Associated Students is reviving a plan to erect a statue of CSUN’S mascot, the madator, on campus. The original project was put on the backburner after the Northridge earthquake.
A.S. Director of Visibility, Aron Schlaber, has undertaken the statue project and is working with members of faculty and administration to make the statue a long-sought reality.
‘I think (the statue) will bring a sense of pride to the campus but also’hellip; be a piece of artwork for our campus community and it’ll be here for hundreds of years,’ said Schlaber.
Schlaber first heard of the matador statue, proposed in the early 1990s, during a meeting of the University Affairs Committee while serving as a senator for A.S. late last year.
‘It really inspired me to pursue it,’ Schlaber said.
Dr. William Watkins, the associate vice president of Student Affairs, is undertaking the administration side of the project.
‘It’s very early on in the process,’ Watkins said.
According to Watkins, a committee will be convened to draft a formal proposal to the administration for the project.
While nothing has been finalized for the statue’s construction, Schlaber said he had already been in contact with the chair of the art department requesting student submissions for the design.
A CSUN art student submitted the original statue design prior to the Northridge earthquake.
That student, whose name was unavailable, had built a 6-foot replica of his design, which was sent to a foundry for final construction.
The replica was destroyed at the foundry when the Northridge earthquake struck.
In the frantic aftermath of the 19×94 disaster, the statue project was set aside for the reconstruction of the university and eventually forgotten.
Along with the replica, the design for the statue was lost as well and A.S. members have been unable to contact the original artist, Schlaber said.
‘We’re going to dedicate the statue to the earthquake in general, (and) to the victims of the earthquake,’ said Schlaber.
The Visibility Committee will select the final design for the statue from among the submissions received from the Art Department, according to Schlaber who also serves as the chair of the committee.
Schlaber said he hopes to have the design selected by December and to have construction started and possibly finished by April in time for the CSUN 50-year anniversary celebration.
‘It would become a good sign or memory,’ Daryoush Zohrab, a third-year political science student, said of the statue.
While no official location has been selected for the statue, Schlaber said such places like the Matador Square, Oviatt Lawn or the patio at the top of the library stairs are under consideration.
According to Schlaber, a formal proposal for the location of the statue is being written and will be submitted to the Campus Planning Board.
Schlaber expects the statue to cost between $45,000 and $50,000 for an 8-foot matador statue.
However, Schlaber said, that A.S. is leaning toward a 6-foot statue which is expected to cost between $35,00 and $40,000.
‘It’s a bit too much,’ said freshman mathematics major Chistofer McGrady. ‘The money could go to some better improvement.’
Money for the statue will be raised through donations from various university departments. The University Student Union and A.S. were examples given by Schlaber.
Another possibility to earn money for the project, Schlaber said, is selling the bricks of the statue pedestal for dedications.
‘It’d be nice,’ Conner Oaux, a CTVA student, said of the statue. ‘It would make the school feel more campus pride.’
