Being left with no choice but to wear a halo brace for three months was not on Mary Ann Yezadzhyan’s mind when she was driving on Victory Boulevard headed towards CSUN.

Life changes you. An unexpected event and what follows can transform a college student from a carefree spending machine to a conscious and humble human being.

The Associated Students Senate approved a $6.7 million annual budget for the 2008-2009 academic year after debating over 35 amendments during a six-hour meeting on April 29, followed by a continuation meeting on May 1. The annual budget was calculated assuming a total student population of 33,750 for both the fall and spring semesters, with a fee of $76 per student, and 6,000 students for summer with a fee of $44 per student.

The Associated Students Senate approved two DREAM Act resolutions, with 13 votes in favor, two oppositions and one abstention. Bills AB 2083 and SB 1301 “would allow eligibility to institutional financial aid to students that are California state residents that qualify for AB 540 status,” as stated in the bills.

A former standup comedian diagnosed with clinical depression performed an act showing his 20-year struggle with depression in a humorous lecture on April 24. Brian Wetzel, who has opened for comedian George Lopez, shared his autobiographical one-man show with students at the West Valley Room at the University Student Union.

The tie in the Associated Students elections has changed after a recount was held on April 17, resulting in a score of 805-811, making Adam Haverstock and Alex Shahin the winners. However, Haverstock and Shahin had to file a judicial complaint after the six votes in favor of Miguel Segura, candidate for the E3 slate, and another nine votes, were deemed as “questionable” or “controversial,” said Mazen Hafez, the elections committee director.

A student discussion event featuring two former Black Panther members turned into a diverted argument between two students in the audience at the University Student Union Theater during a question and answer portion on Monday. Ray Boudreaux and Henry (Hank) Jones, former members of Black Panthers, were speaking about human rights issues when a Caucasian student and black female student switched the context of the conversation into a heated debate concerning immigration, race and human rights.

Online presidential elections for Associated Students were canceled after technical difficulties occurred Tuesday at 8 a.m. The two slates, Students First and Educate, Empower, Enhance (E3) have focused on online campaigning from the beginning because the new election board promised to make it work, said Nicole Umali, vice president candidate for E3.

Afree hip-hop class provided by University Student Union on April 3 was the second of the three free dance classes that the USU is sponsoring this semester. Dance lessons are expensive at professional dance studios, so CSUN is offering students some lessons for free because they have shown an interest in it, said Vanessa Garduno, assistant program coordinator of major events for the USU.