BASEBALL VICTORY Spartans win tournament SEE PAGE 6 Serving San José State University since 1934 Monday, March 15, 2010 www.TheSpartanDaily.com Volume 134, Issue 24 Swarmed: SJSU Student codes iPhone app season ends for San Jose transportation Jennifer Elias Jogi said he moved from would be nice if VTA digital Staff Writer his home country of India to screens showed the times of San Jose last August, where when the next train is coming, Commuters can now ac- he must rely on public trans- like BART.” SEE SPORTS PAGE 4 cess public transportation portation to get from place to Jogi said he purposely routes, times, and maps with place. priced the app at the lowest the touch of a finger, thanks “I regularly take a bus,” he cost for an application on the to an SJSU student. said. “And it is very tedious iTunes store. Vashishtha Jogi, a gradu- to always have to open my “If I keep it at a high rate, ate student in software engi- laptop to find bus timings, people won’t buy it,” he said. neering, developed an iPhone or look it up online before I The application has been and iPod Touch application leave.” downloaded a total of 35 called “San Jose Transit.” Jogi said this was the main times so far, he said. For 99 cents, Jogi said the reason he decided to create Jogi said a lot of iPhone offline application for the the application, using the ex- users who travel by VTA don’t iPhone and iPod Touch allows perience he had from making know about this application. users to see routes for public five previous applications. “I am constantly posting transportation. “My dad is a doctor, and I on my Facebook profile and “We have seen this in other made an application for him my friends post the link to cities around the world, and to enter patient information their profiles,” he said. Valley Transportation Au- for his personal use,” he said. Zonobi said it is always thority has plans to do that Jogi said he has also good to have the transit pro- but it hasn’t materialized yet,” worked to develop mobile vider’s input. said Transportation Solutions phone applications for a non- Apart from easing access to manager Eyedin Zonobi. profit organization at Stan- transit routes, Jogi said there “That’s really helpful, be- ford called “Seeds of Empow- was an additional motivation cause I take the Winchester erment.” behind creating this app. light rail, and lot of the time The San Jose Transit app “I had an interview for an it only comes every half and took 25 days to make and was internship alongside a friend hour,” said undeclared soph- released Feb. 27, he said. who I had worked on previous omore Jon Wold. “So if I’m “It seems useful, especially iPhone applications with,” he doing something on campus, for those who are just learn- said. “She got selected and I I don’t know if I should leave ing to use the light rail sta- didn’t.” and rush or if its going to be a tion, said Macken Wong, a long wait.” graduate student in math. “It See APP, Page 2 Snow Day takes SJSU by storm Kathryn McCormick The event was held Thurs- to teach students about alcohol Staff Writer day from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the and drug abuse prevention in a Associated Students recreation recreational context, providing Alcohol quizzes and con- lawn. students with a 16-ton snow pit dom games entertained and Jennifer Gacutan-Galang, to play in and a number of al- informed at SJSU’s second chair of SJSU’s Alcohol and cohol, sex and health education annual Snow Day and Winter Drug Abuse Prevention Com- booths to explore. Carnival, an organizer for the mittee and co-organizer of event said. Snow Day, said the event aimed See SNOW, Page 2 SJSU forward C.J. Webster is surrounded by two New Mexico State defenders. JOE PROUDMAN / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Donation strikes right chord with department Kristen Pearson and Dora Walker recently do- "I think the scholarships are Staff Writer nated $800,000 to the piano a good idea," she said. "But as a program at SJSU, and the mon- string player, it won't affect me In the 1990s, a couple visited ey will be used to build a gradu- much." the SJSU campus and complete- ate program for pianists. Jovil Clemente, a senior cre- ly fell in love with it, said the "Pianists can come and au- ative arts major with a minor in SJSU coordinator of keyboard dition, and if the department music, said he is thankful that studies. accepts them and they win the people are supporting music "They promised when they scholarship, it will pay for full and art. passed away to give $1.6 million tuition for a master's degree,” "Not many people support to SJSU to split between the Mok said. the arts, and it's great to receive meteorology and piano depart- Junior music major Jenni- money and donations from peo- ments," said Gwendolyn Mok, fer Wu said her focus is in viola ple who support it," he said. an associate professor of music and said she is excited to see the Az Samad, a graduate Alween Lim, Amanda Tam and Yvonne Pon play in the trucked-in snow next to the A.S. and dance. scholarships go to well-deserv- House on Thursday. CLIFFORD GRODIN / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER She said the estate of Alberto ing people. See PIANO, Page 2 Weather THESPARTANDAILY.COM TWITTER Online: CALPERNIA Audio slideshow: Transsexual activist and performer Calper- nia Addams describes herself as “stunning” Follow us at Michelle Gachet @spartandaily Audio slideshow: Former drug user helps raise awareness for for headlines straight to your alcohol and drug abuse during Snow Day Hi: 71° phone. Lo: 48° Audio slideshow: Listen to music played on pianos from SJSU’s historical keyboard collection at thespartandaily.com / FACEBOOK Spartan Daily TW Become a fan SPARTAN DAILY BLOGS and get the latest Conan O’Brien is coming to SJSU. Also, surprisingly, headlines straight Hi: 68° Hi: 69° other news exits at to you. spartandailynews.wordpress.com facebook.com/ Lo: 48° Lo: 48° spartandaily See www.thespartandaily.com 2 NEWS Monday, March 15, 2010 PIANO From Page 1 student in music, said he thinks the piano scholarships are ben- efi cial, but also said he was frus- trated that there weren't more scholarships. "There should be scholar- ships for all instruments," he said. "That would be a great fi - nancial support." Mok said piano collector Fred Hearth recently donated a historic 1861 piano to the school. "He loves to store pianos and enjoys gifting them to places that will use them," she said. "He wanted to gift this piano to SJSU, but you don't just give someone a piano that is worth $30,000, so we met and have become friends." Clemente said he thinks it's pretty nice to get support from outside donors. Kavitha Viveganandan, a junior computer engineering major, is hit with a snow ball while she plays in the trucked-in "It's probably not just a ran- snow in front of A.S. House on Thursday. CLIFFORD GRODIN / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER dom donor, but music is all about sharing with others," he said. they’re drinking is in one cup,” “It kind of brings everyone who played in the snow had to Mok said the school is build- SNOW Gacutan-Galang said. “But if together for a little bit of re- sign a waiver prior to entering ing a collection of pianos that the cup is fi lled with 4.5 ounces laxed, fun enjoyment,” Picken the snow pit. will encompass 300 years of From Page 1 of hard liquor, it’s not one drink. said. “Anyone found throwing piano history. It’s actually three drinks.” Picken said he was initially snow balls will be asked to leave "And the pianos aren't just Between snowman-building Gacutan-Galang said that confused by Snow Day’s alcohol the pit,” Hubbard said. “Throw- for show," she said. "They're contests, students swarmed students had extra incentive to abuse education element, but ing loose snow is not so much of there for the students to play the booths, partaking in activi- check out all of the booths at warmed to the idea upon at- an issue, but no ice rocks.” them." ties such as Sugar in the Snow, Snow Day. tending the event. Hubbard said she initially A concert for historic pianos during which students learned “If they go through all of the “At fi rst I was like, ‘What?’” came up with the idea for Snow was held Friday in the Music how much sugar is in a drink of booths, they get a free T-shirt,” Picken said. “But now I think Day. building Concert Hall, where alcohol, and Sex in the Dark, in Gacutan-Galang said. “It’s a it’s good that it’s incorporated “The Alcohol and Drug faculty members played pia- which students wore dark-tint- good way to encourage partici- because we are college students Abuse Prevention Committee, nos from the 1800s and gave a ed beer goggles and attempted pation, and it’s something stu- and alcohol is something that’s, which I am a part of, wanted to lecture on the evolution of the to correctly roll a condom onto dents can take away from the you know, there.” create destinations for the fi rst piano.