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Chapman baseball opens NCAA Division III World Series on Friday vs. Washington & Jefferson

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The Chapman University baseball team opens the NCAA Division III baseball championships in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Friday at 8 a.m. PT against Washington & Jefferson College of Washington, Pa.

The Panthers (38-11) are making their 15th postseason appearance since joining Division III in 1995, but it’s their first CWS trip in eight years. They advanced to the eight-team, double-elimination World Series by sweeping Concordia University (of Texas) in a best-of-three super regional last weekend, taking the decisive game in walk-off fashion at Hart Park in Orange.

“It’s great for us to have a chance to play in the series,” said Chapman coach Scott Laverty, who took over the program three years ago. “It’s been a while since we have, and this will be a phenomenal experience for the players, for the seniors who have worked hard to get here and the younger players to be a part of this as a learning experience.”

Chapman won its only other Division III national title in 2003, but the program has enjoyed plenty of success beyond that. Chapman’s 1968 team won the Division II crown, the school’s first-ever national title in any sport. Once the Panthers transitioned to Division III in 1995, more success followed with CWS appearances in 1997, 2000 (finishing third) and 2001. The Panthers made six more CWS appearances after the 2003 title, including a third-place finish in 2006 and a runner-up finish in 2011.

These sixth-ranked Panthers are led by stingy pitching. Senior right-hander Tyler Peck (7-3, 1.72 ERA) leads Division III with 150 strikeouts in 104-1/3 innings, and sophomore closer Nick Garcia, also a right-hander, has nine saves and a 0.56 ERA in 48 innings. Peck and Garcia were named first-team All-Americans by D3baseball.com and added the same honor from the American Baseball Coaches Association on Thursday.

In the postseason, Laverty has leaned on the duo in the clinching game in each round. Peck went six innings in Game 5 against Whitman (Wash.) College then handed the ball to Garcia for the final nine outs. They used a similar formula in Game 2 of the Super Regional against Concordia last weekend. The Panthers walked off in the bottom of the ninth in both games as the duo combined for a 0.50 ERA and 24 strikeouts.

Tristan Kevitch and Jarod Penniman have paced the Chapman offense during its postseason run. After hitting .266 in the regular season, Kevitch is batting .556 (15 for 27) with five doubles and a home run in the playoffs. Penniman, a smooth-fielding shortstop, is hitting .444 (12 for 27) in the postseason and scored on a wild pitch to end the super regional.

“We knew we had a good team, and this was in our sites,” Laverty said of the CWS.

Washington & Jefferson is one of just two teams in the field (Webster, Mo. is the other) that did not play a home game during regional or super regional competition.

The Presidents swept their way through a regional at 12th-ranked Salisbury (Md.) University and swept super regional host Misericordia (Pa.) University to earn their second World Series berth in three seasons. The Presidents (37-11) are 16-2 in their last 18 road games, have won eight straight games overall and 34 of their last 38 overall.

The Presidents are led by a trio of seniors at the top of their lineup: center fielder Dante Dalesandro (.360 batting average, .459 on-base percentage, .522 slugging percentage, 41 RBIs, 14 stolen bases), second baseman Mullen Socha (eight HRs, 18 doubles, .600 slugging percentage, 49 RBIs, 51 runs scored, 14 stolen bases) and left fielder James Artale (seven HRs, 44 RBIs, .551 slugging percentage).

Junior right-hander Ben Marsico (11-1, 3.29 ERA) anchors a Washington & Jefferson pitching staff that includes senior right-handers Mitchell Taufer (3-0, 0.83 ERA, 32-2/3 innings) and Clay Martin (11 saves, five in the postseason) at the back of the bullpen.

Chapman will play its second game at 8 a.m. or 11:15 a.m. PT on Saturday, depending on the outcome of Friday’s opener.

The winner of the four-team double-elimination Pool A, which also includes 18th-ranked Webster and 23rd-ranked UMass-Boston, will advance to the best-of-three championship series against the Pool B winner. Pool B consists of No. 7 Babson (Mass.) College, No. 22 Johns Hopkins University (Md.), No. 15 Birmingham Southern (Ala.) College and Heidelberg (Ohio) University.

Tyler (of Texas) won the 2018 title in its first trip to the CWS. The Patriots swept Texas Lutheran in the best-of-three series 8-1 and 9-6 in Appleton, Wisc., where the tournament was played from 2000-2018.

DIVISION III COLLEGE WORLD SERIES

All games at Veterans Memorial Stadium, Cedar Rapids, Iowa; all times are PT

Friday

BRACKET 1:

Game 1: Chapman (38-11) vs. Washington & Jefferson (37-11), 8 a.m.

Game 2: Webster (37-11) vs. UMass-Boston (35-12), 11:15 a.m.

BRACKET 2:

Game 3: Babson (38-8) vs. John Hopkins (35-11), 2:30 p.m.

Game 4: Birmingham Southern (39-13) vs. Heidelberg (35-13), 5:45 p.m.

Saturday

BRACKET 1:

Game 5: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2, 8 a.m.

Game 6: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2, 11:15 a.m.

BRACKET 2:

Game 7: Loser of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4, 2:30 p.m.

Game 8: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4, 5:45 p.m.

Sunday

Game 9: Loser of Game 6 vs. Winner of Game 5, 8 a.m.

Game 10: Loser of Game 8 vs. Winner of Game 7, 11:15 a.m.

Game 11: Winner of Game 6 vs. Winner of Game 9, 2:30 p.m.

Game 12: Winner of Game 8 vs. Winner of Game 10, 5:45 p.m.

Monday*

Game 13 (if nec.): Winner of Game 11 vs. Loser of Game 11 , 10 a.m.

Game 14 (if nec.)**: Winner of Game 12 vs. Loser of Game 12, 10 a.m. or 1:30 p.m.

* Should neither of these game go to the “if necessary” game, the best-of-3 championship series begins at 10 a.m.

** If Game 13 is not necessary, Game 14 will be played at 10 a.m.

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California home prices called ‘rational’ when climate is factored in

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Everyone knows a key reason you pay up for California housing is the impressive climate.

Chapman University researchers now have some math to prove it.

Veteran economist Jim Doti and some of his students set out to see how county-by-county home values looked when traditional metrics — median selling prices and income levels from 2016 — were mathematically meshed with unorthodox ones — a U.S. Department of Agriculture “natural amenities” score and the proximity to the Pacific Ocean.

As Doti noted, “Location. Location. Location.”

Chapman’s “amenities factor” revealed significant variations in housing’s “overvaluation” or “undervaluation” throughout the state. However, the statewide median valuation for the 39 large counties studied was 0.5 percent — a sign statewide housing is fairly priced.

“Prices may be high but they are rational,” Doti concluded.

Most overpriced was Santa Clara County, where Chapman’s amenities factor showed the typical home was priced 25 percent too high. Santa Barbara County was next, scored 22 percent too high. 

Looking for a bargain? Try Placer County where home values are 44 percent too low, the largest discount in the study. Humboldt County was next in undervaluation, 31 percent too low.

Here’s how key Southern California counties fared by this math: estimated value vs. median selling price; the gap in valuation; and ranking among 39 counties …

San Bernardino County: Its $267,901 valuation compared to a $243,007 median — meaning 10 percent undervalued. The four-county region’s best and No. 8 statewide.

Orange County: $710,219 valuation vs. $733,113 median — meaning 3 percent overvalued. Rank: No. 23.

Los Angeles County: $475,497 valuation vs. $493,739 median — or 4 percent overvalued. State rank: No. 25.

Riverside County: $319,213 valuation vs. $350,717 median –or 4 percent overvalued. State rank: No. 32.

Chapman’s latest forecast says the economic future for California looks bright — unless a trade war breaks out.

The forecast sees continued strong job growth through the rest of the year with construction and trade-related industries leading the way.

Housing construction should grow this year to the fastest pace since the Great Recession. It’s an “adequate” level of building, says Chapman economist Jim Doti, that should meet expected growth in jobs and population.

But that housing production won’t make much of a dent in pricing, Doti says. “Affordability is rearing its head in many issues.”

More worrisome is California’s status as the nation’s top state for international trade, with China and Mexico the top foreign business partners. Doti warns that if current frictions between the U.S. and its trading allies intensifies, “a trade war will hit California hard.”

Here’s a summary of Chapman’s forecast for 2018 vs. last year’s results for key economic variables …

New jobs: California, 384,000 vs. 2017’s 315,000. Nationwide, 2.20 million vs. 2017’s 2.3 million.

Job-growth rate: California, 2.3 percent vs. 2017’s 1.9 percent. Nationwide, 1.5 percent vs. 2017’s 1.6 percent.

Home-price gains: California, 7 percent vs. 2017’s 7 percent. Nationwide, 5.4 percent vs. 2017’s 6 percent.

Housing units permitted: California, 131,430 vs. 2017’s 113,384. Nationwide, 1,321,000 vs. 2017’s 1,208,300.

Looking further ahead, Doti offers some caution — even if the economy isn’t jolted by a surprise of geopolitical tensions. After eight years of economic upswing, odds are against much of a continuation.

Rising interest rates will dampen spending for consumers and corporations. New federal income tax rules will also dent California’s household budgets.

Plus, the traditional boost for California’s business climate and its tech hubs such as Silicon Valley has already cooled. And construction cannot grow much faster.

“There are more and more clouds on the horizon,” he says.

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App delivers discounts, rewards to Cal State Fullerton students for wholesome fun

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  • A flyer for the Point ‘N Save app shows how to use it to qualify for discounts and rewards on entertainment, such as a local appearance by the rapper Logic. (Photo by Kyusung Gong/Contributing Photographer)

    A flyer for the Point ‘N Save app shows how to use it to qualify for discounts and rewards on entertainment, such as a local appearance by the rapper Logic. (Photo by Kyusung Gong/Contributing Photographer)

  • Point ‘N Save’s Hunter Humphrey, left, and John Barton show their app at the CSUF Startup Incubator in Placentia on April 9. (Photo by Kyusung Gong/Contributing Photographer)

    Point ‘N Save’s Hunter Humphrey, left, and John Barton show their app at the CSUF Startup Incubator in Placentia on April 9. (Photo by Kyusung Gong/Contributing Photographer)

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  • Point ‘N Save’s John Barton, left, and his cousin Hunter Humphrey have been mentored at the CSUF Startup Incubator in Placentia. (Photo by Kyusung Gong/Contributing Photographer)

    Point ‘N Save’s John Barton, left, and his cousin Hunter Humphrey have been mentored at the CSUF Startup Incubator in Placentia. (Photo by Kyusung Gong/Contributing Photographer)

  • Point ‘N Save founder John Barton is seen at the CSUF Startup Incubator in Placentia on April 9. (Photo by Kyusung Gong/Contributing Photographer)

    Point ‘N Save founder John Barton is seen at the CSUF Startup Incubator in Placentia on April 9. (Photo by Kyusung Gong/Contributing Photographer)

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Cal State Fullerton students want to save money.

Cal State Fullerton campus organizations and nearby businesses want more foot traffic.

Bringing the two together is … a Chico State alum.

John Barton might not be a Titan. But with the help of the CSUF Startup Incubator, he has launched an app that rewards students for getting more involved in their campus and patronizing local businesses.

“I feel like I’m a student because I’m on this campus so much,” joked Barton, 24. “I feel like students get overlooked sometimes – the sacrifices they make, the struggles they go through. I wanted to give back to them.”

His Point ‘N Save app, available in the iPhone App Store, gives discounts at about a dozen local businesses to anyone with an .edu email. The app also offers rewards, such as gift cards, to frequent users. Students can check in by scanning a QR code at the destination.

Businesses that have signed up include Oggi’s, Pieology, Dripp Coffee, PlayLive Nation, Round Table Pizza, Legends Boardshop, Blaze Pizza, Watson’s Soda Fountain & Cafe, Pedro’s Tacos, Tea Joy, Smoqued California BBQ, Pandor, The Perfect Circle Cupcakery & Co. and Titan Shops.

Some businesses are in Old Towne Orange because Barton’s secondary target area is Chapman University. He aims to get at least 30 partners, including more on campus. The app is free to students; eventually businesses will pay to be featured.

“We wanted to create a really fun way to get students more involved on campus,” Barton said.

John B. Jackson, director of the CSUF Center for Entrepreneurship, said the CSUF Startup Incubator, which he directs, offered the coaching Barton needed and access to Cal State Fullerton. Barton has pitched the app to some Mihaylo College of Business & Economics classes.

“It made good business sense for us to support him,” Jackson said. “He has been embraced by our students.”

Jackson added that the wholesome values of Barton’s platform are consistent with those of the university.

Those values were part of what propelled Barton to launch his business.

A native of Roseville, near Sacramento, Barton went to Chico State, which is known for its party scene. But a lot of students complained there was little to do around campus that was fun, inexpensive and didn’t involve drinking – an activity he didn’t partake in.

“I wanted to have an outlet for students who didn’t want to go out every night but wanted to have some type of social interaction that didn’t involve going to bars,” he said, especially since the majority of students are under 21.

When he told friends he’d been to a go-kart track in Chico, for example, none were aware it existed.

At the same time, local businesses are trying to market to students using traditional methods, without as much success as they wanted.

“Businesses want to contact students where they are, and that’s on their phones. It’s not a place anymore,” Barton said.

He developed the app as part of a senior project before he graduated in 2016 with a bachelor’s in entrepreneurship. He knew a lot of businesses offer student discounts, but they are often advertised only on a menu, for example, or take the form of a punch card. He wanted to package all such discounts and rewards in one place.

After testing a prototype of the app, Barton moved to Orange County in August to attend the Disney College Program and work on Disneyland’s Main Street, U.S.A. He learned good leadership skills and how to get the best out of people but, when the program ended, opted to keep developing his app into a viable company of his own.

He sought out CSUF’s Center for Entrepreneurship and was introduced to Jackson and the incubator. The size of the school presented an opportunity that Chico didn’t, plus it’s close to other universities, such as Chapman and Hope International. He had looked at other area incubators, but something struck him about Fullerton’s, he said.

“I was very excited to start it here,” he said. “I knew with the incubator’s help, with all the resources they had available to me, I knew I could make it work.”

The incubator paired him with two mentors – the first to advise on marketing, the second on business plan development.

Rudy Chavarria Jr., founder and CEO of College Web Media in Diamond Bar, advised Barton to reduce the text on his promotional brochure, for example, so business owners can quickly grasp what he’s presenting. He helped Barton figure out how to monetize the concept and boost the functionality of his app.

“I have to say that I really believe the mobile app has the possibility to succeed, but it’s going to be a lot of work,” said Chavarria, including 16-hour days and a strong team behind him. “I believe John has the drive and the passion required to make this successful.”

He also advised Barton to be patient as he starts seeking capital, telling him that Starbucks founder Howard Schultz was turned down by 217 of the 242 investors he first talked to. He also warned the young entrepreneur that he will eventually need to back off and be the boss, letting others take over specific roles.

“You can’t be the CEO and be the graphic designer,” Chavarria said.

In fact, Barton brought onboard his cousin, Hunter Humphrey, 23, who moved away from family and girlfriend in Sacramento to help with the app’s sales and promotion.

“There’s something about John that’s hard to not believe in the guy,” Humphrey said. “He’s going to do well. This guy has no negative attitude. Even when he doesn’t have a job, he doesn’t have a negative attitude.”

Over the summer, the duo will come up with strategies for when students return to campus in the fall, said Humphrey, who used to sell shirts with his cousin as a side job. They have some design work to do on the app, whose tech is outsourced. And they will continue to sign businesses and campus organizations.

Cal State Fullerton Athletics is planning to work with Barton, but nothing has been agreed upon, said Derrick Fazendin, sports media director, who called Barton’s concept “awesome.”

Meanwhile, the incubator helped the pair get ready to pitch to investors who share their values and mindset. They’ve been advised to seek $250,000 in funding to get them a two- to three-year runway.

Through the incubator, a student team surveyed students to find out what they’re looking for and what they like and don’t like about the app.

Barton knows what he’s doing is a leap of faith.

“It kind of excited me knowing I was taking that step that most businesspeople talk about but they don’t want to take because it’s uncharted waters,” he said. “That’s kind of what excites me about being an entrepreneur is taking those chances and rolling the dice on something you believe in and feel passionate about.”

About the incubator

The CSUF Startup Incubator in Placentia, opened in early 2015, and a second one opened last fall at the university’s Irvine center have helped launch 36 new ventures by students, alumni and community members.

Each entrepreneur is paired with an experienced mentor and assigned a team of business or entrepreneurship students who support and collaborate with the startup founders.

The incubator charges “tuition” for six months of residency. Offices and conference space are shared by all participants. Speakers frequently share advise on subjects such as intellectual property, business plan development and legal entities.

No direct connection to the university is required for entrepreneurs to participate.

The CSUF Startup Incubator is part of the university’s Center for Entrepreneurship, housed in the Mihaylo College of Business and Economics.

For more information on the incubator program, visit business.fullerton.edu/Center/Entrepreneurship/Incubator.

 

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Chapman rallies from 10-1 deficit to beat Redlands and win SCIAC baseball tournament title

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Chapman University stormed back from a nine-run deficit in the last three innings to beat Redlands 20-12 in the final game of the SCIAC baseball tournament Sunday at LaVerne and claim its first appearance in the NCAA Division III Championship since 2011.

The Panthers (34-11) trailed 10-1 through six innings, but sent 15 batters to the plate and scored nine runs in the top of the seventh to tie it, then added seven runs in the eighth and three in the ninth. Senior Jared Love (Brea Olinda High) had a two-run double in the outburst in the seventh, and senior Gavin Blodgett (Sonora High), who began the inning by getting hit by a pitch, tied the game with  a three-run homer over the left field wall.

In the eighth, Love hit another two-run double and Blodgett followed with a two-run single. Jarod Penniman doubled in another and freshman Trevor Marrs hit his second homer of the tournament – a two-run blast to right to put the Panthers up 17-10. Love and Blodgett combined for 11 RBIs, six hits and five runs scored to fuel the comeback.

Earlier in the day, the Panthers beat Redlands 5-2, winning their third consecutive elimination game and forcing the “winner take all” title game. Junior Christian Cosby (El Dorado High) threw eight strong innings to get the win, improving his record to 8-3. Freshman Cody Turner took over in the ninth and got himself out of a bases-loaded jam to earn a save. Turner returned to pitch 2 2/3 innings in the second game, allowing just one run on two hits while striking out three to pick up his first collegiate win.

Chapman will head to an NCAA Regional on May 17-21. The NCAA will announce the tournament field on Sunday, May 13.

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Native American speaker affirms ‘We are still here’ at Cal State Fullerton event

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  • The White Rose Singers, consisting of students from Sherman Indian High School in Riverside perform at the Heritage Festival celebrating Native American Heritage Month at Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 9. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

    The White Rose Singers, consisting of students from Sherman Indian High School in Riverside perform at the Heritage Festival celebrating Native American Heritage Month at Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 9. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • Students join in and dance as the White Rose Singers, consisting of students from Sherman Indian High School in Riverside, perform at the Heritage Festival celebrating Native American Heritage Month at Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 9. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

    Students join in and dance as the White Rose Singers, consisting of students from Sherman Indian High School in Riverside, perform at the Heritage Festival celebrating Native American Heritage Month at Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 9. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • The White Rose Singers, consisting of students from Sherman Indian High School in Riverside perform at the Heritage Festival celebrating Native American Heritage Month at Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 9. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

    The White Rose Singers, consisting of students from Sherman Indian High School in Riverside perform at the Heritage Festival celebrating Native American Heritage Month at Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 9. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • The decorative belt and dress of a member of the White Rose Singers, a group consisting of students from Sherman Indian High School in Riverside, as they perform at the Heritage Festival celebrating Native American Heritage Month at Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 9. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

    The decorative belt and dress of a member of the White Rose Singers, a group consisting of students from Sherman Indian High School in Riverside, as they perform at the Heritage Festival celebrating Native American Heritage Month at Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 9. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • Students look on as the White Rose Singers, consisting of students from Sherman Indian High School in Riverside, perform at the Heritage Festival celebrating Native American Heritage Month at Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 9. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

    Students look on as the White Rose Singers, consisting of students from Sherman Indian High School in Riverside, perform at the Heritage Festival celebrating Native American Heritage Month at Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 9. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • The decorative hair piece of a member of the White Rose Singers, a group consisting of students from Sherman Indian High School in Riverside, as they perform at the Heritage Festival celebrating Native American Heritage Month at Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 9. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

    The decorative hair piece of a member of the White Rose Singers, a group consisting of students from Sherman Indian High School in Riverside, as they perform at the Heritage Festival celebrating Native American Heritage Month at Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 9. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • Raven Bennett-Burns, president of the Inter-Tribal Student Council, makes fry bread at the Heritage Festival celebrating Native American Heritage Month at Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 9. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

    Raven Bennett-Burns, president of the Inter-Tribal Student Council, makes fry bread at the Heritage Festival celebrating Native American Heritage Month at Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 9. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • Fresh fry bread is made at the Heritage Festival celebrating Native American Heritage Month at Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 9. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

    Fresh fry bread is made at the Heritage Festival celebrating Native American Heritage Month at Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 9. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • Raven Bennett-Burns, president of the Inter-Tribal Student Council, stretches dough as she makes fry bread at the Heritage Festival celebrating Native American Heritage Month at Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 9. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

    Raven Bennett-Burns, president of the Inter-Tribal Student Council, stretches dough as she makes fry bread at the Heritage Festival celebrating Native American Heritage Month at Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 9. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • Fry bread with honey, sugar and chili is served at the Heritage Festival celebrating Native American Heritage Month at Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 9. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

    Fry bread with honey, sugar and chili is served at the Heritage Festival celebrating Native American Heritage Month at Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 9. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • Cal State Fullerton senior Gabriel Lopez goes over a Native American myth/fiction question with a student at the Heritage Festival celebrating Native American Heritage Month at Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 9. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

    Cal State Fullerton senior Gabriel Lopez goes over a Native American myth/fiction question with a student at the Heritage Festival celebrating Native American Heritage Month at Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 9. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • Students look over Native American statements and match the correct person with the statement at the Heritage Festival celebrating Native American Heritage Month at Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 9. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

    Students look over Native American statements and match the correct person with the statement at the Heritage Festival celebrating Native American Heritage Month at Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 9. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • A student holds a pictograph made in clay at the Heritage Festival celebrating Native American Heritage Month at Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 9. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

    A student holds a pictograph made in clay at the Heritage Festival celebrating Native American Heritage Month at Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 9. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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If it were up to Paul Apodaca, Native American history would be at the core of liberal arts studies departments in universities. Students would learn that the corn and cotton we use today are courtesy of the hemisphere’s first inhabitants. And they would know that the Native American population is not disappearing, but is growing.

Apodaca, an associate professor of sociology and American studies at Chapman University and a specialist in folklore, mythology and American Indian studies, presented his vision Nov. 8 to a reception celebrating Cal State Fullerton’s Native American Heritage Month at the Fullerton Marriott.

Paul Apodaca, associate professor of sociology and American studies at Chapman University, delivers his keynote address at the Native American Heritage Month reception on Nov. 8 at the Fullerton Marriott. (Photo courtesy of Cal State Fullerton)
Paul Apodaca, associate professor of sociology and American studies at Chapman University, delivers his keynote address at the Native American Heritage Month reception on Nov. 8 at the Fullerton Marriott. (Photo courtesy of Cal State Fullerton)

The celebration’s theme, “We Are Still Here,” was reflected in Apodaca’s talk as well as in a blessing and opening prayer by Jacque Tahuka-Nunez of the local Acjachemen Nation and an appearance by the Eagle Spirit Dancers, led by Ben Hale, whose daughter Leya, a CSUF alum, won her second Emmy as a producer this year.

“We’re not just something in the history books. We are living history,” said Ben Hale before performing with several of his other children.

California has more Native Americans than any other state, Apodaca pointed out – more than 200 indigenous cultures and 104 Indian reservations, 32 in Southern California alone.

Orange County has a larger American Indian population than 25 states, Apodaca said — more than 18,000, according to the 2010 census.

Jacque Tahuka-Nunez offers a blessing and opening prayer at the Native American Heritage Month reception on Nov. 8 at the Fullerton Marriott. (Photo courtesy of Cal State Fullerton)
Jacque Tahuka-Nunez offers a blessing and opening prayer at the Native American Heritage Month reception on Nov. 8 at the Fullerton Marriott. (Photo courtesy of Cal State Fullerton)

“The idea that native people are here in these numbers and yet not seen and not the center of the attention of education is a great mystery still,” Apodaca told the group. “The greatest mystery is that Californians go to Arizona to see Indians on vacation. It doesn’t make any sense whatsoever.”

The state doesn’t promote American Indian tourism, he said. There’s no basketry trail, like New Mexico’s turquoise trail, to take visitors from one reservation to another.

Apodaca, who previously served as curator of the folk art, American Indian, California and Orange County history collections at the Bowers Museum, told how the Spaniards thought they were hallucinating when they first beheld Mexico City, which was the size of London or Rome.

And yet American history is taught as the history of Europeans once they arrived here, he said, while the history of Native Americans is referred to as prehistoric. “That gives it a pall all by itself,” he said, “rather than seeing it as akin to the Greeks, the Chinese, the Egyptians.”

The indigenous peoples had hybridized grass to create corn, a food now ubiquitous around the world, and hybridized cotton into long-fiber strands that could be made into cloth.

“Do we celebrate the genius of American Indian biological engineering that has actually saved the planet from famine for the last 500 years?” Apodaca asked. “The presence of native genius is still here in all the food we eat and everything we do.”

The new world is half the planet, he said, and shouldn’t be taught as though it’s an extension of European history.

“The idea that this is not a small group of people on inconsequential land is more than obvious,” said Apodaca, who was a founding consultant for the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian and part of the team that earned an Academy Award for the 1985 documentary “Broken Rainbow.”

The first interaction American Indians had with Europeans was teaching, he said, starting with Columbus’ first camp.

“We had to tell them, ‘Don’t eat that, don’t step on that.’ We’ve been teaching Europeans for 500  years – teaching them where the food was, where the gold was (though they kind of took off with that), how animals lived, how seasons worked, how families lived in these areas. Teaching, that’s our oldest role.”

Those things were taught person to person, he said, which is still how many things are passed down in Native American cultures. Apodaca said that as a young man in the 1960s he learned from 80-year-olds who could tell him what life was like in the late 1900s.

“I got to meet those people, hear how they feared their gods. I learned how they respected their medicine,” he said.

“I heard from them the power in their own lives,” Apodaca said. “They had a different view of themselves, not the Hollywood view – an old, powerful view. I was fortunate to hear from them.”

That tradition of oral history can be enhanced with formal education, he said.

“My invitation to you is to learn. Learn more about this rich history that we all share. So we can move forward to creating a better America than we’ve ever had, one that will justify all the sacrifices all of us have made and one that will enrich all of our children.”

Native Americans are not the “Vanishing American” depicted in Zane Grey’s 1925 novel and the subsequent silent film, he said. Populations have been increasing in the Americas since a low point in 1913, he said.

“Native people never gave up on themselves. They never said, ‘We’re doomed and we’re going to disappear,’” he said. “Native people have always had faith — in the power of their culture and the virtue of what they were doing, in the needfulness of their knowledge. And so native culture continues.”

Cal State Fullerton’s Inter-Tribal Student Council

The Native American Heritage Month reception was a testament to positive change in the university’s commitment in supporting the campus’s indigenous students, Raven Bennett-Burns, president of the Inter-Tribal Student Council, told the gathering.

“It’s because of those who came before us that we are able to say ‘We are still here,’” Bennett-Burns said. “Without them and their belief that our culture and community is something worth fighting for and celebrating, none of us would have ever known that Inter-Tribal even existed.” The early club had to fight for office space, fight to keep the office space and fight for money to put on events, she said.

The club was started in 1971 but went dormant before being revived two years ago with the help of University Advancement and alum Vicki Vasques, ’76. Vasques, CEO of Tribal Tech LLC in Alexandria, Va., was honored during the event with the Native American Alumni Recognition Award.

Vicki Vasques accepts the Native American Alumni Recognition Award at the Native American Heritage Month reception on Nov. 8 at the Fullerton Marriott. Raven Bennett-Burns, president of the Inter-Tribal Student Council, stands in the background. (Photo courtesy of Cal State Fullerton)
Vicki Vasques accepts the Native American Alumni Recognition Award at the Native American Heritage Month reception on Nov. 8 at the Fullerton Marriott. Raven Bennett-Burns, president of the Inter-Tribal Student Council, stands in the background. (Photo courtesy of Cal State Fullerton)

Allison Wilson, president of the Titan Archaeology Club and vice president of the Inter-Tribal Student Council, won the Native American Essay Recognition Award. She has helped preserve her culture by learning the Cherokee language and practicing native artistry.

Chase Sheriff, ITSC treasure and a member of the Associated Students Inc. board of directors, said the board is working on a resolution to officially recognize Indigenous Peoples Day instead of Columbus Day.

For the 2017 spring semester, 54 CSUF students identified themselves as American Indian, according to the university.

 

 

 

 

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