More parking blues.

Attention Students:

Thursday, March 22nd, the southern part of Lot V (northwest corner of Woodrow and Shaw avenues, across from the Student Rec Center) will be closed as preliminary work begins on a photovoltaic parking structure project. Students are encouraged to utilize Lot Y on the north side of Barstow Avenue, and Lot S south of the football stadium. Additional parking will be made available during construction. Please see the link to the map at for exact locations.

http://www.fresnostatenews.com/2007/03/LotVParkingMapUpdate.pdf.

The project includes renovating and paving the lot surface, building parking shelters for more than 700 spaces and putting electricity-generating solar panels on top of the parking shelters. Access to the northern portion of the lot will be available until mid-April. As work progresses, the entire lot will be closed. The work is expected to be complete by the beginning of the fall semester.

If you have any questions you may leave a message on the campus traffic hotline at 278-6040.

Upcoming career development events

CAMPUS WIDE INTERNSHIP and CAREER EXPO 2007
Sponsored by Career Services

Tuesday, March 13 at the Save Mart Center * 12:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

• Network with over 150 organizations for jobs, internships and summer positions
• Check the web for advice, door prize details and participating organization and sponsor information ( www.fresnostatecareers.com)
• Dress to Impress
• Bring plenty of resumes

WEEK of MARCH 12TH
Sponsored by Career Services

Monday, March 12: Resume Doctor
Free Speech Area 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Bring your resume in for a quick check-up

Monday, March 12: Interview Savvy Panel
UBC, Room 101 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Employer panel presentation and guidance on successful interviewing

Tuesday, March 13: Internship and Career Expo 2007/Grad Fair
Save Mart Center 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Wednesday, March 14: Grad Fair
Kennel Bookstore 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Wednesday, March 14: Dining Success Dinner
University Restaurant from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Enjoy a 3-course meal while learning how to impress a potential
Employer during a meal or special event. Purchase tickets in advance at
Career Services by 3/09. Tickets are $8 each.

Thursday, March 15: Mock Interviews
Smittcamp Alumni House from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Practice your interviewing skills with a career counselor or
Employer volunteer.

Oscar Night

Is there a better chance to bag on celebrities than on Hollywood’s most bizarre and over touted night of the year? And where besides the Oscars can you find someone wearing half million-dollar shoes?

While I do not profess to be a connoisseur of haute couture, I think I have a general idea of what looks good and what looks bad. Or very bad. And so I am off to do Joan Rivers proud.

We start with Jennifer Hudson. Hudson, who was nominated in the supporting actress category for “Dreamgirls,” topped what seemed like an okay gown with a short silver jacket. The comments in our office ranged from “she’ll be okay when she time travels to the year 3000” to “it looks like she is trying to power a solar energy device” — was this part of the plan for going green? Also Hudson needs to get her hands out of her pockets – most unprofessional.

The overwhelming trend for this year’s Oscars seems to have been “sparkly” or “shiny,” with many actresses including Cate Blanchett, Helen Mirren and Kirsten Dunst going for a look that is reminiscent of the bedazzler days.

Despite Mirren’s overly glittery appearance, her dress was elegant and may we say, age-appropriate. Also careful was 10-year-old Abigail Breslin, nominated for “Little Miss Sunshine,” who looked exactly what she is — a young girl having a lot of fun in a fairytale dress.

Prominent on the red carpet were form-fitting gowns and long trains a la Gwyneth Paltrow, which is a classic if impractical look. Asymmetrical necklines were also popular.

All in all, most of the actress seemed overdone in some way – with either to many frills (Penelope Cruz), too many bows (Anne Hathaway), or too much lace (Rinko Kikuchi of “Babel”). However, a few kept it classy such as Kate Winslet who wore a demure sea foam green gown.

Not to forget the men, most of them seemed to sticking to what they know – a basic black tux, for which we are all thankful. Eddie Murphy looked strikingly awkward in a dark slate blue. The normally extraordinary Peter O’Toole (“Venus”) may have taken things bit too far with his smoking jacket-inspired eveningwear. Some nominees such as Ken Watanabe (“Letters from Iwo Jima”) chose to pair classic suits with colored ties.

This may be a brief, non-objective and most unfair analysis, so please chime in. Do you disagree — in your opinion did Penelope Cruz not look like a cake?

The night kicked off with a brief piece of several of the nominees talking about their nomination and generally making fun of themselves. But the night really got started with host Ellen DeGeneres, a tambourine and a gospel choir.

With the exception of best supporting actor (Alan Arkin) and best supporting actress (Jennifer Hudson) primarily technical categories’ winners have been announced so far — “Pan’s Labyrinth” is off to a good start, the ones that everyone waits to see come after bedtime. And who wants to wait up for that?

Please send us your Oscar thoughts. Tell us what you thought was the good, the bad and the ugly.

No parking

On Monday February 26, 2007 the Save Mart Center north lot will be closed to general parking due to an event that evening.

Students who have class on the east side of campus are encouraged to use Maple Avenue to access Lots A & J.

Barstow Avenue will become one way westbound between Willow & Woodrow Avenues beginning at 3:30 p.m.

University Police Department Traffic Operations Officers and signage will be posted as necessary.

If you have any questions you may leave a message on the campus traffic hotline at 278-6040

Ja'Vance dismissed. Why, and now what?

Sometimes a Fresno State Athletic Department press conference raises more questions than they are designed to answer.

This was the case Monday evening on our campus.

Ja’Vance Coleman, a starter for and integral part of the Fresno State men’s basketball program has been dismissed from the team for what Fresno State coach Steve Cleveland sited as "violating athletic department rules."

Collegian Sports Editors Jeff Christian and Darrell Copeland III cover the story online here and you can view video of the announcement by coach Cleveland here.

What Coleman did exactly to get kicked off the team is still a mystery. The Athletic Department won't say.

Regardless, the team going forward will be different.

The line-up, game strategy, plays called and minutes played by some of the other "role" players all need adjusting now by the coaching staff.

Will the fans that normally attend the home games adjust as well?

Does never seeing Coleman hit the game winning bucket with seconds left on the game clock or never seeing him embarrass a defender with an ankle-breaking cross-over change fans' motivation to go to a game?

Leave your opinion by clicking on "comments" below.

Let the word be heard

Thursday is Art Hop night and Fresno State's Master of Fine Arts program will team with the Fresno Poets' Association to sponsor a poetry reading from Philip Levine.

Levine is a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet who also happens to be one of the founders of the Fresno State creative writing program, a professor emeritus of English and has taught poetry at Fresno State for four decades.

Levine's reading begins at 7:30 p.m. inside the Fresno Art Museum’s Bonner Auditorium.

Admission is $4 for students with a valid I.D. and as an added bonus, because the event is being held on Art Hop night, admission to the museum is free.

Are you going? Post a comment of your thoughts on the reading if you happen to make the event.

Add a class, drop a class.

According to the The Registrar's Office:

Tuesday, January 30, 2007 is the last day to add or drop a class without permission.

ADDS:
After Tuesday, January 30 all adds will have to be done with a permission number. The last day to add a class with a permission number for the spring semester is Tuesday, February 13. No exceptions after this date!

DROPS:
After Tuesday, January 30 all drops will have to be done using a change of program card obtained from the Admissions, Records and Evaluations Office. From Wednesday, January 31 through Tuesday, February 13 all drops will require the approval of your instructor. Beginning Wednesday, February 14 through Tuesday, April 17 all drops must be of a serious and compelling reason and will need the approval of the instructor and School/College Dean.