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WEB-SPE@K: What do you think of the Academy Awards?

What do you think of the Academy Awards? What movies or actors are you rooting for, if any? Who do you think will win?

Be sure to read the print edition of next Friday’s issue of The Collegian for featured comments.

The Collegian reserves the right to edit material for length, content, spelling and grammar, as well as the right to refuse publication of any material submitted. All material submitted to The Collegian becomes property of The Collegian. We would like to encourage readers to continue to submit their ideas and opinions. We look forward to lively and open discussion with our readers.

Fresno State holds 5th anniversary for Columbia shuttle

Two local observances of the 5th anniversary of the Columbia shuttle accident are being planned for the Fresno State campus on Friday, Feb. 1. Read more

Eager for a voice…

When asked how long it took for her to become a citizen, Ofelia Gamez opened her desk drawer and pulled out a calculator.

After a few minutes of trying to determine when, she finally settled on an answer.

“Too long, it just took too long,” Gamez said.

Gamez is the director of the Fresno State College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP), and just recently became a citizen after years of being tossed around by the process.

She had tried twice, even wrote a letter explaining her frustration, but wasn’t able to become a citizen until this January. She said she wanted to be a citizen so she could vote.

“I was eager to have a voice and to do my civic duty,” Gamez said.

Gamez is not the only one; this year there was a surge of immigrants applying for United States citizenship.

The dream of voting in the upcoming presidential election –– along with a scheduled increase in fees –– motivated 1.4 million people across the country to apply after June 1 last year to become naturalized U.S. citizens –– double the previous year’s number, according to the U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services.

This huge jump in applications has delayed the already long and arduous process from about seven months to 18 months. Many immigrants are now concerned if they will be eligible to vote in the upcoming presidential election, according to the bureau.

Coordinator of University Migrant Services Raul Moreno offers some possible motivations for why this sudden increase of applications and why immigrants – especially the Hispanic community –– are so interested in voting in this upcoming election.

“The number one reason I believe is to change the anti-immigrant sentiment and to change the naturalization process,” Moreno said.

Moreno said most of the Hispanic community gets discriminated against and often labeled as undocumented or illegal aliens. He also said it has become increasingly harder for Hispanics to go back and forth over the border to visit family and work.

“With the advent of the homeland security and patriot acts, it has become very difficult for those who are not citizens to move around the country,” Moreno said.

Matias Bernal, president of the student organization Chicanos in Law, said students are eager for a change and that’s why they want to vote.

“Many students see the system as flawed and are hoping this election will bring some immigration reform,” Bernal said.

Gamez believes a major motivation for immigrants trying to be eligible to vote is the steady increase of cost to be naturalized.

The first time she attempted the process, it cost her $200 dollars. When she had to apply again later, it rose to $400 dollars. She has heard from friends going through the process right now that it costs $600 dollars.

“It’s things like this [the cost] that frustrate and drive immigrants away from trying to go through the naturalization process,” Gamez said, but added that there is one positive thing that the Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS) is doing right. She said that because of this recent backlog, they are now swearing in immigrants everyday as long as they do not have a name change.

Even though the process of becoming a citizen may seem long and difficult, Gamez said that everyone that is not a citizen should do it, so they can exercise their right to vote.

“So many people complain about things, but really have no right to because they don’t vote,” Gamez said. “Voting is so crucial and so many take that right for granted, I was so happy when I became a citizen, so I could vote.”

Club refreshes recycling with REI

A new club on campus has put its efforts together to bring environmental awareness to Fresno. The slogan of the Student Environmental Awareness Club (SEAC) is simple – “Think Global! Act Local!”

The club is attempting to get the message across that if every person did their part in every community by reusing and recycling something as simple as a water bottle, then it would have a global effect.

In order to get that message across to students, today at 5 p.m., members of the SEAC are handing out reusable water bottles to students coming to work out at the Student Recreation Center.

SEAC was started by students who shared an interest in the environment.

“My friend Kai Safford and I grew up volunteering and working for the San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust,” said SEAC President Thomas Rouse. “From a young age we learned the importance of being with nature and preserving our environment and natural resources.”

According to facts from SEAC, producing the 20 ounce water bottles that consumers use requires more than 1.5 million barrels of oil every year. That is enough oil to fuel 100,000 cars. Saving that oil could result in lower gas prices.

However, ultimately, 80 percent of those used water bottles end up in a landfill.

The reusable water bottles SEAC is passing out are being donated by Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI), a wilderness and outdoor sports company that recently opened a store in Riverpark. REI is also considering doing a clean-up project with SEAC.

Alyson Wright, an outreach specialist at REI, thinks the club is promoting a great cause.

“We donated water bottles to the club because we felt that they believed in the same things that our company does in education and preserving the environment,” Wright said.

One misconception that perpetuates the usage of bottled water is that the tap water in Fresno is not up to standards for healthy consumption. Tests results provided by the Fresno Water Division ensure that the city’s water supply is strictly regulated by state and federal government standards.

On the other hand, companies that bottle water are not required to say where or how they bottle their water, and provide no test results for public access.

Despite the safety of tap water in Fresno, the water in the bottles being passed out by SEAC will come from a filtered water resource, such as the ones seen outside a local grocery store. Students can also purchase a home filtration system; a water filter pitcher costs only $10 at Walgreens.

“We want to make students at Fresno State and members of the community aware of reusable products, and how important it is to utilize them into our everyday lives,” Rouse said.

$4.5 million grant given for research

A $4.5 million research grant was given to Fresno State by the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities, part of the National Institute of Health, to build a state-of-the-art laboratory for biomedical research over the next five years.

This 2,000 square foot structure will be built in the first room of the basement in the Science I building. The laboratory will continue to expand with the arrival of new equipment. Students, as well as faculty, will have the opportunity to study there.

Krish Krishnan, associate professor of chemistry and a research director at Fresno State, said the grant allows Fresno State to develop biomedical research facilities “on par with any other world-class research institution.”

Fresno State, along with California State University, San Bernardino, were winners of this grant, given to 19 universities in the country.

“The facilities developed here will allow us to educate and train not only students in the College of Science and Math, but also anyone interested in biomedical research,” Krishnan said. “It will allow the students to compete more effectively in their professional careers.”

One of the reasons that Fresno State was chosen was because of the excellent credentials of the Fresno State Research Infrastructure in Minority Institutions (RIMI) team.

Biomedical engineering is a relatively new discipline that combines traditional engineering with biology. Its goal is to improve patient health care, especially improving the designs of devices such as pacemakers, implants and artificial limbs.

“It gives us a whole suite of tools to really allow us to move forward with the cutting-edge technologies,” said Alejandro Calderon-Urrea, a Fresno State biology professor helping to develop the biomedical center.

Some of the members of the RIMI team include Dr. Jason Bush, who is studying air quality and immunoproteomics, along with Krishnan and Dr. Alam Hasson. Dr. Amanda Mortimer is researching marital caregiving interactions in Alzheimer’s disease.

Krishnan is the project director for the biomedical research, while Dr. Lynnette Zelezny is the director of the behavioral research as well as training.

The RIMI team at Fresno State says they understand the importance of investing in biomedical structure in the Central Valley.

Potential focuses include Alzheimer’s disease for the psychology department, and cortisol applications, for the science department. Cortisol is a stress hormone in the saliva. It is also used in hydrocortisone, the chemical form of cortisol used as a treatment for severe allergic reactions.

“[The grant] directly supports President Welty’s mission to engage in high-quality research by enhancing research activity through technology,” Krishnan said.

Lost in Time

Eddie Miller smiled as he watched the Boise State players rush to foul him as he cradled the basketball with 25.8 seconds to go in overtime.

Miller’s smile turned to disbelief as the Fresno State men’s basketball team gave up a four-point lead with 13 seconds to go.

In what was perhaps the most thrilling game of the year, the ‘Dogs narrowly missed an exhilarating Western Athletic Conference (WAC) overtime upset against Boise State at the Save Mart Center Monday, losing 90-89.

The ‘Dogs lost after appearing to lock up the game with a Myles Green free throw that extended the lead to four with 13 seconds left in overtime.

Boise State never gave up, fighting to regain the lead with six seconds left on the clock.

Coach Steve Cleveland was in disbelief, too.

“This game was won and lost a few times,” Cleveland said, his voice low at the postgame press conference. “We’re all disappointed.”

After Green made the second of his two free throws to extend the lead for the ‘Dogs, Boise State’s Matt Bauscher made the second of his two three-pointers in overtime to narrow the lead to one.

With no timeouts left, Hector Hernandez made an errant inbounds pass to Kevin Bell that flew into the scorer’s table.

Boise State’s Tyler Tiedeman made a quick inbounds pass to Reggie Larry, who had an easy lay-up to shift the lead to the Broncos.

Hernandez, clearly distraught, nearly refused to pass the ball in after giving up the lead.

The ball eventually landed in the hands of Bell, who drove the length of the floor with six seconds left.

Bell went up for the lay-up as the crowd held it’s breath, almost all 10,399 attending exhaling dejectedly as the ball rolled off the rim.

The final score did not represent the hard work that the Bulldogs put in just to have a chance to beat Boise State, who was the clear favorite.

Fresno State went into halftime up by six. The Broncos came out firing in the second half, aided by missed Fresno State layups and poor passes.

The crowd plainly gave the ‘Dogs an explosion of energy, especially at the end of the second half.

“The crowd, we always appreciate it, guys go out and give it their all and it helps,” Bell said.

The Broncos led by eight with two minutes to go.

The Bulldogs came alive with the crowd in the final two minutes of regulation with Miller making two three-pointers on two consecutive possessions, and Hernandez making a deep desperation three-pointer with 13 seconds left.

Green then fouled Anthony Thomas, who made one of his two free throws to give the Broncos a two-point lead.

Bell drove to the hoop and was fouled by Thomas with 3.5 seconds remaining. Bell made both free throws to force overtime.

“I can’t say enough about the effort and the ability to never give up,” Cleveland said. Even Cleveland thought the game was out of reach with two minutes left and Fresno State down by eight.

Bell and Miller had career nights with Bell scoring 26 and Miller 30.

Both Miller and Bell played the entire game, an accomplishment after both Nedeljko Golubovic and Tyson Parker had early foul trouble.

Parker and Golubovic each scored only two points.

Boise State showed why they have the best offense in the WAC.

Tiedeman and Larry led the Broncos in scoring with Tiedeman scoring 23 and Larry scoring 27, including the final lay-up that solidified the win. Cleveland said Larry was the hardest person to guard on the floor.

“It’s been a struggle all year, but to see that kind of energy, it’s encouraging,” Cleveland said about the Bulldogs’ hustle. “As a coach I feel terrible today, the guys will feel bad, but we just have to keep playing.”

The ‘Dogs fell below .500 for the season and in the WAC with the loss.

Fresno State will have a chance to avenge the loss on Feb. 16 in Boise and potentially in the WAC tournament in March.

In a bizarre situation, the Save Mart Center’s fire alarm was activated with 6:53 left to go in the first half.

Play was stopped as the Bulldogs made their way up the court. Neither team left the court.

Many confused fans stayed in their seats, as others headed for the exits. It took over two minutes for officials to confirm that it was a false alarm.

The Sleaze-o-meter: Republican Edition

AMERICANS DON’T VOTE FOR candidates. Americans vote against candidates.

Unfortunately, the news media has reported little of this cynicism. Instead, headlines are awash with the idea that, for once, Americans might have something positive to look forward to this Election Day. A candidate they’re excited about.

History proves the networks wrong. Our post-Watergate age of high scandal and reality television has no place for optimism. We have no business cashing in the idea that a vote really makes that much of a difference, or that it could do anything but slow our country’s inevitable spiral to oblivion.

As such, I thought I’d do my readers the service of ranking the candidates in terms of how little you could trust them. Policy has no place in this ranking — only how not-respectable they are, and how dishonest.

I watch “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.” That said, it should come as no surprise that the Republican Sleaze-o-meter comes first.

1. Mitt Romney. There really isn’t any other way to characterize Romney as anything but a sleaze, someone who’d sell his grandmother for a nickel. He’d then invest his nickel in his own campaign, like the near-billion nickels preceding it.

More troubling is his tendency to switch sides on core Republican issues — abortion, for example — when it suits his campaign. Archive footage of his Massachusetts gubernatorial race might as well be of Rudy Giuliani.

He understands what’s really important, though. His hair still looks fabulous.

2. Rudy Giuliani. If you listen to him talk and actually believe what he says, ignoring his attorney-at-law mannerisms and frankly uncharismatic delivery, Giuliani has little that’s distinguishably Republican. Well, except for his attorney-at-law mannerisms and his frankly uncharismatic delivery.

Giuliani is the undisputed leader of distorting his record and those of his opponents, just to get them flustered and on the defensive. Flustered and defensive candidates, he must reason, lose support. That can only help him.

It really doesn’t help that he acts, looks, talks and philanders like a lawyer. Sleaze.

3. John McCain. Switching sides is nothing new to McCain, whose record on immigration — whatever your position — isn’t quite what he says he supports now. He’s been known for a moment or two of “political cowardice,” as he put it.

On other issues — the Iraq War troop “surge,” for one — he’s stayed remarkably adamant and stable. Of the current electable Republican candidates, readers would be well-advised to vote on behalf of McCain come Feb. 5. It’s a vote that counts twice — against Romney and against Giuliani.

4. Mike Huckabee. The Huckster is a dangerous political candidate for his own reasons, but flipping around isn’t one of them. Sure, he’ll distort his own political history as an Arkansas governor, but he’s done well to present his amiable jokester side in tandem with his evangelical ideologue side.

Unfortunately, that’s about as deep as the Huckster gets. He’d rank even lower on the sleaze-o-meter if he had all that much of a voting record to flip against.

5. Ron Paul. McCain is said to have once called this 10-term Texas congressman “the most honest man in Congress.” That’s according to the Paul campaign’s Web site.

If you’re voting on integrity, vote Paul. Of course, that also means you’re voting for the gold standard and the freest free-market economy Ayn Rand ever dreamed of. For most modern Republicans, adding in his largely isolationist, anti-Iraq-War foreign policy is just the icing of a poisoned cake.

Pragmatic Republicans should avoid Huckabee and Paul, as supporting those campaigns indirectly supports Romney’s and Giuliani’s campaigns. That’s the reason McCain stands the best shot of winning the nomination. Clear-thinking Republicans know the threat Romney and Giuliani pose.

Voting against them is the only vote that makes sense.

Democratic candidates will follow in the Monday, Feb. 4 edition of The Collegian.

Campus Speak

Do you have any Super Bowl traditions? What are they?

“We just get a bunch of friends — my family’s friends, friends we’ve always known — we just get together. Usually the Super Bowl falls near my dad’s birthday. We just sit there and watch the game.”

Angelo Jimenez
Civil Engineering
Freshman

“My family usually doesn’t do much, but I’ll get my friends together. We’ll get some tri-tip, usually. We all barbeque together. Everyone brings a dish and we all just have fun and watch the game.”

Jose Moreno
Biology
Freshman

“We just have a big family reunion. We hang out, have a big meal, watch the game and root for our favorite team.”

Darah Vanvranken
Biology: Physiology and Anatomy
Sophomore

“I don’t really have a Super Bowl tradition. If I don’t work, I’m usually at my fraternity house watching it. Last year we had a big party.”

Davide Ghilarducci
Liberal Studies
Senior

“We just sit around on Sunday and enjoy each other and relax. Pretty much every Sunday is the same — it’s not like there’s more emphasis because it’s Super Bowl Sunday. We’re pretty much religious about watching football, so it’s kind of sad that it’s the last game of the year.”

Bobby Lepori
Communications
Senior

Fun and Games — 01/30/08

Fun and games for Wed., Jan. 30, 2008.

Read more

ASI and Fresno community hope to improve ‘Sin City’

El Dorado Park, more commonly known as “Sin City” to most Fresno State students, is finally getting the attention it needs.

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Students don’t witness Bulldogs’ last-minute loss

Monday night’s game against Boise State might have been one of the most exciting moments in recent Fresno State men’s basketball history.

With just three seconds left in the fourth quarter of play, senior Kevin Bell hit one free throw with three seconds on the game clock and had one more to shoot.

The first free throw brought the Bulldogs within one point of tying an emotional game against one of the most talented teams in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). The entire Save Mart Center crowd was on its feet in anticipation but there was no roar – just silence.

Bell hit the second shot and tied the game. The ‘Dogs then scrambled in order to keep the ball from being inbounded, but a Boise State player got the ball and sprinted down court.

When the player got within 27 feet of the rim he pulled up – the crowd gasped for air. The shot didn’t fall and the gasp of air turned into a roar that made a face-numbing amount of noise, driving chills my spine.

The arena then turned into a celebration, the crowd was full of people on their feet, some of them giving one another a high-five, and others hugging. This was the type of environment that facilitates a win in any sport.

The ‘Dogs eventually lost the game in overtime after a game-winning attempt by Bell rolled off of the side of the rim — but that’s not the point.

The point here is that a crowd can provide an intangible element that can facilitate a team’s success. It’s called support. The crowd was there to support the ‘Dogs through every lead gained and lost, and at the end of the day it meant more than you may think.

Bell said when a crowd creates an environment, it is the team’s job to not only feed off of the energy, but exceed it.

“We have one of the best crowds in the country,” he said.

Monday’s crowd gave the team plenty of energy to feed off of, and was a great example of why the ‘Dogs are currently No. 33 in the NCAA in average attendance, according to Fresno State Athletic Media Relations. Though all of that was in place, there was still one important missing element – a student section.

It is understandable that the student section may be a little dry because of a Monday night game. Students have school the next morning, and probably tons of homework to do. Academia is a priority.

On the other hand, the student section hasn’t really packed out yet this season. Where are the students at the games this year?

I’m sure you’ve either heard of or seen perennial NCAA teams on TV. Teams like Florida, Duke, Georgetown and Kansas have fans come together to make a ruckus-filled wave of collegiate color.
Those teams have crowds that make enough noise to break the most poised of players. More importantly, they have packed student sections that get the crowd to support their team.

It’s an element that makes good teams great, and is the way college programs break into the top 25.

This isn’t a rag on student participation at men or women’s basketball games; it’s more of a public service announcement.

The message here is that tickets to the game are free, people. It’s always a good time, and much more enriching and entertaining than sitting on your couch and watching “Life of Ryan,” or whatever semi-reality TV show you’re into right now.

‘Dog Bites

The Fresno State women’s basketball team lost 82-62 at Boise State on Monday at the Taco Bell Arena.

The loss dropped the ‘Dogs record to 11-9 and 6-1 in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). The loss also snapped their nine game winning streak. Boise State improved to 13-6 and 5-2 in the WAC.

LaShaunte Stevens scored the most points for the Bulldogs. She led the team with 17 points and five rebounds.

Jaleesa Ross added 12 points, three of those from a three-pointer she scored late in the game.

Bailey Amundsen grabbed a team-high five rebounds.

Fresno State had to go on a 14-5 run just to close within eight at halftime.

In the second half, the Bulldogs never gained on Boise State’s lead. Fresno State shot 33 percent from the floor and out-rebounded Boise, 38-31.

On Thursday, Fresno State will face off against Nevada at the Save Mart Center. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on Comcast Channel 14.

Master Plan meeting scheduled

Fresno State Master Plan EIR meeting set for Jan. 30, 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm.

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VIDEO: Jan. 30, 2008: Super Bowl Traditions

The Collegian Online asks about Super Bowl traditions.
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My Fresno State to be offline

The My Fresno State portal and Campus Events Calendar (aka Resource 25) will
be offline for a critical maintenance update scheduled on Thursday, January
31, 2008, between the hours of 8PM and 10PM.

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