The QC, Vol. 94, No. 05 • October 4, 2007

              'he Voice of Whittier College Since 1914
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Issue 5-Volume 94
QC@WHITT1ER.EDU
Alumni make $3
million donation
PHOTO BY THOMAS ELLIOTT / QC PHOTOGRAPHER
From left, Whittier College President Sharon Herzberger, Chester 'Chef McCloskey, '40, and
wife Olive McCloskey, '44 speak at the tailgate party held before the football game on Saturday,
Sept. 29. The alumni's gift is going toward hiring a professor to fill the Chester and Olive McCloskey Chair in Chemistry, which is expected to dramatically improve the department.
Josh Wood
QC News Co-Editor
While reminiscing on his days
playing football as a Poet, Chester
"Chet" McCloskey, '40, could not
help but smile. Chet's academic
calling was chemistry; after earning
his undergrad and graduate degrees
at Whittier, he went on to teach at
the California Institute of Technology. After a successful career in the
chemistry industry, and almost 70
years after his college graduation,
Chet and his wife Olive, '44, have
found the means to give back - with
$3,000,000.
Last Saturday, Sept. 29, Whittier College hosted the first-ever
Whittier Alumni Volunteer Experience (W.A.V.E.). Richard I.
Gilchrist, '68, the Chairman of the
Whittier College Board of Trustees,
introduced the soft-spoken Chet and
Olive McColskey at the luncheon
in the early afternoon. After they
announced their significant contribution, every alumni and faculty
member was moved enough to give
them a standing ovation. "This gift
will make an enduring difference
for our alma mater and its future
students," Gilchrist said.
The Chester and Olive McCloskey Chair in Chemistry was
founded to hire or appoint an
outstanding professor to lead
Whittier's Chemistry Department.
"Whittier is at the leading edge of
teaching in terms of technique and
see GIFT,
First-year candidates
debate for students'
support and votes
Dan Castillo
Staff Writer
■
Improving sanitation, increasing
community events and restarting the
recycling program were many of the
ideas discussed at the Freshman Class
Presidential debate held on Monday,
Oct. 1, in the Stauffer lobby. Freshman Class Council voting will take
place Thursday, Oct. 4, and Friday,
Oct. 5, in the T.I. at lunch.
CLARIFICATION
the (Quaker Campus would
like to clarify statements made
in "Radisson boycott may affect
future campus events," which ran
on Thursday, Sept. 20.
According to Lancer Society
member Casmir Keniski, the society wanted to move Erotic City
from Memories to the Radisson
Hotel because of incidents that
occurred after Memories security
staff made attendees remain in the
upstairs dance floor after the DJ
blew out the venue's speakers.
Keniski added that the Radisson was the only reasonable and
available location for a large event
such as Erotic City.
The Freshman Class President
candidates, Dorris Youmara, Neal
Behrendt and Thomas Elliott, delivered their platforms to a packed
Stauffer lobby with approximately
80-100 people in attendance, all waiting to see what their freshman candidates for president had to offer.
The candidates gave brief introductions about who they are and what
experience they have, then moved
onto how they would serve the first-
year community. Behrendt began
by adding a little humor, "Hello my
name is Neal and I like long walks on
the beach," he said. Laughter immediately followed from the audience.
Then told the crowd why he thought
he should be president. "I can express
the wants and desires of the freshman class," Behrendt said. "I want
to have more programs on campus
so people don't want to go home on
the weekends, so they want to stay
and have something to do."
Elliott approached the podium
with large cheers. His ideas consisted
of adding an ATM on campus and
doing more event programming for
the freshmen class. " I know they
have brought Carl's Jr. to campus
before, I would like to do a program
like that, but maybe with In-N-Out. I
see ELECTIONS page 5
Whittier Narrows Earthquake:
20 years later, still remembered
Yasmin Khorram
and Josh Wood
QC News Co-Editors
Imagine waking up to lights
crashing to the floor, books
falling and the walls shaking
violently, followed by nothing
but eerie silence. Students and
professors alike experienced this
on the morning of Oct. 1, 1987,
exactly 20 years ago Monday.
A 5.9 earthquake struck the
Whittier area at 7:42 a.m., lasting
less than a minute. This quake
cost eight people their lives in
the surrounding area and $350
million worth of damages.
Media Coordinator Charles
Elliott recalls experiencing what
is known as the Whittier Narrows
Earthquake. "I was eating breakfast when the quake hit," he said.
"As I stood, two bookcases fell
in front of me, while dishes came
flying and smashed into the floor.
I couldn't get to the hallway, so
I ducked under the kitchen table,
and waited it out."
Working as a journalist forthe
Whittier Daily News at the time,
Elliott's reporter instinct kicked
in. He assessed the damage to his
apartment on Comstock Avenue
PHOTO BY DAVID HURON, TAKEN FROM VOL. 74 ISSUE 4
A car parked against a brick building on Bright St. near Wardman
St. crushed by fallen debris. Damage such as this prompted
Whittier city officials to examine the safety of all buildings in
the area and raze structures that did not meet safety codes.
then ran to the news office. His editor sent him to Greenleaf Avenue
to document the damage. Elliott
witnessed "cars crushed and bricks
[had] fallen everywhere. People
were walking around stunned and
upset."
When he returned to his home,
he was prohibited from entering
the complex due to excessive
damage. As a last resort, he
took advantage of the Red
Cross shelter set up nearby.
However, on the night of Oct.
4, things trembled again when
a major aftershock (5.3 magnitude) hit.
After this second incident,
Elliott was inspired to write
see EARTHQUAKE page 4
TIGER HEAT
A hot gay club, for everyone.
A&E Page 11
THE POET PIT
Students boost school spirit.
Sports, Page 16