarly touted by Marcia Martin, currently an OCED communications assistant and 2002 Fresno State graduate.

“She knows the ins and outs of how to get funding and support for RJI,” Martin said. “She’s so involved in every aspect of the partnership.”

Born in Texas and raised in Arkansas, Swearengin moved to Fresno with her family in 1987 when she was still in high school.

First attending Clovis West High School before finishing up at Fresno Christian High School, Swearengin received a scholarship that proved to be the defining moment of her career path.

“I received the Rodman Scholarship in order to go to Fresno State,” Swearengin said.

She said her parents offered to pay for her college education, but only as far as community college.

“My parents told me I could go to community college and ‘we’ll pay for it like we did for your sister,’” Swearengin said.

Wishing to start college at a four-year institution, Swearengin skipped out on community college and her parents’ financial support and went directly to Fresno State, which the scholarship helped pay for.

Swearengin was a business major from the get-go, developing on interests she picked up in high school and earlier, but her original emphasis was in marketing.

In fact, she worked her senior year of high school as a marketing director of a health care company.

While working full-time, Swearengin completed her undergraduate degree in December 1994, then took a semester off before getting into graduate school in the fall of 1995.

“At that time, I was working as the marketing director of two different law firms,” Swearengin said.

Graduate school proved to be the pivotal moment in Swearengin’s career. She took an entrepreneurship class from Tim Stearns, director of the Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. But what she got out of the class was much different from what she anticipated.

“I needed to take the class to get credit for marketing,” Swearengin said. “But I learned I had a huge entrepreneurial streak. It was very impactful.

I asked Tim if there was any job in sales. [Seeing my entrepreneurial potential], he recommended Central Valley Business Incubator. I never before considered working in a non-profit environment.”

Central Valley Business Incubator is a non-profit business and technical assistance program for new Fresno businesses.

Swearengin said the goals of Central Valley Business Incubator matched her own.

“I wanted to help the local economy and help businesses grow,” Swearengin said.

“Just like a chicken incubator provides support to make chicks hatch, so a business incubator makes a business plan hatch.”

As the 1990s came to a close, Swearengin said she found herself in a “crosshairs” – she discovered she loved to see a business grow, and she also loved to help the community. “In the middle is economic development,” Swearengin said.

She joined the Futures Institute (now the OCED) as its director in 2000, where she plunged into an academic and commercial world of divergent interests aiming to bring people together and help the local economy.

“This university is light years ahead of other universities in the region,” Swearengin said regarding community outreach.

“Embedded in each business is a community outlet,” Swearengin said.

She said it was a result of President John D. Welty’s long-term vision that “our university should positively impact the region … this has completely permeated the culture at this university.”

Swearengin said her approach to solving problems as mayor wouldn’t be much different to what she is doing now.

“I will make sure this region isn’t left behind,” Swearengin said, referring to the fact the San Joaquin Valley is often overlooked when it comes to federal economic investment. “I want to continue the work of the partnership. [Mayor Alan] Autry has already led in this.

“We in the Valley, in a short time, are further down the path than the rest of the state,” Swearengin said. “We’re doing a lot of things right.”

The always-busy Swearengin acknowledged that “It’s not intuitive for me to rest. The truth is, I just love what I do.” She also has a young family to take care of.

Swearengin said she does have hobbies, but they’re mostly business-related.

“My hobby right now is running a mayoral campaign,” she said. “Loving this city is a hobby.”

As for Fresno area students who have heard their share of Fresno jokes over the years and are thinking of moving away after graduation, Swearengin has this advice: Think again.

“For young people, there’s no better place than Fresno,” Swearengin said.

No insurance? No problem with the new California Rx Card

Between ever-increasing tuition fees, new textbooks for the spring semester, rent and record-high gas prices, paying for prescription drugs can seem impossible for a sick college student with a part-time job. However, there are many cheaper alternatives available for those with no insurance or expensive co-pays.

The California Rx Card program, which launched Oct. 1, provides free discount prescription drug cards to any resident of California. The cards can be downloaded at www.californiarxcard.com, and can be used at many local pharmacies, including Rite Aid, Walgreens, Longs Drugs, Target and Save Mart.

Edward Brown, program director for California Rx Card, said that the card can save users up to 75 percent on certain prescription drugs, with average savings of about 30 percent. The program is funded directly through pharmaceutical companies, which decide what kinds of discounts can be given on what drugs.

Brown said that there are 6.7 million documented people in California who are uninsured.

“[The program] is designed mainly for the uninsured. However, a lot of underinsured residents are using it as well,” Brown said. “If someone does have coverage … [but] doesn’t have prescription drug benefits, they can use a California Rx Card in place of that.”

Brown believes the program can be especially beneficial to college students.

“There are struggling students at every school who don’t have insurance, who are … just getting by,” he said.

The University Health Center also provides an inexpensive solution for Fresno State students. The Health Center pharmacy provides prescription medication to students at cost. All students need to take advantage of all that the pharmacy offers is a Fresno State ID card.

Tom Blagg, the pharmacist-in-charge at the Health Center, said that many prescriptions can be filled at the university pharmacy for $4 to $5, while insurance co-pays may charge upwards of $20 to $40.

Students who have insurance can still bring their outside prescriptions to be filled at the Health Center pharmacy. The pharmacy also carries over-the- counter medicine like Tylenol and Midol. They can even special order prescription medications that they don’t carry in stock.

“We try to take care of the prescription needs if they have a unique situation,” Blagg said.

Consumer Reports also has tips for people in search of cheaper medication. The magazine recommends that consumers switch from brand name drugs to generic drugs when possible, and buy over the counter medications such as Claritin instead of using a prescription allergy medicine like Zyrtec.

When looking to get an expensive prescription filled, students should know their options. A good course of action for students in need of prescription medications would be to compare prices before making a decision of where they will get their prescription filled.

The California Rx Card Web site has a link to a Web site where students can look up the cost of their medication. They can then go to the University Health Center to find out how much the same medication will cost them there.

Shop ’til you drop

It’s that time of year again: traffic at River Park is gridlocked as thousands of shoppers scramble to get the latest cell phones and “Guitar Hero III,” accumulating hundreds in credit card debt in the process. This holiday season, The Collegian has some gift ideas that can help students avoid the crowds and the necessity to have to work overtime for Christmas spending in the New Year.

Fresno State Football Humanitarian Bowl Preview

Fresno State Bulldogs (8-4, 6-2 WAC) vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (7-5, 4-4 ACC)

Game Day: Monday, Dec. 31, 11 a.m. at Bronco Stadium (Boise, Idaho)
Television: ESPN2 (Comcast Channel 33)
Radio: KMJ-AM 580 and KGST-AM 1600 (ESPN Deportes)

Bulldogs’ Three Keys to Victory:
1) Shut down Tashard Choice. Georgia Tech’s offense revolves around its stud running back. If the Bulldogs can stop him, then they will shut down the Yellow Jackets’ offense.
2) Run, Anthony, run! Anthony Harding has had two consecutive 100-yard rushing games. He, Lonyae Miller and Clifton Smith need to establish the running game early.
3) Feed off the chaos. Georgia Tech is going through a lot of controversy right now with its coaching changes. The Bulldogs need to jump out to an early lead and demoralize the Yellow Jackets.

Down where the peaches grow…
Wins Against: Notre Dame 33-3, Samford 69-14, Clemson 13-3, Miami 17-14, Army 34-10, Duke 41-24, North Carolina 27-25
Losses to: Boston College 10-24, Virginia 23-28, Maryland 26-28, Virginia Tech 3-27, Georgia 17-31
Interim Head Coach: John Tenuta (Sixth Season)
Offense: Multiple
Defense: Zone Blitz
2006 Bowl Game: Lost 35-38 to West Virginia in the Gator Bowl
Key Players: LB Phillip Wheeler, DT Vance Walker, P Durant Brooks
Series Record: Fresno State leads 1-0
Last Meeting: 2002 - Fresno State won 30-21 at the Silicon Valley Football Classic

Position Match-ups

When Fresno State Runs: Fresno State
Even without Mathews, the Fresno State running game has been stellar. Look for Harding to continue dominance.

When Georgia Tech Runs: Georgia Tech
Choice is an absolute stud and the Bulldogs have had trouble stopping the run this season.

When Fresno State Passes: Fresno State
Brandstater and his receivers are clicking at just the right time.

When Georgia Tech Passes: Fresno State
Bennett is at the bottom of the ACC in passing. The Bulldog secondary should be fine.

When Fresno State Kicks: Fresno State
Stitser missed an easy field goal attempt against the Aggies, but should rebound.

When Georgia Tech Kicks: Georgia Tech
Brooks and Bell make up one of the best special team combos in the country.

Breakdown: Bulldogs

After a one-year hiatus, the Fresno State Bulldogs are back in a familiar position – playing in a postseason bowl game. After completing a full turnaround from a 4-8 season last year, to an 8-4 season in 2007, the Bulldogs are ready to regain prominence in college football by finishing the season with a win over a BCS-Conference opponent.

Fresno State has faced off against Georgia Tech just once before. The Bulldogs were able to edge out the Yellow Jackets 31-20 back in 2002 at the now-defunct Silicon Valley Football Classic in San Jose.

The last time the Bulldogs were in Boise for a bowl game, they upset then-No. 18 Virginia 37-34 in the 2004 MPC Computers Bowl.

With several players returning in 2008, the Bulldogs are looking to end this season on a high note and ride the momentum to a successful campaign next year. A Humanitarian Bowl victory would be the perfect way for Fresno State to welcome in the new year.

Offense:

• The theme all season for the Bulldogs has been dealing with injuries. So it is quite fitting that Fresno State’s top running back will be out for the bowl game. Ryan Mathews will not play against Georgia Tech due to a torn muscle near his collarbone that he suffered against New Mexico State on Nov. 30.

• Carrying the load for the Bulldogs’ ground game will be sophomore running back Anthony Harding. He has run for over 100 yards in his last two games. Running back Lonyae Miller should be good to go for the game, as well as senior Clifton Smith.

• Junior quarterback Tom Brandstater has really come into his own as of late. In his final two games of the regular season combined, he had 518 yards passing, with two touchdowns and he also rushed for two scores.

Defense:

• Senior linebacker Marcus Riley earned Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Defensive Player of the Year honors. He will be faced with the task of stopping Georgia Tech’s stud running back Tashard Choice.

• Senior, All-WAC defensive end Tyler Clutts and the Bulldog linemen will need to shut down the running game early and force the Yellow Jackets to pass, which is not their specialty.

• Georgia Tech’s pass offense is the second-worst in the conference, only averaging 182.9 yards per game. Getting to the quarterback could be tough, though. The Yellow Jackets only allowed a league-best 19 sacks.

Breakdown: Yellow Jackets

The state of the Georgia Tech football program has been chaotic as of late. Last month, head coach Chain Gailey was fired. The Yellow Jackets will play their bowl game without a head coach. Defensive coordinator John Tenuta will take over for Gailey at the bowl game.

With the thought of an entirely new coach and new offense in 2008, Georgia Tech might have more on their mind than just the Humanitarian Bowl. To make matters worse, the last time they played Fresno State in a bowl game, they lost 30-21.

Offense:

• The catalyst of the Georgia Tech offense is First Team, All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) running back Tashard Choice. He leads the ACC and ranks 15th in the nation at 119.09 rushing yards per game. Choice is one the most-prolific running backs in Georgia Tech history, ranking in the top 10 in numerous categories. He had a season-high 37 rushes for 204 yards against Miami.

• Quarterback Taylor Bennett leads a basically non-existent passing game. Bennett ranks 10th in the ACC with 170.4 yards passing per game and six touchdowns.

• Kicker Travis Bell was a First-Team, All-ACC selection. He is the seventh player in NCAA history to convert 100 percent of his extra points on at least 100 attempts. He has made all 132 of his extra points.

Defense:

• Linebacker Phillip Wheeler has a team-high 78 tackles, including nine for a loss and six sacks.

• Defensive tackle Vance Walker was a First Team, All-ACC selection with team-high 8.5 sacks. He forced three fumbles and recovered two of them.

• Punter Durant Brooks won the Ray Guy Award as the nation’s top punter. He could cause the Bulldogs problems in the field position battle.

Nieves steps down as head coach

Former Fresno State volleyball coach Ruben Nieves announced his resignation last week, formally ending three difficult seasons as head coach.

Nieves coached the volleyball team to a 5-26 record this season.

In his first year, Nieves guided the team to a 7-21 record and a 6-24 record in his second season.

Nieves said that Fresno State athletic director Thomas Boeh initiated the resignation talks.

“The athletic director wanted to make a change and he gave me the opportunity to resign,” Nieves said. “He wasn’t satisfied with the competitiveness of the team, which I understood.”

Coming to coach on the heels of Lindy Vivas, Nieves inherited a divided team.

Half of the team supported Vivas and was unhappy with her departure. The other half welcomed the change.

Two top returners transferred immediately after Vivas’ contract was not renewed following the 2004 season, which hurt the program.

“There was a series of events that reflected negatively on the volleyball program and the athletics program at Fresno State,” Nieves said.

Nieves was the sixth head coach of the program.

Nieves said he was treated appropriately while at Fresno State.

“I’d like to stress that I’ve never seen any athlete or coach that has been treated unfairly by any administration ever,” Nieves said. “It’s hard to give a program unlimited resources and you’re not going to get everything you want.

“Fresno State athletics teams are lucky and their coaches fortunate with this administration.”

For now, Nieves plans to stay around Fresno.

Nieves said that he moved to Fresno before he became the volleyball coach at Fresno State and that he moved because of very good reasons.

Nieves said those reasons are still in Fresno.

“The job search has started and I’m wide open,” Nieves said.

Nieves said he has been contacted by an athletic director but declined to say from what school.

Talks are still preliminary, according to Nieves.

“I’ve been coaching in Fresno State for three years and I’ve been a coach for 20,” Nieves said. “I’ve been an educator all my life and I’d like to stay in education.”

Nieves has an all-time record of 197-163 in his years of coaching and one NCAA Championship.

That championship came in 1997 during his 11 seasons as the men’s head coach at Stanford.

Response has been positive toward Nieves’ resignation.

Nieves said he’s fortunate to have good support from his colleagues and peers.

“I’ve made a lot of friends as a coach and they’re making sure I land on my feet,” Nieves said.

Nieves said his volleyball players understand his decision.

“They know that coaches don’t stay forever at a Division I school,” Nieves said.

Fresno State has already started searching for a new coach.

There are two local Nieves recruits at Buchanan High School.

“They’ll be curious to see who’s hired and then they’ll make their decision, [to come to Fresno State]” Nieves said.

Winter wonderland of sports

Jim: With the semester winding down and finals coming up, winter break is right around the corner. For sports fanatics like myself, Christmas comes in the form of more than just presents.

Kim: It will be nice to have a break, and even though this winter break will feel like the shortest one ever, there will be a lot of exciting things going on. If my teams win and my favorite players are playing, I will be rewarded with the best Christmas gift ever.

Jim: While on winter break, there is a bonanza of sporting events to watch. There are 32 college bowl games, the NFL playoff races are gearing up and it’s the heart of the NBA season. Not to mention college basketball, hockey and blockbuster offseason trades happening in the baseball world.

Kim: The college bowl games will probably be the most exciting, but of course all of the stuff going on will make the break more enjoyable. The excitement of what’s to come is something to look forward to. Time off from school and such allows me to actually go see some of those games in Los Angeles, or wherever, which is so much better than watching them on television.

Jim: With the spring semester around the corner, we have a lot of things to look forward to. The baseball team will be looking for its third-straight conference title, Fresno State’s basketball teams will be starting up conference play and hopefully we will all be celebrating a bowl victory over Georgia Tech.

Kim: As far as Fresno State athletics goes, spring will bring about a lot of fun stuff in the sports pages. Let’s hope we do start the year off the right way with a win in Boise. Then, we’ll take it from there.

Jim: The Collegian sports staff would like to wish you all happy holidays and a happy new year. May you all be enlightened by the sporting world over break and stay away from unrealistic New Year’s resolutions. Lets be honest, you are not going to work out every day, give up video games or go to class every day.

Kim: As always, thanks for reading our column. Have a wonderful break and we’ll see you next semester.

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