Two CSUN students have kicked their way into the Tae Kwon Do Collegiate World Championship. Alexander Ahlstrom and Stephon Westbrook are part of the Tae Kwon Do 2011 Collegiate National Team, which they won at UC Davis and are on their way to the world university games in August. “It’s almost like a mini Olympics because they don’t just have tae kwon do, they have weight lifting, swimming, tennis, boxing, like a lot of different sports,” said Ahlstrom, 24, working… Read more

Diversity, extremely high quality and attempts to appeal to a broad population in the region were the driving factors behind the upcoming 2011-12 Valley Performing Arts Center (VPAC) season. Robert Bucker, dean of the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication and VPAC’s executive director said the main difference between the first and second VPAC seasons is the diversity among the artists presented. “The reputations of the artists that we’re presenting this next year are really remarkable,” Bucker said…. Read more

CSUN’s future math and science teachers are reaching out to low-income schools in the community. Noyce Scholars, students with scholarships to teach math or science, are working to encourage middle and high school students to not just pursue a university education, but to also learn about science and math. The award is named after Robert Noyce, the “Mayor of Silicon Valley” and inventor of the integrated chip. Geology, chemistry and biology Noyce scholars recently held workshops on campus in commemoration… Read more

Hey, did you know? Special vinyl, CD releases and exclusive promotional products will be up for grabs at participating record stores across the country as part of the Fourth Annual Record Store Day on Saturday, April 16. The holiday, which is held the third Saturday of April, celebrates the art of music through independently owned record stores. Performances, body-painting, cook-outs, parades and meet and greets with artists are just part of the nation-wide festivity. Titles being exclusively released for Record… Read more

CSUN commemorated César Chávez Day with a keynote speech given by his granddaughter in the first annual César Chávez Service Fair. The event, which was co-hosted by Unified We Serve and the Department of Chicano/a Studies comes two days before the state holiday that honors the farm worker leader. “It is important to remember that my grandfather’s vision of education went beyond personal ambition and individual desire,” said Natalie Hernandez during her speech. “He reminded us that we cannot seek… Read more

A battle between gravity and the human body ensues as Leticia Garcia attempts to balance herself on a log smack dab in the middle of the San Gabriel River. She manages to remain upright by gripping a rope supported by two groups of men flanking opposite sides of the riverbed. The men concentrate on keeping it as steady as possible so Garcia can hold on to it and successfully cross the river. All is quiet as the 21-year-old child development major… Read more

With great flexibility, movement and an array of music, Aszure Barton and Artists left the audience of their VPAC show on Saturday mesmerized by their stunning modern dance performance. Aszure Barton, a Canada native, is the founder and director of the Aszure Barton & Artists dance project, currently based in New York. Since its formation in 2002, this performance team has become an internationally recognized group, known for their arresting choreography for stage and film. The 105-minute show Saturday was… Read more

The five CSUN students studying in Japan in the exchange program during the 8.9 earthquake that struck over a week ago will be returning to campus within the next week. In an email sent to all CSU presidents Tuesday, CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed stated all CSU programs in Japan have been ordered closed. “Although some of our students are not in areas directly affected by the earthquake or the tsunami that followed, the damage to infrastructure and the resulting… Read more

It seems as though writing a novel is on everyone’s bucket list. We all want to tell a story, whether it is the story of our lives or a fictional one. For CSUN alumna and former professor, Corie Skolnick, it took 35 years to be able to check that off her list. “I can die happy now because I wrote a book,” Skolnick said. She said the idea to write “Orfan,” a novel on parent-child relationships, originated when a panel… Read more