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UHS teacher dismissed

Jonathan McCoy Malcolm, a music instructor at University High School on the Fresno State campus, was dismissed this evening. Malcolm was arrested Wednesday and charged with distributing or displaying lewd material to a minor and annoying or molesting children under 18.

The University High board convened an emergency meeting Friday at 5 p.m. to determine a plan of action. The board dismissed Malcolm from his position.

Parents had been notified of the incident by email Thursday.

Read The Collegian’s news story:
UHS teacher arrested

Basketball guard Dwight O’Neil arrested

Bulldogs’ senior guard Dwight O’Neil was arrested Thursday night around 11:15 p.m. on a warrant for driving with a suspended license. O’Neil was booked early Thursday morning and is currently in custody at the Fresno County Jail.

While the charge is only a misdemeanor, it still carries a $1,140 fine.

O’Neil missed the Bulldogs’ last game against Houston Baptist on Wednesday to deal with a family issue unrelated to the arrest. The Bulldogs have played without the senior in two of their last three games and have won both without O’Neil.

The Bulldogs play again Saturday night at Save Mart Center against the Utah State Aggies (20-1, 8- WAC). Check The Collegian on Monday for additional information.

WEB-SPE@K: What do you know about lacrosse?

What do you know about lacrosse? Are you planning to attend either of the team’s two home games?

UHS teacher arrested

High school expresses ‘disappointment’ and ‘sadness’ as performing arts instructor charged with lewd acts

University High School (UHS) teacher Jonathan McCoy Malcolm has been arrested, as announced by University Police Department’s Lt. Lupe Canales-Shrum.

Malcolm, 31, was booked on three charges, including two counts of distribution or exhibition of lewd material to a minor and one count of annoying or molesting children under the age of 18. Details of Malcolm’s arrest are being withheld as the investigation remains open, but Canales-Shrum confirmed that a search warrant was issued to assist with the investigation.

Canales-Shrum also said that as the investigation continues, more charges might be brought against Malcolm.

According to Dr. James Bushman, head of school at UHS, school officials were contacted Tuesday, Jan. 27 and informed of a possible relationship between Malcolm and at least one UHS student. School administrators notified University Police Department that day, and a cooperative investigation with the Fresno Police Department resulted in Malcolm’s arrest shortly before 2 p.m. Wednesday afternoon on the Fresno State campus.

“While we’re so sad at what’s happened, we’re very pleased that [University Police] did a good investigation and have gotten to the bottom of this,” Bushman said.

Malcolm has since posted bail and been released from custody by the Fresno County jail.

“I’ve got to tell you, it’s impossible for us to express the magnitude of our disappointment, sadness and anger that this event has happened,” Bushman said. “We are devastated that this has occurred on our campus.”

School board to determine actions

Malcolm’s status within UHS is officially undetermined to this point, although in a letter, e-mailed to UHS parents Thursday, Bushman acknowledged that Malcolm is currently on administrative leave until the school’s board of officials decides on a course of action. The board is scheduled to meet this evening at 5 p.m.

“I would think everything is clearly on the table,” Bushman said when asked if terminating Malcolm was a possible course of action.

The school’s board of officials consists of eight members, including four Fresno community members and four Fresno State faculty members.

Former Fresno city councilman Henry Perea, Sr., is represented on the board as a community member, while Fresno State representatives on the board include Dr. Vida Samiian (Dean of College of Arts & Humanities), Dr. Michael Caldwell (Department of Music), Dr. Larry Cusick (Department of Mathematics) and Dr. Paul Beare (Dean of Kremen School of Education and Human Development).

Damage control

Starting today, UHS will make available additional counseling for students who may seek such assistance. Other actions to be taken by the school include sending an additional e-mail home to parents and teacher-student discussions within the confines of the classroom.

“We’re going to be asking parents to please remind their children not to spread rumors,” Bushman said.

“Rumors are, as you know with text messaging, a bad thing for everyone. And we all know it’s better if kids keep their ideas to themselves,” he said.

“We really want to work hard to make sure that all of us are keeping measured responses as we move forward, because no matter how you look at it, it’s a bad thing.”

Malcolm has been a teacher at UHS since Aug. 28, 2005, serving as an instrumental music instructor. His duties as an instructor include teaching music theory classes and the conducting of several musical ensemble groups, including an orchestra and jazz band.

University moves deadline for transfer student apps

Not enough state funding has caused Fresno State to move up another application deadline — this time for transfer students.

University officials announced Jan. 29 that the deadline for upper-division transfer applicants and lower-division nursing and engineering applicants who wish to attend Fresno State next fall have until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 15, to get their applications in.

That deadline has been moved up by six weeks from the original April 1 deadline.

“Due to the state’s fiscal crisis, Fresno State has limited space for new students for the fall semester,” said Bernie Vinovrski, associate vice president for enrollment.

“Managing enrollment is critically important these days because Fresno State will not receive enough state funding to accommodate all students who are qualified to attend,” he said.

More applications, less room

Vinovrski explained that Fresno State’s enrollment for next fall cannot be greater than the goal for this past fall. He said that Fresno State was above its target in the fall and has continued to be above target this spring.

This means there are more continuing students for next fall and less room for new ones.

Fresno State has already received a considerable amount of more applications this year than at this time last year, Vinovrski said.

“If we fail to close applications now, we run the risk of being way over on enrollment and with the budget cuts we can’t afford to be in that position,” he said.

University attempts to inform transfers of new deadline

Applicants are considered upper-division transfers if they have completed at least 60 units with a minimum 2.0 grade point average and have also met all lower-division general education requirements.

Kevin Perkins, a junior business major, said he is glad that this is not affecting him.

“It is unfair to those students who expected to have time and now have to rush,” Perkins said.

The deadline changes have been sent out to all the main institutions that Fresno State draws applications from, including local community colleges and satellite centers.

Vinovrski said they are encouraging those campuses to post signs and inform faculty so the message can be passed to students.

He said that with the new deadline, he expects about 300 to 400 additional applications to come in within the next couple of weeks.

Freshman applications closed, graduate applications still open

Earlier this month, the university moved up the freshman application deadline from Feb. 1 to Jan. 9.

Fresno State took similar measures to inform local high school counselors to put the word out to their students.

Graduate applicants and returning students who have previously attended Fresno State still have until the original April 1 deadline to submit their applications.

“It is highly unlikely that the graduate and returning student application deadline will be moved up,” Vinovrski said.

Vinovrski: Quality over quantity

The reason Fresno State is taking these actions is that it will be penalized if it goes over its enrollment, Vinovrski said.

He also said, “We do not want to over-enroll, because our current students will suffer.”

He explained that the number of students who are funded through the state is ideal for education.
“If we go over that number, it erodes quality and we don’t want to do that.”

What are the new deadlines?

• The deadline for transfer students is Feb. 15, six weeks prior to the original April 1 deadline. Upper division transfers are those who have completed at least 60 units with a minimum 2.0 grade point average and have also met all lower-division general education requirements.

• Qualifying freshman applicants whose applications were submitted prior to Nov. 30 priority deadline will be accommodated first. Freshman applicants submitted between Dec. 1 and Jan. 9 will be placed on a wait list.

• Graduate applicants and returning students who have previously attended Fresno State still have until April 1 to submit their applications.

Classroom experiment results in small explosion

A small explosion shut down McLane Hall, located in the north end of the California State University, Fresno campus, just behind the Kennel Bookstore.

Classes and offices were evacuated for about 40 minutes around noon Thursday after a classroom experiment resulted in a small explosive chemical reaction. The explosion was contained within a venting hood.

No one was injured.

The reaction triggered fire alarms although there were no flames.

Students, faculty and staff responded to the alarms by following the building evacuation plan and waiting in designated areas away from the building while Fresno Fire Department personnel investigated.

The safety and alert systems worked as designed, one investigator said as evacuation was lifted and the classroom and office building were re-occupied.

Some students didn’t realize the possible severity of the situation.

“I think this is some sort of fire drill,” a nearby student remarked.

McLane Hall houses many of the labs used for Fresno State chemistry courses.

It is not known at this time in which course or in which classroom the experiment that initiated the small explosion took place.

Fresno State News contributed to this report.

No bluffing with a pair of ‘Aces’

Bulldogs’ tennis duo ranked No. 2 nationally and have their eyes set on the finals

From the National Indoor Doubles Championships to the Spalding G. Wathen Tennis Center at Fresno State, Anastasia Petukhova and Renata Kucerkova have taken a swing of dominance on courts they share.

The pair had success with being Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) national champions, Northwest regional doubles champions, NCAA All-Americans, and first team All-Western Athletic Conference (WAC) selections in both singles and doubles.

They are currently ranked No. 2 in the national doubles rankings after beginning the spring tennis season ranked No. 8.

Their most recent accomplishment was winning the ITA National Indoor Doubles Championships in the fall of 2008, where they went 12-1 in the tournament as a pair.

Players started strong and “complement each other”

Known as “A.P.” to her coaches, teammates and friends, Petukhova believes that teaming with Kucerkova for the last couple of years has helped the duo.

“We have our strengths set up and we know how we should play against different types of players,” Petukhova said. “We always find something that we can do well against.”

Petukhova enjoyed success early during her freshman year by having a win-loss record of 24-3 in singles competition and 21-8 in doubles.

She ranked as high as No. 66 in the national singles ranks and was a first team All-WAC selection in both singles and doubles during the 2006-2007 tennis seasons.

Kucerkova also enjoyed success early in her Fresno State tennis career by winning the 2007 WAC Freshman of the Year, and posting a 23-4 record in doubles. She went 19-4 in singles competition.

“We’ve been playing together for a while and we complement each other,” Kucerkova said. “We’re good on defense and offense as well.”

Kucerkova says that people began warming up to her while at the ITA championship.

“When we went to nationals last semester, there were people who were nice to me a little bit, even people outside of the campus,” Kucerkova said.

Strong doubles a Thibodeau trait

Petukhova believes that even after the championship run at the ITA doubles championships, her and Kucerkova still find ways to improve.

“With every match we play, we get better,” Petukhova said.

Their coach, Simon Thibodeau, has had a good tradition of doubles during his five years at Fresno State, with a former number one pair: Melanie Gloria and Tinesta Rowe in 2008.

“We’ve been successful with our doubles,” Thibodeau said. “What they’re doing [Petukhova and Kucerkova] is very impressive.”

Thibodeau has coached seven All-Americans, seven players who have appeared in a national title match and five WAC championships for his women’s tennis team.

Thibodeau acknowledges that he’s had a role in the development of both Petukhova and Kucerkova.

“It’s a little bit of both, work ethic and coaching,” Thibodeau said. “They’ve always been steady at the back; their defensive skills are very strong, they run so fast, they’re playing faster and aggressive. They’re very good in every phase of their play.”

Thibodeau also notices that the two have found ways to improve themselves when they’re on the tennis court.

“They’ve improved the most with their offensive skill,” Thibodeau said. “They’re a little bit more aggressive at the net than they were when they first started playing together.”

Aiming high

The duo has one challenge left to conquer – the NCAA tournament, where the furthest their entire team has reached is the semifinals.

Kucerkova and Petukhova want to help their team get over the hump soon.

“Four years in a row, we made the sweet sixteen,” Petukhova said. “We want to go to the elite eight.”

Both Kucerkova and Petukhova are juniors, which means they still have one more year of Bulldog tennis left in them.

“I think now, the more nationals we win, the better,” Petukhova said.

Whether it’s claiming conference championships, ITA national championships, or just playing at a high level inside the Wathen Center, Kucerkova just wants to reach new heights with her teammate Petukhova.

“We want to go as far as we can,” Kucerkova said.

Check out the duo

The No. 15 tennis team plays at the Wathen Center on campus here at Fresno State, and the games are free for students. Check out the upcoming dates

• Feb. 28 v. Pacific
• March 11 v. Penn
• March 12 v. TCU
• March 14 v. Arizona
• March 15 v. Sac State

Men’s hoops picks up needed win without senior O’Neil

Mychal Ladd took advantage of all Houston Baptist’s weaknesses Wednesday night en route to his first career double-double as a Bulldog.


Ladd led four other members of the Fresno State team into double figures as the Bulldogs gained an easy 81-63 win over the Huskies to improve their record to 9-12 and 1-5 in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).

“I felt good,” said Ladd. “I didn’t get to play much in the last game so I was just trying to do what I could to help the team.” 


The freshman guard had career highs in points (22), rebounds (10) to go along with his three assists.

“I thought Mychal played real well tonight,” said coach Steve Cleveland. “He was offensively around the rim at all times and just very aggressive.”


Freshmen step it up

Freshmen Paul George and Bryce Cartwright turned in solid performances, scoring 12 and 13 points respectively, and junior forward Sylvester Seay added 10. 


Brandon Sperling also had his best night of the season with 11 points, six rebounds and four assists. 

Sperling, also a freshman, started the game in place of senior guard Dwight O’Neil, who could not play due to family issues – his uncle passed away in a house fire earlier in the day. 


“This has been tough on Dwight,” said Cleveland. “But all the guys mentioned they were going to win this game for him.”


In dedicating the game to their teammate, the ’Dogs set the tone early with a Seay dunk to put the Bulldogs up 2-0.

Ladd took a while to warm up for his career-high night, scoring his first points of the game off a 3-pointer with 11:44 left in the first half.

But he was instrumental in catapulting a 17-4 run that gave the Bulldogs their largest lead of the game, 28 points, with 2:28 remaining in the half. 


Cleveland makes full use of team

“Going into a game like this you have to respect everyone and play with energy,” Cleveland said. “We gave everyone an opportunity to play, and that’s a good thing for our team at this time of year.”


Every member of the Bulldog squad played at least five minutes, and despite early setbacks to start the second half, they didn’t relinquish much.

The Huskies narrowed the gap to 16, with five minutes to play in the game, but the ’Dogs remained persistent to keep the win.

“We played with great energy and we were really unselfish with the ball,” Cleveland said.

However, the team has some fine-tuning prior to hosting the WAC’s first place team, Utah State, on Saturday night. 
Stopping turnovers will be a key, as Houston Baptist was able to capitalize on 11 of the Bulldogs 14 turnovers Wednesday.

Another area Cleveland is emphasizing for improvement is blocking out. Last time the ’Dogs faced Utah State they lost by a narrow margin, 65-61.

“Utah State is a great team and the level of competition will be different,” Cleveland said. “We have been in every conference game, and I still believe we have the ability to win those close games.”

Dwight O’Neil update

The senior guard is expected to practice today and be back in the lineup Saturday night against Utah State.

While O’Neil should be ready to play, he may be serving a different role with the team.

O’Neil is expected to come off the bench and contribute as a sixth man, rather than taking his usually starting role.

As a starter, he has averaged 12.8 points per game this season while managing to grab 4.5 rebounds a game. He leads the team in assists with 5.5 per game.

The Bulldogs have been without O’Neil twice this season, coming out on top both times.

O’Neil was suspended for the Bulldogs’ Jan. 22 game against Louisiana Tech because of inappropriate conduct.

Bulldog Game Day

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL | REDWAVE Podcast game of the week

Friday, Jan. 30, 7 p.m., Save Mart Center

Fresno State Bulldogs (13-6, 4-2 WAC) vs. San Jose State Spartans (2-17, 1-5 WAC)

Breakdown: Bulldogs

Coming off a convincing 71-45 victory last Friday at Hawaii, the Fresno State women’s basketball team has plenty of momentum to carry it past San Jose State tonight.

The Bulldogs are currently in second place in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), but head coach Adrian Wiggins’ team has the best overall record at 13-6.

Last season, the Bulldogs won the WAC and are on track to finish atop their conference again. If they can come out and play their game tonight, the Bulldogs should count on another conference victory and will be one game closer to catching up with first place Nevada.

Sophomore Jaleesa Ross is coming off a 15-point performance and should again lead her team tonight. Ross and the Bulldogs average 10 made 3-point field goals a game.

Tonight, if the long ball is falling and Ross is on, the Bulldogs win big.

Breakdown: Spartans

The Spartans haven’t been the WAC’s hottest team in 2009.

San Jose State has yet to win a game on the road this season and doesn’t have much hope in the near future. They are 0-8 away from the Event Center and a lowly 2-17 overall.

The Spartans are lead by guard Chasity Shavers and guard Natalie White. The guard combination are the only two players on the team to average double-digit points.

On average, the Spartans are outscored by almost 20 points a night and shoot only 35 percent from the field.

If the Bulldogs force the Spartans to shoot from the outside with a zone defense, San Jose State’s decrease quickly. The Spartans only shoot 29 percent from beyond the arc.

Expect the Bulldogs to pressure early and often, as San Jose State turns the ball over 23 times a game. To win, something has to change for the Spartans.

Keys to Victory

The Bulldogs win if …
…the real Bulldogs take the floor at the Save Mart Center tonight. San Jose State may be a rival, but this game should be done at half.

The Spartans win if …
…they can take away the fast break and slow the Bulldogs down. If Fresno State doesn’t hit a three in tonight’s contest, the Spartans will have a chance to win a road game.

By Logan Hopkins and George Stepanoff Jr. / The Collegian

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