12-Year Old Prodigy: Page 3 & 10Javier Urcyo, the youngest non-degree seeking student at ASU

ASU Police Address Spring 2012 Crime Wave: Page 2What is being done to keep the West campus safe?

www.atwestnews.com

West Campus Clubs: Page 11A list of some of the clubs at the West campus

newsSeptember 11 , 2012

An Independent Newspaper Serving ASU’s West campus Community

VOLUME 3 ISSUE NO. 1@Curiosity Engineer: Page 14An interview with David Andersen

An Independent Newspaper Serving ASU’s West campus Community@WEST

Can You Be Perfect?: Page 15Coach Graham leads the team to a 2-0 start

Beware the Sun Devil’s Pitchfork!Find out how the new ASU ID program is raising your fees Page 4

September 11, 2012 @WEST NEWSwww.atwestnews.com September 11September 11September 11September 11September 112

By Harmon Gale

Th e West campus has a reputation as the quiet one among ASU’s four. Th e statis-tics support that notion.

According to the the U.S. Department of Education’s Offi ce of Postsecondary Education, from 2005-2010 the West cam-pus faced fewer reported cases of burglary, theft , violent crime and arrests than Poly-technic, Downtown and Tempe.

However, the Spring 2012 semester saw a rash of petty crime at West, culminating in the campus’ fi rst armed robbery.

On the night of Feb. 27, a burglar struck the West campus. Café West in the UCB was hit fi rst. Th e perpetrator man-aged to squeeze in through a gap between a wall and a window, making off with $142 in candy and juice. Th e gap has since been closed

Th e same night, three unlocked cars in the Las Casas parking lot were broken into. Th e burglar took a car stereo and other per-sonal possessions. ASU Police suspected the same person was responsible for several of the bike theft s in the preceding months.

James Hardina, the then ASU Police Department spokesman and Commander on the Polytechnic campus, told @west’s Robert Gehl, “If people just lock their car doors [and] lock their bikes, it would pre-vent virtually all theft s on campus.” In July of this year, Hardina was promoted to ASU PD’s Assistant Chief in charge of Patrol Op-erations.

Th en in late March an armed robbery occurred; a fi rst for West. On the 29th at approximately 6:50 p.m., two suspects identifi ed as black males robbed a student of his laptop at gunpoint outside the CLCC building. A detailed description of the sus-pects, including a sketch of one, can be found at cfo.asu.edu/police-campuscrime-alerts.

Nearly a month later, on Apr. 27, just off -campus at 51st Ave. and Sweetwater Blvd., a female ASU student and a male were robbed of their phones, as well as a bike and a laptop by three suspects de-scribed as black males.

ASU’s text alert stated that the suspects “simulated a weapon,” meaning pointing fi ngers in the shape of a handgun through clothing or a similar gesture.

ASU Police believe the suspects in the March robbery were involved. Th e Phoenix Police Department reports no arrests in the off -campus robbery.

“Within days aft er the [March] rob-bery,” Hardina said in a May interview with @west, “we had undercover offi cers on campus posing with laptops as bait of-fi cers to get robbed.” Portable surveillance cameras were also deployed on the campus, according to Hardina.

“Since then we’ve had no theft s or rob-beries or anything,” said Hardina, “so either it worked or for whatever reason the prob-lem shift ed off -campus.”

Hardina said, “it’s not just ASU PD in-vestigating” the West campus robberies. He said that a task force composed of inves-tigators from the Arizona Department of Public Safety as well as the ASU, Phoenix and Glendale police departments “combine these robberies into one thing and investi-gate them.”

Hardina was asked if the ASU PD force at West was undermanned. “We’ve gotten out of the mentality that we’re a West cam-pus force, Tempe campus force or a Poly-technic campus force.”

“We’ve restructured the way we deploy so we could adjust staffi ng on a dime,” Har-dina said.

He explained that the department sends more offi cers to a particular campus during the particular days and times of day when it is determined they are needed, rather than assigning an offi cer’s entire 12-hour shift to one campus.

“You don’t want to plug an offi cer to one spot for 12 hours when you really only need him for that 4 hours.”

For example, aft er the Las Casas bur-glaries, more offi cers were temporarily sent to West to conduct visible patrols at night.

Hardina stated that “at any given time there is one ASU offi cer,” on the West cam-pus, not including the Police Aide that may or may not be assigned to West at the time.

“We have as many offi cers on the West campus as we need at a given time,” Har-dina said.

In an emergency, as per a mutual aid agreement between the university and the Glendale and Phoenix Police departments, offi cers from those departments will re-spond while ASU PD offi cers arrive from the Tempe and Downtown campuses.

Hardina cited the Nov. 2011 incident in which 26 year-old non-ASU student David Huynh fi red a single round at a group of people at the Las Casas volleyball court as an example of how ASU PD’s emergency dispatch system worked.

“Th e offi cers and supervisors who man-aged that scene were from the Tempe cam-

pus. So we instantly deployed offi cers from Tempe campus to West campus.” No one was injured in the shooting and Huynh was later arrested.

When asked why the West campus po-lice station is usually unmanned, Hardina said that most police departments across the nation usually have no offi cers at the station unless they are fi ling reports.

“We hope there’s never somebody at the police station, because we want offi cers out in the fi eld where the people are,” Hardina said.

“In the rare chance that you get at-tacked,” Hardina said, “and you have to run, run to where you know there are peo-ple. Don’t think ‘okay, I have to run to a po-lice station.’”

He also said students should be aware of their surroundings and avoid walking alone to isolated parking lots by taking ad-vantage of the safety escort service available at each campus.

According to an Apr. 26 story by Daniel Escobedo appearing in the Downtown Devil online newspaper, USGW Senator Howard Waldie said during an April student forum with ASU President Michael Crow that students have had to wait up to half an hour for a safety escort.

Crow responded that of the campuses are working to reduce wait times.

Hardina said that de-spite the on-campus popu-lation doubling with the construction of the Casa del Oro Residence Hall there are no plans to increase the number of offi cers stationed at the West campus at any given time.

“As calls for service increase or those kind of things, we’ll de-termine if we need more or less,” Hardina said. “If you need more, the West campus will get more.”

West campus Police Commander Kev-in Williams confi rmed this in an Aug. 29, 2012 e-mail.

“Th ere are seven (two sergeants, four offi cers and myself),” with at least one of-fi cer at West at all times.

“We have PSAC, the Public Safety Advi-sory Committee,” Hardina said when asked

what students should do if they have cam-pus safety concerns. “Th at’s the venue for more lighting, more call-boxes, ‘we need more offi cers,’ ‘we need more Police Aides.’”

PSAC is an advisory and consulting committee that is a part of the Offi ce of the Executive Vice President and Provost. Its members include representatives from Parking and Transit, ASU PD, University Housing and Student Government.

West campus Vice President and Dean of Students Mistalene Calleroz-White said that the West campus PSAC holds a cam-pus safety walk each semester.

Hardina also advised students to follow ASU PD on Facebook (Arizona State Uni-versity Police Department) and Twitter (@

ASUPolice) for alerts and crime prevention tips. “And it’s an opportunity for students to chime in,” Hardina said.

“It’s typical of students and people in general,” Hardina said. “[to just] go about our lives until something bad happens and [then] we’re forced to think about it but then it wears off . Be safe all the time, not just aft er the robbery happens.”

ASU Police Address Spring 2012’s Mini Crime Wave

Photo by Harmon Gale

September 11, 2012@WEST NEWS www.atwestnews.com 3

By Patrick O’Malley

The West campus will be joining the rest of the ASU community, starting July 1, by implementing a new co-min-gle recycling program. Co-mingled recycling is when all recycled materials are placed in the same bins, and con-sequently the same trucks, only to be sorted at a materials recovery facility.

Starting July 1, the trash pick up dates will change to become more effi-cient. “Every other day will be a pick up day, Monday, Wednesday and Friday are trash, and Tuesday and Thursday will be recycle,” said George Clarke the Facilities Management Director.

The days may change depending on how efficient the new system is, and how smelly. Most teachers, however, are not too concerned with trash build up, but are excited to have a more sus-tainable program.

“I am very enthusiastic about the co-mingled recycling program,” said Assistant Professor Becky Ball. “I per-sonally don’t produce enough trash in my office, classrooms or laboratory to be concerned about the reduction in

pick-up every other day.” Originally, the staff would sort re-

cycled material into several bins and then haul it out separately. The new program allows for the recycled mate-rial to be placed in the same compactor and hauled to the same facility.

Alana Levine, the Ground Services Program Manager, said the new pro-gram will be more efficient, sustainable and will save money, provided students and faculty cut down on trash and re-cycle as much as they can.

The new program will use fewer trucks as well, and therefore less fossil fuels according to Levine.

One of the big factors in making this work is cutting back on contami-nated recycling. Even though a plastic bottle is recyclable if there is liquid in it, this contaminates the bin; materials need to be as dry as possible.

“I hope that [the] ASU West com-munity will be more diligent about re-cycling now that you can drop any re-cyclable into any bin,” said Ball.

Co-mingled Recycling

By Harmon Gale

ASU Police Commander at the West campus Kevin Williams told @west news via e-mail that ASU PD has as-signed additional patrols to West for “move-in and alcohol enforcement.”

“We have a zero tolerance policy for alcohol use (or possession). Minors will be cited if found in violation of long-standing University policies related to alcohol or drugs,” wrote Williams.

In addition, ASU PD is placing extra patrols at West “for traffic education and enforcement,” wrote Williams.

“Our approach regarding traffic,” stated Williams “will be to focus on education prior to enforcement.”

However, he noted that ASU PD “will issue citations for egregious violations without warning. An example would include blatant crosswalk violations that endanger community members.”

A digital speed display unit hooked up to an ASU Police SUV has been parked along University Way North since at least September 2.

ASU Police Department Watching for Alcohol Traffic Violations

By Kristen Glocksien

Most twelve-year-olds spend their days going to school, playing sports with friends and sitting in front of the television playing videos games. Javier Urcyo is not your typical 12-year-old.

As the youngest student taking classes at Ari-zona State University, Javier is tackling one of the most dreaded courses every Monday through Thursday for 50 min-utes. That course: calculus.

Javier is a student at the Gary K. Her-berger Young Scholars Academy locat-ed on ASU’s West campus. Although no records can confirm it, he is said to be the youngest non-degree seeking student enrolled at ASU.

Having been advanced in math since the second grade, Javier jumped at the opportunity to become a student at the first full-time, university-based school in Arizona for extremely gifted adoles-cents. He completed Algebra 2 in fifth grade and has since finished all high school math requirements. Javier is currently enrolled in MAT 270: Calcu-lus with Analytic Geometry I, through the Young Scholars Academy.

“I like math because it’s easy and comes naturally to me,” Javier said. “I like the fact that you could have a com-plex problem and after a couple steps, you can find the answer.”

Javier, who learned about the Young Scholars Academy through an email his father received, really likes the pro-

gram. He attends regular classes every-day starting at 8:15 a.m., and then takes his calculus class from 12-12:50 p.m., Monday through Thursday.

“I enjoy it,” Javier said. “I think it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity and you can’t do this every day. No one my age has done it before either, so that’s pretty cool.”

Dr. Kimberly Lansdowne, execu-tive director of the Gary K. Herberger Young Scholars Academy, said Javier fits the idea of a “young scholar” per-fectly.

“Javier’s learning is vastly different from his chronological peer group,” Lansdowne said. “He learns things rap-idly and has already learned content for his grade level. He has a very high abil-ity and IQ, but in addition to that, he’s a mature young man, meaning that for him to be part of the students who take a college level class, he has what it takes to be a college student.”

Javier’s professor Dr. Stephen Wirkus of the School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences, said that Javier is the youngest student he has taught since starting his career in the mid-1990s. He also said he didn’t really think much of it at first.

“For math, as long as you have had all the pre-requisites, you should be fine,” said Wirkus. “Dr. Kim Lansdowne ex-plained that yes, he’s taken algebra and pre-calculus, so he was ready.”

Javier said he thinks the other stu-dents were a bit surprised to see him the first day of class, but since then they have started to get used to it and now realize he’s supposed to be there. Wirkus agrees.

“I think initially there were some strange looks, like ‘what is this 12-year-old doing in class?’, but soon they re-alized he’s supposed to be here,” said Wirkus.

Wirkus explained that besides his age, Javier’s attentiveness makes him stand out among the other students in class.

“He focuses better than your typical college student,” Wirkus said. “It’s nice when you have a student who looks like they are really paying attention the whole time. He’s one of them.”

Javier, whose mother and father both

Young(est) Scholar

Photo By Lacey Reid

Photo By Harmon Gale

Continue on Page 12...

September 11, 2012 @WEST NEWSwww.atwestnews.com4

Editor-In-Chief: Harmon GaleManaging Editors: Lilia Ortiz and Taylor Skvarek

Copy Editor: Lilia Ortiz | Assistant Copy Editor: Haley MarshallNews Editor: Harmon Gale | Opinion Editor: Alexandra Barry

Photo Editor: Lacey Reid | Sports & Science Editor: Brandon RiddleOutreach Editor: Heather Hoag | A&E Editor: Taylor Skvarek

Writers: Teena Manuel, Melisa Talic, Jordan Gerblick | Cartoonist: Jennifer AbeytaArtist: Brittany West

Webmaster: Alaric Trevett | Advertising Director: Brittany MacPhersonFaculty Advisor: Kristin Koptiuch, Ph.D.

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atwestnews@asu.edu@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.

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Come work with us at @west news and be known by everyone on campus.

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If you would like to join our team email us at atwestnews@asu.edu or stop by the newsroom located inside Fletcher Library, room #117.

By Alexandra Grayson Barry

With the squelching summer heat being whisked away by the monsoon season we are entering into another Fall semester here at ASU, and at this time we are witnessing changes to our ID program and printing technologies. Th is summer marked the re-lease of the new Pitchfork ID MasterCard® Check Card and the Print Anywhere Pro-gram, whilst our Sun Dollar Program has been discontinued. For the purposes of consolidating university business services, which in all probability includes budget and job cuts, these changes have only prov-en hectic up to now. In addition, we have to wonder who exactly are the benefi ciaries involved with the new Pitchfork ID card.

To begin with, the loss of our Sun Dol-lar Program isn’t something any student should be happy about; especially, if you didn’t spend all of your money and are now patiently awaiting a refund. Th e cancella-tion of the program has also brought us the new Print Anywhere Program (in associa-tion Canon), which has its own monetary downsides.

First, under the new system, if we want to electronically fund our Sun Cards for printing there is a minimum $12 deposit, unlike the old $5 deposit. Moreover, your credit card information is now being di-rected through a third-party website, Pay-Pal, rather than being handled by the Sun Card website. Remember, this is all for business consolidation, and ASU doesn’t seem to want to have much association with student accounts or extensive person-al information anymore. It is not surprising that these changes come aft er the password hacker fi asco in January earlier this year.

On top of having to create a new print account in order to load money on the nearly-defunct Sun Card, we’ve also been handed a 20 percent increase in printing fees. Plus, anyone who enjoyed wireless printing will have to wait until mid-Octo-ber before getting access to the download-able Canon application. Where is the ben-efi t for us as students in all of this? We each pay a technology fee for tuition every single semester: why wasn’t the soft ware available at the start of the semester, or better still, when the Print Anywhere Program was fi rst released in early July?

Among the issues of our ever-increasing tuition fees, and the sluggishness of student services, comes now the biggest conun-drum of them all: the alliance with Mid-First Bank. What’s the big deal you ask?

While some might be excited about the new banking options available through

MidFirst Bank (or their comprehensive sponsorship program with Sun Devil Ath-letics), we have to wonder about the ben-efi ts received by, not just us students, but the University and bank as well. Sure, it’s a MasterCard® which can be used practi-cally anywhere in the world, and we’ll soon be getting over 40 campus ATMs and two full-service banks. Th e cost of all this is a simple $25 opening deposit fee (a $75 dol-lar savings from all other checking account deposit fees with MidFirst). Which isn’t much, and many of us could probably af-ford this onetime fee any given day of the week.

Surely, too, the removal of bulky paper-work and system maintenance involved with the old Sun Card Program is a relief to the university. MidFirst’s naming rights for the Sun Devil Stadium press box, as well, would appear as an incentive while the brand new $500,000 club area brings our facilities up to par with other PAC-12 sports programs.

However, the biggest issue I see with this checking account deposit fee is that it’s in-cluded in our enrollment deposit. To be exact, our public tuition money is being funneled directly into a private corporate bank. To include a bit of math in this dis-cussion: if about 60,000 students are en-rolled at ASU at any given time, and every one of them signed up for the Pitchfork Card, there goes a huge cash infusion to the tune of 1.5 million dollars to MidFirst Bank. So if you are getting the new Pitch-fork card, you can feel good about yourself for giving out a tiny bank-bailout (that’s for all the 1% out there).

Additionally, ASU is no longer providing any services on their own under the new Pitchfork Program, yet they are still col-lecting the enrollment fees from those who attend this public university and handing it over to MidFirst Bank.

MidFirst isn’t even a locally headquar-tered banking institution; they’re based out in Oklahoma. Technically, the bank can use that deposited money to lend on mortgages or car loans in other states if they wanted. Desert School Credit Union, as an example, has more locations in Arizona than Mid-First Bank does. Moreover, if any type of comprehensive deal was considered with this credit union (that already exists on campus), our tuition money would have been kept locally to support Arizona busi-nesses or help us get mortgage loans for a new home in the valley.

Education costs are on a permanent rise, and more of our money is being taken and used in strange ways for purposes un-

known to the student body. Newer printing systems have lead to higher out-of-pocket costs for students. Justifi cations for these changes can be seen on the Print Anywhere website in words like “environmental and economical sustainability” and “digital in-frastructure”.

I have to wonder though, is eliminat-ing programs provided by the University, minimizing and consolidating business and budgets and (in essence) sending the jobs elsewhere, truly a sustainable frame-work for our public university? I bet that if more programming and computer science majors were interning at the technology of-fi ces, we’d have wireless printing by now. Finally, this writer questions the justifi ca-tions of funneling tuition and fees from a public university to a private banking con-glomerate.

The Sun Devil Now Comes With A Pitchfork As the newest Opinions Editor here with @west news, I want to introduce myself to the readership, share my background at ASU and tell of some things to look for in this new semester. With the departure of Natalie Reilly (whose voice you will still be reading in issues to come!), there is a level of thought-provoking, rationalized inquiry on our stu-dent life I have to step up to and maintain. During my time here at ASU West and being an English major, I have learned about dif-ferent ways we can view the world around us, inquire what motivates us, wonder about future possibilities and imagine a brighter tomorrow. My inspiration and motivation behind joining this great news staff was the mission statement posted on atwestnews.com which reads, “To comfort the affl icted and affl ict the comfortable.” Th is philosophy is one I hope to achieve during my stay with @west news; I want us to refl ect about the news and issues that surround our univer-sity community, to further our pride in Gold & Maroon and to never stop thinking about tomorrow’s gift .

- Alexandra Grayson Barry

September 11, 2012@WEST NEWS www.atwestnews.com 5

We wanted to know what Septem-ber 11 means to students. We asked what this time means to them now that it is 11 years after this Nation’s tragic event. Here are some student opinions of the memorial date.

Shae Whiteman (Psychology)

“I was in my first semester of Paramedic Sciences in North Car-olina when 9/11 happened. Hun-dreds of peop le from the commu-nity volunteered to help New York at that time. Today should be a day to remember and to give back to

the community.”

Christopher Zomaya (History)

“It should definitely be a day of remembrance. Volunteering is an

option to an individual.”

Betty (Applied Computing)

“9/11 was such a shocking day. The strength of the nation helped the victims and those affected by the tragedy. I’m a believer in vol-

unteering. It should be both.”

Jaquez Goodall (Pyschology)

“The day is both for remember-ing and volunteering.”

Kaelynn Kopcik (Biological Sci-ences)

“It’s more a day of remembrance, not just volunteering. Giving back to your community should be

Is 9/11 A Day Of Remembrance Or Volunteerism?

throughout the year.”

Ben Cleaveland (Communica-tions)

“Definitely it is more a day of re-membrance for me.”

Michael Derck (retired U.S. Army, Psychology)

“The day is a lot of going over what we have and what we have lost. As a veteran from NY, it’s definitely both a day to remember and come

together as a community.”

Melissa Petersen (President of the Veterans Club on West campus, So-

cial and Behavioral Science)

“Many meanings came out of 9/11 for everyone across the world. This event is the reason I, and many others, chose to serve this wonder-ful country. We were able to come together as a nation regardless of ethnic backgrounds, race, gender or sexual preference and it is im-portant that we recognize this feat. Eleven years later we need to pull together again and remember those who have fallen in the name of un-conditional service and commit-

ment to our nation.” A big hello to all our readers,

The @west news staff would like to in-troduce ourselves to all the new students at West campus and to welcome back all returning students. We are excited to bring you our first issue of Fall 2012! This issue contains something for everyone. If you’re interested in the current happenings at

the West campus, check out the News section of our paper. More of the artsy type? Why not take a look at our Arts & Entertainment section? If you’d like to know more about the ASU West campus athletics, flip to the Sports section. Oh and be sure to also check out our brand new Science section!

Why @west news? West campus under-grad and grad students founded @west news two years ago because they felt the need for a forum for the distinctive voices and concerns of our campus community. The organization is a unique hybrid of student club and entrepreneurial business venture. The student-produced newspa-per is independent of ASU funding, we’re

funded by advertising sales and tax-de-ductible donations. We print 3,000 copies, bi-monthly and hand-distribute them

on campus, barker style — so step right up and get your free copy! This past April,@west news won the grand prize, all-ASU Pitch Fork award for Outstanding Under-graduate Student Organization.

As some of you might know our motto is: “To comfort the afflicted and afflict

the comfortable.” Although many of our old staff has graduated, our current staff continues to hold onto that mission. We are committed to bringing you

a newspaper that tells it like it is.We welcome your comments and invite

you to come join our staff and write for @west news! Email us at atwestnews@asu.edu, visit our web page www.atwestnews.com or stop by the @west newsroom lo-cated in Room 117 of Fletcher Library. See you in the next issue!

- The @west news staff

Editorial

By A Texas GirlAre you in the market for greeting cards?

Be sure to have a spare hour or so if you go with me. My husband will walk into a store and pick a card within seconds. I, on the other hand, browse for about a half hour—all for just one card! I read, laugh, smile, giggle, or roll my eyes as I make my way up and down the aisle searching for the perfect card for the recipient. The last two were for in-laws; a birthday card for my new sister-in-law and a Mother’s Day card for my mother-in-law.

I do not know my new sister-in-law that well yet (she lives in my hometown of San Antonio, Texas), but has identified herself as “likes to have fun and find the humor in EVERYTHING”. What type of humor does she have? Does she enjoy puns, prac-tical jokes, wisecracks…the list goes on. I finally selected a Spanglish card that went along the lines of “Move out of the way, Jennifer…aste un lado, (move out of the way) Carlos, there’s a new star today and it is YOU… Happy Birthday.” Paparazzi were taking photos on the front of the card and the birthday wishes were inside. Silly but cute.

Moving on to my mother-in-law, my husband requested a humorous card for her. I found a simple and lovely card that seemed wonderful, but it wasn’t humorous. Shucks! I kept it in reserve just in case there

was nothing else. Then I struck gold and found the perfect card. I took a picture of it and sent it to my husband. He loved it. It was so him… it had a lapel button attached that read, Me! ME! Me! It’s ALL about MEEEE!!! The inside read, You can bor-row this today if you want, MOM, but I’d really like to have it back tomorrow. Happy Mother’s Day. It was the perfect card for her from him (as he is known to be extremely selfish). I added my touch by crossing off tomorrow and writing in never — never return the lapel pin. He is not to be selfish anymore.

Then there is the all-important issue of cost. In these times, we are all careful with our spending. If the card is for a teenager, I can get away with giving a dollar card as it will be trashed. Most teens just want the gift that goes with the card. However, if the card is for a wedding or anniversary, spending a little more than a dollar is jus-tifiable. I spent $2.97 on the card for my sister-in-law, and $4.97 for my mother-in-law’s (mainly due to the lapel button).

Things I take into consideration… oc-casion, age, relationship. Is the card to put money inside or simply an acknowledge-ment? Should it be sentimental, humorous, religious or inspirational? Who am I giving it to again? And the final straw is… have I given this card to him/her/them before?

Oh, the nonessential stress of greeting card shopping!!!

Greeting Card Stress

September 11, 2012 @WEST NEWSwww.atwestnews.com6 September 11 2012www.atwestnews.com 2012September 11www.atwestnews.com September 11www.atwestnews.com September 11September 11September 11September 11September 11September 11September 11September 11www.atwestnews.comwww.atwestnews.com 2012www.atwestnews.comwww.atwestnews.com September 11, 2012September 11September 11September 11September 11September 11September 11September 11September 11September 11September 11September 11September 11www.atwestnews.comwww.atwestnews.com September 11September 11September 11www.atwestnews.comwww.atwestnews.com

one else knows? Just something random.Uhm, I think that if we weren’t professional singers,

we would all be professional eaters. We all love to eat![Laughs] What kind of food? Every kind?All kinds of food! We all love food! I think that what

we’re most excited about for touring is that we get to eat all this food from around the country. And of course the fi rst thing is to sing around the country, but eating is a very close second.

Yeah, you guys are defi nitely busy!We are very busy, but it’s so much fun. It’s defi nitely

a dream come true. Is there anything else that you want to say to the

students here at Arizona State University, to get them pumped up for the concert?

Well we are super pumped for the show. I would just say to be prepared to hear a cappella music like you’ve never heard it before, and to just have a lot of fun with us. We’re some goofy people, and we’re just excited to have a lot of fun with everybody! We really hope that they enjoy the show.

I have a feeling that we most defi nitely will. Pentato-nix will be performing in La Sala Ballroom on Th urs-day, September 20 and again on Friday, September 21. While Friday is completely sold out, tickets for Th ursday night’s performance can be purchased online at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/262379 or at the ASU West Cashier’s offi ce, which is open Monday-Fri-day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

By Taylor Skvarek

In 2011, the a cappella group Pentatonix won season three of NBC’s hit television show, “Th e Sing-Off .” Th e group is currently on their fi rst tour across the country, and will be performing at ASU West campus on September 20 and 21. In preparation for their two upcoming concerts, I had the opportunity to interview Pentatonix’s very own Avi Kaplan.

Skvarek: One of the fi rst questions I wanted to ask you is why a cappella? How did your group come to decide that?

Kaplan: Well, me and the trio (Scott, Mitch, and Kirstie) have all sung in choir for most of our lives. We love music, we love singing, we love harmonies and we love a cappella music, being that a lot of choral music is a cappella. So we all have those roots. I had actually done a cappella for a while in high school and in college, and then Scott went off to college from Arlington, Texas to LA. He went to USC, joined an a cappella group, and that’s where he really fell in love with it. And then he heard about the show “Th e Sing-Off ,” and de-cided to put together a group to try out for that. So that’s kind of how we came about.

So Scott was the one who put the whole group together, basi-cally?

Yeah, basically. Very cool! So, your concert on the 21st sold out so quickly

that you’ve decided to do another one on the 20th. Why do you feel that a cappella is being received so well by college students?

Well, I know that college communities have a lot of a cap-pella groups. It’s really a fun thing to do, and it’s a great thing to get involved with. It’s a great way to fi nd friends, and they end up becoming your family. It’s just really fun. And so a lot of colleges look for arrangements to do, and they look for other groups to sound like, or to just get inspiration from. I think that college campuses like us because we’re some-thing new and fresh, with a cappella, and also we incorporate things that they would listen to in their every day music. So I think that’s why.

In the fi nal episode, right before your group was announced the winner, the announcer was talking about how you guys made the decision to put your education on hold in order to audition for the show. How hard of a decision was that?

All us were music majors. Th e only one who wasn’t, but who was going to be, was Kevin. He had already graduated, but was planning to go back to college to be a music major. So basically all of us wanted to be performers, anyway. And while it was a hard decision, it was a fair decision because you go to college, which is an amazing thing, and aft er that you get a job. But we talked about it, and we felt that we re-ally had something special. So we decided to skip the college stuff , and just really put everything we had into [performing].

Well I think that’s great for you guys. We were sitting here a little while ago, watching some of your videos, and we were just amazed by some of the sounds that were coming out of your mouth. We were trying to imitate them, but it just wasn’t work-ing.

Aw, well thank you so much. You’re welcome. So, tell us what we can expect to see in your

future albums. Is the group planning to do more covers, or is there more original material planned?

We defi nitely want to keep writing originals. We have two originals on our EP (extended play) so far, “Th e Baddest Girl” and “Show You How to Love.” We defi nitely want to keep writing originals and become more of an original based band. But doing covers is what we started with and we really love doing them, so we’ll always do covers too.

How hard is it to decide what covers to do? You mentioned

An Interview with Avi Kaplan of Pentatonixin an interview that you liked folk music, and others preferred R&B. So how diffi cult is it to decide on a song?

You know, even though we all have our own separate styles, we all really love the Pentatonix style that has been formed. So basically any song that we choose, even if it’s a song that we don’t really like, we know that we can take it and make it into our own style, and into a song that we really love. So as for choosing songs, people bring ideas. A lot of times we get ideas from fans, and we let the fans choose for us what song they want us to do next. Really just whatever comes around; it depends on a lot of diff erent things.

Have there ever been any songs that you’ve had a really dif-fi cult time with?

Yeah, I mean, a lot of songs we have a hard time with. I remember on the show we did a Britney Spears medley of three diff erent songs. Th ey were all diff erent keys, and were mashed together, so that was really hard for us. And I’m not necessarily a Britney Spears fan, but some of the other mem-bers are. But once we were done with it, it really turned into something that we all loved.

Are there ever times when you guys feel limited by a cappel-la, or do you feel that there’s more freedom with it?

You know, I don’t feel like any of us feel limited by a cappel-la; it’s more of just a challenge. If we had instruments it would just be so much easier to make a track! But the thing that we love is that we can do everything with our voices, and the challenge is to basically make a track, with about fi ve tracks, that other producers make with thousands of tracks. It’s a lot of fun doing that! And sometimes it’s hard, but it’s what we love to do, and I don’t think we would change it.

Th at’s awesome. So, you guys also do a lot of fundraising for charity. Do you want to talk about that, for a bit?

Yeah! We feel so blessed to be in the position that we are in, and really anything that we can do to give back is always a huge priority to us. We feel that talent and opportunity shouldn’t just be a selfi sh thing. We were given something, and so we want to give back.

How about you tell us something about Pentatonix that no Photo Courtesy of Pentatonix

Tickets are $10 for ASU students, faculty, and staff .Be sure to hurry and reserve your tickets soon, because

this concert is defi nitely not something to be missed!

September 11, 2012@WEST NEWS www.atwestnews.com 7

September 11, 2012 @WEST NEWSwww.atwestnews.com8

By Teena Manuel

Balanced. Attentive. Detailed. Perfect.

August 23 to September 22 Your planet: Mercury Your Element: Earth

Strengths: Happy birthday to the virgin of the zodiac! That may not be taken literally, but in general you come off as a lot more, well, pure than the other signs. This is at-tributed to your clean appearance and pen-chant for perfection. You are detailed in everything you do, down to the last detail. You may come off as shy, but when you do speak it is with purpose. You are also very sincere and honest, adding to your crisp demeanor.

Weaknesses: You may pay attention to detail too much. Try not to strain yourself over everything you do, sometimes you

Happy Birthday Virgo!

may need to relax. You are very critical of yourself and others, and you may find oth-ers offended by something you thought was joking or helpful. Try to have more spon-taneous fun! It may feel uncomfortable at first, but you will surprise those around you — in a good way!

Compatibility: You get along well with those who share your inter-ests or those who encourage you to loosen up. Your top matches are: Tau-rus, Capricorn, Cancer and Scorpio. Famous Virgos: Michael Jackson, Beyonce Knowles, Lance Armstrong, Rachel Ray.

September 11, 2012@WEST NEWS www.atwestnews.com 9

September 11, 2012 @WEST NEWSwww.atwestnews.com10

Upcoming West Campus Events

By Taylor Skvarek

Tuesday, September 11 at 4 p.m. Kiva Lecture Hall.“Let’s Talk ‘Greening’ Maroon & Gold” Presented by JoEllen Alber-hasky and Chelsi Tryon. University Sustainability Practices.

Tuesday, September 18 at 7 p.m. La Sala Ballroom. “Ishmael Beah: A Long Way Gone” Author of the best-seller “A Long Way Gone”, Ishmael Beah will re-count the riveting story of his child-hood in Sierra Leone, where he wit-nessed unspeakable violence, was forced to serve as a soldier at 13, and yet ultimately found a life of re-demption and hope. Presented by New College of Inter-disciplinary Arts and Sciences, W.P. Carey School of Business, Universi-ty College, Mary Lou Fulton Teach-er’s College and CET West.

Th ursday, September 20 from 7 p.m. — 9 p.m. La Sala Ball-room. “Pentatonix Live Concert” Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets ($15 for general admission, $10 for ASU students, faculty, and staff ) available at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/268677 or at the ASU West Cashier’s offi ce.

Friday, September 21 from 7 p.m. — 9 p.m. La Sala Ball-room. “Pentatonix Live Concert”Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are sold out.

Tuesday, September 25 at 4 p.m. Kiva Lecture Hall. “Meet the Tutors” Presented by Th e Student Success Center.

By Jordan Gerblick

Th e summer of 2012 had some great movies and some not-so-great movies (just throw in the towel, Adam Sandler), but when you look at what the summer brought us in terms of superhero movies, it’s hard to complain. Was the new “Spider-Man” movie better than the original “Spider-Man” trilogy? Was “Th e Avengers” the only movie that did the Hulk justice? Was “Th e Dark Knight Rises” better than “Th e Dark Knight”? I’m going to try to do my best at giving an objective overview of the three movies and hopefully I’ll help everyone answer these questions themselves. So here is a quick rundown of the three movies:

“Th e Amazing Spider-Man” is a really good movie, but it didn’t receive a lot of attention. Th is might have been because of how soon it came out aft er the original “Spider-Man” trilogy. However, I saw a lot of im-provements in “Th e Amazing Spider-Man”. Peter Parker was actually a somewhat likable character, Mary Jane’s double-timing self wasn’t in it. It looked a lot better than the older ones and Peter Parker actually looked like a high schooler (even though I think the actor who played him was a little older than Tobey Macquire was when they shot the fi rst “Spiderman”). Th e biggest diff erence however is that “Th e Amaz-ing Spider-Man” didn’t seem to revolve around the romance(s) involved with the characters. In this one, there’s just one couple: Spider-Man and Gwen Stacy. Th e relationship does bring about an interesting story arch but it never really becomes the focus of the movie. Whether or not this is a good thing is up to viewer preference. Personally, I was happy to see more of Spider-Man swinging around, beating up bad guys than hanging upside down making out with a cheating ginger.

Th e other possible reason that the new “Spider-Man” didn’t receive its deserved attention is that it sat its irrelevant self down right between two super-hero movie mammoths: “Th e Avengers” and “Th e Dark Knight Rises”, and both were incredible movies. “Th e Avengers” was the kind of movie I could watch over and over again. It doesn’t require any thinking, it was hilarious (mainly thanks to Th e Hulk), it had lots of stuff blowing up and if for some strange reason you ever got bored, you could just look at Black Widow. Not to devalue the story which was also great, but it doesn’t hold a candle to the more intricate plot in the Batman trilogy. However, Th e Hulk, played excellently by Mark Ruff alo, garnered a lot of praise and is oft en considered to be the best Hulk played in a movie. Th e main diff erence I see is that he is a character now and not a monster. You fear him as much as you feel for him. Every character was at the top of their game, and the relationships were interesting, especially Tony Stark and Bruce Banner, whose banter was endlessly entertaining. I wish I had more room to dedicate to this wonderful fi lm, but it’s time to talk about the real heavy weight in the room: Batman.

First and foremost, I’m not comparing “Th e Dark Knight Rises” to “Th e Avengers” because that’s a com-pletely ridiculous comparison. Th e only thing the two movies have in common is that they’re both about superheroes. It’s impossible to compare two fi lms that are in two completely diff erent tones. Now, what is actually arguable is the comparison between “Th e Dark Knight Rises” and “Th e Dark Knight”. If there was a defi nite answer to that question, it would require much more delineation than I have the room for in this one-third of a newspaper article. However, I would like to off er my perspective on three controversial complaints/misconceptions. Th e fi rst complaint is that Bane is not as good a villain as Th e Joker, and it’s a complaint I would let fall into the category of misconception. To be put into the position of having to follow what is possibly the most praised super hero movie villain of all time is a daunting task, and I believe Bane honorably delivered. Bane didn’t dig deep into your soul and chill your core, he didn’t make you laugh and then feel like a terrible person for laughing at someone being tortured, but he did scare you. I respected Bane for being genuinely scary. Who didn’t cringe when they saw Batman pick a fi ght with Bane and then subsequently get the tar kicked out of him?

Th e next complaint is that the story didn’t impress as much as “Th e Dark Knight”. While the plot is agree-ably simpler than its predecessors, that doesn’t make it not as good. It was meant to wrap up the story and leave viewers satisfi ed, and it did. “Th e Dark Knight” took place right in the middle of the whole story, and so naturally its job was to twist things up and leave the audience with unanswered questions and complica-tions, prompting them to return for the third movie. In my opinion, both movies performed their objec-tives brilliantly. Th e third complaint is that the movie is too long. Well, it wasn’t. Th e last movie is always the longest, and there wasn’t a moment of noticeable fi ller in the entire movie. Everything that was there was there for a reason and added to the experience. I, along with most others, left the theatre with a wide grin on my face and was thoroughly pleased with the wrapping up of one of the most epic trilogies of all time.

We can only hope for another super hero franchise to spawn such a groundbreaking movie experience. Hopefully the summer of 2013 will please superhero fans as much as 2012 did.

Summer Super Hero Movie Wrap-up

September 11, 2012@WEST NEWS www.atwestnews.com 11

-enough said@WESTnewsIf you would like to advertise with us, e-mail us at atwestnews@asu.edu or go to www.atwestnews.com for details

By Teena Manuel

As freshmen, we all start college with certain expectations, whether formed from an older sibling, a TV show or our parents. Here are some myths that the first year of college has beat:

The Freshman Fifteen: Coming to col-lege, one of the biggest fears is that the com-fy college sweatpants might become our only pants. However, the freshman fifteen might have become obliterated into urban myth with college campuses’ ever increas-ing options, such as salad bars, vegetarian options and more time and resources to create a customized workout. Neverthe-less, drop by the Diablo Recreation Center if you’re still worried about packing on the pounds!

Unattainable Faculty: Maybe it’s just the West campus, but another myth defeated by experience here is that professors are too busy and important to spend time with their students. In movies and television shows it seems like a big deal to talk to your professor. However, that’s not the case! Pro-fessors are friendly and more than likely to help you out. They want to see you succeed! Drop a line to one of your professors and they might just help you take your major to the next level (Internships, anyone?).

Community Assistants in the Dorms are a Buzz Kill: They aren’t! At West, the C.A.s are helpful, friendly and throw fun events so the residents can get to know each other. It’s a myth that they are strict — they aren’t your parents! They may watch over the dorms well-being, but they can be friendly and fun while doing it!

Other Myths: You may be tempted to put itching powder in your roommates clothes; you will never seem to make it in time for the breakfast buffet; you will wear pajamas to class at least once . . . Well, those things might be true! But in the end, the first year of college will exceed expectations in many great (albeit some not so great) ways!

College: Myth vs. Reality

By Melisa Talic

Welcome to the West campus! On the first day of classes there was an “Involve-ment Fair,” which featured many clubs here on campus. Whether to make new friends or to help fight for a good cause, they might be worth checking out. Here are some of those clubs:

@west news: The newspaper was started two years ago by a group of graduate stu-dents and has evolved into something grandiose. They are constantly looking for new writers, editors, cartoonists, photog-raphers, reporters, ad representatives, and so forth. If you are interested please send them an email at atwestnews@asu.edu.

American- Israeli Alliance: The main purpose of this organization is to advocate and educate people on the current state of Israel. The organization believes that Israel should be able to have right of existence and the right of self-defense. If you are

West Campus Clubs

interested in joining, or just want to find out more about this organization, send an email to aia.asuw@gmail.com or visit their Facebook page at American-Israeli Alli-ance @ West Campus.

Otaku Club: A club for people who enjoy anime, manga, video games, and basically anything that has to do with Asian culture. The main goal of this club is not only to have tons of fun, but to also raise awareness

about the modern Asian culture. Contact asuwestotakuclub@gmail.com for more in-formation.

Potter Watch: A club that is everything Harry Potter. Anyone that’s interested in more information or in joining can send an email to tauri.icenogle@asu.edu.

Spectrum: An organization based at the West campus that supports the LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning) community. This organiza-tion offers support not only to students but to staff and faculty as well. They also offer a safe and comfortable environment for peo-ple that are in the process of coming out. For more information you can email the

Spectrum organization at spectrumasuw@gmail.com.

The Devils’ Advocates: An organization that offers tours to current or future stu-dents that have an interest in learning more about the campus. Contact jennifer.mag-nusson@asu.edu for information.

Young Life: A religious group based on the belief of Christianity. The group is uni-versity wide, with representatives at the West campus. One of the main purposes of this group is to provide a spiritual mi-lieu for students. To get more information about this organization or to join you may go to their website at www.ylasuwest.com or send an email to rckidder@asu.edu.

Still not seeing anything you like? To find information on other clubs, or to start your own, visit www.students.asu.edu/clubs. +west news = $ $ Your Ad

Join @West!@West news is

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September 11, 2012 @WEST NEWSwww.atwestnews.com12

By Natalie June Reilly

What’s not to love about baseball? Aside from being one of the most ro-mantic sports in the history of the United States, it is the quintessential American pastime. Come spring, base-ball has been known to bring people out in droves, bring grown men to tears (depending upon the season) and now it’s best becoming known for bringing young couples together.

Th is past Tuesday night our very own sports editor, Brandon Riddle, hit a home-run on his fi rst date with our very own advertising beauty, Brittany MacPherson. A surprise to those of us who know them best, he invited her to a Diamondback game and it didn’t take long for the young couple to be-come the object of the stadium’s aff ec-tion. It took a mere seven innings for the sparks to fl y, and seeing as nothing else was fl ying on the fi eld that night, this proved to be an entertaining night for baseball fans just the same. Ad-vertising their fi rst date with a large, white poster board, Brandon and Brit-tany blushed as they gave the game announcers something to talk about. Mark McClure took the opportunity to climb to the nosebleed section, seeking them out for an interview, off ering two tickets to Saturday’s game for a possible second date. A text poll was held live on television to see if there would, indeed, be a second date. More than 50 percent of the people who responded specu-

lated that there would be. Brittany con-fi rmed the fact with a giggly “Yes” — as if we couldn’t tell by the way she twisted her long raven hair in her hand that Brandon had a shot. Th e whole world of baseball knew before those of us at @west news even had a clue. So much for our investigative journalism skills!

Ah, young love in the digital age! Th e next morning, before Brandon could even wipe the sleep from his eyes, he had learned that the video shot at the game had gone viral. Suddenly, he was receiving phone calls and emails from media producers inviting him to New York to appear on Fox and Friends, not to mention friends telling him that they found the video on the front page of Yahoo! Ya (freaking!) hoo! It would appear that Brandon and Brittany have quickly become the latest in celebrity couples. Hollywood has Brangelina; baseball now has Branttany.

All I can say is batter up, Brandon! Th is fi rst date is going to be a hard one to top. Of course — aft er Saturday’s game and the possibility of Fox and Friends fl ying you and Brittany out to the Big Apple for a possible third date – perhaps it’ll be a can of corn for a guy like you! Boy, this gives a whole new meaning of getting to fi rst base on the fi rst date! Way to go, Branttany! Enjoy the fame! But just remember: we loved you fi rst!

Much Ado About Love and Baseball

have degrees in math, hopes to ap-ply to college aft er fi nishing all high school requirements within the next year or so. He said he would like to receive his Ph.D. in math or business and maybe work within the medical fi eld. As for free time, Javier plays

Continuted From Page 3...

basketball, has a passion for poetry and loves video games.

Th e Herberger Young Scholars Acad-emy, part of the Mary Lou Fulton Teacher’s College, is in its second year of operation and welcomed its fi rst group of students in 2011. Th e acad-emy strives to “educate and guide gift -ed students who are passionate about learning and share the joy of inquiry.”

Th e academy was founded aft er the Herbergers wished to open a school for gift ed middle school students. Th e Herbergers approached President Crow and the teacher’s college with the idea. In order to become a “young scholar”, students must have fi nished all eligible high school credits. At the academy, they work on regular high school curriculum, and then take spe-cialized classes in their preferred areas.Th ere are four teachers who teach at the academy, three of which are pursu-ing master degrees through ASU.

Javier is one of 43 students, ages 10 to 14, currently enrolled in the academy.

By Harmon Gale

Dean Elizabeth Langland will be stepping down as Dean of New Col-lege and Vice Provost in Jun. 2013, an-nounced the university press offi ce last Fri. She “will remain at ASU to teach and continue research.”

Since Feb. Langland has also served as interim director of the School of Historical, Philosophical and Reli-gious Studies in Tempe in addition to her position at West and will be leav-ing that position as well according to the Dean’s Offi ce.

“Since her arrival in 2007,” Matthew Crum at Public Aff airs wrote, “Lang-land has guided New College and the West campus through a period of sig-nifi cant growth and transformation.”

In an Aug. interview with @west

news, Langland said she was astounded at the recent growth of the West cam-pus.

“Th is is a wonderful moment,” Lang-land said. “We still have everything we wanted to have.”

In June, Joseph Carder, Associate Dean of the W.P. Carey School of Busi-ness at the West campus will take on the duties of the Vice Provost.

According to Crum, the university will, “initiate a search internally” to fi nd a replacement Dean of New Col-lege.

An internal search has surprised some at West, as universities gener-ally look nationally when seeking high-ranking administration.

Th e choice of someone from the busi-ness school has also surprised some as the business programs at West have

shrunk in recent years and has only re-cently been revived with the “BAGL” or B.A. in Global Leadership available to business students.

Schemmel Heech also contributed to this story.

Dean Langland Stepping Down In June

September 11, 2012@WEST NEWS www.atwestnews.com 13

By Dennis IsbellDirector, Fletcher Library

In the next two weeks if you are in the library you may notice a young woman walking around with a clipboard count-ing people. Don’t worry about her. It is just Ashley, one of our student workers con-ducting our spring seating survey. Ashley likes to count things, so we send her out occasionally to count where students and other library users are sitting. It gives us a snapshot of how the Fletcher Library is used and helps us plan for the future.

Th is week teachers from the Washington Elementary School District will be putting up their annual art exhibit on the second and third fl oors of Fletcher. Th ey usually cover the walls with art and it is always worth a look.

Th e end of the semester is only four weeks away! If you fi nd yourself wrestling with research papers and running out of

time, keep in mind that there are people in the Fletcher Library who can help and usu-ally save you lots of time. I can’t count how many times I have helped students who tell me, “I spent two hours trying to fi nd something I could use and it took you 10 minutes!” Well of course it only takes me and my librarian colleagues 10 minutes to fi nd what you need. We are professionals!

But seriously, you can’t aff ord to spend time in a fruitless search for information when you are trying to complete every-thing else.   Contact either myself, dennis.isbell@asu.edu (Humanities and Arts), or one of my colleagues, Lisa Kammerlocher, lisa.kammerlocher@asu.edu (Social and Behavioral Science), Bee Gallegos, bee.gal-legos@asu.edu (Education and History), Rene Tanner, rene.tanner@asu.edu (Life Sciences), or Lydia LaFaro, lydia.lafaro@asu.edu (Business) for assistance. We can even help you through e-mail if that is most convenient.

US ON FACEBOOK,FOLLOW US ON

facebook.com/atwestnews twitter.com/atwestnews

@WESTnewsIf you would like to join our team email us at atwestnews@asu.edu or stop by the newsroom located inside Fletcher Library, room #117.

Check us out on your favorite networking website.

By Brooke D’AdamoWelcome back ASU students and

faculty. We are here again, scram-bling around the campus trying to get back into the swing of things. While signing up for classes, drop-ping classes and just trying to stay awake, we all come to realize our strengths and weaknesses within certain courses. For those of you that have come to the conclusion that your passion is embedded in the scientifi c fi eld, congratulations! You most likely stayed up all night

when Venus made its transit across the Sun this summer; it was well worth it. However, the rest of you might be thinking “I hate science classes” or “I am just taking this sci-ence course because it is required by my major.” Or saddest of all, “I am bad at science. I do not get it.” I am here to tell you ladies and gentle-men, that you are wrong.

First of all, you cannot hate your science classes. Th at is an order! It is perfectly normal to struggle with science concepts. However, you

The Fletcher Corner

So You Think You Can’t Science?must power these problems and seek help from benefi cial resources. Th ankfully we have a variety of ser-vices available to those individuals that might need additional assis-tance. Here at the West campus we have options. If you are looking for a personal tutor, online tutoring or supplemental instruction, visit the ASU website and get the help you need today. Online tutoring is useful and fl exible around any demanding schedule and supplemental instruc-tion is great for those who work best in groups.

Also, do not forget to enjoy the required science courses because they relate more to your life than you may think. For example, do some of you wear makeup? Accord-ing to Sandy Carosi, the publisher of “Th e Essence of Mineral Makeup,” the mineral Mica is a key factor in makeup products. Every time you put on eye-shadow or foundation, you can thank the mineral Mica for its beautiful sheen. If you fi nd con-cepts similar to this interesting, you would love a Geology course. For those of you who enjoy baseball, whether that means just watching the game on TV or if you actually get out there and hit some balls, then you might love Physics. Franco Normani, the creator of “Real World Physics Problems,” states that Phys-ics plays a part in hitting a baseball on the “sweet spot” of the bat. Th is “sweet spot” minimizes the vibra-tion of the bat and allows the ball to travel the farthest and the fastest. How sweet is that?

It can be a diffi cult task trying to fi nd the simple joy in some science classes. Especially if that class starts at 7 a.m. and involves Biochemistry. However, I am giving you a simple experiment. Try to view these class-es as more than just credit hours. Science is literally all around us and infl uences us every day. If you are struggling, do not be afraid or embarrassed to get help. Go put on your safety goggles and view science in a better, more positive way.

By Brandon RiddleIn 1989, media mogul Ted Turn-

er interviewed scientist Carl Sagan and discussed the topic of science in popular culture. In that conver-sation, Dr. Sagan said, “Every news-paper in America, with very few exceptions, has a daily astrology section. Astrology is bunk. Astrolo-gy is fraud. How many of them even have a weekly science column? Why that disproportion?”

Nominal scientifi c events can’t garner the audience that a cat pouncing on boxes can. Few, if any, would tune-in to watch spreadsheets update. Not even the World Cup or Superbowl however, can touch our greatest achievement. One fourth of the human population watched the late Neil Armstrong set foot on our celestial partner. A quarter of every-one alive in 1969. Th at is the poten-tial we have for our culture.

Today, channels dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge are popping up. From the Science Channel to the Discovery Channel, science is gaining traction in today’s pop cul-ture. Although, through an IAmA with Reddit, the Curiosity team ad-mitted many of the documentaries are fi lled with hype and “factual in-accuracies”. We, the media, have the ability to promote these subjects. We just need to take it one small step at a time.

With that, @west news is proud to present the fi rst dedicated science section in any Arizona university newspaper. Our underlying moti-vation is to help the science culture grow on our campus and commu-nity. Explore with us.

Live Long and Prosper:

A Greeting

September 11, 2012 @WEST NEWSwww.atwestnews.com14

more ScienceBy Brandon Riddle

The western horizon bears a tiny red dot drowning in dawn’s sunlight all of this week. We’ve studied that dot’s path for eons, speculated on its menacing glow since our exis-tence, and now we’re exploring the planet itself. Our modern methods for studying Mars have evolved from Flagstaff ’s Lowell Observa-tory, where the Italian word “canali” was misinterpreted as canals, to the failed attempt of the Soviet’s Mars 2 in 1971. Today, there’s a mechanical beast blasting rocks with lasers on Mars that we’ve called Curiosity.

A burst of applause and monu-mental cheering could be heard through televisions spanning the world on August 5. The vaunted seven minutes of terror – the time it took for Curiosity to touch Mars’s atmosphere and, seven minutes lat-er, land on the surface – had ended with perfection. Those watching all over our own planet took a backseat to the celebrating Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineers, although David Andersen had just as much reason to cheer for the mini-coo-per sized rover. “Oh yeah,” he said during an interview with @west, “I watched the seven minutes. I watched the NASA channel when it landed and was almost as nervous as those at JPL (Jet Propulsion Lab-oratory).”

David Andersen, a space software engineer, has been working with rovers and satellites for decades and it’s his software on Curiosity that al-lows direct contact with JPL back home. The Small Deep-Space Tran-sponder (SDST) is located inside the rover in the rear right side and is the source of “direct-to-Earth” com-munications. If the signal is blocked by the planet, orbiters are used as a relay system back to Earth. The trans-celestial terminal is used to “acquire and track the signal com-ing from Earth.” The captured sig-nal is then digitized and given to the main computer. The software he developed also collects telemetry and utilizes other signal processing controls. All of this from 80 million miles away, while most cell phones give away a few steps outside of a city.

On Frequency with a Curiosity EngineerIn fact, his software seems to be on

everything that has ever been attached to a rocket. The first SDST launched into space was designed for 1994’s Deep Space 1 test mission and, judg-ing by subsequent missions, the device was a complete success. Today, the 2.9 kg transponder has received signals on the twin Mars rovers, Spirit and Op-portunity, the Mars Odyssey, the MRO (Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter) and the Phoenix Lander. His program is currently in orbit of Mercury on MES-

SENGER, with another copy on STERO watching the sun and an additional copy on the Kepler space telescope, a satellite that discovers new planets almost every day. “It is also on its way to Jupiter on Juno” (Juno is a mission to study the gas giant). He lat-er added, “and several others that I for-get where they are.” In short, David’s expanding our dreams while living his own.

“I grew up in the Apollo era,” he said, “so I thought that would be something great to do someday. I was great at science and math and was told that engineering could be a great path to pursue.” Like so many of us here at Arizona State University however, his interests never cumulated into a clear route. “My first attempt at col-lege didn’t go well. I could handle the courses just fine, but just didn’t know

what or where I wanted to go with it,” David said. “To make a long story short, it took me 12 years to realize that I had blown it and started over at college.” Super seniors among us should take note that there is light at the end of the insurmountable tun-nel. “After graduation (from Iowa State. Go Cyclones!) I came to Ari-zona to work for Motorola.” Motor-ola has since been acquired by Gen-eral Dynamics. Once the company training was over, he was picked for

a space electronics group and has never looked back. “So I guess you can say that I fell into it.”

The transponder was built over five years ago, as was all of Curios-ity’s technology, so David had time to implement his work elsewhere. “We have just completed develop-ment of the transponder that will fly on Orion.” Orion is the new manned mission designed after the Constel-lation program was scrapped two years ago. “We are currently build-ing the ones to go into the first test flight in 2014.” NASA’s aim is to use Orion as the retired shuttles replace-ment, and also use it for something the shuttles could never do, deep space flight. The first manned mis-sion for Orion is slated some time away, beyond 2020.

Many argue that the shuttles,

and possible subsequent manned missions, are either too risky, ex-pensive, of little scientific value, or a combination of the three to con-tinue. The man who actually works with this technology has formed his own opinion on the future of space exploration. “I have no issue with sending people back to the moon. We made great technical advances the first time we did that.” A popu-lar misconception is that space ex-ploration offers little to no advance-ment here on Earth. “I do somewhat question the need to go be-yond that. There needs to be a lot more advances done before I think that is a viable option (my opinion). When warp drive is perfected, then maybe. Sometimes I think I was born 100 years too early (beam me up, Scotty).” Those of us clamoring for the future have peo-ple like David Andersen to thank for giving rise to that more glorious dawn. “And besides,” he adds with a hint of boasting, “it is a lot cheaper to send a robot.”

One day we will set foot on that tiny red dot. With sufficient advanc-es in technology we may see all of David’s Martian endeavors: Spirit & Opportunity, Curiosity, the Phoenix Lander and the Orbiter, in a mu-seum with a small tag underneath challenging, ‘Dare Mighty Things’.

Courtesy NASA

September 11, 2012@WEST NEWS www.atwestnews.com 15

By Brandon RiddleSun Devil Football is 2-0 for the sec-

ond time in as many years. Th at’s where the relations between seasons end. Under new coach Todd Graham, ASU has scored 108 points while giving up 20. Th at’s a +88 for you Pythagoras fans. Last season they owned a comfortable +55 point diff eren-tial. So what’s the big deal?

In 2011, fans were treated to the high expectations of then quarterback Osweiler and so called defensive beast Burfi ct. Aft er promises and murmurs of a championship leaked out, they promptly led the team to a sub-mediocre 6-7 season featuring the some acronym bowl game loss.

Th is 2012 team is, well, a team. Th e stars are all gone. Draft ed or undraft ed they went into the NFL, leaving their teammates be-hind, and those teammates, it turns out, are just what coach Graham was looking for.

During the coach’s visit to the West cam-pus last semester, he stressed the ideas of teamwork, chemistry and accountability. Any other coach would have promised the same thing, it’s their job aft er all. “Every-body dreams, everybody has a dream.” Graham said to the crowd last February. “You have a dream of what you want to accomplish. But you got to be willing to work with a passion in your heart. Th at’s the thing I’m telling you, this team will play with tremendous passion.” His character and style reminded me of Billy Bob Th orn-ton in Friday Night Lights — and I thought he’d be eaten alive because of it.

Graham’s promise of teamwork and pas-sion, so far, has more merit than we’re used to seeing here at Arizona State. Against Il-linois, the team gave up only two sacks all night. When starting quarterback Taylor Kelly came out during the second quarter, his teammate, Michael Eubank, tossed two touchdowns. Seven diff erent receivers were targeted, six rushers came from the back line and the defense combined for six sacks. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a team.

Th ere was another thing from the 2011 campaign that was obviously missing from Saturday’s game. Th e Sun Devils commit-ted just two penalties during the sixty min-utes of play. Two. In their second game last season against Missouri, ASU was whistled eleven times for faults like unsportsman-like conduct, facemasks, illegal formations and other simple mental mistakes. When coach Graham said, “our guys are going to be extremely disciplined” we all under-stood that that’s what he’s supposed to say. But none of us would openly admit to be expecting as much.

By Brandon Riddle

Most of us still have adrenaline from watching Michael Phelps only win 18 gold metals in the Summer Olympics. Luckily for us, the Diablo Performance Center, lo-cated in the basement of UCB, is off ering an outlet for our competitive needs.

Th is Th ursday, Sept. 13, the Diablo Per-formance Center is featuring Hantis at the Las Casas Sand Volleyball pit. A hybrid between table tennis and volleyball, Hantis can be played with little to no experience! I suggest checking the game out online and watching the sensation yourself; it looks like a cross between beach soccer and ping

pong, other-wise known as a good time.

Later in the month, the famous 7 on 7 Flag Football League begins. It’s a coed league where games get competitive. Standings and playoff s are oft en decided by the last play, so step up to the pressure like a lucky Tebow and join the league!

If football isn’t manly enough for you, then October is your month. Th e center is hosting a hiking trip through the Spur Cross Ranch on Oct. 6 and, aft er a success-ful fi rst run, the center is bringing back Sparky’s Challenge! It’s a 5 kilometer run followed by fl ag football and “night enter-tainment.” Th ere’s nothing better than en-joying the night while covered in layers of

2012 Sun Devil Fitness If Todd Graham is truly a man of his

word, as he’s proving to be thus far, 2012 will make us all forget about that disaster that was last season.

By A Texas GirlI LOVE the game of chess. Unfortunate-

ly, I am an average player — and that is on a good day. It saddens me. I would love to be a superb player like my brother (in-law) or at least as good as my husband. My brother is an outstanding player. He unnerves me. I cannot play him without breaking into a sweat. My husband used to intimidate me until I fi gured out he has no patience for a long game. He is a speed player. Eureka! If I take my time, he becomes bored and loses concentration — game over, I win. It is not cheating… it is playing strategically… ha!

I had no clue how political the game of chess is until I read “Searching for Bobby Fischer: World of Chess Observed by the Father of a Child Prodigy” by Fred Wait-zkin. Th at was an eye opener not just be-cause of the political insight but for the many variables players use. Some talk, fi dget, ask questions, etc., anything to men-tally distract and/or psych-out the other player. Apparently, you must also memo-rize loads of game openings, patterns and combinations which have names like Sicil-ian Defense and Boden’s Mate. Th e names alone are daunting. Furthermore, to play professionally, you must use a clock. I did that once. Th at was a whirlwind game. Of course, I lost. If I see a clock sitting next to a player, I run in the opposite direction.

Nowadays, I play others via Chess.com, an online website. Playing online allows games to be played instantly or over the course of days or weeks. However, I miss the human interaction of playing in-per-son. Fortunately, I was informed of a chess group that meets near Arrowhead mall. At my fi rst attendance, I won the fi rst game. At my second attendance, I won the fi rst and lost the second. I was evaluated as a very aggressive opener but tethered in the end-game. Th e advice I was given? “Set up your pieces to defend in the opening moves, as well as continue to be aggressive, and you will be a superb player.” Just like everything else, chess involves practice and dedication. If it really meant that much to me, I would make time for it but until I do, I will remain a mediocre player!

A Homage to Chess

sweat. Other mainstays are also present. Th ere’s

bowling later this month, the Volleyball tournament in November, and a slow pitch soft ball tournament. Something else that’s exciting is the new Home Run Derby at the SDFC Fields. Contestants get to put on their best Mike Trout swing and go for the fences!

Th e Turkey Bowl is another main event in November. It’s another coed fl ag foot-ball tournament that, while still competi-tive, doesn’t require any extra testosterone to have a good time. Th en to undo all the turkey and delicious stuffi ng eaten from Th anksgiving, the center is hosting the En-

duro-Devil on Nov. 30. I’m

fairly certain you’ll be as swift as a coursing river aft er competing in that.

Weekly events are also available this year. Activities like yoga, kickboxing and the United Fighters Association are off ered in the aerobics room in the Diablo Perfor-mance Center. You can pick up a schedule at the center and see where you best fi t in!

Can You Be Perfect?

Freshman Adrian Morales Works Out in the Diablo Performance Center

September 11, 2012 @WEST NEWSwww.atwestnews.com