the daily aztec - vol. 95, issue 18
DESCRIPTION
Group voices budget concernsTRANSCRIPT
TRAVEL & ADVENTURE
IINNSSIIDDEE TTOODDAAYYSTATE OF MIND
SPORTS
TODAY @ SDSU
CONTACT
INDEX
Tuesday, September 29, 2009 Vol. 95, Issue 18
President Weber has changedadmission standards, what doesthis mean for students?
page 2
The SDSU men’s soccer teamwins two in a row at home inthe Nike Aztec Soccer Classic.
page 6
STATE OF MIND.............................................................2TRAVEL & ADVENTURE...............................................4SPORTS............................................................................6CLASSIFIEDS....................................................................7THE BACK PAGE...........................................................8
NEW SDSU POLICY
SMALL-TOWN FEEL
STREAKING
Kung Fu
7 p.m., Peterson Gym 240
Students will learn northern andsouthern Kung Fu styles that includeapplying and escaping from holds, jointlocks, throws and takedowns.
The nearby town of Julian offersa getaway from the urban frenzy of San Diego.
page 4
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Changes in political practicesand social equality were pro-posed at a rally held by theInternational Students for SocialEquality last Thursday.
The rally took place on the FreeSpeech Steps on the same day theUC system held walkouts for facul-ty, staff and students in protest ofbudget cuts. The ISSE held the rallyin light of the UC walkouts, but notin support of them, according toISSE President Cody Stephens.
Stephens, a political sciencegraduate student at San DiegoState, spoke about Wall Streetbailouts and national and state-wide budget cuts, attributingthem to what he called a failingcapitalist system.
“We are gathered today to showour … support for the impulsebehind the UC walkout,” Stephenssaid. He continued to describe the
UC walkouts as a, “healthy show ofpolitical discontent.”
Stephens stated, on behalf of theISSE, a demand for better publicprograms, especially to help withunemployment. The ISSE’s pro-posed solution for the current fail-ures of the U.S. government as stat-ed at the rally is redistribution of thewealth taken from the working class.
“Only by re-appropriating thewealth that has been stolen fromus and putting it under the controlof democratic process, can societyas a whole make the decision toinvest heavily in public educationwith all levels,” Stephens said. “Toput it another way, the fight forpublic education is inseparablefrom the fight for socialism.”
ISSE Secretary Ricardo Ruizcited the setbacks SDSU hasrecently faced because of budgetcuts, pointing out a $35 millioncut from SDSU’s budget, the clos-ing of a residence hall, fee increas-es, furlough days and majorreductions in new student admis-sion to SDSU this year.
Evan Youngstrom, a politicalscience junior, attended the rallyto open up to a new politi-cal perspective.
“We are currently in a large polit-ical mess socially and politically,”Youngstrom said. “I’m just trying toexplore different philosophies.”
The socialist-based solutionsproposed by ISSE aren’t the onlyones available, according to Dr.James Ingram, political scienceprofessor at SDSU and UCSD.
“There has never been a suc-cessful socialist movement in theU.S. politics,” he said.
According to Ingram, capitalistmeans can be successful.
Ingram said capitalism allowsindividuals to find solutionsthrough their drive for success.
Ingram believes the taxpayersand a flawed California constitu-tion are at the hand of minimalstate education funds by votingagainst tax increases for education.
“The taxpayers have shown thatthey’re no longer willing to sup-
port the public education thatwe’ve created for them,” Ingramsaid. “There are members of the(California) legislature who arewilling to put money into the UCsystem and the CSU system andthey can’t get the votes. You’ve gotthat one-third minority that’s pre-venting any progress from happen-ing. I don’t see where socialismfixes that.”
However, the ISSE doesn’t feelthat pressuring legislators will fixanything, according to Stephens.
“The ISSE rejects the notionthat politicians in Sacramento orWashington can somehow bepressured into giving more moneyto public education,” Stephenssaid. “We will not encourage any-one here to ‘vent at the tent’ or tosign a banner to send to ArnoldSchwarzenegger letting him knowhow angry you are about thebudget cuts.”
The ISSE will hold another eventat 5 p.m next Monday at Casa Realto discuss possible solutions.
SSAARRAAHH KKOOVVAASSHHS E N I O R S TA F F W R I T E R
The International Students for Social Equality held a rally on the Free Speech Steps last Thursday afternoon to protest California’s cuts to SDSU and the CSU system.Courtesy of ISSE
Group voices budget concerns
CAMPUS CRIME
Two arrested after fightSept. 18 – Two people were arrest-ed after a group of 15 fought infront of the Student VeteranOrganization House on FraternityRow. One subject, a juvenile, wasarrested for curfew violation andfor possession of alcohol. JamarBrown, a 22-year-old non-student,was also arrested for alleged publicintoxication and resisting arrest.
Officers arrived after the fight hadalready dispersed, but six of theparticipants were identified byFraternity Row security.
Grand theft in PSFASept. 10 – Audio and digital record-ing equipment has been stolenfrom the Professional Studies andFine Arts building. The equip-ment, 14 recorders, is valued at
$2,800. A PSFA faculty memberreported them missing and saidthey were last seen at the begin-ning of the summer.
Assault at sorority partySept. 19 – A student was injuredafter being assaulted with a brick. Agroup of males started a fight afternot being allowed to enter a Pi BetaPhi sorority party. When one male
could not into the party, he alleged-ly grabbed a brick and threw it atanother guest’s head. The victimwas injured and transported to thehospital by a friend. None of thesuspects have yet been located. SanDiego State Police Lt. Lamine Seckasaid if the suspect is found, he willbe arrested with felony charges.
-Compiled by Senior Staff WriterKristina Blake
The Daily AztecTuesday,
September 29, 20092 STATE OF MIND
espite statewide budget cuts,President Stephen L. Weber isimplementing some positivechanges here at San Diego State.In a message sent out to students,
faculty and staff last Monday, Weberannounced that admissions for the next year’sclass will drastically change. Enrollment isbeing cut by 10.8 percent. Incoming freshmenwill have impacted majors and minors. SanDiego service area students will be required tomeet similar prerequisites to students whoapply from outside areas. Also, incomingfreshmen who do not live in the San Diegoservice area will be required to live on campus.
While some people are upset about thisnew policy, I see this as a beneficial way forour university to grow regardless of negativeeffects on the California education system.These changes are necessary, not to men-tion positive. They will attract brighter indi-viduals and ultimately make SDSU a betterlearning community.
Enrollment will decrease by 4,588 stu-dents. These thousands of applicants formerlywould have met the CSU Eligibility Index, ascore necessary to be admitted into theschool. Now, they will have to compete to notonly be eligible, but to be exceptional.
High school seniors in San Diego are wor-ried, and rightfully so. They will now bepushed to make similar prerequisites as stu-dents applying from other areas in California.
This is not detrimental to the university.Instead, the quality of the students admittedinto SDSU will increase dramatically.
Instead of getting into the most popularCSU because of their residence, they will haveto be admitted based on merit. Students fromthe San Diego area have always had prioritybecause of where they live, instead of otherstudents who may be more accomplished.According to Weber, this was done “so SDSUcan maintain its traditional balance of out-of-area to in-area students.”
But by doing this, SDSU enrolled studentswho are not as academically qualified. Thisyear’s freshman class had a huge difference inGPA between local and outside students.
Freshmen from the San Diego area had anaverage GPA of 3.4,1 while freshmen fromother areas had an average GPA of 3.81.
Having San Diego service area studentsmeet similar requirements as those applyingfrom outside areas will increase the caliber ofour student body. By making these studentsmeet similar GPAs and test score requirementsas other applicants, there will be more equali-ty within the student body.
SDSU is assisting the community by takingthe best candidates for admittance. These stu-dents are more likely to be productive mem-bers of the area and will benefit San Diego inthe future.
All majors and pre-majors will be impactedas a result of Weber’s new policy. This is bene-ficial to students because they will have theopportunity to focus on their majors earlier.Students will have to work hard to ensuretheir grades stay adequate enough to continuewith their academic plans.
Weber said it best when he wrote, “At atime when resources are constrained, itensures SDSU’s limited enrollment slots areawarded to the students who are best pre-pared to succeed.”
Not only will SDSU be accepting studentswho are more intelligent, they will gain a senseof community by living on campus. Weber isrequiring that all freshmen who do not live inthe San Diego service area live on campusnext year. When students live in the residencehalls as opposed to off-campus housing, theirgrades are better. They also begin their collegeyears with a sense of identity and community.Instead of commuting to school and not beingable to fully enjoy all of SDSU’s amenities,these students will feel a sense of belonging totheir school.
SDSU will become a more prosperous uni-versity in the long run because of thesechanges. The new policy’s selectivity will gen-erate a more thriving, intelligent workforce inSan Diego. This is good for everyone —except those not willing to work hard to getan education.
—Sarah Grieco is a public relations junior.
—This column does not necessarily reflect the opin-ion of The Daily Aztec. Send e-mail to [email protected]. Anonymous letters willnot be printed
—Include your full name, major and year inschool.
SSAARRAAHH GGRRIIEECCOOA S S I S TA N T S TAT E O F M I N D E D I T O R
President Stephen L. Weber spoke to students at the budget rally about how cuts will affect students at SDSU. The slashes in education funding have led to a new admissions policy at SDSU to decrease enrollment.
Question: Is SDSU’s new admission policy fair to incoming freshmen?
MEET IN THE MIDDLE
Good call, WeberFLAMING LIBERAL
New policy unfairollege is supposed to be a timeto learn and explore. Studentsare quick to learn that there isno cookie cutter method forsolving complex problems. It
now seems, however, that our administratorshave forgotten this lesson.
In a memo released last Monday, SanDiego State President Stephen L. Weberannounced disappointing changes that willbe occurring to SDSU admission processstarting with next year’s incoming class. Inorder to meet its goal of reducing admissionby 4,588 undergraduates, new policies suchas the impacting of all majors and pre-majorshave been instituted. Now local-area stu-dents will be placed in the same applicantpool as out-of-area students, many of whichoutperform local-area students.
Weber has abandoned the very spirit andpromise of the California State Universitysystem, which is to provide broad access tohigher education, forge stronger communi-ty partnerships and most importantly useour community resources to educate ourlocal workforce.
SDSU and all CSU campuses exist to pro-vide opportunities for higher education tothe local population, this is first and fore-most. While in-area students will be givenextra eligibility points, this is not enough. Itwould be fine to place all students on thesame playing field if all things were equal.
Sadly, we live in a world where there is astrong correlation between geographic originand lower SAT scores and GPAs. In SanDiego and Imperial counties, 80 percent ofstudents ranked below the freshmen classaverage, according to SDSU data for thisyear’s class.
If we’re going to expect all students in theservice area to compete with out-of-area stu-dents, then we should start by reforming ourK-12 education and not punishing studentswho are the product of poor local schoolsystems. The way we fix this is to do a betterjob of funding education at all levels.
While some might see this as an opportu-nity to improve the quality of our schools,the quality of the workforce in our commu-nity must also be protected. Many studentswho are educated locally end up workinglocally. If we are not providing a way for ourlocal youth to receive a quality education weare shooting ourselves in the foot. In onegeneration, San Diego will have to beginimporting out-of-area workers because ourworkforce will not have the prerequisite edu-cation for the jobs created in the area.
Those who will be hurt by this new poli-cy are minorities and economically disadvan-taged students who depend on the local area
guarantee to pursue their education.Accepting students with lower test scoresdoes not diminish the quality of our univer-sity. Many local-area students have excelledacademically and have become leaders onand off campus.
This is a shortsighted solution that willonly hurt the university and lower our stand-ing in the nation. Weber and the administra-tion pride themselves on the diversity of ourcampus and the awards we receive. Awardssuch as number 10 in the nation for bache-lor’s degrees awarded to Hispanics andnumber 16 in the nation for degrees con-ferred to ethnic minorities will be short livedas fewer minority students will have theopportunity to pursue the higher educationthey were promised all through gradeschool.
With classes being cut, we have to rely ona group of our peers to learn from oneanother. Varied experiences and perspectivesare the best ways to learn and debate, with-out the diversity SDSU has prided itself onfor a long time, our education will suffer.Learning in a diverse setting is the bestway to learn about other cultures and pre-pare us to work in our global community.Even if you are a student who exceededthe admission criteria, your learning com-munity will become more homogenizedand your opportunity to learn from differentpeople will vanish.
Now is the time to start looking for solu-tions. Assemblymember Marty Block’s AB24,a feasibility study to construct a new CSU inChula Vista, is exactly the proactive thinkingfor long-term solutions we should be invest-ing in. We need more opportunities for local-area students to educate themselves andimprove our community.
While it is easy to set up policies such ascampus-wide impaction, it is akin to usingan axe for a job that requires a butter knife.The task of overcoming these economic chal-lenges is one that requires finesse and areturn to the basic principles of the CSU,something Weber has clearly forgotten.
—Allan Acevedo is a comparative literature andpolitical science junior.
—This column does not necessarily reflect theopinion of The Daily Aztec. Send e-mail [email protected]. Anonymous let-ters will not be printed.
—Include your full name, major and year inschool.
AALLLLAANN AACCEEVVEEDDOOS TAT E O F M I N D E D I T O RCD
Glenn Connelly / Photo Editor
“Students will have towork hard to ensuretheir grades stay adequate enough tocontinue with theiracademic plans.”
STATE OF MINDTuesday,September 29, 2009 The Daily Aztec 3
remember my first few weeks atSan Diego State. I was just a fresh-man looking for a good time. It allstarted with one party and soonbecame a four-night weekly ritual of
crawling back home on my hands andknees, often reaching Zura moments beforehaving to politely release some of the moretroubling foods left in my bowels.
But now all that has changed and nofreshmen can experience the college ourparents and past generations had. In Augustof last year, shortly after Operation SuddenFall, SDSU implemented the new five-weekalcohol ban for Greek Life.
This ban does nothing more than under-mine the efforts of past generations andruins students’ college experience, all whileunfairly targeting and discriminatingagainst Greeks.
Last year, Greeks donated 21,833 hoursof community service, or $185,580 worth ofwork, according to Doug Case, coordinatorof fraternity and sorority life. There aremany more facets to being Greek that havelittle to do with partying, and more to dowith brotherhood, philanthropy, academicsand molding adolescents of today into theleaders of tomorrow. Many times, Greeksare also the leaders of today. For the lastthree years, the Associated Students presi-dent has been a member of Greek life.
For SDSU to punish fraternities andsororities is not right. By banning alcohol atfraternity parties, and knowing that alcohol
will be provided at any party in the CollegeArea, SDSU is discriminating against Greeks.This ban only serves to increase the discipli-nary action taken against Greek organiza-tions for the actions of a few.
The administration is trying to destroythe Greek system by limiting its actions, yetit has no problem with people drinking atthe on-campus bar.
Greeks are the leaders of school govern-ment, they excel in academia, contributemore to the school than any other club orsocial organization, and provide an outletfor young men and women to party in asafe, closely monitored setting.
It isn’t so much that Greeks need alcoholin order to attract new members, or evenneed alcohol at all. Rather it is the principleof the issue that Greeks are being treatedunfairly. No other house party host woulddonate time for community service at 8 a.m.on a Saturday morning. No house partyhost would require every person living inhis or her house to have a minimum 2.7GPA. Yes, Greeks party, but it is only after agreat deal of work and sacrifice.
Greeks have been an integral part ofSDSU for years, and by placing limitationson the Greek system the school is losing itsidentity. First, it was the $1,000 fine for anoise violation, and now the administrationis punishing all partygoers by eliminating
alcohol at Greek events during the criticalfirst five weeks of school.
SDSU has been wrongfully trying to getrid of its party-school image for some time.When my dad went to SDSU back in themid-‘70s, he would talk about how gettinghome on a Friday night was an odyssey —police barricades would block off the streetsand students were free to do what they wishso long as no one got hurt.
The shift in culture may be good for aca-demia, but it hurts and excludes many stu-dents — the hardworking individuals whowant to go out and have a drink at afriend’s house.
Students don’t have to take this. It is ourright to have a great college experience andit is being trampled on.
If they can increase tuition and lessenour class times, then we should be able tokeep our ability to socialize and drinkresponsibly with a group of our peers in asafe setting. Like it or not, it’s why many stu-dents come to school here.
—Ammar Moheize is a journalism junior.
—This column does not necessarily reflect theopinion of The Daily Aztec. Send e-mail [email protected]. Anonymous let-ters will not be printed.
—Include your full name, major and year inschool.
AAMMMMAARR MMOOHHEEIIZZEEC O N T R I B U T I N G C O L U M N I S TI
A GUEST’S PERSPECTIVE
or months, students have spo-ken out against the state and fed-eral government’s decisions toput education and financial aidon the chopping block when the
budget grows tight. As college students inthis economy, the pressure on us to lead thenation into the future has been growing atan alarming rate. To fulfill this role, we needthe resources to be shaped for the leaders oftomorrow and Congress has finally decid-ed to prioritize higher education.
Last week, the House ofRepresentatives approved the Student Aidand Fiscal Responsibility Act, which willallow $40 billion to be restored to financialaid. SAFRA still needs to be passed by theSenate and it is likely it will be approved.
This couldn’t have come at a bettertime. With economic growth screeching toa halt and budget deficits soaring, devas-tating cuts were made to the very aidmany students depend on to completetheir college education.
Like many others, I am a student who isreliant on student loans from the federalgovernment. Last year, the loan amount Iqualified for was just enough to cover thecost of tuition for the semester and requiredtextbooks for the classes. This was enough.I wasn’t asking the government for freemoney, just merely the ability to borrow themoney until I graduate.
This semester’s federal student loanshave fallen significantly short of the cost of
tuition alone. This means financially strug-gling students had to find a way to pay theremaining tuition and the cost of textbooks.Lawmakers were ignorant in their belief thatlow and moderate income students couldpay outrageous increases in tuition with lessincome in a recession.
Students with limited incomes turned toprivate loans for their education, where theywere met with slamming doors. Althoughcredit has become easier to obtain, studentswith little or no credit history have a slimchance of qualifying for a student loan ontheir own.
“The Number one reason we entered thewhole review of the student loan situationwas reliability, to make sure that loans willbe available regardless of the credit mar-kets,” Robert Shireman, the deputy underthe secretary of education, said.
Among the restoration of practical loansfor rising education costs, SAFRA willincrease the maximum annual Pell Grantscholarships from $5,350 to $6,900 by2019, provide $10 billion for much-neededcommunity college development andallow for $8 billion to be given to earlychildhood programs.
This plan will streamline loans and savemore than $80 billion throughout 10 years.Up until now, the government has subsi-
dized loan companies to provide studentloans. Now, the government is changingto direct federal lending, which means italone will do loan servicing themselves.The savings from this shift should beable to put money directly back into stu-dent aid programs and further increasefinancial aid benefits.
This time, President Barack Obama hasstayed true to his campaign promises byholding the government accountable.
It is not surprising, however, thatRepublicans and banks are opposed to thespending, but neither have a good trackrecord of improving America’s well-being.
This much-needed reform is somethingstudents were in dire need of months ago. Ifwe can roll out packages to save carelessfinancial institutions and automobile com-panies because it was deemed necessary bythe federal government, then we should beable to provide aid for the future leaders ofthis country.
—T.J. Bronson is a journalism and financesenior.
—This column does not necessarily reflect theopinion of The Daily Aztec. Send e-mail [email protected]. Anonymousletters will not be printed.
—Include your full name, major and year inschool.
F TT..JJ.. BBRROONNSSOONNS TA F F C O L U M N I S T
MCT Campus
FEELING TRUTH AT YOU
Student aid better late than never
POINTS TO PONDER
31%
Idaho Company suggests solar panelroadways the answer
to conservation
Companies thatpredict improve-
ment in revenues:
A survey conducted insmall business resultsin an improvement of
the economy:
Amount of people less like-ly to become infected usingvaccine combination:
Amount of people infectedwith HIV by the end of 2007:
33 million
9.5 minutes
Time elapsed between newtrend of infected people:
Percent of people who devel-op AIDS within a year ofbeing diagnosed with HIV:
40%
Number of jobs created inassembly:
2.5 millionCost of solar panel installationfor all highways:
$35 millionNumber of miles that compro-mise nation’s highways:
Approximate jobs provided bysmall businesses: 40
Amount of smallbusinesses hiring: 49%Amount of companies cuttingtheir staff:
—Compiled by State of Mind Contributor Aileen Pantoja
Decrease in greenhouse gas emis-sions if the nation switched itshighways to solar panels
50%
75%
million
New HIV vaccinationstudy in Thailand
5.7
5%
Five-week alcohol ban hurts Greeks
million
The Daily AztecTuesday,
September 29, 20094 TRAVEL & ADVENTURE
A peaceful vacation away from crowded San Diego lies in the quaint town of Julian. Although it’s famous for its pies, Julian has much more to offer than just tasty desserts. The historically rich and back-to-natureatmosphere of Julian is perfect for getting in touch with reality as opposed to the technologically driven world of today. Copious opportunities for hiking, gold panning and relaxing make Julian an ideal country town.
Lindsey Martin / Assistant Photo Editor
The juicy and locally grown apples of Julian make its apple pies a scrumptious dessert to die for. Other yummy and popularsweets such as the gooey caramel apples and apple-stuffed cookies also make for delectable treats that are hard to resist.
Lindsey Martin / Assistant Photo Editor
Nearby Julian offers a simpler vacation
Although some may consider thecountryside to be slow and boring,there is a surprisingly fresh andhomey quality that just can’t befound in the hustle and bustle ofSan Diego.
Located east of San Diego in theCuyamaca Mountains hides Julian, asmall town known primarily for itsapple pie. A haven for those enticedby unlimited desserts, small localbusinesses, friendly people and aback-to-the-basics feel, this town pro-vides a romantic atmosphere. Visitorscan enjoy the experience of all fourseasons and stay at one of its invitingbed and breakfast inns. Julian resi-dents take pride in their historic townby providing many activities andallowing their visitors to “stop andsmell the roses” in this peacefulmountainside oasis.
Tasting the pies and sweetsJulian makes excellent desserts.Because most of the businesses inJulian are family owned, there arebakeries on every corner, candyshops reminiscent of childhood andslices of apple pie offered at everyrestaurant. From caramel apples toapple-stuffed cookies, Julian resi-dents take pride in a history ofhomemade recipes. Julian’s fresh,locally grown apples make its applepies incomparable to store-boughtpies. Perhaps it’s the cinnamon-apple scent that lingers in the storeor the organic apple orchards downthe streets, but whatever it may be,visitors of Julian should indulge in aslice of this dessert to get the fullexperience of the town.
Enjoying natureFor a nature enthusiast or someonedesiring to relax in the sun, down the
road from Julian is Lake Cuyamacaand the Anza-Borrego Desert StatePark. Lake Cuyamaca is a popularspot for picnics, fishing, boating andhiking. Stocked with a limitless sup-ply of trout all year long, LakeCuyamaca also offers free fishing les-sons every Saturday. Althoughdeserts are enjoyed primarily for off-road driving, Anza-Borrego DesertState Park is also a necessary to visitas it provides an unparalleled oppor-tunity for tourists to see nature inCalifornia’s largest state park. Thepark features washes, wildflowers,palm groves, cacti and sweeping vis-tas. Visitors may also have the chanceto see animals, such as roadrunners,golden eagles, kit foxes, mule deerand bighorn sheep.
History Julian is rich with history and land-marks and the Julian MiningCompany is a popular place for visi-tors to take a tour of its original goldmine. Guides lead tourists throughthe deep tunnels in the hard-rockmine and share tales of the life ofearly residents of Julian. Visitors maydip candles or even get lucky pan-ning for gold.
LodgingFor those accustomed to staying inhotels, Julian’s bed and breakfaststurn lodging into an experience thatmakes visitors want to come back formore. Julian Gold Rush Hotel Bed &Breakfast ranked Sunset Magazine’s:“Best of the West” Bed andBreakfast,provides old-fashioned hos-pitality with an inviting atmosphere.Included are a complimentary break-fast, tea and cookies in the afternoon;this hotel encourages simpler livingby providing board games and read-ing in the parlor. The hotel has claw-footed bathtubs, quilted beds andquaint rustic rooms that make for aromantic getaway.
KKAARRII LLUUUUS TA F F W R I T E R
TRAVEL & ADVENTURETuesday,September 29, 2009 The Daily Aztec 5
Travelers save money and make new friends
MCT Campus
When Will Bradwell and his friends wereplanning a cross-country road trip threeyears ago, the idea of paying for hotels, gasand food seemed impossible for their col-lege-student budgets.
Then a friend suggested www.Couch-Surfing.org.
Launched in January 2004, it's a hos-pitality-exchange networking site wherepeople offer free lodging. When opening afree account, you can choose to host, surfor show travelers around (even if you'renot hosting).
“It sounded like hitchhiking, but on awhole different level,” Bradwell, 24, fromMiami said. “It's a really smart way to trav-el for people our age who are trusting likethat and don't want to spend all thatmoney on hotels.”
The thought of staying at a stranger’shouse may scare many. But those whohave tried it say “surfers” share a love fortraveling and meeting people.
“Most participants are of the same likemind and are willing to share a little bit oftheir lives and we share a little bit of ourlives,” Rick Murphy from Fort Lauderdale,Fla. who has been a host, said. A lot ofresearch preparation goes into surfing orhosting, he added. You can read profiles,request additional information from yourhost or surfer and build a pre-trip rapportby phone or e-mail. You can also readother people’s comments.
The site has other safety checks inplace, said Crystal Murphy, public rela-t i o n s t e a m l e a d e r f o rwww.CouchSurfing.org.
Although not required, surfers can paya fee and become verified members. Therecommended amount varies by incomeand country, but the maximum is $25.Verification helps confirm a surfer's iden-tity and address.
Another is vouching. Members canvouch for other members and leave com-ments about their stays. Vouching is a wayfor members to declare their trust in othermembers. The only way to becomevouched for is to be extremely trusted bysomeone who has been vouched for bythree other members, according to the site.
Even with all the safety checks, surfersare urged to use common sense whenplanning a trip, Murphy said.
“You shouldn’t let someone stay atyour house who just started a profile yes-terday or contacted you in a shady way,”she said.
The nonprofit site, registered in NewHampshire, was developed by Casey Fen-ton, Sebastien Gao LeTuan, Dan Hofferand Leonardo Bassani de Silveira.
“We first started the site to facilitateintercultural understanding and enablepeople to have adventures and new expe-r iences t hey would not ot her wiseencounter,” Hoffer said. “But we did notexpect it to get this way.”
The openness and trust of the Couch-Surfing community impressed Bradwelland his three friends who, at the time oftheir cross-country road trip, were stu-dents at the University of Florida.
“Every place we ended up staying atwas its own little adventure,” Bradwellsaid. “They felt they needed to take us outon the town and show us everything therethat is cool. And that was usually the bestpart of the trip.”
As of April, the site reported more thanone million registered members fromabout 230 countries. The average age is 27,but CouchSurfing doesn’t discriminate.
Rick Murphy, 55, and John Devine, 45,of Fort Lauderdale, joined in January2007 and have hosted visitors from Brazil,Great Britain, Serbia, Germany, Belgiumand Canada.
“As a gay couple, we didn’t know howmany people would want to stay with us,”Murphy said. “CouchSurfing is not a gaything or a straight thing — it’s a people thing.”
While traveling to South America, thecoupled bumped into several surfers whohad stayed at their home.
“One of our friends who ... works forthe FBI ... thinks we’ve lost our mind,”Murphy said. “But out of the 100-plus peo-ple we've hosted, never has anyone had toleave. We never had anything broken orstolen from us.”
Top 10 CouchSurfing Countries: United StatesGermanyFranceCanadaUnited KingdomItalyAustraliaSpainBrazilNetherlands
Tips for host and surfers:Make sure your “couch information” isclear. You decide how much access surfershave to your home. Be clear in what youare comfortable with, and communicateyour rules in advance.
When you receive a request, try to getan idea of who is writing to you. Commu-nicate with each other before a Couch-Surfing stay to establish a rapport.
If you're looking for specific info that’smissing from your surfer’s profile, ask forit. They are asking you for your trust, soyou deserve to get a sense of who is com-ing into your home.
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Liquid Library
The Daily AztecTuesday,
September 29, 20096 SPORTS
The score alone cannot sum up the pastweekend for the San Diego State men’s soc-cer team; the story is in three separate stylesof celebration.
It’s the “Ray Ray,” the “Stanky Leg” andthe one with the team that exhibits just howfar SDSU (3-2-2) has come so far this season.
The first celebration during a 4-2 wincame 22 minutes into Friday’s game againstNo. 6 UC Santa Barbara at the SDSU Sports
Deck. Junior forwardRaymundo Reza fin-ished off a silky passfrom classmate forwardKhadim Diouf, allowingthe Aztecs to draw first
blood. After ruffling the back of the net,Reza celebrated the same way he’s beendoing for years.
“I don’t really know where it came from,”Reza said. “It’s just been (a) thing ever sincelike middle school and we call it the ‘RayRay’. I just do it every time I get a goal.”
The “Ray Ray” consists of Reza pulling thefront of his jersey to his face and flaunting hishands by his shoulders, and Reza got to do itmore than once as he added another goal forSDSU in the 61st minute.
The second celebration came from redshirtsenior tri-captain Jamel Wallace as he finisheda set play off a Gaucho foul just outside the
box. Wallace chose to celebrate with a dancemove called the “Stanky Leg.”
“I got it from Charlie Davies and the USAOlympic soccer team,” Wallace said. “I justwanted to dance a little bit and party with myteammates. It felt really good to do thatbecause it meant I did my job and scored.”
Senior midfielder Evan Toft would get thelast chance to celebrate last Friday and hismay have been the most heartfelt. He addedthe cushion goal in the 76th minute and tookthe celebration to the bench, jumping intoand hugging his teammates who didn’t getthe chance to be on the field.
“I just wanted to bring the feeling over tothe sidelines and share it,” Toft said. “Ourbench gives us the most support and espe-cially Matt (McManus) who can’t be out onthe field with us right now, I had to share itwith the team. We play for each other andhere it’s all about the team.”
After celebrating the win against theGauchos (6-2-1), the Aztecs carried themomentum into their game on Sundayagainst Princeton. SDSU locked down ondefense against the Tigers (4-3-0) not allow-ing them to tally a single score. Toft recordedhis fourth goal of the season in the 56thminute, locking up the Nike Aztec SoccerClassic title.
“It’s been a tribute to how hard we workfor each other,” Toft said. “The reason why weplay so hard is because we all understand it’snot about us, it’s the team and no one is big-ger than the team.”
DDAANN PPEERREEZZS TA F F W R I T E R
MEN’S SOCCER
Aztecs sweep throughweekend home games
SDSU 1PRINCETON 0
Bryan Koci / Staff Photographer
WOMEN’S SOCCER
It didn’t take more than three minutes forthe San Diego State women’s soccer team toseal the deal.
Three minutes of overtime, that is, forSDSU to score the winning goal thatwould clinch a victory against UC IrvineSunday afternoon.
After two consecutive wins, the regional-ly 10th-ranked Aztecskept the home fieldmomentum againstIrvine, which is rankedninth in the Pacific
region. At the end of the first half, SDSU was
down 1-0 and was outshot 4-2.It was only at the 66:43 mark that soph-
omore defender Gretel Amman scored thegoal that kept the Aztecs in the runningafter being shut out.
“Nothing was going on in my headwhen I scored it,” Amman said. “I just shot itand knew we were back in the game.”
Amman’s goal, which came unassisted offof a rebounded kick, is her first of the season.
“It took us a little while,” head coachMike Friesen said. “But we got it back inthe second half, we got the goal, and wehad a momentum.”
At the end of the second half, each teamhad made nine shots, seven on goal foreach, leaving the outcome open-ended forboth teams.
Overtime was just the boost SDSU need-ed, and a strange three-person play scoredthe final goal. Freshman forward NikiFernandes passed to junior midfielder CatWalker, who bumped it with her head intothe goalie. After ricocheting off the goalie’sleg, senior forward Jessica Gordon got a
lucky kick from just two yards out to winthe game, 2-1.
“It was awesome,” Walker said. “We feltpretty confident going into overtime. Thatrun of play at the end (of regulation) gaveus the energy coming off the field, but over-time is never a fun place to be.”
Walker was one of four Aztecs to remainin play for the entire game. There wereplenty of substitutions as three playerswere taken off the field because of injuries.One of these players, freshman midfielderMegan Jurado, came out with a sprainedankle after just 20 minutes into the game.
“People kept coming down,” Friesen said.“We had a lot of injuries where they couldn’tget back in, so we tried to keep fresh bodiesout there to keep the pressure on.”
Despite this being the third consecutivewin, it was the first win in overtime sinceNov. 2, 2007 against TCU. The victorySunday also continued SDSU’s record of 7-1-1 in non-conference home games. Friesenexplained how he can’t allow himself torevel in the team’s success for very long.
“The coach’s life only allows me toenjoy the win for about 30 seconds, beforeI think, ‘OK, (next is) Oregon State,’”Friesen said.
The Aztecs have been speaking highlyof their goal for this extended homestandsince it started, and it seems now asthough it may come to fruition.
“We had a big win last weekend withLong Beach (State),” Walker said. “Andthis one today was important too, so it def-initely gives us that extra confidence tokeep going.”
“I think our goal of seven is within reach,”Amman said in agreement. “We’ve won all ofthem so far, and I think we can do it.”
Senior forward Jessica Gordon was in the right place at the right time to make the winning goal againstUC Irvine on Sunday. Her goal in overtime brought the final score to 2-1, a victory for San Diego State.
Nicholas Santiago / Staff Photographer
FFEELLIINNAA TTAAMMBBAAKKOOSSS TA F F W R I T E R
AZTECS 2ANTEATERS 1
Senior’s goal sealsOT victory for SDSU
In yesterday’s paper, the name of junior volleyball player Kelsey Manasco was misspelled as Kelsey Monasco.The Daily Aztec regrets this error.
FOR THE RECORD
TuesdaySeptember 29, 2009 The Daily Aztec 7CLASSIFIEDS
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EEDDIITTEEDD BBYY RRIICCHH NNOORRRRIISS AANNDD JJOOYYCCEE LLEEWWIISS
The Daily AztecTuesday,
September 29, 20098 THE BACK PAGETODAY’S BIRTHDAY (09/29/09) This
should be a very happy year for you.You're lucky and quite attractive. It's theplayful attitude that makes even workseem fun when you're around. Keep it up!
ARIES (March 21 - April 19) - Today is an 8- With help from an intellectual friend, youfind ways to work more efficiently.Thishelps you move up a level.
TAURUS (April 20 - May 20) - Today is a 6- You hold yourself to a high standard butrarely admit when you've achieved it. Giveyourself a pat on the back.
GEMINI (May 21 - June 21) - Today is an 8 -You can earn more without taking on anymore work.You'll have to show peoplewhat you can produce.
CANCER (June 22 - July 22) - Today is a 6 -When you finally buy that thing you andyour family saved for, you'll glow withpride.You've worked hard for this.
LEO (July 23 - Aug. 22) - Today is an 8 - Thiscould be your lucky day. Finish up oldchores and start new ones now. Also, setup a romantic weekend.
VIRGO (Aug. 23 - Sept. 22) - Today is a 6 -There's more work coming in, maybe
even too much.You can figure out a wayto handle the load and make a profit.
LIBRA (Sept. 23 - Oct. 22) - Today is a 7 -You have all the ideas, but the words don'ttake shape.Try drawing or using music tohelp you get them out.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23 - Nov. 21) - Today is a 7- Yesterday, life came to a halt.Today, startup again and fire on all cylinders. Expectcommunication from far away.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22 - Dec. 21) - Todayis a 7 - Now you know exactly what tosay. And you know exactly what to do, sodo it! Don't hesitate.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22 - Jan. 19) - Today isan 8 - Each word you hear fills in a puzzlepiece. By nightfall you have the whole pic-ture. Preserve it for posterity.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20 - Feb. 18) - Today is an8 - Now is the time to reveal your plan,not later. Oh, you already did? That's OK.But if not, let it come in stages.
PISCES (Feb. 19 - March 20) - Today is a 7 -Renew your emotional energy today.Important information arrives by mail orphone. Prepare to take swift action.
© 2009,TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES INC.
Level: 1 2 3 4
AACCRROOSSSS1 Leaders in the
dugout: Abbr.5 Univ. hot shot9 Saran, for one
13 Layered cookie14 Dainty embroi-
dered mat15 McKellen and
Fleming16 Breakfast pair19 Apt to shy, as a
horse20 Like a dark room21 HBO competitor22 Japanese sleuth
Mr. __24 Lunch pair32 Don, as apparel33 Keep one’s __
the ground34 Miracle-__: gar-
den product35 Bickering36 When Juliet
drinks the potion37 Former Fed
chairmanGreenspan
38 Incite to attack,with “on”
39 Rocket engineerWernher von __
40 Pilot light site41 Dinner pair44 Lotion ingredient45 “Gross!”46 Fancy burger beef49 Just in case54 Evening ball game
snack pair57 In __ of: replacing58 Abated59 Feedbag fill60 “Benevolent” fra-
ternal order61 Orchestral reed62 Estimate phrase
DDOOWWNN1 Comfy soft shoes
2 Understand, inslang
3 Mortgage pay-ment-loweringstrategy, briefly
4 Sentimental placein the heart
5 Fluffy stoles6 Ho Chi __7 Ancient8 Dancer Charisse9 Separate grain
from chaff10 __ Julia, who
played GomezAddams
11 Opposed to12 Hissed “Hey,
you!”14 Football’s “Prime
Time” Sanders17 Wharton’s “__
Frome”18 Perform better
than22 Former quarter-
back Dan23 Being aired, as a
sitcom24 Muscle cramp,
e.g.25 Noticeable navel26 City near Syracuse27 Ten-year period28 Stopped slouching29 Domed Arctic
home30 Want badly, as
chocolate31 Sharpens36 River of Florence37 Where to see
wild animals incages
39 Modeler’s wood40 “America’s
Funniest HomeVideos” host Bob
42 Zodiac bull43 Adjusted the pitch
of, as a piano46 Skilled47 Armstrong in
space48 Nerd49 __ facto50 Gratis51 Start of many a
letter52 Diner orders, for
short53 Old U.S. gas55 Prefix with natal56 Brylcreem
CROSSWORD
BBYY TTHHEE MMEEPPHHAAMM GGRROOUUPPSUDOKU
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SSoolluuttiioonn aavvaaiillaabbllee oonnlliinnee aatt wwwwww..TThheeDDaaiillyyAAzztteecc..ccoomm
© 2009 The Mepham Group. Distributed byTribune Media Services.All rights reserved.
Instructions: Complete the grid soeach row, column and 3-by-3 box (inbold borders) contains every digit 1to 9. For strategies on how to solveSudoku, visit www.sudoku.org.uk.
SSoolluuttiioonn aavvaaiillaabbllee oonnlliinnee aattwwwwww..TThheeDDaaiillyyAAzztteecc..ccoomm
HUMOR
Important life lessonsrecent phone callfrom my sisterunearthed some bignews: I am going tobe an uncle.
A baby boy will soon join theranks of my family, which is espe-cially exciting considering I’m mysister’s only sibling. This meansthat I, a morally confused SanDiego State student, will be in theposition to greatly influence ayoung person’s life.
The idea of me being a rolemodel may concern some, but letme say, with my help, this child isgoing to be awesome.
Given I don’t plan on havingkids anytime soon, or as I’munaware of any existing ones, Ifeel like this is my opportunity todrop some knowledge. These arethe lessons I plan on teaching inorder to help guide the little onethrough the perils of life.
Lesson one: Leave homeas soon as possibleThe hardships facing many chil-dren are staggering. Some areraised in poverty and others findthemselves in a dysfunctionalhome environment. My futurenephew has it worse than both ofthose unfortunate circumstances:He will be growing up in Utah.
I’m not sure why my sisterwould want to subject the kid tothat barren wasteland. I spent 17years in Utah and my departurecouldn’t have come soon enough.
Even though I moved, remindersof my past dwelling still hauntme. I’m convinced bitter mission-aries are tracking my every move.No matter where I live, they con-tinue to harass me with pam-phlets and offers of salvation.
Lesson two: Learn to fightI don’t normally endorse vio-lence, but this lesson is necessary.You see, my sister and brother-in-law are both kind of short.Assuming he’s the father and thisisn’t some Maury-esque situationwhere the father’s identity is amystery, there’s a significantchance this kid will turn out tobe pint-sized. As such, bigger kidsmight prey on him when he startsgoing to school. When it comes toschool, I’m going to encourage himto abide by some of the advicefrom the classic movie “OfficeSpace:” “Kick someone’s ass thefirst day.” That partial quote isreferring to prison, but it’s appli-cable to public school as well.
Lesson three: Women Women are a fickle, elusivebunch. Beyond a course in abnor-mal psychology, I wish I hadsome enlightening advice. No, thereal reason I wrote this sectionwas to express my hope that thiskid will help me converse withgirls in exchange for the pearls of
wisdom littered throughout thisarticle. Everyone knows womencan’t resist a guy who’s accompa-nied by a cute kid. So I guess myonly lesson here is to advise thekid to become an uncle someday.Oh, and I take back that partabout this column containinguseful wisdom.
Lesson four: MoralsAn uncle is like the SupremeCourt justice of the family. I havethe ability to strike down any ofthe well-intentioned but ultimate-ly flawed moral advice thatcomes from lesser family mem-bers. For example, I’ve ruled thatthe drinking age is open to inter-pretation. I’m more than willingto help the kid buy beer orengage in other shenaniganswhen he’s a bit older, if hemakes some sort of effort to besafe. Any morally gray areas thatI don’t rule on will be referred toChuck Norris.
The beauty of family is theguidance I’m providing wouldnormally burn bridges or resultin some sort of exile. Barring anyrestraining orders or a limitednumber of unsupervised visits,I’ll do my best to always be thecrazy uncle.
—Jared Whitlock is a journalismsenior.
—This column does not necessarilyreflect the opinion of The DailyAztec.
JJAARREEDD WWHHIITTLLOOCCKKS TA F F C O L U M N I S TA
SDS-VIEW
Staff Photographer Bryan koci captured last Friday’s free Pepper concert for students that was put on in front of
Hepner Hall by Aztec Nights.
A DASH OF PEPPER GOES A LONG WAY