July 7

California State University, Northridge

Since 1957

Volume 50 • Number 124

July 7-11, 2008

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Student hospitalized after shot in neck along lindley avenue MoNiCa DUeSter

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StAFF REPoRtER

courtesy of MIguEL goNzALEz

Caroline ramirez and francisco Magallanes at BgN fraternity formal in fall ’07.

Family, friends remember victims of June 7 car crash MoNiCa DUeSter

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StAFF REPoRtER

amily members and friends of the two men who died after a CSUN student suspected of drunk driving collided into the back of their car while stopped at a red light, are keeping their memories alive through social networking Web sites and blogs. Farzad Etesamifar, 25, of Iran and his cousin, Sepehr Keshavarz, 23, of Reseda died in the early morning hours of June 7 at the intersection of Ventura Boulevard and Densmore Avenue in Encino. According to Rosa Aldama, her nephew, Etesamifar was living in Iran and visiting Los Angeles with his parents to attend his aunt’s graduation from USC Pharmacy School. Etesamifar ’s father had returned to Iran three days prior to the accident and Etesamifar and his mother were scheduled to leave for Iran the day after the accident. Aldama said, Keshavarz had moved to Reseda two years prior

INdEx Photo Essay 6&7 Features 10 Classifieds 11 Arts & Entertainment 12

to pursue his singing career and was in the process of obtaining his U.S. residency. In an email from Arash Mousavi, a CSUN alumnus who is first cousins to both men, wrote, “His (Keshavarz) life revolved around music.” According to Mousavi, Keshavarz was talented with playing the piano and guitar that without having any formal training he could watch and listen to someone else play and be able to duplicate the exact tones. Family members say he was making an album scheduled to be completed by next year. “their lives were cut short,” said Aldama. “My heart has broken into pieces and I don’t know how I am going to go on.” Many of Etesamifar’s close friends stay in contact with each other through Yahoo!360, a social networking Web site. With blogs, photos, lists, recommendations, and many other features they can post comments, pictures and stories. Amin Ghoncheh, from Iran, who is a close friend of Etesamifar, wanted his life to be remem-

20-year-old computer engineering student is in serious condition after he was shot in the neck on Lindley Avenue on June 29. Police said that two masked men approached Francisco Javier Magallanes on the driver’s side of his vehicle and shot him while he tried to drive away at 10:15 p.m. Magallanes managed to drive a couple of car lengths before crashing into several parked vehicles in front of the townhome Apartments on Lindley Avenue, between Devonshire and Kingsbury Avenues, police said. Detective John Doerbecker of the Devonshire Community Police Station said witnesses saw the two men run southbound on Lindley Avenue while a dark-colored SUV

that dropped off the assailants traveled northbound. Witnesses have also stated that they saw the two men jump the fence into the Granada Hills High School. Doerbecker is in the process of obtaining the high school’s security camera footage. Los Angeles Police Department Sgt. Barbara Riggs said witnesses assisted Magallanes until the police arrived. “He (Magallanes) was able to give statements to a couple of witnesses and police officers before being rushed to Northridge Hospital,” Riggs said. Friends said Magallanes, who is a member of the Beta Gamma Nu fraternity, was leaving his apartment to spend the night at his girlfriend’s place less than a mile away. Miguel Gonzalez, fraternity founder and friend, said he was staying at Magallanes’

apartment and was there the night of the shooting. “I was devastated when I heard the news,” Gonzalez said. “He is a good kid and didn’t deserve this.” Edwin Cavajal, a CSUN alumnus and BGN fraternity member, was with Magallanes earlier that day on Sunday at the Dodgers v. Angels game. “We had fun like we normally do, and I’ve never known him to get mixed up with the wrong crowd,” Cavajal said. “He comes from a great, hard-working family from the Coachella Valley, and it is more than a shock to hear this type of news regarding one of my brothers.” Cavajal said he always thought the Granada Hills High School area was a safe place, but that it proves crime can occur anywhere. See shot, page 2

obama, McCain attempt to sway Latino voters in Washington, DC aloNSo Yáñez

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SPECIAL to tHE SUNDIAL

courtesy of ArASh MouSAVI

Sepehr Keshavarz, 23, and farzad Etesamifar, 25, stand in the backyard of their family’s home in reseda. This photo was taken on June 6, one day before they were killed in a car accident.

bered and shared. Ghoncheh, along with several other close friends of Etesamifar set up a blog called “Remember him in Happiness,” where people can post a tribute. Payam Hossaini, an It developer from Iran, met Etesamifar in college at the Aptech Institute, an It training school. His Yahoo!360 blog entry for Etesamifar is called “Rest in Peace.” Hossaini writes via email that there were four of them that were very close in college; Etesamifar, Farhad Saeedi Nejad, Shahin

Motevali and himself. “He (Etesamifar) was always so relaxed,” said Hossaini via email. “I remember one night we all four were studying for an exam and although there was a lack of time, he seemed so cool,” Hossaini said. Etesamifar’s older sister Farima set up a Facebook account a few days after the death of the two cousins, said family members. It is a place where family

ens. Barack obama and John McCain, who are running for the U.S. presidency, spoke at the National Association of Latino Elected officials (NALEo) conference on June 28 in Washington, D.C. In an effort to increase their popularity with Latino voters, they discussed issues such as education, health care, housing, immigration and the Iraq War. McCain was the first candidate to address the 700 people in attendance by saying that increasing taxes would have a negative effect on small businesses. “It’s a terrible mistake to raise taxes during an economic downturn,” McCain said. “Increasing taxes for Americans impedes our growth, discourages innovation and makes us less competitive.” “our current business tax rate is the second highest in the world, and increasing it will postpone our

See Victims, page 2

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Dropout student pursues acting toward “Guitar Hero” stardom

Fanboy fed up with campy superhero movies helped Batman begin again

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2 • summer sundial • csuN • July 7-11, 2008

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Continued from page 1 recovery from this downturn and will make us increasingly less competitive in the world economy,” McCain said. McCain continued by talking about the energy crisis and said that his “Lexington Project” would address the issue efficiently. the project proposes an increase in domestic production of oil meant to end the nation’s dependence on foreign producers and solve price speculation. It also plans to construct 45 nuclear plants by 2030 and develop alternative energy programs such as coal, solar and wind industries. When McCain began to talk about the contributions of Latinos in the U.S., the war and his imprisonment, two demonstrators from Codepink, a womeninitiated grassroots peace and social justice movement, interrupted him. the demonstrators forced him to end his speech abruptly by yelling, “He doesn’t represent Arizona. We want a peace candidate, (and) your silence is consent.” After the demonstrators where escorted out of the hotel by security agents, McCain answered questions from legislators. “(Immigration) will be my priority, yesterday, today and tomorrow,” McCain responded to a question about immigration reform. “We have to secure our borders, but we also must pro-

ceed with a temporary worker program that is verifiable and truly temporary,” McCain said. “We must also understand that there are 12 million people that are here illegally and that they’re God’s children.” the Republican Party presidential candidate also talked about his health care project, which includes a $5,000 refundable tax credit for every family to travel across state lines to secure the health insurance policy they want. McCain said that the problem is not the quality of medical care, but its affordability. He also talked about the education system and explained that there are segments of the population that do not receive a good quality education because the system is based on income and property taxes. He said he would renew the No Child Left Behind Act if he were elected president. After McCain said, “it’s very fragile what we have won” in regard to the Iraq War, a man with press credentials stood up and screamed at journalists, “there are one million Iraqis dead! Report that!” the remark motivated McCain to conclude his participation in the conference. Before obama started to speak, NALEo’s executive director, Arturo Vargas, said the demonstrators had no connections with NALEo and that their behavior did not reflect the organization’s values. obama started his speech by emphasizing that the federal government has not been

working properly for eight years and that McCain does not offer real change. After that, he asked for the help of Latinos to make a difference in the lives of ordinary Americans. “Latinos embody the best of the American dream,” obama said before adding that the government should not vacillate to implement immigration reform and provide 12 million undocumented immigrants a path to citizenship. “We need to reconcile our values and reconcile our principles as a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws, and we can do something more. We can tear down the barriers that keep the American dream out of reach for so many Americans,” obama said. “But I can’t do it on my own. I have to have your help,” obama said. “In this election, it’s come down to how many Latinos turn out to vote.” After saying “si se puede” – this means “yes we can” in Spanish – and getting a standing ovation from the audience, obama summarized his proposals in various areas when an audience member asked him about the housing crisis and its correlation to unemployment. obama said that if he were elected president, not only would he invest in the development of infrastructure at a national level to create more jobs, but also in research for renewable energy sources. He also said he would provide universal health care and make community college free, in

courtesy of LINdSAy rodrIguEz

Sen. Barack obama talks to Latino voters in washington, dC on June 28.

addition to giving a $4,000 tuition credit to students to help them finish their education. When asked about the crisis in the health care system, obama said that by the end of his first term as president there would not be a single American without medical insurance. He added that African Americans and Latinos suffer terrible disparities in terms of access to medical services and that the federal government needs to step up to that challenge because it is placing the burden on local governments. “We’ve got to build a coali-

tion in this election for change, and the Hispanic community has to be at the heart of that coalition,” obama said. “We’re going to have members of Congress accountable, and we’re going to hold me, as president, accountable to actually deliver.” obama said it is necessary to fix the educational system to better prepare students. If the government does not address the issue, the national economy would be affected in the future, he said. He proposed to increase teachers’ salaries and not renew the No Child Left Behind Act because he consid-

Victims

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and friends can come together to share their thoughts about the two, said Aldama. “there are pictures of them both as adults and as children,” said their aunt who would like to remain anonymous. “Ever since childhood, those two boys have been the best of friends and I am just glad they are together in Heaven,” their aunt said. In an email from Mousavi, he writes, he will always remember Keshavarz by the way he would end every sentence in Farsi with “Mesle Gorg” which means “Like a Wolf.” “this was the way he viewed life, like a wolf, he had to go after anything that he wanted and work hard at getting there,” Mousavi writes. Etesamifar and Keshavarz were buried in Los Angeles at Rose Hills Cemetery, said family members. Etesamifar’s father Ali from Iran writes in an email, “Farzad was a joyful person a lovely son, a brother, and a true friend. Farzad gave us so much and never expected anything in return. He is honest, responsible and trustworthy. Sepehr touched everyone with his music and soulful singing. His warm voice, poetic songs and his joyful melodies shall never be forgotten by those who heard them.” Ali Etesamifar went on to write, “Farzad and Sepehr were not only

Doerbecker said they have no leads and are unable to speak with Magallanes because he is in a medically induced unconscious-state. Neighbors say he was going to school, working, and that he is an overall good guy. Magallanes is in the intensive care unit at Northridge Hospital Medical Center. His family and girlfriend have been by his side since the first night, Gonzalez said. “the bullet is lodged in his neck,” said Gonzalez, who is in direct contact with his parents and who has visited the hospital several times. Gonzalez said that the doctors are debating if they should remove the bullet from his vertebrae because

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courtesy of fArIMA ETESAMIfAr

Sepehr Keshavarz, 23, and farzad Etesamifar, 25, hang out at a family reunion two weeks prior to their deaths in a car crash.

cousins but the best of friends. they grew up together and were ultimately taken together.” Keshavarz is survived by his mother. He is an only child and his father passed away 17 years ago, said Aldama. According to Mousavi’s email, Keshavarz’s mother was denied a visa to be able to see her only son’s funeral from the American Consulate in turkey. Keshavarz’s mother was previously denied a visa to attend her cousin’s graduation a few weeks prior. “We are now worried that she (Keshavarz’s mother) will not

be allowed to come to the trial, whenever it gets scheduled,” said an aunt who would like to remain nameless. the July 3 arraignment for CSUN student Sean Martin Mishlof was rescheduled for July 28. Mishlof has been charged with two counts each of second-degree murder and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated in the Encino car crash. If convicted of all charges, Mishlof faces 30 years to life, said District Attorney Spokesperson Sandi Gibbons. Mishlof remains in jail on a $2 million bond.

ers it an annual exam that is not an accurate way of assessing the academic performance of student. though obama assured he would bring American troops back from Iraq 16 months after he is elected president, he said it is necessary to redirect some of those resources to Afghanistan. “We also got to talk to the regional players, including our enemies,” obama said. “Iran, Syria, we have got to be in direct talks with them, talking about stabilizing (Iraq), and we need to apply both carrots and sticks to those countries so that they’re more cooperative.”

they say it could potentially make the situation worse. “He (Magallanes) already has a high chance of being paralyzed because of where the bullet struck,” said Gonzalez, so they are just taking it day-by-day. Riggs said the motive is unclear, as nothing was stolen from the victim, he is not associated with any gangs and it did not seem to be a case of road-rage. “By all accounts, it is very random,” Riggs said. When asked if she thought the case was solvable, Riggs said she is not worried that it will not be solved because people will start talking and that will eventually produce leads that will crack the case. Anyone with information is asked to call the Devonshire Community Police Station at (818) 832-0633.

Kicking, not screaming ...

dESSIrAEE ELEBy / Staff reporter

Sunny day campers play a game of soccer at the Sierra Quad on campus on July 1.

Summer Sundial • CSUN • July 7-11, 2008 • 3

news

Graduates evoke the struggle of Chicanos Salena Barcenas

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Staff Reporter

he mixing of colors to form shapes and images that evoke emotions and feelings can leave a lasting impression. The new mural at the Chicano/a House on North University Drive “captures the perspective of the oppression (Chicanos have had to face over) time,” said artist Wenceslao Quiroz. Day and Quiroz and Raudel De La Riva started the mural last July in Highland Park on Avenue 57 at its temporary site. The three friends started the process after Day and De La Riva took a public art class with Professor Kim Abeles last year. After taking this class the three came up with the idea for doing the mural. “The original idea to do a mural was mine, but I could not have done it without Wen and Donald,” De La Riva said. “With them being in the class, we had a better foundation.” “We all hung out together. We came up with a concept, put our thoughts in process and for a couple of weeks presented the idea to the Chicano Department and the community,” Quiroz said. “I always wanted to pursue public arts and Raudel with East Los Streetscapers got experience working in public arts.”

East Los Streetscapers is a public art studio that creates and installs 2-D and 3-D pieces of artwork. Before the three artists could start painting the mural, they had to complete their paperwork and make a proposal for approval. “They liked it,” Quiroz said. “It went before a committee. The art and Chicano department and M.E.Ch.A. formed the committee directed by Professor Yreina Cervantes,” who teaches a painting class at the Chicano House. “Murals are considered artwork,” said Tom Brown, executive director of Physical Plant Management. “Artwork ends up getting a life of its own. Any artwork the school (receives, we need to) make sure to make them portable, that way the artists can salvage them.” The mural is composed of nine 4 feet by 8 feet pieces of plywood that are screwed to the west side of the annex located behind Chicana/o House. “We (Quiroz and Day) were working for a non-profit organization, and they set up a wall,” Day said. “It was becoming a part of the community, but it had to come down and it did.” After they removed the mural from its temporary site at Arts C.O.L.A., a non-profit organization in Highland Park, it was kept at the house of Day’s

mildred martin / photo editor

A mural by CSUN graduates Wenceslao Quiroz, Donald Day and Rauldel De La Riva goes up with the help of parent Tony Day near the Chicano House on Sunday, April 6.

parents until April, when they attached it to the annex. “We worked there so we were able to work on it everyday,” Day said. Day and Quiroz were art instructors in not the best of areas. With gang proliferation and fear that their hard work might be disfigured by local teens, the artists decided to involve the kids. “I saw it as a good opportunity, and as a kid I remember helping paint a mural,” Quiroz said. “They did a lot of the background, the floor where it’s mostly brown. It was fairly simple stuff but they got a kick out of it,” Quiroz said. The kids ranged from fifth

graders to 16-year-olds. By letting them help, Day and Quiroz gave them a sense of ownership and pride. The kids tagged their names on the back of the mural. “I told them, that is your signature. I’m not going to remove it,” Quiroz said. The mural was designed south to north, moving from right to left, and every section is distinguished by a main color. The south takes place in South Mexico and Central America, and historically moves left. The right of the mural starts with the pyramids of the south and “Avenue of the Dead.” At the bottom right is an altar for “Day of the Dead.” The artists plan to paint por-

traits on the altar of people who have died from cancer, such as professor Lorenzo Flores of the Department of Chicana/o Studies, who was a “very good professor,” Quiroz said. Moving left is the first mission in California, Mission San Diego de Alcalá, with slaves in chains. The center of the mural is a triangle and features a family. It reflects agriculture and provides an interpretation of the working class. The top center of the mural is a unique version of the Aztec calendar. With each section having its own story and color, the calendar is also broken down by time and color and corresponds with each section. Moving left, to the burgun-

dy section, is a scene from last year’s MacArthur Park incident where police beat peaceful protesters. Next to it is a mother with her child on her back reaching over a fence, which represents Mexico’s U.S. border. The end of the mural portrays the May Day March, a tradition that started in 2006 in which people across the country march for immigration reform. Los Angeles City Hall stands proud in the background with a crowd of people in front. The bottom left of the mural is a white face with the colors of the American flag sweeping across it, which represents “freedom and a better future,” Quiroz said. “What this mural is trying to show is (what is and what was) directly affecting our people,” Quiroz said. “We wanted to counteract the opposite end of the wall that represents freedom and life, and also pay our respect to past ancestors.” “It’s not that important what it means to me, but what it means to the public,” De La Riva said. “It’s just a historical mural with present day context. Ultimately, it revolves around struggle.” The artists wanted “to give the Chicano community a sense of who they are and where they come from, to make them more conscious of their roots,” De La Riva said. “The biggest thing is, as long as it invokes people to think, as long as it makes them think,” Day said. “It has been a labor of love for us. What is more important than the actual piece is being able to communicate the meaning behind it.”

New paved walkway complements Chicano House mural Salena Barcenas

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Staff Reporter

ake a walk down to the Chicano House and glance around. Notice that instead of standing on dirt, there is a nice paved walkway between the house and the annex that was completed last May. Instead of a yellow brick road, there are faded red pavers joining the house and the annex, making a patio-like setting for events. Last year, while planning on remodeling the old pond located off Lindley

Avenue, north of the new Science V building, Physical Plant Management officials tried to salvage the pavers to give them to the Department of Chicana/o at CSUN for the house. When they tried to remove the pavers, PPM found they were cemented in and were unsalvageable. So PPM went shopping for new pavers for the renovation of the Orange Grove located off Nordhoff Street. They found a supplier and got a good deal, so the extra pavers were used for the Chicano House. “It was just dirt,” said Tom Brown,

executive director of PPM. “It’s a lot cleaner now, safer. It looks very good with the mural. The houses are not really funded by the state, so we need to be innovative,” Brown said. Brown is referring to the mural on the annex where three CSUN art graduates are working. “It was a lot to us. We got the space between the annex paved. That really creates a patio space for events,” said Pardo, a Chicana/o studies professor. “There we were in the sand pile, we thought ‘Oh it would be easy.’ Then we thought ‘Oh no.’ So we are so grateful

to Tom Brown. We could not have done it without him.” “We really do what we can,” Pardo said. “It has been ongoing for a while. “All those small houses are really as is. Little by little, like somebody’s house, you fix things when you get money. As much as we can, we try to create a cultural space for events and Chicano studies,” Pardo said. “We understand that we are low on the university’s priority list, so we are happy with what we get.” Some might wonder why small renovations are made on the house

if it is not considered a permanent building. “It’s always been a temporary site. When the house was given to us, it was never considered permanent,” said David Rodriguez, chair of the Department of Chicana/o Studies at CSUN. Rodriguez also clarified that the campus does not intend to tear it down for its Envision 2035 plan. He said they “would be opposed to that.” “It’s really a center of activity,” said Yreina Cervantes a Chicana/o studies professor who teaches an art class in the Chicano house.

Campus has no plans to rebuild women’s center Tina Helwajian

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STAFF REPORTER

ampus employees say that the Women’s Research and Resource Center on the corner of Plummer Street and Darby Avenue, which caught fire in December 2007, will not be rebuilt. Richard Spaniardi, risk manager for the Environmental Health and Safety Office, said, “The building was worth a couple of hundred thousand dollars, and the damage was so extensive that to repair it would have been unfeasible.” Elizabeth A. Say, dean of the College of Humanities, said the fire caused more than $150,000 in damages. “It was fully destroyed,” Say said. “The cost of rebuilding it doesn’t make sense, so we will have to relocate it somewhere else.” CSUN Provost and Vice President

of Academic Affairs Harry Hellenbrand said there was no chance of renovating the center because it would require the campus to make several repairs to restore it to building code standards. Spaniardi said the burned building has not been demolished yet because of the expense. Stephanie Montes, assistant director of the Women’s Research and Resource Center, said its members discussed fundraising options to raise the money needed to rebuild. But fundraising will not help, because the center is not part of the Envision 2035 for CSUN, she said. Hellenbrand said the campus plans to turn the location on which the center is located into academic buildings or living quarters for students and faculty by 2035. Montes said, “On a temporary basis, we were offered by the Asian American

Studies Department to relocate to their building, and they will allow us to use their space.” Though she is grateful for the department’s help, Montes said she is disappointed that the temporary location does not have adequate space for the large events and classes that were held at the center. “We’re trying our hardest to have our voices heard,” Montes said. Spaniardi said there was a blackout the same night as the fire, but fire marshals couldn’t connect the two incidents as anything more than a coincidence. “The cause of the fire seems to have been triggered by rags in a broom closet that spontaneously combusted,” Spaniardi said. Say said the center was used for self-defense classes, substance abuse programs and safe sex practice classes, among other resources for

mildred martin / photo editor

This is what the Women’s Research and Resource Center looks like since the fire that occurred during the Fall ’07 semester.

women at CSUN and the surrounding community. Say said the center offered access to support groups for self-esteem, health and feminist spirituality. The center also

provided educational programs and a referral service to community resources such as local practitioners, as well as agencies and organizations that specialized in counseling and legal aid.

4 • Summer Sundial • CSUN • July 7-11, 2008

news

More students study, work in lesser traveled world locales Denise Vastola

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Staff Reporter

nstead of going to Mexico, 18 students have chosen to spend their next spring break in a less traveled foreign land further to the East. Thanks to a $165,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education, business majors have a new option in the international business program, with an emphasis on global logistics. They can travel to China, and they have. Part of the two-year grant is earmarked for the new option, which is a joint program between the Systems and Operations Management Department and the Marketing Department, said Ali Behnezhad, professor of systems and operations management. Behnezhad is co-director of the grant with Rafi Efrat, professor of accounting and information systems. “China is a major economic force,” Behnezhad said. “The students toured a General Motors plant in China and a major port to get a feel for logistics operations for international trade.” Behnezhad said students’ response to the chance of traveling to China was overwhelming. “We received over 200 applications,” Behnezhad said. “Selecting was a tough task because the majority of students were well-qualified. Through screening and interviews, we selected the 18 who went on the trip. We got

very positive feedback. Students wrote a report and completed a survey. Eighteen of 18 rated the trip excellent and very beneficial.” The number of Americans studying and working abroad is at an all-time high, numerous experts and a recently published annual report by the Institute of International Education indicate. The Open Doors 2007 survey released in November 2007 shows that the number of American students studying abroad is at a record level, up 8.5 percent to a total of 223,534 for the 2005-06 academic year compared to the previous year. The Open Doors survey, funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, revealed that not only are more students studying abroad, but they are also studying in non-traditional destinations such as Asia (up 26 percent), Latin America (up 14 percent), Africa (up 19 percent) and the Middle East (up 31 percent). Sherry Schwarz, editor and publisher of Vermont-based Transitions Abroad, an online resource for living, working and studying abroad, said the federal government passed a bill that will help the U.S. become globally competitive. “The Senate recognizes the need for students to have a foreign language and spend time in non-traditional destinations, such as Latin America, Asia and Africa,” said Schwarz.

Schwarz, who studied and traveled abroad, is referring to the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act of 2007, named after the late U.S. senator from Illinois. The legislation passed the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee in February 2008. This legislation creates a national program that will establish study abroad as the norm, not the exception, for undergraduate students, the International Association of Educator’s Web site indicates. The hope is that one million students each year will spend part of their undergraduate studies abroad. Schwarz said the first step in working overseas is the ability to add to one’s resume the foreign cultural experiences and language skills obtained when studying abroad. Juliet Aylmer, study abroad and national student exchange advisor, not only has first-hand experience in studying overseas, but she also knows how to guide students through the process of researching, preparing for and applying to the Cal State University (CSU) International Programs. In her position for the last 11 months, Aylmer came to CSUN by way of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, with husband Robert Taylor. Aylmer is originally from the U.K. “Students don’t know what they are missing,” said Aylmer, who first came to the U.S. as a study abroad student in 2004 while working on a master’s

degree in ancient history. She worked part time in the same department she now runs at CSUN. “They are missing a life-changing opportunity,” said Aylmer of students who have not studied abroad. “I came here as a mature student. I had no idea I would end up working here three years later. All the students who have gone abroad say it has exceeded their expectations.” The number of CSUN students studying abroad fluctuates year-to-year. During the 2003-2004 school year, 67 CSUN students studied abroad. While the number decreased to 44 students for 2006-07 academic year, it increased to 51 students last year. Aylmer’s goal is to increase the number of students studying abroad to help American students better prepare to work in a global economy. The CSU International Programs offer eligible students the opportunity to study in one of 18 countries for one academic year. There are valuable benefits of studying abroad through the CSU International Programs. Aylmer said that if students were eligible for financial aid at CSUN, they would still get it if they study abroad through this program. CSUN students pay CSUN tuition, even if the overseas university costs more. The Web is teeming with infor-

Speed racers finish in 10th Dessiraee Eleby

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Staff Reporter

he CSUN Formula-SAE ranked 12 out of 80 overall at the 2008 Formula SAE West Competition in Fontana from June 25-28. Project Manager Matt Powell, a 20-year-old junior business major, said the driving events are the team’s specialty. The team’s fastest finish was sixth place in the acceleration race. Though the racing team did not beat previous records, it placed in the competition‘s top 10 percent. CSUN Formula-SAE highest clock speed was 88 mph, but the race car’s top speed is higher, Powell said. The reason

Courtesy of CSUN Formula SAE Team

for a lower clock speed is because the race’s course focuses on handling, not speed, he said. The secret to increasing the speed is lowering the gears by making the back sprocket larger than the front sprocket,

Powell said. “Part of the testing is breaking everything you can before competing so nothing breaks down during competition,” Powell said. CSUN Formula-SAE broke the race

car’s suspension, and a team member crashed the Formula One-style race car into a fence while practicing at a Bakersfield raceway park before the competition, he said. The cost to build the prototype

mation and opportunities for working abroad. Individuals who have studied, lived, worked and traveled extensively in foreign countries write much of the material. Jean-Marc Hachey, author of “The BIG Guide to Living and Working Overseas” ($53.95), works at Torontobased workingoverseas.com. Hachey was employed overseas for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, World University Service, Canadian Crossroads International and the German Volunteer Service. Hachey has presented seminars about opportunities abroad to students since 1990, and he is a columnist for transitionsabroad.com. “With today’s global economy, there are more international jobs than ever before,” Hachey said. “Many are overseas, but the largest growth is for those based in the U.S. in today’s new world of work. Employers are requiring employees to have global experience even if they never set foot outside their U.S. hometown.” Recently re-launched with the latest features, workingoverseas.com offers much free information, including “JeanMarc’s Quick Tips” in video format, as well as a generous sampling of information from Hachey’s book. CSU International Programs offer eligible students the opportunity to study at one of 18 countries. Go to csun. edu/international/abroad. was more than $50,000, which did not include $20,000 of donated carbon fiber, adhesive and the mold use for building the race car, Powell said. Mass-producing the race car would cost about $22,000, he said. Next year’s team will have additional competition data collected from the newly purchased acquisition system purchased. The data acquisition will be useful for next year’s team to improve their strategies, Powell said. Twenty-four-year-old Rick Pasuc, a mechanical engineer said he volunteered for CSUN Formula SAE, and he will be an official team member for the Fall 2008 semester, when he can receive additional hands-on experience. “It is a very good place to learn your strong and weak points before going to a job,” Pasuc said. “I just want to learn a lot more than what it is like in the actual field. This is closer to what you can actually do.”

Motorists rethink driving habits as gas prices soar higher at the pumps Theresa Wray

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Staff Reporter

Los Feliz resident walks to the nearby post office four blocks away from her home instead of driving to keep from paying the continually increasing cost of gas. “I’m walking around my neighborhood a lot more now,” Jennifer Abbott said. “I actually get to stop and talk to my neighbors while they walk their dogs. It’s fun and relaxing.” In April 2008, Americans drove 1.4 billion fewer highway miles than a year earlier. Greenhouse gas emissions fell by approximately 9 million metric tons during the same period, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Web site shows. In March 2008, the Federal Highway Administration’s “Traffic Volume Trends” report indicated a 4.3 percent

decline in the number of vehicle miles traveled on U.S. roads as compared with March 2007. Ashwani Vasishth, an assistant professor of urban studies and planning, said that if gas prices continue to increase, commuting costs would become a critical factor in where people choose to live and work. “It is forcing us to re-evaluate our transportation choices,” Vasishth said. “Our commuting times are changing. The way we live our lives is changing.” “Smaller is better” is the new American motto as the SUV-era comes to an end. With much reluctance, many consumers across the nation are trading in their gas-guzzlers for more fuel-efficient cars and scooters. SUV sales were down 38 percent in May 2008 compared to sales in 2007.

Smaller car sales increased to 57 percent during the same period, indicating that more Americans are seeking fuelefficient vehicles, the Department of Transportation Web site show. Automobile and scooter dealerships are trying to keep up with consumers’ demand for cheaper alternatives. American Honda Motor Company has a waiting list for new Honda Civics that run on natural gas, said Kathy Paulsen, who is an online customer support specialist at the company. “It runs on the gas you cook with, and it only costs $1.99 a gallon,” Paulsen said. “You can go 200 miles on a tank of natural gas. You also get a $75 federal and state tax rebate.” While some commuters downsized their vehicles, others have given them up altogether. “I just drive around town on my scooter without any hassle,” said Amy

Brickman who lives in Burbank. “I work in Glendale, so I can take the side streets. I feel like I’m doing my part to help the environment right now and at the same time, I’m saving money.” The 150cc scooter is most commonly used for city driving, but it is illegal to drive them on freeways, said Ed Romero, who is a scooter mechanic at Scooter World in Glendale. The 150cc refers to the number of centric centimeters in the piston that pushes the engine. The scooters with larger pistons have more power. “If you want a scooter for driving on the freeways, you’ll need a 250cc,” Romero said. “Either way, you’ll be spending at least 40 percent of what you use in a typical small economy car that only gets 30 miles per gallon.” The average cost for the 150cc scooter is $1,500. It has a 1.2-gallon tank and gets 70 to 80 miles per gal-

lon. The 250cc sells for approximately $5,000 and gets close to 80 miles per gallon. Scooter sales typically increase in the summer, but this year “it is really high,” Romero said. “If the price of gas continues to go up, I’m sure our sales will continue to go up,” Romero said. “There are a lot more people considering buying a scooter now who probably never thought of it before.” Nancy Kurland, assistant professor in the Department of Management, referred to the current change in people’s lifestyles as a “cultural transformation.” “People throughout the world are having to transform how they interact with their environment,” Kurland said. “There is a consensus that we’re in this together. There is nowhere else to go, and it’s forcing us to change.”

Summer Sundial • CSUN • July 7-11, 2008 • 5

news

Bookstore to offer textbook rentals to students this Fall Denise Vastola

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Staff Reporter

tudents will be able to go to the Matador Bookstore and rent select textbooks during the coming Fall semester when the campus test-runs a new program meant to offset increasing tuition fees. With annual textbook costs for a full-time student ranging from $800 to $1,000, textbook rentals could save students about two-thirds of that price, said Harry Hellenbrand, provost and vice president of academic affairs. “When you observe the

amount of money students spend on books, and if you take a look at the number of students who sell back their books, it makes sense to try this,” Hellenbrand said. “Fees are going up. Transportation costs are going up. These are things we can’t control,” Hellenbrand said. “We have to look for ways to defray costs.” Hellenbrand says everyone, including professors, must be flexible because the college must charge higher fees to offset the shortfall in funding from the state. Because professors must commit to using the same text-

book for three years, needless updates that cost students money will be avoided, Hellenbrand said. Matador Bookstore Director Amy Berger said five professors signed up for the test-run of the Rent-a-Text program. The full list of textbooks for the test-run will be finalized within the next few weeks. Professors Michael Neubauer (Developmental Mathematics), Ivor Weiner (Special Education), Ashley Skylar (Special Education), Meiqin Wang (Art) and Dianne Philibosian (Recreation and Tourism Management) have signed on for the three-year

commitment. The classes are MATH 92 and 93: Developmental Math I and II, SPED 504MM: Teaching Diverse Learners with Mild/ Moderate, ART 114: World Art and RTM 278/278OL: Recreation & Leisure in Contemporary Society. Michael Neubauer, director of the Developmental Math Program, says about 2,400 CSUN students take the two math courses each year, which are taught by 25 instructors in more than 50 sections. “All the work is done by the bookstore,” Neubauer said. “All we have to do to participate is

commit to three years.” “We were happy to do our part to help lower costs for students,” Neubauer said. University Corporation Administrative Services Manager Rick Evans said the goal was to offer three to five textbook titles for the test with the Matador Bookstore, which is run by Follett College Stores, Inc. “Although there is a lot of interest from professors to participate, this is a manageable size with which to work out the details. A 65 percent discount is fantastic. We’re excited to be one of the first in the country to be participating in the test with

Follett,” Evans said. Berger said the test-run would have more than one measure of success. Each book needs to be rented during several academic terms to break even. “There are many factors for measuring success including financials, sell-through or program participation, faculty and staff buy-in, and anecdotal feedback and comments from students,” Berger’s e-mail response shows. “We’re the school’s partner in education, and we’ll continue to test new ways to encourage all students to have and use their course materials.”

Friends tell of treasure trove of cheap books in ‘hidden’ wing of library

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Staff Reporter

frail voice with, bright blue eyes says students can “pick and choose” information that they may not be aware exists on campus. Though they may not find a treasure trove of gold and ancient artifacts left behind in a secret room by the Founding Fathers, students may be able to buy a book about their revolutionary exploits at a bargain. Penelope Freedman likes to be referred to as “Penny,” and she has

been a Friend of the Oviatt Library for four years. Friends of the Oviatt Library are volunteers for the non-profit organization, and they are dedicated to providing and enhancing the community to the lost, isolated love for books. It is their nominal fee that provides more books to check out, funds annual exhibits, and other commodities of which staff and students rarely take advantage. There are books for purchase at 75 percent or more off wholesale prices. The Friends Bookstore is located on the first floor of the west wing, and it is

open five days a week from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Books are donated to its collection every year, and many are kept in the basement that have not seen the light of day in a while. “You have to have a love for books when you work here,” Freedman says while looking around the dimly lit wing. The wing was built into the library several years ago to provide extra income while at the same time helping to find old books new homes. On Feb. 26, 1999, the Friends Board of Directors voted to conduct smaller

book sales more often so as to grant students, faculty, staff, and the community better access to bargains, a newsletter by Hai-Ling Tang, who provides Web services for the library, shows. Past president and current co-chair of the bookstore, Fred Levy, “wanted to do something with his time,” so he decided to go to CSUN as an assistant professor. But he was “let go” due to budgetary constraints. He volunteered for the library circa 1999-2000. A couple of years ago, Levy resigned his position as president and is now a member of the board.

At 81, Levy enjoys interacting with students, though he said not many come because the Friends Bookstore is “hidden.” “Staff, facility, and students do come by but I would just like to see more students,” Levy said. With his background as a physicist engineer, he has a personal collection of books of fiction and philosophy, but he enjoys non-fiction the most. The benefit of being retired, yet involved with the library, leaves Levy the focus in life he enjoys as well as meeting all kinds of people.

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6 • Summer Sundial • CSUN • July 7-11, 2008

Summer Sundial • CSUN • July 7-11, 2008 • 7

Recent CSUN art graduates Wenceslao Quiroz, Raudel De La Riva, and Donald Day are putting the finishing touches on a mural they have been working on since last year. The portable mural is comprised of nine pieces and is attached to the west side of the annex, which is a few feet behind the Chicano House on North Univeristy Drive. The artists designed the mural to be historically accurate depicting the struggles Chicanos have faced over time. The mural works from right to left and moves from the south starting in South Mexico, Central America and moves north ending in present day downtown Los Angeles. The mural features the Aztec calendar at the top center. The mural is divided into sections, and each section has a prodominent color and tells its own story. The calendar is also divided by time and coresponds with each section. The mural creates a beautiful backdrop to the pavers that were added to the Chicano House in May and creates a patio-like setting for events that the department and M.E.Ch.A. holds at the house.

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Leila Mills, two-years-old, cools off from the heat with the help of the fountain located in the Hollywood and 1 1.Highland center on Monday, June 16. Mother Perla Mills said this is he first time here and that she is glad her daughter is having fun.(Photo by Mildred Martin)

2. Real fox scarves donated by Catherine Mulholland, granddaughter of William Mulholland, who brought water to the San Fernando Valley. (Photo by Dessiraee Eleby) 3. Guy Sousa celebrates his racing victory with fellow drivers at the Autoclub Speedway in Fontana on June 22. (Photo by David Moll) 4.Mimi Jensen, provider for a Tan for All Seasons, poses with a custmer who seeks Jensens advise on how to eliminate tan lines. ( Photo by Denise Vastola) 5. Elsa Lara, a migrant from Guatemala who sells cell phone cases on the corner of Whilshire and Vermont, posses for the camera. Lara says she is saving enough money to go to El Salvador. (Photo by Mildred Martin)

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1. Day (left) and De La Riva (right) work on the mural one sunny afternoon. 2. The Department of Chicano/a Studies alloted $3,500 for paint and supplies with the full cost totaling $4,000 and the artists covering the rest. 3. A part of the mural shows a farmer working in the fields. 4. Day works on adding detail to the white face that represents freedom and a better future. 5. De La Riva adds detail to the "Day of the Dead" decorations. 6. The artists work on the mural that is scheduled to be completed by September 1. 7. (From left to right) Day, De La Riva, and Quiroz continue to ad detail to the mural.

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6. Bruce Cohen (left) and Gabriel Catone (right) rejoice after L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, their friend, officiated their wedding. The cceremony wa possible because of the state Supreme Court's majority decision on May 15 to strike down a statewide ban on same-sex marriage. (Photo by Tina Helwajian) 7. Ten-year-old Chris kicks soceer ball at Sunny Day Camp on July 1. (Photo By Dessiraee Eleby) 8. The new attraction in City Walk is the ultimate indoor skydiving experience. Matt Abshire, an iFly instructor, shows off some moves to spectators. (Photo by Mildred Martin) 9. International intensive language students from Taiwan bring their own shade to CSUN, where the temperature broke the century mark for the first time in June. Proud to share American nick-names, Amalia, 22 (left) and Pinky, 22 (right) cover up to protect their skin from intense during mid-day sun at the USU's Plaza del Sol. (Photo by Denise Vastola) 10. A trolly takes visitors on a tour guide of The Americana, and outdoor shopping community in Glendale. (Photo by Tina Helwajian) 11. Alvin talks to a friend as his dance team friends Skip (in red) and Michael (in white) dance to the rhythm of Francisco Aguabella in Wine and Jazz 3rd night at the Hollywood and Highland Center on Tuesday June 17. The Wine and Jazz event will take place every Tuesday at the Hollywood and Highland Center until August 26 from 7p.m.- 9 p.m. (Photo by Mildred Martin)

8 • Summer Sundial • CSUN • July 7-11, 2008

news

Web classes jump in offerings, popularity Dessiraee Eleby

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Staff Reporter

t is 7:25 p.m. on a Tuesday night and Patrick Beck is preparing to do homework for Humanities 101 before his online chat session is scheduled to begin at eight. The chat feature that professor Nancy Taylor uses reminds Beck of AOL Instant Messenger (AIM). The chat room forum has all of Beck’s classmates on the right side of his laptop screen and the current conversation on the left side of the screen. The chat, tonight’s discussion on art during the Dada period, will last for an hour and a half before the class is dismissed and the students leave their virtual classroom to return to their lives. Beck, like many other college students, is choosing to take classes online and universities are meeting the demand. Cal State Northridge, like many other universities, is expanding its online course selection to meet the student demand to the point where online students may soon be replacing the traditional in-class college student. CSUN offered more than 300 Web courses during the 2007-08 academic year, and the campus plans to increase these courses to 400 for this coming year. For the Fall semester, 145

online classes will be offered. CSUN has steadily increased online courses since 1998 when it offered 10. “There has been exponential growth,” said Randal Cummings, CSUN director of online instruction. Fully online classes evolved from hybrid classes, where instructors would meet with students once a week and then host the next class session on the Web. Initially, it was necessary to recruit instructors, but now the field is more market-driven, Cummings said. Professors see how easy online classes are through workshops and observing other professors, and more professors want to teach online as the classes quickly fill up. “The whole university has moved to the paradigm of knowledge on demand,” said Cummings. With Learning Management System (LMS) such as WebCT, more of the class content is on the Web. Because of its ease of use, functionality and affordability, CSUN faculty use WebCT. Though WebCT is a vessel of content, professors may choose to use Web pages, Elluminate and other resources as well to teach their online classes. “Students are our clients and products, so we must satisfy their needs,” Cummings said.

COURTESY OF ELENA BUETLER

A young woman sits at home working on her laptop for an online class.

A student can find syllabus, lecture notes, PowerPoint presentations, study guides, additional readings, discussion posts and links to videos online. “Handouts are a thing of the past,” Cummings said. Elizabeth Weber, CSUN professor of communication disorders and sciences, who only comes to campus to pick up her mail, said, “Everything except the textbook is online. All the interactions with students are by telephone and online through e-

mail, discussion posts and chats sessions.” Students in Weber’s classes have full text lectures and weekly discussion posts, which does not require a specific meeting time for her classes. Text chats are also available in which students can chat with Weber in live time. Weber is also using Skyte, a program that can be downloaded and allows for live video chat with four people, which provides them the opportunity for face-to-face

learning. Weber said she has taught classes for about 10 years and that it is very doable for students, though they have to be organized, motivated and have good comprehension skills to do well. The instructor has to be expertly organized and flexible because when everything is online, explanations must be clear, Weber said. Assignments are scheduled by the week, but within that week students can do their work

anytime. “Students ... do their assignments” and hear very quickly from Weber, who responds to her students’ discussion posts on a weekly basis. “Students have told me that they have more interaction with me than in faceto-face classes,” Weber said. Cummings says that though WebCT costs about $40,000, it is also used in traditional faceto-face classes and the servers, support and staff are tied to other parts of the academic technology budgets. Online classes offer several trade-offs for campuses and students, as they do not require classrooms and students are not required to sit through traffic. Beck, similar to other online students, enjoyed the ease of taking a class online as well as not meeting in the classroom. “I would have killed myself if I had to take humanities or Asian American studies in an actual classroom,” said Beck, who prefers being in his apartment with the smelly cat odor than in a CSUN classroom. Beck, who takes two online classes, said his humanities class was more interactive with the professor while his Asian American studies professors assigned a lot of reading that he could not keep up with. The only interactions that Beck had with his professor was through discussion posts, and his professor would respond one week later. “It came down to me cramming before the test. Without having a teacher teach the class, I wasn’t really motivated,” Beck said.

Deans, professors grow green curriculum for budding eco-jobs Theresa Wray

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Staff Reporter

eans and professors are in the process of creating a green curriculum that would bring together existing sustainability courses under one program, making it easier for students to eventually compete in today’s eco-friendly job market. “Green is everywhere. It is no longer just a trend,” said Patricia Gaynor, assistant direc-

tor of Transition and Employment Services in the Career Center. “We get employers from architecture firms, waste management, engineering and other businesses,” Gaynor said. “All of them are looking for students who know what it means to be green.” Ashwani Vasishth, assistant professor of urban studies and planning, initiated CSUN’s Greening Project. A Core Green Committee

was created to research and develop the new curriculum. The committee participants include Stella Theodoulou, the dean in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, William Jennings, the dean in the College of Business and Economics. Deone Zell and Nancy Kurland, assistant professors in the Department of Management, also comprise the committee. Diane Stephens, director of academic resources at CSUN facilitates the project.

If approved, the program will provide a graduate certificate through Extended Learning that would include courses in carbon market management, green business practices, green manufacturing, engineering and ecological planning. An interdisciplinary graduate degree program would also be established to provide a general education concentration in sustainability by pulling together existing courses from various departments.

Students interested in competing for green jobs earn degrees in environmental sciences. But in today’s job market, the need for green skills has expanded beyond the science curriculum. Students have to hunt through the CSUN catalog to find classes in areas of urban planning, interior design and business management to get a complete education in sustainability. “We are trying to make it easier for the student to select

these courses and develop a specialization,” Vasishth said. “This is a participatory process. We’re asking faculty, staff and students for input.” The committee sent a survey to departments across campus in an effort to assess existing courses that may fit into the sustainability program. The 75 respondents indicated a wide-range of interests in the program. Among them were See green, page 9

Nursing majors accelerate to learn needed skills Theresa Wray

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Staff Reporter

student dons a red medical uniform, wears a stethoscope around her neck and hauls a suitcase packed with heavy medical books to her class in Jacaradan Hall. There, Maya Barovich joins 17 other students in CSUN’s new accelerated nursing program. “The program is intense. I only got two hours of sleep last night,” said Barovich, who spends seven days a week juggling in-class lectures and clinical work. “I have to do my reading on the weekends and evenings.” The accelerated bachelors of science degree in nursing, called the A-BSN, is a 15-month program that accepts a maximum of 18 students during the summer and fall semesters.

The program is specifically designed for students who have a non-nursing degree, but wish to pursue a nursing career. The A-BSN allows students to meet the degree requirements necessary to sit for the national examination to receive nursing licenses. The 56-unit, four-semester curriculum consists of lecture classes, clinical lab work at CSUN and fieldwork at hospitals throughout the San Fernando Valley. Students learn fundamentals, such as how to administer injections and take blood pressure. Once they complete their lab fundamentals, they are sent to local hospitals where they are assigned to patients and work directly with the nursing staff. Barovich, who graduated in 2004 as a cinema and television arts major, returned to CSUN this summer to join

the second group of students entering the program since its inception in June 2007. “I still enjoy and use the artistic aspect of the CTVA program, but I really like the nursing program,” Barovich said. “At the end of the day, I wasn’t really interested in the people obsessed with Britney Spears. I wanted to do something more rewarding.” The first class of nursing students, which began last summer, will graduate on Aug. 19. Most of the graduating students have job offers. “We don’t really have to do a whole lot to help our students get jobs,” said Wendy Taylor, assistant professor in the Department of Health Sciences at CSUN. “Recruiters come to us looking for qualified students.” The accelerated nursing program began last year in response to the nationwide demand for more regis-

A nurse uses a stethoscope to measure an infant’s heart rate.

tered nurses in the workforce. The Department of Labor’s recent report shows that nursing is one of the largest health care occupations, filling 2.5 million jobs in 2006. The employ-

ment demand for registered nurses is expected to grow faster than all other occupations through 2016. See nursing, page 9

Summer Sundial • CSUN • July 7-11, 2008 • 9

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A look back at BSU’s fight for equal access to college 50 years ago Susannah Reynolds

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lack Student Union members took over the top floor of the administration building, holding 30 people hostage. They demanded that football coaches be fired and that there be no cutbacks to the Education Opportunity Program. “Confusion. That is the main impression that must have been with anyone who roamed the darkened halls of the administration building…” wrote Frank del Olmo, a Daily Sundial staff reporter, who was inside the building when the takeover by the BSU occurred on Nov. 4, 1968. The takeover of the building almost forty years ago was followed by months of protests and rallies that lead San Fernando Valley State College, now known as CSUN, to start the Pan-African Studies and the Chicana/o Studies departments. An article in the Sundial on Oct. 31, 1968 states that the BSU wanted freshman football coach Don Markham fired after getting into a shoving match with George Boswell, one of the team’s African American players. The article shows that the incident took place two weeks after the football team lost a game to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. A meeting was schedule for Oct. 31 between the athletic officials and the students to discuss how the latter felt that the coach was “dehumanizing black people.” The meeting was rescheduled due to a miscommunication between the BSU and the athletic department, and it was rescheduled for the following Monday on Nov. 4.

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Continued from page 8 faculty members from the art, economics, health sciences, marketing and geography departments. The committee will be adding green courses from these departments, and many more, to their database as they continue to develop the new curriculum. The budget for this program has not yet been established, but there are already concerns that the sustainability curriculum will take students away from other programs. “It’s a turf war. It’s all about enrollment. Departments’ budgets are based on their enrollment numbers,” Vasishth said. “But we’re not taking students away from them. The courses will stay in the various departments. We’re just reorganizing the courses to make it easier for students to select a green concentration.”

That day was also the start of a two-day rally because of the U.S. presidential election that week. Students for a Democratic Society held the rally, said Marc Cooper, who was a freshman at Valley State at the time. “The campus became one of the most politically active campuses,” Cooper said. “It was up there with Berkeley.” Cooper, who was at the SDS rally, said they heard about what the BSU was doing while it was going on, and they all went to the administration building to support them. By the time they got there, BSU members already took over first floor, so the SDS took over the second floor, he said. Valley State at the time did not have a large population of minority students. In 1968, about 80 African Americans and fewer Latinos were enrolled as students, Cooper said. He said the BSU had recently started at the time of the takeover. The takeover of the building lasted about four hours, because the BSU students got the college president, Paul Blomgren, to sign a paper agreeing to their demands. The BSU students then left the building without being arrested. Part of the agreement on the list of demands was that none of the BSU students would be arrested or kicked out of school because of their actions. The very next day, Blomgren took back the agreement he signed because he felt as though he was forced into signing the papers, an article written in the Sundial by Ralph Sanders on Nov. 5, 1968 shows. Arrest warrants were also issued for charges that ranged from kidnapping to minor misdemeanors.

Steven Graves, assistant professor of geography, said, “I think it’s a good idea. We don’t have anything like it yet.” “But I’m a little concerned that it might take away from geography and sort of ghettoize the green stuff,” Graves said. “There is always that political element, but in the long run, I don’t think it will hurt us. Geography has always been concerned with complex environmental systems.” The Geography Department at CSUN teaches students how to create digital mapping that allows businesses to make decisions about where to put their waste materials. The maps also provide information on soil, wind direction and surface waters. “There are so many areas that constitute green,” Graves said. “I think we’re behind the curve right now compared to other campuses like Cal State University, Chico. We’re here in smog city where we really

A few days later, those involved turned themselves in. On Nov. 8, 23 students were arraigned at the Van Nuys Courthouse on charges such as conspiracy, kidnapping, burglary, robbery, assault and false imprisonment, an article written by Sue Brandt for the Sundial shows. Bail for some of the students ranged from $1,000 to $2,500. Faculty and students joined together to try and raise money for the bail, and rallies were put together a few days later in support of the BSU. A Dec. 20, 1968 Sundial article shows that the Educational Policies Committee voted

to start the Afro-American and Mexican-American Studies study programs. Ruiz said that the following year he was hired to help counsel minority students along with BSU member Jerome Walker. A year and a half later, Ruiz said he was teaching in what is now the Department of Chicano/a Studies. Jan. 9, 1969 would be a day during which the largest number of arrests occurred, 275, which included not only students, but faculty as well. Acting President of Valley State Delmar T. Oviatt, after whom the campus library was eventually named, declared

the rally being held at the open forum on campus “an unlawful assembly,” an article written by Ron Chappell, staff reporter for the Sundial, shows. Police arrested people they believed to be in charge as they spoke at the podium. The campus was in a “state of emergency” and everything was to be shut down, the article shows. The peaceful rally was in support of a BSU rally that took place two days earlier, during 14 people were arrested and two were injured, a Jan. 9, 1968 Sundial article written by Chappell shows. Ruiz said it was after this rally that things on campus started to change. He said he participated in these rallies to change things. “A change has taken place,” Ruiz said. “It’s a different Valley.” Baker said he was thinking when all this was going on. “This is great,” Baker said. “This is amazing, news at it’s best.” “We had the sensation that we were part of something,” Cooper said. Copper said he wishes students today had the same kind of experience. If he could, Cooper said he would do it all over again. By the middle of February 1969, the BSU and the United-Mexican American Students came to an agreement with administration. One of the agreements was that the AfroAmerican and Mexican-American study programs allowed the student organizations to be involved in the development process. They also got the college to agree to recruit African American and Chicano counselors for the Counseling Center. In the end, students served time in prison and some were dismissed from the college. “There were things we could have done better, (but) it was also hostile times,” Cooper said. “This stuff was not a picnic. These were times where people were putting their freedoms on the line. (It was) not mild or moderate. It was radical.”

nursing

“The money for the new lab was allocated before the budget crisis,” said Brian Malec, chair of The Department of Health Sciences. “Of course, we cannot guarantee anything in this world, but considering the high demand for nursing, we assume we will not experience any budget cuts.” The new skills lab, which is under construction, will include hospital beds, monitoring equipment and life-size, simulated mannequins that mimic real-life critical situations in hospitals. “The mannequin actually screams if you give the injection wrong and hurt it,” said Shan Chin, another student who entered the program this summer after graduating as a business major at Cal State Fresno in 2000. Students also learn leadership training and work with the head nurse to learn budgeting skills and how to manage the workforce. “It’s an intense program, and students need to be avail-

able seven days a week,” Taylor said. The cost for the program, including tuition, materials and supplies can be close to $5,000 per semester, Chin said. “We can’t work,” Chin said. “There’s no time.” CSUN partners with several local hospitals including the Northridge Hospital Medical Center, Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank and Kaiser Permanente, which send notices of available scholarships, said Taylor. Additional scholarship opportunities may be found at the ChooseNursing Web site, which is coordinated through the Coalition for Nursing Careers in California. Their scholarship and financial aid information may be found at http://www.choosenursing. com/paying/calfinaid.html. “The nursing shortage is not just in California. It’s a global shortage. Hospitals need qualified students, and our program is meeting that demand,” Taylor said.

FROM SUNDIAL ARCHIVES

Graduate Class President Richard Dixon is led away by policemen on Thursday, January 9, 1969 after speaking at the Open Forum during an “illegal assembly.”

COURTEsY OF UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES

LAPD officers are called to campus in 1968 when members of the Black Student Union take more than 30 staff and administrators hostage.

“This is a community that wasn’t used to seeing so many minority students,” said Everto Ruiz, a Chicana/o studies professor at CSUN and former Valley State student. In 1968, Ruiz said the San Fernando Valley was the second-largest community of residents with Mexican ancestry. Pacoima had a large African American population, said Bob Baker, former managing editor for the Sundial in 1968. Baker said it is “hard to look back and think about all the racial problems.” Arrest warrants were issued for some of the BSU students.

need a green curriculum.” Other courses that may be added to the sustainability program fall under the Department of Management. These courses provide students with an understanding of corporate responsibility and green manufacturing. The department also has courses that help students examine a corporation’s carbon footprint, which requires executives to analyze recycling and energy consumption practices to find more efficient ways to conserve. “We’ve reached the tipping point,” Nancy Kurland said. “We’re at the point where we have to do something now. I think that’s part of what’s driving peoples’ interest in this.” Program development began this summer and will continue throughout the year. Students who wish to participate may contact Ashwani Vasishth via e-mail at [email protected].

Continued from page 8 The American Association of Colleges of Nursing Web site shows that the shortage of nurses in the workforce is the result of the shortage of faculty and clinical sites available to train students. The A-BSN program has five full-time instructors, one additional instructor borrowed from the Gerontology program and many part-time instructors, said Taylor. Budget constraints have also prevented nursing programs from meeting the demand for qualified students. Nursing programs require laboratory equipment and simulated hospital units, making the curriculum more expensive than other programs. CSUN’s accelerated program is one of the few programs that are likely to survive the recent state budget cuts. The University allocated nearly $300,000 for a new nursing skills lab.

10 • Summer Sundial • CSUN • July 7-11, 2008

news

Former student jams with Aerosmith for video game TINA HELWAJIAN

A

STAFF REPORTER

erosmith walked into the Neversoft Entertainment studio in Woodland Hills to record their motion-capture session of Guitar Hero. Before Steven Tyler began his session, he had one question: “Where’s Adam Jennings?” Tyler wanted to know who this guy was, so the studio called Jennings in, and he got to watch Aerosmith do their session. But who is Adam Jennings? Jennings is the 24-yearold front man for the wildly popular video game series “Guitar Hero: Aerosmith,” which was released on June 29. Jennings attended CSUN for one year in fall 2001 as a theater major. He soon realized that college was not for him, so he chose to pursue something else. “I left school because college was fun, but I didn’t like the classes part,” Jennings said. He took some time off and moved to San Francisco. About a year later, he decided to come back to Los Angeles and pursue an acting career. When Jennings returned to Los Angeles, he got in touch with an old friend from CSUN. “We were in the same group of friends, but I didn’t know him well,” said CSUN

student and Jennings’ girlfriend Kate Hubbell. “He left, and we didn’t talk for a couple of years. Then one day I saw him on instant messenger, so I sent him a message and we’ve been together ever since.” Within a year, Jennings got an agent and booked some voiceover work. One day, his agency sent him to an audition during which he was asked if he ever considered working as a motion-capture actor. Jennings liked the idea and decided to give it a shot. Coincidentally, Jennings skateboarded since he was a kid, so he felt right at home when one of his first jobs was for a series of Tony Hawk video games including “American Wasteland,” “Project 8” and “Proving Ground.” In no time, Neversoft declared that Jennings would be the only actor to do motioncapture for the company in seven different languages including English, Spanish, Swedish and German. “They asked me to lip sync and I could do it perfectly, so they booked me,” Jennings said. Hubbell said that when Jennings gets a new song assignment for “Guitar Hero,” he logs on to YouTube and studies the band members’ moves. “He will sit there for hours and study how they blink their eyes, cock their heads

and move their mouth,” Hubbell said. “I act out the men, women and kids for all of the games,” said Jennings, who is excited about the fourth “Guitar Hero” release called “Guitar Hero: World Tour.” “The new game includes guitar, bass and vocals and it’s coming out in the end of summer in late August or September,” Jennings said. “I’m also working on a few top secret things that I can’t talk about.” Mark Savage is a 45-yearold staffer for the San Francisco Chronicle and he was assigned to take photos of Jennings during one of his sessions. “We had a great time,” Savage said. “I hadn’t met him before then. We got along great. He’s a great guy.” Hubbell said Jennings is “a very hard worker. He is an actor first. His passion for acting is amazing.” When Jennings is not hard at work for Neversoft Entertainment, he is waiting tables at Café Bizou on Ventura Boulevard. Jennings said the video game development company pays him well but that he enjoys the typical actor’s job of waiting tables. When asked about his future in motion capture, Jennings said, “The industry is using a lot of motion capture for films, and this is where I want to go with my career. Video games are really popu-

courtesy of mark savage

Adam Jennings, 24, was a CSUN student in 2001, before he pursued acting.

lar right now, so I’m set.” “I would love to finish

Stand-up comic assists libraries Susannah Reynolds

T

Staff Reporter

wo people sitting at a table, one teaching the other to read. This sight gave comedian Paula Poundstone goose bumps and made her love for public libraries even stronger. Poundstone has partnered with Friends of the Library U.S.A. to be their spokesperson to help raise money for libraries across the country. “I always thought libraries were funded by taxes, which they are, but they are still not completely funded,” Poundstone said. Poundstone will be performing two dates in the Los Angeles area, July 11 at the Canyon Club for the Friends of The Agoura Hills Public Library and July 12 at the Wadsworth Theatre for the Friends of the Westwood Public Library. FOL for each branch will be at the shows to sell her book, “There’s Nothing In This Book That I Meant to Say.” All proceeds from the book sales will go back to each library. Poundstone joined up with FOLUSA after performing at one of their conventions. She said she contacted them to see how to

courtesy of Debbie keller

Paula Poundstone is the first spokesperson for Friends of the Libray U.S.A.

help, and that’s how she became their spokesperson. Poundstone said she thought what they were doing was great and that her libraries are “one

of the last places of real community.” Poundstone is the first spokesperson for FOLUSA, though the organization has had honorary

school and get a degree, but in the mean time I’m setting

presidents in the past such as first lady Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton said Sally Reed, the executive director for FOLUSA. Reed said the organization enjoys having Poundstone as spokesperson and that she is welcome to have it for as long as she likes. The purpose for FOLUSA is to add the “icing on the cake” for libraries Reed said. FOLUSA has more than 3,000 groups all across the U.S., according to their Web site. Each group helps its local library with additional funding that it might need Reed said. Suzanne Gray, the western area manager for 12 branch libraries, said that what the local FOL for the Westwood Library does is to help provide funding for programs. Gray said it is the difference between having one program for the year or several programs throughout the year. Last year Westwood’s FOL helped fund programs such as Reptile Family, Personal Finance, Ballroom dancing. They also helped to purchase new books and a color copier for the library, said Reed. Poundstone said she and her three children, ranging from ages 10 to 17, are regulars at the library. Her kids have been involved in their local branch’s summer reading programs where they keep track of the books they

out to build a career in motion capture,” Jennings said.

have read in order to get prizes. One thing that the library has done for Poundstone and her children is to turn them on to books on tapes. She said they spend so much time in the car that they have come in really handy. Another thing is how helpful the librarians are. When she has asked them for books for her children she said they always point her in the right direction. Poundstone said she always remembers the library being a part of her life, but there is one book with which she had a long connection. When she was in junior high she was going to write a report about Geronimo so she checked out a book on him at the library. Poundstone said that for some reason she did not end up writing the report and the book somehow got put on a shelf and was forgotten. One day a bill showed up at her house and her father saw it and came pounding on the door waving the $14 bill around telling her to look at it. Poundstone said the only thing she could think was “how can I look at it if he keeps waving it around?” Poundstone may have a problem getting library books back on time, but she said she thinks her partnership with FOLUSA is nice and she’s happy to gain awareness for the organization.

Summer Sundial • CSUN • July 7-11, 2008 • 11

Classified Ads announcements

child care

EMPLOYMENT

employment

tutoring

wanted

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Looking to make some extra cash Earn up to 1000 a week for the summer? We have an incredible opportunity for you!! Work in our live web cam rooms. Conveniently located near Csun Great pay and is safe and secure, 18 years or older with 2 forms of id one with a picture, College id ok. Give us a call and we can get you started today (818) 709-7488

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CLASSIFIED DISCLAIMER The Daily Sundial does not knowingly accept advertisements that discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, religious preference, national origin or sex. The Daily Sundial accepts no responsibility for claims in or response to advertisements placed in the paper. Be cautious in answering ads, especially when you are NY008979B asked to send cash or 5.1300 x 7 provide personal or 1 financial information.

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12 • Summer Sundial • CSUN • July 7-11, 2008

arts & entertainment

Wait’ll fanboys get a load of ‘Dark Knight’ DANIEL ANTOLIN

S

EDITOR IN CHIEF

ix minutes of a highly anticipated summer blockbuster played before IMAX screenings of 2007’s “I am Legend” The six minutes showed thugs in clown masks robbing a mob-owned bank. As soon as one thug serves his role in the heist, another thug guns him down, and so on. Only one of the masked men survives. “Criminals in this city used to believe in things. What do you believe in, huh?” the wounded bank manager yells as he lies on the floor. Before he kills him, the remaining hood reveals to the manager the mutilated clownlike grimace underneath the mask and says, “I believe that whatever doesn’t kill you makes you ... stranger.” This is how moviegoers will meet the late Heath Ledger’s interpretation of The Joker on July 18, when “The Dark Knight” premieres in movie theaters. The Batman will not chase the criminal through a manufacturing plant, causing him to fall into a vat of toxic chemicals. Director Christopher Nolan said in past interviews that the critical influence for the film was

The Joker’s first two appearances in comics and “Batman: The Long Halloween.” “Batman #1: Batman vs. Joker,” which DC Comics published in 1940, shows that the Joker character publicly threatens people who he wants to rob or with whom he holds a grudge, leaving the bodies of his victims with chemically induced smiling faces. What is notable about the comic book is that he goes through extraordinary lengths to follow through on his death threats, including successfully impersonating a police officer. “Batman #2: The Case of The Joker’s Crime Circus,” which DC Comics published in 1941, also shows he has a penchant for dressing up in costumes to accomplish his goals. “The Dark Knight” trailers show that Gotham mobsters have turned to The Joker, who is likely killing or robbing them to command their obedience or garner their attention, for help to regain control of the city. They are also under attack by a new, maverick district attorney, Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), who with help of The Batman and Lt. James Gordon, is working to put on trial mobster Salvatore Maroni (Eric Roberts), Gotham’s new crime honcho in the movie.

CoUrteSy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Harvey Dent (eckhart), James Gordon (Gary oldman), the Batman (Bale) meet on the GcPD rooftop.

“Batman: The Long Halloween,” which was published by DC Comics in the late ‘90s, shows that mob kingpin Carmine Falcone tries to launder his family’s money through the Gotham City Bank. But Bruce Wayne, who is a member of the bank’s board of directors, prevent this from happening. With the help of Dent, The Batman later finds the cash in a warehouse and burns it to ashes. What is notable about the comic book series is that Dent not only suggests how he would kill a certain gangster, he is also content when he hears someone else did the job. As part of the storyline for the 13-issue comic book series, Maroni throws acid toward the left side of Dent’s face, horribly scarring him. A snippet from a

movie trailer implies that The Joker scars Dent’s face, igniting spilled liquid on which the illstarred D.A. lies. As Two-Face, he kills Maroni in “Batman: The Long Halloween,” and he likely kills him in “The Dark Knight” as well. Eckhart alluded to this during an interview at a June 29 press junket. “If you notice who Harvey Two-Face disposes of, it is not random. It still has a sense of justice to it,” Eckhart said. Bill Ramey, who runs the Batman on Film Web site, confirms that The Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy), who used fear toxin against the citizens of Gotham in the terrorist attack against the city in 2005’s “Batman Begins,” appears at the beginning of the movie. Ramey said online scuttlebutt about

Fanboy saves Gotham City from Hollywood DANIEL ANTOLIN

A

EDITOR IN CHIEF

31-year-old Houston man left a movie theater more than 10 years ago disillusioned. The movie had not yet finished, but the injustice he witnessed was too much to bear. Batman and Robin were wearing rubber nipples. Bill Ramey looked at the silver screen as Batman used politically correct terms, carried a credit card in his utility belt and, if that was not enough, he was smiling. It was summer 1997. Director Joel Schumacher’s “Batman & Robin” was in movie theaters. “The whole thing just seemed off,” Ramey would later post on the Web. He started a Web site, a dramatic example that would shake Batman moviemakers and fanboys alike out of apathy and into action. Ramey, who last week saw a press screening of “The Dark Knight,” the highly anticipated sequel to “Batman Begins,” recalls how his creation, Batman on Film, and similar fancreated Web sites, provided a target audience a forum with which to demand a definitive Batman origin movie, telling Warner Bros. Pictures everything from who should be cast in the title role to the fabric

from which the costume should be made. Christian Bale and Kevlar, a synthetic fiber used in protective helmets and vests, were often demanded. Warner Bros. Pictures obliged to the former, but decided to go with black foam and latex for the latter. “I think they were paying attention to what the fans thought, who they were suggesting for certain roles ... and maybe if there was any interest in a new Batman film,” Ramey said. “Batman Begins” screenwriter David S. Goyer, Special FX Supervisor Chris Corbould and Executive Producer Michael Ulsan said that they often visited the Web site during the production of the movie, the Batman on Film Home Page shows. Mark S. Reinhart, author of the Batman Filmography, said Batman on Film “had such a positive impact on Warner Bros. in terms of the direction they are now taking their Batman film series,” the Home Page shows as well. Ramey and like-minded, albeit anonymous, agents of the bat with access to Warner Bros. Pictures’ movers and shakers provided his Web audience with the latest news about the movie franchise, from its years in development hell to its resurgence in 2005. Fans of the Batman were

CoUrteSy of

CoUrteSy of Bill ramey

“Jett” started a site that changed Batman movies.

conflicted. The movie franchise was something sacrosanct of which they were losing control. “Batman ‘89 basically started the whole ‘superhero movie’ genre. It affected everything that has come since. That’s the positive,” Ramey said. “On the other hand, the other three Batman films showed everyone how not to do a comic book-based film. ‘Batman & Robin’ almost killed the genre.” Twenty-three-year-old independent director Aaron Schoenke said he was inspired to become a filmmaker by the first two movies in the series, “Bat-

man” and “Batman Returns,” directed by Tim Burton. “The first and second Batman films opened my eyes to filmmaking and all the extraordinary possibilities that the film medium had to offer creatively,” said Schoenke, who founded the Calabasas-based Bat in the Sun Productions to direct character-driven interpretations of The Batman and his gallery of rogues. Schoenke’s films, such a Patient J, which portrays the manic romance and exploits of the Joker and his moll, have a loyal Web fan base.

actress Sarah Jayne Dunn’s role in the movie is false. Harley Quinn does not appear in the movie. Most trailers for “The Dark Knight” indicate it will be an action flick, though a scene in which The Batman talks to The Joker in what seems to be an interrogation room at the Gotham City PD looks promising. “Does it depress you, how alone you really are? You had plans. Look where that got ya,’” the Joker says. He appears determined to prove they are similar by pushing The Batman to kill him, to break his one rule. This plays into The Joker’s theory in “Batman: The Killing Joke,” a graphic novel which DC Comics published in 1988, that it only takes one day of great misfortune to turn a sane

man into a psychopath. Christian Bale said at the June 29 press junket that “there is a very fine line of what is the quickest way to solve a problem, much as with Batman questioning his own rule. What is the quickest way to finish The Joker and assure that no one else dies? Well, that is to kill him. However, he is lowering himself by doing so.” At the same time, Bruce Wayne, the man underneath the mask, considers giving up his mission to rid the city of crime, as citizens have embraced Dent as their protector. What he will decide is obvious to comic book fans, but the events that will shape his decisions should prove to be riveting to everyone who watches “The Dark Knight.”

Though Schoenke said he does not strictly adhere to comic book source material in his fan films. “Don’t get me wrong, accuracy is very important, but it’s not the sole reason a film is good or bad,” Schoenke said. Edward T. Halloran, film literature professor at Cal State Northridge, said Batman became the victim of the synergistic industrial model of the late 1960s and early 1970s, when companies such as the Kinney National Company, the owners of which knew nothing about filmmaking, purchased insolvent companies such as Warner Brothers-Seven Arts. Once the Ronald Reagan administration relaxed FCC regulations in the 1980s, they vertically integrated their assets, Halloran said. “This way when a Batman movie comes out, so will a comic book adaptation from DC Comics and a soundtrack from Warner Records, both of which are subsidiaries of one corporation,” Halloran said. “”That’s synergy, taking a product and exploiting it.” How fanboys saved Gotham City from the Hollywood machine involved reminding filmmakers about its psychological and visual history, which was defined by different interpretations of its heroes and rogues in comic books, television and movies. Ramey, who in 2004 was invited to visit the U.K. set of “Batman Begins,” Director Chris Nolan’s attempt to reboot the movie franchise, not only documents this history on his

Web site, he provides the analysis to keep its creators honest. Four years later, Ramey said he talked to Nolan and “The Dark Knight” producer Emma Thomas at last week’s press screening about how the movie, which he describes as an “intense, urban crime drama that happens to have characters in crazy costumes,” is “badass.” “The Dark Knight,” which will be released in movie theaters July 18, will answer what happens when Heath Ledger’s interpretation of the Joker escalates crime in Gotham City. As to what will happen when Web savvy people create commercial Web sites using Ramey’s fan site model, the fight for online audiences seems to be more civil. Jim Littler, a former toy marketer who created the Web site Comicbookmovie when Hollywood started producing several superhero movies in 2000, said, “I have great relationships with lots of fan sites. They send me in lots of the news I post.” “I’d say 75 percent is reliable and the rest is rumor from the set, but we do our best to ferret out falsehoods by checking sources, even though we’ll still publish ‘rumor’ if it comes from someone whose proven reliable in the past,” said Littler, who calls himself a lifelong “comics geek” and fan of movies. Ramey, who continues to provide comic book geeks and movie lovers news tidbits, reviews, history, analysis and a few rumors too, never though a fanboy with a computer could help save a movie franchise, let alone The Batman.