Associated Students (A.S.) President Abel Pacheco reflects on his administration's progress in his Fall 2009 president's report.

Aside from addressing student concerns, Associated Students (A.S.) is charged with providing spirited programs and events that help create a community feel. One such successful event was recently completed in collaboration with the Residence Hall Association (RHA) and the University Student Union (USU): the India.Arie concert.

On Saturday, Oct. 3, the biggest spirited event of the semester will be coming up. The Big Show, a concert aimed at bringing together the campus. Tickets are only $5 for students, and can be purchased at the A.S. Ticket Office, Matador Bookstore, Mercantile Exchanges, Freudian Sips and at www.ticketmaster.com.

As the biggest, most student-focused show yet, here’s what Big Show 9 will feature:

• Double headliners: Lupe Fiasco and Talib Kweli with additional performances by Far East Movement, hosted by POWER 106’s DJ FELLI FELL with surprise acts!
• Popular vendors: Sprinkles Cupcakes, Baby’s Badass Burgers, Let’s Be Frank Hot Dogs, Barbie’s Q Inc, Fishlips Sushi To Go, Ash’s Ice Cream Truck, Giamela’s Lamplighters, Casa de Soria
• Clubs and Organizations Pavilion: 30 clubs and orgs showcasing different booths and fundraising efforts. Prizes will be given to most spirited decor!
• Pep Rally: appearances by Matty The Matador, reps from all sporting teams, coaches, special guests: coaches from Men’s and Women’s Basketball teams officially announcing Matador Madness

Big Show 9 is an event that we expect to be very spirited and an excellent way to create a community among CSUN students, staff, faculty and alumni, as well as support for student clubs and organizations. Along the same lines, we have also introduced a “spirit exchange” program whereby students can exchange apparel from other schools for CSUN apparel. This program runs through the end of the week at the bookstore and items traded in will be donated to the charity Meet Each Need with Dignity (MEND).

If you would like to become involved in creating these and other exciting programs, please stop by our office and ask us how to get involved or visit us at csunas.org. Elections for next year’s senators are coming up and applications are available in the A.S. central office in the University Student Union.

Dan Monteleone, A.S. director of elections. Photo Caption: Caitlin McCarrick / Staff Photographer

Daniel Monteleone has loved politics since the day he started his political career in fifth grade at Valencia Valley Elementary when he ran for treasurer.

Monteleone’s political career continued into middle school. “Vote for Dan, he’s the man: Vote for Monteleone for Vice President,” was Monteleone’s slogan during his junior high school campaign. Though he lost both campaigns, his relentlessness to serve the public has been so ingrained that his early defeats did not stop him from taking on leadership roles with the University Student Union (USU), Associated Students (A.S.) and his recent appointment as A.S. director of elections.

“Some people are drawn to public service and I’m one of them,” Monteleone said.

With A.S. elections’ past myriad of problems, the two most important including a historically low voter turnout and the malfunctioning of online voting systems, Monteleone will be at the helm as elections near.

“With elections coming up, I felt with my experience with elections, I would be a good candidate . . . and (A.S.) president (Abel) Pacheco agreed,” Monteleone said.

Monteleone received his bachelor’s degree in political science and English from CSUN. He was a member of the USU’s board of directors for one year and chair of the board for two years.

As a board director, Monteleone chaired the facilities committee for one year and then the personnel committee for four months.

“I feel he has the people skills and organizational skills to be director of elections,” said Jason Wang, USU associate executive director. For example, Wang said, when Monteleone was chair of the USU board, he was instrumental in bringing dances back on to campus.

There was a moratorium on school dances for a few years because of safety concerns. Monteleone worked with public safety and facilities management in order for the USU to be permitted to have dances back on campus. As a result, the time patrons were allowed into dances before they were turned away was extended and the dances were longer.

“If he can oversee a $6.5 million organization (USU), he can be qualified (to be director of elections),” Wang said.

Monteleone also served as student vice president at College of the Canyons, his first high-ranking student government position. While at College of the Canyons, Monteleone received his associate degree in English because there wasn’t an Associate of Arts degree offered in political science, he said.

“I took every political science class they have there,” Monteleone said. “If they had an A.A. (for political science), I would have got it.”

During last year’s presidential election, Monteleone phone banked for President Barack Obama’s primary election campaign and supervised Stuart Walman’s campaign bid for the California Assembly. For Waldman’s campaign, Monteleone supervised volunteers and walked door-to-door to solicit votes.

“If he says he’s going to do something, it’s gonna get done,” Wang said.

Monteleone will try to get an online election up and running this year. This will be the fourth attempt to have an election rely soley on Web technology. Monteleone’s main goal this semester is to have an online election system that doesn’t fail.

The turnout is not as important as the success of an online voting system, Monteleone said.

Pacheco said he is confident he made the right decision to appoint Monteleone.

“If we get the system right, the votes will come,” Pacheco said.

Associated Students (A.S.) Vice President Conor Lansdale reads a text message from A.S. President Abel Pacheco to the senators of A.S. apologizing for his absence and giving his presidential report during the A.S. meeting on Tuesday. Photo Caption: Katie Chavarian

Associated Students (A.S.) senate approved three senators yesterday, decreasing the number of senate vacancies to 10.

Joshua Taylor was appointed to the Upper Division II senate position, Natalie Perez to Health and Human Development II, and Ashley Walker to Lower Division II.

There have been six applications received in the past two weeks, which includes the three recently appointed senators, which inquired about open senate positions, said A.S. Personnel Director Kathi Parrella after the meeting. Currently there are no interviews scheduled for open senate positions, Parrella said.

Taylor, a senior political science major, said he hasn’t been actively involved on campus, “but I’m trying to be.” A transfer student from Antelope Valley College, Taylor managed the campaign for a losing nominee’s bid for a spot on Lancaster’s high school board.

Perez, a fifth-year senior, family and consumer science major and marketing minor, originally applied for the A.S. attorney general position, she said, but A.S. President Abel Pacheco recommended she apply for a senate position.

Not yet on any A.S. committees, Perez will be working with former Health and Human Development I senator, Eboni Blanche on projects Blanche was working on before she resigned.

Perez said she would visit the A.S. Web site on her spare time during the spring semester, and started reading agendas and minutes over the summer.
“I didn’t jump into it without knowing what it was going to be,” Perez said.

Perez worked on the University Student Union program counsel’s sports committee as a general member, and a peer advisement mentor for the Education Opportunity Program (EOP).

Perez works at her internship once a week for eight hours in the City of Los Angeles’ Department of Consumer Affairs doing conflict resolution and consumer counseling. Perez is also a cofounder of Alpha Pi Sigma, a Latina-based sorority.

Walker is a junior psychology major. She worked as a new student orientation leader last year and volunteered with SPACE for last year’s Big Show.
“I wanted to join A.S. since I was a freshman,” Walker said.

Walker works on campus as a student assistant for the Educational Psychology and Counseling Department.

Walker will be working on the Academic Affairs committee. One issue she is interested in working on is how to graduate students if they have completed 130 units.
Walker said the A.S. Academic Affairs committee is working with CSUN’s Office of Institutional Research to try and develop a program that will put students on a path to graduation. For example, making students get advisement after a certain number of units are completed, Walker said.

There have been 500 tickets sold through Ticketmaster for next week’s Big Show. The figures for Big Show ticket sales bought through the A.S. ticket office were not available, said SPACE executive director Audrey Younna.

Talib Kweli was added to the Big Show lineup after the former opener cancelled.

The A.S. Swap Out program will end on Oct. 2. The Swap Out program lets students bring in apparel from colleges other than CSUN and swap them for CSUN apparel. The apparel collected from the program will be donated to Meet Each Need with Dignity (MEND).

The code on the environmental affairs director was sent to the policies committee for review.

The following clubs’ constitutions were approved: Students for Justice in Palestine of the California State University of Northridge, Delta Alpha Pi, a student group that recognizes achievements by students with disabilities, and Residence Hall Association of CSUN, a student group that will represent students living in the University Park apartments.

During the Associated Students (A.S.) meeting on Tuesday, senators of A.S. debated over how much funding should be disbursed to the CSUN Paintball Club. Photo Caption:Katie Chavarian

One more Associated Students (A.S.) senate seat opened up as the lone Health and Human Development senator resigned, bringing the senate vacancy total to 12.

Eboni Blanche sent an email to A.S., notifying them of her resignation.

Blanche refused to comment for this story. Her e-mail read as follows:

“It has been a pleasure working with all of you the past few months, but unfortunately due to some personal reasons, I am resigning from my seat as Senator. Please do not hesitate to ask for my assistance with anything as I will still be around to help whenever time allows. Have a great semester and remember to keep the interest of the students you represent first. Cordially, Eboni Blanche.”

There has been disappointment within the senate and on the part of the president in reaction to Blanche’s departure.

“For me it was a sad thing to hear that she was leaving,” said Cynthia Medrano, senator at large IV. “During the senate meetings, and in the senate office, she would share ideas, as far as what she was working on when it came to the committee, like what she heard from her constituents on what (needs to be worked on).

“For me I was sad to see her go,” Medrano added.

John Barry Neilan, Science and Math senator II, said Blanche was shaping up to be an excellent senator. But he voiced concern about the future of the senate with her departure.

“I’m getting worried for the senate that we’re losing more members,” Neilan said. “I don’t think any of our standing committees meet quorum.”

Neilan, who currently sits as the chair of the external affairs committee, was approved Tuesday to the elections committee. He will also sit in on the external affairs committee due to Blanche’s resignation from that committee’s chair position.

“It’s going to end up being a lot of work,” Neilan said.

Neilan’s increased workload is an example of the stress being put on the committees this semester. The finance committee, for example, has seven out of its nine positions open. The finance committee analyzes and makes recommendations to the senate on funds being requested.

Blanche ran with Pacheco on the Students For Change campaign slate. A.S. President Abel Pacheco said that though her resignation was unfortunate, “Every student is still represented.

“I’m not saying it doesn’t (affect senate) but every student is still represented,” he said.

It is expected that there will be two senate nominees up for approval on next week’s budget, according to Kathi Parella, A.S. personnel director.

The A.S. general elections calendar was approved Tuesday. Notably, starting Monday, students can start applying as candidates for the fall election. Senator is among the offices that will be up for grabs in the election.

Abel Pachecho, A.S. President, said that a potential senate candidate should be, “someone who is responsible, (and) has a desire to serve the students.”

It was finalized that come election time, there will be only one voting booth in front of the Oviatt Library, because A.S. will be using an online voting system for the fall and spring semesters.

Elections will take place Nov. 3-4.

Yesterday’s allocation of funds to the Muslim Student Association and the CSUN Paintball Club brought the total budget for clubs and organizations for the rest of the school year to $11,460.

“Clubs and orgs shouldn’t expect too much of us this year,” said Yasmin Nadershahi. Science and Math I senator.

The A.S. Children's Center is located at 18343 Plummer St., next to parking Lot B6. Photo Credit: Angeleica Bonomo / Staff Photographer

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As adults struggle through the California budget crisis, the Associated Students (A.S.) Children’s Center brings optimism to the children of CSUN students.

The Children’s Center just received a $971,136 four-year grant that will help provide child care for need-based students with kids.

Officer coordinator Gina De La Barcena has been working at the A.S. Children's Center for about two years. Photo Credit: Angeleica Bonomo / Angelica Bomono

“We are really excited to be receiving this grant,” said Conor Lansdale, Associated Students vice president and student representative for the children’s center. “ This is what A.S. loves to do. We love to find ways where students get to stay in school.”

Child Care Access Means Parent In School (CCAMPIS) is a four-year grant and one of the largest in the country provided from the United States Department of Education. It will be divided into about $243,000 each year. The last time the Children’s Center received a grant nearly this big was in 2002 (then it was for the amount of $700,000.

The CCAMPIS federal grant was created to push student parents to finish school, and also to give low-income parents access to childcare. A.S. general manager David Crandall said that students provided with affordable childcare are more often able to attend school and finish.

For A.S., the grant will provide more opportunities to offer qualified and affordable childcare. The grant will specifically focus on the Family Child Care Network (FCCN) which contracts with private caregivers in the community.

“The money goes to pay for the childcare that those network providers provide,” Crandall said. “The grant will provide care for children whom we do not currently provide care for.”

The Children’s Center located on campus is one of the many childcare options A.S. gives to students. The center caters to children from 15 months to 5 years of age. FCCN providers take children from 3 months to 12 years of age.

The Children’s Center and the FCCN have about 15 childcare providers around the CSUN campus that student parents with evening or Saturday classes are able to choose from. With the grant, the Children’s Center will bring more providers into the FCCN.

Children’s Center Director Christina O’Dell said that with CCAMPIS, she hopes to be expanding and contracting with up to 44 more providers. This will bring even more possibilities to parents with varied schedules.

Bryanne Knight, the A.S. recreation center project coordinator, was a student for three-and-a-half years at CSUN. Without the help of the Children’s Center and FCCN, she would not have been able to finish graduate school, she said.

“It was the only way I graduated,” Knight said. “I found out I was pregnant my second semester of graduate school. There was no way I would be able to take classes, pay for daycare, pay for school and get it done.”

The Children’s Center is also offered to campus employees. Now that Knight has finished school and works for A.S., she still has the opportunity to use the program.

“I have the ability to go over there at lunch and hang out with him,” Bryanne said, referring to her son. “It gives me a little more time to spend … with him during lunch. It gives me flexibility with seeing him more. I can just walk there.”

Besides bringing affordable childcare to parents, A.S. takes pride in being part of the Children’s Center for two major reasons, according to Crandall.

“The first is if a community has a place for its children, then the parents of those children can go on about their work lives and in this case their studies,” Crandall said.

“The second thing that our program does, that’s also important to us as the A.S., is that this is one of the larger learning labs on campus.”

The Children’s Center offers paid student teachers, interns and volunteers. These positions give other students who aspire to become elementary school teachers the ability to work directly with the children, Crandall added.

The Children’s Center has been offering its services to CSUN student parents since 1973.