The annual budget concerns dominated the Presidents’ Town Hall Meeting Tuesday as students and faculty were able to voice their worries to A.S. President Conor Lansdale, CSUN President Jolene Koester and Faculty President Steven Stepaneck. Senator Jordan Lopez, College of Education, asked Koester to explain the future of the budget and tuition. Koester said the Board of Trustees took action to increase fees. Koester also addressed action made by the CSU in attempts to help students reduce their cost. “They… Read more

With the recent budget signed by the governor of California, some CSU campuses are now able to open enrollment again to allow more students to apply. While CSUN is not reopening admissions, the money from government funds is now revealed after a three-month wait for the budget to be signed. “Northridge is going to get $9.4 million for enrollment growth,” said Erik Fallis, media specialist for the CSU. Fallis said the money the CSUs will be receiving comes from $199… Read more

The process of requesting annual funding went green as the A.S. 2011-2012 Annual Budget Request became available online, replacing the original paper-based submissions with fields, a dropdown menu, and electronic confirmations. “We are trying to go green with A.S.,” said Kevin Mojaradi, A.S. coordinator of marketing and public relations. “We are cutting back on the number of forms we need because in the past we made 19 copies of everything to give to senators and advisors, and with more than… Read more

A soft breeze blows across your skin as you head to the mailbox. It’s a new month and you feel great until you open the mailbox. A couple magazines, a letter from mom and credit card bills. Bank statements. Utility balances. If you dread this monthly ritual—and the balance in your checking account— take a look at Mint, a money free money management tool owned by the Intuit, the company that makes Quicken.

The city of Los Angeles is living beyond its means. Vital cuts needed to mitigate the city’s current and future financial crises are being stalled by high-salaried individuals with agendas of their own. Someone needs to step up and make the same unpopular and life-changing decisions many private industry executives had to make, leading to the 12.4 percent unemployment rate in California. There are 15 city council members in LA and they are the highest paid city council members in… Read more

Administration is planning to cut enrollment of full-time students by another 11 percent and increase student fees to 10 percent, said Harry Hellenbrand, provost and vice president for academic affairs. Hellenbrand held two open dialogue meetings with faculty addressing the current and future budget situation at CSUN and the California State University system. “Anyone who thinks we can go back to the fee ratio of 15 percent tuition and 85 percent state budget is just dreaming,” Hellenbrand said. Hellenbrand added… Read more

I’ve heard many times that Las Vegas is the perfect place to spend the weekend. Who wouldn’t agree? There are many things to do from shopping at The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace, hitting the tables and slots at the casinos, clubbing at Tao, sipping on cocktails at the pool and seeing great shows like Cirque du Soleil. But doesn’t it get tiring? Every time I come home from Vegas I’m always worn out. The only time that I get… Read more

Walking across campus on Tuesday, students were crowding around the sorority and fraternity tables. Diligent efforts to raise money and get students to join their organizations were in full swing while people laughed and conversed with a sense of joy. Something was missing. Concern.  To my dismay there wasn’t any concern about what is happening to our education and around the world. I mean do the students of CSUN really care? Some faculty members and students reacted with anger over… Read more

At the start of this summer we faced the worst stage of our financial crisis.  News was saturated with continuous Wall Street woes, business’ crumbling and storefronts becoming vacant.  Jobs were lost every Friday, as it became the worst day of the week rather than the one people looked forward to. Jobs were scarce, the news scarier. If that wasn’t enough to stomach, celebrities were dying off in droves.  The myth that celebrities die in threes was rewritten this summer. … Read more