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Immigrants get ‘a better test’ for U.S. citizenship

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Quick, fellow citizens, what are the colors of our national flag? OK, what color are its stars? How about this: Name the form immigrants fill out to apply for U.S. citizenship. Anyone? What, you never heard of Form N-400?

For years, scholars, historians and policy makers have mocked the inane questions on the naturalization examination that immigrants must pass to gain U.S. citizenship, arguing that it tested trivia and minted new Americans who lacked meaningful knowledge about their adopted country’s history and governance.

But that’s set to change Wednesday, when U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services rolls out a redesigned naturalization exam.

New test based on ‘ideals’

“We’re trying to encourage civic learning and attachment,” Alfonso Aguilar, chief of the Office of Citizenship, said in an interview during a stop in San Francisco. “The test is not harder. It’s just a better test. It follows a basic U.S. history and civics curriculum. It’s more on concepts than on rote memorization.”

The current test was developed in 1986, but without guidance from scholars or historians. And it wasn’t always administered consistently: Immigrants in some cities were given multiple-choice answers, while others had to recite from memory.

The redesign began in 2000 and involved help from test development contractors, the National Academy of Sciences, a panel of history and U.S. government scholars, and English-as-a-second-language experts.

Gone are such oft-ridiculed questions as the one about the citizenship form. Replacing them are questions aimed at basic concepts in American governance, such as “What is the rule of law?” or “What are two rights of everyone living in the United States?”

“If you don’t understand those ideals,” asked the Puerto Rico-born Aguilar, “how American are you?”
Other questions require a fuller understanding of the people and events that shaped American history. So rather than asking “Who was president during the Civil War?” the new test asks: “What was one important thing that Abraham Lincoln did?”

As with the old test, applicants are given the entire list of 100 possible questions and the answers in advance to study. When they are called in for an interview, typically months later, they must give the correct answer in English to at least six of 10 selected questions from that list to pass. Those who apply for citizenship before Wednesday may choose to be tested on either the old or new exam. After that, they must use the new one.

Joren Lyons, a staff attorney with the non-profit Asian Law Caucus in San Francisco, which helps immigrants handle naturalization applications, worries that some who spent years studying the old test might get stuck with the new one. But he wasn’t concerned about the new test’s content.

“Our concern is having a test that’s fair,” Lyons said. “Their goal is to make it more meaningful, and I think some of the questions achieve that. On paper, it seems like a reasonable effort. We’ll see how all this plays out in the field.”

College students weigh in on both tests

At the request of the San Jose Mercury News, a trio of San Jose State University students gamely agreed to try answering 10 questions from each. Accounting major Alex Andal, 21; pre-nursing major Julienne Baris, 19; and broadcast journalism major Marianne Mendezona, 19, easily passed the new test.

They had little difficulty naming, say, a right from the First Amendment, a voting right from the constitutional amendments, or one American Indian tribe. They knew slavery was a problem that led to the Civil War and understood that separation of powers stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful.

These are American college kids, after all, not strangers in a strange land. But they did stumble a bit trying to recall something Benjamin Franklin is famous for.

“Electricity?” Baris asked. “Is he on the $100 bill?” (He started the nation’s first free libraries and was a diplomat, among acceptable answers on the test.)

The old test stumped them even more.

“Pelosi?” Baris offered when asked to name one of the state’s senators while her companions sat in silence. (Nancy Pelosi is a U.S. representative from San Francisco and speaker of the House of Representatives.)

OK, who said “Give me liberty or give me death!”

“Was it a president, or a woman?” Mendezona wondered. (Neither. It was Patrick Henry, urging fellow Virginians in 1775 to prepare for fighting the British in the American Revolution.)

Still, they had little trouble naming red, white and blue as the colors of the U.S. flag or recalling that the vice president becomes president if the president dies.

But after taking both exams, the student volunteers weren’t sure the new test was any better than the old.

“They’re just different questions and different answers,” Andal said.

Baris agreed some of the questions on the old exam were “kind of stupid, and some of it was too trivial.” But she and Mendezona still felt the old one required more studying.

“It was harder,” Baris said.

By John Woolfolk / McClatchy Tribune

Mathews reminds Bruins why they wanted him

PASADENA – For Fresno State fans, the trip to Pasadena was worth the trouble.

Thousands of Red Wavers made the journey down to the Rose Bowl with the hope of witnessing a signature win over a Bowl Championship Series conference team.

What they got was a chance to witness history.

Watching the performance of Fresno State tailback Ryan Mathews was well worth the price of admission and second-degree sunburn from facing the sun in the visitors’ section for four hours.

In the Bulldogs’ 36-31 win over the UCLA Bruins, Mathews had the best game of his relatively short career.

Mathews was impressive statistically, rushing 21 times for 166 yards and one touchdown. He also added a 25-yard catch on a screen play that wowed both sides of the crowd.

On a third down and forever from the UCLA 25, Fresno State called a screen to Mathews and left the rest to him. Mathews hurdled -— literally jumped over — UCLA cornerback Courtney Viney in route to a touchdown right in front of the Fresno State fans.

“Sometimes you hit the right buttons in Nintendo and it was the right button,” Fresno State coach Pat Hill said.

The only other way to describe the play is to hum the SportsCenter theme song. It was that amazing, but Mathews was his usual humble self.

“I was just trying to have fun out there and make plays for my team,” Mathews said. “We were just playing Bulldog football out there.”

Mathews was the star for Fresno State’s first-ever victory in the Rose Bowl, but he came close to not playing Bulldog football.

In his senior season at West High in Bakersfield, Mathews rushed for 3,396 yards and 44 touchdowns. No really, those were his stats.

During the recruiting period, Mathews was getting attention from all over, including Pac-10 schools. But there was one problem – academic qualifying.

Mathews had all the talent in the world and the chance to play college football almost anywhere on the West Coast.

When those BCS schools found out that Mathews was going to have trouble making NCAA standards, their interests disappeared. One of those schools that stopped calling was UCLA.

“I was recruited by UCLA and they kinda fell off,” Mathews said.

The one school that never swayed and never gave up on Mathews was Fresno State.

“Coach Hill was on me from the get-go and he wasn’t letting me down,” Mathews said.

Hill offered Mathews a scholarship even before he was able to qualify and it looks like the gamble paid off. When Mathews did become eligible, offers came flying from Pac-10 schools like USC, but Mathews stayed with the coach and program that believed in him.

On national television against UCLA, Mathews showed everyone who they should have had faith in. And when the game was on the line, well you can guess, the Bulldogs turned to Mathews.

With 8:55 left in the fourth quarter and up 36-31, the Bulldogs got the ball on their 10-yard line following a fumble by UCLA tailback Derrick Coleman.

Mathews took the first carry of the drive for six yards, but after the run he did not return to the huddle. Mathews was helped off the field with a knee injury and the Bulldogs’ drive continued on without him, until crunch time.

Later on in the drive, with only 2:53 left, Fresno State faced a fourth-and-1. Mathews lined up at his usual tailback position and everyone in the stadium knew what was going to happen.

The Bulldogs needed one yard and Mathews fought through on second and third efforts and ran for seven. The first down sealed the game and allowed the Bulldogs to run out the rest of the clock.
Following the game, Fresno State players, coaches and fans all celebrated together and relished in the moment.

It was more than just the average, ordinary game for the Bulldogs.

“Coach Hill has his vision in about 20 or 30 years having [Fresno State] be a big time powerhouse,” junior safety Moses Harris said. “And this is one of the games that is going to put us back on the national stage.”

If things go to plan and Fresno State does become a college football power in years to come, fans will look back at this game.

The ‘Dogs finally beat the Bruins in th Rose Bowl after six tries. The player only Fresno State believed in got them there.

’Dogs smell like roses

FRESNO STATE BULLDOGS 36, UCLA BRUINS 31

Bulldogs take down Bruins for first time ever in the Rose Bowl

PASADENA – The Fresno State Bulldogs did something Saturday that had never been done before in program history.

They beat the UCLA Bruins in the Rose Bowl.

The Bulldogs (3-1) were able to run out the clock with 8:55 remaining in the game to clinch the 36-31 victory in front of 73,963 fans in Pasadena. More than 18,000 of those fans were clad in red supporting the Bulldogs.

The win was Fresno State’s 14th over a BCS opponent since 2000, tying Utah for the most in that stretch of time. The Bulldogs are the first non-BCS opponent to beat the Bruins in the Rose Bowl since 1983.

Hill: Rose Bowl win “just a game”

With the victory Fresno State moved up three spots to No. 22 in the AP Poll and our ranked at No. 21 in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll.

Coach Pat Hill was caught up in the moment, waving the ‘W’ flag in front of the band following Saturday’s game, but said the victory over UCLA (1-3) just means his team is 3-1, nothing more.

“It’s just a game that keeps us pushing that big boulder up the mountain,” Hill said. “It’s all about our team and our fans. Together we won a great football game today.”

Defense keeps Bruins from last-minute score

The Bulldogs’ defense really had to come together in the fourth quarter against UCLA’s offense, which came into the game ranked 118th in the nation in rushing but were able to amass 234 yards on the ground against Fresno State.

With less than 10 minutes left in the game, UCLA quarterback Kevin Craft was able to run the ball two straight times for 16 and 18 yards to set up the Bruins at Fresno State’s 13-yard line.

On the next play, UCLA tailback Derrick Coleman was smashed by Sharrod Davis, who knocked the ball out. Wilson Ramos recovered the fumble to give Fresno State possession.

“I just triggered on it,” Davis said. “I saw it, I went and luckily popped it out. We kept fighting all day, forced a big turnover and got the ‘W’.”

Mathews shines on offense

After that play, the Fresno State offense put together an impressive 17-play, 85-yard drive, culminating with a big fourth-down run by sophomore tailback Ryan Mathews.

On fourth-and-1, Mathews ran off right tackle and gained seven yards to pick up the first down and put the game out of reach.

“That’s our patented play,” Hill said. “We take a lot of grief for running power, but that helped us win the game.”

Mathews did a couple other things to help the Bulldogs win the game.

In front of several family members and friends who made the trip from Bakersfield to Pasadena, Mathews rushed for a season-high 166 yards on 21 carries.

Mathews’ biggest play from scrimmage came in the second quarter with the Bulldogs down 13-10.

He was lined up at receiver and got the ball on a fly sweep, taking it 49 yards to the end zone for a touchdown to put the Bulldogs up 16-13.

Mathews’ other score came on third-and-17 in the third quarter. Quarterback Tom Brandstater found Mathews on a screen pass, which Mathews took 25 yards for another touchdown and even hurdled over a defender to get there.

“This has been a lot of fun,” Mathews said. “We’ve been trying to get our name out there and I think people are starting to recognize who Fresno State is now.”

Brandstater, West use good judgment

People may also start to take notice of Brandstater.

The senior put together another strong performance with 236 yards passing and three touchdowns. He was 21-of-30 and threw one interception that was batted at the line of scrimmage.

At the end of the second quarter, Brandstater hooked up on a touchdown pass with Bear Pascoe for the second consecutive week to put Fresno State up 20-16.

The two other scores came on the pass to Mathews and a 28-yard score to wide receiver Chastin West.

West sat out all of last season with an injury and hadn’t scored since 2006. He had to make a dive for the pylon to get the touchdown and increased Fresno State’s lead to 36-22.

At first he wasn’t sure if he should have dived for the end zone.

“I was like ‘uh-oh, maybe I should put the ball back in,’” West said. “But, then said ‘nah, go for the touchdown.’”

He led the team with five catches for 69 yards.

The Bulldogs will now prepare for the conference opener against Hawaii Saturday night. The Warriors dropped their WAC opener at home to San Jose State 20-17.

“We can’t keep winning games like this, but for today it’s fine,” West said. “[This win] proves a lot for where the WAC is going and where Fresno State and this organization is going.”

Collegian Players of the Game

Ryan Mathews
Offense

Sharrod Davis
Defense

Marlon Moore
Special Teams

The Collegian hands out its game balls following every Fresno State football game:

Offense: Tailback Ryan Mathews – The sophomore ran for 166 yards and a touchdown for the Bulldogs. He also scored on a screen pass from 25 yards out and sealed the win for the Bulldogs by running for a first down late in the fourth quarter.

Defense: Cornerback Sharrod Davis – Davis totaled eight tackles Saturday and made the biggest hit of the game when he forced a fumble to give the Bulldogs possession.

Special Teams: Punt returner Marlon Moore – After the defense forced UCLA to go three-and-out on its first possession, Moore took a punt return to the house for a 63-yard score on his first touch of the game. He was one of the lone bright spots on special teams.

Coming up next…

After starting the season with a 3-1 record in non-conference play, the Bulldogs open up the WAC season at home this Saturday against the Hawaii Warriors. After busting the BCS last season, Hawaii has fallen off a bit. The Warriors are 1-3 this season and dropped their conference opener at home Saturday night to the San Jose Spartans 20-17.

Soccer splits weekend homestand 1-1

Volleyball

After winning its last two conference road games, the Fresno State volleyball team dropped its conference home opener to San Jose State Saturday night at the Save Mart Center.

The Bulldogs lost in straight sets 25-19, 25-15 and 25-22 and are now 2-2 in conference play this season. Fresno State has already equaled its win total from last season with five wins.

The Spartans got out to a quick 8-0 lead in set one, but Fresno State was able to cut the lead to 20-18. The Bulldogs made it close, but the Spartans took the set 25-19.

Fresno State amassed a match-high .205 hitting percentage in set three, but fell 25-22 after keeping it close at 20-20.

Meghan Moss led the team with 11 digs and Allanah Munson added 23 assists. The team leader in kills, Brianna Clarke, led the team once again with nine kills.

The Bulldogs out-blocked San Jose State 8-5, but still fell just a bit short.

The Bulldogs will continue their homestand this Thursday against the Boise State Broncos at 7 p.m. inside the Save Mart Center.

Soccer

The Fresno State Bulldog soccer team has had a tough start to the season and had a chance to get back on track this past weekend.

On Friday night the Bulldogs faced the Seattle University Redhawks. The game was tied at the half, but the Redhawks were able to score twice in the second half and win in Bulldog Stadium.

In that game, sophomore Alex Jensen had the first goal of her career.

The second game of the weekend went much better for the Bulldogs.

In their Sunday afternoon game against Sacramento State, the Bulldogs were led by freshman Molly Nizzoli and senior Nicole Gutierrez.

Both Nizzoli and Gutierrez scored against the Hornets while the defense held Sacramento State scoreless.

The goal was the fourth of Nizzoli’s career.

The Bulldogs were 2-6 going into their two games this weekend and are now 3-7 on the season.

Up next for the Bulldogs is a trip to Oregon to face the Oregon State Beavers and the Portland State Vikings.

Equestrian

The Bulldogs picked up their first victory of the season Saturday at the Willis Invitational at Baylor.

Fresno State tied TCU 7-7, but won by way of a tiebreaker.

The Bulldogs squeaked by the Horned Frogs 705.5 to 701.5 in the combined cumulative score after each team won six head-to-head matches.

Fresno State swept equitation on the flat with Tarynn Shada, Kelsey Bullock and Kimberly Hewson-Budnik all picking up wins.

The Bulldogs dropped their last two matches of the day to Baylor and conference foe New Mexico State.

The team’s next event will take place on Oct. 11 at South Dakota State.

Cross Country

Sophomore Erick Garcia placed 22nd out of 234 participants at the Stanford Invitational Saturday.

Garcia finished the 8K race with a time of 25:12.

Marissa McPhail was the Bulldogs’ top women’s competitor with a time of 23:22.

Renaissance Man

Dr. Fitzalbert M. Marius knew it was going to be a tough fight.

The time and place was the mid-1930s in New York City and Dr. Marius was 13 years old. He was set to box Walter Smith, a fellow youngster from another New York school.

“I knew I could beat him ’cause I was fast,” Marius said.

He threw shadow left jabs and right crosses, exhibiting his fighting prowess as a youth, as he retold the story some 70 years later in the English Department office at Fresno State.

“I threw everything I had at him and I did not hit him even once,” Marius, bellowing his contagious, warm laughter, said.

Marius’ first encounter with greatness not his last

The boxing match ended in a technical knockout as Smith overwhelmed the young Marius with a barrage of punches. Smith and his promoters later changed his name to Sugar Ray Robinson — who, in 2007, was named the greatest boxer of the 20th century by the Associated Press and ESPN.

Dr. Marius’ youth was spent amidst the influences of the influx of African-American writers, poets, artists, actors and musicians who drove the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s.

Marius immigrated to Harlem, New York, from his birthplace in Colon, Panama, when he was age three. By the 1920s, Harlem had burgeoned into a sanctuary for African-Americans trying to escape the Jim Crow Laws that had laden the South.

“Harlem became a place where the races moved in and out very easily,” James Walton, Ph.D., the English department chair at Fresno State and long-time friend of Marius, said. “It was a very cosmopolitan city.”

“It was a flowering period for African-Americans and the arts and New York City became a magnet for all the artists,” Walton said.

Recalling the Harlem Renaissance

During lunch on Thursday, Sept. 25, Marius spoke to a crowded room about his life.

He said during his talk: “[The Harlem Renaissance] brought to the attention, particularly the black youths, that they had the inherent skill, abilities, talents and intellect to accomplish everything the dominant people in the social order could.”

“Along with the ethical, moral and teachings of my parents, the Harlem Renaissance was one of the greatest influences in whatever accomplishments occurred in my life,” Marius said.

Man of many talents

By age three, Dr. Marius spoke French, Spanish and English; by age seven he was an apprenticed tailor, receiving the designation of master tailor at 17. By age seven, he began his eleven-year study of the violin. He is a painter; he is a poet; he is a biblical scholar who still teaches Sunday school. He has served the Central Valley for over 49 years as a surgeon, performing some of the very first cardiac surgeries in the San Joaquin Valley — the vocation he is most recognized for.

“Dr. Marius is the classical definition of a renaissance person,” said Walton. “This man is a singular character.”

Color Me Blind

Fresno State artists’ showcase exhibits a unique spin on art — a color wheel deems the fate of their art in the Colour Blind Collection

Several Fresno State students will have their artwork featured in an upcoming ArtHop showcase to be held in downtown Fresno.

The-one day event is called the Colour Blind Collection. It will feature eight local artists, each of whom make contributions to the group presentation.

Fresno State student Samuel Tekunoff, a graphic design major, organized the event.

“[The Colour Blind Collection] is a community-based collection of different artists that will hopefully educate artists and anyone who comes,” Tekunoff said.

He said that it will be the second art annual show.

Random colors inspire artists

“Each artist was randomly given a color from the color wheel that must appear in their artwork,” Tekunoff said. “The museum will resemble a color wheel.”

Uriel Tekunoff, Samuel’s brother, will also be featured in the event

“The colors represent emotions,” Uriel Tekunoff said. “You can take a look at the piece and get a feel for the artist’s emotion.”

Each artist will have five pieces of his or her color-driven art on display.

“This event is practically the first of its kind,” Samuel Tekunoff said.

Artists employ range of techniques

Samuel Tekunoff is also contributing his own work to the showcase.

“My specialty is computer-manipulated photography,” Samuel Tekunoff said. He explained that white is the color he was assigned for the project, and that he photographed a woman dressed in all white.

“In each piece she is in a different pose, a different direction, and wearing a different top,” Samuel Tekunoff said.

By using his “computer-manipulated photography” skills, he makes the subject in his artwork almost disappear.

Uriel Tekunoff, an engineering major, calls his art style a multi-layered stencil technique that is close to urban art.

He explained that he takes a photo, and then uses a stencil to allow only parts of the photo to come through for a very unique effect. His assigned color for the project was red.

“I think it will be a real nice and light experience,” Uriel Tekunoff said. “[The event will be held] in two rooms, but it will be wide open.”

Other featured art mediums on display will include collage, acrylics and spray paint.

Colour Blind Collection

Don’t miss out on eight local artists showcasing their unique art in a group presentation.

• The event will be held at the DeRouchey Creative Design Studio at 1803 S. Van Ness Ave.

• October 2 at 5 p.m.

• Free to the general public.

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