Eight CSUN students took home honors at the annual California State University (CSU) Media Arts Festival in early November. The festival, which took place at CSU Fullerton Nov. 6, recognizes the work of students in media arts programs throughout the CSU system. Jamie Yukich, a senior film production major, won for his film, “Sheeps and Wolves.” “The short idea is that two friends decide to go rob an ex-classmate’s home during his funeral,” he said of the dark comedy, which… Read more

Two CSUN alumni presented their documentary films Friday night in the CSUN Cinematheque. Kate Ryan and Paul Laverack are both 2007 graduates of the Cinema and Television Arts (CTVA) program. Laverack’s documentary, “Survive the Night,” chronicled the experience of CSUN students as they spent the night on campus in November 2009 to get a glimpse of the struggles that the homeless endure. Students slept in boxes and bundled up in sleeping bags as they endured the cold. In the documentary,… Read more

A.S. kicked off its two-day election Tuesday morning with a higher-than-expected voter turnout. As of 8 p.m. Tuesday, 1,133 students had voted in the election, said Dan Monteleone, A.S. assistant director of elections. “It’s way over our expectations,” said Raunika Nayyar, A.S. director of elections. The campus voting booths are open from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m., but students can vote from any computer 24 hours a day, Nayyar said. The election runs through 7 p.m. today. The booths are… Read more

The Assad Brothers are known for their versatile musical ability and they will bring classical guitar to CSUN Nov. 13. The Assads play larger works by composers who are not traditionally played on the guitar, such as Gershwin and Bach, said Steven Thadchuk, chairof the guitar department. “I enjoy when they play the baroque music because it’s so fantastic,” said Ron Borczon, professor of classical guitar and music therapy. Sergio and Odair Assad were born in Brazil to a musical… Read more

Two CSUN students will spend part of their summer on a volunteer program in Costa Rica. Sandra Lomenick and Ruby Chu will participate in the four-week International Student Volunteers (ISV) program beginning in June. The ISV has been operating volunteer programs since the early 1980s, said Simon Costain, international marketing director for ISV. “Our mission statement is to create an environment conducive to combining education, conservation, and recreation into the most incredible experience of a lifetime while giving back to… Read more

The Luna Negra Dance Theater is bringing contemporary dance to CSUN. Veronica Guadalupe, dancer and rehearsal director, said the mission of the Chicago-based company is to promote Latino and Hispanic choreographers. “We might not always use music that’s of Latin origin but all of our choreographers are Hispanic or Latino,” she said, adding that dancers represent a range of ethnicities. There is no typical performance for Luna Negra and different choreographers have different preferences, Guadalupe said. She added that some… Read more