MONDAYMarch 12, 2012Volume 97, Issue 88

ASSOCIATED STUDENTS ELECTIONS

Voting begins for Associated Students representatives today and continues untilThursday. Read the candidates’ statements inside and use WebPortal to submit yourvote. Want to share your thoughts? Join the conversation using #ASelections.

CHAMPIONS

ALL PHOTOS BY PHOTO EDITOR ANTONIO ZARAGOZA

LAS VEGAS — During San DiegoState’s first open practice of the sea-son in November, fans and mediamembers witnessed the team danc-ing in a circle to conclude practice.After the Aztecs celebrated theMountain West Conference regular-season title after the final home gameof the season on Feb. 29 at ViejasArena, there was more dancing.

Now after winning the MWCTournament championship, SDSU isdancing again – literally and figuratively.

The Aztecs are headed to theNCAAs for the third time in the last fouryears and the ninth time in programhistory after defeating the New MexicoLobos, 57-43, in the MWC Tournamenttitle game. In 2010, the last time SDSUmade the NCAA Tournament, it madethe Sweet 16 round.

ESPN bracketology currently has theAztecs as a No. 14 seed, but headcoach Beth Burns doesn’t care.

“The key phrase is they have us as ‘aseed,’” Burns said. “You see San DiegoState. That’s the first step.”

Chelsea Hopkins namedTournament MVPBack in her hometown of Las Vegas,Hopkins did not disappoint in her firstMW Tournament.

After scoring 19 points and pullingdown eight rebounds against Air Forcein the opening game of the tourna-ment, Hopkins followed up with a 16-point, 10-assist performance againstWyoming in the semifinals. In the titlegame, she finished with 14 points andfour steals to earn Tournament MostValuable Player and a spot on the All-Tournament team. Also named to theAll-Tournament team was junior guardCourtney Clements and junior centerMalia Nahinu.

“Honestly, I attribute everything tomy teammates,” Hopkins said. “I’mdoing whatever it takes to win. I knowhaving my teammates back me,counting on me to lead, help this teamrally, is really what was my motivationfor the tournament and the successthat we had.”

First half strugglesMost basketball coaches and playerswould prefer to get off to a fast start.

Not only does a fast start build ateam’s confidence for the rest of thegame, but it also puts the opposingteam into an early hole that is oftendifficult to overcome.

The way the first half played outwas not how either team would havepreferred it. After shooting almost 58percent in the first half in their winagainst Wyoming on Friday, theAztecs came out and shot 24 percent(7-for-29) against the Lobos in thefinals. The Lobos did not do much bet-ter, only shooting 5-for-19, goodenough for 26 percent.

“I think we came out so strong, allthe adrenaline went away, and weweren’t as focused as we usually are,”junior guard Courtney Clements said.“It was a little bit frustrating. We knewwe were going to bounce back. (At)halftime we kind of refocused and wecame out strong in the second half.”

Defense and turnovers translateto points for AztecsIt’s no secret SDSU can play defense.By all accounts it led the MountainWest Conference in overall defenseduring the regular season, only allow-ing opponents to score an average of54.5 points per game.

When it came time to determinewhether the Aztecs’ season could befinished or if they earn an automaticberth to the NCAA Tournament byway of a MWC Tournament title, SDSUdid what it does best: lock down oppo-nents and force turnovers.

After holding the Lobos to only 43points total, including just 15 in the first

half, the Aztecs forced 16 turnoversleading to 15 points. This is comparedto the two points the Lobos scoredfrom SDSU turnovers.

“San Diego State is a very gooddefensive team,” New Mexico headcoach Yvonne Sanchez said. “You gotto give them credit. They do a nice job.We tried to execute what we could.”

D A I L Y A Z T E CMonday,

March 12, 2012 S P O R T S2

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Straight trips to the NCAA Tournament for the team

Seed for SDSU

Wins this season for the Aztecs

NCAA Tournament appearances for head coach Steve Fisher

Middle finger given by Jamaal Franklin

Percent shooting for SDSU against New Mexico

11 Seed for NC State, which the Aztecs play on Friday

6 Wins needed for a national championship

FOR SDSU MEN’S BASKETBALL

WOMEN ’S BASKETBALL

RRyyaann SScchhuulleerrstaff writer

SDSU 57 | UNM 43

The Aztecs will learn their NCAA Tournament fate today. | ANTONIO ZARAGOZA, PHOTO EDITOR

MEN ’S BASKETBALL

LAS VEGAS — When watching soph-omore guard Jamaal Franklin on thecourt, it’s easy to see he’s an emo-tional player. It helps make him theplayer he is.

On Saturday, he let those emo-tions get the best of him. Franklinwas called for a charging foul in thefinal minute of the first half againstNew Mexico and wasn’t too happyabout it.

He was upset with the call andappeared to give the middle fingerto a referee.

On Sunday afternoon, Franklindenied he gave the middle finger tothe referee, but said he flipped off aLobo fan who was heckling himthroughout the game.

Franklin apologized for the inci-dent the day after.

“I want to say I apologize to myteammates once again,” Franklinsaid. “I want to apologize to the com-munity. I feel like I let the communi-ty down, I let the program down andI let the school down. I let my emo-

tions get the best of me. I didn’t givea finger to the ref. I would never givea finger to the ref.”

The sophomore said the fan wassaying things about his family andcalled him the N-word.

“I did give a finger out, I can’t denythat” Franklin said. “A Lobo fan wasbugging me the whole time callingme the N-word and talking about myfamily, trying to get under my skin. Ishouldn’t have let him get under myskin. I’m going to work real hard tonot let this happen again.”

Franklin had originally declined tocomment on the gesture after thegame. “No, not at all,” Franklin saidwhen the media member asked himif he had anything to say about it.

It was a good move for Franklinafter he painted himself, the teamand the university in a negative lightby giving the middle finger.

Head coach Steve Fisher thoughtFranklin was thankful for the apolo-gy, but didn’t appreciate the incident.

“It was the appropriate thing (toapologize). It was an inappropriateact,” Fisher said. “That one was not agood decision. I appreciate what hesaid, but I wish we didn’t have to say it.”SDSU sophomore Jamaal Franklin flipped off a Lobo fan. | ANTONIO ZARAGOZA, PHOTO EDITOR

AAnnttoonniioo MMoorraalleesssports editor

“I did give a finger out. I can’tdeny that. A Lobo fan was bugging me the whole time calling me the N-word ...”

Jamaal Franklin, SDSU sophomore guard

Franklin lets his emotions fly in loss

SDSU guarantees itself tournament bid

D A I L Y A Z T E CMonday, March 12, 2012S P O R T S 3

In the past, a loss in the MountainWest Conference Tournament finalmay have cost the San Diego Statemen’s basketball team a spot in theNCAA Tournament.

Thankfully, that is no longer the case.On Sunday, SDSU was one of the 68teams to be selected to the tournament.

The Aztecs earned a six seed in theMidwest region and will play the 11thseeded NC State Wolfpack on Friday inColumbus, Ohio.

It may not be the same favorablelocation and seeding that it receivedlast season, but the team is happy.

“Obviously you want to be in NewMexico or something like that,” seniorforward Tim Shelton said. “But we’rejust happy to be playing and any-where we play, we’re going to beready to go.”

Making the NCAA Tournament isbecoming an expectation for theAztecs. Last season was the first timeSDSU had ever made back-to-backappearances. Now this is the first timethe school has made three in a row.

It’s the third time Shelton has beenon an NCAA Tournament team andjunior guard Chase Tapley has beento the tournament every year he’sbeen an Aztec.

“We’re getting to the point wherewe’re making San Diego State into oneof the elite programs in the country,”Tapley said. “It’s all because of the hardwork and dedication we have put inand the coaching staff for believing inus. We’ve just kept building off thesuccess of the past teams.”

While players such as Shelton andTapley have an abundance of experi-ence playing in tournament games,one SDSU player doesn’t.

Sophomore point guard XavierThames had to sit out last season andmissed out on the Sweet-16 appear-ance. “I’m really excited. It was a bless-ing in disguise,” Thames said. “This iswhat you dream of, so I’m glad I’m get-

ting the opportunity to play in theNCAA Tournament.”

Thames will be leading his teamagainst the Wolfpack, who hail fromthe ACC.

NC State went 22-12 this season andtook North Carolina to the wire in theACC Tournament semifinals beforelosing. This is the first time the twoschools have ever played each other.

It’s an unfamiliar opponent, asalmost every team is in March, butthe Aztecs know the Wolfpack willprovide quality competition.

“I don’t know a lot. I know they’rea good team,” Tapley said. “Theyheld their own in the conferencetournament, with the likes of Dukeand North Carolina. They’re going tobe a good team.”

NC State is led in scoring by C.J.Leslie, who averages 14.6 points pergame and Lorenzo Brown, whoaverages 12.7 points.

The winner of the Aztecs-Wolfpack contest will play the win-ner of the Georgetown-Belmontgame on Sunday.

This is the eighth tournamentappearance for SDSU, the 12th over-all for head coach Steve Fisher andhis fifth with the Aztecs.

MEN ’S BASKETBALL

LAS VEGAS — Having won eightstraight games in the Mountain WestConference Tournament spanningthe last three seasons, Saturday wasan unfamiliar feeling for the SanDiego State men’s basketball team.

New Mexico defeated SDSU 68-59to claim the MW Tournament title. Itwas the Aztecs’ first loss in the tour-nament since the 2009 champi-onship game.

The Lobos led from wire-to-wire.The game was essentially a 40-minute coronation for New Mexico,which beat the Aztecs for the secondtime this season.

“Our congratulations to NewMexico,” SDSU head coach SteveFisher said after the game. “We knowwhat it feels like to be where they areright now: still on that court cele-brating. That’s where we expected tobe, which is why it hurts when you’re

not. And yet the reality of it is we’renot and they are.” The loss dropsSDSU’s record to 26-7 this season.

Behind the eight balllThe first half of the championshipgame played out more like anambush. The Aztecs were down 5-0early, then 18-6, 29-15 and eventual-ly were only down by 11 points atthe break.

The opening half set the tone forthe game; the Lobos punched SDSUin the mouth and the Aztecs neverseemed to recover.

New Mexico’s Tony Snell was theone who led the onslaught as heplayed lights out to start the game.Snell scored 14 points and made fiveof his six shots.

The performance didn’t come as asurprise to Fisher, who tried to getSnell to come to SDSU.

“We recruited Tony Snell. I thoughtwe had Tony Snell. He played withKawhi Leonard,” Fisher said. “I knewhow good he was. He’s good.Everybody’s goal is you got tosmother him and don’t let him get anopen look. Sometimes he makesbaskets when he’s smothered. He setthe tenor for them with those earlyhard shots. He was very good.”

The Aztecs’ bad start on offensedidn’t help either. SDSU went 9-for-23 shooting in the first half and only

1-for-6 from 3-point range, which ledto its 23 first-half points.

Offensive strugglesThe poor shooting on offense didn’tstop in the first half. Apart from ashort stretch of hot shooting fromjunior guard Chase Tapley in the sec-ond half, the Aztecs were cold thewhole game.

Three games in three daysseemed to take a toll on the team’slegs. SDSU shot 37.1 percent from thefloor. Junior guard James Rahon fin-ished the game with no made shotsand sophomore point guard XavierThames went 1-for-6.

It’s not like the Aztecs were miss-ing open shots, though. New Mexicowas playing stifling defense just likeit did the rest of the tournament.

News and notesTapley led the Aztecs with 25points; helping to bring SDSU towithin five in the final minutes, butit was not enough.

Sophomore guard Jamaal Franklinscored 16 points and grabbed 10rebounds; it was his 12th double-double of the season.

SDSU now falls to 2-2 in its lastfour MW Tournament championshipgames. It was only the second loss inthe last 11 games for the Aztecs atthe Thomas & Mack Center.Junior guard Chase Tapley scored 25 points on Saturday. | ANTONIO ZARAGOZA, PHOTO EDITOR

New Mexico tookhome the MWCTournament title

MEN ’S BASKETBALL

The sixth-seeded Aztecs will take on the 11th-seeded NC State Wolfpack on Friday. It’s SDSU’s third straight trip to the NCAA Tournament, eighth appearance overall and fifth with Coach Fisher. | ANTONIO ZARAGOZA, PHOTO EDITOR

Lobos’ hot start ends Aztecs’ run to title

SDSU earns the sixth seed in Midwest

AAnnttoonniioo MMoorraalleesssports editor

AAnnttoonniioo MMoorraalleesssports editor

“We’re getting to the pointwhere we’re making San DiegoState into one of the elite programs in the country ...”

Chase Tapley, SDSU junior guard

The Aztecs earnedtheir first-ever at-large bid

UNM 68 | SDSU 59

The Associated Students’ UniversityAffairs Board met with San DiegoState’s Environment and SafetyCommittee to propose a marketingcampaign that would advocate theuse of alternative methods of trans-portation on campus. The cam-paign proposes a trial period this fallthat would determine the feasibilityand safety of allowing additionalwheeled transportation devices toshare SDSU’s bicycle lanes. Theseadditional devices would includeskateboards, longboards,rollerblades, scooters and othersimilar vehicles. Use of these vehi-cles is currently not allowed oncampus. A.S. Vice President ofUniversity Affairs Mina Azim ledTuesday’s presentation.

“Students were almost set up forfailure during the original trial peri-od, because they weren’t aware ofwhat the rules were,” Azim said.“This campaign aims to create a cul-ture shift toward safety within stu-dents who use alternative methodsof transportation.”

The proposal also calls for thecreation of an Alternative

Transportation AdvisoryCommittee within the Green LoveSustainability Advisory Board. Thiscommittee would be responsiblefor informing the campus commu-nity about rules and regulationsregarding alternative transporta-tion, as well as advising campuspolice about bicycle lane enforce-ment issues. Students on the com-mittee would aid in enforcing newcampus safety regulations to sup-plement current staffing issueswithin campus police.

Dr. Jenny Quintana, associateprofessor of environmental healthin SDSU’s Graduate School of PublicHealth, chairs the Environment andSafety Committee.

“Our main concern is pedestriansafety and protecting the learningenvironment,” Quintana said. “We’rereally pleased on the students’ focuson trying to do peer outreach andeducation on transportation safety.”

The committee reconvenes nextmonth to reach a decision on theproposal. If passed, the proposalwould move to the UniversitySenate and a recommendationcould be made to SDSU PresidentElliot Hirshman to legalize skate-boarding and other modes of alter-native transportation on campus.

D A I L Y A Z T E CMonday,

March 12, 2012 N E W S4

An initial plan to globalize citizenshipwill be emerging this summer in theform of a four-week study abroadprogram in Robins Bay, Jamaica.

Program coordinator and associateprofessor of recreation and tourismmanagement, Vinod Sasidharan, wasalso responsible for the DominicanRepublic service-learning programlast summer. The program’s goal wasto help achieve the eight UNMillennium Development Goals, thusallowing the community sustainabledevelopment experience with helpfrom students.

“It gave me the opportunity to dohands-on work that specifically relat-ed to my field of study,” San DiegoState graduate student TuckerBallister said. “It gives students thechance to practice real-world skillswhile fostering new relationships,because, most likely you will be work-ing with people you have never met.”

Ballister, a former attendee of theDominican Republic service-learn-ing program, said he considers theadjustment to third-world accom-modations the biggest obstaclewhen working on rural communitysustainability projects and, expect-ing to “live in American (accomoda-tions)” is not an option.

By strengthening the educationalsystem and helping the communitydevelop jobs that are not necessarilyfishing, which is the main drive for a vil-lage’s business, sustainable agriculturewould be the main goal of the project.

“The community is a completeblank,” Sasidharan said. “Which isgreat for us because we have a widerfield to work in.”

With six hours of hands-on workevery day for four weeks, studentswill engage in experiential activitiesin the remote area, two hours fromKingston. They will focus on multidis-ciplinary approaches to sustainabilitywith five suggested plans that can beput into action to improve the com-munity in the long run.

Yet the four weeks will “not beenough” to finish the project,Sasidharan said.

“I like to give students a break fromworking to experience the culture,”Sasidharan said. “Relaxing is animportant factor for creativity and weneed creativity to come up with valu-able plans that will benefit theJamaican community.”

Once the five plans are proposedto the community, the Jamaicangovernment, which has alreadyagreed to fund the plan once it’sbeen established, will aid the com-munity by providing it with themoney needed to put the students’work into motion.

“My area of interest is to help peo-ple live sustainable lives,” Sasidharansaid. “It is a selfish motif of mine.”

The program’s cost will be $3,886,which includes the six units of tuition,lodging, all meals, VIP-airport transferand field trips to surrounding areas.

AAnnaa CCeebbaalllloossstaff writer

EEddwwaarrdd HHeennddeerrssoonnsenior staff writer

Program coordinator Vinod Sasidharan lectures within the recreation and tourism management department. | COURTESY OF VINOD SASIDHARAN

Program globalizes major

“It gave me the opportunity to dohands-on work that specificallyrelated to my field of study ...while fostering new relationships.”

Tucker Ballister, SDSU graduate student

Each floor of the student unionwill have a theme. The bottomfloor’s room names will representAztec history, the second floorswill represent San Diego Statehistory and the top floors willrepresent the history of AS. SDSUprofessors specializing in Aztectribal history were consulted toverify the cultural significance ofthe names selected.

A.S. Executive Vice PresidentDarin Ruiz said it’s important topair historic names with contem-porary room themes.

“When students call buildingslike Chapultepec ‘Chappie’ its notpaying tribute to the culture likeit should be,” Ruiz said. “We want-ed to find significant names thatwe could also put a fun spin onto make it stick.”

—Compiled by Senior Staff WriterEdward Henderson.

CONSTRUCTION

As vertical construction on theAztec Student Union continues tomake progress, the AssociatedStudents Facilities Board is map-ping out details of the interiordesign. The board met Monday totake a final vote on what the roomnames will be and discuss plans fora time capsule that will be buriedonce construction is completed.

Skateboard banre-evaluated

Skateboarder illegally using the Campanile bike lane. | DUSTIN MICHELSON, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

PETER KLUTCH, SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

CORRECTIONS:Last Wednesday’s article “Kennedy preaches renewability” included a photo that incorrectly identified mayoral candidate BobFilner as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Also, in last Thursday’s article “AS candidates intensify debates,” it was said Joe Stewart ran forAssociated Students president last year; he actually ran for executive vice president. The Daily Aztec regrets these errors.Mistakes found in The Daily Aztec can be reported to tips@thedailyaztec.com.

MMiinnoorr fflleeeess ffrroomm jjuussttiicceeAn 18-year-old non-student wasarrested for obstructing an officerand possession of alcohol at 10:45p.m. last Friday. The subject wasseen walking near 55th Street andDorothy Drive. Once he sawpolice officers approaching him,he fled the premise by jumpingover fences and through multiplebackyards. Later, officers found thesubject hiding behind a house andtook him to jail.

RRoobbbbeerryy aatt AAllbbeerrtt’’ss AAppaarrttmmeennttss At 3:42 a.m. on Sunday, a non-student was standing in thecourtyard of Albert’s CollegeApartments when two suspectswalked up to him. One of thesuspects punched the victim inthe face who then fell to theground as the suspect took hiswallet. The other suspect stolethe victim’s cell phone. Thenboth suspects fled the scene.The victim sustained minorinjuries. The suspects have notbeen found.

—Compiled by Staff Writer AnaCeballos

CRIME BEAT

PPrrootteessttiinngg tthhrroouugghh vvaannddaalliissmmAs a result of the walkout lastThursday afternoon, an addi-tional manifestation of theanger of protesters was com-municated by vandalism. Thewords “no cut” were spray-painted in Parking Structure 4near the elevators. According toSan Diego State PoliceDepartment Capt. Lamine Secka,this is very unusual duringprotests, mainly because ofSDSU’s lack of involvement dur-ing past years.

D A I L Y A Z T E CFriday,

December 12, 2012 P H OTO8The women’s basketball team celebrates itsMountain West Conference championship.

ALL PHOTOS TAKEN BY PHOTO EDITOR ANTONIO ZARAGOZA

D A I L Y A Z T E CMonday, March 12, 2012E N T E R TA I N M E N T 9

UNDER THE SCOPE

Actor Taylor Kitsch

Taylor Kitsch carved out a niche forhimself in “Friday Night Lights” and“X-Men Origins: Wolverine.” In “JohnCarter,” he stars as the title characterin a fantasy world. Kitsch spoke toThe Daily Aztec about the boredomassociated with fitness, the problemswith talking at clouds and why jet lagis no joke.

The Daily Aztec: What does it meanto you to portray a character that hasexisted for a century?

Taylor Kitsch: I don’t know, I don’tthink you’re going to put more pres-sure on it because it’s existed. I thinkthat’s a lot of the outside pressuretrying to come in. But no one is goingto put more pressure on it more thanI will. You know, I think the mostpressure I’ve truly had was probablyplaying a guy that’s lived and haspassed on in Kevin Carter. But I’m notgoing to prep more because it’s EdgarRice Burroughs’ vision or anythinglike that. But, I mean, it’s very flatter-ing to be a part of it. And I think thatscope of it all is quite cool to be a part

of it as well. And I think to breathe lifeinto — (Andrew) Stanton, who direct-ed it — his childhood dream. I thinkthat’s a pretty amazing thing to doand be a part of.

DA: What were the physical chal-lenges of the role? It seems as thoughthere were a lot of scenes that youwere pushed to your physical limits.How did you prepare?

TK: I think I battled exhaustionthroughout, just because you’re in somuch of it and you’re working six-day weeks and all that kind of stuff.But the diet is everything. It’s themost boring diet you can think ofever. Really. And just like surroundingall the meals with protein and I wason it for around 11 months. And thenjust the aesthetic part of John. Youwake up at 4:30 in the morning everyday and you train and it goes back toboxing, to a lot of the core stuff of thewire work, and then the sword train-ing. And man, I can bore you guys allday with what I ate. But I‘ll just leaveit at it was incredibly boring.

DA: After your work on “Friday NightLights” and “The Bang Bang Club,” wasit strange to be reacting to creaturesand objects that weren’t really there?

TK: Yes. Next question. (Laughs) Uh,no. I mean, yeah. It’s a good question,just because it’s tough, man. Whatwas tough, I think why I was soexhausted too, is if it was a scenewith me and him.

Once we get the scene on JohnCarter, we have to do it another 10takes plus. For the effects people, forthem to get it right to make sure wecan get through all that. That’s just soexhausting. And I think when you’reacting to nothing, it’s tough, man. I’ve

got big speeches in this film whereyou’re looking at clouds, and it’stough to really connect to anything.So it just kind of demands that muchmore of you.

DA: How hectic is the promotionalperiod before a movie is released?

TK: Oh man, I can go on a tangentright now, where the studio wouldprobably just hang up. (Laughs) Thisis cool what we’re doing here … butit’s beyond exhausting, man.

I mean just put it this way. I spentthe last 20 hours in my home inAustin, Texas. That was the first timein a month that I’ve had that. And Iwon’t get to go back for anothermonth plus. And jet lag is no joke, bythe way. It is no joke. You lose a jobhere or there because of lack of avail-ability and that’s the last thing youwant to lose a job for.

But I’ll put the violin away. You juststay focused, you get through it andhelps when you love the movie andyou love the work that you put into it.

AAnnddrreeww YYoouunnggeerrsenior staff writer

Actor & director talk ‘John Carter’ making

Actor Taylor Kitsch gazes at something forthcoming in his newest movie “John Carter,” released Friday. | COURTESY OF WALT DISNEY STUDIOS

Director Andrew Stanton

Pixar director Andrew Stanton helmedtwo of the most successful films of thelast decade with “Finding Nemo” and“Wall-E.” Stanton recently made thejump to live-action adventure filmmak-ing with an adaptation of Edgar RiceBurroughs’ sprawling fantasy series“John Carter.” Stanton spoke to TheDaily Aztec about the challenges oflive-action filmmaking, the relevance of“John Carter” to modern audiences,and why he hates cliff-hangers.

The Daily Aztec: How is directing alive-action film different from directingan animated film?

Andrew Stanton: It’s actually not thatdifferent. People think that when youwork on an animated film, it’s as if I’mtalking to a bunch of computers mywhole life. I actually talk to 200 peopleevery day, 200 people that have differ-ent jobs, like how to do the lighting, thecamera, the costume work. So it’s verysimilar actually in live action. I’m talkingto people that do the camera, the cos-tumes, you know, the actors and it’s justthat you’re doing it outside instead ofinside. And you’re doing it under a very,very tight schedule whereas you have alot more sort of bankers’ hours whenyou’re doing animation. So, the big dif-ference is just physical stamina. I knowthat’s not sexy, but that’s the truth of it.

DA: Did your experience at Pixar helpwith the CGI on the film?

AS: My experience at Pixar wastremendously helpful. I don’t think Icould have done this had I not. I meanmaking “John Carter” was basicallymaking two movies. Almost literallytwo different film productions. Onewas the live-action side that tookalmost a year to do and then the com-puter graphic side. Because half mymain characters are completely CG

and half the world is CG. And that wasanother year and a half of work andthat happened after I shot the liveaction. So I kind of was in this live-action world with all the sort of pro-duction rules and pipelines. And then Imoved onto animation and I workedin the same kind of pipeline that Iwould work and production flow that Iwould work on for a Pixar movie. AndI knew that half of it really well and Iwas working with people I hadn’tworked with before but it was fun. Ithink they really enjoyed working witha director who actually knew andcared about animation.

DA: Did you approach the film and thestory differently than you would if itwere an animated film?

AS: I didn’t approach the story any dif-ferently. I mean to be honest, I thinkthat’s the misconception about anima-tion is that we don’t approach our sto-ries any differently … we just treat everycharacter like an actor is going to play it.And that we’re going to have a real set.And we’re going to have real locations,and we’re going to do all this stuff. Wehave since day one on “Toy Story.” So tome there is no difference. It’s only whenyou get into the practical aspect of howyou’re going to execute it that you haveto think differently. But everything elseis for dramatic reasons.

And we have, you know, I do havethe luxury in animation that if I decidethat we should suddenly go to a wholenew city, maybe we have much moreoptions of being able to actually buildthat city and do it, whereas it might betoo costly in live action to go there. Butto be honest, there’s a budget in anima-tion just as much as there is in liveaction. And everything has a cost to it.So we get sort of our hands slappedand told we can’t do things with anima-tion all the time. People have this myththat just because you can do anything,

means you can afford to do anything,and you can’t. Everything has a budgetand a schedule. So it’s just a differentkind of restriction.

DA: What is the relevance of “JohnCarter” to a modern audience? Andwhat message would you hope the filmsends to the audience?

AS: I don’t really consider those things.I’ve had a lot of those kind of questionswhen I was doing “Wall-E,” because itseemed to be so appropriate to thetimes of concern about the environ-ment and things. But they’re all justingredients for me for what’s the dramaof the story. My interest was what’s thetimeless human aspect about the char-acter and the story that will alwaysspeak to me, no matter what’s going onin the world. And having a person thatdiscovers that they think their purposein life is over and was misguided tobegin with, suddenly find where theyreally do fit in, I think that’s what all ofus are searching to do. Heck, that’s whyyou’re all in college, right? You’re all try-ing to figure out where do I fit in andwhat’s my true calling. And that’s whatthis person is dealing with. And I think Iused anything I could, even if it wassubject matter that might compare tothe day of if, you know, if it didn’t. Thatwould help tell that dramatic drive. Andthat was it.

DA: Burroughs’s original novel was thefirst part in an enormous series. Can weexpect sequels or other contentbeyond “John Carter”?

AS: That’s me knocking on wood. I surehope so. We actually got the rights tothe first three books, and we planned allthree movies together so that we knewwhere they were all going. But I alsohated movies that had these unneces-sary cliff-hangers that suddenly justleave you hanging, as there is this sortof vain assumption that there is goingto be another movie. I didn’t want tojinx that either, so we made sure eachmovie finished in a very satisfying waywhen we wrote them. Even thoughthere might be these meta-issues thatcould keep going. It’s like having a goodconclusion to a television season.

And maybe you’ll get picked up forthe next year, maybe you won’t, but atleast you know there’s closure in thesmall for what you were dealing withfor that season. So we did that withthis movie and we planned it that wayfor the others.

Director Andrew Stanton works with his “John Carter” team. | COURTESY OF WALT DISNEY STUDIOS

T H E D A I L Y A Z T E C . C O M

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D A I L Y A Z T E CMonday,

March 12, 2012 O P I N I O N10

’m a competitive guy. I canunderstand the mentality ofa highly driven, focused ath-lete like Jamaal Franklin whoobviously desires tobe a

dominant force on the court. Franklinhas had an exceptional season andwas named Mountain WestConference Men’s Basketball Playerof the Year. Nobody can deny theguy has serious skills, coupled withenviable athletic talent, making him apotentially valuable part of San DiegoState men’s basketball program.

Yeah, I said “potentially” valuable.

I’m still figuring out if SDSU basket-

ball fans should rally behind Franklin

and give him our full support. His

on and off-court decision-making

has been questionable and it’s fair

to suspend adulation until Franklin

has made it clear what type of stu-

dent athlete he intends to be. Take, for example, the apparent

gesture made toward a referee inthe Aztecs’ recent loss to NewMexico. Unless Franklin was tryingto stretch out his middle finger toimprove his shooting, it looked likehe flipped off the ref. Franklindenied this after the game. Did hehave reasons to be frustrated? Sure.Is it really that big of a deal if a col-legiate athlete not-so-subtly tells aref he can go you-know-what him-self? Yeah, unfortunately, it is.

What if, as Franklin has recentlyasserted, he was actually flipping offan obnoxious fan in the stands? Doesthis make the scenario any better?Either way, an athlete from SDSU wasmaking offensive gestures out offrustration on national television.

Sportsmanship matters. If ourstudent athletes do not have theemotional maturity and integrity tobe gracious in defeat, they do notdeserve to play. Being an athlete atSDSU should be about more thanathletic performance and game-time statistics.

We do not have a professionalbasketball team. If Franklin wants togo be in the NBA, and he probablywill end up there, he can be asunsportsmanlike as he wants.Professional sports teams have onegoal and one goal only: winning.Collegiate athletic programs have to be about more than just that.Collegiate athletics are about schoolspirit. College sports bring communi-ties together. Universities are supposedto be designed to give young peopleenriching experiences that guide andshape them into more educated, well-rounded adults. Athletic programs arenot an exception to this ideal. Coachesand professors have similar responsi-bilities. We should all hope SDSUmen’s basketball head coach SteveFisher is reaching out to Franklin,mentoring him in more than just howto be an effective shooting guard.

SDSU doesn’t want to be the teamwith talented players who are giftedbut disrespectful. Winning games isimportant, but it shouldn’t be themost important thing for any of ourteams. In order for our basketballteam to reach its fullest potential,the cultivation of character in ourathletes has to be the top priority.

Sports fans have always celebratedthe competitive spirit, and praisedathletes who have fought hard andlost with grace. I’m certainly not alonein my idealistic belief that our teamwould be more admirable if our starplayer hadn’t lost his composure in alosing situation.

This isn’t the first time Franklinhas demonstrated questionable

character on the court. Rememberwhen Franklin hit University ofConnecticut’s Kemba Walker withhis shoulder? I know, Walker totallyflopped, but if Franklin hadn’tslammed into him with his shoulder,there would have been nothing toflop to. It was an early demonstrationof Franklin’s misguided competitivenature. Franklin really wants to win.

Actually, he wants to do more thansimply win. He wants to dominateand crush his opponents, and I lovethat about him. I even appreciatethe showboating, high-flying dunksin a way that some basketball fansdo not. The problem is, sometimesthis competitive spirit has to bereigned in (coaches, are you listen-ing?) and balanced out with someself-control and integrity.

College basketball players arethrust into the national spotlightevery March. It’s called MarchMadness for a reason, dear readers.These players are subject to anunfair level of scrutiny, but that’sjust the way it is. Every year that wehave an elite basketball program,SDSU has an opportunity to showthe nation what kind of school weare. When they make it to the tour-nament, basketball players suddenlytranscend the role of student athleteand become ambassadors for theircommunities on the national stage.Against New Mexico, Franklin missedthe opportunity to show off a littlecomposure in a stressful situationand it was a poor reflection of ourstudent body.

Our community should embraceathletes such as Franklin and encour-age them to showcase more thantheir skills as basketball players. Weshould care about these players, andthey should matter to all students,faculty and alumni enough for us towant them to be more than justgood athletes.

—Kenneth Leonard is an Englishjunior.

KKeennnneetthh LLeeoonnaarrddstaff columnist

Franklin doesn’t exactly brings class to the court. |PETER KLUCH, SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Franklin gives integrity the middle finger

I

D A I L Y A Z T E CMonday, March 12, 2012P H OTO S 11

C L A S S I F I E D S

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tw i t t e r . c om/TheDa i l yA z t ectw i t t e r . c om/TheDa i l yA z t ectw i t t e r . c om/TheDa i l yA z t ec

The women’s basketball team plays its way to victory in the Mountain West Conference championship.

ALL PHOTOS TAKEN BY PHOTO EDITOR ANTONIO ZARAGOZA

T H E D A I L Y A Z T E C . C O M

Want to take pictures of the next

MWC games? Apply to the photo

section of The Daily Aztec at

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Difficulty Level: 1 out of 4

Instructions: Complete the gridso each row, column and 3-by-3box (in bold borders) containsevery digit 1 to 9. For strategieson how to solve Sudoku, visitwww.sudokudragon.com

Solutions available online atwww.thedailyaztec.com

©2012, TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES INC.

AACCRROOSSSS1 Professional org.6 Like bachelor

parties10 Slightly open14 Gift from an

oyster15 Old El Paso

product16 General princi-

ple17 Motto of 50-

Across19 Whodunit hint20 Org. for mature

audiences only?21 "Small" allega-

tions23 Climbs27 Common take-

out cuisine28 Seats at the bar29 Hot-platter

stand30 State flower of

Indiana31 Argentina

neighbor32 Sunbather's goal35 Invisible or

indelible fluids36 Practiced, as a

trade37 Video game

giant38 Show with

regional spin-offs

39 Epic40 Pastrami ped-

dlers41 Donkey of kid-

die lit43 Giant among

Giants44 Actor Armand46 Clean up, as

one's toys47 Pure as the driv-

en snow48 Capitol topper49 Easter bloom50 Organization

that held its firsttroop meeting3/12/1912

56 Vicinity

57 Airline thatserves onlykosher meals

58 Patty Hearst'snom de guerre

59 Pigsty, so tospeak

60 Hardwood trees61 Enjoyed Aspen

DDOOWWNN1 Police dept.'s

"Be on the look-out!" alert

2 Observe3 Sticky trunk stuff4 Bobby of hockey5 With no mistakes6 Red carpet

interviewees7 Rain delay roll-

out8 Expert9 Baby sponsored

at a baptism

10 Mysterious11 Founder of 50-

Across12 Reunion atten-

dees, for short13 Witherspoon of

"Walk the Line"18 Walks on little

cat feet22 In real time23 Fancy-shmancy

jelly24 British subma-

chine guns25 Popular funding

source for 50-Across26 Eternities,

seemingly27 Shed some tears29 Yours of yore31 Saint of Assisi33 High anxiety34 Objectionable,

as a habit

36 Eliza Doolittle, toHenry Higgins

37 "The Fugitive"actress Ward

39 Ibsen's "Peer __"40 Picks up on42 Courses taken

to boost one'sGPA

43 Many-petaledflowers, famil-iarly

44 Happy as __45 British county46 Surveys48 Wee bit o'

Scotch, say51 Under the

weather52 Tree on the

Connecticutquarter

53 Prefix with verse54 Deadlock55 Unhappy

Solutions available online at www.thedailyaztec.com

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (3/12/12) Family andfriends are there for you, no matter what.New opportunities open in the career andeducation arenas. Get detailed aboutfinances for increased power. Insurance,inheritance, taxes and loans could figurein. Make time for yourself amidst all thehustle. Light candles.

To get the advantage, check the day's rating:10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging.

ARIES (March 21 - April 19) - Today is an 8 -Mercury goes retrograde today (until April4) in your sign. Don't take it personally.This chaotic frequency that's broadcastingconfusion; it's not about you at all. Stick toyour deadlines.

TAURUS (April 20 - May 20) - Today is an 8- Take care of your well-being with plentyof rest and fluids. Patience pays, andslowing the pace forestalls accidents.Watch where you're going. Hidden talentsget revealed.

GEMINI (May 21 - June 21) - Today is a 7 -The next 24 days of Mercury in retrogradethrow static into communications,especially in groups. Say it twice. Put it(and get it) in writing.

CANCER (June 22 - July 22) - Today is a 7 -Your professional status could take atumble. Pick yourself up, dust off and getback to the great service you're known for.If there's a mess, clean it up. It works out.

LEO (July 23 - Aug. 22) - Today is an 8 -Focus your attention on the things thatwork, the breakthroughs. Confusion couldarise around education, philosophy orwriting. Take it in stride. No need todecide.

VIRGO (Aug. 23 - Sept. 22) - Today is an 8 -You feel balanced and assured, as the restof the story swirls. Even with breakdowns,things get worked out. Organize at homefor greater power. Take it easy.

LIBRA (Sept. 23 - Oct. 22) - Today is a 7 -Mercury in Aries goes retrograde for you,Libra, in your seventh house of partnership.Sync schedules and reconfirm reservations.Have backup communication plans.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23 - Nov. 21) - Today is a 7 -There could be disruption in service andhealth today, and over the next month.Prepare and back up what you can, and golightly. Loving support is close by.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22 - Dec. 21) - Today isan 8 - Beef up communication and travelinfrastructure to avoid breakdown in thefun zone. Artistic expression, romance, kidsand pets could get a bit hectic. Play itloose.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22 - Jan. 19) - Today is a7 - Mercury affects you in your fourthhouse of home and roots, muddling familycommunications or adding travel delays.Persistence and humor carry the day.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20 - Feb. 18) - Today is an8 - For around the next month, expectdelays and miscommunications, in general.For Aquarius, communications are evenmore affected. Double-check importantones.

PISCES (Feb. 19 - March 20) - Today is a 6 -Go ahead and seek funding (it may taketime for it to come in). Expect wackyinterruptions, with some energy and chaosinvolved. Back up hard drives. Check tiresand fluids.

©2012, TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES INC.

BY NANCY BLACK,TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICESHOROSCOPE

BY THE MEPHAM GROUP,TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICESSUDOKU

BY RICH NORRIS & JOYCE LEWIS,TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICESCROSSWORD

Photo Editor Antonio Zaragoza captured this photo of SDSU cheerleaders readying up for a big game in Las

Vegas. Unfortunately, the deafening chants of “I believe that we will win” could not be captured.

GETTING THE GAME FACES ON

SDS-VIEW

PLEASE NOTE:The views expressed in the written works of this issue do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Daily Aztec.Letters to the editor can be sent to letters@thedailyaztec.com. Story ideas can be sent to tips@thedailyaztec.com.

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D A I L Y A Z T E CMonday,

March 12, 2012 B AC K PAG E12FICT ION

nd so I find myself inthe middle of ourreunion wonderingwhat it is about herbeauty that con-

vinces me to avert my eyes, as ifsomething about her threatens me.Perhaps the sharp light capturedwithin her own eyes reminds me ofsinging knives — she notices everymovement, so when she spots thefly trapped between the windowscreen and the glass, I believe I can

hear the air split as though it werea vegetable being chopped.

With Ashley here, I wonder whythe music disappeared so manyyears ago, and I try to persuademyself it is something easy enoughto forget. I want to ask her to danceagain, like we used to, but she’s mar-ried now, and while never explicitlystated, one knows her dancing withstrange men, even men from herpast, is strictly prohibited.

So many years ago Ashleydropped out of journalism school tomodel. She quickly landed high-fash-ion magazine spreads and becameone of Europe’s most intriguingwomen. That is, until she lost her leftarm in a terrible high-speed boatingaccident in the Red Sea. She tells methey found an arm floating on the

surface, but strangely enough it was-n’t hers, and none of the other pas-sengers involved lost anything.

I imagine the flashbulbs ofcountless cameras, how thoseinstant hammers of light forgedand sharpened the swords of hervision. If anything, being in front ofa camera didn’t steal anything

from her soul, instead it attractedher closer to the surface.

“Now when people stare at me,”she touches her shoulder at thepoint of it’s severance, with two fin-gers, the way a person holds a ciga-rette, “I wonder if it’s because I’mmissing an arm, or because — aseven you yourself have admitted —I’m beautiful.”

There’s a strange feeling of disgustthat washes over me. I hide it bybringing my coffee cup to my lips.Before I wonder if she’s seen me sheasks, “What’s bothering you?”

And I answer with the onlyresponse I can, the only answer sheexpects from familiarity: “Nothing,”and here we are again, trappedbeneath the weight of old thoughtshidden by clear glass, watching them

form and take shape but never breakthrough and touch each other.

She’s wearing a sundress, the firstone of the season. The strap aboveher good arm slinks down. She does-n’t adjust it. “You know,” she says andlooks away from me as if in deepthought, “They say after a near-deathexperience, you come away realizingwhat’s important, as if you neverknew to begin with, as if ‘what’simportant’ is some sort of revelation.But I’ve always known, just never hadthe courage to take action.” Shecatches me staring at the dark foldsbetween her dress and skin. She waitsuntil I return my gaze to her eyes.She continues: “And floating there, inthat cold water, believing I cameaway unscathed from that accident, Iunderstood I’ve grown close to apa-thy. There’s a strange sensuality to it,losing all motivation. It doesn’t makeyou disappointed — you come toexpect it, like a long, dear relationship.I was hoping it’d make me sad toknow this, but it didn’t. It doesn’t.”

I can hear the fly shiver against thewindow screen.

“Care to dance?” I ask her, becausewhat else can I say?

Ashley stands without the help ofher arm. I can smell traces of child-hood olive groves on her skin as shetakes my hand and pulls me from myseat. There’s no music playing, butshe holds me near and so we danceto the rhythm of requited distances.Here we are, dancing, like I’ve alwayswanted. The strap of her dress falls toher elbow. She holds my hand andstraightens her arm as if to say, “Spinme.” I watch her turn, the fabric dropsfarther, and in the descent we areyoung again. —Mason Schoen is a creative writinggraduate student.

MMaassoonn SScchhooeennfiction writer

I imagine the flashbulbs ofcountless cameras, how thoseinstant hammers of light forged and sharpened the swords of her vision.

A new dance to old days

A