CSUN student killed in auto accident
Ben Watson, a CSUN business major who would have been a junior this fall, died Aug. 21 in a car accident in Northern California. Watson, 20, was an avid boatman and a principal member of the CSUN Sailing Club. A complete obituary will be published in Tuesday’s Daily Sundial.
Campus kicks off fall semester with two-week event to welcome students
As CSUN’s fall semester begins, the first week of on-campus events sponsored by various campus organizations kick off. As part of a two-week event called Welcome All Matadors, or WAM, the campus calendar of events includes a Back-2-Skool event that will feature various activities, music and prizes (Tuesday, 11 a.m., Matador Square, free). An Associated Students Fair will be held on Wednesday at 10 a.m. on the Matador Bookstore Lawn, where the campus community can learn about the services and opportunities that A.S. has to offer. Salsa Night will be held in the Satellite Student Union Shoshone Room on Thursday at 7 p.m. The event is free, and students can listen to a live salsa band, learn some new dance moves and drink “mocktails” provided by Alcohol Learning Education Research Training, a substance abuse prevention program. Students can also attend a free Dive-in Movie on Saturday at 5 p.m. in the University Park Apartments at the Building 12 swimming pool.
Prices increase at many University Corp. campus vendors and convenience stores
As part of a 1.9 percent average cost hike that went into effect in June, prices have increased at some campus eateries and convenience stores. Prices increased for 520 of the nearly 2,800 items sold by the University Corporation on campus. Items affected include, bottled water, salami sandwiches and Burger King cheeseburgers. Most of the increases were small, typically less than 10 percent. Some prices, however, increased by as much as 25 percent, according to the UC. The item that raised the most in price was the salami sandwich, which increased in cost by 26 cents, or 6.5 percent. The Pub and Subway in the University Student Union were not affected by the price increases, which were attributed to recent increases in fuel surcharges, paper goods, and recently approved staff pay increases.
CSUN-linked CHIME Middle School to get new permanent home in Chatsworth
CHIME Charter Middle School has found a permanent home at the former Santa Susana Academy in Chatsworth following a recommendation from a CSUN professor. CHIME’s new home will allow the school to expand its student population to 224 (from 156 last year) with a 1 to 14 adult-to-student ratio. CHIME, which had been leasing property in Northridge for the past two years, was recently awarded a $3.4 million grant from the state to find a permanent home. The independent, tuition-free CHIME Charter Middle School and its sister campus, CHIME Charter Elementary School, work with CSUN’s Michael D. Eisner College of Education and the Los Angeles Unified School District to serve as demonstration and teacher-training sites. CHIME Charter Middle School opened in the fall of 2003 in temporary trailers located on property belonging to the Cornerstone Christian Church in Northridge.
President Koester reappointed chair of Big West Conference for athletics
CSUN President Jolene Koester was appointed chair of the Big West Conference last month for the second consecutive year. This season, the conference shifted from a multi-state to single-state athletic conference, comprised only of California schools. Being affiliated with the Big West is important to CSUN’s goal of being competitive at the regional and national levels, Koester said in a statement. Koester will be working with the Big West Conference commissioner to assemble the conference agenda for next year. She will also play an integral part in board meetings and will appoint committees and subcommittees of the conference. Koester has been member of the conference board since 2001, when she became CSUN’s president.
The Big West Conference has been active for more than 30 years as a Division I National Collegiate Athletics Association conference, and its members compete in 17 sports.
