t A$AP Rocky album review Twitter: @spartandaily INSIDE F facebook.com/spartandaily A&E, P.8 See exclusive online content P. 4 Sports: Check out Super Bowl XLVIII and multimedia at predictions spartandaily.com P. 7 Opinion: New laws supporting women’s Weather: Clear military service are long overdue SPARTAN DAILY P. 8 A&E: Do you know where you are going to H: 67 Serving San José State University L: since 1934 be for Super Bowl Sunday? Check out our guide 45 Volume 140 / Issue 3 to local places to watch the game Thursday, January 31, 2013 Printed on recycled paper CONSTRUCTION SAFETY Campus police aim to protect students By Sydney Reed @SyydNee_Daily In the wake of recent school shootings, SJSU continues to keep students safe by providing safety programs and services. According to Sgt. Manuel Aguayo of the University Police Depart- ment, SJSU has more than 30,000 students, faculty, and staff. Breanna van Gastel, a child and adolescent development major, said she just started her second semester and considers SJSU a safe place but has concerns about the crimes that took place during her first semester on campus. “It worries me a little bit, but it’s expected since the campus is in the middle of downtown,” Gastel said. A construction worker is lifted by a cherry picker in front of the Student Union on Wednesday afternoon as work continues on the building. Photo by Kevin According to Sgt. John Laws Johnson / Spartan Daily of UPD, there isn’t a lot of violent crime on campus and when there is it usually comes from off campus. STUDENTS “Most of what we have in terms of crime is stolen property, alcohol violations or drug violations,” Laws Petition for veterans center gains support said. The Annual Security & Fire Safe- By Christiana Cobb tition have surpassed expectations. History professor Jonathan Roth said al- ty Report released by UPD in Octo- @christianacobb “When we started out and put it up we didn’t though there are veteran services on campus, a ber stated that between the years of even think we would get 100 signatures,” Bram- veteran center would “provide a ‘one stop’ place 2009 to 2011, burglary, aggravated As construction continues for the new Stu- lett said. “And we are up to 400 and it’s going well for veteran student services, be a place where vet- assaults and motor vehicle thefts dent Union, veterans and their erans feel comfortable and were the top crimes committed on supporters at SJSU petition for a supported on campus and campus. veterans center in the new build- can meet and get to know Since burglary and thefts were ing. each other.” the biggest problem on campus, According to the Office of the As a former SJSU stu- having a total of 24 burglaries and Registrar website, the campus of- dent and a veteran, Rich- 13 motor vehicle thefts in 2011, the fers services to veterans through ardson said the center report stated that students should be the Veterans Integration To Aca- would be a central location aware of their surroundings. demic Leadership initiative lo- for veterans to connect. Although the campus isn’t gener- cated in Clark Hall, the Veteran He said there were ally associated with violent crimes, Student Organization located in times where he as a stu- such as shootings, it doesn’t mean Clark Hall and Veterans Affairs dent would go for months the campus isn’t prepared, Laws said. located in the Student Services not knowing that many of The California State University Center. his classmates were veter- system has a policy that requires Damian Bramlett, veteran ans, despite club outreach. employees on all campuses to do a coordinator for Veterans Inte- As a campus that would training regarding active intruder gration To Academic Leadership like to be known as veter- incidents, according to Laws. initiative said he connects vet- an-friendly, Bramlett said He said that UPD also provides erans on campus to the benefits a way to create such a cul- training to students, faculty and staff Data contributed by veteran benefits coordinator Andrei Ingalla. Graph compiled by they need. Christina Cobb / Spartan Daily ture on campus would be regarding what they can do if an ac- David Richardson, the outgoing to include an easily acces- tive intruder incident occurs through president of the Veterans Student sible place for veterans to a program called Alert, Lockdown, In- Organization, started a petition last semester for a but we would like to see it hit 1,000.” get everything they need such as connections to form, Counter and Evacuate. veterans resource center in the new Student Union Richardson said there are currently 500 sig- — Bramlett said the number of signatures on the pe- natures on the petition. SEE FACILITY ON PAGE 3 SEE SECURITY ON PAGE 3 ENVIRONMENT According to the United States Forest Service, trees Some of the trees are native to the area, some are not and bring large amounts of oxygen and reduce air pollu- have been brought in from other places, Brown said. Tree removal allows tion by filtering contaminants and reduce storm water “Hours of landscaping goes into maintaining the en- runoff. vironment, including constantly replacing old plants and They also keep energy costs trees,” he said. “Trees and landscaping do get old and need for the creation of down by providing shade, and It gave to be replaced.” add to the beauty of the cam- Some students don’t feel like all the trees go together to pus, according to the Forest that area decorate the campus well. diverse urban forest Service. “The trees in the forest seem to look similar with some “I did notice that there were by the random trees that don’t fit in at all,” said junior finance By Lauren Hailey some new trees on campus, which major Jane Ho. “I think SJSU can improve this by adding @LaurenOLovely I thought was cool,” said senior library trees that actually look good together.” sociology major Christina Irving. Brown said the team at Facilities Development and Opera- SJSU recently underwent some landscaping changes “It gave that area by the library some tions is working on a “tree landscaping master plan” in which with the removal of many trees during winter break. some character.” character. they will prepare to refresh all the landscaped areas on campus. The trees were removed mainly because they were sick According to the California The idea is to move all the older trees and plants out and and posed a safety hazard to students, faculty, and build- Department of Forestry and Fire move in newer plants that will last longer, he said. ings, said Christopher Brown, associate vice president of Protection website, many uni- Christina Irving Only some kinds of trees will flourish with the water Facilities Development and Operations. The removal was versities in California are con- Senior sociology system the campus utilizes, Brown said. part of SJSU’s commitment to maintaining an urban for- sidered urban forests, including major SJSU uses a recycled water irrigation system, he said. est, he said. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and San Some plants do better than others with recycled water “An urban forest is a forest set in an urban setting,” Francisco State. and more of the new plants may do better with the water Brown said. “Most people think of (forests) as the wilder- There are no specific requirements to becoming an ur- system, he said. ness, not downtown. One of the main purposes is to im- ban forest, Brown said, “but SJSU does a lot of work to pre- As of right now, there are no specific costs set for the prove the look of the urban environment.” serve our urban forest.” development of the tree landscaping plan, Brown said. Urban forests are important because they bring the ben- According to the Facilities Development and Opera- The landscape master plan will be finalized this semes- efits of forests to areas that otherwise would be without tions department page on the campus website, SJSU is ter and implemented over multiple years, he said. them, Brown said. home to more than 180 species of trees. Lauren Hailey is a Spartan Daily staff writer. Page 2 | Spartan Daily NEWS Thursday, January 31, 2013 INTERNATIONAL Islamists fleeing France’s SJSU Crime Log Mali advance said to set 1/16 - 1/24 fire to Timbuktu library The following items are selected from the University Police By Alan Boswell McClatchy Tribune Department daily crime log. Times shown are when the incidents were reported to police. NIAMEY, Niger — France’s Defense Ministry said Monday that French troops had arrived on the Wednesday, Jan. 23 outskirts of Mali’s historic Timbuktu, but their rapid • Campus Village C, 8:00 a.m.: Petty Theft. A police officer was advance appeared to have dispatched to a call of reported theft inside Campus Village. been too late for some of An SJSU student was the reported victim, and a report was the city’s storied treasures. As they retreated ahead taken. The suspect was not found. of French helicopters and paratroopers, militants be- • Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library, 9:49 a.m.: Petty Theft. longing to al-Qaida in the Police responded to a complaint regarding a stolen library Islamic Maghreb torched book. The suspect, not an SJSU student, was apprehended the library holding the city’s ancient manuscripts, and booked into jail. The book was returned to the circulation according to a local journal- desk. ist who braved the Islamist occupation for nine months • Dudley Moorhead Hall, 3:00 p.m.: Grand Theft.