Stephanie Bermudez Staff Reporter Geraldine Marquez Staff Reporter CSUN’s Mentoring to Overcome Struggles and Inspire Courage (MOSAIC) is a program that uses youth culture to mentor and cater to at-risk youth in the San Fernando Valley. “Students that we cater to are considered at-risk for many reasons. Usually most of them have already been through the juvenile justice system,” said Alex Ojeda, coordinator for MOSAIC. “Either they’re on probation or dealing with alcoholism or they’re affiliated with gangs. It’s not… Read more

Mark Travis used his past regret to create opportunities for others. “It was about 20 years ago and my grandmother said to me before she died she wanted to see the Boston Red Sox play one more time. Well, I never did take her. This was the year before she died and they even went to the World Series that year. The opportunity was there had I acted on it,” he said. Instead of focusing on the past, Travis launched… Read more

CSUN will host a benefit concert to raise money for victims of the Haiti earthquake. “Hands for Haiti,” which is sponsored by CSUN’s Unified We Serve, the Matador Involvement Center (MIC), Associated Students (A.S.), and the University Student Union (USU), will be held Friday, Feb. 26 at 7:00 p.m. in the USU’s Northridge Center. “We are all doing this with the purpose of raising as much money as we possibly can for the people of Haiti,” said Hamid Jahangard, the… Read more

Laura Robledo left her birthplace, Michoacan, Mexico, when she was 3-years-old and moved with her family to the United States. As she grew up, Robledo’s mother only spoke Spanish. Her father spoke Spanish and English. As Robledo grew up she spoke English at home. This created a disconnect between Robledo and her mother. A disconnect which wouldn’t be mended until she became a student volunteer. Students from Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano/a de Aztlan (MEChA), volunteer for Project Youth Green, at the… Read more

Every Friday morning, when most college students are looking forward to starting their weekend, Stacy Merlos is trying to figure out how she can help out. “As long as I’m at CSUN I’m gonna be apart of this program. (They’re) never getting rid of me,” Merlos, 23, said with a wide smile. Merlos joined the CSUN Blues Project three semesters ago following the suicide of one of her closest friends and fellow CSUN student, Dylan Miles. The Blues Project is… Read more

Imagine assisting an elderly person load groceries into their car, or helping a lost dog find its owner. If everyone participated in small acts of kindness regularly, our world would be a better place. Instead, help is one of the major ingredients that our society craves. Although our nation is labeled the “land of opportunities,” many do not take advantage of all the ways we can better our lives and the lives of others. Whether we are supporting our nation,… Read more

[Audio clip: view full post to listen] Sororities and fraternities represent a prominent group of people at CSUN, and through their philanthropies, they have helped various different charities better the world. There are so many different Greek organizations to choose from, that it must be a mind-boggling experience to pick only one to rush. Do prospective Greeks feel a true urge for altruism? Is the drive so maddening, that they can’t help but want to pay dues? When they are… Read more

Students from professor Linda Bowen’s J210 class are looking at archives of the Daily Sundial dating back one, five, 10, 25 and 50 years ago. They are writing reports on what was most newsworthy in the weeks of coverage. Studying our past is said to be the best way to learn about our future. Let’s see what they find.

What do Hurricane Katrina, the tsunami of 2004, and the Haiti earthquake have in common? A celebrity-studded cry to raise money for victims followed each natural disaster. There is nothing like the worst of Mother Nature to bring out the best in a celebrity. There is nothing like the best of a celebrity to bring ordinary citizens to action. Yet, it is unfortunate that sometimes the kindness of strangers is prompted by the appeals from the rich and famous. I… Read more