Birding for peace and CSUF baseball to host conservation Toreros Tuesday Features 4 Sports 8 Tuesday March 10, 2015 The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton Volume 97 Issue 23 Retention Owners gather to flaunt and focus of STEM fly antique wartime aircraft program Funding to be used to stem attrition from two colleges ALEX GROVES Daily Titan Cal State Fullerton has started a new program to bolster retainment and in- crease graduation rates in two of the university’s col- leges by getting science, technology and math stu- dents engaged with their coursework. The Academic Success through Curriculum En- hancement and Nurturing program, also known as ASCEND STEM, will use $375,000 received through a grant to foster a variety of AMANDA SHARP / DAILY TITAN initiatives. Military training planes that were used during flying practice in the ‘30s and ‘40s are now owned privately and are displayed monthly at the Fullerton Municipal Airport. These initiatives are James Norman owns the yellow 1952 Cessna 170B aircraft (above). meant to challenge students in the College of Natural Fullerton airport and meaningful stories be- Sciences and Mathematics hind them. and the College of Engi- hosts monthly The 86 acres of land the neering and Computer Sci- historical show planes are displayed on was ence to think about their once a pig farm established majors differently, said Rob- in 1927 and also a former ert Koch, special assistant to MARICELA GOMEZ sewer for the city according the provost. Daily Titan to the Fullerton Municipal The ASCEND STEM pro- Airport website. It currently gram is part of a larger Cal accommodates 600 planes State University STEM Col- Motors blared in an oth- essential to departments laboratives Project, which erwise calm Orange Coun- within the community, in- will play out at seven oth- ty sky. The sounds comple- cluding the Anaheim Police er campuses in addition to mented aircraft that stalked Department and the Fuller- Fullerton. The overarching over runways and others that ton Fire Department. The program is funded by a $4.6 basked in the sun capturing California Highway Patrol million grant from a charita- the sight and sound of avia- also has a base within the ble trust. tion lovers. airport, said Chuck Davis, On a yearly basis, a large The Fullerton Municipal 65, the aircraft event coor- proportion—roughly 25 per- Airport held its free monthly dinator of four years. cent—of first time students antique aircraft display, Sun- Three military training from the two colleges move day, where visitors, pilots and planes from World War II to different colleges within aviation enthusiasts marveled were present. One of them, the university or leave the at a blend of retro and con- a Piper Cub, that the U.S. university altogether, Koch temporary aircraft models. Navy used to practice flying said. About 24 aircrafts over during the ‘30s and ‘40s, MARICELA GOMEZ/ DAILY TITAN The end goal of the AS- 35 years old roamed the sky Davis said. Despite its sim- The U.S. Navy used this Piper Cub for practice in the ‘30s and ‘40s. The craft (above) has a pinup CEND program will be to and landed on the elongated ple exterior, a vibrant vin- painting inside that can be seen when the window opens. increase retainment of stu- runway to park in a “festi- tage pinup painting was dents going into their second val seating” style throughout exposed as the glass win- aviation pilot Jackie DaCos- blue lines throughout its private pilot license. She lat- year in science, technology, the transient lot. A plethora dow opened. The military ta, is the owner of a small body and wheels. DaCosta er obtained an instrument fly- math and engineering pro- of yellow, white, blue, grey, aircraft with room for two, training 1972 Cessna 150 learned to fly in 1986 at the ing license and upgraded to a grams to about 90 percent. red and even zebra prints goes up to 70 mph, Davis aircraft model named Olly. Fullerton Municipal Airport, commercial license, she said. pigmented the exhibited air- said. Olly’s luminous white exte- where she completed 4,000 SEE STEM 2 crafts that carry historical Davis’ wife, another rior is stroked with red and flight hours, granting her a SEE AIRCRAFT 4 De Leon flourishing in second year Tennis star bucking realized the talent she had, officially scout her. she began playing compet- When it came to deciding the sophomore itively at 8 years old—in where to continue her edu- slump trend tennis academies and indi- cation and tennis career, De vidual tournaments. Leon had a criteria when Once she began attending searching for the right fit. CECILY MEZA Troy High School in Ful- The two most important Daily Titan lerton, her skills began to things were what the tennis show. De Leon played on program had to offer and a the varsity squad all four major within her interest. “Ace, fault, love, scratch, years under Head Coach Reynolds offered her topspin.” These terms may Donna Judd. In 2012, as a a scholarship for CSUF, be foreign to the average senior at Troy, she won the which she would later com- person, but to Camille De Freeway League girls’ sin- mit to and accept. Leon, these words are sec- gles championship. At CSUF, De Leon has ond nature. She had previously won had to learn to balance a De Leon is an active the Freeway League girls’ rigorous schedule, workout member of the Cal State singles championship as sessions and game days, es- Fullerton women’s tennis a sophomore in 2010. As pecially when gearing up team and has grown up with a junior at Troy, De Leon for a game on the road. a passion for the sport. was a finalist in the Free- “You just need to be In her younger days, De way League girls’ singles on top of your (studies),” Leon was heavily influ- and was also named league De Leon said. “It’s a lot enced by her father and player of the year. of work, it’s a lot of time uncles. Her father would When it came to the re- management.” take her to the park and hit cruiting process, De Leon Now a sophomore at balls on the court, De Leon kept in constant contact CSUF, De Leon plays high- recalls. with former CSUF Head er up on the lineup, holding De Leon became in- Coach Bill Reynolds. the No. 2 spot for singles trigued with tennis after De Leon emailed him and the No. 1 spot in dou- watching the sport with as to when her high school bles with her partner Me- her father and thought it- matches were. Reynolds gan Sandford. CECILY MEZA / DAILY TITAN would be a fun and intense gave De Leon two dates Sophomore tennis star Camille De Leon has stepped up this year, competing in the No. 2 singles challenge. After her father that he would come out to SEE DE LEON 8 slot and the No. 1 doubles spot with Megan Sandford. De Leon is 6-3 this season as the No. 2. FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: @THEDAILYTITAN VISIT US AT: DAILYTITAN.COM PAGE 2 MARCH 10, 2015 TUESDAY NEWS STEM: Program to prepare students DTBRIEFS CONTINUED FROM 1 to graduate, said Raman Un- Toddler nikrishnan, Ph.D, dean of the It’s usually before a stu- College of Engineering and reported dent’s second year that they Computer Science. leave to pursue other options, ECS students are unlike missing Koch said. some other majors on cam- “Some leave because pus in that their coursework is A one-year-old child they’re not ready for the rig- heavily based around a series was reported missing or of the disciplines, some of prerequisite courses and after his father entered leave because they don’t have students must get through spe- the San Pedro residence the basic skill sets they need cific prerequisites at specific of the child’s mother and and some leave because they times during their college ca- violently attacked the think that if they came in with reer before they can move on child’s mother and her one career objective, that they to more advanced classes. boyfriend early Monday can’t switch to another career “You cannot arbitrarily take morning, according to objective within the STEM a course here,” Unnikrishnan the California Highway field, so they look elsewhere,” said. He added that failing a Patrol report. he said. course in calculus—a Natu- Giovany Santiago-En- One of the first initiatives of ral Science and Mathematics riquez, the child’s father, the program will be a two-day course that is very import- COURTESY OF CSUF has not been seen since summer orientation session to ant to first semester ECS stu- A grant apportionment of $375,000 will create initiatives dedicated to helping students in majors fleeing the mother’s resi- familiarize students with their dents—can be a great setback related to science, technology, engineering and math. dence after stabbing her colleges and choice of major. for students. boyfriend. He is believed Getting students familiar- Summer orientation ses- an emphasis on science and by analyzing problems rel- you don’t appreciate how to be travelling with his ized with STEM coursework sions and academic school math. The courses will be evant to their major, Koch they were developed in the son, Jayden Santiago, in over the summer is import- year support sessions, both of a part of a pathway that al- said. first place, then you don’t a 2006 gray Nissan Al- ant because it helps bridge a which will be funded through lows students taking their “It’s not so much that you know how to apply them.” tima with a license plate gap between high school and the program, will help to give general education courses to have to memorize the facts Unnikrishnan looks for- number of 5UCF010.