the daily aztec - vol. 95, issue 67
DESCRIPTION
Changing majors may be hardTRANSCRIPT
TRAVEL & ADVENTURE
IINNSSIIDDEE TTOODDAAYYOPINION
SPORTS
TODAY @ SDSU
CONTACT
INDEX
Tuesday, February 2, 2010 Vol. 95, Issue 67
Unauthorized policy changemay hurt students’ futurecareer plans.
page 2
Find out why the men’s basket-ball team jokes about KawhiLeonard’s hands.
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OPINION.........................................................................2TRAVEL & ADVENTURE...............................................3SPORTS.............................................................................5CLASSIFIEDS....................................................................7THE BACK PAGE............................................................8
MAJOR TROUBLE
COACHELLA
A HELPING HAND
SDSU Men’s Basketball v. Air Force
7:05 p.m.,Viejas Arena
The Aztecs are hoping to win bigagainst the Air Force Falcons in ahome game.
Discover the best places tocrash at night when attendingthe three-day event.
page 4
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The San Diego State AcademicPolicy and Planning Committee hasdiscussed a new policy to theUniversity Senate that would affectstudents’ chances of changing oradding a new major or minor.
The discussed policy consists offour main recommendations,which include: not allowing newtransfer students to change into adifferent pre-major from the majorthey were admitted to; denyingchange-of-major requests by allupper division students who have90 or more units if the changerequires more than 24 units; limit-ing all students to one impactedmajor, unless the number of unitsneeded to complete the secondmajor to graduate does not exceed15 units; and limiting all studentsto one minor, unless the additionof a second minor does not requireadditional units for graduation.
The committee recommenda-tions are part of SDSU’s “deliveryplan” to deal with the current budg-et cuts and enrollment reductions.
The discussed policy changes areintended to facilitate the graduationof students, and in turn, open morespots for incoming students.
“This is one of the avenues tolimit enrollment … but it’s not theright avenue,” Natalie Colli, vicepresident of University Affairs,said. “Anything limiting students’opportunity to choose their majoris wrong.”
Colli said the discussed policyshould be more flexible and allowfor more academic freedom andexperience.
While the policy has not beenpassed, the Office of the Registrarhas reportedly denied several stu-dent requests to change or add amajor or minor.
Rick Felix, a Spanish junior,said he submitted a request tochange his major to hospitality andtourism management inSeptember and found he wasdenied in early November.
“(The Office of the Registrar)told me you can’t change yourmajor due to new policies and thebudget — of course, everyone is giv-ing that excuse for everything that’sgoing wrong,” he said.
Felix said what has been occur-ring is very disappointing and frus-trating because college is supposedto be an experience where studentsdiscover and enhance their talents.
“Why just get a piece of paperthat says bachelor’s degree or mas-ter’s degree of something thatdoesn’t demonstrate your capabili-ties?” he said.
Sandra Cook, assistant vice pres-ident of Academic Affairs, con-firmed that the policy has not yetbeen implemented and that theOffice of the Registrar and theAcademic Advising Center has beeninformed of the rumors.
“We’re trying to get to the heartof how this started,” she said. “Thisthing just got a life of its own andkept growing.”
Cook said students who havebeen affected by these “rumors” areencouraged to come into theAcademic Advising Center for help.
She said Felix might have beendenied admittance to a new pre-major because he is a transfer stu-dent. Because of the recent budgetissues, transfer students can only beadmitted to a different major — nota pre-major — and must have met
all the requirements for the major.Cook said the administration
works on every case individuallyand are willing to make exceptionsfor specific circumstances.
“We’re not denying any reason-able request,” she said.
If the policy recommendationspass through the UniversitySenate, the new policy will takeeffect next fall.
Dan Finnegan, chairman of theAcademic Policy and PlanningCommittee, denied severalrequests to answer questions orcomment about the discussed pol-icy until after the committee meet-ing next week.
In the meantime, Colli saidStudent Affairs is trying to help stu-dents who have encountered aproblem adding or changing amajor or minor recently. An “InfoZone” tent will be held from 9 a.m.to 2 p.m. on Thursday in AztecCenter to inform students about thediscussed policy and help thosewho have experienced any difficul-ties with the administration.
RREEEEMM NNOOUURRS E N I O R S TA F F W R I T E R
Some students have complained the San Diego State Office of the Registrar has implemented an unauthorized policy and denied requests to change or add majors or minors. Glenn Connelly / Photo Editor
Changing majors may be hard
A.S. BRIEF
GreenFestAssociated Students’ Cultural Arts& Special Events will hostGreenFest again this spring. Theevent, which focuses on sustain-ability and green practices, willtake place April 19 through 23.Starting Thursday, anyone want-ing to attend GreenFest can pur-chase tickets for $5 at the Aztec
Center ticket office. One guestticket is available per RedID for anadditional $10. Headlining theevent is music group LMFAO.
Cultural AwarenessThe Office of InterculturalRelations is offering cultural com-petency certificates to students.The A.S. Multi-Cultural Caucus
drafted a resolution in support ofthe program, which is intended tohelp students gain a better aware-ness of different cultures andappreciation for cultural differ-ences. The certification process isfree and seminars will be availablethrough May. The next seminar isfrom 4 to 7 p.m. tomorrow at CasaReal. The seminar will focus onAfrican American Awareness.
ModernSpace A ModernSpace referendum is cur-rently in the A.S. committee. Thenext scheduled student referen-dum regarding the project will beMarch 9 and 10.
—Compiled by Senior Staff WriterSarah Kovash.
oday, as many of you know, isthe last day to drop classes andThursday will be the last day toadd classes. While a few of youwere lucky and got into every
class you needed, this is not the case formany students at San Diego State.
We have heard the effects of budgetcuts repeatedly throughout last semester.Because of the statewide budget crisis,class sizes have increased. Slashes to uni-versity departments have also removed asignificant amount of instructors, leavingmany professors to teach subjects they donot specialize in.
Many students spent the first week ofclasses begging instructors to let them enrolland add codes have always been the ulti-mate prize in a student’s endeavor to crash aclass. For some, this is their last semesterand without a certain class they will beunable to graduate. With many departmentsdecreasing the amount of professors for nextsemester, not getting into a class could havelife-changing consequences. This year, notgetting into a course could mean potentially
changing your major.While there is not much we can do about
class sizes or department cuts, there is onething the SDSU Office of the Registrar coulddo to alleviate the problem: Allow studentsto register for classes earlier.
This year, many juniors and seniors werenot able to sign up for classes until Jan. 12,only eight days before classes began. Thissystem makes no sense when classes areposted on WebPortal in late November.Should students be able to register for class-es when they appear online, they would beavoiding a huge amount of stress and frus-tration. The Office of the Registrar couldopen enrollment during the last month ofthe semester, and then close it during break.Students would then have a month to plantheir schedule. If a student could not getinto a class because there were not enoughseats, they could easily talk to an adviser orprofessor before the end of the semester tofigure out an alternate arrangement.
Having students register for classes dur-ing summer and winter breaks also leavesno way for students to contact the Officeof Advising and Evaluations. Currently,when a student has an inquiry regardinghis or her registration, the office wouldmore than likely be closed and many ques-tions would go unanswered.
Registering in late November for springsemester and in April for fall semester wouldprovide students with an ample amount oftime to plan for the upcoming term. Manystudents work, and their employers do nottolerate constant changes in their employees’schedules. With an earlier registration, stu-dents would know months ahead whichclasses they will take and can plan accord-ingly with their bosses.
Eventually, if this system were to beadopted, crashing classes would becomeobsolete. The first few days of the semesterwould be less hectic for both professorsand students. Professors would no longerdread going into a full classroom andtelling 40 students that they cannot beadded and students would no longer run
around in a desperate attempt to get addcodes. Instead, they could focus on gettinga good start to their semester.
The university would argue it needs thoseextra months of dead registration time forpotential changes to the schedule. But mostof the time, only a few classes get dropped.This excuse seems like a petty reason tokeep things the way they are.
A similar system has been implementedby many universities across the country. Thereason SDSU does not allow earlier registra-tion seems trivial and ineffective.
The Office of the Registrar must adopt abetter way to enroll for the fall semester.Without a change, students and professorswill continue to look toward the first weekof class with nothing but dread.
—Sarah Grieco is a public relations 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 in school.
The Daily AztecTuesday,
February 2, 20102 OPINION
f it’s not one uproar, it’s another.Last semester we saw the San DiegoState administration change theadmissions policy for localarea stu-dents to no longer give them guaran-
teed acceptance even if they meet minimumstandards. Regardless of how you felt aboutthis issue last semester, one thing most stu-dents can agree on is that decisions having amajor impact on campus life and enrollmentshould have student input. The new issue athand is alarming to students in and of itself,but even more alarming is the lack of stu-dent input that was sought.For you students who have visited the Officeof the Registrar these past two weeks, you mayhave been surprised to learn that allegedly youare no longer able to apply for double majorprograms. This comes at a difficult time forstudents because we are looking for ways toimprove our degrees, increase our grade pointaverages or make our résumés more competi-tive in the job market by adding a secondmajor in another field.
Double majors are important and often-times make sense, especially for specializedmajors such as International Business. Thereis a language requirement for this major andmany students see it as advantageous to alsomajor in the language they are studying.
I was concerned about this issue anddecided to do some window-shopping. WhenI went into the Office of the Registrar, I wasgiven mixed messages. First, I spoke to Kim
Macias, who was working at the front desk atthe time. She told me I would not be able toapply for a second major. When I pressed theissue and asked questions, I was told I wouldbe allowed to submit an application and that Iwould receive a call in two weeks letting meknow if the application was accepted. Maciasthen proceeded to show me a stack of applica-tions from students who had submitted therequests, though she was not able to differenti-ate the applications for second majors fromthose for major changes.
Other students have dealt with similar situ-ations. Rikki Bower, a child and family devel-opment junior, went in to the Office of theRegistrar last Tuesday to apply for a secondmajor in social work and was told to seesomeone in Academic Advising about whetherhe met the requirements to change his majoraltogether, but not to add it as a second major.“They told me to go speak to someone else tosee if I could change my major, but not to adda second one. That’s not what I wanted,”Bowers said. Bowers also said he was notallowed to submit his application.
This unauthorized policy change is anoffense to the very system of higher educationwe have established. The university adminis-tration seems to be shaping higher educationinto a business where college is no longer
about the process of learning and criticalthinking, but about the end goal of earning adegree. Higher education should not be abusiness of manufacturing college graduateswith degrees at the cheapest cost and fastestoutput for the university.
I have tried many times to contact RegistrarRean Williams, but have so far received noresponse. The only university-related voice Ihave heard speak on this issue was during lastMonday’s Associated Students External AffairsBoard meeting, when Dr. Bill Eadie, a repre-sentative of the University Senate, stated thedecision to change the policy had occurredwithout University Senate approval and nonew policy had even been articulated.
Eadie stated that Assistant Vice Presidentof Academic Affairs Sandra Cook had allegedly“unilaterally” decided to change this policy onher own and that the University Senate “wasnot happy with her.” When asked why hebelieved she had changed the policy he stated“she’s in charge of the Registrar, they wouldn’tchange something without her approval.”
Cook was not available for a response,but her receptionist, Patsy Trendal, statedCook did not know about this policychange. It appears there is incongruencehere. Either Cook has gone around the poli-cies and procedures of the university or theOffice of the Registrar has. My money is onthe person in charge.
Ignoring the shared governance structure
of the university and the student body is disre-spectful and unrepresentative of SDSU. Timeand again we have seen the university changepolicies without student input, just like lastsemester when the enrollment managementpolicy was changed. No matter your views onthese two issues, it’s important to know thatthe administration is following the rules them-selves and taking in student opinions. If not,then we need to hold them accountable.
SDSU exists for the students and it is unac-ceptable for such major policies to be changedwithout following the proper procedures.Students need to make sure their voices arebeing heard and included as equal partici-pants in the decision-making process. I callupon the A.S. Council, the representatives ofthe students on this campus, to look into thismatter and educate students about whatactions to take. It is disappointing that ourown governing body has not publicly stoodup to object to this unfair and ethically ques-tionable change to policy that affects the aca-demic lives of current and future students.
—Allan Acevedo is a political science and compar-ative literature 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 andyear in school.
I
FLAMING LIBERAL
Unofficial policy change is detrimentalAALLLLAANN AACCEEVVEEDDOO
O P I N I O N E D I T O R
GOING ROGUE
Allow students earlier registration for classes
TSSAARRAAHH GGRRIIEECCOO
M A N A G I N G E D I T O R
The Office of the Registrar does not give students enough time to select their class schedules. Allowing students to register earlier would allow students to better use campus advising services and plan to graduate on time.Glenn Connolly / Photo Editor
Tuesday,February 2, 2010 The Daily Aztec 3TRAVEL & ADVENTUREFrequent flyer programs on a tight budget
New regulations forairports are taking off
There is something about the term “frequentflyer program” that often discourages stu-dents from taking advantage of the benefits.Despite what the name implies, people donot need to be frequent flyers to benefitfrom the memberships many airlines offer.
Students are always looking for deals anddiscounts but are often turned off by fre-quent flyer programs because they do nottravel often enough or know the availablebenefits. Also, these programs may soundcomplicated, but they are actually relativelysimple, easy and best of all — free.
United Airlines Many students fly back and forth across thecountry and could benefit from a miles pro-gram such as the one United Airlines fea-tures. United Airlines’ Mileage Plus programgives users points on miles flown — one mileflown, one mile earned. A flight within thecontinental U.S. can be earned with 25,000miles using the United Saver Program, but ithas limits such as blackout dates. Blackoutdates are busy travel days that have fewerthan normal or no seats available forrewards travel.
United Airlines is part of the Star Alliance,which links 26 different airlines and allowsusers to have one account, therefore users areable to link miles from all flights. Star Alliancemembers can be found atwww.staralliance.com/en/about/airlines.Some members included are U.S. Airways, Air
Canada and Lufthansa. United also providesthe chance to earn miles without flying.
Students are always looking to savemoney, and one effective way to do so, whileearning miles, is by purchasing groceries.United allows users to link Safeway,Dominick’s, Vons, Pavilions or Genuardi’sclub cards with the user’s United MileagePlus account number. People interested injoining need to apply in the stores for thecard. If they already have a club card with agrocery store, they can simply go online andlink them together at www.unitedmileage-plus.com/GroceryMiles2.jsp. As many as 125miles can be earned for every $250 spent inthe store. While this may seem like a smallamount, it could be the number of milesthat earns a free round-trip ticket.
United gives users the opportunity tobuy, transfer and even gift miles online atwww.ualmiles.com. And the best gift of all isfor graduating seniors who are UnitedCollege Plus members, as they receive10,000 miles after graduating. That’s 40 per-cent of the way toward a free round-trip tick-et in the continental U.S.
As a final hint for United, always check forpromotions. United has partnerships withmost major wireless providers, and users canearn points for purchasing accessories, newphones and extending contracts. For moreinformation, visit www.mileagepluswireless.com.
Because United works on a miles system,it’s best to find flights in the Star Alliance ifflying long distances such as across the coastor to another country. And for those flyingshort segments, United counts segmentsrather than miles to calculate rewards.
Southwest AirlinesFor those who fly often within California,Southwest Airlines often times offers cheaptickets. Southwest’s frequent flyer program,Rapid Rewards, is true to its name.Participants have the opportunity to quicklyearn credits toward a free flight.
Rapid Rewards works on a point systemrather than a miles system. For every flight,participants earn one point. Round-tripflights earn two points. A total of 16 pointswill earn a free round-trip ticket, whichmeans every ninth flight is free, as long asthe previous eight flights were within thepast 24 consecutive months. To sign up,visit www.southwest.com/rapid_rewards.
One benefit of the Southwest point systemis that even if all 16 points are earned flyingfrom San Diego to San Francisco, they can beused at any of the 64 locations Southwestflies to when they earn a free flight.
Southwest also allows users to earnpoints by signing up for its Rapid RewardsDining Program. This program is free andallows users to link five credit or debit cardsto their account and earn points for visitingthousands of local restaurants, bars andclubs. When participants sign up, they earna quarter of a point for the first $25 theyspend, and another quarter of a point forevery subsequent $100 spent. Participantsdon’t have to do anything extra; the pointsare automatically awarded to their accountas long as the credit card used is linked tothe Rapid Rewards account.
When users sign up, they’ll be able to
input their zip code and find hundreds ofplaces locally and abroad to earn points. Justaround the College Area, students can earnpoints by going to Burger Lounge, Ponce’sMexican Restaurant, Bamboo Lounge andeven Effin’s Pub n’ Grill. The only note to beconsidered is that certain restaurants willnot offer points on specific days, such asPonce’s, which does not participate onSundays, or Bamboo Lounge that does notparticipate on Mondays. To learn moreabout partners as well as read reviews
online, visit www.rapidrewardsdining.com.Southwest also issues limited time pro-
motions for users to earn extra points. Toregister, go to Southwest’s main accountpage, click on the “promotion” tab, then oneach link and hit “register.” Currently,Southwest is offering extra points throughits Winter Bonusland promotions, whereusers can earn an extra point for every thirdflight flown between Nov. 19 and Feb. 15.
These are just a few examples of how stu-dents can earn points toward free flightswithout even flying that often. One shouldalways consider the many possibilities.
For travelers on Flight 253 bound for theDetroit Metropolitan Airport on Dec. 25 oflast year, their Christmas holiday was any-thing but jolly. Passengers became startledwhen they heard a loud pop, followed bysmoke. A passenger aboard the plane ignit-ed a small explosive device, which theWhite House later called “an attempted ter-rorist attack.”
On Jan. 6, Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab,a 23-year-old Nigerian national, wascharged in a six-count criminal indictmentfor his alleged role in the attemptedChristmas Day bombing of NorthwestAirlines Flight 253 from Amsterdam toDetroit, according to www.fbi.gov.
“As the Christmas Day attempted bomb-ing illustrates, the threats we face arebecoming more diverse and more danger-ous with each passing day,” Director of theFederal Bureau of Investigation RobertMueller said on Jan. 20 before the SenateCommittee on the Judiciary. “We not onlyface threats from al Qaeda, but also fromself-directed groups not part of al Qaeda’s
formal structure which have ties to terroristorganizations through money or training.”
All travelers flying into the U.S. from for-eign countries will receive tightened randomscreening, and 100 percent of passengersfrom 14 terrorism-prone countries will bepatted down and have their carry-onssearched, according to www.politico.com.People planning to fly out of the San DiegoInternational Airport and national airportscan expect enhanced law enforcement pres-ence in public areas, walking around termi-nals and at the security gate.
“The biggest change is for internationaltravelers coming into the U.S.,”Transportation Security Administrationspokesperson Suzanne Trevino said. “SinceDecember 25, we’re always looking for thelatest security measures.”
These include precautions the public maynot be aware of, such as increased federal airmarshals, more K-9s and random inspections.
All passengers should arrive at least twohours before their scheduled flight depar-ture and have their tickets and proper iden-tification ready, according to www.San.org.For frequent flyers, it’s important to stayinformed as regulations change, especiallyat the San Diego International Airport.
AANNDDRREEAA MMOO RRAAS E N I O R S TA F F W R I T E R
AALLLLAANN AACCEEVVEEDDOOO P I N I O N E D I T O R
There are many tricks to acquire frequent flyer miles for students with little cash and experience with flying. By using airline systems to one’s advantage, points can be accumulated fast to book free flights.
MCT Campus
MCT Campus
These programs maysound complicated,but they are actuallyrelatively simple, easyand best of all — free.
TRAVEL & ADVENTURE Tuesday,February 2, 2010The Daily Aztec4
For the first year ever, Coachella isonly selling three-day passes. Thosewho used to drive to Indio for theday to avoid hotel or camping feesare now destined to pitch a tent ordrag along their luggage.
There are multiple options forlodging depending on one’s budget:
General campingGeneral $55 on-site campingbegins April 15 and ends April 19.Located on the fields next to theconcert, this is the basic alterna-tive for those who don’t mind the100-degree Indio sun heatingthem up at early hours in themorning, long lines for bathroomsand showers or loud partyingthroughout the entire night.
“Camping is a remarkable expe-rience,” Jason Woodrum, a sixthyear attendee of Coachella, said.“The vibe of the campsite the nightbefore the festival begins is amaz-ing, and the site turns into a bit of acommunity. It provides a great
chance to get to know your festivalgoers, many of whom in the camp-site are from all over the world.”
It is advised to arrive with friendsbecause people are placed in 10-footby 30-foot spots as they come.
For the first time, people areallowed to park their cars next totheir tents and festival attendeeswill be able to enter and exit theconcert throughout the weekend.However, the car will not beallowed back in the camp areaonce it exits.
“(My) best memory would haveto be camping in 2006,” Woodrumsaid. “Close to 100 campers gath-ered around 4 a.m. to gather with ahuge rubber ball and kick it backand forth to one another. It is thesimple things in life, at times, thatseem to stand out.”
RV campingAnother first is the $250 RV camp-ing spots. Just like general camping,there is a charging station for cellphones, showers, an Internet café,portable toilets and a general store.All campers can visit the different
camping sites.
Ready 2 Go campingReady 2 Go camping is for thosewho are flying in or don’t have thegeneral camping gear. It is on-sitecamping spots that fit two to fourpeople and includes sleeping bags,a tent, blankets and pillows. It costsanywhere from $200 to $500,depending on the size of the tentand camping spot.
Safari tent campingThe most expensive camping isthe luxury Safari tents. For $5,000for two people, this air-condi-tioned, indoor and outdoor-litSafari tent provides an all-accesspass, it is fully furnished and hasprivate parking, golf cart shuttlesto and from the stages, breakfastand late night snacks.
Off-site campingThere are multiple off-site campingspots such as Shadow Hills RVResort, any Joshua Tree National
Park campsites or Riverside CountyParks campgrounds.
Whichever decision is chosen,camping is a good option for thoseadventurous souls who want to getthe full Coachella experience.
HotelsAbove all, the number one tip for aCoachella hotel stay is to book early.
“The rates for all hotels in thegeneral area are often exorbitantlypriced, but (people) may find it isworth it … to sleep comfortably afterthe festival and beat the heat of theearly afternoon,” Woodrum said.
But if this option is chosen,expect long lines for parking.
“The drive to and from the festi-val is a nightmare, with traffic usu-ally not subsiding after the festivalfor over an hour at the least,”Woodrum said.
Some hotels do not sell out, butthose are generally the resorts orthose that are expensively priced.
RentingRenting a house is always another
option if looking to stay with a largegroup of people. “Renting a houseor getting a hotel room is definitelya more comfortable experience,”Woodrum said. “Easy access to anair-conditioned room, a bed and aprivate shower are certainly crea-ture comforts many people havetrouble going without.”
Some people are even usingtime-shares for their Coachella stay.But same with staying at a hotel,expect parking delays.
All these choices, what isone to do?Proper planning is key to aCoachella trip. Prepare to spend$269 on a festival pass plus moneyfor gas to and from the venue, lodg-ing, bringing or buying food and,most importantly, water.
Staying at Coachella is only halfthe battle, making it through theIndio heat is a whole other journey.But regardless of where one stays,Coachella is bound to be an experi-ence not to be forgotten.
Growing up, most people learnedto ski “pizza” and “french fry”style and to fall backward whensnowboarding to avoid painfullandings. But some say traditionalways of skiing and snowboardingcan be boring.
A secret to some and a special-ty of others, ski-biking is winter’slesser-known sport but is quicklyattracting followers.
Originating in the snow-pow-dered mountains of Europe, theconcept of a ski-bike first hitAmerican soil in 1963 through theefforts of German skibob racer,Lorenz Ertl. This bike-like con-traption is designed with the frontand rear wheels replaced withskis, while the rider, equippedwith his own pair of short foot-skis, straddles the seat. The con-cept was not greeted with excite-ment. Ertl couldn’t find verymuch support for his peculiarproduct for quite some time. A fewyears later, a man in California,William Cartwright, decided heliked the odd mobile and soonimported several bikes. It was
only a matter of time until thetrend took off.
The basic ski-bike evolved intoan aerodynamic marvel and is nowspecially engineered to work withthe force of gravity so riders canzip down mountainsides faster.Safer than other snow sports, aski-bike allows for more naviga-tional command, symmetrical sta-bility and speed control, accordingto www.ski-bike.org.
The bikes are light, ranging from16 to 25 pounds and can be as lightas seven pounds for children.
Because of the ski-bike’s three-point stance and low center ofgravity, new riders can learn thesport quickly. Thankfully, there isvery little “downtime” associatedwith ski-bikes, and stopping is aseasy as turning sideways.
But riders rarely want to stop andski-bike sessions can run for hoursat a time because of the decreasedfatigue factor. Riders are not stand-ing, but instead sitting, allowing formore relaxed recreational fun.
For many, the faster speeds arethe attraction of the game. Ski-bikeshave raced as fast as 125 mph andare light enough to spin, whip andheel-click for Xtreme riders.
“I come from a motorcycle
background and it felt so naturaland intuitive having those handle-bars in my hands,” Rod Ratzlaff,founder of the American Ski-BikeAssociation, said.
“I was in line at 4 p.m. to getthat last run in and I could havekept going for hours,” he said,describing the first time he rodeon a ski-bike. “I guess I must haveenjoyed myself … I immediatelywent out and bought a bike.”
Those interested in nabbingone of their ski-bikes will have togo straight to manufacturers suchas Alpine, Koski, Slopecycle andVenom. Finding slopes that allowthe bikes may be tricky. InCalifornia, Bear Valley, Sierra-at-Tahoe, Northstar-at-Tahoe and Mt.Baldy all accept ski-bikers, butothers are still hesitant to grantthe new sport entrance.
It’s all a matter of time beforethe whole country catches on. Ski-biking is already a popular world-wide sport and the winter monthshold hundreds of ski-bike festi-vals, rallies and competitions.
For more information on howto get involved in ski biking, howto find slopes or where to pur-chase the revolutionary snowmo-biles, visit www.ski-bike.org.
AAMM YY EEBBEERRSSOOLLEEA S S I S TA N T F E AT U R E S E D I T O R
Counting down 73 days until Coachella festival
Whether camping, renting or staying in a hotel, this year’s Coachella-bound music connoisseurs are destined to see many changes, including a change to the car policy. This year, campers are allowed to bring their vehicles.Courtesy of Joe Olender
Sail the snow with ski-bikesAASSHHLLIIEE RROODDRRIIGGUUEEZZ
C O N T R I B U T O R
As a bicycle built for the snow, the ski-bike is a comfortable way to tackle the mountain.MCT Campus
On a Thursday evening inside ViejasArena, the San Diego State men’s basket-ball team practiced for its upcoming gameagainst Colorado State. There was a scoutteam dressed in white scrimmage jerseysplaying against SDSU’s starting fivedressed in black jerseys.
“This play is called ‘Cash,’” a playerfrom the scout team called out.
Players in white weaved in and out ofthe Aztecs’ starting five. Then, one ofthem picked up his dribble, reared backand fired a pass to Kawhi Leonard’s man.Leonard promptly stuck his paw out andstole the basketball.
“Dang!” the scout team player yelled.“Nice hands!”
Leonard has heard plenty of thingsabout his hands since he first arrived atSDSU. Almost never, however, does hehear about them being nice.
“Everybody talks about his hands,”junior guard D.J. Gay said. “I can’t say allthe jokes, but we always talk about what itwould be like if you got slapped by him orsomething like that. Or how when hedribbles it looks like he’s just holding it inmidair or stuff like that.”
Leonard, a freshman forward, has mas-sive hands. He makes a basketball look likea miniature volleyball. When he shakeshands with reporters, many often joke thatthey have to ask for their hand back.
“He’s got the biggest hands that I’veseen on a player that we’ve had since Chris
Webber,” head coach Steve Fisher said.The big hands, though, have come
with a price. The Aztecs’ squad is full ofjokesters this year and they like to letLeonard have it whenever they can.
“They give me a hard time about myhands every day,” Leonard said. “They talkabout, ‘Get away from me. Stop touchingme with your hands. They’re too big.’”
Leonard’s never measured his hands,so the exact size of them is unknown.Although Leonard did say he was going tomeasure them soon “because people keepasking me, ‘How big are your hands?’”
What is known, however, is how usefulthey really are. Leonard says his handsgive him extra length, which helps himgrab rebounds better. This season,Leonard leads the Mountain WestConference in rebounding, averaging 9.6boards per game.
“There’s plenty of jokes that go aroundabout his hands, but on the flipside,everybody’s jealous of them,” Gay said.“Because those hands, you saw what theydo on the boards.”
Leonard will try to lend a hand againwhen SDSU takes on Air Force at 7:05p.m. tonight at Viejas Arena. The fresh-man forward will look to extend his dou-ble-double streak to four games tonightagainst the Falcons.
“He came in with a lot of hype and he’sliving up to a good portion of it,” Fishersaid. “He’s an exceptional offensiverebounder, physically imposing at times,smart, aggressive and wants to learn andget better. He’s a keeper.”
Tuesday,February 2, 2010 The Daily Aztec 5SPORTSMEN’S BASKETBALL
VS.
AT A GLANCE
WHEN: 7:05 p.m., tonight
WHERE: Viejas Arena
WHY TO WATCH: Freshman forward Kawhi Leonard and the SanDiego State men’s basketball team look to extend their winningstreak to two tonight against the 1-6 Air Force Falcons.
EEDDWWAARRDD LLEEWWIISSS P O R T S E D I T O R
How she fitsJulia Trunk is the veteran of this year’s youngSan Diego State team and is one of only two jun-iors on SDSU’s squad. She looks to continue herstrong play while providing a leadership rolethis season.“Being a leader is something you need to doonce you get into this position,” Trunk said. “Ifeel like it’s my job to help lead the team.”Trunk is also a member of the No. 2 doublesteam and sets the tone as the team’s No. 1 sin-gles competitor, going against the best the oppo-nents have to offer.
Season so farTrunk has started off hot this spring semes-ter, going 3-0 with freshman Alicia Aguilar in
her doubles matches and 2-1 in her singlesmatches, losing only to UC Irvine’s No. 109Stephanie Hammel.
Best tool Trunk said her aggressiveness and athleticismare the keys to her game. “I try to be aggressive when I play, putting thepressure on the other player,” Trunk said. “Butmy athleticism allows me to cover a lot ofground and recover very well.”
Something you don’t know This is the first time that Trunk has played witha fellow German while playing for the Aztecs,with freshman Julia Wais being one of the new-comers this year. “It’s been a lot of fun to play with her,” Trunksaid. “We get along really well.”An avid tennis player since age 8, Trunk hopesto one day go professional.“I just have to keep developing my game and seewhere it takes me,” Trunk said.
Quotable““I think this team can have a great season aslong as everyone plays as hard as they can,”Trunk said.
CCHHUUCCKK HHEERRRRMMAANNNNS TA F F W R I T E R
WOMEN’S TENNIS
Freshman forward Kawhi Leonard leads the Mountain West Conference in rebounds this season.Glenn Connelly / Photo Editor
Name: Julia TrunkHeight: 5’5”Class: JuniorHigh School: Stoerck-GymnasiumHometown: Bad Saulgau, Germany
Leonard lends theAztecs a big hand
Getting to know:Julia Trunk
Glenn Connelly / Photo Editor
SPORTS Tuesday,February 2, 2010The Daily Aztec6
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21
20
30.5
.455
9.6
11.7
Rebounds per game for Leonard this year
Points per game for Leonard this season
Shooting percentage for Leonard this season
Minutes per game for Leonard
Games played by freshman forward Kawhi Leonard
Games started by Leonard
15 Wins for SDSU this year
6 Losses for the Aztecs this season
FOR SDSU MEN’S BASKETBALL
POPE’S DOCTRINE
n Jan. 23, the SanDiego State men’s bas-ketball team played ahome game againstthen—No. 13 BYU.
The game sold out early thatmorning, the crowd showed up infull force for the “Black Out,” formerSDSU athletes and local celebritieswere in attendance, Viejas Arena wasas electric as it’s ever been, and theAztecs lost, 71-69.
The game bumped theCougars up to No. 10 in thecountry and in all likelihood,killed SDSU’s chances for an at-large bid come March.
But the story in the days follow-ing the game had little to do withthe on-court action, or even basket-ball at all. The issue at hand was theway many BYU fans reacted to whathas been taken as far as to be called“religious persecution.”
The Aztecs’ student section,affectionately known as “The Show,”has become notorious for (amongother things) dressing in traditionalMormon missionary garb every yearfor this game, complete with whitecollared shirts, black ties and evenbike helmets to boot.
Cougar fans normally seemmoderately amused by this andon this day, two brave females inBYU T-shirts even tried to take apicture with the two dozen or soin costume.
Also present were signs mockingthe Cougars’ star, Jimmer Fredette,who has been dealing with a boutof mononucleosis for about amonth now. Some of the best read“Mon-OWNED” and “Hey Jimmer,
which one of your wives gave youMono?” Even the most uptight BYUfan had to chuckle at that one.
But in the waning seconds of thegame, when an SDSU loss seemedlikely, the sizeable group of Cougarfans began a boisterous “B-Y-U!”chant. The frustrated Aztec studentsretorted with “You’re still Mormon!”
That put the people of Provoover the edge.
Message boards and commentsections of news sites blew up. BYUfans and members of The Churchof Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saintslamented the crude nature of theSDSU fans and demanded an apol-ogy from the Aztec administration.
Cougar fans wanted to knowwhy it’s fair to mock their religionand why everyone else seems tohave it so much easier than them.
To that I say: You are not special.Do you really think you are the
only fans who receive personalattacks and obscene heckles?
I’m reminded of the SDSU bas-ketball game earlier this seasonacross town at the University of SanDiego where the USD student sec-tion serenaded the Aztec faithfulwith chants of “S-T-D’s” and “Youhave syphilis!” long after the jokehad been worn out.
How did SDSU fans respond?With a quick laugh and theirown chant of “scoreboard” and itwas done.
Now I do understand ridiculingsomeone about their religion isvery different from mocking some-one’s social life, but I’ve struggledto find anything offensive that tran-spired that day.
Maybe the “You’re still
Mormon!” chant was pushing theenvelope, and there’s no doubt itlacked any real creativity, but Ithink the appropriate response tothat would be, “Yes. Yes I am. Also,my team just beat yours. Thank youfor your time.”
Some Cougar fans even said theyno longer feel comfortable comingto Viejas Arena with their familiesand cheering for their team. Well,isn’t that the whole point? Isn’t thatthe goal of every home crowd — tomake sure fans of the road teamkeep quiet? The answer is “yes.”
So BYU, you are not special.There was a time when your fanscould come to an Aztec basketballgame, account for half of the peoplein attendance and take over thearena in a blowout win for the
Cougars. That time has passed.SDSU now has a legitimate
home atmosphere, a creative andpassionate student section and aperennial contender on the court.
I would recommend developingthicker skin or at least a sense ofhumor, because once “The Show”knows it’s in your head, you openthe door for more signs, more heck-les and a lot more tough games onMontezuma Mesa.
Congratulations on the win; welook forward to seeing you nextyear — especially you, Jimmer.
—David Pope is an English senior.
—This article does not necessarily reflectthe opinions of The Daily Aztec.DDAAVVIIDD PPOOPPEE
A S S I S TA N T S P O R T S E D I T O R
Shelton out for the yearThe San Diego State men’s bas-ketball team announced yester-day that redshirt sophomoreforward Tim Shelton will haveexploratory surgery on hisknee tomorrow and will missthe remainder of the season.Shelton, a 6-foot-7, 248-poundpower forward, has been bat-tling knee problems since hearrived at SDSU in 2007. In thepast four years, Shelton hashad three major knee surgeries
and has missed numerousgames because of knee sore-ness. In the 2007-08 season,Shelton redshirted because ofhis knee injury.
Shelton played in ninegames for the Aztecs this sea-son, starting two. He averaged3.3 points and two reboundsper game, but was an emotion-al leader on and off the court.
—Compiled by Sports EditorEdward Lewis
BEATBOX
Some final thoughts on the SDSU-BYU controversy
Glenn Connelly / Photo Editor
O
TuesdayFebruary 2, 2010 The Daily Aztec 7CLASSIFIEDS
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EEDDIITTEEDD BBYY RRIICCHH NNOORRRRIISS AANNDD JJOOYYCCEE LLEEWWIISS
AACCRROOSSSS1 Weary com-
ment5 Rx’s9 By oneself
14 Square fare?15 Film beekeep-
er16 Defunct flier
with a blue-globe logo
17 Links goals18 Laundry room
device20 “Four
Quartets”poet
22 Leaveningagent
23 Havana residue24 Organ with a
hammer25 Some daisies27 Nonmember’s
club amenity30 “__ Beso”:
Anka song31 Printer brand32 Cone maker33 Zoomed34 Place for a dip
on the road38 __-date: cur-
rent41 Harem cham-
ber
42 Like Homosapiens
46 Arafat’s gp.until 2004
47 Patient strategy50 Jones or
Johnson52 West in old
films53 Swaying direc-
tion54 Crete peak:
Abbr.55 Mental black-
out57 Indisputable
evidence59 Okra units61 Mortise’s mate62 1993 Nobelist
Morrison63 Land east of
the Urals64 Lead singer
with ThePolice
65 Gracefulmolding
66 Dorm unit,and word thatcan followeach word in18-, 27-, 34-,47- and 57-Across
DDOOWWNN1 Roadie’s load2 Prepares, as
leftovers3 Heron habitats4 “Anything __?”5 Stan “The Man”
of baseball6 Matador’s
opponent7 Insect repel-
lent ingredient8 Triton’s realm9 Perform on
stage10 “__ Theme”:
“DoctorZhivago”melody
11 Basic dance12 Ilie of tennis13 Ambulance
initials19 Rescued
damsel’s cry21 “... __ man put
asunder”23 Some lie
about theirs25 Partner of
hop and jump26 Groundskeeper’s
buy28 Artsy
Manhattan area29 Key equivalent
to B33 Punch hard35 Without
exception36 Falco of “The
Sopranos”37 “Gosh”38 Co. with
brown uni-forms
39 Nose-dive40 Trattoria
dessert43 Crime family
member44 Medium with
much talk45 Prefix with
natal47 Walking in the
shallows48 Protected by
shots, perhaps49 Family nick-
name51 F-series cam-
era maker55 Bug-eyed56 Practice on
canvas57 Bourbon et al.:
Abbr.58 Pontiac in a
’60s hit song60 “Casablanca”
pianist
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The Daily AztecTuesday,
February 2, 20108 THE BACK PAGE
TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (2/2/10).Work bringsemotional challenges this year. Use eachday to expand your powers of persuasionamong your associates. Cultivate yourinternal senses to detect the true direc-tion of power plays occurring in your envi-ronment, and choose carefully when toresist and when to go along with others.
ARIES (March 21 - April 19) - Today is a 7 -Shift from work to play.Team games showyou a different style of cooperation. Beflexible as you start a new venture.
TAURUS (April 20 - May 20) - Today is an 8- When the Moon conjuncts Saturn today,you get the ball rolling on a practical proj-ect and stay on track. Don't ease up untilday's end.
GEMINI (May 21 - June 21) - Today is a 7 -Original ideas emerge from a dream ormeditation early in the day.Take on newresponsibilities and listen to advice from awoman on the details.
CANCER (June 22 - July 22) - Today is a 5 -As the Moon enters Libra, you may feelyou're facing challenges you would just assoon ignore.Work from home can bevery productive.
LEO (July 23 - Aug. 22) - Today is a 7 - Asyou work through issues left over fromyesterday, you find that you're capable ofsorting out significant details. Add yourstamp of approval.
VIRGO (Aug. 23 - Sept. 22) - Today is a 7 -Self-esteem improves as balance returns
to your emotional life. Responsibilitiesbecome more manageable.You know howto proceed, so get moving.
LIBRA (Sept. 23 - Oct. 22) - Today is a 6 -Imagination carries you forward faster thananticipated. Get practical matters in handearly in the day.Then you can fantasize allyou want.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23 - Nov. 21) - Today is a 6- You spend a lot of the day hearing peo-ple's complaints. Redirect them and focuson your own game.You'd prefer to spendtime at home in the evening.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22 - Dec. 21) - Todayis a 7 - Every action you take today pro-vides feedback you can take home toreview.Taking stock now prevents losseslater. Results lead to optimism.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22 - Jan. 19) - Today isan 8 - Put shoulder to the grindstone andear to the ground.There's plenty to do,and you'll hear about how you're doing it.Listen and learn.Then choose actions.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20 - Feb. 18) - Today is a 7- You know exactly where you want to go.You're missing some details about how toget there. As the moon enters Libra today,you suddenly see an alternate route.
PISCES (Feb. 19 - March 20) - Today is a 6 -Relationships feel just right.You don't haveto say much, because you understandwithout words. Later in the day you tacklea big business question.
© 2010,TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES INC.
Level: 1 2 3 4
BBYY TTHHEE MMEEPPHHAAMM GGRROOUUPPSUDOKU
BBYY LLIINNDDAA CC.. BBLLAACCKK,, TTRRIIBBUUNNEE MMEEDDIIAA SSEERRVVIICCEESSDAILY HOROSCOPE
© 2010 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.
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HUMOR: 7 2 OFF SUIT
Contrasts between men and womenhen I ask a manwhat is wrong andhe says “nothing,” Ibelieve him. Ibelieve him because
he is a man. And when men say“something,” I have found theyactually mean it.
That’s weird, right?Because when you ask me
what’s wrong and I say “nothing,”what I mean is: “Everything andit’s your fault!”
You see, men and women com-municate differently.
Initiating contactMen need conflict to start talk-ing. He will say, “That moviesucked. Any real cop would weara Kevlar vest.” The other gentle-man, after first citing his creden-tials (e.g., “I own all four ‘DieHard’ movies”) would disagree.That is how conversations areborn in the male world.
A woman, not having thisproblem, begins conversation bysaying something neutral andagreeable such as, “Wasn’t thatmovie great?” But the man, notrealizing this, will respond with“Mm-hmm.” And the conversa-tion ends.
ConversationIt has been said that men speak15,000 words a day while womenspeak 30,000 words. The firsttime my dad pointed this out, Ipondered the idea that womenmay talk too much. But then, Irealized it’s because men don’t lis-ten so women have to constantlyrepeat themselves.
Locker room talkI am told that men talk about twothings: sports and sex. They don’tknow football nearly as well asthey think they do and theyalways exaggerate about sex.
Women only talk about twothings in the locker room too:their bodies and sex. In bothinstances, they are extremely criti-cal, graphic and technical. Andthey never lie.
Post breakup chatAfter a serious breakup, a womanwill cry, watch four seasons of“Grey’s Anatomy” and post cryp-tic Lady Gaga lyrics as herFacebook status. She will writehim a long-winded e-mail aboutwhat she’s learned and how she’sgrown as a person. Then she willcontinue with her life.
A man will begin dating some-one younger and prettier almostimmediately. Six months after thebreakup, at 2:57 a.m. on aThursday, he will call his ex andsay, “You ruined my life and I hateyou. But if you ever want to hookup, then I guess I could learn andgrow from this relationship too.”
That’s just communication.Bottom line: Men and women dif-fer in every category. I have donea thorough in-depth study (mean-ing talking to my boyfriend andhis roommates) and have realizedthese other key discrepancies.
GroceriesA woman makes a list of thingsshe needs and she buys them. Shemay go to several different storesto get the right items.
A man waits until the only fooditems in his apartment are proteinpowder and half of a bag of shred-ded cheese. Then he goes toCostco and buys everything thatlooks good, plus more protein(aka: “supps”). By the time he getsto the checkout he has two carts.This does not stop him from goingthrough the express lane.
ShoesA girl will get up in the morningand wear boots but bring flip-flops and stilettos in a Victoria’sSecret shopping bag. While get-ting ready for the party thatnight, she will change fromboots to the heels. Once drunk,she will realize no one caresabout her shoes and stumblehome barefoot. She will have lostthe flip-flops. Men will wear thesame pair of shoes all day. Butlet’s not talk about how many
days he’ll wear the same socks.
HandwritingMen write quickly, they cannotread their own notes afterwardand therefore must refer to thedoodles to remind themselveswhat it said. Women’s handwrit-ing rivals artwork. They make upwords like “totes” and “fab.” Theydot every single “i,” even whenthey are telling someone they hatethem. And they may put a smileyface at the end of the note.
Dressing upWomen will get dressed up forclass. Some women will getdressed up to go shopping, to getthe mail and even to chat onSkype. Men will get dressed upfor weddings and funerals. Andthey think dark-wash jeans countas formal wear.
The bedMen can fall asleep anywhere, inany circumstances. They don’twash their sheets and they’ll sleepon the couch. Women will pileoddly shaped, decorative pillowsacross the entire bed until there isno usably flat surface to sleep on.I can’t prove it, but I just knowthat men love women’s beds, butwon’t admit it. They will claim allbackaches are because of the for-eign concept of a “pillow top.”
I’m going to stop therebecause I can’t discuss differencesin driving and stay within myword limit.
After writing this column, Ihave to wonder why I wouldchoose to have a boyfriend at all. Icould just have all my girlfriendswho know how to listen and gro-cery shop and French braid. Butthen again, who will help memove out of my apartment? Thosecouches don’t lift themselves …and he has a truck.
—Kristen Ace Nevarez is a theaterarts junior who doesn’t know how toeffectively communicate.
—This column does not necessarilyreflect the opinion of The DailyAztec.
KKRRIISSTTEENN AACCEE NNEEVVAARREEZZS TA F F C O L U M N I S TW
LOOKING THROUGH OUR LENS
Staff Photographer Nicholas Santiago encapsulated the reflecting lights off
the lucid water in Mission Bay while capturing a man casting his fishing pole at night.
FISHING IN THE DARK
Stop the presses!Come tour The Daily Aztec offices!
The Daily Aztec is hosting its very first Open House onFebruary 15 at 6 p.m. in our office located in the basement
of the Education & Business Administration Building. All students and faculty are welcome to attend!