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CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by SJSU ScholarWorks WEATHER NEWS, PAGE 2 SOCIAL MEDIA FollowF us on TTwitter SJSU meets first of presidential @spartandaily@ BecomeB a fan ono Facebook High: 67° candidates today at 10:30 a.m. facebook.com/f Low: 50° sspartandaily Spartan Daily Serving San José State University since 1934 Monday, March 14, 2011 spartandaily.com Volume 136, Issue 25 WORLD NEWS Japan rocked Persian new year Aggies edge Spartans celebration by 8.9 quake; in WAC Tournament kicks off Iranian tsunami studies program Wesley Dugle wreaks havoc Staff Writer Mahvash Guerami thumped his on Santa Cruz tombak drum and Pezhham Akhavass played the soft and delicate sound of a santour as vocalist Hossein Mas- shores soudi sang to a packed room Thurs- day. The trio performed in the Engi- McClatchy Tribune neering Auditorium to commemorate Norooz, the Persian New Year, and SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — Some bro- celebrate the community’s culture ken docks and debris were pulled out of and the commencement of the new Santa Cruz Small Craft Harbor on Sat- Iranian studies program at SJSU. urday morning after a day of tsunami Persis Karim, an associate profes- surges caused by the massive earth- sor of English at SJSU and one of the quake in Japan. head coordinators of the event, said Offi cials have counted 18 sunken the new program can allow more stu- vessels and Coast Guard Lt. Renee dents to become acquainted with Per- McKinnon said more continue to take sian culture. on water and are in danger of sinking. “I think it’s really important for a The overall damage to the harbor is place like San Jose State to recognize still being calculated, though the pre- some of the surrounding communi- liminary damage assessment to the port ties and cultures that inhabit Silicon district facility is estimated at $17.1 Valley,” she said. “This program is million. aimed at not only educating Ameri- Port Director Lisa Ekers said at a can students but also helping the next Saturday morning news conference that generation of Iranian-American lead- half of U Dock is destroyed and at least ers to connect culture and heritage.” 10 other docks have signifi cant damage. According to Karim, San Jose is Ekers said her top priorities are to home to the second-largest Iranian- help the 60 registered “live-aboards,” American community in California, people who have made the harbor their with Los Angeles being the largest. home, and raising boats that may still Karim said Norooz is an important be salvageable. holiday for people of Iranian descent For Sean Collins, owner of a sail- and from Persian-speaking countries boat, Zoey, and one of the harbor’s because it’s a celebration of the com- “live-aboards,” the surges threatened ing of spring. She went on to say the his home on the water. celebration is not religious and that “The funny thing about Santa Cruz events like these are meant to bring is that someone says there is a tsunami the Iranian-American community and everyone goes to the beach,” he closer together. said. “The idea is to share in the beauty The tsunami warning woke Collins of this community and also to make on Friday and he spent most of Friday a bridge between the Iran of old and trying to keep his ship tethered to the the Iranian-American of new,” Karim dock. said. “She broke off twice,” he said, add- Neda Nasr, a freshman biomedical ing that without the help of fellow boat Photo: Vernon McKnight / Spartan Daily engineering major who is currently owners, he wouldn’t have been able to Senior guards Adrian Oliver and Justin Graham walk off the court after the helping Karim start the Iranian stud- keep the ship anchored. Spartans’ 58-54 loss to Utah State at the WAC Tournament in Las Vegas. While Santa Cruz Deputy Chief see SPORTS page 3 see PERSIAN page 2 Steve Clark said he understands the urge to visit the harbor to investigate damaged property, he asked that the More than 500,000 people have been JAPAN EARTHQUAKE BY THE NUMBERS public continue to cooperate and sup- forced to evacuate from quake- and port recovery efforts by staying away tsunami-affected regions, Kyodo News from the water and off the docks, many reported. of which have not been proven safe. At least 1.4 million households had “A tsunami watch does not mean gone without water since the quake watch the tsunami,” he said, adding that struck and some 1.9 million house- his offi cers’ duties during the surge in- holds were without electricity, Kyodo cluded crowd control on and around the reported. Murray Street Bridge, where hundreds Adding to the problems in the region gathered to watch. were a series of more than 40 punish- “Nature’s going to do what nature’s ing aftershocks, three of magnitude 6 or going to do,” Clark said. “Our main more Sunday. concern is providing security for those Offi cials from Tokyo Electric Power whose investments and lives are out Co. said they would begin rationing there in the harbor.” power Monday to the 45 million people Meanwhile, Japanese authorities say they serve to prevent Tokyo and nearby thousands may have died in the mas- prefectures from experiencing massive sive earthquake and tsunami that left blackouts, Kyodo reported, and that ra- many survivors stranded or shivering in tioning is expected to last until the end makeshift evacuation centers that were of April. running low on supplies Monday. Losses from the quake, tsunami and About 1,800 people were confi rmed fi res will total at least $100 billion, in- dead Sunday — including 200 bodies cluding $20 billion in damage to resi- found along the coast, according to The dences and $40 billion in damage to in- Associated Press. About 1,900 were in- frastructure such as roads, rail and port jured and more than 1,400 were miss- facilities, Oakland-based catastrophe Photo: Leo Postovoit / Spartan Daily ing late Sunday. modeling fi rm Eqecat estimated. Information compiled from MCT and USGS 2 NEWS sPARTANDailY Monday, March 14, 2011 SJSU presidential candidates to visit campus Monday, March 14 Tuesday, March 15 Wednesday, March 16 Open Forum Time: 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. Place: Engineering Building, Room 189 Public Reception Time: 4:45 - 5:45 p.m. Place: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library, Room 550 (Schiro Room) Read about each candidate at spartandaily.com MOHAMMAD LEROY DAVID QAYOUMI MORISHITA STEELE President of CSU East Bay Executive vice president Dean of the College PERSIAN “I think the fact that it’s part of the and chief fi nancial offi cer of Business at SJSU curriculum is a big thing,” he said. at San Francisco State From Page 1 “It’s really educational and good for University the Iranians to reach out to the Amer- ies program, said a great deal of work icans.” Photos courtesy of: CSU went into getting Iranian-American Nero Parik, a graduate student in students and community members to the materials science department, come to the celebration. said he enjoyed the Norooz Trio’s “We (had) posted fliers about our music because of its similarities to event all over campus and in addi- his Indian culture. tion had clubs advertise our event,” “I had no expectations when I she said. “We also had teachers and came,” he said of attending Norooz. students announce the event in class- “But after listening to the music my es, and of course we have a Facebook expectations got higher because I event for Norooz.” love that kind of music.” Nasr is an officer for the Student Mehrdad Pourfathi, a graduate stu- Association for Middle Eastern Stud- dent in electrical engineering who is ies and next year will be taking over of Persian decent, said he was un- as the group’s president. aware of the event but was excited The event featured Iranian-Ameri- when he found about it and got his can speakers, poets, and singer Hos- friends to come along with him. sein Massoudi’s musical group the “I actually encouraged my friends Norooz Trio. who are non-Iranian to come over According to Massoudi, he and his here and watch this,” he said. “It was fellow Iranian musicians, Mahvash a good opportunity for the people to Guerami and Pezhham Akhavass, come over and get acquainted with had been playing together for only the Iranian culture.” two months when Karim got them to Pourfathi went on to say how sur- sign on for the event. prised he was by the large turnout “It’s been a labor of love,” he from the Iranian-American commu- joked about the amount of time they nity. Photo: Michelle Terris/ Spartan Daily have had together. “More people attended than I Members of the “Woop Woop” group gather to answer questions in the International He also spoke about how good it is thought,” he said. “A lot were from Quiz event where students participate in a Jeopardy-style game and answer that SJSU is starting its own Iranian outside school and it was really questions about different countries. studies program. amazing to see them here.” Brain benders abound Scheduled wireless maintenance for the upcoming week at International Quiz PHASE SJSU BUILDING DAY TIME Phase E MacQuarrie Hall Monday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Phase E MacQuarrie Hall Tuesday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Francisco Rendon have known the answer to,” countries.” Phase E Boccardo Wednesday 9 a.m.