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See why the ‘Dogs left the tourney in the

first round, Page 8

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March 22, 2010 | Monday

Who is next?

My first duty as student body president would be to train, teach and lead the ASI members. My

theory, and what I’ve learned through-out my time in ASI, is that before a team can actually work together, you need to get to know each other. And everyone needs to understand the responsibilities set forth in their posi-tions. I feel that’s been lacking in the past few years.

Every choice that I make needs to incorporate my understanding of the student opinion. Before I

do anything, it’s really important that I work with the executive vice president and the personnel committee in ASI to fill vacancies in the senate. If we try to do anything legislative without a full ship, we won’t be as successful.

I would build a relationship with all the students. I would make an aggressive approach to reach

every student on campus at the time, but also start planning the communi-cation aspect for ASI. What we need to do is build up our communication. Basically, the pivotal point for ASI is to build up the communication efforts between ASI and the students.

It’s hard to narrow it down to one duty, but I would help restruc-ture ASI. The structure that we

have on paper would work. It is not being implemented as of right now. There is a lack of communication. A lack of structure itself, from the com-mittee up to the senate.

Alex Andreotti Pedro RamirezCody MadsenCole Rojewski

Q: If elected, what would your first duty as student body president be?A: A: A:A:

The race to become Fresno States centennial president is underway. With elections only a day away, The Collegian sat down Saturday

afternoon with each of the four Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) presi-dential candidates to discuss why the students should vote for them.

The candidates, current ASI Executive Vice President Alex Andreotti,

ASI Chief of Staff Cole Rojewski, Senator for Resident Affairs Cody Madsen and Senator for Parking and Safety Pedro Ramirez. The Collegian asked the candidates a series of 16 questions that delved into their backgrounds and exposed their political ideologies.

See ELECTION, Page 6

Q: What makes you a better presidential candidate than your opponents?I’m a student and not necessari-

ly a politician. I am outgoing, hard working and passionate. I’ve been

in ASI for two years, and have seen that its internal world is completely differ-ent then people view it.

I’m not afraid to step on a few toes, make people a little angry and tell it how it is. I’m not afraid

to go out there and be with the stu-dents. I think that I have had the oppor-tunity to learn as much as I have about ASI only being there for eight months. I feel like I have the opportunity to real-ly make a difference and shake up this organization from the ground up to try and change it.

I’m not willing to play the politi-cal game. I think at this level we don’t need a “career politician”

placing themselves at the head and treating their fellow students as con-stituents. I’m going to do my best to treat my fellow students as fellow stu-dents. And I think that is something that seems will be lacking with some of the other candidates. In everything that I do, I try to work to get people to work together.

I think I’m one of the most qualified candidates, because I have many aspects, and I see the

respect for the position and for the stu-dents. I have experience in managing many organizations. I’m a member of several student organizations and sev-eral off-campus organizations. One fac-tor that makes me stand out is that I am a fee-paying student.

A: A: A:A:

By Thaddeus Miller and Brian MaxeyThe Collegian

Juan Pablo MoncayoJun. 2007 - May 2008

Mackee MasonJune 2008 - Oct. 2008

Graham WahlbergOct. 2008 - May 2009

Jessica SweetenJune 2009 - Present

?Next ASI President

June 2010 - June 2011

Former ASI Presidents

ASI Presidential Candidates

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OpinionOpinionCollegianThe

Opinion Editor, Tony Petersen • collegian-opinion@csufresno.edu • Monday, March 22, 2010Page 2

That’s What the People Are Saying

“A li Farokhmanash. We’ll never properly pronounce his name, and we’ll also

never forget it.”

— Jason Whitlock, The Kansas City Star

On a player who helped defeat No. 1 Kansas

Thumbs upMarch Madness

The NCAA Tournament definitely lived up to its name. There were 16 games where the higher-seeded team upset the lower-seeded team. 16! Ladies and gentle-men, that is why that is the best four-day stretch in the whole year.

One-FingerSalute

Culled each weekfrom discussionsin The Collegiannewsroom.

Thumbs downBrackets busted

Time to get out the red ink and start crossing off every game you picked incor-rectly, which, invariably, was a lot for most of us this year. But step away from that ledge folks. Console yourselves with the fact that President Obama’s bracket is likely in the shred-der at the moment, seeing as he picked Kansas to defeat Villanova in the championship game. If our president can pick poorly, then so can you!

Thumbs upTiger coming back at the Masters

My apologies for a very sports-centric salute, but these stories warrant the attention! Tiger Woods has finally announced his comeback will be at the Masters golf tournament, ensuring the most watched golf tournament of all time and the return of golf’s popularity. Whatever one thinks about Tiger and his acts of infidelity, he is the best golfer of our time. And without him, golf is, let’s be honest, quite boring.

Thumbs downRomney leads polling for Republican nod

According to Public Policy Polling, Mitt Romney has the early lead in the race for the Republican nomination, garner-ing 28 percent of those polled. This is bad news for fans of politics. Do we really need two slick candidates who won’t say anything controversial run-ning against one another? How interesting is that? Give me Ron Paul or Sarah Palin! With Paul, we’ll at least get the truth out of a politician, and with Palin we’ll get to see liberals foam at the mouth at the mention of her name. Now that would be exciting to watch!

T exas’ board of edu-cation on March 12 voted to substantially

alter their educational cur-riculum in the social sciences by “putting a conservative stamp on history and eco-nomic textbooks, stressing the superiority of American capi-talism, questioning the found-ing fathers commitment to a purely secular government and presenting Republican philosophies in a more posi-tive light,” reported the New York Times.

The politics of this decision lags behind a more pressing issue, which is the manipula-tion of educational policy in order to indoctrinate children to think, believe and feel a cer-tain way.

The conservative bloc has used their authority to prey on credulous youth. They’ve paved the way for the next generation of foot soldiers for the conservative and religious right, a clan of uniformity and subserviency, roaming aimlessly like hand-puppets, convinced their country of origin is flawless and reason to risk one’s life for the agen-da of its leaders.

This contrived state of being is what I call tribal-nationalism - an amalgam of tribalism and nationalism, broadly defined as irratio-nal allegiance to an identity, group and set of ideals within physical borders, and cannot be broken by reason, circum-stance or facts.

This is a dangerous state of being and is exempt from criticism. This is the dogma of American Exceptionalism.

Assuredly, dogmatic American Exceptionalists will balk at this assessment, undoubtedly evoking the word “patriotism,” in effort to support their unqualified pro-American sentiments. After all, this is essentially what the school board believes it is promoting - a vision of future Americans who unwaver-ingly maintain “devoted love, support and defense of one’s

country.”The “Exceptionalists” have

misled their novices about the application of patriotism. Patriotism does not require blind loyalty to a nation. Exceptionalists have tied patriotism to tribal-national-ism, promoting a concern that is restricted by borders, an identity that is insular and an attitude that sees the “other” with superior deprecation.

This is the America the Texas school board implicitly admires.

Americans are asked to disregard American initiated atrocities, foreign and domes-tic. We are great liberators, those we liberate are brash peasants. They must adapt, we mustn’t. We are the burning candle in their world of dark-ness.

What k-12 schools need is not a continuance of lib-eral biased curriculum, but rather thoroughly objective textbooks, ones that provide historical facts and diverse theories that encourage the development of a young person’s critical mind. This forces independent analysis, freeing them from their acqui-escence of cultural maxims developed before him.

The champion of free thought in the 20th cen-tury, philosopher Bertrand Russell, had enlightened ideas about escaping the tyranny endorsed by the Texas school board, and the consequences of being unable to.

Through philosophical and critical inquiry, Russell said, we “enrich our intellectual imagination and diminish the dogmatic assurance which closes our mind against specu-lation…in this citizenship of the universe consists man’s true freedom, and his libera-tion from the thralldom of narrow hopes and fears.”

True patriots do not need to flaunt the red, white and blue to show they are invested in the well being of the nation in which they reside. They do not need to endorse their country in vain. Their iden-tity lies with fellow human beings, not an arbitrary mass of land or ideology. They do not feel it honorable to lay paralyzed in the tyranny of a tribal-nationalist culture the Texas school board so salient-ly approves.

@issue: What should the kids be taught? The debate on whether or not teachers

should be objective in their teaching

A s my colleague Mike Boylan has pointed out, the Texas board

of education, according to The New York Times, “approved a social studies curriculum that will put a conservative stamp on history and economics text-books, stressing the superior-ity of American capitalism, questioning the Founding Fathers’ commitment to a purely secular government and presenting Republican political philosophies in a more positive light.”

Seems damning at first glance. For the majority of us more than likely are of the same sentiments as Mr. Boylan when he says that schools need “thoroughly objective textbooks, ones that provide historical facts and diverse theories that encour-age the development of a young person’s critical mind.”

But is objectiveness pos-sible?

Humans are naturally subjective—we see events that happen or hear about these events and interpret them one way or another. It is impos-sible for a person to be com-pletely fair to a point of view that they are diametrically opposed to.

And besides that, objec-tivity is boring. If I wanted a laundry list of facts with no analysis, I would go to Wikipedia, where the entry for Jesus Christ says, in part, that he is “the central figure of Christianity, which views him as the Messiah foretold in the Old Testament, with most Christian denominations believing him to be the Son of God who was raised from the dead.” Transcendent poetry worthy of the man himself !

Back to the matter at hand. The decision by the Texas board is undoubtedly politi-cally incorrect and obviously dumb in certain respects—“presenting Republican politi-cal philosophies in a more positive light?” Really? In today’s hyper-partisan society, what is needed is not a lecture

on which party is the best. What is needed is a lecture on the truth.

And, believe it or not, some of the Texas school board’s actions are centered on truth, specifically the points on American capitalism and secular government.

Why shouldn’t students learn about the superior-ity of America capitalism? Would we rather learn about the superiority of Marxist theory of economics? Like it or not, the United States has had some form of what we call capitalism for the duration of our country. For the most part, this has been a good thing, as we have been the most pros-perous nation in the world for the last 200 years.

And it is time we question the Founding Fathers’ com-mitment to secular govern-ment, mainly because they weren’t for it. The famous maxim of “separation of church and state” is simply folly—it is nowhere to be found in the U.S. Constitution, only in a letter written by Thomas Jefferson. All that it says about religion is that the federal government cannot establish a national religion, that the federal government cannot prohibit the free exer-cise of religion and that no religious test shall be required for any wanting to serve in public office.

It is also false to say that our founders were secular. It is true that some, such as Ben Franklin and Jefferson, were deists (people who believe God made the universe and then backed off from his creation), but the vast majority of our founders were Christians. Indeed, John Adams is pur-ported to have said that it would be far better to turn back to the gods of Greece rather than endure a govern-ment run by atheists.

The crux of this argument, however, is to state simply this: absolute truth exists. And that is what we should teach our children, not some politically correct ideology that offends none to the detri-ment of us all.

The Right ToneTony PeTersen

With All Due RespectMike Boylan

COMMENT: The Collegian is a forum for student expression.http://collegian.csufresno.edu

C

Monday, March 22, 2010 The Collegian • Arts & Entertainment Page 3Arts & Entertainment Editor, Danielle Gilbert • collegian-features@csufresno.edu

Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 box contains every digit from 1 to 9 inclusively. SOLUTION: http://collegian.csufresno.eduC

ACROSS

1 Prefix with brewery6 Quite a ways away10 Field furrow maker14 Like a specially formed committee15 Infrequent16 Learn about aurally17 Track shoe part18 Canon shots, briefly19 Dark and murky20 Hopelessly, as in love23 Meal remnant24 Cribbage piece25 Writer’s coll. major, often26 Piper in the air29 Field sobriety test32 Fossil fuel35 Draw a bead36 Keeps for later37 A single time38 Theater chain founded in 190441 __ Beach, Florida42 Firestone products44 Bit of a chill45 Formerly, previously46 Fierce way to fight50 Reply: Abbr.51 __, dos, tres ...52 ‘50s car embellishment53 “Antiques Roadshow” airer56 Facetious

The daily crossword

Puzzle by Robert Fisher

60 Forte of a certain “doctor”62 Eye blatantly63 Throw with effort64 Political alliance65 Mass transit option66 Game show host67 “The Sun __ Rises”68 Somewhat69 Competed in a bee

DOWN

1 Virile2 Work shirker3 Copy from your classmate’s paper, say4 Willie Nelson’s “On the __ Again”5 Squid cousins6 Broken chord, in music

PUZZLE SOLUTION: http://collegian.csufresno.eduCopyright 2009. Tribune Media Services, Inc.C

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce LewisLos Angeles Times

7 Expo8 Shooter with a quiver9 Bristle at10 Golfer Mickelson11 Camera’s protective cap12 Cask material13 Droll21 Bribable22 They’re big in Hollywood27 Online surfers, e.g.28 Stupefy with booze29 Hertz inventory30 Edit31 Umbilicus32 Terra __: pottery clay33 Burger topper34 Puzzles involving quotes, usually39 Hall of Fame outfielder Dave or actor Paul40 Madrid’s country43 Steer clear of47 Long-haired cat48 Chewy candy49 Yard’s 3653 What a V-sign may mean54 Slanted edge55 Trapshooting57 Not hoodwinked by58 Director Kazan59 Natural rope fiber60 Place to be pampered61 Buddy

Your other leftSarcastic phrase; used with the directionally challenged to make them aware of their error.

Word of the Day

Source: UrbanDictionary.com

Arts & EntertainmentArts & EntertainmentCollegianThe

Page 4 • Arts & Entertainment Editor, Danielle Gilbert • collegian-features@csufresno.edu • Monday, March 22, 2010

Duncan Sheik springs into tour

Q. What will you be playing on this tour?

A. I’ll definitely be playing a fair amount from “Whisper House,” and Holly Brook, my singing cohort from the album, will be with me. I’ll be playing a couple from “Spring Awakening” and some songs from my catalog, then a couple of new _ brand-spanking new songs and maybe even a cover or two from a covers album I’ve been working on. For better or worse, I’ve gotten to this point of my career where there’s a big enough body of work that figuring out what to play is a bit tricky.

Q. Have you set on a sound for the album?

A. I’m taking it really slowly and letting it evolve the way it should. I go through phases where I feel like I’m going to do something much more electronic ... and I go through phases when I’m going to make the most organic folk music record I’ve ever made so far. It’s kind of hard to say.

Q. Has working on the musicals changed the way you work?

A. When I did “Whisper House,” I

did have this big skeleton to hang all the songs on like a musical. But right now, I’m a bit relieved to be able to write a pop song for the sake of writing a pop song, a three-min-ute entity that exists in and of itself and doesn’t need to be tethered to any other material. That being said, I do think I’ve been bit by the the-ater bug.

Q. What can you say about “American Psycho”?

A. Well, I haven’t started on it yet. When I was first approached about the project, I thought, “This is a ter-rible idea.” I wasn’t sure it should be staged, let alone as a musical. But this summer, I reread the book, and I had an epiphany about how this could sound and what the band might be. I don’t know whether this will happen, but, in my head, I thought, “What if the band were like Kraftwerk or Depeche Mode? What if it was four or five guys at banks of analog synthesizers and drum machines totally minimal-ist?” It would have that bleak ‘80s, icy, synthesized sound. What if that was the sound of the show? Certainly, nothing like that has ever been done on Broadway. The songs would reflect that.

Duncan Sheik laughs as he talks about happy accidents.His transition from the singer-songwriter behind the hits “Barely Breathing” and

“Reasons for Living” to Tony-winning composer for “Spring Awakening” wasn’t really planned. Neither was the development of last year’s “Whisper House” album into a

musical, which recently wrapped up its first run at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego. Soon, Sheik will start work on writing songs for the musical adaptation of the Bret

Easton Ellis novel “American Psycho.” But first, Sheik will head out on a short tour and finish recording his new album.

By Glenn GamboaMcClatchy Tribune

TOUR DATES

03/25/2010 - Orlando, FL USA The Plaza Theatre

03/26/2010 - Tampa-St.Petersburg, FL USA Tampa PAC -Ferguson Hall

04/07/2010 - San Francisco, CA USA Symphony Hall

04/08/2010 - San Francisco, CA USA Symphony Hall

04/09/2010 - San Francisco, CA USA Symphony Hall

04/10/2010 - San Francisco, CA USA Symphony Hall

Chuck Myers / McClatchy Tribune

Men of style Guys, spring is finally here. It’s time to shed the sweaters and update the old wardrobe. Scared? Don’t be. This can be done easily by visiting one store: Macy’s Mens and Kids. Take it from sales associate Alan Mandiline. “We have everything. It’s a great selection,” Mandaline said. “We always have sales events and clearances.” Let’s face it. The holiday season has been over for months now. There aren’t nearly as many screaming babies or bumbling elders to dodge while shopping. The store is laid out with different sections to make finding what you want an easy process. On one side of the store, you’ll find casual clothes. Designer T-shirts, shorts and pants by Volcom

and Element, for example, are in abundance. There’s also sports apparel by Nike and Adidas for those who need to look good at the gym while getting buffed for summer. Men can also dress up for the summer in Ralph Lauren Polo shirts with different patterns and colors paired with cargo shorts or distressed denim. If you’re in to the “preppy” or golfer look, this is the look for spring.Mandaline buys his work clothes at Macy’s. “Hey, it’s not like L.A. fashion, but it’s Fresno fashion,” he said. “We certainly keep up with the trends.” Accessorizing is also a must for men. Cufflinks, designer sunglasses and cologne are essential to complete a spring wardrobe, and finish off the perfect look, whether it’s casual or refined. This has potential to be a win-win situation. Grab some cash and coupons, and shop on a sale day. You’ll help to stimulate the economy and end up looking like a million bucks, without spending it.

By Denton DubbelsThe Collegian

Monday, March 22, 2010 The Collegian • Features Page 5Features Editor, Michelle Furnier • collegian-features@csufresno.edu

Leadership club revived on campusA dormant club on campus

has recently been reactivated with a fresh breath of new life.

The Rotaract Club of Fresno State has been restarted on campus to help members develop professional and lead-ership skills, work in coopera-tion with sponsoring Rotary clubs and have opportunities to address the needs of the community.

The club is a branch of the larger Rotary International. Rotary Inter national is a worldwide organization with 1.2 million members in more than 200 different countries.

The first Rotaract Club start-ed in 1968 at the University of North Carolina. There are more than 7,100 Rotaract clubs in 163 countries worldwide.

Dr. Michael Jenkins is the Dean of the Lyles College of Engineering, and a faculty advisor for the Rotaract Club. Jenkins is also a member

of the Rotary Club of East Fresno.

He said the Rotaract Club is for young professionals between 18 and 30 years old.

Jenkins said the club is a great way for students to par-ticipate on campus, and can translate into involvement in Rotary International after graduation.

“Rotaract provides an opportunity to connect with the community-based club and the international and national

By Tara AlbertThe Collegian

See ROTARACT, Page 6

Thousands of students from kindergarten to sixth grade recited poetry and short sto-ries at the 52nd annual Peach Blossom Festival last Thursday and Friday at Fresno State.

More than 6,000 students from 132 schools in the Central Valley attended the festival to deliver their poems and short stories in various classrooms on campus.

“I love that we can put this on for them,” said Jerry Marquez, the public relations coordina-tor for the festival. “We make them feel like they can achieve something.”

Marquez said the festival is always a positive experience for the students. He said they enjoy visiting the college cam-

pus and meeting athletes from Fresno State.

Kenny Wiggins, the athletic coordinator for the festival, recruited Fresno State athletes to attend the event and sign autographs for the students.

Wiggins is on the football team, and has attended the event to sign autographs for the past four years. He said this was his first year being on the committee.

Wiggins said he decided to help with the event because it was a positive experience for the students.

“I just like helping out when-ever I can,” Wiggins said. “I love interacting with kids.”

Patrick Su’a, a football player at Fresno State, was at the Peach Blossom Festival to sign autographs for the young poets as well.

He said the festival is a great way for the students to meet positive role models.

“I think it’s amazing how all the kids come out to par-ticipate in the Peach Blossom Festival,” Su’a said. “I want-ed to come out and support them.”

Su’a said he plans to sign autographs again during the festival next year.

Austin Wentworth, another football player at Fresno State, has signed autographs for the festival participants for the past two years.

“I think it’s good for the kids to come out and see ath-letes and students helping,” Wentworth said. “It’s cool to see the kids come up and be excited to talk to you.”

Many parents and teachers also attended the festival to

VIDEO: For live coverage of The Peach Blossom Festival check out the Web site:http://collegian.csufresno.edu

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Child poets perform at annual festival

Joy Marie Hallare / The Collegian

More than 6,000 students throughout the Central Valley made their way to Fresno State to deliver poems and short stories at the 52nd annual Peach Blossom Festival last week.

By Tara AlbertThe Collegian

“It's fun that you're able to express your feelings, and have a great time doing what you love to do -- re-

citing poems.”

— Grace Miller, Fourth grade student at Sanger Academy Charter School

support their students.Renee Laquerriere, a sec-

ond grade teacher at Malloch Elementary School in Fresno, said she brought 35 students from first through sixth grade to the festival.

Laquerriere said she has been bringing students for the last four years. She said the festival always runs smoothly, and is a positive experience for the students.

“It’s a good system,” she said. “Everything was great.”

She said the students will perform their poems and short stories again for their peers when they return to school.

“It helps them not be afraid of getting up in front of people and speaking,” Laquerriere said.

Jamie Scharton, a mother to one of the students, went to the festival to support her daughter, Hailey Scharton. Hailey is in the fourth grade, and performed at the festival for the third year in a row. This year she performed “My Book Report is Due Today” by Kenn Nesbitt.

“I think it ’s exciting,” Scharton said. “The kids love going, and being up in front of people.”

She said the students enjoy their time at the event.

“It’s always a very positive experience here,” she said. “They’re always excited to come on Fresno State campus.

Grace Miller, a fourth grade student at Sanger Academy Charter School, performed at the Peach Blossom Festival for the first time. She and her partner, Haylee Bulaich, recit-ed “Welcome to Earth.”

Grace said she had a wonder-ful time at the festival.

“I really like it,” Grace said. “It’s fun that you’re able to express your feelings, and have

a great time doing what you love to do—reciting poems.”

She said the judges were kind, and only had positive feedback.

“The judges were nice,” she said. “They never gave me any down side. They gave me the good side of things.”

Alyssa Flores, a fifth grade student at Sanger Academy Charter School, performed at the festival for the second time. She recited “Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me Too” by Shel Silverstein with her part-ner, Caitlyn Trejo.

“I think it’s fun, because you get to recite poems,” she said. “It’s pretty fun to see how you do.”

Nam Dang was a judge at the festival, and a previous partic-ipant when he was a student in elementary school. He said it was an interesting experience to come back on the other side of things.

“To be on the other end of the spectrum—it was different and fun,” Dang said.

Ashley Muniz, another judge, said the students’ per-formances were impressive.

“I thought they were amaz-ing,” Muniz said. “They were very creative.”

Jason Savage judged two of the sessions. He said he was impressed with the parents and teachers.

“They’re really supportive and nurturing,” he said.

Phil Johnson judged four sessions, and said he really enjoyed watching the students perform. He said judging was a great experience.

Monday, March 22, 2010The Collegian • NewsPage 6News Editor, Thaddeus Miller • collegian-news@csufresno.edu

clubs,” Jenkins said.He said connections with the pro-

fessionals who make up Rotary Inter national will help students develop their careers. They will have the opportunity to network with and be mentored by professionals in the Fresno community.

“It is a great opportunity for students to get involved in an international com-munity service group,” Jenkins said.

He said the Rotaract Club of Fresno State was originally started in 2003, and had 20 members. Jenkins said the group had one meeting, but failed to do anything more.

Chris Fiorentino, the director of the Jan and Bud Richter Center for Community Engagement and Service-Learning, is also a faculty advisor for the Rotaract Club. He was also involved with providing service projects for the Rotaract Club when it first started on campus seven years ago.

Fiorentino said his primary role in

the reactivated club will be to provide the students in the club with commu-nity service opportunities. He said the club will probably do one international and one local project each year.

He said the club offers students a unique community service experience.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for students to get involved on the ground floor of a service and professional development organization,” Fiorentino said.

Mechanical engineering professor Walter Loscutoff, is another faculty advisor for the Rotaract Club and a member of the Rotary Club of East Fresno.

He said the Rotaract Club will pro-vide students with the chance to do ser-vice projects that will be affective and make a difference.

“It’s really a great opportunity to do community service,” Loscutoff said. “It gives them an opportunity to really experience what they can do to help.”

Loscutoff said the faculty advisors are committed to making the club thrive on campus. He said the club members will have meetings twice a month, and officers will meet weekly.

“We want to make sure that it stays active and the kids participate,” Loscutoff said.

He said the Rotary Club of Fig Garden and the Rotary Club of East Fresno each donated $500 to the Rotaract Club to give the group a f i n a n c i a l boost.

Loscutoff said any student at Fresno State can become a mem-ber of the club.

“ I t ’ s o p e n to everyone,” Loscutoff said. “It’s an interest-ing experience that everyone

should have.”Students interested in joining can

attend the next meeting, or contact any of the faculty advisors.

The next Rotaract Club meeting is scheduled for Wednesday at noon in the University Student Union room 308. Members will discuss the plans and procedures for the club, and vote for officers.

ROTARACT: Club for young professionals ages 18 to 30 years oldCONTINUED from page 5

ELECTION: Will be held from Tuesday to Thursday

CONTINUED from page 1

Q: What do you think about the protesters? How would you handle them?I love the activism on campus.

I think it’s a strong idea. I think it is a good thing for this campus,

because it’s showing that people are frustrated, and it’s showing we want to fight for something we believe in. Students should always be allowed to fight for something they believe in. I don’t think it’s a matter of “handling” them. It’s more a matter of figuring out how we can work together.

It depends on the type of protest and whether I am approached or not. I wouldn’t have minded being

on the panel with President John Welty out in the Peace Garden. Depending on the situation, I might not want to be involved with the protests, but I would go out there and listen. I’ve attended almost every one when other ASI peo-ple haven’t. I think that it is important that we listen to them, and take a page out of their book as well. They [the protestors] have been more successful than ASI has been.

Something I really admire from the protestors is their gumption. It’s something that is almost part

of the college experience. This is where we as college students have a lot of power. My criticism of the protests has been that it takes students out of class. I think that anything that removes stu-dents from their classes isn’t the right way to go about it. I think ASI has had problems working with people who are protesting, because there has not been a lot of communication between the two parties.

I was in the first walkout and also the March 4 Day of Action. So, I guess you can classify me as

a protestor. But, I did not participate in the takeover of the library because I felt that could have escalated and got violent. I know many of the people in the leadership of those groups that formed the coalition of the students. I know how effective they’ve been at planning, so I would work directly with them to see how ASI and the groups can forge a relationship.

A: A: A: A:

The whole purpose of ASI is to be student government on cam-pus, and to provide important ser-

vices to students. That is the overarch-ing mission. ASI is interesting because it operates as a business and not as a government. I believe that it should be a collective and unified effort where 20 students work as a team and not as 20 individuals.

Ideally, ASI should represent the students. We’re not here to repre-sent just our personal opinions.

We’re here to represent every student on campus holistically. We’re here to support organizations. Students are elected to the senate and they are sup-posed to represent their student con-stituency. Right now, it’s just a few peo-ple jamming a bunch of information down people’s throats.

The mantra behind ASI is to serve students. I think that ASI working at its most successful

would be constantly looking at students and trying to find what their needs are, because I feel that those needs are con-stantly changing. What’s great about ASI is that we have a lot of diverse peo-ple. But I don’t think that we have done enough to get to know one another.

ASI is basically the only student body organization recognized by the university and the chancel-

lor’s office, and the state as a matter of fact, that advocates for higher edu-cation. But, we’re here as an oversight also. I see ASI as an oversight to make sure good policy is instituted in this university, that good money manage-ment is instituted, so we don’t face any more issues like we have in the past.

Q: What is ASI to you? How should it work ideally?A: A: A: A:

Alex AndreottiAge:20Major: Business administrationTime in office: 2 yearsPositions held: Executive Vice President, Senate Secretary and student assistantAre you a member of the Smittcamp Honors College? No

Pedro RamirezAge: 21Major: Political science and agri-cultural economicsTime in office: 1 yearPosition held: Senator-at-large for parking and finance Are you a member of the Smittcamp Honors College? No

Cody MadsenAge: 20Major: Anthropology with a minor in musicTime in office: 1 yearPositions held: Senator for resi-dent affairsAre you a member of the Smittcamp Honors College? Yes

Cole RojewskiAge: 21Major: Political scienceTime in office: 8 monthsPositions held: Chief of StaffAre you a member of the Smittcamp Honors College? No

ONLINE: To see the entire inter-view, go to The Collegian Online.http://collegian.csufresno.edu

C

I definitely want to fight fee increases. I don’t advocate for fee increases. I feel the only way

to fight increases is to speak out, and definitely speak out at a state level. We’ve had a lot of activism at the local level, which is a great start. But we need to take that activism and put it on the state level, because that’s where decisions are actually made. I feel the prime organization responsible for lob-bying and for that activism should be our lobby core program. That’s one of my goals for development next year.

Fee increases have definitely impacted students. They’re going to go up 10 percent regardless,

because of what the California State University Board of Trustees have said and what’s in [Gov. Schwarzenegger’s] budget for the next eight years. What we can do is put caps on those increas-es. That’s why I am a huge supporter of the student reductions act. That would put a cap on fee increases and give a 180-day waiting period before they can be implemented. For students, I think that is essential.

The best way to handle the cur-rent fee situation is to fight it on two fronts: supporting the leg-

islators that are fighting for us, and organizing a campaign going toward the legislative offices in Fresno like [Congressman George] Radonovich and other federal legislators. I think that if we can take the fight to their offices, then they could recognize that we have issue with [fee increase], and they won’t be able to ignore it.

The first thing that sets me apart from the rest of the candidates is that they all acknowledge that fee

increases are coming. They acknowl-edge that they’re coming and they’re here to stay. For an ASI president to say stuff like that – you shouldn’t say that. That discourages people. You should be motivated to fight the fees and do every-thing you can in your power, because that’s what you were elected for: to rep-resent the students.

Q: If elected, would you want to fight fee increases, and how?A: A: A: A:

www.peacecorps.gov | 800.424.8580 | brai@peacecorps.gov

Monday, March 22, 2010 The Collegian • Sports Page 7Sports Editor, Brianna Campbell • collegian-sports@csufresno.edu

Baseballvs. Loyola MarymountFinal: 1-3 (5-12, 3-4, 2-5, 16-10)

T h e b a t s f inal ly came alive for the diamond ‘Dogs o n S u n d a y. The baseball t e a m p i c ke d up its only win against Loyola M a r y m o u n t , 1 6 - 1 0 i n t h e f o u r - g a m e

series. The ‘Dogs racked up 19 hits against the Lions en route

to its only win.The pitching performance for the ‘Dogs improved over the weekend but a lack of run support cost the ‘Dogs a few games.

Sophomore pitchers Derek Benny and Charlie Robertson both had a good outing for the ‘Dogs. Benny pitched a complete game, lasting eight innings while striking out three batters during game two of the doubleheader on Saturday.

Ro b e r t s o n m e a n w h i l e pitched six and a third innings, giving up just three earned runs en route to striking out to two players.

Junior Jordan Ribera blasted another home run during the weekend, bringing his season total to eight. Third baseman Garrett Weber also hit the first home run of his career against the Lions.

Softball@ Judi Garman ClassicFinal: 3-2 (5-7, 4-1, 1-0, 2-3, 8-2)

The softball team collected three wins at the Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, Calif., this past weekend.

The ‘Dogs beat Cal State Fullerton 4-1, Virginia 1-0 and New Mexico 8-2. The team dropped two games against No. 23 Louisiana-Lafayette 5-7 and DePaul 2-3.

Sophomore pitcher Michelle Moses picked up her second and third wins of the sea-son, pitching compete games against Virginia and New Mexico.

Moses also made noise as a batter, blasting three home runs during the weekend.

Men’s Tennisvs. Oklahoma StateFinal: W, 4-3

The men’s tennis team won their second match at the Blue Gray Invitational picking up a win against Oklahoma State, 4-3.

The doubles team, made up of junior Rikus de Villiers and sophomore Remi Boutiller, collected a win for the ‘Dogs, beating Oklahoma State 8-6 in doubles play.

Seniors Taylor Lelby and Mirko Zapletal also picked up a win in doubles play for the ‘Dogs, winning 8-6 against the Cowboys.

In singles play, senior Tejesvi Veerapalli, sophomore David Ayoun and Villers all won for the ‘Dogs.

The men’s tennis team will continue play in the Invitational when it takes on TCU at Fort Worth, Texas on March 28.

Women’s Tennisvs. Harvard, PacificFinal: 1-1 (0-7, 4-3)

The women’s tennis team finally returned to its home court this weekend after trav-eling on the road for over a month.

The ‘Dogs hosted No. 51 Harvard and Paci f ic on Saturday. The team lost to Harvard 0-7 but picked up its first win of the season, beat-ing Pacific 4-3.

Against Harvard, the dou-bles duo of Julia Gragera-Cano and Anna Mikhaylova collected the ‘Dogs only win.

The women fared much better against Pacific win-ning four matches in singles play and another in doubles play. Laura Pola, Bianca Modoc, Melissa McQueen and Gragera-Cano all won for the ‘Dogs.

The outdoor racquetball courts, located in the north gym, provide an opportunity for students to pick up some exercise and enjoy friendly competition, all free of charge. But is it really worth it?

There are six courts avail-able for use, which become open to the public after Fresno State racquetball classes end at 3 p.m. every day.

The courts are located in a dark corridor in the south-west corner of the north gym, adjacent to the athletic depart-ment’s parking lot.

Each court is equipped with ceiling lights that make play-ing in the afternoon possible with the exception of court number two, whose lights are broken.

Once inside the court, a dark red steel door grinds across the floor to a close. A small glass window in the door allows for friends to peer in, unless you’re standing in front of court five or six. The vacant glass at these courts provides a nice aperture for a small rac-quetball to fly through, quick-ly ending any intense rally and possibly someone’s day.

The floor and walls of each court, which are made of con-crete, are worn and damaged. The scars of years of racquet-ball are shown in the form of large gashes in the wall, most of them from the misjudged swing of racquets.

On top of the engraving, graffiti and cob-webs have found a home in the racquet-ball courts.

At 10 p.m. a dilapidated chain-link fence secures four of the six courts from being used at night. It’s not much of a defense against intruders as each of the fenced gates have gapping holes ripped out of them, where a determined rac-quetball player could easily fit through.

Despite conditions that almost make playing racquet-ball unbearable, students such as Senior business marketing major Erik Garland are happy to have somewhere to play.

“The courts are a great rec-reational activity provided to students and other racquetball enthusiasts,” Garland said. “It is apparent that maintenance has been a last priority but for those that play the game for the fun of it, it is a great asset.”

The issue of a much need-ed rendition is clear. What isn’t clear, however, is who is

responsible for these courts.The Campus Recreational

Services was unable to speak on behalf of the courts as well as the kinesiology depart-ment.

Nate Wills of the Athletic Facilities and Events said that he was not in charge either.

“The athletics department is not involved in the racquetball classes,” Wills said.

Wills then refers students back to the kinesiology depart-ment.

This frustration has led some students to search for alterna-tive places to play racquetball, like the Recreation Center.

“I’d rather play racquet-ball at the ‘Rec’ Center for a lot of reasons,” said business marketing major Parker Mar. “The courts are completely enclosed, there are no dead spots, and you and the ball moves faster.”

The Recreation Center, avail-able to all students, boasts two glass enclosed regula-tion sized racquetball courts. Reservations are needed to secure these courts, and often have to be made a day in advance.

While there may be other options, many students find the convenience of on-campus racquetball courts enjoyable. It also promotes an active life-

Racquetball court conditions are subpar

By Christian WalkerThe Collegian

While outdoor court conditions are not ideal, the Fresno State Recreation Center houses two indoor courts

style for the students that live on campus.

“These courts provide an open and competitive nature to the game of racquetball,” Garland said.

Matt Weir/ The Collegian

There are six outdoor raquetball courts that are open to the public after 3 p.m. located at the southwest corner of the North Gym.

While the immediate future of the outdoor racquetball courts does not look bright, students can hope that their continued popularity will bring about awareness.

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Sports Editor, Brianna Campbell • collegian-sports@csufresno.edu • Monday, March 22, 2010Page 8

Fresno State’s women’s basketball team’s record-breaking, dream season came to an abrupt end Saturday night as the Baylor Bears escaped with a 69-55 NCAA Tournament first-round victory.

A second-half Baylor surge, in which the Bulldogs went scoreless for nearly six minutes, proved to be the difference in Fresno State’s third straight nation-al tournament early exit.

The ‘Dogs’ six-minute drought in the final period stretched from 17:05 to 11:11, allowing Baylor to build a double-digit lead and seal the victory inside of Haas Pavilion.

For the third straight game, Fresno State shot under 40 percent, due in large part to 6-foot-8-inch Baylor cen-ter Brittney Griner’s lengthy presence in the paint. The ‘Dogs were forced to take jump shots for most of the game,

something they have struggled with as of late.

“A lot of times, when shots don’t go in you say you’re taking bad shots,” head coach Adrian Wiggins said. “I can’t say that tonight. We took shots we can make, and we didn’t make them.”

Despite Baylor’s obvious size advan-tage, Fresno State held its own on the glass, hauling in just one rebound fewer than the Bears in front of a rau-cous crowd.

“We had a great rebounding effort,” Wiggins said. “We had great fan sup-port. It was awesome to see our crowd out there today. It just makes you feel very proud to be a part of our program right now.”

Although Fresno State held pace with Griner on the boards, the freshman All-American candidate caught fire in the second half, scoring 12 of her game-high 18 points.

Wiggins relied on a steady rotation of guards Joh-Teena Felipe, Taja Edwards and Hayley Munro to defend Griner under the hoop.

Early exit at the Big DanceThe Bulldogs fall short Saturday night as the team was unable to win the programs first NCAA Tournament game

By Ben IngersollThe Collegian

“We played behind her and tried to be as physical as possible and keep her out of the paint,” Munro said. “That’s where s h e ’ s m o s t d o m i -nant.”

Jaleesa Ross, Fresno S t a t e ’ s l e a d e r i n every major statisti-cal category, had an uncharacteristically rough night, scoring just nine points and shooting 1-for-11 from three-point land. Ross, who will return in 2010-11 for her senior season, has now been a part of three NCAA Tournament first-round losses.

“Every year I want it more and more,” Ross said. “We just have to start train-ing like it, starting in a couple weeks.”

Munro and backup guard Emma

Andrews were the only two ‘Dogs in double figures, scoring 13 points a piece. Andrews left the game in the fir-shalf with an apparent knee injury, but returned to score eight points in the final 20 minutes.

Now that the most successful season in Fresno State women’s basketball history is in the books, Wiggins, Ross and the rest of the returning players look to erase the national tournament woes and come back strong in the 2010-11 campaign.

“We thought we could hang today,” Ross said. “We came in thinking we could win. But we definitely do want to work on having a better preseason, so we can get a higher seed and win a game.”

Lacrosse: Tuesday, at Bulldog Stadium vs. Cinncinati at 4 p.m.Baseball: Friday, at Pete Beiden Field vs. UC Davis at 6:05 p.m.

This coming week...

By Dwain PriceMcClatchy Tribune

Northern Iowa, this year’s Cinderella

That time-honored “One Shining Moment” song the nation expected to be ringing sweetly in the Kansas Jayhawks’ ears at the conclusion of this three-week NCAA Tournament run? It’s not going to happen.

In the most stunning upset of this year’s tournament, Northern Iowa probably wanted to cut down a cou-ple of basketball nets of their own Saturday after the Panthers, seeded ninth in the Midwest Region, pulled off an improbable 69-67 triumph over the No. 1-seeded Jayhawks before 15,587 in a second-round game at the Ford Center.

In busting nearly every tourna-ment bracket in America, includ-ing President Barack Obama’s, the Panthers were last seen humming a happy melody all the way to the Sweet 16.

But the Jayhawks were off-beat all day long, struggling to stay in the game against the Missouri Valley Conference

champions. “I don’t know if I’ll watch the tape,”

KU coach Bill Self said. “I know that there’s just one or two plays here or there that (were) the difference in the game, but this stings a lot.”

The bracket-busting Panthers were in harmony and in control for the bal-ance of the game and wound up giving the Jayhawks the blues in shocking fashion.

“We are certainly going to enjoy this for a day or so,” UNI coach Ben Jacobson said. “Then we’ve got to get ready for our next basketball game.”

UNI, which advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history, was in control of this game so much that the only time KU led was 2-0 after Cole Aldrich scored nine seconds into the game.

UNI (30-4) will face Sunday’s Maryland-Michigan State winner Friday in St. Louis in the Midwest Region semifinals. Kansas (33-3) was the top overall seed in the 65-team NCAA field and was widely favored to capture its second national champion-ship in three seasons.

Kansas, the No. 1 seed gets knocked out in a big upset

Travis Heying / The McClatchy Tribune

The Bulldogs finished in Berkeley on Saturday with final records of 16-0 in the Western Athletic Conference and 27-7 overall.

Emma Andrews scored 13 points for the ‘Dogs Saturday going 3-5 from beyond the arc.

Matt Weir/ The Collegian

Matt Weir / The Collegian