The only way to test your knowledge of what you have learned is to put that knowledge into action. The classroom can only do so much, and that is what the last CSUN theater production of the semester demonstrated. Professionals and professors have directed past plays but now it was up to the students of the CSUN theater department. They put on an interesting series called “Student-Directed One Acts: A Century of Women’s Voices,” the last production for the semester.

Students directed five plays, all of which were written by women.

The plays included “2000 Miles” by Diana Son, which was directed by Amy Oliveria. “2000 Miles” is a play about what it means to be a woman. It consists of two characters, Ellen (Julie Brett) and Janie (Katherine de la Rosa.) The play was about two small-town friends whose relationships and personality were not destined for their location.

“It was a lot of fun and interesting working with Amy, who was discovering the play along with me,” said De la Rosa, 22. “It was a lot more casual working with a peer of mine. There was less pressure but it definitely felt like a collaborative effort.”

The second play was “Drowning,” written by Maria Irene Fornes and directed by Oliveria. The story was about a group of outcasts who were isolated from the rest of society and lived very poorly. The outcasts connected with society through newspapers. It is about an innocent young girl named Pea (Lindsay Sacks) who experiences the feeling of falling in love along with Roe (Nicole Gerth) and Stephen (Wunna Myothein).

“Working with Amy, Lindsay and Wunna was a great experience,” said Gerth, 22. “They are so in love with their work and their craft. With the student director, we are all collaboratively learning. It’s more beneficial because it’s an academic learning environment.”

The third play was “Personal Effects,” which was written by Griselda Gambaro, translated by Roberto Pomo and directed by Theresa Robbins Dudeck. The play is about a lonely musician who is waiting for a train (Steve Kaplan).

The fourth play was “Rising of the Moon.” Written by Lady Gregory and directed by Heather Ramey, the play is the story of a sergeant who befriends a wanted criminal (John-Pierre Atallah) that he and his officers (Jerry Chappell and Jeffrey Holmes) are searching for. Through the unlikely friendship, the sergeant learns about himself and comes to see the criminal as a man.

The last play in this series was “Screens,” which was written by Dolores Prida and directed by Jennifer Dithridge. The play is about Mauricio (Tony Espinoza), Elena (Alexandria Ayala) and Roberto (Amador Plascencia), three soap opera stars staying at a beach cottage. The three stars are trapped in the beach cottage because there is a nuclear war occurring outside. It tackles temptation and a never-ending chase of stardom, evident even in spite of death.

“To me, (Dithridge) was like any other director because she was very specific in what she wanted,” said Ayala, 22. “The experience was very inviting. I wouldn’t label her a student director because she acted just as professional as any other director.”

“Student Directed One-Acts: A Century of Women’s Voices” was performed in the CSUN Studio Theatre. It was the last production of the Spring 2007 semester.

A useful trick to not go crazy when dealing with all that college brings is to take a step back from all the madness of being a college student and immerse yourself in how it felt to be a kid. That is what the play “A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings” allowed me to do for an hour on Sunday afternoon.

“A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings” is a short story written by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and was adapted into a script by Nilo Cruz. The play is performing here on campus at the CSUN Little Theatre. Anamarie Dwyer, who is a full-time professor in the Theater department, directed the play. The cast was enrolled in TH376, which is Theater for Young Audiences.

The play takes place in a small Colombian town close to the Caribbean Sea. It begins with two young children, Momo (Max Rosenblum) and Fefe (Jennifer Lui). Momo and Fefe find an old man with wings. They are led to believe that the man is an old angel and name him Afar (Jesse Bethune) because he can not remember his own name. Momo and Fefe are the only ones that can understand Afar because he does not speak. He only communicates to the two children with his eyes. When Momo and Fefe bring him back to their home, their father, Pelayo (Matt McKenna) sees Afar as a sideshow for the townspeople. Afar brings him money until something better comes along.

The characters as a whole are very believable for that time period and for what was occurring on stage. There is a definite theme of magical realism when magical elements appear in an otherwise realistic setting, like the angel and the spiderwoman.

Bethune portrayed Afar wonderfully. Throughout the whole play, Afar did not speak but instead used his eyes to convey his emotions and what he wanted to say to the two young children.

“It was extremely difficult for me to rely only on body movement and facial expressions,” said Jesse Bethune, an undergraduate theater major. “It takes a lot of focus and concentration.”

Max Rosenblum and Jennifer Lui, who portrayed the children, gave a very realistic and believable performance that they were children in a small town.

“It was challenging, but it was fun to look back on your childhood,” said Jennifer Lui, a 22-year-old an undergraduate theater major. “I looked at my little cousins and watched how they moved. In terms of innocence, I remembered my experiences from Disneyland.”

There were a lot of colors throughout the play. For example, La Luna (Raychel Espiritu) was dressed in a blue-layered gown with skillfully done blue eye makeup to help portray that she is representing the moon.

The Spiderwoman’s (Danina Moguel) costume was a tight-fitting bodice on both Spiderwoman and Spiderwoman 2 (Raychel Espiritu). Spiderwoman 2’s face was covered to show the unity of the two people portraying one character.

What comes to mind when envisioning Spiderwoman would be the color black. Instead, they took a more creative and imaginative approach in Spiderwoman’s costume and makeup and donned her with varieties of colors ranging from blue and green to purple and pink.

The story was originally written for young audiences and the duration is an hour long with no intermission. It’s a sweet story that makes everybody feel like a kid again.

The cast of this play has just finished their first weekend but will be open for three more weekends. The dates are April 20-22, and April 27-29. There are 11 more chances to watch this play.

The doors to the Northridge Center were opened at 7 p.m. on Thursday. A crowd of students stood in line with their tickets for a night of entertainment and good laughs. The stage was cleared and four microphones stood at ground level directly in front of the stage, which was decorated with 93.5 KDAY banners.

On the right side of the stage, a DJ table was set up and speakers were placed on opposite sides of the stage. The seats were quickly filled with students, parents and spectators who came out to be entertained.

At 7:20 p.m., CSUN’s 3rd Annual Apollo Night was underway. The Goodfellas, Romeo and DJ from 93.5 KDAY were there to host the event. To get the audience energized, The Goodfellas and the KDAY street team distributed T-shirts, concert tickets and other prizes to select audience members. DUB magazine was also present distributing copies of the latest issue to people in the audience.

Twelve performers were scheduled to grace the stage for Apollo Night. There were two dance groups – LWA, also known as Ladies With Attitude, and Notorious. Two student rappers, GodSon and Young Rock, graced the stage.

A number of people showcased poetry and spoken word talents, including James the 4th, Sean Hill and Vince Williamson, a 22-year-old CSUN student.

There were also some students who displayed their vocal skills, such as Timique Carter, Minks, Danielle Williams, Dwayne Golstein and Mike Eddie.

Three featured acts also performed, including singing duo Bangloose, a four-male singing group called O.N.E., and a rapper by the name of KU.

A talent contest took place and a variety of artists from CSUN showcased their respective talents. Instead of a panel of judges determining the winner, it was the audience.

The audience determined the winner by expressing a collective chorale of boos or cheers during the performances. At the end a winner was selected, a long tradition which may seem harsh but tests the performers and their skills. Survival of the fittest is what Apollo Night has always been about.

When the audience’s boos overshadowed the performance and became loud, the DJ spun “Walk it Out” by DJ UNK, bluntly letting the performers know the audience had spoken, and it was not in their favor so they should now “walk it out” off the stage. Adding to the excitement was a guy who danced on stage with a bat. His presence replaced the giant hook usually present at Apollo Nights, used to shoo the performers who are not satisfying to the audience off the stage, a role once filled by the late, tap dancing Howard “Sandman” Sims.

That night, the audience seemed reluctant to throw the proverbial tomato. It does take courage to stand in front of an audience and showcase talent, but since it was Apollo Night, some performers did get booed off the stage.

“I thought the audience would be a lot more raw and critical,” said DJ from The Goodfellas, whose “Hate It or Love It” segment employs antics similar to those of Apollo Night. “It’s Apollo Night and you have to be ready to go. This is stardom, not start up. In this business, you have to always be ready to go.”

After the performances, Williamson was declared the winner. He gripped the audience with a politically charged poem called “War in These Streets” and took home $700 in scholarship money.

“I thought (…) Vince was well-deserving of the first prize awarded, and I really appreciated what he contributed, because the words in his poem were exactly what the NAACP likes to promote,” said Yemi S. Kuku, a 22-year-old Pan African studies and political science major.

“War in These Streets” embodied the manner and retrospect “sermon” delivered to a congregation. While performing, Williamson walked back and forth in front of the audience and held a commanding presence.

“We are going overseas to fight this war and sending billions of dollars but we won’t put any of that money in what we call Ghetto America,” Williamson said. “Our priorities are twisted.”

After Williamson delivered the poem, he walked off with cheers and a standing ovation, clearly symbolizing who the winner of Apollo Night was before the other performers graced the stage.

The second place prize, a scholarship check for $300, went to Minks, a group comprised of a rapper and three backup dancers dressed in red outfits.

In the end, it was another Apollo Night that went down in CSUN history. It was the third but definitely not the last to come to this campus.

“The family woke up,” Romeo from The Goodfellas said. “They started walking it out and it ended on a bang. Once again, we were honored and blessed to be here. Thanks to all the students for having us here.”

Students coordinated the 3rd Annual Apollo Night at CSUN. The CSUN chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or NAACP, presented the event.

“I thought the event was a big success,” said Devon Angelica, a 21-year-old broadcast journalism major. “It’s nice to get involved in something like this. There were a lot of talented students that impressed me.”

The Merry Wives of Windsor,” playing for the first time at Cal State Northridge last weekend, was captivating, especially when one has an appreciation of what goes on backstage.

“The Merry Wives of Windsor” is an original Shakespeare play. The version performed at CSUN is an altered work by Carl Otto Nicolai, which consists of a comic opera in two acts. The operatic play is directed by Daniel Helfgot. The dialogue is in English and the songs are in German. Supertitles are projected on a screen above the stage, translating the German songs into English so the audience can follow along.

“The rehearsal process for me started two months before the actual rehearsals started,” said Julie Bermel, 24, a vocal arts major. “We are multi-tasking by doing singing, acting and translating the songs in our minds because we are speaking a different language.”

The play is filled with romance, drama and lots of laughs. The audience laughed along with this well performed opera. Six important roles of the play are also double casted so the actors are not consistently present on stage for the six runs of the show.

“The Merry Wives of Windsor” is about the drama that unfolds and surrounds citizens of a town called Windsor. Falstaff, played by Justin Lunsford, is an over-the-top knight who has sent letters to two women in the town by the names of Frau Fluth (Linda Jackson / Julie Bermel) and Frau Reich (Jennifer Haren / Anna Larsen). While discussing the contents of the letters, they discover they have both been given the same letter. Shocked by Falstaff’s audacity, Frau Fluth and Frau Reich plot to get back at him.

Meanwhile, Anna (Oxana Senina / Sari Haidar), the daughter of Herr Reich (Tony Moresi) and Frau Reich, are being courted by three men who want to propose. The three men include Sparlich (Brian Kim / Chad Ruyle), who her father prefers, Dr. Caius, a French man who her mother prefers and Fenton who Anna prefers.

Other cast members include Sarah Modelowitz (narrator), Travis Haase (Herr Fluth), Sean McCormac (Tomsman) and Mykel Jay (Servant). Roxana Monge, Rina Mata and Beth Reichgott, who play Bar Wenches.

The cast is comprised of 19 students and a 16-student chorus. Some cast members also sing in the chorus. Accompanying the play was the CSUN Symphony, led by John Roscigno, the orchestra’s music director.

“Working with the cast was awesome,” said Charlie Kim, a 20-year-old vocal performance major. “Everyone encourages each other and everyone tries to foster everyone’s creativity. We all have a good chemistry together.”

The costumes are beautifully crafted and stay true to the time period of the 1500s. Everybody that graces the stage wore authentic Shakespearean costumes, including the chorus. “The music department has really joined with the theatre department in a beautiful way,” said Sarah Modelowitz, a 21-year-old theatre major.

The set was an outdoor view of two buildings. One set was directly in front of the audience and the other was a view of an apartment building. A white sheet covered the inside and was removed for the last scene, which took place in Windsor Forest.

Lights also help elevate the mood, which include darker lights for the scenes at night and green toned lights for the forest scene. A bar scene is cast in brown toned lights.

The comic opera was well done. The play made the audience laugh all throughout and it was very enjoyable.

The cast sang beautifully in German and the diction was well executed. If anything were left for improvement it would have been the volume of the songs. At times, it was hard to hear the vocals of the actors but using microphones could easily solve that.

All in all this play is recommended to anyone and everyone. It is classical drama and a nice way to spend and evening and even a Sunday afternoon.

“The music department has really joined with the theatre department in a beautiful way,” said Sarah Modelowitz who is a 21-year-old Theatre major.

The play just finished its first weekend, which was March 2-4. The last three showings take place this weekend from March 9-11. It is well worth the time and money.

CSUN student Richard “Magic Rich” Serrano died Feb. 20 at his home in Panorama City.

Serrano, 22, was found dead as a result of suicide.

“I can honestly say that he lived his life to the fullest, not like many of us that lets the days pass, taking them for granted,” Serrano’s younger sister Lilyana Serrano said.

The funeral service took place at St. Genevieve High School Feb. 26, where CSUN students, faculty and St. Genevieve High School students were in attendance. Lilyana Serrano, along with close friend and mentor Joseph Tran, also a CSUN graduate, delivered eulogies.

“Richard was the most pure-hearted person,” Tran said. “I’ve also realized that those with such a pure heart grow weary of traveling alone.”

The theater department students and faculty at CSUN learned of Serrano’s death Feb. 22. In memory of Richard Serrano, a performance of “Three Sisters” was dedicated to him.

His most recent accomplishment was his participation in “Instigated,” a collection of one-act plays performed at the Avery Schreiber Theater in North Hollywood. In his first lead role, Serrano played the homeless man in “Abraham’s Embrace.”

“At first, Richard struggled a lot but he worked really hard,” said John Mardoyan, who worked extensively with Serrano. “He was really dedicated towards the end. Everyone who saw the show was really impressed. They never knew he was capable of a performance like that.”

Mardoyan played opposite Serrano in the one-act play, which was written by Steven Denison and directed by Markus Garvey, a fellow CSUN student.

“During the rehearsal, you could see how happy Richie was to be acting, working, and to be a part of a group of six guys,” Garvey said. “Everybody treated him well and cared about him. We thought of him as a long-term and life long friend.”

Serrano was a dedicated theater student whose passion could be felt by anyone who was given the opportunity to work with him.

“He was a student in both my camera class and improv class,” said Lillian Lehman, an associate professor in the theater department. “He was very generous as an actor and a very giving student. If we could have students (who) have as much desire as he showed in everything he did, it would be a whole different time,” she said.

Serrano had a variety of interests. Last semester, the Sundial published a profile in which he discussed his deeply founded interest and involvement in the magic arts.

By age 21, Serrano was a magician member of the Magic Castle Hollywood, the International Brotherhood of Magicians and the Society of American Magicians. Serrano referred to himself as a close-up magician specializing in cards, metalism and comedy magic.

“Richard got all of us to reflect on his life and our own lives, and that was his best magic trick of all,” Tran said.

Students may remember Serrano showing his magic tricks to people.

“Sometimes Richard would be in the green room, and if he was there he would be showing off his latest magic trick that he had just learned and been working on,” theater major Gerron Beadle said. “Richard the Magician, as we called him, will always be remembered in our hearts, souls and minds forever. Richard would always say, ‘I’m going to put you on my good list.’ Well, Richard, you’re already on my good list.”

Close friends are stunned by Serrano’s death but will always cherish good memories of him. Josh Stern, a theater student who knew Serrano well, recalled a memory about himself and Serrano.

“I remember talking with Richard a while back about his love of the Renaissance Fair,” Stern said. “He told me he felt like sometimes he belonged in that period of time. I felt like he was both ahead of this time and before his time. He lived a life of honor and chivalry, which is rare in today’s world of apathy.”

Serrano was born on April 19, 1984 in Mission Hills to Raul and Nohemy Serrano. He had a brother, Raul, and two sisters, Liza and Lilyana. Richard lived with family in Panorama City.

Serrano graduated from St. Genevieve High School in 2002, and went on to attend CSUN. In high school, Richard developed his love for theater with involvement in three major plays: “The Wiz,” “All My Sons” and “Rumors.”

Serrano was a member of the St. Genevieve High School football team all four years. He only had two more semesters to be eligible to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in theater.

Serrano’s sister, Lilyana, has set up a MySpace page in his memory at www.myspace.com/rip_richardserrano2_20_07. On the page, friends, acquaintances and family members have left comments recalling personal memories of Serrano and expressing condolences to the Serrano family.

Serrano’s interests also included music and art. His favorite game was Dungeons and Dragons. Serrano also had a variety of favorite movies, which included “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” “The Nightmare before Christmas” and “Dracula.” He was also involved in the Anime Club at CSUN due to his love for Japanese animation.

“Richard to me was ahead of his time,” Lilyana said. “Richard would always tell me how he didn’t like narrow-minded people. Many people misjudged Richard as being weird and never understood his way of thinking; all he did was look outside the box.”

Never judge a book by its cover. Such a popular saying but how many of us really believe it?

I can’t tell you how many times people pass judgments about other people, before they can even say a word, just by the way they are dressed. By letting a person’s clothes speak for them without even getting to know a person could mean that you are misjudging them. This bad habit has been applied to a variety of situations, including job interviews, the dating game, and in places of religious worship.

Over the summer, I went for a job interview. I had on a black pair of slacks, a green fitted polo shirt, and black boots which made for a casual business look. My dad took one look at my outfit and made me change.

He finally approved of a black and white pin striped blazer with matching pants, a blue buttoned-down collared shirt, and black boots. When I asked him why he made me change, he said, “No one would ever take you seriously if you don’t wear a button down shirt to an interview.”

My original belief was that my resume and the way I responded to the interview questions were the most important, but apparently my outfit had become the first question. My mom is a nurse manager, and one of her duties is to hire new employees. She told me later that day, after my interview, that it was good my dad made me change my outfit because she turns down people if they don’t look like they want a job, including people that have worn flip flops to an interview.

In regards to appearances and clothes in the dating game, the rules are more geared toward women. When women dress, they either dress for themselves, to impress other women, or to attract men. Well, I like to dress up when I go out to social settings. My outfit can sometimes include a miniskirt, tube top, or a low cut shirt.

Well, just because I am dressed in a miniskirt doesn’t give people the right to attempt to touch where they aren’t wanted. My guy friends seem to think otherwise.

I remember talking to a friend of mine about the way women dress and what it says about them. He said that women shouldn’t dress a certain way if they don’t want the attention that it will draw.

I asked him why do people automatically assume that just because you are dressed in a miniskirt it means you are inviting people to catcall you and whistle at you. He jokingly replied by using a Dave Chappelle quote, saying it was confusing for men because, while women aren’t whores, a lot of women are “wearing a whore’s uniform.”

My argument was basically that just because a girl wears something revealing does not always mean that she wants sexual attention. Sometimes she could wear it just to look cute or be comfortable. An outfit doesn’t make the person.

The clothes are on the person, that’s it. Just because I wear a miniskirt doesn’t mean it’s an invitation to be hit on by anybody walking down the street.

I’m not completely oblivious. I’m guilty of wearing a miniskirt to get a guy’s attention, but who doesn’t like feeling attractive? At other times, it could just be really hot and I’m tired of wearing pants in 100-degree weather just because I don’t want to be catcalled.

Then there’s the rules of appearance that are socially defined. Places of worship are one of those scenarios. I don’t think that people would show up to church in bikinis and Speedos because it’s not socially accepted in those places. That is just common sense, though.

One day I went to a place of worship wearing a flower-patterned blouse and a skirt that was a few inches above my knees. My outfit wasn’t remotely revealing or sexual in any way, but my grandmother and aunt weren’t pleased with it at all. They later pulled me aside and said that any skirt that I wear to a place of worship should be inches below my knees.

I couldn’t see why the outfit had gotten such any type of reaction at all, but I complied to the rules because in Nigerian families questioning your elders is a big taboo. I choose not to question them because a lot of my culture has antiquated beliefs. I clash with them all the time, so finding that balance is always a goal.

What it all comes down to is to look the part. As sad as it is, what you wear says something before you open your mouth to speak. We shouldn’t judge people just because of what they have on.

On the other hand, dress the way you want to. If people reduce themselves to judging you by what you have on, then let them. It’s their loss, because they might miss out on getting to know a great person all because they judged by what they saw.

The latest hot topic surrounding race relations in America involves comedian Michael Richards and the racial statements he directed to two black men in the audience at the Laugh Factory during a stand up performance.

On Sunday, Nov. 19, while he was performing a stand up routine, two black men heckled Richards during his performance and Richards retaliated by directing racial slurs toward them, which included repeated use of the N-word.

The incident, which was videotaped by an audience member with the use of a cell phone, has been broadcasted through access from tmz.com and youtube.com.

“I think it’s outrageous but it’s not uncommon in this country, unfortunately,” said Dr. Bernardean Broadous, a Pan African Studies professor here at CSUN. “Sadly, racism is a part of the fabric of America’s society.”

In an interview on the David Letterman show where Jerry Seinfeld was the guest of the night, Richards apologized in regard to his behavior and language at the comedy club the previous night.

Since the incident, the 57-year-old actor who has gained recognition and fame as Kramer, the wacky neighbor on “Seinfeld,” has been campaigning to clear his name. He has even hired a public relations expert to assist him in handling the press.

In his campaign to clear his name, he has enlisted the help of Jesse Jackson and Rev. Al Sharpton.

He also apologized once again on Jesse Jackson’s morning radio show on Nov. 26.

The incident has many people talking and wondering about Richards himself, race relations and the use of the N-word in today’s society.

The incident has been receiving mixed feedback from the general public.

“I think that it’s ridiculous that those words would come out of his mouth so easily like water,” said Jonnae Thompson, a 19-year-old theater major. “The fact that he’s trying to team up with Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton means nothing to me.”

This incident has forced some people to take a step back and examine race relations in society.

Race relations consist of cultural contacts and relations between people of different races.

“I know racism exists today,” said Lillian Lehman, a theater professor at CSUN. “Any person of color deals with it at some point in their lives or everyday. It’s obvious to the one who is receiving it.”

Some are viewing the incident as a step back in race relations in American society.

“It’s a wake up call that racism, to some extent, does exist to this day,” Thompson said.

Included in the backlash that Richards aimed at two black men in the audience was his repeated use of the N-word in a negative and derogatory way.

Some people say that it is wrong, but the word’s use is so common in today’s society anyway, especially in rap culture.

“I think it’s wrong to say but I find myself saying it all the time,” said Lorenzo Diggins Jr., an 18-year-old fashion major. “It’s a big contradiction.”

There has been many debates on the use of the N-word and a popular stance, among young African Americans, in the argument is that the N-word is acceptable nowadays but only between African Americans.

“The words has transformed from an insult to a term of endearment,” said Evan Washington, an 18-year-old freshman.

Others, mainly elders in the African American community feel and believe that the word should be banned and be off limits to everyone.

“The word itself is insidious,” said Broadous. “There is no way to make it affectionate. No one can rationally conclude it’s OK.”

The topic of the latest online poll conducted by The Daily Sundial asks: Should the use of the N-word be banned?

As of Dec. 1, 53 percent of people responded no because they believe people should be free to say whatever they want. Thirty three percent responded yes, because they believe that no one should ever use that word, and 2 percent of people polled believe that no one except African Americans should be allowed to use that word.

In regard to Richards, a majority of people mutually agree that what he said was wrong but he has also been labeled a racist.

“In my opinion, Richards believed what he said,” Broadous said. “What’s in us will come out of us eventually. It’s in his heart, otherwise he wouldn’t have said it.”

The incident even has some people feeling discouraged by how far society has regressed in regard to race relations.

“This proves how racist our society is,” said Diggins. “His true personality came out. It was in him all along.”

When I was preparing to go to college people told me that it was not a popularity contest like it was in high school. College is supposed to be free from the popularity rulebook. I have been here for four years and the more I am here, the more I see cliques forming in college. College is slowly becoming infested with cliques, and slowly resembling a high school. The question is: Is this college or high school?

There is even a specific hangout spot for every group and the guidelines to hang out in those specific spots are subconsciously followed. Meaning if you are not a part of the clique, then you better find somewhere else to relax between classes.

A place to explore your personality and a space to be who you truly are is slowly becoming more restricted. Long ago, college was a space where students could dress the way the way they want without getting strange looks walking through campus. Any type of music was open to all people as long as it was for your personal enjoyment, not because you had to listen to it.

People I used to see as freshmen still hang out with the same group of people. Although that does exemplify some form of loyalty, but it closes them off from other people. People do not say hello when they walk past other students on campus who they do not know. In the upper division classes, I have noticed that students are less open and friendly with each other as compared to students in lower division classes.

A few days ago, I was walking up the stairs in my building with a friend of mine and a guy was walking down the stairs. I looked at the guy and said “Hi, what is your name?” My friend who was accompanying me was shocked and so was the guy but he responded with a laugh and told me his name. To this day, every time I see that guy he always says hi to me. As a result of just greeting a random person, one less stranger became an acquaintance. My friend later told me that I was crazy, but my question is: What is so crazy about introducing yourself to new people?

I have also seen some people walk into a class on the first day and group themselves by race. I commend those people who introduce themselves to a total stranger on the first day of class. It shows courage and an open mind, especially if the person is a different race than you.

A friend of mine told me that in her class there are two girls who have known each other since high school who sit together and separate themselves from the rest of the class each day. My friend has the same view I do about meeting new people, so she sits by a different group every class period just so she can get to know everybody in the class. She once told me that her professor approached her and thanked her for choosing not to shut everybody out, but instead welcoming them.

You will never know what you can learn from other people if you do not take a chance. I think that people are too scared to take that big step or just too close minded to introduce themselves to a complete stranger. It is a sad dilemma because meeting new people is what college is supposed to and should be all about. Sometimes people you meet in class can become your best friends in the future, or at least someone you would like to go party with.

Befriending someone of a different race, sexuality, or even gender can teach you so much about other types of people. My first two years of college, I took advantage and hung out with so many types of people. Now I have a very eclectic group of friends of all races, genders and sexualities, and it is constantly growing. I even learned more about my culture by meeting other people and talking to them about the problems I had with my own culture. You could be very surprised by how much you may have in common with the person sitting next to you.

I went to a Halloween party and met up with some friends. I started making small talk with one of the guys who was with my friends. We discovered that we are so alike, it is scary, but in a good way. He is now a close friend of mine who I consider my twin because he is the male version of me. I would have never discovered that if I chose to keep to myself and to the people I knew previously.

Granted, there are people who cannot function or breathe properly if they are not a part of a clique. It seems like they need a clique to have some sort of self-worth and they have no self-identity because they can’t stand on their own. Don’t get me wrong I’m not saying that you shouldn’t be loyal to your group of friends. I myself know many people at this school and have close friends who I love to hang out with and am very loyal to, but I also welcome more new friends.

Cliques have a negative connotation to them because they exclude everybody else. It does not give people the opportunity to get to know you. It is so sad the way people have that need to be part of a clique so they can feel like they are worth something.

If that is the case, the answer is not being in a clique, but seeking some sort of psychiatric help because that is the first stage in an identity crisis, and it is all downhill from there. Those issues probably stem from being ignored and turned away from cliques in middle and high school, which can eventually result in an unhealthy need to join a clique.

This college is very diverse and has a wide variety of people, but students do not utilize the diversity. Diversity at this college gives students an opportunity to become acquainted with all types of cultures, religions and ethnicities. It expands the learning process, which makes you more knowledgeable and more prepared for the “real world.”

It is sad that the social politics are becoming more and more visible each day. Students can change the social hierarchy but since we are not doing so, it is not going anywhere unless you decide to do something about it.

Scientists who have a thirst for knowledge and a better understanding of biodiversity are doing studies all over the world. Biodiversity is the variability of living organisms on earth, including the variability within and between species and the ecosystem. Here on campus, there is a small and unknown but flourishing group of people who form the Center for the Study of Biodiversity.

The president has not recognized the center but it is making headway in research of various topics dealing with biodiversity. The center’s current director is Paula Schiffman, a biology professor.

“The purpose of the center is to promote the study of biodiversity as being a strength,” Schiffman said. “It makes us unique. We have made a real emphasis in hiring professors who know about biodiversity. It makes us real special.”

The center’s goal is to not only promote biodiversity but also to aid research in ecology and evolution of biodiversity.

“The center is a contortion of faculty members and graduate students that are interested in issues pertaining to biodiversity, that are fairly broadly defined,” said Robert Espinoza, an assistant professor of biology.

The center mainly consists of faculty because they are more knowledgeable about the center compared to students. The center is more administrative.

“The center consists of various faculty and staff and we have an expertise in different areas,” said Cheryl C. Hogue, biology professor. “The research interests of the faculty are very diverse.”

Graduate students are also involved in the center’s studies. Students are currently doing research on various subjects, such as algae species in the Moorea Coral Reef and bobcats. The center has also encouraged some students to further pursue careers in biodiversity and other fields of science.

“We’ve been successful but we think it could be more successful,” Schiffman said. “A large number of our students (have) gone onto jobs where they study various aspects of biodiversity and graduate school.”

The Center was created to encourage students to do research and again recognition to accept donations, which can further fund research, but money has been scarce. The president does not yet recognize the center, which causes a lack of money flow to fund the center’s research.

“The work that we have been able to do can be done without the center,” said Paul Wilson, a biology professor. “We can do the work as well without the center. I really want the work to be funded and if the center can help do that then that would be great.”

Money and recognition are just a few problems as the people involved with the center are planning out a course of action to make them occur. The center has to promote themselves to get the community involved to gain recognition by the president and to raise the money needed to fund research.

Despite the setbacks, the center has had some successes in research. Students are becoming more involved in biodiversity research. Also, biodiversity research has been recognized and published in scholarly and scientific journals.

“Another success is that we have published a lot of original research on the topics of biodiversity,” Schiffman said. “In the time period between 2001 and 2005, we have published 83 scientific papers. We think that means as scientists we are successful.”