I’ve been thinking a lot about San Jose and the Bay Area and Passion Pit was a band that not only did I listen to get me through midterms and final, but I saw them twice in San Francisco. This song, The Reeling is my favorite and I hope you enjoy it too. Summer is almost over and I have yet to visit the Bay! I really have to get to the ball rolling on that project. Happy Monday!
Audio Feature: Custodial graveyard shift today, medical career tomorrow – Multimedia – Spartan Daily.
The story of a SJSU custodian that came to the Bay Area to become someone she could be proud to be.
Originally published in the Spartan Daily March 18, 2010: Click here for link
Electronic cigarettes are an example of when technology has surpassed the rules and regulations, said Sgt. John Laws of University Police Department.
With electronic cigarettes becoming more familiar to people, Martin Lau, a graduate student in graphic design, said he was thinking about buying one.
“A pack of cigarettes is about $6 to $7,” he said. With those e-cigs, a carton is $20.”
Lau said the state may take action on the issue.
“If e-cigs prove to become a problem, (the state) will deal with it,” he said.
According to Section A of California Government Code Section 19994.35, “No tobacco product advertising shall be allowed in any state-owned and state-occupied building excepting advertising contained in a program, newspaper, magazine, or other written material lawfully sold, brought, or distributed within a state building.”
This means any advertisements for products containing tobacco or that are prepared with the leaves of plants of the nicotiana family are illegal within state buildings, according to section C of the same government code.
“I think in the long run you will not be able to smoke e-cigs indoors, because at one time people were able to smoke regular cigarettes indoors,” said senior business major Jansher Ashraf. “I think it’s just because e-cigs have not caught up with the law.”
In the state of California, each college and university is responsible for making its own rules and regulations, including the distance a cigarette can be smoked from a campus building, according to California Education Code, Section 89031.
Section 89031 states, “The trustees may establish rules and regulations for the government and maintenance of the buildings and grounds of the California State University. Every person who violates or attempts to violate the rules and regulations is guilty of a misdemeanor.”
At SJSU, Laws said the rule is a lit cigarette must be a minimum of 25 feet away from all campus buildings.
“We have not encountered any issues with students smoking too close to a building,” he said.
The penalty for smoking closer than 25 feet from a campus building is a citation of $ 1,000, and it is charged as a misdemeanor, Laws said.
“This is usually not our first response when dealing with this rare situation,” he said. “Usually we just give a warning.”
Lau said he is aware how it may bother some people to smoke too close to a building.
“I wouldn’t go next to a door and do it,” he said. “It’s rude.”
If e-cigs become popular and people use them often and become a problem, something will be done, Ashraf said.
“At some point, you will find somebody who has a problem with them and sure enough, a group of legislators will decide (a law) on e-cigs,” he said.
Originally published in the Spartan Daily March 16, 2010: Click here for link
When Jessica Khoshnood, Gabrielle Targosz and Tiffany Louie came to SJSU as freshmen on gymnastics scholarships, they all hated having to come here and were not sure if they had made the right decision.
“Freshman year was the worst time of my life,” Khoshnood said. “Adjusting was so hard – adjusting to the gym, the coach, everything. But after Christmas things changed and we started to compete and I fell in love with it all over again.”
Targosz, originally from Phoenix, said she had never been to San Jose before joining the team.
“I didn’t know anything about the city, the state, the coach or the team,” she said. “At first I hated it, but later it ended up being the perfect fit and I adapted well.”
Louie said her freshman year was also tough.
“I’m not a quitter, and I knew after freshman year, things were going to get better,” she said.
“Since my parent’s house was not too far from school, I still had the comfort of going home when I needed to,” Louie said.
The trio agreed that a love for gymnastics has always been in all of their lives since they could walk.
“When people ask me how long I have been doing gymnastics, I just say ‘forever,’” Khoshnood said. “In eighth grade, I decided I wanted to try and get a gymnastics scholarship, and since then I worked to achieve that.”
Khoshnood said she wanted to stand for something in life during high school. With this plan in mind, she went forward and succeeded in getting a scholarship.
In her freshman year of high school, Targosz decided she needed a break after participating in gymnastics for five years.
“I wanted to have a real life, and not be in the gym or practice all the time,” she said.
As her senior year in high school approached, Targosz said she started to train again because she wanted to get into a good school and her gymnastics background would help.
Louie said she knew at a young age that gymnastics was her calling.
“I was six years old and when you’re little, of course, you say you want to go to the Olympics, but you learn that it’s not as easy as you thought,” she said.
It was in seventh grade that Louie said she decided she wanted to be a college gymnast, and was later recruited by SJSU.
Over the past four years, the trio has developed a bond that goes beyond the balance beam and the bars.
“We have such a special bond, and the three of us deserve all that has come to us,” Khoshnood said. “To make it through to your senior year is a great feeling.”
When Khoshnood, Targosz and Louie started together as freshmen at SJSU, there were seven girls in their class on the gymnastics team. Today, only three remain, Targosz said.
“I’m glad it was us three because we have developed such a good connection,” she said. “I learned so much, and everything I have learned in gymnastics I can bring into other parts of my life.”
“I’ve quit everything I have done and gymnastics is the one thing I have made it through,” Targosz said. “I’m just so proud of the three of us.”
Louie said she can hardly imagine never performing at the Event Center again. The gymnastics team performed for the last time at home this season on March 5.
“I remember as a freshman, I didn’t understand how big of a deal it was for the seniors at their last home meet,” Louie said. “But now, thinking about it, after this, we are never going to compete in that gym ever again.”
Women’s gymnastics head coach Wayne Wright said it’s not just about the competition in the sport, but how the student-athlete changes and develops as a person.
“It’s always hard when you recruit an athlete to see them leave because you see them grow and progress during the time they are here with you,” Wright said. “But you feel good because they have had a successful career.”
Khoshnood admits she is apprehensive about the future because she doesn’t know what comes after college gymnastics.
“All I know is gymnastics, and the fact that I have to leave it behind is probably the scariest thing I have to do,” she said.
“Gymnastics is what we live and breathe for,” Louie said. “There is so much time and dedication in gymnastics. It takes up your life, and now you have all this free time and you just don’t know what to do with it.”
Originally published in the Spartan Daily March 8, 2010: Click here for link
California State University, along with Univision Communications and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, launched the campaign “Es El Momento” (the Moment is Now), according to a CSU news release on Feb. 23.
The three-year effort will focus on creating a college going culture among U.S. Latinos and setting expectations for an increased Latino high school graduation rate and Latino participation in college, Erik Fallis, CSU media relations specialist, stated in an e-mail.
Latinos are the fastest-growing minority group in the U.S., Fallis stated. It is essential that more Latinos graduate from college so they are ready to take leadership positions in all sectors of the economy, Fallis stated.
Jorge Ramos, Mexican anchor for Noticiero Univision, Univision’s news broadcast, will be the spokesperson for the campaign, according to the CSU news release.
“Having other Latinos help run the program and be spokespeople, I think, will help the campaign because they will know what we are going through,” said Gabe Quezada, a senior justice studies major and co-treasurer of Chicano Commencement.
Chicano Commencement is an organization on campus where students are recognized at a graduation ceremony that honors their accomplishments, all while incorporating the rich tradition of the Latino culture, according to the SJSU student involvement Web page.
Messages from the “Es El Momento” campaign will be delivered through a network of national, regional and local media featuring news and special programming, according to the CSU news release.
The campaign is expected to deliver deeper parental involvement in students’ academic achievement, according to the CSU news release.
“Latinos are the minority, but a majority at the same time, and there is an achievement gap between Latinos and other ethnicities,” said Christina Ramos, a master’s student in public administration and co-chair of Chicano Commencement.
Latinos seeking higher education will build themselves a better future, Ramos said.
“A great education is not an honor or privilege-it’s a fundamental civil right,” stated Melinda Gates, co-founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, in a Univision news release. “This partnership with Univision will not only inspire Hispanic students and their parents and community to aspire to a college education, a college education will give Latinos access to the information and tools they need to make their dream a reality,” stated Gates.
“We can’t think of a better partner to work with on “Es El Momento” than Univision, which shares this belief in the power of education,” stated Gates in a Univision news release.
A degree for Latinos will do more than benefit just the student, said senior finance major Marleh Villegas, co-fundraising chair for Chicano Commencement.
“Latinos seeking higher education not only helps them but their families and the whole Latino community,” Villegas said. “This campaign will give Latinos the opportunity to show people what we can do and are capable of.”
Originally published in the Spartan Daily February 24, 2010: Click here for link
Santa Clara County’s Vector Control District (VCD) applied a spray over the country to prevent the surfacing of the Aedes squamiger mosquito on Feb. 17, according to a VCD news release.
Since the spray has been completed, the mosquito no longer possess a threat to SJSU or Santa Clara County, said Jeffrey Honda, a biological science professor and entomologist at SJSU.
The Aedes squamiger, also known as the California salt marsh mosquito, is not only an aggressive biter, but is one of the few types of mosquito that bites people during the day versus in the evening, Honda said.
When the mosquitoes hatch, mostly in March and April, they have the ability to travel up to 20 miles from their homes and breeding grounds and vigorously bite people and other animals, Honda said.
“That’s really freaky,” said Desiree Thomas, a freshman health science major. “These insects can fly so far and specifically target humans.”
A helicopter treatment that covered about 400 acres, which used environmentally safe chemicals and affected no residences or business, was used, according to the news release.
This specific type of mosquito has not been linked to West Nile virus, although their bite might cause discomfort, Honda said.
“This specific mosquito’s mechanism is ineffective and unsuccessful to transfer West Nile virus, but it’s one of the most aggressive biters of people,” he said.
Since the salt water marsh is not linked to West Nile virus, the reason for the spray is more of a pest control and providing comfort for people in Santa Clara County, according to the news release.
“This spray is more of a comfort factor rather than a disease factor,” said Victor Romano, VCD operations supervisor.
The spray was a success, and Santa Clara County should be in the clear, Romano said.
“We don’t have to worry too much, because (the county) is spraying, but if they were not spraying then we would have a problem”, Honda said. “Usually people get worried when the country does not do these sprays on an area.”
The salt marsh mosquito lays its eggs in moist soil, which then hatch in spring and summer time. The eggs can survive for years through weather conditions, such as high tides and seasonal rains, according to the news release.
Michael Stafferson, a junior communications major, said what bothers him about the salt water marsh mosquito is that, unlike most mosquitoes, it is not nocturnal.
“It’s bad enough during the summer nights (that) mosquitoes are a big pain, but now there are these ones that bite in the day,” he said.
A salt water marsh, where the mosquito gets part of its name, is a place where fresh water runs into the bays, Honda said.
“A mixture of fresh and salt water is a perfect environment for them,” he said.
Honda said that, though people of Santa Clara County prefer this spray, he has concerns in regard to what this treatment could potentially do for the ecosystem, he said.
Even though the spray is intended to target this specific mosquito, it will kill other mosquitoes and flies. With that, other animals might have fewer insects to eat, Honda said.
“Wouldn’t the spray mess the way other animals eat?” Stafferson said. “Then people wonder why some species go extinct.”
