PRO By Myles Schulman Contributor In April 1999, students Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris stormed their high school in Littleton, Colorado killing twelve students, one teacher and themselves.  Armed with guns, knives and explosives, they reportedly hoped to wreak even more havoc than they did by killing hundreds of students on their rampage. Eight years later, 23-year-old Seung-Hui Cho killed 33 people and himself at Virginia Tech, in what the university’s president Charles Steger called, “A tragedy that we consider… Read more

By Hansook Oh Do you ever have trouble reaching epiphanies in the library because every fifteen minutes, an Asian suddenly screams out “Ching-chong, ling-long, ting-tong” into their phone? If so, you have reason to be more afraid than annoyed. At the University of California, Los Angeles, a white, female student named Alexandria Wallace recently posted an online video describing this terrible and rude phenomenon. Wallace has decided to leave school after her final exam schedule was made public and she… Read more

By Diana Romero The Cal State Northridge softball team (12-15) played in the San Diego Classic II at SDSU & USD over the weekend. This Sunday, the Matadors won 7-6 against Ohio at USD and fell short after facing USD (9-11) with a 4-3 loss in extra innings. “We weren’t as sharp as we needed to be and we weren’t as aggressive as we should’ve been,” head coach Tairia Flowers said. Northridge held a two-run lead until USD roared back in the… Read more

By Maria Orellana Genetically modified foods have been roiled in controversy recently over their safety, process, and distribution, not just in the U.S., but all over the world. But genetic modification is already safely applied in many of our food produce. “Today, about two-thirds of United States processed foods contain genetically modified ingredients,” said Vaishali Dharmarha, a faculty research assistant in nutrition and food science at the University of Maryland. Labeling all genetically modified foods might seem practical but it… Read more

By Elizabeth Na Plastic bags are extremely harmful to the environment, as are most plastics, and they have become extremely misused in normal everyday life. If Californians seriously care about the planet, then we need to do something to stop the hazardous effects that millions of invincible, everlasting plastic bags are doing to the environment, and switch to other practical options that are already available. Plastic bags are made from petroleum and do not biodegrade. Some experts predict the lifespan… Read more

By Todd Thornton CSUN Alumnus Journalism ’92 Dear editor, CSUN Men’s Basketball coach Bobby Braswell deserves thanks from the Northridge community for guiding the Matadors to two spots in the NCAA tournament during his 15 year career.  On balance, however, Braswell’s career .500 record, coupled with a lack of real improvement in the program, signal that a change is needed at the top. CSUN has maxed out under Braswell, and the better competition from Hawaii will widen the disparity next season. Former CSUN coach Pete… Read more

By Hansook Oh A college degree should not be viewed as a tool solely for making money. That is a very important component, no doubt, but higher education offers our society so much more than that. In an attempt to close California’s $26 billion budget gap, Gov. Jerry Brown has proposed to slash $12.5 billion from state programs like Medi-Cal and welfare-to-work, and a brutal $1.7 billion from California’s institutions of higher education. The University of California and the California… Read more

By Oswaldo Sergio Sanchez I agree with your message, but not with your method. We should protest fee hikes, but protest in ways that do not interfere with our ability to have normal classes. In other words, stop the walkouts and find new ways to protest. It seems that everyone, not just college students, are walking out these days.  Even kids from an elementary school in Oakland, California staged a walkout. With tuition steadily increasing every semester and deep cuts… Read more

Dear editor, The CSUN chapter of the CFA was surprised by your recent article on the March 2, 2011 student march on campus and its mischaracterization of our organization. We wish to tell another side of the story – one where the faculty at CSUN supported the students; a story where the students have a voice and do not need any hand holding to express it; and a story where the CFA supported this event in many ways you failed… Read more