Budget cuts are making it difficult for the deaf and hard of hearing to receive equal access

Dear Editor,

I am a student in a COMS 356 class with two deaf students.  Throughout this semester these students have been without an interpreter for five out of the 12 class meetings.  I have watched their frustration and emotions overwhelm them to the point of walking out of class in tears.  This makes me feel guilty. As a hearing student that I am able to keep up with the curriculum and they are falling behind at no fault of their own.  What has happened to this school that we are allowing this to happen? Are the budget cuts that severe that we are letting some students’ education fall by the wayside?  This is unacceptable! I try to imagine what it would feel like to be sitting in a class and not be able to follow the lecture.  It is extremely frustrating!!  These students paid the exorbitant tuition that was required of all of us, and yet they are not receiving the same education.  I call to all students, faculty and the community to take a stand against this terrible situation and put a stop to this!!

In this together,
Krystal Hughes

Hi, My name is Kylie Kimura and I am currently a junior here at CSUN.   I am also a communication studies major. I am writing to you because I just got home from my morning class of which I have two deaf students in and the interpreter did not show. This is the fifth or sixth time that the interpreter has not come and we have called different departments over and over again and nothing has been done. This is completely unacceptable. The reason I am writing is because I want to raise awareness. I want to get the word out. These students are paying the same tuition as us, if not more for international fees, and they do no get the same, fair education as us. As a class collectively, we have decided that if this happens again, we shall sit in silence, as our deaf students have been forced to do so. In the event of our silence, we invite you to come visit our class. Intercultural Communication is held on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9:30-10:45 a.m. and is taught by Randi Picarelli. I am in no way writing this to vent and blame anybody, but to try to make a change. I think that as hearing students we take learning for granted. But could you imagine sitting in a silent class seeing everyone’s mouths move and not knowing what is going on? I think it is completely unfair. Deaf students come to CSUN because of its renowned reputation for deaf studies and these events are only demeaning the program. Thank you for your time in this matter and I hope that I can continue to get people’s attention.

Kylie Kimura

The Northridge Review is CSUN’s homegrown literary magazine, which is published every semester. Pieces such as poetry, fiction, play, essay and artworks are reviewed by the English 412 class, which is run by Mona Houghton. Students, current and former, professors, and people from the greater Northridge community can contribute and submit their work.

“It is a showcase for the creative work taking place at CSUN,” James Bezerra, creative writing major, said. Bezerra is the senior editor for the Northridge Review.

The class spends most of the semester evaluating everything that was submitted in order to get it published for the next issue. There were about 60 pieces that were published last semester and there are about over a hundred submissions of fiction and almost 200 of poems this semester, according to Zach Fromson, creative writing major and the head of the business board for the Northridge Review.

“There’s a selection process where we pick the best of all the submissions,” Fromson said.

The pieces are critically reviewed and selected by the class and they try to evaluate the pieces on its own merits. They are not looking for any specific themes or any subject matter. Also, the pieces remain anonymous until it gets published.

“Every single thing that comes in gets read,” Bezerra said. “Whatever the school is creating, we’re happy to read it.”

A party is hosted every semester to launch the new issue of the Northridge Review. The Fall 2009 issue will be released on Friday at 7 p.m. in JR 319. Last semester’s work are published in this issue. The party is free of charge, but the magazine will be available for purchase for $5.

“It’s a party to celebrate the magazine, the people who made the magazine, and the people who contributed to make it and give us something to make,” Houghton, who has been teaching the class since 2003, said. “Without the contributions, we wouldn’t have a magazine.”

The release party is a chance for the writers to read their work out loud to the audience. The writers will be given a time limit, about five to six minutes, to read a portion of their work to the public. The party is also an opportunity for the public to see and meet the writers and the students who put the magazine together.

“It’s generally a fun night,” Bezerra said.

The Northridge Review also plans on getting in to the multimedia genre by including a video disk with the magazine. They are planning on working with the deaf studies program to have videos of either faculty or students signing some of the poems that they class select.

“We would like submissions from deaf poets or poets who do ASL. We are actively looking for people who can interpret and perform poetry in the deaf studies program,” Bezerra said.

The Northridge Review gives the students the experience of what it means to submit their work to a literary magazine, and what it takes to get something published, Houghton explained. The first thing she ever had published was on the Northridge Review, and she said it was the thrill of her life.

“Being in this class has really helped because, as writers as well as lovers of words, we were able to see the publishing and the editing aspect of it. We will know what to do when we want to submit our work to major magazines, newspapers and what-have-you,” Arthur Kayzakian, creative writing major, said.

The Northridge Review started in the 80’s and has been continually published every semester. In fall of 1998, it picked up an AWP (Association of Writers & Writing Programs) award for Literary Magazine Design.

Submission deadline for literary pieces has passed, but the Northridge Review is still accepting art submissions. However, if a student has a piece of work that they are confident is stellar and worth the time and they put in the effort to get it to the Northridge Review, there will be a big chance that it is going to be read.