The Collegian Blog

More parking blues.

2007-03-19T06:05:00.000-07:00

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

2007-03-01T17:03:00.000-08:00

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

2007-02-25T21:03:00.001-08:00

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

2007-02-23T15:42:00.000-08:00

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?

2007-02-06T09:36:00.000-08:00

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

2007-01-30T07:09:00.000-08:00

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.

2007-01-29T13:11:00.000-08:00

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.

New library hours for Spring '07

2007-01-26T11:50:00.000-08:00

Monday - Thursday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday 1 p.m. to 8 p.m.

During the library renovation, the study areas in the library are limited to the 1st floor Solarium, the 2nd floor Bridge and the 3rd floor Music & Media Library.

Justin brings his love to the 'No

2007-01-18T16:04:00.000-08:00

Katrina Garcia
News Editor - Spring 2007

I'm not gonna deny it — I love Justin.

I was secretly a huge fan back when he was the heartthrob of 'NSYNC, even though I was a die-hard Backstreet Boys fan. When he went solo, I fell even harder after hearing him sing those profound lyrics, "Senorita, I feeeeeel for you."

So it's no surprise that I think Justin Timberlake's performance last night at the Save Mart Center was one of the best concerts I've attended.

Despite my love for JT, it's hard to believe that anyone who saw him bring sexy back to Fresno could disagree. Not only does he sound just as good live, if not better, he has moves that rival Michael Jackson — the '80s-Thriller MJ, that is. But perhaps his time spent on the piano was what impressed me most. JT proved he has staying power with his piano performance of "What Goes Around...," his latest single. JT also has no problem getting up close and personal with the audience, as he sang thisclose to the front-row fans several times during the concert. Damn those JT fan club members for taking up all the good seats...

The best moment had to be when some front-row fan tried to give Justin a gift. Who knows what was in that shiny red box, wrapped panties, perhaps? (I'll refrain from making any SNL references. I've never blogged on here before, so I don't want to use any words I'm not 100 percent sure I can use.) Timbaland's guest DJ stint was fun too, and a really effective way to keep the predominantly female audience from screaming "Juuus-tin! Juuus-tin!" during the 30-minute intermission. Although some of the songs he mixed were random: The Fray and Coldplay as dance mixes? I guess anything goes at a JT concert. Pink's opening was surprisingly good too. I would definitely not describe myself as a Pink fan, but she got the crowd pumped for JT.

I'm a huge concertgoer, and I've been to many of the shows at SMC. I've seen the "legends" — Elton, Madonna and Prince, among others. And I was really impressed with his 2 1/2 hour performance. I had pretty high expectations of Justin... and he exceeded them. I wouldn't be surprised if years from now, I can list him among the legends I saw.

If you too are a fan of Justin and attended the concert as well, let us know what you thought about it.

What was your favorite moment?

Did you feel like you got your money's worth?

Did more than a total of, like, 11 guys go to the concert?

Are you tired of people using the phrase bringing-something-back?

I know I am.

'Dogs win 34-27 over LA Tech

2006-11-25T22:59:00.000-08:00

Dwayne Wright kept rushing towards victory and racked up a Fresno State record 295 yards in the process.

Wright and the Bulldogs won 34-27 in the final minute of play against Louisiana Tech on Friday, Nov. 24.

With less than three minutes left, LA Tech had tied the game at 27-27 and would have taken the lead, but Danny Horwedel’s extra point hit an upright.

Fresno State maximized on the opportunity, driving 75 yards in 1:27, with a 15-yard completion from quarterback Tom Brandstater to Joe Fernandez, which set up Wright’s game-winning touchdown run.

On the night, Brandstater was 14-of-23, with a career-high three touchdowns. Brandstater threw for a total 142 yards.

Other Fresno State game highlights included two interceptions by Damon Jenkins. Fernandez moved into seventh place for career touchdown receptions at Fresno State. Fernandez has caught 16 touchdown passes.

Fresno State looks to complete its season at San Jose State on Dec. 2.

Football: 'Dogs shut out Vandals 34-0

2006-11-18T19:30:00.000-08:00

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) - Dwayne Wright rushed for 133 yards and Tom Brandstater threw two touchdown passes as Fresno State beat Idaho 34-0 on Saturday, the Bulldogs' first shutout since 2004.

Fresno State (3-7, 3-3 Western Athletic Conference) gained 290 of its 399 total yards on the ground. The Bulldogs did not allow Idaho (4-7, 3-4) inside the red zone.

Anthony Harding and Lonyae Miller helped the Bulldogs pad their lead in the second half with touchdown runs of 39 and 20 yards, respectively.

Brandstater completed 13 of 24 passes for 109 yards in leading the Bulldogs to their second straight victory following a seven-game losing streak. He was intercepted twice.

Brian Flowers rushed for 114 yards for Idaho, which dropped its fourth straight. The Vandals crossed midfield just three times, penetrating no deeper than Fresno State's 36.

Football: 'Dogs win 23-18

2006-11-11T21:40:00.000-08:00

Fresno State Bulldogs 23 - New Mexico State Aggies 18

Back to where we started ... and Wright's better

2006-11-02T16:55:00.000-08:00

The Fresno State football team suffered another devastating loss Wednesday night, but in case you didn't notice, we've got another quarterback controversy on our hands. Sean Norton, (the 5-foot-11 quarterback who actually is that tall, contrary to nearly every other report) didn't do much wrong, but Pat Hill turned to Tom Brandstater for a spark in the second half of the 45-21 loss. You could argue that the spark was given, but there is no doubt that Norton has been the better performer of the two, despite his limited playing time.

As of now, nobody knows who the starter will be for the Bulldogs' next game against New Mexico State Nov. 11. One thing is for sure, the fans have already made their choice, so if Brandstater is chosen, any wrong decision will earn him a chorus of boos. This should be an interesting development.

Part II

All of that Heisman talk for Boise State running back Ian Johnson can stop. Fresno State running back Dwayne Wright outclassed Johnson with a dominating 5.1 yard per carry effort, with half of the room to run with. Wright's physical running style, which includes running straight over opponents on his way to picking up the extra yardage, is my preferred way of running. Johnson, with seven more carries, earned 139 yards for a 5.7 average, but did it without having to break any tackles. Instead he would run through gaping holes and sprint for 10 yards before being tackled. Don't get me wrong, Johnson is a good back, but he is not in the same sentence as Wright, nor will he be.

Bulldogs Fall To No. 14 Boise State, 45-21

2006-11-01T23:41:00.000-08:00

BOISE, Idaho (Associated Press) - Jared Zabransky threw with efficiency, Ian Johnson found the end zone twice and No. 14 Boise State dominated Fresno State on a national stage Wednesday night.

Zabransky passed for 180 yards and three touchdowns, Johnson rushed for 136 yards and the Broncos routed the Bulldogs 45-21.

Overshadowed much of the season by Johnson - the national leader in touchdowns - Zabransky directed the Broncos (9-0, 5-0 WAC) to scores on three consecutive possessions in the first half. He also led scoring drives the first two times Boise State had the ball in the second half.

Take away a kneel-down on the last play of the first half, and Boise State reached the end zone on five straight possessions, outscoring Fresno State 35-0 during the stretch. Zabransky completed 19 of 25 passes and added another 57 yards rushing.

The Broncos were ranked 14th in this week's BCS standings, and need to finish in the top 12 of the final poll to become the second team from a non-BCS conference to land a berth in one of the big-money bowl games.

With representatives from the Fiesta, Sugar and Orange bowls in attendance, the Broncos were overpowering for three quarters, then Johnson finished off the Bulldogs (1-7, 1-3) with an impressive final drive.

Fresno State lost its seventh straight since opening the season with a 28-19 win over Nevada. It's the first time the Bulldogs have lost seven straight in one season since 1929.

Contained to mostly 5- and 6-yard gains, Johnson busted a 32-yard run down to the Fresno State 2 midway through the fourth quarter, carrying Bulldogs defenders the final 10 yards. He capped the drive with a 2-yard plunge, his 20th touchdown of the season.

Johnson also scored from 3 yards in the second quarter and had 24 carries.

Zabransky matched a season-high with the three TD passes, the first a perfect 28-yard strike on the run to Drisan James on the last play of the first quarter. He added an 8-yard pass to Vinny Perretta and a 4-yard TD to Jerard Rabb.

Fresno State's offense never got on track with sophomore quarterback Sean Newton making his second career start. The Bulldogs were outgained 138-12 in the first quarter and 248-62 in the first half.

Fresno State finally broke Boise State's scoring run when backup QB Tom Brandstater threw a 20-yard TD to Joe Fernandez late in the third quarter.

The Bulldogs pulled within 38-21 with 14:02 left when Damon Jenkins intercepted a Zabranksky pass and returned it 56 yards for a score. It was the first interception of the season for Fresno State, the last team in Division I-A without one.

Chastin West returning a kickoff 93 yards in the first quarter to give Fresno State a 7-3 lead.

Football: Norton to start against LSU

2006-10-16T14:08:00.000-07:00

Coach Pat Hill announced today that sophomore Sean Norton will be the starting quarterback for Saturday's game against No. 14 Louisiana State.

Final Score: Hawaii 68, Fresno State 37

2006-10-15T01:23:00.000-07:00

It’s like the Gods of Fresno State football said, "Fine, you can have the offense it you want it, but now I want the defense.”

Because rock bottom was already hit last weekend at Utah State, the Bulldogs were fortunate in the sense that even though they lost 68-37, rock bottom didn’t get any deeper.

It seems as though the Bulldogs have found their quarterback in Sean Norton, but defense now has an illness that won’t allow fundamental tackling. Maybe that problem was already there and wasn’t noticed because of the former offensive woes, but now that it’s noticed, it needs to be fixed — and fast.

Bottom line is though, there is much to build upon for the Fresno State football team, but we’ll see how adept the Bulldogs are at reconstruction.

So far, they haven’t done very well.

— Collegian sports editor Darrell Copeland III

'Dogs Lose to Previously Winless Utah 12-13

2006-10-07T20:47:00.000-07:00

For those of you keeping track, we've lost eight of the last nine football games, if you include the bowl game against nationally-recognized football powerhouse Tulsa University. They're so feared that I hadn't even heard of them until we faced them.

Most of our recent losses have all been within a touchdown, thankfully, so at least we lost to one of the "10 worst teams in the country" with some pride.

Conference play, we're still 1-1. For those not keeping track, we might turn it around to a WAC title, but only if we beat the rest of the teams in the conference, including respectable, quality teams like Boise and Hawai'i.

How likely do you think that is, considering how respectable our quality is this year?

How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Blog

2006-09-28T10:33:00.000-07:00

I like blogs.

The sort of blog I suppose many of you are most familiar with - which is also my personal favorite - is the type with amusing personal anecdotes or observations, the sort that would have serious discussions about the best Deep Space Nine episode.

Too often, though, these blogs are just plain bad. I know I could do without, perhaps, the vague rants about how much the author hates traitors and backstabbers, or the bulletins with fifty things-you-never-knew-about-me-unless-you-read-the-last-survey-I-posted.

Leave the petty squabbles and inane trivia to Myspace, I say. That's what it's there for.

Of course, there are also blogs that talk about important things that actually matter. They have their place.

For example: I don’t know about you, but that whole business with the National Intelligence Estimate and the Iraq War might be a little mention-worthy. Something that's a little more important than, say, the death of the world’s heaviest monarch.

Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t understand the appeal of reading a blog unless it really has something going for it. Anyone can write on a blog, so the appeal of writing on a blog is easy enough to understand – that’s just a matter of human nature.

People like to spout off their opinions. Annoying one’s fellow man is a most noble hobby. You read it here first.

Maybe if a blog had something really special, something that lets it carve out its own niche in the wall of Online Time-Wasting, it could be really good. Political blogs, of course, never grow tiresome – except when they do – but they nearly always meet with success if they’re well-written and well-marketed.

You might dismiss entertainment blogs for either being an internet gossip column or for being preoccupied generating unwarranted hype all over the place, but because an entertainment blog gave us Snakes on a Plane as we know it, I really can’t get too mad.

Maybe, then, the best sort of blog is the sort that melds these all together. Multiple contributors, all talking about some thing or another – a smorgasbord of topics and references. You’d never know what you’d be getting when you check it out, but you’ll know that it’ll be something worth checking out.

That's the sort of thing you can expect to read on - drumroll, please - this very blog. That is, a little bit of everything. From self-important opinion articles provided by yours truly to insightful commentary on things that actually matter, it will all be here for your reading pleasure.

Best of all, as a direct result of how I'm not the only contributor, I just know we’ll have something more worthwhile than how much fun "Trials and Tribble-ations" is. I know I won't.

Football: 'Dogs fall to Washington 20-21

2006-09-16T18:47:00.000-07:00

Fresno State 20 - Washington 21

Blogging Coming Soon!

2006-09-08T00:22:00.000-07:00

Keep your browsers pointed to this spot for future blogging from The Collegian's opinion editor Alan Ouellette, sports editor Darrell Copeland III, associate editor Bradley Hart and columnist Ben Baxter. Coming soon!