Athletics allows you to place your bets

By Sarah Gaskins
Staff Writer

Those of you who are twenty-one or older and have yet to make plans for the upcoming weekend should definitely consider attending CSUB's 14th annual Casino Night.
The festivities will take place this Friday, February 6 from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. in the CSUB Icardo Center. The theme is Casino Night in the Islands, so anyone who is planning on joining in on the celebrations should be sure to sport their finest 'Island' attire.
Upon arrival to the event, attendees will be provided with dinner catered by Outback Steakhouse. For dessert, guests will be able to choose from among a variety of pies from Marie Callender's.
Attendees will also be able to indulge in different flavors of ice cream. In addition, there will be beverage stations placed throughout different areas of the Icardo Center.
The focal points of the evening will center upon both the silent and live auctions that will take place throughout the night. The auctions will showcase a wide array of items ranging from and pertaining to travel, entertainment, food and yes, that's right ladies, jewelry. CSUB's Director of Special Events, Mark Mayes, estimated that there will be over 400 items up for bidding in the silent auction.
The live auction on the other hand will consist of fewer, yet more extravagant items. Such items up for bidding will include custom built cabinetry at a value of $10,000, Hawaii vacations, Golfing Trips to San Diego and Phoenix, a LASIK Eye Procedure from Fritch Eye Care, Unique Gourmet Dinners and a Piaggio scooter valued at $3,000.
All the items that will be displayed and auctioned off are donations kindly given by people and companies, not only from around Bakersfield, but from farther areas as well. With this said, it is great to see both the community of Bakersfield and our neighboring communities make generous contributions towards this event even in times of economic doubt.
Not only will people be able to take part in bidding for items in the auctions, but they will also be encouraged to play blackjack in an effort to win prizes during the drawings that will eventually be held towards the end of the night.
Why host a Casino Night you wonder?
"This event raises much needed dollars to help support our student-athlete scholarship fund," said Mayes. In other words, all the proceeds that are generated throughout the course of the night go to the student-athlete scholarship program here at CSUB.
Mayes, as well as the many other members of the Athletic Department, initially begin to plan and organize this event every year during the month of October. It is clear to see that a lot of time, effort and preparation are needed to carry out this event and to make it a success.
In describing the preparation aspects of Casino Night, Mayes states that "finding a date that works for not only the event, but working around the busy schedules that our various teams have going on," is a factor that must be taken into consideration. Mayes also shares that designing and producing promotional materials, sponsorship opportunities, auction procurement forms and event tickets are also tasks that must be accomplished while planning this particular event.
He also states that "going through previous auction donation forms and identifying potential donors" are duties that must be taken care of in order to even have auction items.
While Casino Night truly does take a lengthy time to both plan and execute, the effects it produces are worthwhile. Not only is it for a good cause, but guests and attendees always seem to really enjoy themselves.
Tickets for CSUB's Casino Night are available at www.gorunners.com or can be purchased in the Athletic Department offices in the Icardo Center on campus. Pre-sale tickets run for $30 and tickets at the door amount to $35.

Update on ASi concert event

By Brooke Borgerson
Staff Writer

Runners can expect a big bang for the end of the school year. The ASI is currently in the process of planning a spring concert event called "The Show," set to take place in the CSUB Amphitheatre on May 16, 2009.
While ASI President Carlos Ortiz was unable to provide many specifics such as who will be performing and costs of the event, he assures the "ASI is in the process of working out the logistics of the event and it is moving forward steadily."
The problems are trying to book artists. Many bands will not book a show until about two months before the performance date for reasons of possible schedule changes.
At the ASI Board of Directors Meeting on January 30, 2009, when asked what genres were being looked at for the concert, Ortiz suggested musicians similar to John Legend, Ne-Yo and Paramore. The ASI hopes to have both mainstream and local bands in attendance.
Though the ASI is very hopeful in a favorable outcome for "The Show," if they cannot find enough artists to perform there is a plan B: a carnival-style affair to take place on the same date. However, Ortiz promises he is "not giving up."

CSUB still has plenty of GSTs to go around

By Amber Smith
Staff Writer

CSUB students do not need to worry about a shortage of one and two unit General Studies classes (GSTs). There are still many GST classes available for students, despite the July 2008 staff union contract extension that made staff no longer eligible to teach GST classes.
Contrary to what some may have heard, the decision to not allow staff to teach was actually decided by the staff themselves-the staff union at least.
First off, the main differences between faculty and staff are that faculty usually have PhDs or Master's Degrees, are regular teachers and receive a higher salary than staff. Staff usually interact with students on a regular basis in different offices on campus. For example, some former GST teachers included counselors and staff from the office for students with disabilities.
According to the actual contract addendum, the staff union contract was extended in July of 2008 and added the stipulation that "non-credit bearing courses" would qualify as classes worthy of faculty status and pay. The previous contract did not include non-credit bearing courses, so staff were allowed to teach them.
Patrick Choi, a member of local union staff unit four, the union responsible for the decision, said that the decision was made by the union and the board of trustees for the CSUs. When asked why the union decided to ask for more money, Choi only said, "We feel that it should be a faculty responsibility."
Dr. John Dirkse, associate vice president of academic programs, said that CSUB was notified of the union's decision the week before classes began for the Fall 2008 quarter. "It was a blow to us," said Dirkse.
It is well known that CSUB, and all other CSUs, are in a huge budget crunch right now and do not have a lot of extra money lying around.
"The staff union decided they wouldn't let their members teach classes anymore without increased pay. If we could afford it, we would love to continue to have the staff teach," said Dirkse.
Dirkse also said that, to the best of his knowledge, almost all staff members he knew of would have still been willing to teach these classes without the pay increase. "Just about every single one of them said they would gladly do it without the pay. They've really been going above and beyond, already for many years," Dirkse said.
Choi said he did not know of any staff members that would be willing to teach without the pay, and repeated, "We feel it should be a faculty responsibility."
Regardless of what staff was willing to do, their new contract will not let them teach, period.
Despite the small reduction in GSTs, they are still in abundance. Just this Winter Quarter alone there are 21 GST courses being offered. Some of those classes available help students improve their academic fitness, their parenting skills or their ability to manage stress.
Dirkse did say that a few classes were lost, but only around three or four. One of those happened to be a general studies class titled Cinco de Mayo. Dirkse did not specify how many students were disrupted by the loss of GST 142 Cinco de Mayo.
Dirkse did go on to say that, despite previous reports, students can still fulfill their financial aid unit requirements with the available GSTs. To qualify for full-time status with FAFSA, a student must be enrolled in at least 12 units. Because of the uniqueness of CSUB and its quarter system, many students wanting to take the bare minimum course load would need to take two five-unit courses and one two-unit course. That option is still readily available through the 21 GST courses still offered.
Students could even go a step farther and take three five-unit courses and avoid any possible GST mishaps. By taking three or more five-unit classes instead of a GST, students are actually making progress towards their degree. GSTs are for a student's personal betterment and do not work towards that student's major, minor or general education requirements.
Dirkse, and other faculty, overcame the obstacles that resulted from the staff union's decision by keeping the GST classes available. The classes are now taught by MPPs, or management professionals. These individuals have more responsibilities than the staff, are not part of a union and receive a higher salary.
MPP faculty include counselors, assistant directors and librarians, to name a few.
Dirkse said that, from what he knows, there are no immediate plans for an MPP union.

Gun sales rise in Bakersfield

By Rachel Leach
Staff Writer

Gene Thome of Bear Mountain Sports here in Bakersfield is having a difficult time staying on top of all the orders he is getting on guns, ammo and gear. He has been very busy and is working hard to keep a full stock of all products in his store.
When asked if he has seen a rise in gun sales, he assured me they had. "Oh yeah," he said. "They've gone up about 400 percent."
He said that people are stocking up mostly due to the recent election of our new President. "It's because of Obama and his past voting record. He's been anti-gun and because of that, he'll probably make another attempt at even more gun bans."
The firearms-purchasing frenzy is good news for Gene and his store and even gun stores nationwide; business is definitely booming. Corrections officer, Elliott Hopkins, of the Pelican Bay Correctional Facility said he too has noticed a significant increase in the amount of guns and ammunition sales not only in Bakersfield but statewide.
"Sales are up everywhere; I think that a lot of people are worried that the new administration is going to take away the rights of gun owners." Hopkins says that the actual price of the firearms has gone up as well.
That does not seem to be stopping anyone though. Most people apparently haven't minded spending more money on their purchases so long as they still have their 2nd Amendment rights. It makes sense that the sky rocketing gun sales is a result of the election of Barack Obama. It's doubtful that it's just sheer coincidence that since his election firearms sales have increased up to 400 percent just in Bakersfield. Besides, he's got the voting record to prove it; can't argue with that.
In fact, Chris Cox of the NRA had an interview with Fox News toward the end of the presidential campaign. He said that numerous times Obama has promised to protect an individual's rights to own guns. His own campaign website, which is still up, says in a section titled "Sportsmen," that he will do whatever it takes to protect those rights. However, according to Chris Cox Obama has voted to ban single shot and double barrel shotguns, supported a 500 percent tax increase on guns and ammunition and even supported criminal prosecution for those who use their firearms in self defense.
"People are buying up guns in fear that their rights will be taken away. And they should be worried." (You can watch this interview by doing a simple search on foxnews.com). These readily available facts are what seem to be fueling the locals to head over to their nearest gun shop.
Local gun enthusiast and avid hunter, Alex Valov, said that he and his fellow sportsmen are genuinely worried about the new President's ideology regarding the 2nd Amendment. He said, "The whole city of Bakersfield must feel the exact same. I had to buy my gun in San Luis." The shops he went to in town were sold out of the particular firearm he was looking for. It's no secret that gun sales have increased in light of the new administration's anti-gun history. The potential expansion upon past and even current laws has obviously driven the multitudes into a buying frenzy of firearms and ammo that could be soon outlawed. Local gun owners still remain positive though. They are hopeful that the new administration will recognize the 2nd Amendment and respect the rights that are entailed.

Practice officially starts for Runner baseball

By Phillip Barnett
Editor in Chief

Last Sunday was the first day the NCAA allowed Division I teams to begin baseball practice, and it also marked the first official practice for the inaugural season of the baseball program.
The team began their first official practice at about 10 a.m. on a beautiful day. The media watched as pitchers showed off their arms and position players fielded in myriad drills, but this isn't the first time the team has been together.
"We trained them how to practice during the fall. I think the most important thing we learned during the fall was learning how to practice," said head coach Bill Kernen. "Guys come in to this level from high school and junior college and they have no idea how to practice as a top world class trained athlete - and they shouldn't. It's not a criticism, they just have no way of knowing that until they get here."
The team spent the Fall working out with their coaches and played six exhibition games against junior college teams and spent the previous two months holding practices without the coaches.
"The coaches weren't allowed to give us instruction so we took over running the practices doing all of the stuff we needed to do to get better," said Mickey Jannis, a right handed junior college pitcher from Allan Hancock College. "From the Fall all of the players know what to expect, so we basically run it on our own."
Jannis is one of 11 junior college transfers along side 13 true freshmen who make up the roster that will be opening the season on Feb. 20 against St. Louis University on their new field that was theoretically morphed from a lot of dirt into a pristine baseball diamond in a matter of months.
As of right now, there is no power around the facility, nor are there no bleachers or water. However, Kernen noted that "The power will be in next week. We have 500 chair back seats that are going to be on a bleacher structure kind of an arrangement. There will be three sections between the two dugouts.
"Everything is a work in progress outside of these fences. There will be restroom facilities for the fans, there will be concessions here with different vendors ... there might even be a Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream vendor out here."
Erik Draxton, another right handed junior college transfer pitcher had a different perspective on the field: "From a players perspective I feel we have all we need. We have dirt, a mound, bases - we're ready to go.
"We've been involved with the progress with of the field. We've helped with the sod and certain things with the bullpins. I think the more we put our sweat and time into this field the more we're going to appreciate it. For all of the people who donated to have this finished, it's been very appreciated."
Time and effort put into this field aren't the only things some of the guys on the first CSUB baseball team have sacrificed. Since the school is still in the process of moving to Division I, the team will not be eligible to participate in any postseason play until the 2011 season - meaning the junior college transfers will end their college playing careers without playing any post season games.
"I felt that the risks actually didn't out weigh the potential gains," said Draxton. "I weighed the risks versus the gains, and I felt like I had more to gain than I had to lose.
Coach Kernen really sold me on, 'if you want to go pro, I can help you do that.' I really believe that's what he's going to help me do. I felt that the other programs didn't really have much to offer to me."
Jannis got offered a scholarship to play for the defending World Series Champion Fresno State Bulldogs, but opted to come to Bakersfield and play for Kernen.
"It was between here and Fresno State," said Jannis on his decision to come to CSUB. "For me it was the coaching. All of these guys have experience in the College World Series and taking guys to the next level, and that's what I wanted to do. I'm happy with the choice that I made. I like these coaches and the guys on this team."
Opening day is rapidly approaching, but the team doesn't plan on changing things up too much between now and their opener on the 20th.
"We plan to keep doing what we have been doing," said Brandon Boren, a Bakersfield native who went to Stockdale High School and Bakersfield College. "We need to practice the same way every day. Even in the individual work we need to practice like it's a game."
Their home opener will be on Feb. 20 at 2 p.m. at Tom Hardt field at the southwest end of the campus. An hour before the game, the field will be dedicated in the name of Tom and Barbara Hardt for their generous donations, time and effort in making sure that the team had a field to play on.