More than 70 CSUN students led by members of Central American United Student Association, Students for Quality Education and MEChA marched through campus protesting in response to CSUN’s decision to only allow graduating seniors to get permission numbers to add classes. “I want to see clarity as to what’s going on,” said Osvaldo Ortiz, 22, a member of CAUSA who led the march. “It’s frustrating.  We want cooperation from the administration—to actually have a dialogue with students.” The protest later… Read more

Math professor Magnhild Lien has been named executive director of the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) starting January. As a faculty member, she served as the department chair of mathematics from 1998 to 2006. “I’m excited about my new position,” Lien said. “It was an advertised position that I interviewed for last summer and in fall, I did some training.” The AWM is a national association with over 3,000 members that encourages women and girls to study mathematics and… Read more

In an effort to enhance college awareness and increase graduation rates among students in the San Fernando Valley area, CSUN’s College of Education has been collaborating with Project GRAD, Graduation Really Achieves Dreams, a nonprofit organization that has been working with K-12 public schools since 2003. Project GRAD Los Angeles works primarily with minority students from low-income families. Project GRAD LA, which operates under Project GRAD USA, works with a local school district and a group of K-12 public schools… Read more

The preliminary hearing for the former CSUN student accused of burglarizing more than 20 dorms between October 2010 and April 2011 has been extended again until Feb. 24. Christian Hunter-Sheppard, 20, was scheduled for court Dec. 15, after being arrested in his home on July 20, 2011. Christiana Villalobos, CSUN police spokeswoman, said he is charged with five counts of residential burglar and one count of possession of a loaded handgun. According to a receptionist at the Lund Law Firm,… Read more

Students have turned to alternative methods of purchasing textbooks to offset the high cost of a college education. Among the many methods preferred by students are textbook rentals, using e-books and shopping at online bookstores, such as Amazon or Chegg, all offering textbooks at discounted rates. One method that some students have turned to is the rental system, which provides students the option to rent a book and return it at the end of the semester. Rent-A-Text, the rental system… Read more

The Student Recreation Center opened with numerous measures in place to ensure that the complex will be in compliance with the state’s environment friendly LEED standards. LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is the certification process that ensures and maximizes the building’s overall performance. LEED certifies green, ecological performing buildings and structures, according to their website. Nathaniel Wilson, a CSUN architect, estimates the SRC’s green initiatives can protect the university annually from heaping energy costs. “The financial and… Read more

After nearly five years of construction, the new Student Recreation Center is opening its doors for the CSUN community to use today at 2 p.m. “I think it’s just incredible to see an idea that students had and then actually voted on and said that they wanted to support, and for us to work on it, and it’s coming to fruition,” said Debra Hammond, executive director of the University Student Union (USU). “A lot of times, you have an idea… Read more

CSUN students are now facing the consequences of last semester’s decision to restrict student registration and lower the amount of available seats in classes to avoid a $7 million penalty from the CSU. CSUN, which is only allowed to exceed full-time student enrollment by 3 percent, was operating at 6.3 percent over its capacity in the fall, said Vice Provost Cynthia Rawitch in an interview with the Sundial in November 2011. If the same capacity level had been maintained, the… Read more

A sparsely attended board of trustees meeting Tuesday in Long Beach addressed potential problems the CSU is facing with Gov. Jerry Brown’s recent budget proposal. The long-term funding plan for the CSU proposed by Brown would begin increasing general funds by 4 percent each year starting fiscal year 2013-2014, if his tax initiative passes in November. “Remember that the 4 percent is being multiplied against a general fund base that has essentially crashed from $3 billion (in state funding) down… Read more