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THE RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY EDITION
T HE C O U G A R
CHRONICLE
ISSUE # 7
WEDNESDAY
DEC 3,2014
Volume XLIII
CALIFORNIA S TATE U NIVERSITY, S AN M ARCOS, I NDEPENDENT S TUDENT N EWSPAPER
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4 - Men's basketball takes CSUSM to
victory.
5 - Check out what makes Catholic Club a
great organization.
9 - Find out why Christmas is one of the
best holidays for different cultures.
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15 - School of Art has stolen the stage at
CSUSM.
I nterV arsity d erecognized a s s tudent
o rganization d ue t o s tudent l eader r equirements
Religious groups cannot specify faith as criteria for leadership
BY KATLIN SWEENEY
E DITOR-IN-CHIEF
Christian based organization InterVarsity has been
derecognized as a student
org. on all 23 CSU system
campuses based on their
constitution's mandate that
a student must be of the
Christian faith in order to
become a chapter leader.
InterVarsity is a student
Christian group that originates in late nineteenth century England and became
prevalent in the United
States as of the late 1930s.
It is present on multiple college campuses, working to
lead small group Bible studies, introducing students to
the Christian faith and collaborating with other student organizations to support various social justice
causes. InterVarsity has been
present for decades on various CSU campuses, having
been at CSU Fresno for 40
years prior to derecognition.
On Dec. 21, 2011, former CSU System Chancellor Charles B. Reed signed
Executive Order 1068, a
memorandum that prohibits
campus recognition of student orgs, that discriminate
on the basis of race, religion,
national origin, ethnicity*
color, age, gender, marital
status, citizenship, sexual
orientation or disability.
"No campus shall recognize any fraternity, sorority,
living group, honor society,
or other student organization unless its membership
and leadership are open to all
currently enrolled students at
that campus," the memorandum said. "Except that a social fraternity or sorority or
other university living group
may impose a gender limitation as permitted by Title 5,
California Code of Regulations, Section 41500."
Under Executive Order
1068, student organizations
are permitted to require that
potential leaders have been
members of the group for a
certain period of time and/
or be elected into these positions. If a group did not comply with these guidelines,
their respective campus
would review their constitution and possibly derecognize them as a student org.
In InterVarsity's constitution, which is utilized
by the CSUSM chapter,
Article V Section 3 requires the Christian faith
as part of the criteria for
the student leader position.
"Leadership of the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at California State
University San Marcos involves significant spiritual
commitment," the InterVarsity Chapter Constitution
said. "Chapter leaders are
expected to indicate their
agreement with InterVarsity's Doctrine and Purpose
Statements and exemplify
Christ-like character, conduct and leadership (c.f. the
following relevant passages:
1 Peter 5:1-7; 1 Timothy
3:1-13; Galatians 5:19-26;
and 1 Corinthians 6:7-11)."
Due to the faith-based requirements for student leaders, InterVarsity was officially derecognized as a student
org. back in 2012. However, Chancellor Timothy P.
White, who became the California §tate University System Chancellor in Oct. 20T2,
granted InterVarsity a moratorium for the 2013 to 2014
academic year. This allowed
religious orgs, to resubmit
their constitutions and bylaws with adjusted language
for review. If orgs. did not adjust their requirements to reflect Executive Order 1068's
mandate for nondiscriminatory practices, they would
officially be derecognized.
While they reviewed their
constitution during this time
frame, the CSUSM InterVar-
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Photo by Cody Cook
Members of the CSUSM intervarsity organization meet up on
Monday and gather around under a tree.
sity chapter decided against
revising the section of their
constitution that presented
problems with the memorandum passed by Reed.
This prompted a derecognition letter from CSUSM's
Student Life & Leader-
ship program on Oct. 8.
InterVarsity
Chapter
President at CSUSM, Garrett Hatch, said that while
Continued
"InterVarsity" on
page 3
CSUSM students work to raise awareness of student homelessness
Call for Cougars' advocacy
BY JASMINE DEMERS
COMMUNITY N EWS E DITOR
A film screening was held
in the USU Ballroom to
raise awareness for an often overlooked dilemma
affecting college students
across the state, including on this very campus.
"Inocente," a 2012 Academy Award winning film,
tells the story of a young
Latina artist who was
homeless and living on
the streets of San Diego.
The event was organized
by a faculty focus group in
partnership with the Casa
Cornelia Law Firm and was
also sponsored by several
CSUSM organizations. Casa
Cornelia works closely with
unaccompanied minor refugees and gave organizers
permission to play the film.
Guest speaker, Karen
GuzmXn, shared her own
experience with becoming homeless as a college student and her hopes
for change on campus.
"Homelessness is actually a huge issue in North
and San Diego County.
This event was able to highlight the issue of homelessness through another
avenue," GuzmXn said.
According to GuzmXn,
students have the option of
indicating whether or not
they are, or have ever been,
homeless on their FAFSA
application. This makes it so
that the University is aware
of the amount of students
that are affected by homelessness. However, GuzmXn
says that problems may arise
in the accuracy of these num-
Photo by Chris Morales
CSUSM students have the option to make thefinancialaid office aware of their living accommodations. This includes whether or not they are homeless.
bers when students choose
not to identify as homeless
because they don't understand the qualifications.
"I think it's important to
highlight homelessness on
our campus because then
students have an idea of
what resources are available on campus, more students who would classify
as homeless would realize
that they qualify, and most
importantly, more resources
and funds are set aside for
students in such circumstances," GuzmXn said.
GuzmXn explains that the
University should not only
recognize the prevalence of
homelessness on campus, but
explore ways to fix the issue.
"The reason I began organizing around campus issues
in general was because I personally felt like this university failed me in many ways.
I think that it's important and
necessary for students and
faculty to be able to honestly
acknowledge that our university hasn't always responded
to situations appropriately,"
GuzmXn said. "See, by not
acknowledging it, we are part
of the problem. You have to
acknowledge the problems
so that we can work together
and improve our university
until it's really able to live
up to its core principles."
During her speech at the
screening event, GuzmXn
Continued
"Cougars' advocacy"
on page 7
�2
News Editor:
K/an Downs
cougarchron.news@gmail.com
THE COUGAR CHRONICLE, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER
3 ,2014
NEWS
A SI p asses r esolution i n s upport o f S tudent A ccess I nitiative
S tudent g overnment e ndorses p ossible s hift i n c lass s cheduling
B Y KATLIN SWEENEY
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
The ASI Board of Directors has moved forward
with endorsing the implementation of the Student
Access Initiative's proposed
scheduling changes, as long
as U-hour is preserved in
the revised time blocks.
The Student Access Initiative (SAI) proposes moving
some three unit classes from
twice a week, 75 minute
blocks to 50 minute blocks,
three times a week. The proposal has been a subject of
contention this semester as
more members of the campus
community became aware of
the way it will potentially
impact their schedules. The
affected courses would vary
based upon how department chairs choose to allot
time slots based on subject
matter, as well as professor
and classroom availability.
Some students and professors have argued that the
revised time blocks could
potentially create scheduling
conflicts for lecturers teaching at multiple campuses,
force them to spend more
money in gas and parking
permits to be on campus
extra days each week, increase professor workload
and affect the pedagogical
structuring of some courses. Others have argued that
the SAI will decrease class
conflicts, help solve space
problems that have occurred
with a growing campus and
accelerate graduation rates.
On Nov. 21, ASI BoD
passed the "Resolution in
Support of the Student Access Initiative with the
Preservation of University
Hour." The decision was
made after viewing a presentation about the SAI by
Vice Provost Kamel Hadadd,
discussing questions and
concerns with students interested in learning more about
the initiative and reviewing
the Q&A posted by the Office of Communications to
the student body on Nov. 21.
"Kamel came to present
at our first Board of Directors meeting in September,
because we were concerned
that he was going to get rid
of University Hour," ASI Executive Committee President
and CEO, Haley Perko, said.
"That was our main concern
at the time. The Student Affairs Dept. was able to work
with him and find an alternate way to put the schedule
together so that both more
classroom space was utilized
and U-hour was preserved.
This was the main purpose
when writing the resolution
in support of this initiative."
Since these discussions
with the BoD, the SAI now
proposes retaining U-hour,
but moving it from 12 p.m.
to 1 p.m. to the new time
slot of 12:50 p.m. to 1:50
p.m. In their resolution, ASI
requested that if U-hour
were to be moved again, it
should remain within the
high-impact time of 11:30
a.m. to 2 p.m., when most
students are on campus.
The resolution said that
the preservation of U-hour
is an integral part of ensuring that Student Life and
Campus Climate, which are
two of the five institutional
strategic priorities included
in the University Strategic
Plan, remain primary issues
at CSUSM. It cites the one
hour time block as an important way of preserving
time for students to organize
meetings, attend events and
engage in peer collaboration.
While ASI BoD have decided to support the SAI, the
resolution calls for more discussion about the proposal
and how it will benefit, or hinder, the campus community.
"We did have discussion
at our board meeting and decided with an ever so evolving campus we need to learn
to adapt so that the students
are not hurt by our rapid
growth," Perko said. "So we
saw some flaws in this initiative, but in the long run it is
there to help offer more classroom space, to hopefully offer more class sections and
ultimately hopefully facilitate a faster graduation rate."
Students that are interested
in expressing their opinions
can contact the ASI Board
of Directors or submit comments to the SAI FAQ form
at the Planning and Academic Resources web page.
Diversity mapping project reveals campus makeup
B Y SYDNEY SCHABACKER
STAFF WRITER
Recently, CSUSM President Karen Haynes was recognized in a U-T San Diego
Local Reports article as
leading a university population where "more than half
of the student body identifies as being a minority."
In order to further ensure that students who
belong to these minorities may feel properly
represented, CSUSM routinely hires Hualani and
Associates (H&A) to run
a Diversity Mapping Project at the University.
These programs are designed to map current diversity, inclusion efforts,
equality, initiatives and
courses on university campuses. With this information, the administration can
better understand the current
demographics being taught,
and learn how CSUSM can
properly tailor services for
In addition, rather than alall of the student population. lowing an institution to focus
According to the project's on just one or a few sucpage on the CSUSM website, cessful diversity programs,
diversity efforts are defined the mapping analyzes all of
as including "campus ac- them. It goes beyond the
tivities, programs, initiatives, bits and pieces of various
processes, policies, mission approaches for particular
statements, and/or events groups to take a holistic aprelated to diversity, culture, proach to all of the diversity
inclusion, and social jus- elements on campus, framing
tice." These efforts are based the various efforts into a more
on detailed study of demo- comprehensive
overview.
graphic factors such as "race,
For greater clarity on the
ethnicity, age, gender, gen- status of university-wide
eration, sexual orientation, diversity efforts, the Mapnationality, regional iden- ping Project examines four
tity, linguistic background, years of data on diversity
disability, political ideol- programs, curricular comogy, veteran's status, religion ponents, and resource allo[and] socioeconomic status." cations. H&A collects this
One key goal H&A has data in four days of indiwith diversity mapping is to vidual interviews and focus
determine the actual level of groups. They also scan the
engagement with diversity is- CSUSM website, and review
sues. Diversity mapping digs documents and information
beneath projected or assumed from key departments and
engagement in diversity is- employees
campus-wide.
sues, checking for a more
The Office of Diversity,
than superficial commitment. Educational Equity, Inclu-
CSUSM students present
posters, projects at showcase
B Y SONNI SIMMONS
STAFF WRITER
To a student, university life
may seem to center around
work and grading, with little
opportunity to show off one's
creative skills to an audience.
Fortunately, students who
wish to share their creative accomplishments with
other students and faculty
members got their wish at
the Student Poster Showcase, held on Dec.2 at
The Clarke Field House.
"The purpose of the poster
showcase is to give both
undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity
to present their research in
a non-competitive environment," said Lauren Stewart, office assistant for The
Office of Graduate Studies
and Research. "The Student
Poster Showcase is the only
event on-campus that ad-
dresses research from across
all university disciplines."
The Student Poster Showcase was hosted by the Office of Graduate Studies and
Research, in collaboration
with the Committee for Undergraduate Research, and
sponsored by Instructional
& Information Technology Services (HTS). Like
most on-campus events,
admission was also free.
The Committee for Undergraduate Research is an
on-campus
organization
dedicated to, according to
its website, equipping students with the proper research so they are "better
prepared to rise to contemporary challenges." In this
case, taking the form of an
outlet for student creative
expression and exposition.
Held twice a year, the event
offers a wide range of poster
and digital presentations
from students, done in order
to showcase their research
and creative accomplishments. The event is also often used as a way for students
to network with faculty, and
is regarded as an important
event to add to resumes for
future employment or graduate school applications.
"The Showcase gives students the opportunity to interact with faculty, peers and
community," Stewart said.
It is also an opportunity
for CSUSM students to support one another and witness
the incredible accomplishments made by their peers.
The Student Poster Showcase took place at The
Clarke Field House during
U-hour on Dec. 2, but will
return in the spring semester. Family members are always encouraged to attend.
sion, and Ombud Services
is responsible for the Mapping Project. The Advisory
Coordinating
Committee
for Diversity Mapping is
the liaison between H&A,
the university, and various
constituencies on campus.
Dr. Laurie Stowell is the
Committee's
Co-Chair,
and she has high hopes for
the mapping's outcome.
"We have just finished
the data collection phase
and next semester will be
more active and more important,"
Stowell
said.
The Mapping Project is a
tool the Committee wants
to use to identify strengths,
current resources, opportunities and areas needing
improvement.
Interpretation of the data will allow
them to recommend strategies and next step actions.
"It will be up to the different constituents of the
campus community to determine the impact...what
we do with the report is the
where the rubber meets the
road," Stowell concludes.
Students interested in participating in the project or the
various diversity events associated with the program are
advised to contact the Advisory for Diversity Mapping.
COUGAR
TUESDAY'S
Specials for Cougars w/student I.D.
Buy one get one 50% off anything
of equal or lesser values.
Half off on specific appetizers.
Other specials to be named later.
We sponsor all organizations
from athletics, churches &
any local nonprofits, along
with special events.
Call for more info.
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�News Editor:
Ryan Downs
cougarchron.news@gmail.com
CALM Project aims to reduce course material costs
I nnovative s olution t o c ontribute t o s tudents ' s uccess
B Y JASMINE DEMERS
COMMUNITY NEWS EDITOR
CSUSM
faculty
are
spreading awareness f or
a program that will boost
the educational success
of the student body while
providing them with affordable learning sources.
The Cougars Affordable
Learning Materials Project (CALM) is creating
a strong presence f or affordable learning material
on campus. It is a program
that replaces high-cost textbooks and other instructional material with affordable alternatives such as
open educational resources.
A fter attending a meeting f or the CSU System's
Affordable Learning Solutions program, CSUSM IITS
wrote a proposal that granted
funds to faculty in order to
replace more expensive textbooks with more affordable
learning materials. This proposal was accepted and the
campus received a grant of
$25,000 in the spring of 2013.
A plan of action was developed in the summer of 2013
and a resolution was passed
by the Academic Senate in
the spring of 2014 that supports the CALM Initiative.
n fiSUSM
Instructional Developer, explained how the CALM Program works and her hopes
for growth in the future.
"CALM is a program that
discovers instructional material that is at low or no
cost," Wilson said. "We solicit proposals from faculty
on ways that they can reduce
course materials and there
are levels of awards based
on the amount of work it
takes to reduce, the number
of students, and the savings."
Wilson reported that there
are 32 courses that have
been CALMed since the
program began and this
has resulted in an approximate savings of $413,000.
"We are just scratching the surface right now.
We have so far only hit
32 courses. There is still a
lot of room f or improvement and change," she said.
Dr.
Natalie
Wilson,
CALM Faculty Fellow and
Women's Studies lecturer, explained how she has
been involved in this improvement and the expansion of the CALM Project.
"This year, I have begun to
meet with the ASI Board of
Directors in order to get their
input on how we can collaborate with them to spread
the~ mxrd -about. £ ALM to
Photo by Noelle Friedberg
Rising cost of text books and supplies stacks up over the course of an academic career.
students," Wilson said. "I am
also working with Jane Sim,
IITS staff, to build a CALM
presence on social media."
Dr. Wilson also explained
how important this program
has been in regards to students
and their learning outcomes.
"CALMing a course usually means reading requirements are streamlined, and
students are thus not spending large amounts of money
for a text they will only
read a portion of," Wilson
said. "Further, streamlining required materials often
means honing in on essential
t ^ t s a n d readings, w hichre-
sults in a higher percentage
of students completing the
necessary work before coming to class. This makes for
a more productive and engaging classroom, and what
faculty miember wouldn't
appreciate this outcome?"
Currently, CALM ambassadors are working to spread
awareness of the program to
the faculty and student body.
Bill Ward, Interim CIO and
Dean of IITS, says that the
process of finding supplemental material is far from
easy and it takes a lot of support from everyone involved.
"Therç are lots of road
blocks to finding supplemental material. It can be very
difficult and time consuming," Ward said. "We are
hoping to hire on more people to help make this happen more efficiently. What's
really important here is that
we have the administration behind this program."
According to the CALM
website, textbooks prices are
continuing to increase and
these costs are reported to be
one of the most prominent
reasons that students drop
out. Dr. Wilson explains that
most students cannot afford
all of their course mate-
rial for the semester, which
has a ' negative effect on
how well they do in a class,
"As a consequence, students struggle to get a hold of
used copies online or wait for
long periods in the library for
their turn with reserved material," Wilson said. "Others
are forced to forego having
access to all needed course
materials. All of these factors
have a negative impact on
student success generally and
on their grades specifically."
Susan Wilson also points
out that students often
times are so upset by textbook prices and don't necessarily understand that
the faculty are not at fault.
"It's important f or students
to know that the faculty does
care, but most of them are
actually unaware of the price
of these textbooks," she
said. "But students do have
a voice and they can communicate their concerns."
The CALM program provides affordable learning
materials for students and
allows them to be more successful in their journey to
higher education. Students
and faculty are encouraged
to participate in this program and submit any proposal they might have to
CALM down more courses.
Continued from page I
InterVarsity derecognized as student organization
leaders are required to be
members of the Christian
faith, membership is open
to anyone that is interested in learning more about
Christianity or wanting to
join a close-knit student org.
"I make the comparison
that we require the President to have a certain background, and in certain levels,
they are allowed to discriminate," Hatch, said. " It's a
Biblical requirement that
our leaders be Christian, so I
d on't think that it should be
considered
discriminatory
if it is a faith background."
The CSUSM chapter of
InterVarsity has been extremely active on campus
f or the past 18 years, serving
students in a multidimensional fashion. The org. offers a diverse range of small
group Bible studies, ranging
f rom Latino to athletes to
Greek system based. In addition to establishing worship services and a variety
of outreach programs, InterVarsity also works with the
general campus community.
They regularly partner with
other student orgs, to sponsor events pertaining to social justice, feed hundreds of
incoming freshmen at a f ree,
start-of-the-semester
barbeque and set up a welcome
stand to pass out snow cones
to hundreds of students during the first week of school.
InterVarsity Area Director
for North County, Ramiro
Marchena, said that the constitution is not intended to be
discriminatory but rather to
provide leaders that are wellversed in the Bible and Christian faith in order to answer
questions that other members
may have. InterVarsity also
chose not to utilize the election based system for thenleadership orgs, in order to
remain true to their values.
"We would be intentionally voting for people that are
Christian to become leaders.
We probably wouldn't vote
in a non-Christian and that
would be working the system," Marchena said. Due
to their derecognition, InterVarsity will not have the
same access to resources
that they did as a student org.
They cannot have a table at
student org. fairs, partner
with other orgs, in the same
capacity that they previously
did or promote the group in
spaces other than on public bulletin boards. In addition, not being a student org.
impacts the costs and time
it takes to reserve a room
on campus for meetings.
InterVarsity is open to
working further with the
Chancellor's Office to reach
a consensus on. how the
matter should be resolved.
However, they maintain
that they would like to be
reinstated as a student org.,
and should be allowed to
select student leaders that
are of the Christian faith.
"We are going through a
process of grieving for the
institution where the place
we call home isn't home anymore," Marchena said. "We
don't hate the CSU system
and we understand their policy, but we think that there is
a better way to go about this.
This is creating a space for
no diversity where you can't
believe in anything and c an't
have requirements for leaders. Our desire is that they
will create a space f or people
of faith. As a religious org.,
we can have a president who
is Muslim or Christian. We're
just asking for that space to
be true to ourselves, having been able to do that f or
decades on these campuses."
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�Sports Editor:
Resty Grey
cougarchron.sports@gmail.com
Fans encouraged Cougars to take down #1 team
Men's basketball pulls off homecoming victory
BY RESTY GREY
SPORTS EDITOR
Students fueled a fired-up
Cougars Men's Basketball
team into a second half ral-ly against No. 1 Vanguard
in its homecoming event
on Satufday, November 22.
CSUSM students arrived in
a spirit bus provided in their
admission. The crowd was
given headbands and foam
paws to help draw attention to
themselves, both encouraging the Cougars and helping
to deter Vanguard's plans to
upset the homecoming event.
The momentum helped to
rally Cougars from a seven point deficit after the
first half, outscoring Vanguard by eight in the second.
"It's incredible to have this
kind of support and what
an incredible atmosphere
it was for homecoming,"
Coach Jim Saia said. "BeatWÊÊÊÊÊKÊM
ing the Number 1 team in
the country at home court."
Since
then,
Cougars
went on the road to win
in two games in Fullerton and two games in Salt
Lake City, Utah, making
them 10-0 on the season.
Cougars are averaging
8 three-pointers a game
and shooting just under
.400 percent from the field.
Guard Blake Nash leads
all Cougars in scoring, averaging above 20 points and 4
assists per game and playing
more than 30 minutes a game.
Guard Akachi Okugo is
shooting just below .500
percent from the three, tying his teammate, guard
Tyson Kygar, who has 21
three pointers on the season.
Despite boasting a smaller
stat line than his other fellow starters, Forward Wade
Collie manages to contin-
Photo by Bruce Sherwood
Fans and cheerleaders rally in support of homecoming victory.
ue to see the court for his
contributions away from
the stat sheet. Collie is utilized as a two-way athlete,
flourishes in his role as a
stretch forward and often
being able to cause gaps
in the opponent's defense.
Center Declan Daly leads
CSUSM in rebounding, averaging 8 rebounds per game.
His defensive presence
causes a significant amount
of trouble for opponents'
offense in the front court.
Cougars
are
averaging above 80 points a
game while holding opponents to just below an
average 75 points a game.
Cougars will play one
more game on the road Tuesday, Dec. 2 against Azusa Pacific before hosting
Bethesda on Saturday, Dec.
13 at MiraCosta College.
mmmmmmmmm
HEART
BEAT
Meningitis threatens college population
C DC warns o f s ilent, p otentially d eadly threat
with friends and significant
others, they are not thinking about potential risks.
Students are now living
As our journey into college and life begins, an in closer quarters than ever
overwhelming f eeling of before and while that life
excitement consumes us. can create a sense of comFor many of us, college life munity and independence,
is our first taste of freedom. it can also carry the risk of
New experiences like liv- infectious diseases. For exing in the dorms or fall- ample, Meningococcal dising in love, come with a ease is a common disease
new sense of adventure among first-year college
and excitement. Now we students living in the dorm.
The Centers for Disease
feel invincible, plunging
headfirst into the unknown. Control and Prevention
Students are so drunk with (CDC) states that Meningothe excitement of sharing coccal disease is caused by
a new apartment or dorm the bacterium meningococBY ALEXIS SAUCEDO
SPORTS COLUMNIST
cus and around 10 percent
of the population has been
previously exposed to the
bacteria and are harboring it
in the back of their nose and
t hro^ These individuals a rf :
asymptomatic and receive
the title 'carrier.' According to the CDC, a common
outcome of a meningococcal infection is meningitis.
A meningococcal meningitis
infection results in the swelling of the meninges, which
are the protective membrane
coverings of the brain and
spinal cord (CDC, 2014).
Symptoms of meningitis
typically appear within three
W alk o ff h oliday p ounds
Staying in shape this holiday season
working out has to be some
kind of dreadful affair made
STAFF WRITER
of early morning alarms and
gruesome workout sessions
Holidays are a time of which take hours on end.
joy, excitement, together- For those who think this is
ness and all-around hap- the case, there is good news,
piness. Thanksgiving is staying in shape is as simple
the holiday f or eating. as walking around the block.
There's a huge turkey,
According to the Institute
stuffing you can't get enough of Medicine, walking a mere
o f, mashed potatoes that 5,000 steps every day, or 2.5
do not seem to end and the miles, is a simple way to keep
gravy to accompany the your weight down. Walking
meal. That is all before 2.5 miles may sound dauntyou even get to the dessert. ing and time-consuming to
Immediately
following some but if you reserve 30
Thanksgiving,
Christmas minutes a day, you will evenis another holiday known tually develop a healthy roujust for the treats like gin- tine that is quick and easy.
gerbread pastries, fruit cake
If you are inclined to take
and candy canes. That said, on a bigger challenge try to
everyone« is thinking about reserve an hour for yourself
how they can stay in top and double the distance for
form once the season of a more strenuous workout
happiness comes to an end. that will burn, on average,
People tend to think that 300 to 500 calories each day.
BY PIERSON CEPEDA
Before you start your
walk, remember another
important aspect of working out that many people
forget, stretching. Stretch
your calves, hamstrings and
quads. Also consider your
walking form. It's simple,
head up looking forward
with your neck, shoulder and
back relaxed. Slightly bend
your arms when swinging
and keep your stomach muscles tightened with a straight
back. Lastly, walk while
rolling from heel to toe.
This holiday, like many
others, will be full of fun
and happiness and the last
thing people want to do is
think about exercise. The
simple solution to this is
to keep it simple. Take 30
minutes and take a walk,
either alone or with others, the more the merrier.
to seven days of exposure
(CDC, 2014). The CDC states
that the symptoms of meningitis are fever, headache and
a stiff neck. >Mqre severe
t &ytoiltoms c an: inclucfeiiausea, vomiting, photophobia
and an altered mental status.
Meningococcal disease can
be diagnosed with a blood
draw or a lumbar puncture.
Individuals who may have
been exposed to the disease are treated with antibiotics in order to prevent
them from acquiring or further spreading the disease.
According to the CDC,
"antibiotic treatment should
reduce the risk of dying but
sometimes the infection has
caused too much damage
to the body for antibiotics
to prevent death or seria l ^ong-ternr - ptdkiefe."
About 11 to 19 percent of
individuals who have survived meningococcal disease will have long-term
disabilities. These long-term
disabilities can include the
loss of limb, deafness, brain
or nervous system damage.
It is vital that students*on
college campuses are aware
of this disease and take precautions in preventing it.
CSUSM currently provides
all first year housing students
with meningitis information
in their housing contracts.
These students are required
to read and return a response
stating they hay^ understood
the information provided to
the Campus Housing Office.
A vaccination does exist that protects against
the bacterium that causes
meningococcal
disease,
however it is not required in
order to be a CSUSM student or to live in the dorms
(though encouraged). The
CDC states that a vaccine
is the best defense against
meningococcal
disease.
Andrea Leonard coaches players to
athletic, personal victory
tem Coach Leonard goes by.
"My philosophy is that if
we can build and maintain
a solid foundation of values,
morals, positive culture and
respect, then the winning
follows that," Leonard said.
"You need to know how to
112-46 record during her
four-year tenure be the proof
to that philosophy, then it is
There are some athletic
clear that we have discovteams in collegiate sports
ered a modern day Socrates.
who struggle to win with
Coach Leonard's systems
little to no excuses every
and beliefs were not creattime they step on the field
ed overnight as you can tell.
or court. There are
They were conceived
other teams that have
when the love startthe talent, but still do
ed then manifested
not receive the results
when she was given
they expect or want.
the opportunity, so it
For the CSUSM
is as if she assisted
Women's
Volleyherself for a spike
ball team, neither of
towards a successthose scenarios is the
ful coaching career.
case and Head Coach
Not only does she
Andrea
Leonard
coach her players to
is the one to thank
victory, but she cares
Photo by Chris Morales
due to her beliefs,
greatly for her athletes.
systems and overall Andrea Leonard is satisfied with her team's
"When it all comes
playoff performance.
fervor for coaching.
together and you see
"Talent can only take
them achieve someyou to a certain place, so in create an unselfish environ- thing they never thought posorder to win, you must have a ment where a group of peo- sible," Leonard said. "You
system," Coach Leonard said. ple can collectively come have helped them open a door
Imagine a well-conditioned together for the good of the inside themselves that will
and orderly community and TEAM, not themselves." continue to create greatness
you will get an idea of the sysIf we simply let Leonard's throughout their lifetime."
BY BURTLAND DIXON
STAFF WRITER
�Features Editor:
Nada Sewidan
cougarchron.features@gmail.com
Faculty
Spotlight
Professor Berman reflects on career as filmmaker
T eaching t he art of filmmaking t o C SUSM students
BY ANTHONY TREVINO
STAFF WRITER
Professor Jonathan Berman
is a well-known independent
filmmaker that divides his
time between helping foster
the creativity of his film students and working tirelessly
on his own films that focus
on taking the viewer on a
journey to places the average person may never see.
Professor Berman started his film education
early and drew inspiration from his childhood.
"As kids we had bands
when we were like 13, and
around the same time we
were also making movies," Professor Berman said.
"Home movies on super
8 film, which was all the
rage back then, and you'd
get the little three minute
reel and we'd shoot Karate
epics or gangster films."
After graduating from
McGill University in Montreal with his BA, Professor Berman began working
as an Assistant Film Editor for various independent film companies such as
Troma Entertainment, best
known for such flicks as
The Toxic Avenger (1984)
and Terror Firmer (1999).
Following his early work
at Troma, Professor Berman went on to direct three
documentary films: The Shvitz (1993), My Friend Paul
(1999) and Commune (2005).
Professor Berman came
to CSUSM in 2004 after answering an ad for
a job in the Communications
department.
"I liked the idea of being able to teach at a
public
school,"
Professor
Berman
said.
In between a busy sched-
ule as one of the university's
Associate Professors, he's
nearing completion on his
fourth film People of Earth,
which is an in-depth look
at the influence George Van
Tassel, his mysterious death
and the infamous Integratron—a machine that supposedly functions as both
a healing device and time
machine—have had on the
residents of Joshua Tree.
Professor Berman's films
are about taking the audience
to places that exist in reality but still allowing them
to feel as if they're watching a traditional narrative.
"I want them to go on
a ride and feel like they
watched a fiction film,"
Professor Berman said.
When asked if he had
any advice for young filmmakers and students, Professor Berman answered
with a very thoughtful and
inspiring piece of advice:
"If you want to make stuff,
learn how to effectively use
storytelling to prove a point,
to persuade people," he said.
"Express your emotional
disposition, your belief system and be a modern citizen Photo provided by Anthony Trevino
who has the power to use Professor Berman takes a break
media to make change." outside his office.
STUDENT
ORGANIZATION
SPOTLIGHT
Catholic Club displays faith and God's love through its members
C atholic C ougars share w ord of G od t o C SUSM c ommunity
B Y SHANICE DAVIS
STAFF WRITER
The
Catholic
Club
here at CSUSM hopes to
spread the word of God
through
its
members.
Melinda Lopez, president
of the Catholic Club, talked
about the possibilities one
can experience by simply
having faith in God. Lopez
said that faith is a strong
component of the club.
"We are a group of students who meet and seek to
grow in communion with
God, our faith and each
other," Lopez said. "As a
club, we seek to provide a
safe environment for students to encounter Christ."
Lopez explained that celebration and appreciation of
God is a large aspect of the
faith in Catholic tradition.
"Four Sundays before
we celebrate the coming
of Jesus in the Season of
Advent, we prepare our
hearts, souls and minds
Photo provided by Catholic Club
CSUSM Catholic Club recognizes their similarities when focusing on a common goal.
for the coming of Jesus,"
Lopez said. "We celebrate
the Christmas season beginning Dec. 24 with the birth
of Christ, until the coming
of the three Magi on Jan. 6."
"Students can take away
that they are unconditionally loved by God and that
they are called to do amazing things," Lopez said.
"Sometimes we are caught
up in the business of life
and feel alone, insignificant
and lost, but being Catholic allows you to be apart of
something that is universal,
while we are all human and
realize we are not perfect,
we strive to know deeply
who our Lord and Savior is."
In addition to receiving and
exposing the love of God to
others, the Catholic Club
also strongly believes in giving back and helping others
in need. Their main goal of
focus is donating as much
as they possibly can to people in need and being a light
for Christ on campus as they
try to reflect Gospel messages in their everyday lives.
The Catholic Club raised
over $150 for Catholic Relief Services (CRS) as part
of their water project to provide clean water supply for
developing
communities.
The club is also working on another community
project for the holiday season. Future plans include
sponsoring some families
in need for Christmas. Currently the organization is
accepting collections of
gently used clothing and
new blankets for homeless high school aged students as part of a fundraiser.
With the semester coming
to an end soon, the Catholic
Club has only a few more
events left. For their last
meeting, the club is hosting a Christmas social party
from 7 p jn. on Dec. 3 at
The Clarke in room 110.
Next semester, the organization will be holding
meetings from 7 p.m. every
Wednesday at The Clarke.
The meetings will include
social nights, guest speakers, Bible studies and Mass.
Lopez encourages anyone interested in building or strengthening their
relationship with God to
join the club at any of their
weekly meetings on campus.
For more information
visit their Facebook page
at
https://www.facebook.
c om/CsusmCatholicClub.
"Each and every one of
us is at a different point in
our faith journey and the
mission of our club is to
offer opportunity for anyone to share and grow in
their faith," Lopez said.
Forthcoming student organization,
Latter Day Saint Student Association
B uilding c ommunity t hat s erves G od
BY SHANICE DAVIS
STAFF WRITER
Students on campus may
or may not have heard of
the Latter Day Saint Student Association as they
are an up and coming organization here on campus.
The official name of the
LDS church is The Church
of Jesus Christ of LatterDay Saints. Kathleen Scott,
faculty advisor of the organization, gives a snippet of insight on the LDS
and of what is to come for
the future of the LDSSA.
"Our mission is to integrate the intellectual and
spiritual aspects of student
life at the university by providing opportunities for students to serve, socialize and
learn doctrine," Scott said.
"We want our members to
round out their education
with a foundation of faith to
move on into the world as
useful members of society."
"LDS believe that God is
our Heavenly Father-He
knows us each individually and sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to make up for
our mistakes so that we can
learn and grow and eventually return to him," Scott
said. "We believe that God
answers prayers, often in
subtle ways and He is by
our side to guide us through
the craziness of life."
Serving the Lord is just a
piece of what being part of the
LDS community is about. In
addition, the LDS community also serves others in need.
"Mormons serve throughout the world, especially
during crises such as the
Haitian earthquake and
Katrina, wearing yellow
T-shirts with the Helping
Hands logo," Scott said.
Locally they have an annual service day in which
members clean up parks
and communities; for example, one group raked and
cleaned Kit Carson Park in
Escondido. The org. also
provides services on an individual level that is usually
private and not advertised.
The LDSSA is about serving those in need and striving to live life as Christ
would
see
justifiable.
Next semester when LDSSA is official, they'll have
meetings every Tuesday and
Thursday during U-hour.
Getting to know one another, planning for the future
of the organization, along
with discussing doctrine and
church history will be among
some of the topics discussed during the meetings.
Scott said that if anyone is interested in joining
LDSSA, to feel free and
email her at
kscott@csusm .edu.
"We hope that students take
from this experience a confidence that there is deep
meaning and purpose in life
and that there is divinity
in each of us," Scott said.
�Features Editor:
Nada Sewidan
cougarchroh.features@gmail.com
Muslim Student Association celebrates Eid in America
Group maintains tradition, culture within larger community
ing a goat or lamb as a re- about
self-improvement."
minder of Abraham's own
"[It's] a month of Soul
FEATURES E DITOR
sacrifice and love for God. Purification and a month
"The importance of Eid to strengthen connections
Traditions may not be built is gratefulness and hav- with God," MSA memon the same belief but they are ing a remembrance of ber, Kiren Khan, said.
often celebrated in the same God," Mahmood said. "It's
Other characteristics of
way—with families, friends, a time for family to come Eid celebrations include traparties and community—as and celebrate together." ditional clothing, parties,
The small Eid is celebrat- food and family gatherings
an expression of culture.
Amber Mahmood and oth- ed following Ramadan—a where gifts such as money,
er MSA members discussed month of fasting from sun toys and clothing are handcelebrating Eid, an aspect of up until sun down. The ed out to family members.
Islamic culture, in America. start of the Eid celebraAmber Mahmood and
Eid is a Muslim holiday tion is marked by the end other MSA members are
that occurs twice a year, of Ramadan month where firm believers in integrating
once after Ramadan and families join one another one's own culture and mergonce after Hajj (pilgrim- for a three day long feast. ing a piece of their own be"The month of fasting is liefs and traditions within the
age) and lasts three days.
Similar to other religious about pushing your lim- larger community. However,
celebrations, the importance its and testing yourself," some MSA members find
of Eid lies in its history. The Mahmood said. "It's about that it's sometimes difficult
holiday includes sacrific- trying to break bad habits and to maintain the tradition.
BY NADA SEWIDAN
"When you celebrate
Eid here it is different than
celebrating in an Islamic
Country,"
MSA
member, Leena El-Maleh, said.
"It's sometimes difficult coordinating work and
school in order to maintain the tradition because
we don't get it off as a
holiday," Mahmood said.
Mahmood talked about
how vital community members are to the holiday.
"My favorite part of Eid
is the community aspect
and seeing everybody praying and spending time with
family," she said. "We are
so busy in our everyday
lives so it's nice to have
a day to get together and
celebrate; it's unifying."
Photo provided by MSA Club
MSA shares their love of a traditional Muslim holiday with their
peers and fellow students.
MSA believes it's about
co-existence within a larger
community, a community
that respects each other's beliefs and a community where
individuals can celebrate
their culture whether it's
Christmas, Hanukah or Eid.
Mahmood said that although it is difficult at
times, her family continues
to maintain their religion
within their hearts, home and
alongside the community.
Celebrity paintball tournament hosted by PEACE Fund
Organization offers creative platform to raise money for charity
BY ANNE HALL
A D MANAGER
PEACEFund is bringing together professional paintball
stars with star-studded actors
and actresses to help earn
money for a nonprofit awareness campaign that provides
support for youths struggling through matters of life.
The non-profit organization, created by Adrian
Paul, is designed to help
children in need through
raising
awareness
and
money by hosting charity events such as this one.
Not only is PEACEFund
working to earn money for
their organization, but the
event is also designed to al-
Photo provided by ItGirl Public Relations, Inc. on behalf of
PEACEFund.
low the honored guests to
represent their own charities. Winners of each event
will be able to choose
where the proceeds go.
Existing celebrities registered for participating in
the event include: Adrian
Paul of Highlander, Robbie Jones from Tyler Perry's
Temptation,
Bret
Lockett
(formerly played for New
England Patriots), Wesley
Jonathan of What I Like
About You, Kyle Massey
of Dancing with the Stars,
Walter Jones of the Power
Rangers, Jacqueline Toboni
of Grimm and many more.
CSUSM students, staff
and faculty members are encouraged to attend and par-
ticipate in community events
such as this in order to help
raise money and awareness
for local charities in need.
Weekend tickets can be
purchased and daily tickets
are just $25 per day with a
$15 parking fee. For a oneof-a-kind experience, $1,000
allows teams of up to seven
to register together to team
up with one pro and one celebrity as part of their group.
The two day event will
take place on Saturday,
Dec. 6 and Sunday, Dec.
7 at the Camp Pendleton
Paintball Park in Oceanside.
Tickets can be purchased
online or at the event location: 1700 Vandergrift
Blvd, Oceanside, CA 92057.
Registration begins at
8 a.m. while the celebrity
tournament will start at 10
a.m. The organization hopes
to host the world's largest
paintball battle on Sunday
as everyone will come together for a day long war to
challenge stamina and wit.
Camp Pendleton has a restriction against
automatic
paintball guns, but bring your
rags and microfiber cloths,
auto-feed hopper, double
triggers, extra pods and semiautomatic paintball guns if
you've got them. Of course,
loads of water, Gatorade
and snacks would be wise
accessories. Keep in mind
that the entire weekend is intended to be days full of fun.
Religions of the world
How different religions celebrate important holidays
BY ALEX MARAVILLAS
STAFF W RITER
While Christmas is among
the most celebrated this
time of year, there are several other diverse religious
traditions to recognize.
Hanukkah, a religious
Jewish celebration, occurs
before Christmas every December; however, this is not
the holiest of Jewish events,
for that would be Yom Kip-
pur, the Day of Atonement. Hanukkah traditions include
Hanukkah celebrates the lighting the menorah and
rededication of the haven consuming traditional Jewin Jerusalem after it was ish dishes such as latkes.
scoured by the winnow SyrEid al-Adha is the Festival
ian/Greek affiliation. The of Sacrifice. This Muslim
haven was left with simply event remembers Abraham's
enough oil to light the can- dedication to God when he
dles for one night; however, attempted to sacrifice his
the oil wondrously came to only child in lieu of God's
last for eight. That is the rea- command. Eid is one of the
son Hanukkah is celebrated two most key events in Isfor eight nights, beginning lam, which takes place after
at crepuscule on Dec. 21. the Hajj. The Hajj is an Ara-
COUGAR
bic translation and is defined
as a pilgrimage to Mecca. Eid
celebrations include dressing
up in the finest traditional
clothing, visiting family
members and holding feasts.
Yule, a name for the Winter
Solstice, is an event celebrated on Dec. 21 and is a pagan
religious festival that was
considered traditional prior to
the existence of Jesus Christ.
Animals were butchered and
a live tree was brought into
the home as part of tradition. Buddhism is a religion
that follows the teachings of
Buddha, also known as Siddhartha Gautama. Buddhism
teaches that enlightenment
can be achieved by acquiring
knowledge and abandoning
ignorance. Ultimately, Buddhism emphasizes enlightenment as the road to liberty. A
Buddhist tradition includes
the celebration of the birth
and death of Buddha. The
celebration takes place every
May during the full moon.
Whether it's celebrating
the birth of Christ during the
Christmas holiday, eating latkes and lighting the Menorah
for Hanukkah, remembering Abraham's sacrifice for
God during Eid or honoring
Buddha on a May full moon,
it's important to recognize
the diversity of cultures
and traditions that make up
the religions of the world.
CHRONICLE
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Katlin Sweeney
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Faith Orcino
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cougarchron.news@gmail.com
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cougarchron.sports@gmail.com
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Pierson S epeda
cougarchron.features@gmail.com
Distribution M anaqer
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Writing Staff
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Collin V az
Our Website: csusmchronkle.com
Office Phone: 760 - 750 - 6099
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Our office is located in Craven 3500
Sports Editor
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Resty G rey
Anne Hall
O pinion Editor
Features Editor
Noelle Friedberg
A lex M aravillas
N ada Sewidan
Community N ews Editor
W ill M cCurdy
Jasmine Demers
C aleb H ogland
The Cougar Chronicle is published
twice a month on Wednesdays during
the academic year. Distribution includes
1,500 copies across 6 stands positioned
throughout the C SUSM campus.
Letters to the Editor should include
a first and last name and should be under 300 words, submitted via email. It is
the policy of The Cougar Chronicle not
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Chronicle reserves therightto reject any
Letter to the Editor for any reason.
�F E AT U R E S
The
COUGAR CHRONICLE, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER
3 ,2014
Features Editor:
Nada Sewidan
cougarchron.features@gmail.com
7
Cougar Farewell: Nada Sewidan
W e s ay g oodbye t o g raduating c o-worker
A hard worker to her core, ing her time at the school, of advice. The first was a
Sewidan was drawn to us believing that they would warning against taking six
after transferring from Palo- last beyond her departure classes in one semester, a
mar Community College
For her time at the paper, situation she lamented forcwhere she was a staff writer she enjoyed editing articles ing upon herself as it culmiat The Telescope, their cam- that addressed issues from nated to an excess amount
pus newspaper. Since then, a different perspective and of stress being piled on her.
she has been with us since was proud of those that took
The second (and much
2013, and in an interview these approaches. The same more uplifting) was that of
we talked about her expe- was embodied in her favorite putting feeling into one's
riences not just at the pa- article, "My experience as work. It is the mentality of
per, but also as a CSUSM an Egyptian American" in some students to simply see
student and the advice she which she talked about the a homework assignment as
has for future students. dual life she experienced as busy work for which they
In regards to her most an immigrant to the United only need to splatter some
enjoyable experiences on States and her struggle to words onto a page and call it a
campus, Sewidan had rous- overcome not only language day. She argued against this,
ing praise for her professors barriers, but those erected instead advocating for peosaying that they were not by stereotypical notions ple to look at the assignments
Photo by Anne Hall only some of the smartest of Egypt and her ethnicity. as something that a student
people she'd taken classes
As a bit of hindsight on her can look at and be proud of.
Features Editor Nada Sewidan leaves behind a challenge of large
with, but also taught her to time at the campus, Sewidan
shoes to fill.
Crafting a masterpiece of
formulate her own ideolo- dispensed two great pieces written words can make peoented journalists that pass gies through incorporation of
BYWILLMCCURDY
through our publication. their ideas as a base. For her
RADIO ASSISTANT
WÈÊÊÊËËk
One such Cougar deserv- fellow students, she spoke J I l l l l l l I
C ontinued f rom p age 1
At the Cougar Chronicle, ing of recognition is Fea- happily about the friendwe take pride in the tal- tures Editor, Nada Sewidan. ships she had garnered dur-
SI
ple passionate for something
they may not even have had
the slightest care about before. Doing assignments in
this way leads to an expansion of intellectual thought
and ideas which breathes life
into the heart of what school
is truly about: learning.
Being a fellow journalist
at the paper, Sewidan was
important to my own evolution at the publication. She
was the one that gave me my
first article and started me
on the path to the level of
journalistic professionalism
present in my current work.
I think I speak for all those
at the paper when I say you
will be missed and it was a
pleasure working with you.
H
Cougars' advocacy
CULINARY
CORNER
Potato latkes
Jewish delight for breakfast
BY NOELLE FRIEDBERG
OPINION EDITOR
Potato latkes are a traditional Jewish dish. They
are eaten during Hanukkah because the oil they are
made with reminds those
celebrating this Jewish holiday of the oil in the Temple
that lasted for eight days.
My father was raised Jewish, and while my family
does not practice the religion,
we still like to partake in this
tradition by eating latkes this
time of year. It has become a
new family tradition of ours
to eat them for breakfast
every Christmas morning.
Try them with applesauce,
sour cream and cinnamon
on top. Even though that
sounds like a weird combination, trust me, it's delicious.
Yields:
This
recipe
makes about 16 latkes.
Ingredients:
4 medium potatoes
1 small onion
3 tablespoons flour
2 eggs
V\ teaspoon salt
Oil for frying (vegetable
oil works well)
Directions:
1. Peel the potatoes.
2. Grate the potatoes
into a large bowl, using the
coarse side of the grater, or
use an electric food processor to grate the potatoes.
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3. Peel the onion, and
grate into the bowl.
4. Add theflour,eggs and
salt. Mix well.
5. Heat the oil in a frying
pan. Drop heaping tablespoons of potato mixture
into the oil. Press them
into pancake-like thickness.
6. Fry latkes until both
sides are crisp and brown.
7. Drain the latkes on paper towels before serving.
Do you have a favorite
recipe that you would like
to share? Send any recipes
or suggestions to Culinary
Corner at cougarculinarycorner@gmail.com and you
may see your recipe featured
in the next issue.
told the audience her story and affording the necessary
of survival and her experience materials more of a realistic
with homelessness at a very possibility. In addition, provulnerable time in her life. grams like ACE Scholars,
"At one point, I was a re- which helps former foster
cently 'openly lesbian,* youth attend college, prohomeless student who had vides guidance and support
just started a sexual assault to ensure that they graduate,
case without family support,"
CSUSM faculty are also
GuzmXn said. "I know for a hosting^, other programs
f act t hat I a m o nly h ere b e- that aire" aiftied a t helphomelessness.
cause of my amazing profes- ing * end
sors, my feminist family and
Dr. Laura de Ghetaldi,
die support of my friends**' Kinesiology Professor and
While higher educations is faculty head of the Donate
still working towards provid- Don't Dump Program, exing appropriate resources few plains how she is helping stustudents that are homeless dents reach out to people in
or at-risk, some efforts have the community with the Doalready been spearheaded by nate Don't Dump Program.
students, faculty and staff in
" 1 in 5 adults and 1 in 4
an effort to begin making a children suffer from hunchange. Film screenings like ger insecurity. We are try"Inocente" raise awareness ing, with this food disof the need to reach out to tribution to get students
homeless students and pro- involved with this type
vide resources. Initiatives of community outreach,"
de
Ghetaldi
said.
like CALM, which seeks to
Donate Don't Dump is a
reduce textbook costs, works
to make attending college volunteer-based program that
saves short dated and surplus
foods that will essentially get
thrown out or go to waste
by grocery stores. They take
this food and distribute it to
people within the commuiilty
who cannot afford groceries.
Students who struggle with
hunger or homelessness are
of course welcomed and encouraged to take advantage of
this resource. It is held on thè
2nd and 4th Tuesday of every
week at 1:30 and located at
thè Summit Church parking
lot next to the new dorms.
Organizers and speakers at the "Inocente" film
screening are hoping to facilitate change as they continue to spread awareness
and educate the community
about issues of homelessness on campus. By advocating for these issues, they
hope to see an increase in
resources for homeless students and an ultimate end
to homelessness cai campus.
Holiday shopping without breaking bank
Cougars' advice on budgeting for this holiday season
BY SHANICE DAVIS
STAFF WRITER
Christmas is approaching and holiday shopping is
becoming more inevitable.
For college students,
holiday shopping can be
quite pricey and can put
an enormous dent in one's
wallet;
however, there
are ways one can levy
some of those expenses.
At CSUSM, many students
share the same struggle of
digging in couch cushions
for coins or miraculously
running across 20-dollar
bills in jean pockets, and for
that, students are no strangers to the notion of cost effective shopping strategies.
One way to prevent overspending this Christmas is
to take a good look at your
accounts and weigh the
amount of money earned
versus necessary future expenses. It's important to set
a realistic expectation and
admit how much you can
spend. It's then that you can
decide what stores you are
realistically able to shop.
"I think you can set limits for yourself and just
know how much you
have and what you're able
to spend," CSUSM student, Troy Stephens, said.
Another similar option is
to abandon credit and debit cards at home and only
withdraw enough money
to cover the items you
specifically want to buy.
"In order for me to go holiday shopping without breaking the budget, I leave my
debit cards or credit cards
at home and take out the
amount of money I could
use," CSUSM student Stephanie Cervantes said. "I think
knowing how much money
I'm trying to spend on each
person is a good idea."
A similar option is budget
out how much you want to
devote to each person on
your holiday list and withdraw cash accordingly.
"What I'll do is have a
certain amount that I will be
spending on each person,"
CSUSM student Diana Gar-
cia said. "For example, I
have three people in my family besides myself and let's
say that I 'm going to spend
50 dollars on each person,
I'll only take out 150 dollars
from my bank account and
make sure I carry it in cash
so that I don't use my cards."
Additionally, prior research of local deals and
pricing is a good idea.
"I look for discounts on
groupons and such," CSUSM
student, Heath Brown, said.
Regardless of how everyone is going about their
holiday shopping, don't forget to rack up on deals to get
more bang for your buck.
Happy Spending and
Happy Holidays Cougars.
�Opinion Editor:
Noelle Friedberg
cougarchron.opinion@gmail.com
Don't tolerate intolerance
The true meanings of "diversity/9 "tolerance5
Therefore, not all reliSTAFF WRITER
gions can be valid. Some
must be wrong if others are
to be right. Of course, they
Diversity is a word that can all be wrong; however,
people love to throw around. they cannot all beright.So
Schools, teams and work- how do we coexist with the
places pride themselves people whose core beliefs
in having diversity. But are different than our own?
First, we need to understand
what does it really mean?
Diversity is simply the what "tolerance" is. Seccondition of something be- ond, we need to exercise it.
Tolerance is possibly one
ing composed of differing
elements. But how do we of the most misunderstood
deal with diversity when words in today's culture.
it comes to the passion- To tolerate something or
filled topic of religion? someone does NOT mean
Anyone who is somewhat to support or accept them.
To tolerate something
educated in religion, and not
only makes the blanket state- means to allow or endure
ment that all religions teach what is difficult or disathe same essential things, greeable. We do not tolerknows that there are many ate people we agree with.
differing and contradictory How could we? We agree
claims amongst religions. with them. We can only tolB Y CALEB H OGLAND
Photo by Cody Cook
Discrepancies over religious dogma amongst different faiths often
leads to more exclusion than inclusion.
erate the people and beliefs
we dislike or disagree with.
When it comes to religion and moral convictions, there are those who
voice their opinions and
those who do not like to
hear particular views. Simply because someone disagrees with the religious or
moral conviction does not
mean they are intolerant.
By using correct reasoning,
and of course proper manners
and behavior, we can even be
tolerant when claiming one
person is right and the other
is wrong about their beliefs.
The person who is INTOLERANT is the one who does
not allow someone to voice
his or her opinion at all.
Everyone has a right to
their beliefs and convictions and they have arightto
voice them. Everyone is biased in one-way or another,
but they still have arightto
engage in discussions about
life, morals and religion.
To insult someone for
their beliefs, to call them
names such as intolerant
or bigot, and push them off
the floor without allowing
them to express their view
is not tolerance. It is still
not tolerant even if these
personal attacks are done
in defense of another view,
which may not be your own.
CSUSM is a place for higher learning; it is not a place
for indoctrination. All people
and their differing cultures
are welcomed to come to this
safe place and express their
diverse religious views. The
only way any environment
can truly be safe for religious diversity and serious
questions of life and morality is if people are actually
tolerant. (Or "if people actually understand tolerance.")
So, endure with dignity.
Endure with respect. Disagree as you like, and learn
tolerance if you have not
already, because around
here, we don't tolerate people who are intolerant.
Mindfulness: Decreasing stress, increasing happiness
B Y COLLIN V AZ
FEATURES ASSISTANT
Mindfulness
meditation is a popular Buddhist
teaching used to bring
balance to one's life and
merge mind and body.
Buddhism can be considered more of a way of life
than a dogmatic religion.
Its lessons can be studied
and put to use by anyone
regardless of age or religious views. Here are four
steps that I use and recommend to decrease stress
and increase happiness:
1. Mindful Breathing
This simple action can be
utilized at any time in order
to quickly bring about mindfulness. At a time of heightened stress, a friend or parent
may have suggested that you
"count to ten." In essence,
this is a breathing meditation. In our daily lives, we
are often so caught up in our
thoughts and responsibilities
that we forget to establish
a connection between our
minds and bodies. Whether
you are in class, driving to
work, doing homework, or
just browsing social media,
this exercise can improve
your attitude and mindset.
Begin by exhaling completely, clearing your mind
of any particular thoughts.
Then inhale through the
nose, mentally following
your inbreath and feeling
the air surge into your body.
This is important because
it remindsr your psyche that
you have a body. After a relaxed inhale, follow the outbreath back out of your nose,
feeling your chest move as
the air is released from your
body. Repeat as needed.
2. Mindful Walking
If time permits, mindful
walking is a great way to
clear your mind. We walk a
lot each day and these walks
all have one thing in common: they have a destination. Constantly thinking
about what is next on the
to-do list places our thoughts
in the future. Although it
is important to remain responsible for tasks we must
complete, letting our mind
relax and settle into the present moment can lead to less
fatigue throughout the day.
proves our health as well.
Next time you get a break
to sit down with lunch or
dinner, try this technique.
Use your fork and take a
bite as you would normally.
Now before you target
that next mouthful, put the
fork down. Bring your attention away from the next
bite and focus on the food
the s mell o f the outdoors. you are chewing. Notice the
Breathe in and out slowly consistency and flavor (a
with each step following good opportunity to assess
your in and out breath as whether or not the source
previously described. Bud- of your food is wholesome).
dhist monk and author, Thich After swallowing, pick the
Nhat Hanh, suggests prac- fork up again and repeat
titioners recite the phrase the process, remembering
"I'm home" with every step, to stop and appreciate your
before exhaling. This will food fully before going in
remind you that your des- for more. While very simtination has already been ple, this allows our bodies to
reached and keep your mind digest our food at a natural
relaxed and in the moment. rate while simultaneously al3. Mindful Eating
lowing us to be more aware
Americans are unique in of the food we consume.
many ways, especially in the
4. Sitting Meditation
way that we consume food.
Closely related to breathDue to our over-worked life- ing meditation, sitting medistyles; we tend to eat food tation is an excellent daily
as quickly as possible. The activity that can improve
practice of eating mindfully your overall quality of life.
not only brings us back to If you are new to meditathe present moment, but im- tion, I would recommend
Start by choosing a nice,
quiet area for your walk.
Not much space is required,
as the object of your walk
is to slow down. Instead of
walking with the intention of
reaching a destination, fully
enjoy each step. Take note of
your environment, the breeze
on your skin, the sounds
of the birds chirping and
A SI S PECIAL E LECTION
S xereise your voice regarding
t he f uture of ASI. Vote o nline
In t he Special Election!
Voting for the special election will be open
F ebruary 3 - 6 , 2 0 1 5 .
The special election will address proposed
changes to the ASI Bylaws.
For more information and to vote please visit:
http://www.wusm.edu/asi/get_invo^ed/bod/elec^ofis.html
Photo by Cody Cook
Chris Morales reducing stress in the reflection louge, located in the
USU.
starting with ten-minute sessions each day, preferably
in the morning in order to
boost energy levels and focus throughout the day. Find
a comfortable seated position, such as a chair, cushion,
edge of the bed, etc. Begin
by initiating an inbreath and
an outbreath, feeling the air
rush in and out of your body.
Take a moment to become
aware of your surroundings, letting your senses pick
up any smells or sounds.
If you feel your mind racing with thoughts, bring your
attention back to your breath.
Count one on the inhale and
two on the exhale,proceeding
all the way up to ten. A helpful way to describe sitting
meditation is the cloud analogy. Imagine your thoughts
are clouds in the sky. Focus
on the blue sky of the present
moment. When a cloud presents itself, you do not want
to force yourself to ignore it,
but rather acknowledge its
existence and let it pass. This
can be hard on days when
we have a lot on our minds,
but with consistent practice,
mindfulness will become
easier and easier to achieve.
GABLES
SAN M A R C O S
nauoEi
SÔé t lorham | San Marcos, CA 92078
o: 740,471 JStt | f; 740.471.7052
smrcdgablts.com | www.gablts.com/sanmcfcos
�O pinion Editor:
N oelle Friedberg
c ougarchron.opinion@gmail.com
Christmas Traditions
H ow w e c elebrate i n B ulgaria
BY ANNA MARIA PETROV
STAFF W RITER
Christmas is just around
the corner, and people are
starting to plan where they
will spend the holidays and
when will be the right time
to go shopping f or presents.
Feelings of cheerfulness
arise when we listen to
Christmas songs on the radio, when we decorate the
Christmas tree, hang the
lights and garlands or just
drink steamy hot chocolate.
And the most important is
our family's long lasting
traditions that they passed
down to us and we will pass
down to our kids someday.
Coming from a different
country - Bulgaria - was
not always easy and that
is all due to the fact that
when I and my family arrived to this new and unfamiliar land, there was some
struggle. But eventually we
adapted and to this day enjoy
and really appreciate being
a part of this country. Dur-
ing the holidays we vbring
our own traditions and share
them with other people.
On Dec. 24, Christmas
Eve, my family and I prepare a whole day to celebrate, and it all starts with
me and mom preparing the
different dishes. The two
main dishes are the cabbage rolls and homemade
bread, and each symbolizes the birth of Jesus Christ.
Meaning that the bread, being made of wheat, symbolizes fertility and growth,
and the cabbage rolls are a
symbol of baby Jesus being
wrapped in a baby blanket.
Also, inside the bread
there is a quarter. Whoever
gets it in one of the bread
rolls will have good fortune
f or themselves and f or their
family, and the oldest family member must split the
bread and pass it around. The
same goes for having a full
table of food, and that means
that we will have a prosperous year. There is also some
bean casserole and a variety of dried fruits because
BY KATIA BRUNSON
during winter in our country we don't have any fresh
fruits. We also have hardshelled nuts which symbolize good health and strength.
After we prepare all the
dishes, which need to be vegetarian because it's the end of
the religious lent, we set the
table with the nuts and dried
fruits. We get ready to go to
church at night and we go
again on Christmas morning,
and after dinner we leave the
dishes and food out and in
that way we leave it for the
Virgin Mary, so she can eat
to replenish her energy. Another and last tradition my
family follows is that when
the clock strikes midnight we
open our presents, which has
always been my favorite part.
Besides decorating and
waiting anxiously to open
presents, the most important and precious thing that
is close to my heart is family and tradition. During
the holidays we should all
share our traditions with either our family or friends.
Teaching diversity of
religion is teaching
n jjgWil^Ti^MirB Y P ROFESSOR K IMBER Q U I N N E Y
C ONTRIBUTOR
If we agree that an important role of the university is to educate students
for global and responsible
citizenship through awareness of diversity and practicing inclusiveness, I hope
we might also agree that
CSUSM is doing its part.
CSUSM's mission, vision
and values statement reflects
our institutional commitment to inclusiveness and
multicultural diversity. In
our celebration of diversity,
we do not have to look f ar
to find examples of the varied and constructive ways in
which the campus community promotes diversity: Conversations that Matter and
Diversity Awareness Month
(Office of Diversity, Educational Equity and Inclusion);
Engaging Diverse Dialogues
(CHABSS initiative); the
Diversity Mapping project;
and the Civility Campaign
(Student Life and Leadership)—all of which, of
course, amounts t o a partial
list of many more campus
activities related to diversity.
Indeed, CSUSM is the recipient of the 2014 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity award from INSIGHT
Into Diversity magazine..
In spite of our good work, a
crucial issue of diversity exists to which we have devoted insufficient a ttentionreligion. Given the global
unrest that exists because of
Why Christmas is my favorite holiday
religious extremism and the gin with students. To this
potential for violent conflict end, IFYC's Better Together
based on religious differ- campaign (http://www.ifyc.
ence, our mission to edu- org/better-together)
aims
cate students for responsible at educating students to
citizenship demands that we become interfaith leaders
foster interfaith understand- and to empower change.
Even if CSUSM does not
ing. And yet religion as in issue of diversity is often over- take advantage of direct collooked at CSUSM. My plea laboration with IFYC, we
is to correct that oversight. can find ways to follow the
A handful of excellent organization's lead by emresources exist to help fa- bracing religion in our many
cilitate conversations about conversations about diverreligion at college cam- sity, thereby promoting relipuses, but the Interfaith gious pluralism. Religious
Youth Core (IFYC / http:// pluralism as defined by IFYC
www.ifyc.org ) founded by includes respect for people's
Eboo Patel is a forerunner diverse religious and nonin this respect. Patel and religious identities, mutucoauthor Cassie Meyer have ally inspiring relationships
made a strong argument between people of different
f or the "Civic Relevance backgrounds and common
of Interfaith Cooperation action for the common good
f or Colleges and Universi- (http://www.ifyc .org/about).
If we take seriously our
ties" in the Journal of College and Character (2011). commitment to educate
IFYC conducts campus students for global and
citizenship
climate assessments of re- responsible
through awareness of diverligion and spirituality, recently releasing Engaging sity and practicing incluWorldview, a report on na- siveness, we simply cannot
tional trends in campus reli- afford to exclude religion.
gious and spiritual diversity
Kimber M. Quinney is
( http://ifyc.org/worldview).
IFYC has joined with the Adjunct Faculty in the HisCouncil o f. Independent tory Department and FacColleges to provide faculty ulty Liaison for Engagewith professional develop- ment Scholarship in the
ment about Teaching Inter- division of Community Enfaith Understanding (http:// gagement. If you are interwww.cic.edu/meetings-and- ested in working to raise
events/Faculty-Develop- awareness about religious
ment/Pages/Interfaith .aspx). diversity and to foster interFinally, IFYC is persuaded faith dialogue at CSUSM,
that raising awareness about please contact Dr. Quinney
kquinney@csusm.edu.
religious diversity must be- at
O PINION ASSISTANT
The Christmas season
has always felt magical to
me. It's a time for love,
farcify, traditions and A
Christmas ^ Story reruns.
Although Christmas in San
Diego is never white with
snow, we have many other
traditions that take place in
the slightly cooler weather.
One of my favorite Christmas memories was the first
year that my extended family and I celebrated on the
beach. Early Christmas
morning we packed up our
beach gear along with BBQ
equipment and headed to
the bonfire pits at Moonlight
Beach. We had so much fun
hanging out in the sun and
making snowmen with the
sand. It was a new twist on
Christmas that became a
fun tradition in our family.
Another Christmas tradition my family has is watching A Christmas Story on
Christmas Eve. Although
our family has seen that
movie dozens of times it
never seems to get old.
We enjoy the jokes just as
much and can quote almost
Photo by Noelle Friedberg
Holiday lights brighten the night sky and often are a good way to
share holiday enthusiasm.
every line word-for-word.
Many people use the Christmas season to give back to
their community and help
the less fortunate. Charities
and organizations host fundraisers, food drives and toy
drives to remind people that
they should be grateful for
what they have and to spread
the wealth among those
who don't have the funds
for Christmas festivities.
Spending time with friends
is also one of the perks of
the holiday season. One of
my favorite things to do is
go Christmas caroling doorto-door in my neighborhood
with all my musically in-
clined peers. Seeing people's
faces light up when they
open the door to a Christmas carol is probably one
of the most rewarding sights
to see. People are so grateful for the gesture and it's a
great way to spread holiday
cheer. Bonus points if you
make the old ladies down
the street cry tears of joy.
Christmas can hold a religious meaning for some
people, but for everyone
who celebrates Christmas
it is a holiday to remind us
of the importance of our
loved ones. Christmas celebrates traditions, togetherness and the magic of life.
Finding comfort in prayer
The importance of praying in my life
al relationship with God, I
don't have to be fake. There
is so much freedom in that. I
know even when I am unlovable He loves me for who I
am, who He created me to be.
And that means more than
anything the world can offer.
Prayer also helps me slow
down and even stop mentally. Whether I am quietly
sitting and praying or rushing through life, it brings
Photo by Noelle Friedbeg me peace and restoration.
Finding comfort may also come in forms of appreciating the beauty There is a Bible verse that
I especially like in Psalm
all around us.
time with God. I can tell Him 46:10 that simply states
BY TIFFANY TRENT
about how I am and what my "Be still and know that I
S TAFF W RITER
day was like and what I am am God." There is so much
struggling with. It is such a peace and comfort in that.
In today's society there is wonderful feeling to know If I am in the middle of the
an abundance of pressure, that I am being listened to hustle and bustle of work or
responsibility and stress no matter what and all the school I can still find a small
in everyday life. Trying to while He is compassionate period of time to talk to
balance work, school, fam- and merciful. And it is also God and receive His peace.
ily and friends, I find myself nice to thank Him for my
I believe that anyone can
often feeling stressed out, blessings. It is nearly im- experience a personal relaisolated and overwhelmed. possible to be miserable and tionship with God. He created
The thing that helps me the grateful at the same time. all of us and loves us enough
Another reason I like to send His Son to die in our
most whether I am feeling sad
or anxious or lonely is to pray. prayer so much is that I do place so that we can know
I am a born-again Chris- not have to be formal or say Him. He loves you. He wants
tian and have been for many certain things or say them in to have a relationship with
years. I believe that God- a certain way. Usually when you. And i t's free on our part.
sent His only Son Jesus I pray I am scattered and We just need to have faith.
Christ to die on the cross clumsy and unprepared beIf you have any questions
and that Christ rose again cause I pray throughout the regarding prayer, God, salvaon the third day; He is the day. I will pray while I 'm tion, Christianity, the Bible,
only true path to salvation. I driving, or when I 'm at work, etc. please feel free to go to
also believe that when I pray or during a test or before fall- a pastor, someone you know
God listens and hears me. ing asleep. God knows eve- who is a Christian or a ChrisFor me, praying is more rything about me and what I tian organization. There is a
than just a method to re- am doing and going through. wonderful Christian organilieve negative emotions that I can be completely honest zation at CSUSM called InI might be experiencing. It and real with Him. Since I tervarsity and their email is
is getting to spend quality can have a real and person- i v sanmarcos @ g mail . com.
�A & E Editor:
Faith O rcino
cougarchron.arts@gmail.com
VD
B Y ARIEL ROBBINS
RADIO ASSISTANT
Anderson .Paak is
"Baak" and better than
ever
Christmas came early this
year on Oct. 27 because rising musician Anderson .Paak
dropped his second album
"VENICE" like it was hot—
and let me tell you—it is.
This Ventura County born
s inger/songwriter/drummer/producer has "Paak'd"
a real punch in the music
world, releasing his debut album "Cover Art" late
last year. "Cover Art" featured dynamite covers of
"Maps" by the Yeah Yeah
Yeahs, and "Seven Nation
Army" by the White Stripes.
His new album "VENICE" contains 16 tracks that
encompass the true spirit of
Venice itself by giving you a
whole lot of enjoyment you
don't want to tell your mom
about. .Paak will have you
mentally cruisin' down our
California coast with tracks
like "Luh You," "Drugs"
and "Miss Right". His sound
two-steps gracefully between genres, mixing some
soulful R&B with electronic
hip hop and his own unique
cadence that will without fail
make you want to cadance.
The music world is just
beginning to hear about
Anderson .Paak. He sings
about sex, drugs and women, yet somehow or another you'll still find yourself wanting to introduce
him to your grandmother.
"VENICE" is available
on iTunes and Soundcloud,
for more information or free
DROPPING
streaming head to andersonpaak.com.
The Release of HTTYD 2
will have you dragon yourself to stores near you
Hiccup and the gang are
back with the overwhelmingly anticipated "How to Train
Your Dragon 2" thatflewinto
stores just this Tuesday, Nov.
11. The sequel to the beloved
franchise grossed a whopping $176.8 million in the
box office and received an
honorable 7.8/10 rating from
the critics and a 4.4/5 from
the fans on Rotten Tomatoes.
If you have yet to experience
the humbling act of weeping
The Book of Life or "How BullKilling, Skeletons are Kid Friendly" ^
B Y W ILL M CCURDY
RADIO ASSISTANT
It's not often that a movie
involving Meso-American
culture makes it to the American mainstream, even less
so when it involves La Dia
de Los Muertos (Day of the
Dead), and narrowed further
still when the day in said
medium is portrayed as anything other than a Halloween themed spooky episode.
"The Book of Life" manages to accomplish this
while adding in a whiplashing festive and dark atmosphere, combined with comedy at the speed of bullets to
make for a truly unique film.
The movie begins on the
aforementioned
holiday
with three young children,
Manolo Sanchez (Diego
Luna), Joaquin (Channing
Tatum) and Maria Posada
(Zoe Saldana) with Manolo
and Joaquin quarrelling over
who will win Maria's heart.
While they bicker, two spirits named La Muerte (¿ate
del Castillo) and Xibalba
(Ron Perlman) make a wager on who shall win Maria's
heart and place the fate of the
souls of the dead as the price.
The film deals with three
large issues of which two
are glanced over while one
is given quite a bit of attention. The first to be brought
up is that of Joaquin living
in the shadow of his father,
a courageous war hero who
was killed in a fight with the
massive bandit leader Chakal
(Dan Navarro). The second
is mainly present when Maria returns from Europe in
that while men simply see
her as an object to marry
off, she is a strong woman
and does not respond well
to the chauvinistic advances
of those who presume that
they can simply have her as
a possession. While an excellent theme for sure, it's exceedingly common in modern pieces and is ultimately
brushed under the rug during
the later parts of the movie.
they must come together
to fight for peace, and alter the future of humans
and dragons completely.
This movie is an achievement worth seeing. How to
Train Your Dragon 2 is a sequel for the ages that gives us
all one more gnawing reason
to wish dragons were real.
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h o l i d a y fi,m w o r t h w a t c h i n g
The third and arguably
most important issue dealt
*
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with in the movie is living
up to the family legacy and
it wouldn't be mentioned if
not for the vehicle through
which it conveys the problem: matador bull killing.
Killing bulls and fighting in
the ring by itself are held as
controversial topics today for
reasons of animal cruelty for
sport much akin to killing
racing horses with broken B Y SYDNEY SCHABACKER
legs. It is given center stage STAFF WRITER
with the main protagonist
Manolo who comes from a
family of bull fighters going to get through theSshort, dark
back to the days of the tribes cooler days of winter and
of the central Americas, all /fiijoy holiday festivities, inof whom saw nothing wrong cluding your favorite decowith what they were d oing./ rations, books and movies.
By being forced to follow in For me, this means a marathe footsteps of his family, thon of Christmas movies.
Manolo must decide whethEvery year, the one I start
er or not his wishes to be with is the 1968 version of
an artist are more important "The Little Drummer Boy."
than the pride of his family. It's only 25 minutes long, so
Other than that, the mov- I watch it a number of times
ie is quite lighthearted for during December. The movthe subject and gives an in- ie was made using a techteresting spin on Hispanic nique called claymation, a
lore and traditions. If you're painstaking process that has
alright with seeing what become rare in our digital
is considered a kids film, age. It uses pliable clay figit's worth the time to view. ures to tell the story which
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shamelessly over fantastically animated DreamWorks
dragons, this is definitely
a film you should invest in.
Soaring visuals, stunning
scores and a story with so
much heart it's no wonder
the movie comes so alive on
screen, will leave audiences
breathless and spellbound.
The plot follows protagonist Hiccup and his trusty,
much loved, dragon Toothless, as they discover an ice
cave teeming with hundreds
of new dragon species and
a "mysterious Dragon Rider." Hold on folks, the adventure doesn't stop there.
The duo finds them at the
heart of an epic battle where
WÊÊ
each fraction of movement
of every character is posed
and photographed to create
seamless motion. The process alone is astonishing.
I've been watching this
movie every year from my
earliest memories. MyVHS
copy is surprisingly durable
but I did upgrade to a DVD.
I can't watch this movie passively and in fact I usually
still am brought to tears by
the end. Maybe I have just
conditioned my response
love, or even to take on vast
meaning to those receiving
these as gifts means everyone is capable of making a
difference in someone's life.
Another message is more
subtle than the usual religious versions of forgiveness. Some things cannot
be forgiven and should not
be forgiven; genocide is just
one of our worldls examples.
When terrible things happen
in a person's life, any of us
can become lost in endless
this movie with fresh eyes.
The movie packed its 25 minutes with messages regardless of Christian teaching or
level of religious adherence.
One of these messages is
that while we don't have
much, we can stillfindsomething to give. When the little
boy Aaron plays his song,
it is transcendent and (if
you have missed this classic to date, here's a spoiler)
his gift of music is valued
beyond the exotic and expensive gifts of the Three
Kings. This idea holds a lot
of truth for me. A product
of talent, the simplicity of
story is not about forgiveness but about the power of
love. Infinitely more doable
is its message, regardless of
love, of the healing of simply letting go of hatred and
bitterness. Every year I have
watched this rfaovie since I
became aware of the world
beyond childhood, I have
been able to think of current
events that call for this timeless truth. No matter what
has happened in a person's
life, letting go of the poison
of habitual negativity will
make that person's life better
and that's something worth
remembering
year-round.
KHKWÜvl
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I
Odds in Favor for "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1"
B Y LEXY PEREZ
A & E ASSISTANT
It's the time of the year,
where moviegoers are once
again enthralled in the world
of Panem, a society where
it's fun to kill young citizens
but they trick us into thinking they are just fighting for
food to alleviate their hunger.
In case you were like me
and failed to recall every detail of the lastfilmbefore taking your seat in the theater,
only one detail is imperative
to know. At the end of "The
Hunger Games: Catching
Fire," Katniss Everdeen's
(Jennifer Lawrence) act of
shattering the force field of
the Hunger Games arena
sparked an uproar in her society. Her act was perceived
as rebellious, prompting citizens to finally stand against
the control of President
Snow (Donald Sutherland).
After the last film, this
third installment begins in
a time period where Katniss' previous home, District 12, is now destroyed,
though her family and handsome best friend Gale (Liam
Hemsworth) were able to
escape. Katniss has now
been prompted by District
13 President, Alma Coin
(Julianne Moore) to be the
poster child of the rebellion.
The film centralizes on
the onset of a Panem rebellion as Katniss transitions
from being the winner of
the Hunger Games to now
being involved in the uprising revolution. Katniss has
become a beacon of hope for
everyone, all the while struggling with the aftermath of
the hardships she endured in
the games and worrying over
Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), her
partner that was captured by
the Capital in the last film.
While thisfilmlacks a great
amount of action as shown
in the previous installments,
this film proves that Hollywood glitz and glam isn't
everything to make a film
what it is. Sometimes it is the
raw emotion conveyed that
can enrapture an audience.
What I found interesting
about this film was its' contradictory symbol of the term
"hero." A "hero" can be assumed to be someone that
is strong, empowered and a
leader, but this film shows
that sometimes that isn't always what consolidates one.
The film shows Katniss
consistently
emotional,
powerless and struggling
with keeping herself composed from the turmoil and
backlash of the government.
While Katniss is considered
their hero, in reality she is
simply a symbol. It is the cit-
izens themselves that are the
real heroes to be freed from
the government's control,
something that fuels Katniss
to be the hope that not only
they need, but she does too.
In true franchise fashion, the film also depicts an
emerged love triangle, with
Katniss juggling her feelings
for Peeta and the affection
and love from her loyal, best
friend Gale. While it can be
confusing whom her heart
truly wants, after all this girl
is enduring the same amount
of emotions that we felt after watching Simba cry over
his dying father, it can be
assumed that we will soon
see the love story evolve
in the next installment.
Although the film seems to
embody a tense and serious
tone, the humor and charm
from Effie (Elizabeth Banks)
and Haymitch (Woody Harrelson), provide a dim light
in the film's dark tunnel.
Earning $123 million in
its opening weekend, "The
Hunger Games: Mockingjay
Part 1" proves that "fangirl"
mania has not subsided.
It's clear that the odds
are always in the favor of
this franchise and for that
I will always volunteer to
be there front row when the
next installment is released.
�THE COUGAR CHRONICLE, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 3 0 4
,1
2
A &E
Photo Submission
A & E Editor:
Faith Orcino
cougarchron.arts@gmail.com
11
NATIVE AMERICAN FESTIVAL
Photos by: Anne Hall & Matthew Kuhlman
Native American dance group performs in the courtyard
in front of the CSUSM Student Union on November 4 in
celebration of Native American Heritage Month.
chool of
New Year's Eve Party SsemesterArt celebrates e nd of
w ith p erformances
2015
ipppgai
Wednesday, December 31, 20
8:30 PM to 1:30 A
• Live Bind: Dante's Fire flH
• BalloonDrop
• Party favors
• Comp toast at midnight
• Countdown at midnight
• All you can eat pizza, salad,
pasta & bread sticks
*FOR A LIMITED TIME (CALL FOR MORE INFO)*
• Ball Drop on NEW 80" TV
• Kids tickets for only $20 (30 available)
Limited seating available
We will sell out
Cougar Discounts
FiisiBto tickets will be sold at 2 for$110
w ww .rossis-pizza.com
RS VP @ ( 760) 7 27-4747
$ 75.00 p er p erson
156 S R ancho S anta F e R d, San M arcos, CA
Photo by Chris Morales
School of Art will feature piano performances from student musicians.
BY BEULAH SUPRIYA
STAFF WRITER
As the semester comes to
an end, the Tukwut voices
and the University Vocal
Ensemble are practicing
for their final performance
on the first of December.
They are directed by Ron
Jessee. A number of the students participating are Music
or VPA majors, but everyone's talent and hard work is
evident at their practice. The
night's program consists of
not only songs by the ensemble but piano solos as well.
Both director Jessee and his
accompanist Dr. Sydney Yin
have instrumental pieces
planned. Right from familiar songs with a new take
on them to old renaissance
era songs, all are covered.
As tis the season to be
jolly, the choir have made it
a point to add a Christmas
number as well. The innovativeness of the smaller
group Tukwut Voices can be
seen as they render "Adoramus te" as if in a Cathedral
by using the ARTS 11 lobby
room to open the performance. The concert is at 7
p.m. on Dec. 1 in Arts 111.
The Javanese Gamelan
ensemble is performing as
well, which is directed by
Mr. Randy Griswold. He has
been teaching music here
at CSUSM for the past 15
years. It is to be held at 7 p m.
on Dec. 3 in Academic Hall
ACD 102. At 7 p j n. on Dec.
4, we have the Tukwut Jazz
Ensemble performing at Arts
111. This is directed by Dr.
Mtafiti Imara, a Saxophonist
and Composer, who teaches
music at the college as well.
With the first week of December lined up with such
mesmerizing
melodies,
there could be no better
way to usher in the holiday
season. All performances
are free to attend so go and
support the School of Art.
�f\
|
A & E Editor:
cougarchron.arts@gmail.com
THE COUGAR CHRONICLE, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 3 0 4
,1
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Dublin Core
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<h2>2014-2015</h2>
Description
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The twenty-fifth academic year at the California State University San Marcos.
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newspaper 11 x 17
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The Cougar Chronicle
December 3, 2014
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student newspaper
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University Archives, California State University San Marcos, Kellogg Library
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University Archives in the CSUSM Library
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2014-12-03
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Charla Wilson, Library Archives Support
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Volume 43, number 7 of The Cougar Chronicle. The issue is a religious diversity edition; including stories of the CSU system derecognizing religious student groups that specify faith as a criteria for leadership and spotlights individual religious clubs. Other articles includes topics of student homelessness and the ASI passing a resolution in support of the Student Access Initiative to improve class scheduling.
CALM (textbooks)
campus clubs
diversity
enrollment
fall 2014
holidays
homelessness
InterVarsity
Native American Festival
Student Poster Showcase