www.atwestnews.com news December 4, 2012 An Independent Newspaper Serving ASU’s West campus Community VOLUME 3 ISSUE NO. 7 WEST @ Finalists For New College Dean Both candidates answer burning questions in forum. Page 2 ASU Football Win More Than They Lose: Page 11 ASU enters the bowl season with a 7-5 record. Finals Are Here: Page 3 Tips for surviving the next upcoming days. Spring 2013 Science Courses: Page 10 Take a quantum leap in your education. Bananas Are Deadlier Than Guns: Page 8 How are bananas more regulated than guns? West’s Best: Page 9 The best of the West announced.
Transcript
www.atwestnews.com
newsDecember 4, 2012
An Independent Newspaper Serving ASU’s West campus Community
VOLUME 3 ISSUE NO. 7
An Independent Newspaper Serving ASU’s West campus Community
WESTWEST@
Finalists For New College Dean Both candidates answer burning questions in forum. Page 2
ASU Football Win More Than They Lose: Page 11ASU enters the bowl season with a 7-5 record.
Finals Are Here: Page 3Tips for surviving the next upcoming days.
Spring 2013 Science Courses: Page 10Take a quantum leap in your education.
Bananas Are Deadlier Than Guns: Page 8How are bananas more regulated than guns?
West’s Best: Page 9The best of the West announced.
December 4, 2012 @WEST NEWSwww.atwestnews.com2
By Melissa Talic
Early in the summer of 2012 there was an incident at the West campus involving a faculty member. Many students might remember him as the professor said to look like Colo-nel Sanders, that smoke cigarettes outside the Sands Breezeway. Dr. Ardeshir Vakilzadeh, better known as Dr. Ardie, was arrested for the� of 23 hibiscus plants.
According to a report obtained from ASU Police, Dr. Vakilzadeh removed an estimated $98.00 worth of hibiscus plants from a garden between Kiva Lecture Hall and the Sands Building on May 4.
� e police report states that Dean of Students, Mistaline Calleroz-White and Assistant Director of Student Activities and Conference Services, Barbara Gibson, said they saw a man � tting Dr. Vakilzadeh’s description removing plants from a � ower bed in the Sands-Kiva court-yard. When Dean Calleroz-White confronted the man and asked what he was doing with the plants, he said he was “moving them to an-other place.” When she asked him if he worked for the University he re-sponded “no.” He proceeded to run,
pulling a cart with a box on top of it � lled with plants. Another box con-taining ten hibiscus plants was le� at the scene.
ASU Police arrested Dr. Vakil-zadeh at his residence on May 25. When police interviewed Dr. Vakil-zadeh, he admitted to removing ten plants but said he had no knowledge of the other missing thirteen. Vakil-zadeh said that he was on several prescription medications and was stressed because his wife was very ill, which he said, caused him to believe that he was in his backyard gardening.
Dean Calleroz-White did not want to comment on the case but said that she was a witness.
“I think he said they weren’t go-ing to sign him to the next year,” said sophomore psychology major Macario Candia, who was enrolled in two of Vakilzadeh’s classes. “Once he knew he was gone, he didn’t care as much.”
According to Candia, Dr. Vakil-zadeh “started slacking in the spring semester” a� er stating that he was � red. Candia said that Dr. Vakilza-deh would take smoke breaks dur-ing class, including exams and at
one point skipped an entire week of class. “He was good in the summer course, but once he knew he was gone, he didn’t care as much.”
Candia said that Vakilzadeh would tell stories in class about be-ing head of the math department in a university in the Middle East, possibly located in Iran. According to Candia and other students, Va-kilzadeh said he was tortured there before coming to the United States. “He would tell stories about living [in] the Middle East, escaping and coming over here. He worked as a taxi driver before coming back to university,” said Candia.
“I thought his class was good, funny and informative,” said Andres Clark who graduated from ASU in December 2011 with a degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice. Clark said that he thought that Dr. Vakilzadeh’s eccentricities were due to his life experiences. “He was a little bit weird, certainly not crazy,” Clark said.
“I just want to say that he was a nice guy,” Candia said.
In attempting to contact Dr. Va-kilzadeh for comment, @west news contacted his supervisors in the School of Mathematics and Natural
Sciences.Gene Burgess, the Program Co-
ordinator for the School of Mathe-matical and Statistical Sciences, said that Dr. Vakilzadeh le� no forward-ing contact information, and that he might be in California.
Commenting on Vakilzadeh’s em-ployment, MNS Director Dr. Roger said that Ardeshir Vakilzadeh’s con-tract was not renewed but empha-sized that he was not � red. Berger told @west news in an email that Vakilzadeh was aware in January of 2012 (before he committed the crime) that his contract was not go-ing to be renewed. “Unfortunately, Dr. Vakilzadeh told many students, faculty, and sta� that he was ‘� red.’ I explained to him on several occa-sions that he was not � red, but he continued to use that term when speaking to me and others,” Berger wrote. When asked why Vakilza-deh’s contract was not renewed Berger replied, “Because of chang-ing instructional needs, we no lon-ger need the services that Dr. Vakil-zadeh could o� er.”
Ardeshir Vakilzadeh could not be reached for comment.
Harmon Gale contributed to this report.
What Happened To Dr. Ardie?
By Harmon Gale
� e two � nalists for the New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences Dean position, Dr. Marlene Tromp and Dr. Deborah Clarke, answered ques-tions from students, faculty and sta� for the New College Dean Candidate Forums held on Nov. 28 and 30 in the La Sala Ballroom.
� e forums are a part of ASU’s inter-nal search to replace current Vice Pro-vost and Dean of New College Eliza-beth Langland, who is stepping down from her position in June of next year.
Tromp, Director of the School of Hu-manities, Arts, and Cultural Studies, said that one of New College’s biggest challenges is a lack of publicity. “Presi-dent Crow has made ASU known as a top research university, but what peo-ple think of when they hear ASU is the Tempe campus,” Tromp said. “It should be the top priority of the new dean to
change that.”Most students chose New College be-
cause of its location rather than for its identity, Tromp said. “We need to tell our story nationally.”
To that end, Tromp suggested that the college produce more video interviews with faculty and students, discussing the programs and academic experience o� ered at New College.
One ASU sta� er asked about ASU’s policy toward emphasizing individual campuses.
Dr. Tromp said that she noticed that outside reviews of the college, by sta� members, showed that sta� was “tired of change.” “� at’s because it has come from the top down,” Tromp said. “When it comes from students and fac-ulty, people like change.”
When asked what she would do to raise sta� morale, Tromp said that the key was listening to sta� concerns. “We need to ask questions like ‘does the
constellation of duties in your job make sense?’”
Tromp also said that it is important to increase support sta� as programs grow. “We can’t have the same advisors seeing one hundred more students, we can’t make IT serve 500 more students.”
In response to questions about pro-gram changes in her department at SHArCs, Tromp said that the Ethnic, American and Women’s Studies pro-grams have su� ered from low enroll-ment, which leads to classes closing. When classes close, Tromp said, stu-dents change their majors, leading to even lower enrollment.
To combat this “vicious cycle,” Tromp said the department has developed a “mutually-supporting core curricu-lum” for the programs. In other depart-ments, Tromp said she hopes to work closely with directors to learn patterns in program enrollment.
“A lot of the changes are data driven
on very narrow number sets, largely by full-time equivalency or FTE.”
FTE is a number that attempts to measure a student’s workload. Aca-demic departments in universities such as ASU are expected to meet a certain FTE numbers.
“� ere are other numbers coming that we’ll be using, such as graduation rates” Tromp said.
Tromp said that the new residence hall has solidi� ed the liberal-arts feel of the West campus. She added that she would like to emphasize the research opportunities available to ASU stu-dents. “No other liberal arts college has a particle accelerator,” Tromp said.
When asked about the future of on-line classes at the West campus Tromp said she would like to increase support for faculty who teach online courses. “A lot of faculty feel pushed into going online,” Tromp said. “And they end up dumping their in-class material on-line. We want to ensure a meaningful iCourse experience, which means sup-port for faculty.”
� e second candidate, Dr. Deborah
Candidates Offer Vision For New College
Continue story on page 3
December 4, 2012@WEST NEWS www.atwestnews.com 3
By Lance Dang
As the semester closes, � nals are upon us. With every class pressing for an exam/paper/project, there is a signi� cant amount of pressure on students to do well which may beck-on a need for e� ciency and cause stress. � is doesn’t apply to all peo-ple since some might be apathetic to the subjects they are taking or they have a good enough memory to car-ry them through.
� e objective of this article is to o� er various study habits and meth-ods that relieve stress as well as o� er insight into how some college stu-dents prepare. � ere is no univer-sal way that works for everybody, but these are some strategies that have bene� ted those who have used them.
� e general consensus for what makes up a good environment to study in is a quiet place with no dis-tractions or hindrances. � is atmo-sphere presents a lack of activities and as long as the person is concen-trated, they will not take a detour to imbuing information inside their head. However, gaining concentra-tion is not always an easy thing to come across. Music may be a good way to channel some for this pur-pose. “Music is a great way for me to concentrate,” says Damon White, a sociology and Interdisciplinary Arts and Performances double major, “but I can’t listen to anything with audible lyrics when doing verbal work (such as writing and reading). Conversely, it helps me concentrate to listen to stu� I can sing along to or focus on the lyrics to when doing non-verbal work (math, stats, etc.).
Many di� erent websites oriented toward those looking for ways to study e� ciently recommend Ba-roque music on the belief that the pace of this genre has the ability to
stimulate the brain and allow for ideas to � ow.
A classic study method for stu-dents is practicing with � ash cards. Testing yourself on the material is generally considered to be more e� ective than simply reading one’s notes. “Whenever I use � ash cards, I tend to do well,” said Lexus Deme-tres, an Anthropology major. She recommends quizlet.com if a per-son does not want to physically write note cards and would rather type them up on their computer.
Since � nals make up a very large portion of the � nal grade, they can become a huge weight that can cause a lot of stress. A good way to relieve stress is to sort out when all the � nals are going to occur and plan times to do them. “When I get stressed with homework I typi-cally remember all the assignments I need to do and when the due date is for them,” said Dominique Han-kins, a graphic information technol-ogy major. “� en I make a mental schedule of the most time-e� ective way of tackling them.” In a sense, this method allows the user to give themselves justi� cation to relax since they have a plan for studying and assignments.
Another good method to relieve stress is to take small breaks in be-tween studying. � e activity dur-ing this break varies from person to person. Some people will play video games. Others might exercise. “When I get bored or stressed I do something fun, like handstands,” said Stephen Austin, a sociology ma-jor. Generally, students say a study-break activity should be something a person likes doing. “Something that relaxes you is something that you enjoy,” said Loren Petty, a re-cent ASU graduate. “Give yourself time to work but know when to take a break too. If you don’t, you’ll go crazy.”
Studying And Stress Relief
In “November 16 Candle Light Vigil for Jordan Mills” in the Nov. 20 is-sue, Shaun Valentine was incorrectly identi� ed as the West Campus Vet-erans Club President. Melissa Petersen is the Club President, Valentine is the Vice President. Peterson also asked us to note that the vigil was held to honor all veterans. @west news regrets the errors.
Corrections
Clarke, Professor of English in the Col-lege of Liberal Arts and Sciences, also emphasized the importance of publi-cizing New College. “I believe in narra-tives. New College’s story has to get out there and stay out there.”
Clarke said she would like represen-tatives of New College to be present on University tours in Tempe.
“New College could bene� t from an increased PR and advertising cam-paign.”
“� e student-to-instructor ratio should be touted and the college should ask to be better represented.” Clarke also said students should be involved in helping publicize the college.
Dr. Clarke said New College should not duplicate Tempe’s programs and methods. “We have a niche that is good
for many people,” she said.A student asked Dr. Clarke what she
would do to vet out poorly developed online classes.
“We o� en rely on underpaid part-timers to teach these courses,” maybe we can look at other faculty.”
Several sta� members asked Dr. Clarke what she would do about “pred-atory scheduling.” � ey elaborated that scheduling changes from the Tempe impact the West campus and many students end up taking mostly online classes.
“It’s not productive to view this as a head-to-head � ght,” Clarke responded.
A sta� er in the Dean’s O� ce of New College asked about Clarke’s experience with budget management. “We need details on why we’re losing students,” Clarke said. Clarke said that the college needs to increase its recruitment e� orts to � ll empty programs.
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[email protected]@west news is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profi t corporation, with the support of the faculty,
staff and community of Arizona State University at the West campus. Thank you.
An independent, non-pro� t 501(c)(3) stu-dent newspaper supported by - andserving - ASU’s West campus community.
@WESTnews
By Carolina Hernandez
Freedom runs in their veins. � ey are inebriated with independence. � ey are ruled by out of control sleeping habits. And they are always ravenous.
� is is the quintessential college stu-dent. Or at least, this is what I came to accept even before becoming a college freshman. Later on, I learned about the starving pocketbook, the rigorous study-ing interspersed with the sleeping-in, and the stress of juggling school, job, and social life.
Now that I’ve spent one near full se-mester in college, I can attest to the pas-sionate learning, the � urry of papers and projects, the random “Dante’s Inferno” and philosophy conversations over lunch, and the (mostly intellectual) fun. I—and my peers—have come to accept this as more or less a part of our student identity.
However, once I got into the � ow of being a college student, I found myself wrangling a di� erent question—why am I here?
I asked my freshmen friends, “Why are you here?”
Jessica Alvarez, life science major an-swered, “To learn so that I can be inde-pendent, better function in society, and contribute positively to our world.
Freshmen and IAP major Torey An-derson put it di� erently, “We all have a drive to achieve our own “American Dream.” Every college student wants to succeed, graduate, and have a better life a� er college.”
I realized that, I too am at ASU to de-velop my own version of the “American Dream.” I’m here to � nd out all there is about my ultimate passion, (Sociology), apply it bene� cially to the world, and hopefully make something of myself.
� ese seem like three di� erent ASU stories.
I tell you now, they’re not.It’s just one story. One identity.Student.I realized this semester how easy it is to
be just a student, just someone who pays oodles of money to study something she likes, and a� er just four years of doing roughly the same things, just leave this institution with just a � imsy piece of pa-per that is somehow just the key to some-thing greater.
I also realized that, to be able to ful� ll my American Dream, as well as Jessica and Torey’s American Dream, it has to
Just A S tudent EDITORIALAchievement. Dedication. Leadership. As an English major I know the
dictionary de� nition of these words, however when I transferred to the West campus two years ago, I was unsure about the real signi� cance be-hind them. @west news has taught me the meaning of these words, the true meaning. � e � rst time I held an @west news newspaper in my hands was during my ASU Orientation. Suddenly, my goal wasn’t just to gradu-ate in two years, it was to write and edit a newspaper that, to quote our founder Robert Gehl, “gives a damn about the West campus.”
Leaving is a bittersweet feeling; Bitter because I have to say goodbye, sweet because I will take with me the laughter shared in the news room with the most amazing people I’ve ever met; the � rst time I o� ered a copy of @west news to a student and they gladly received it; and the moment I realized this was all worth it the day I saw, not once, but twice, a fellow student become so engrossed in the newspaper that they had to sit down to read it. � is newspaper has become a signi� cant part of my life; it has helped me forge a path to a brighter future.
Without a doubt, joining the @west news team was one of the best de-cisions I have made during my academic career. I have become a better student, a better leader, and most importantly, a better person. I am my true self now, vastly di� erent from the shy, quiet girl I used to be. To put it simply, by giving the ASU West campus community a voice, somewhere along the way I also found my own.
- Lilia Ortiz, Managing Editor
@west news is currently looking for a Managing Editor, News Editor, and Copy Editor. We are also always accepting new writers. If you’re interested in any of these positions or would like to know more, please contact us at [email protected] or come see us at the news room located in Fletcher Library Room #117.
stop being just that—a dream. By de� -nition, a dream is intangible, esoteric, and elusive. All these positive, wonder-ful things that we students want for ourselves, our families, and our society, shouldn’t have to be just dreams. I don’t think it’s very fair that something good, like education (the expelling of igno-rance) and higher education (the path-way to a better socioeconomic condi-tion), should be esoteric, a dream, the accomplishment of a few when so many are willing to work for it. � ey should be, instead, desirable realities. � is is, as senior Victoria Alcazar communications studies major, de� nes it, Utopia, with a capital E—Eutopia.
In 2011, the United States Census Bureau projected 19.7 million students enrolled in U.S. colleges. At ASU, the Arizona Republic recorded about 73,000 enrolled for the 2012 fall semester. � at’s not a university—that’s a city, an ocean of 19.7 million, people with the roughly the same essential goals, a common iden-tity of STUDENT. With all this concen-trated brilliance, one would think cancer would’ve already been cured, all war and con� ict dispelled, and utopia made a breathing reality.
A� er all, colleges and universities have been the fountain of all social change since the time of dinosaurs. Everything worldwide, from political ideas, scienti� c discoveries, social revolutions and reli-gious reform, the � ght against govern-mental corruption, started with universi-ties and university students.
Today, students still have the same power. � ink Egypt’s “Facebook Revolu-tion,” Chilean students peacefully � ash mobbing and protesting for free educa-tion and a chance at ful� llment despite governmental violence, and French stu-dents on the frontlines against raising the retirement age from 60 to 62.
Despite our comfortable American lives, we have plenty of things to stand up for. But the student population becomes quieter and quieter as decades elapse.
We are 19.7 million strong. Very nearly all of us want to make a positive contribu-tion to society. � e problem is, we aren’t seeing our own potential. We are � ghting individual, struggling battles when it can be just one positive, triumphant battle.
� is is what I’ve taken from my � rst se-mester at ASU West. I have seven more semesters to be just a student, to work my gleaming thread into the fabric of our so-ciety. I’ll be working hard, and hopefully you’ll join me, in making of my thread, of this amazing tapestry, not an “American Dream”, but an “American Reality.”
December 4, 2012@WEST NEWS www.atwestnews.com 5
Enjoy Seeing Your Name In Print? We Do Too!
Come work with us at @west news and be known by everyone on campus.
If you would like to join our team email us at [email protected] or stop by the newsroom located inside Fletcher Library, room #117.
A Column by Aurora MarxViolators On � e LooseMysteries of a Woman: Must Read for Men & Women
As the semester comes to an end, it is � t-ting to close with boundaries about how to set healthy limits. A boundary, by de� ni-tion, is something that indicates bounds or limits; a limiting or bounding line. Bound-aries are rarely discussed in relationships and are more o� en than not crossed and violated by women.
Women instinctually do not value bound-aries. Women are multi-taskers by nature. � ey see everything that needs to be � n-ished and will put o� their needs until com-pleted. Women also put others needs before their own. For instance, she will heat up a bowl of soup and will let it sit by, attempting to complete a simple task. � irty minutes later, the soup is cold and she is still involved in completing some random task. When � nished, she will attempt to reheat the soup, settling for an unhealthy, or quicker option to satisfy her hunger. � is cycle is a constant in a woman’s life and is one of many ways a woman violates her own boundaries.
Men have speci� c boundaries for them-selves and they make sure their boundaries are not broken by anyone or they are not in his life. By respecting their own limits dili-gently, men instinctively respect the bound-aries of others around them.
Ladies you are most likely disagreeing with me, though case in point, a guy say-ing, in a movie or in person, “you are vio-lating my boundaries,” “you have crossed the line,” “I am just asking for some space,” “I need guy time.” Of course, in the mov-ies and in reality, women do not understand his needs so he never gets what he asks for. At which point, we see men take what they want without thinking about what it may do to someone else. � e reason men � nally take what they need is due to the fact that they are depleted and running on fumes. � ey do not have the capacity to sit by and wait like woman can. It is an urgent need, regardless of the fallout that they may re-ceive. For instance, a woman is making din-ner and her partner gets home from work. He asks how long dinner will be and it is 30 minutes away. So he grabs a quick snack, which we woman internalize as “why can’t he wait 30 minutes like I can?” A man is not a woman, his needs are urgent; women’s needs get put o� .
Regardless of your gender, asking for a
boundary to be respected is similar to ask-ing for a need. A boundary in essence is a need that has to be followed. � e man be-ing wronged is in a constant state of distrust and anger, While the woman being wrong is in a constant stage of hurt and submission. At which point, she will either choose to take the violation, consult with friends on � xing it, start overeating to comfort herself, take a hit to her self-esteem and think she is not worthy or deserving, or just leave out of frustration and hurt. � e damage is more lasting for a woman than a man. Woman will internalize the violations; a man will not tolerate the violations.
How to set a limit or boundary: 1. Ask for an amount of time or a spe-
ci� c time of day (average time starts at 30 minutes depending on the amounts of vio-lations).
2. State what it is in regards to (ex. � e conversation is in regards to a lack of re-spect in our boundaries).
3. During the meeting time state: what you have been noticing, how the violation make you feel (as in angry, hurt, disrespect-ed, etc.), what the boundary means to you and gives you the ability to be (for yourself and others), and ask how you can ful� ll this request.
A few key notes: the conversation is just that, a conversation. Setting boundaries for the talk will help to set the tone and � ow with minimal interruptions. Agreeing that one person speaks at a time and hearing that person out will increase understand-ing. No arguing is allowed! When a conver-sation becomes heated, you need to stop, take a moment on both sides, and collect your thoughts away from each other. Only when you are not in a heightened state of defense and/or emotionally aroused can a talk continue. Nothing can be accomplished during either state. You may need to return to the conversation later that day, or wait a few days depending on the amount of emo-tional arousal that is attached.
Setting clear boundaries and having them respected on a consistent basis shows the amount of respect you have for your partner and the others you choose to set them with. � is is one of the vital three ba-sics that can make or break any type of rela-tionship from personal to work.
StressingFinals?
Don’t Panic. Whether you are new to � nals or a seasoned professional such as myself, now is the time to � nd your inner-organizing guru as we push through the last couple of weeks in the semester.
As you are stumbling head-� rst at high speeds to the � nish line, here are some useful tips to relieving � nals stress, relaxing between cram-sessions for that dread-ed Scantron exam, and annoying your loved ones with repeated proof-reading sessions for your � nal papers.1. Remain Calm.2. Organize Your Brain (Write down your � nal exam schedule and � nal paper due dates AND keep it in a place you’ll see it everyday. You’ll never have a mini panic attack about � nals schedule again.)3. Give Yourself Enough Time (You know how much time you’ll need to study for this exam and that exam, or how much time you’ll need to bang out a thousand word essay about Shakespeare or Pavlov’s Dog). 4. Avoid Carbonated Energy Drinks (Have tea, or cof-fee, or one of those 5-Hour Energy shots. Carbonated beverages slow you down and make you more lethar-gic. Not helpful when you’re trying to stay awake until 5 A.M. with that sexy book on Issues in Comparative Government).5. Remember to Eat and Take Mental Recesses (Go out. Put the book down. Breath some fresh air. Hold a study group at a restaurant with friends and classmates if you really must bring the books along).6. Get Help (Now is the time to let everyone in your life know you are going through � nals by having them feed your eyes with molecular biology � ash-cards or have them be an extra set of eyes for proof-reading papers).7. Be Con� dent (As they say on the “interwebs” nowa-days: study and hit those books, “Like a Boss”).
By Alexandra Grayson Barry
December 4, 2012 @WEST NEWSwww.atwestnews.com6
December 4, 2012@WEST NEWS www.atwestnews.com 7
December 4, 2012 @WEST NEWSwww.atwestnews.com8
Amnesty International ASU West “Die In”
By Schemell Weech
Amnesty International is a non-pro� t organization that peacefully raises awareness of the abuse of human rights su� ered by people worldwide and has over 3 million supporters, members and activists across the globe.
Amnesty International at ASU West campus held a “Die In” event to raise awareness concerning the lack of regulations on the global trade in conventional arms. � e campaign, which is portrayed worldwide, fo-cuses on the fact that there are more regulations on the trade of bananas than there are on arms. At the event, held in the courtyard in front of the Verde dining hall, students were in-vited to participate by having their bodies drawn in chalk outline,
and signing a petition in support of having an agreement reached and signed for an Arms Trade Treaty. � e event was very well sup-ported by students on campus and it raised awareness to the need for arms trade regulations. � ere were signs with statistics of the e� ects of unregulated arms trade around the world, “One person dies every min-ute from armed violence,” “26 mil-lion people are forced to � ee their homes because of armed con� ict”.
In March 2013, the United Na-tions Conference will meet with the goal of reaching an agreement for the Arms Trade Treaty. Amnesty In-ternational hopes that this meeting will be a success and through this treaty the su� ering and loss of lives will be reduced. Left to right: graduate stuent Kritstin Bracy, freshman
Schemell Weech, graduate student Jaclyn Weeman
Photo by Lacey Reid“Die-In” For an Arms Trade Treaty. Club: Amnesty International
December 4, 2012@WEST NEWS www.atwestnews.com 9
Compiled by Brandon Riddle
Tuesday, December 4 from 4:00pm - 5:00pm. Kiva Lecture
Hall.� ink Series: “O� -Shoring, On-
Shoring, Near-Shoring: � e Supply Chain Logic”
Presented by Dr. Joseph Carter
Wednesday, December 5 from 6:30pm - 8:30pm. UCB 2nd Floor
Dining Space.Nonverbal Poster Session: “Come
learn more about how messages are sent both without language or to complement the spoken word”
� ursday, December 6, all day. ArtSpace West and Second Stage
West.IAP Senior Projects
� ursday, December 6 from 11:45am - 1:30pm. UCB 240.NCUIRE Brown Bag Seminar:
Learn about ethics in media, the personality of black widows and
eating disorders.
� ursday, December 6 from 6:00pm - 9:00pm. 2nd Floor Dining
and UCB 240.First Biannual GCC/ASU West
Research Symposium: � is part-nership aims to ignite subjects like biochemistry and biotechnology at both campuses. Come learn about
the research they’ve done.
Wednesday, December 19 from 9:00am - 6:00pm. Wells Fargo
Arena.Graduate Commencement Fall
2012Soon to be ASU alumni walk for
their diplomas.
Events At
West
By Jenny Abeyta
Nintendo’s newest console, the Wii U, was released in the U.S. last month. Now that gamers have had the chance to try out the newest model, it’s time to decide if it’s worth the price. Is it really as revolutionary and exciting as claimed, or is it more useful as a very
Wii U: Is The New Wii For You?
By Carolina Hernandez
Hey folks! I’ve received word, via carrier pigeon or owl, which-ever you prefer, of a very pertinant matter that needs to be addressed. � e votes are cast and tallied, the mandate decreed — the radiant and buoyant people of West cam-pus have spoken, and we, as always, must heed their call!
*Unfurling manuscript, ostenta-tious cough.*
I bring to you: 2012’s West’s Best!!Our @westers are hungry. � at’s
no surprise. � is year, though, they are red, white, and blue for the ol’ American meat and buns — ham-burgers! Burgers take our trophy for Best Dish, served to you on a silver plate, if we may.
If last year the West campus con-stantly craved wings, it seems to me 2012 brings a di� erent brand of baby — Smashburger snuck up and changed the tide for favorite restau-rant! New blood, new tastes!
Our fabulous @westers, however, don’t want a shake with that Smash-burger. When it comes to the drinks (especially of the alcoholic variety), they’re sticking to the classic ambi-ence of Pullano’s, voted Favorite Bar.
Another classic retaining its spot from last year is Starbucks! Our Brain Food is more like turbo Brain Boost, but very well, students will be
students… and it’s hard to beat the sugary, savory, and o� en whipped cream topped delights waiting for us in the nook of Fletcher Library.
Speaking of Fletcher Library, if you ever feel the need to satisfy your inner creeper/stalker, those tall bookshelves and quiet corners have once again proved the perfect place to people watch. Whether you’re a sociologist, psychologist, or just cu-rious and bored, now you know the place to go… or stay away from!
On a di� erent note, I know you folks work hard. You’re great peo-ple. You study, beat yourself up over papers and projects and stay up all night with those Grande and Venti Starbucks. Frankly, you deserve to nap. Really. But I didn’t think an overwhelming amount of you would cast your vote for Home as West’s Best Place to Nap. Granted, the Library came in close second. Nonetheless, Home successfully vied for drowsy heads against li-brary couches, Verde Mall bench-es, and Fletcher’s gleaming, bright green grass.
� ere must be something about the way the sun casts its shade over those marked white-lined car com-partments of the South Zone be-cause a majority of our student body voted South Zone as Best Place to Park, with North Lot just barely eat-ing South’s dust. I guess it’s all those solar panels, or the jackrabbits.
Here at the West campus, we ap-prove of Harry Potter and Human Rainbows! Potterwatch cast some spells, but all that magic and po-tions couldn’t defy the brilliance of Spectrum’s diversity and LGBTQ support club. � ese two student organizations came to a tie above student life, PAB, political clubs and others for West’s Best Organization.
Finally… the category we’ve all been waiting for — West’s Best Pro-fessor! Our top three nominees were communication professors Dr. Day-na Kloeber and Dr. Bonnie Wentzel, and psychology professor Dr. Mary Burleson. Even though we love and appreciate all of our faculty and sta� at West campus, these ballots just don’t lie — I give special congratula-tions to 2012 West’s Favorite Profes-sor, Dr. Bonnie Wentzel. Dr. Wentzel teaches public speaking, communi-cation courses and gender studies. She is the faculty Director of the Communication Assessment Learn-ing Lab, and focuses on professional presentation and communication that is both e� ective and ethical. We also must note her interest in educa-tion, especially throughout life and socio-economic boundaries, advo-cacy for higher education and study of intergenerational classrooms and family/gender communicati
� ank you to everyone who vot-ed!
expensive paperweight?T3, the gadget website, gives the
Wii U four out of � ve stars. T3 high-lights the High De� nition graphics that have � nally made their way to Nintendo’s system and the game pad that includes the second screen. � e system is backwards compatible to the old Wii games but it is a sad day
for all the Game Cube players. It may be a good idea to keep the poor lit-tle cube around to remember a time when “Mario Party” did not require you to ever leave your chair.
Other added features include the camera for video chat and internet browsing capability, but the game-pad is really the spotlight item for the bundle. Some dissatisfaction comes from a short battery life with the new gamepad and the overall lack of games speci� c to the system. If you have purchased a Nintendo 3DS, you are probably feeling the same pains of waiting for a wider selection. Overall, the new system has some pretty revo-lutionary features and ultimately, it is up to the gamer to decide what he/she thinks. But if you do not have 250 dollars to get one yourself, then you de� nitely are not alone.bestbestWEST’S
December 4, 2012 @WEST NEWSwww.atwestnews.com10
Science Courses For Your West Schedule By Brooke D’Adamo
When signing up for classes to take next semester, you de� nitely want to consider these 10 fun-� lled and yes, a little unusual science courses, here at our very own West campus! Whether you are looking for a lower division or upper division science course, read below and � nd one you will love!
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1). ACO 101: Introduction to Com-puter Science. (Tuesdays and � urs-days 10:30-11:45)
Using the class search on our Blackboard site, this three credit course includes but is not limited to, “Concepts of problem solving, structured and object-oriented pro-gramming in Java, fundamental algorithms, computer system con-cepts.” All you need is a C or bet-ter in MAT 117 or a 50% score or higher on the ALEKS Math Place-ment Test. Get computer smart next semester!
2). GLG 110: Th e Dangerous World. (Tuesdays and � ursdays 12:00-1:15)
You better hurry; seats are � lling up fast! � is is another three credit course which delves into the in-teractions between humans, Earth and geology. � is geology course is perfect for those who want to learn more about how geology a� ects us in this crazy and dangerous world!
3). AST 112: Introduction to Stars, Galaxies and Cosmos. (Tuesdays and � ursdays 1:30-2:45)
Look up at the night sky and tell me you don’t love astronomy! What
could be better than a class about stars, galaxies and cosmos? � is is a three credit course and, according to our class search on Blackboard, this course is about, “Structure and evolution of stars, star clusters, gal-axies, cosmology.” How cool is that! Also, it is meant for non-science majors which means you do not have anything to lose.
4). BIO 305: Biology Behind the Crime Scene. (Tuesdays and � urs-days 9:00-10:15)
A fun combination of science and law and order! � is is a four credit course that involves the education of forensic science like � ngerprint-ing and paternity testing. � e only prerequisite is that you must be a sophomore. Get ready for a crime scene investigation!
5). ASB 311: Principles of Social Anthropology. (� ursdays 6:00-8:45)
� is three credit course is de-scribed on our class search on Black-board as, “Comparative analysis of domestic groups and economic and political organizations in primitive and peasant societies.” � is is a per-fect course for students interested in
scienti� c and social aspects of dif-fering societies. Hurry though! � e class is � lling up!
6). PHI 314: Psychology of Science.(iCourse)
All students have con� icting schedules and this is why an iCourse is here! � is course is three credits and is de� ned on our Blackboard as, “Structure and justi� cation of scienti� c theories, explanation, and theory change. Roles of observa-tion and laws, theoretical concepts and entities, reduction, probability, con� rmation, space and time, and causation.” � is class is perfect for the busy student who wants to learn about scienti� c theories and more!
7). IAS 340: Bioethics. (Wednes-days 6:00-8:45)
� is is a three credit course about the ethical issues in healthcare de-livery and other life sciences. � is is a great course for students interest-ing in the ethics associated within the science � elds.
8). IAS 416: Black Holes and Be-yond. (Tuesdays and � ursdays 12:00-1:15)
� is is a great course for students who want a more advanced look at black holes. � e course descrip-tion on Blackboard describes this class as, “Explores developments in understanding nature’s most basic force-gravity-from Aristote-lian concepts to modern theories of curved space-time.” � is is an-other three credit course where you can explore the great mysteries and wonders of space.
9). IAS 430: Science and Religion. (Tuesdays 6:00-8:45)
� is is a three credit course and the only prerequisite required is a C or better in ENG 101 or ENG
By Brandon Riddle
Science and Politics mix together as well as water and oil - and o� en with the same consequences. Gali-leo completely re� ned the telescope for the Venetian military, Lewis and Clark were sent by � omas Je� er-son to trek across the continent, and the ship Charles Darwin rode, the H.M.S. Beagle, was commissioned by the Royal Navy. Today, and then, many sciences are too expensive to be pursued by private enterprises. No longer can entire branches of science be derived by a single per-son, ala Newton inventing Calculus in one temperate summer, sciences are now too vast and too complex. � e role of facilitating these projects
The House Of Science
105. � is course examines the con-nections between scienti� c thought and religious thought. If you want to explore worldwide views of the growing relationship between reli-gion and science, this is the course for you!
� is three credit course is de� ned on Blackboard as a class that, “In-vestigates how artists, in all disci-plines and from di� erent historical periods, conduct or participate in research.” A class about artists and research, perfect!
Take a look at these classes and add a little science to your Spring semester!
Continue story on page 11
December 4, 2012@WEST NEWS www.atwestnews.com 11
By Kyle Olden
A� er a showdown in Tucson for the Territorial Cup, the Sun Devils came out on top 41-34 and head-ed home with the big rivalry win against the University of Arizona Wildcats. A� er true battle on the gridiron, ASU was able to formulate clutch plays and execute them with the game on the line.
Aside from the excitement of the rivalry win, ASU has two addition-al headlines adding to all the post season hype. � e Sun Devils have � nished the regular season with a 7-5 record and have been chosen to play in the Kra� Fight Hunger Bowl against the Navy at San Francisco’s AT&T Park on December 29. An exciting showdown awaits as the Sun Devils play the Shipmen on the national stage.
In addition, defensive tackle Will Sutton has been placed on the 2012 AFCA FBS Coaches All-American Team. Ranked 12th in the nation for sacks per game, Sutton was also named the Pat Tillman PAC-12 De-fensive Player of the Year.
A� er wrapping up the season, Sun Devil fans can enjoy an exciting bowl game, and see what next sea-son has in store.
now sit on the shoulders of our gov-ernments and that experiment does not always produce positive results.
Our government is guided by the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, and we should know who steers our science.
� e House Committee regulates fourteen jurisdictions that all fall under scienti� c categories. � ose jurisdictions range from science scholarships to “outer space, includ-ing exploration and control thereof.”
Like other House Committees, they regulate the � ow of bills to be voted on - if the subject of the bill falls within their jurisdiction. Don’t
worry, the rest of the article isn’t all jargon.
� is Committee oversaw the cre-ation of the NASA, the National Science Foundation, an attempt to switch to the metric system in 1975, and the Clean Air Act, among 99 other Acts passed. � e Committee on Science dictates the scienti� c community in this country and has far reaching e� ects on our immedi-ate and distant future. It’s then im-portant to know who is in charge of it.
Science is biased to facts, and the following are those facts.
� e departing Chairman of the Committee is Congressman Ralph Hall. A thirty year veteran of the House of Representatives, Con-gressman Hall has worked with pol-icies that include the International Space Station, Energy Policy Act, and Cyber Security, among many others.
In 2010, with the reauthorization of the bill America COMPETES which allotted $87 billion to scien-ti� c funding, Congressman Hall added a provision that ceased to pay employees who had viewed pornog-raphy on government computers. With that inclusion into a scienti� c bill, America COMPETES was shot down, despite having 100 co-spon-sors in the House.
In late 2010 however, the bill was reintroduced and became law in 2011. Congressman Hall was quot-ed as, “disappointed.”
� e incoming Chairman is Lamar Smith.
In a released statement this year, Congressman Smith said, “Even though it has been almost 40 years since man last set foot on the moon, we should continue to shoot for the stars. And we can help future gen-erations get there by encouraging kids to study in STEM � elds.” Con-gressman Smith failed to cast a vote for the America COMPETES bill that passed into law and also voted against the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, which increased funding grants and reduced student loan repayment rates.
In 2011, Congressman Lamar Smith introduced the highly contro-
Sun Devils Win More Than They
Lose!versial bill SOPA. � e bill itself in-troduced itself as a way “to promote prosperity, creativity, entrepreneur-ship, and innovation by combating the the� of U.S. property...” SOPA was pulled o� the table due to se-vere backlash a� er over 7,000 web-sites, per the Hu� ngton Post, pro-tested the bill.
� is does not even touch the skep-ticism that Congressman Smith has of Global Warming. Smith is on the same page as his predecesssor, Con-gressman Hall, who in an interview with the National Journal, said of the subject, “I’m really more fear-ful of freezing. And I don’t have any science to prove that.”
“A History of the Committee” in the 110th Congress, states that “...without scienti� c progress, ‘no amount of achievement in other directions can ensure our health, prosperity, and security as a na-tion in the modern world.’” In other words, it is science and its applica-tions that power this country and it’s this committee that spearheads that progress. � ere’s no reason why anyone, regardless of political a� li-ation, should not know who is de-ciding our science.
