Sitting on a couch in the back of the photo lab Sean Moore opens up a family sized box of Lucky Charms. “It’s never okay to skip breakfast,” Moore says sarcastically.

In between handfuls of marshmallows and sugary cereal bites he explains that this is his last year at CSUN. Moore will be graduating with a photography degree in the hope of pursuing a life as a professional photographer, specifically to photograph to live music.

“Music photography, in my opinion, is one of the most spontaneous and energetic forms of photography. Being able to conquer the fast moving subjects and constantly changing lights and still get an amazing photograph is what drives my passion for documenting live music.”

Within minutes of time spent with Moore you can see his personality shine through any projection of seriousness he was attempting to have during this interview. His sarcastic comments and silly humor are quick to catch.

Even with these qualities there is something else that makes Moore stand out in a crowd. Towering over anyone around him, Moore gets from class to class on what he calls his “tall bike.” With one adult bike and a kid’s bike frame welded together Moore rides in the clouds, grabbing everyone’s attention as he passes by.

Though it is not the defining element of Moore, it is a fitting addition for his unmatched character.

By Champaign Williams
April 28th, 2013
Section: News

CORRECTION: In the video, Randy Sorenson’s title is USU event assistant, not lead event assistant.

The University Student Union was filled to capacity Friday night as Matador Nights kicked off with more than 2,700 students filling Plaza del Sol.

Live music, games and food were part of the New York themed party. The atmosphere was lively and energetic. Students walked around wearing Statue of Liberty hats, showing off ‘I Heart NY’ glitter tattoos.

Upon entering the USU, students were given free glow-stick necklaces, glow stick glasses, light-up button pins that read “I Heart MN” and free t-shirts.

CSUN’s Hip Hop Dance Club made appearances on the dance floor throughout the night. The 10 members danced to get students excited and to spread the Matador Spirit.

“We’re just here to try to have a good time with everybody and to cheer people up and make them forget about their problems,” said Rene Recinos, senior psychology and kinesiology major.

Caricature artists sketched animated pictures of student faces. There were also two Coney-Island carnival-style rides, the ferris wheel and the round-up, were set up in the performance hall parking lot.

An Atlantic City inspired casino was set up in the Grand Salon where students played Texas Hold Em’ and Craps to win MataMoney and other gifts. Gamblers were entertained by students singing live karaoke on stage.

DJ Felli Fel, a Los Angeles based DJ known for working with artists such as 50 Cent and Akon, provided the music. He played a variety of music including “Started from the Bottom,” “Thrift Shop,” and “The Cupid Shuffle,” and kept the crowds entertained.

Inside the Northridge Center, students played arcade games and waited in line at the oxygen bar and ice skating rink.

Steve Frisken, skating international vice president, setup the synthetic ice rink and provided rental ice skates for students.

Students were required to sign liability forms in order to receive wristbands allowing them to ice skate, ride the ferris wheel and round-up.

Popcorn, cotton candy and caramel apples were some of the snack foods available. The USU also provided pizza, hotdogs, drinks and snow cones.

A few students mentioned that they were dissatisfied with the DJ’s song choices.

Creole Green, sophomore undecided major, thought the songs were old and reminded her of high school.

“The DJ could have been a little better,” Green said. “But he kept it broad. There were different kinds of music.”

Alexis Roberts, SRC membership services assistant, danced to the spins of DJ Felli Fel as she directed people through the cotton candy line.

“I’m lovin’ it. Get paid, get to dance and get to see everybody dressed up,” Roberts said.

To savor memories of the evening some students took pictures at a digital photo booth. The booth provided props such as large bow ties, feather boas, sunglasses, grass skirts and more to make each picture fun and unique.

“Overall this was a really good experience,” Green said. “You have games, you have people partying in the middle. You have rides, you have food (and) you have people drawing on your faces. You have so much to do, and it’s really fun.”

By John Saringo-Rodriguez
April 25th, 2013
Section: News – Photos

Erin Davies, Fagbug owner and LGBTQ activist, and Sarina Loeb, USU Pride Center and LGBTQ Initiatives Coordinator and organizer of the Fagbug event, stand beside the Fagbug, which has traveled over 250,000 miles across the U.S. to bring about awareness on LGBTQ issues. Photo Credit: John Saringo-Rodriguez / Daily Sundial

Erin Davies, a victim of vandalism who had the word “fAg” spray-painted on her Volkswagen in Albany New York in 2007, chose to turn such a homophobic act into a statement that she would soon share with the nation and receive overwhelming acclaim instead of paying to remove it.

Fagbug and Davies’ work are known by many as “activism on wheels.” She and her car made a pit stop to CSUN on Wednesday, April 24, for a lecture and Q and A organized by the USU Pride Center.

“I hope that the campus community will learn more about the issues that the LGBTQ community faces, such as discrimination and hate crimes and that students will feel empowered and think creatively when negative situations arise,” said Sarina Loeb, USU Pride Center and LGBTQ Initiatives Coordinator.

Davies speaks on behalf of the LGBTQ community and sheds light on the daunting prevalence of hate crimes among this community throughout the United States and Canada.

“You can take in a negative experience and turn it into a positive, a setback could turn into an opportunity,” Davies said.

Since Davies began her journey with Fagbug, she has found both negative and positive notes on her windshield, but the positive ones outweigh the number of negative ones. She has been acknowledged by strangers as being an inspiration and a hero.

Erin Davies visits CSUN to talk about her experiences traveling across the U.S. with the Fagbug, her Volkswagen bug that was vandalized with the word “fAg.” She speaks at colleges, high schools, conferences and radio stations about hate crimes and prejudice regarding the LGBTQ community. Photo credit by John Saringo-Rodriguez / Daily Sundial

“I love that people take the time to write and leave notes. I don’t see myself as a hero, I just put myself out there to be visible and to educate people,” she said.

Davies hopes that people that she speaks to think twice before vandalizing other people’s property and teaches tolerance by denouncing hate crimes and acts of discrimination.

To read more, click here.

In the game of tennis, sometimes a little drive and determination is just what a team needs to prevail against a tough competitor. Luckily for the CSUN women’s tennis team, its top two doubles pairings are chock full of both.

Doubles set the tone for matches between schools. Comprised of three doubles matches to open up play, whichever school wins two of the matches receives a point towards their overall total. Followed by six singles matches, worth a point each, a total of four points is necessary to win. A successful doubles pairing can give one team momentum throughout the day.

“It adds a little bit of cushion,” said Sabrina Man-Son-Hing, a senior on the No. 1 doubles team and a 2012 All-Big West Doubles First Team selection. “If you can just get the early point you feel a little bit more relieved. Especially when you’re playing better teams, you need to have an early lead in the match.”

The No. 1 doubles team started the season incredibly strong with a 13-match winning streak. Man-Son-Hing and senior Anna Yang have been playing doubles together since last summer, and tennis has played an important part of both of their lives since they were kids.

Man-Son-Hing, a psychology major, said both her father and grandfather played tennis. Her father played for UC Irvine and toured for a short time after he left school. Yang’s father started her with badminton, but she graduated to tennis by the age of seven and hasn’t looked back since.

CSUN’s No. 2 doubles team are no slouches either, finishing the regular season with a 12-8 record, pairing up junior Lorraine Cheung and senior Maria Pistalu.

Pistalu, who is graduating with a major in biology and minor in chemistry, is originally from Germany. Her tennis career started at the age of 5 when her parents were looking for something to occupy their very active little girl.

For Cheung, a 20-year-old accounting major, tennis was a family tradition. Her dad was a coach and she was given the chance to start swinging a racquet around the age of 6, unable to stop since.

To read more, click here.

By Melanie Gaball
April 18th, 2013
Section: News

CSUN’s Southern California Ecoregion Demonstration Garden located by the Transit Center on Prairie Street. Photo credit: Brita Potenza / Daily Sundial

A new garden which will feature plants native to the Northridge ecosystem has been built near the transit center as a result of leftover dirt from the center’s construction last year, adding to the numerous sustainability sites around CSUN.

The garden was a joint project between physical plant management (PPM), the sustainability and biology departments and facilities planning, according to Dr. Helen Cox, professor in the department of geography and Institute for Sustainability.

“The whole idea was born out of what to do with the excess dirt left from the building of the transit center,” said Colin Donahue, associate vice president of facilities development and operations. “Instead of paying to have the dirt hauled away, (we decided to) reuse the earth and create something that could be easy to maintain, that was beautiful and reduce our environmental footprint.”

Building the garden with plants that were native to the Chaparral and Santa Susana regions was less expensive and more sustainable than paying to get rid of the dirt and paving a sidewalk, Donahue said.

“We won on several levels. We saved money, eliminated excess trucking that would generate CO2 (carbon dioxide) and we created something beautiful to look at,” Donahue said.

The garden will also save water, be used as an educational space and will serve as a native habitat for the birds and bees native to the Northridge area, Cox said.

Geography students helped survey the land with Cox, creating a topographical map that was used as a base plan while PPM was responsible for the irrigation and plant installation.

Brenda Kanno, manager of CSUN’s Botanic Garden, was responsible for picking out the plants and flowers, which were planted in late January and early February.

“California natives are programmed to try to survive. Right now they may not look like they are growing, but they are putting in deep roots,” Kanno said. “They bloom very nicely, they can do very well in a drought climate and look pretty.”

To read more, click here.

By Brita Potenza
April 18th, 2013
Section: Features – Photos

Growing your own garden is an affordable option for food that ensures your vegetables are 100 percent untouched by chemicals. It can also give you a sense of gratification. Here are some quick tips on how to grow your own vegetable garden with the help of Erica Wohldmann, a CSUN psychology professor involved with the Institute of Sustainability. She believes growing your own garden will allow a reconnection to nature, leading to a more sustainable future.

1. Consider a container garden to start

It is important to plan out how much space you have, how much time you can devote to your project and how much you would like to spend. If you have a small outdoor space, a container garden is an excellent start.

“It’s exactly what it sounds like. It’s essentially a garden that is in a container and not in the ground,” Wohldmann said.

Almost anything, including pots, wine boxes or even raised garden beds can be used.

Home Depot garden specialists suggest container gardens are better than growing directly from the ground mainly because it allows greater control over the soil quality.

Read up on how large your vegetables can grow. A tomato plant, for instance, can grow to be around seven feet tall, so plant according to the space you have and do not overcrowd your plants.

To read more, click here.

By Bob Garcia
April 18th, 2013
Section: Features – Photos – Student Spotlight

Carlos Sapon (left), 18, history major and Esteban Rivas, 25, political science major are a part of CSUN Bike Collective. A.S. provides the club with $700 so that they can have weekly bike clinics and fix CSUN students bikes for free. Photo credit: John Saringo-Rodriguez / Daily Sundial

During his senior year at Downtown Magnet High School in 2009, David De La Cruz decided to pick up cycling on his own.

And from time to time when his bike needed maintenance he would repair it on his own.

When he arrived at CSUN the following year, he wanted to get involved in something that fulfilled his interest in cycling. He stumbled upon the Bicycle Club at CSUN.

“I found these folks on campus that were advocating for cycling, safer cycling, urban planning within cycling, and sustainability,” De La Cruz said. “The group’s focus consisted of most of my interests.”

The Bicycle Club, with an informal name change to the Bike Collective in the fall of 2010, is an on-campus community of CSUN student cyclists whose sole mission, according to the club website, is “to provide mechanical resources, safety information, advocacy for and the establishment of a communal base for those who commute, and get across campus via bicycles.”

The club’s emphasis is empowering commuters to take an alternative and sustainable mode of transportation to CSUN.

The Bike Collective holds weekly on-campus bicycle clinics, where members provide free fixes. The group also hosts local bicycle rides and tours, attends bicycle conferences, events and meetings. It also advocates the planning and designing of bicycle infrastructures on the campus.

At the bike clinics, the most common fixes are chain or brake problems. The fixes are voluntary work provided by the bike collective members. The tools used by its members have been donated or purchased through Associated Students funding that provides money to recognized chartered clubs on campus. Throughout the course of the last two years the bike collective has increased its equipment stock significantly according to De La Cruz.

Members of the Bike Collective hold equal positions, and the club has a communal decision-making process for event planning and club activities.

Students can become a member of the organization by attending meetings and events, and participating in club activities is the key to membership. Meetings are held to discuss the goals of the university organization. Events are held for students to learn about cycling, bike repair tips and the Northridge community.

Madison Carroll, a CSUN graduate student in kinesiology, has been a member of the group for more than a year. She said the club has provided her with the opportunity to meet great people who have a passion for bicycles.

To read more, click here.

As darkness looms over Matador Square on April 1, performers fill the scene, wearing hoodies and sweats. The sound of rhythmic drumming complete the night.

An estimated 50 members are preparing for the 28th annual Pilipino Cultural Night (PCN), an event free to the public that celebrates Filipino culture through dance, theater and music. The Filipino American Student Association (FASA) is hosting the April 6 event.

With sticks held vertically in their right hands, male participants forcefully hit the ground at a steady beat. Letting out hunter-like screams, they pace rapidly in a circular motion.

At various points throughout the practice session, men can be seen wearing white, translucent Barongs, a cultural garment of the Philippines usually worn at weddings. At other times, women are seen holding onto colored handkerchiefs in both hands, waving their arms up and down sharply. They wear black long-sleeved shirts and ankle-length skirts.

Typical rehearsal for PCN members starts around 5 or 6 p.m. with a full run through, a critique, a break, and a final full run through with simultaneous critiquing. Practice typically ends at 10 p.m., but can last until 2 a.m., especially toward the performance date.

“(Practice is) long and strenuous. Sometimes we run until 2 to 3 a.m., but I don’t mind,” said Alyanna Estanislao, 18, a PCN performer and marine biology major. “Seeing PCN come together slowly, bit by bit, is kind of motivating. I love practice even though sometimes I forget to eat and it conflicts with my homework. I don’t go to sleep until 5 a.m. sometimes to be honest, but I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything.”

The event showcases cultural dances that are distributed throughout a script and storyline. Every year, the story changes. This year the story focuses on a college freshman who has no connection with his roots because his parents have assimilated into American culture. The script follows his journey as a freshman in college trying to find an identity.

To read more, click here.