California State University, Northridge Volume 50 • Number 36 Since 1957 Thursday, October 25, 2007 http://sundial.csun.edusundial.csun.edu A financially independent student newspaper Radio host organizes food drive to help fire evacuees DENYS NAZAROV To help residents of San with cars. STAFF REPORTER Diego, Piolin requested that Evelin Castillo, one of listeners donate supplies at the the volunteers who lives adio station 101.9 corner in question, Sofa said. nearby Tampa Avenue, FM La Nueva, Items donated to the relief showed up after she heard which host the effort included jeans, breakfast about the food drive dur- RSpanish-language morning cereal and cookies, although ing Piolin’s daily morning show “Piolin a La Maña- most of the space inside the show. na,” organized a food drive trailer truck bound for the “The reason I am here is on Wednesday at the 76 Chargers Stadium evacuation just to help out everyone,” gas station on the corner area was filled with boxes of Castillo said. “You never of Balboa Boulevard and bottled water. know when we are going to Parthenia Street to help the “The radio show is over at need it, so it’s just a little evacuees of the ongoing 11,” Sofa said. “As soon as the bit I can do.” fires in San Diego show is over we’re taking that Castillo said she would Motorists with donations big trailer down to Oceanside. like more people to help formed a line of cars to drop We’re gonna deliver all that volunteers with the food off food, water and clothing stuff we collected this morn- drive in case a similar next to a trailer truck that later ing.” disaster were to occur in transported the supplies to San Sofa said Piolin is always Northridge. Diego’s Chargers Stadium involved with community “I haven’t gotten in along with volunteers who’ll outreach and support efforts touch with some of my help to distribute the dona- like the food drive. After family members who live tions to hundreds of residents Hurricane Katrina, Piolin in San Diego,” Castillo displaced by the fires. traveled to Lousiana, where said. “Hopefully, nothing “The reason we are here he urged radio listeners to happens, though I am ner- is because of everything that help victims during a three- vous.” going on in Southern Califor- day radio broadcast. Before heading to San nia,” said Ernesto Sofa, who Because the line of cars Diego, Oscar Scamio who works on the show with host entering the food drive is in the national guard, deNNis mahaN/ ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR Eddie “Piolin” Sotelo. drop-off went as far as Bal- stopped by to drop off some Jorge medina, a singer from the band La arrolladora, helps out with the food “There is a lot of people in boa Boulevard. Volunteers water at the food drive. and clothing drive that was promoted by 101.9 Fm at Balboa and parthenia on need of canned foods, blan- had to quickly unload the Scamio said people Wednesday. The items will be used to help those evacuated due to the wildfires kets, pillows and toilet paper,” supplies to prevent the line in the San Diego area. Sofa said. from becoming congest See FOOD, page 4 For the multimedia generation, Smokey sunset lectures, presentations go high tech MARIA MARTINEZ computers that include wireless mice ciplines. STAFF REPORTER and keyboards. With the click of a Technology can provide simula- button, professors can seamlessly ease tion for various types of events. But SUN is creating new oppor- from one medium to another. he adds, “newer technology doesn’t tunities in teaching and learn- “(Smart rooms) make it easier for mean better instruction.” ing by integrating networking, professors to go from video to com- “In a physics class, motion will be Cdigital and audio visual technologies puter to projector,” Gillman said. easier to understand with computer into classrooms throughout the cam- There’s an ongoing process of graphics,” he said. pus with media packages. refreshing and updating all equipment He said he feels there is high mis- Standard “chalk-talk” lectures and 20 more “smart rooms” are to be use of software technology and what can’t hold the attention of a genera- created this year. he calls “death by PowerPoint.” tion whose brains are wired to MTV, Faculty members are also adding “PowerPoint is the most abused YouTube and MySpace, as youth are to students’ learning by develop- technology. It’s counterproductive and more able to figure out how to manage ing PowerPoint presentations, course doesn’t require (the) engagement of PDA systems, MP3 players and digital Web sites and online teaching materi- students.” cameras.. als designed to enhance instruction. Although PowerPoint is easy and Leslie Gillman, reservations and Professors should be able to teach convenient to use and allows profes- academic facilities coordinator at with the best technology available, sors to take the information from one CSUN, said 157 of the 217 large said Norman Herr, professor of com- lecture to another and share with stu- lecture halls on campus are what are puter science and computer educa- dents online, Herr said, it also encour- commonly known as “smart rooms.” tion in the department of secondary ages passivity. These rooms have ceiling-mount- education. “Students become passive and so ed LCD projectors and projection But those trying to change the the technology becomes worthless.” TiFFaNy KeLLy/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER screens, VCRs and DVD/CD combi- traditional pedagogy should take into Blazing through a smokey sky, the sun sets between the B2 nations, sound systems, telephones, consideration which instructional and B3 parking structures off Nordhoff on October 23. closed caption decoders and desktop methods work best with certain dis- See LECTURING, page 4 iNdex OpiNion SPORTS toDAY'S WEatHER Photo Essay 3 A & E 10 & 11 Understanding key to racial harmony Stapf makes waves in water polo Opinion 12 Daily Spotlight 13 SEE PAGE 12 see page 16 Classifieds 14 Patchy smoke 15 &16 Sports HIGH 92 LOW 54 2 • Daily Sundial • CSUN • Thursday, October 25, 2007 [email protected] California wildfire losses top $1 billion convened to coordinate federal relief least 24 others have been injured. One their homes had survived. his belongings Wednesday preparing Firefighters hope efforts. “We’re concerned about their person was killed by the flames, and “I’m ready to go, but at the same to leave Qualcomm. safety. We’re concerned about their the San Diego medical examiner’s time, I don’t want to go up there and Du spent his 41st birthday Tues- easing wind gives property.” officer listed four other deaths as con- be surprised,” said Mary Busch, 41, day at the stadium, where he has them an advantage Exhausted firefighters hoped fight- nected to the blazes. who did not know whether her home been living with his wife and two ing the 16 fires would become easier The state’s top firefighter said in Ramona, in San Diego County, was young sons. SAN DIEGO (AP) — The devas- with an expected slackening of the Prather misstated the availability of still standing. “I don’t know when I’ll be able to tating wildfires in Southern California fierce Santa Ana wind that has stoked firefighters and equipment. Eight of Busch has lived at the evacuation go back, but I’m ready to go home,” have caused at least $1 billion in the explosive blazes. Forecasters said the state’s nine water-dumping heli- center at Qualcomm Stadium since Du said. damage in San Diego County alone, the wind will begin to weaken late copters were in Southern California Monday, sleeping in her SUV with Evacuation orders continued officials said Wednesday, while fire- Wednesday afternoon, followed by by Sunday, when the first fires began, her 11- and 8-year-old sons. Wednesday. Residents of the San fighters hoped easing wind would cooling sea breezes. along with 13 air tankers, said Ruben “I feel safe there,” Busch said. “It’s Diego County communities of Fall- give them an advantage in stopping The shift could allow for a greater Grijalva, director of the California all I have. I don’t have any way to brook and Julian, an area devastated the flames. aerial assault and help firefighters Department of Forestry and Fire Pro- know what happened to my house.” by a 2003 wildfire, were ordered out The fires, now in their fourth day, beat back the most destructive blazes, tection. Others were eager to return to of their homes. have destroyed 1,500 homes and said Homeland Security Secretary Grijalva said the fires, spread by houses they were confident had sur- Officials also were evacuating caused at least a half-million people Michael Chertoff. winds that at times topped 100 mph, vived. De Luz, an unincorporated commu- to flee, the largest evacuation in state “If the weather cooperates, maybe would have overwhelmed most efforts “I called my home and my answer- nity north of Camp Pendleton that was history. At least 1,200 of the damaged we can turn the tide,” Chertoff. said. to fight them. ing machine still works, so that’s how being threatened by a wildfire burning homes were in San Diego County. Crews were anticipating an injec- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger I know we’re OK,” said Rancho Ber- “Clearly, this is going to be a $1 tion of additional firefighters and dismissed the criticism when ques- nardo resident Fuli Du, who packed See WILDFIRE, page 6 billion or more disaster,” Ron Lane, equipment from other states, mostly tioned by an ABC News reporter, and San Diego County’s director of emer- throughout the West.