Arri motion picture company donates use of 35mm camera to CTVA Dept.

Arri Inc. will donate the use of its state-of-the-art 35mm motion picture camera to CSUN’s Department of Cinema and Television Arts this fall. The company will also supply camera equipment and lighting for a selected film project each semester to allow students to focus on their films without being concerned about securing an expensive camera package. The company wanted students to be able to concentrate on their creativity rather than finances, said Arri Vice President Bill Russell, an alumnus of the CTVA Department. Philip Eurund, senior CTVA major and international student, will be the first to use the new equipment. He will direct the film, “Bauhaus: Broken Wings,” which depicts the Bauhaus modern art movement in Germany that was dismantled by the Nazi regime, during the fall semester. Shooting is scheduled to begin in late September.

New student trustee still not appointed to the CSU Board of Trustees

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has rejected the two student trustee nominees put forth by the California State Student Association this summer. The nominees are meant to replace Eric Guerra, whose term as student trustee ended in June. The CSSA will now search for a new nominee or nominees. The new trustee’s term will be through 2007. Gabriela Orantes of CSU Monterey Bay and Jason Spencer of Sonoma State University were selected in April by the selection panel, which interviewed applicants from all over the state. One student will be appointed by Gov. Schwarzenegger as the new trustee. The student trustee represents over 400,000 students in the CSU system, with one vote in the CSU Board of Trustees.

Knapp arbitration agreement to pay out nearly $3 million in faculty salary

CSUN is one month away from dispersing close to $3 million in faculty backpay awarded as part of the Knapp arbitration agreement, which was made between the CSU and the California Faculty Association beginning in 2003. Prior to the Knapp decision, professors were paid for summer teaching using a sliding pay scale because of the self-support financial model used by summer classes and the College of Extended Learning. According to the decision, this scale should not have been used, as the CSUs moved to Year-Round Operations, making summer semester equivalent to spring and fall semesters. The Knapp decision concluded that professors who taught during summer 2001, 2002 and 2003 were entitled to backpay. The backpay will be paid out by Sept. 30 following months of data collection.

CSUN Main Art Gallery to host new Korean calligraphy exhibit

An exhibit entitled “Crossover: Contemporary Korean Calligraphy,” will be on display at the CSUN Main Art Gallery from Aug. 29 through Oct. 1. Several works from three contemporary artists, ‘Manhodang’ Kim Soo-Hyoung, ‘Hanong’ Kim Sun-Wuk and Choi In-Young, explore the role of Korean calligraphy and contemporary graphics through abstract art. The exhibit is open Monday through Saturday from 12 – 4 p.m. An exhibit opening reception will be held on Sept. 12 from 6 – 9 p.m. For more information call Art Galleries at 677-2156, or visit www.csun.edu/artgalleries.

Two CSUN theatre students to spend academic year studying in China

Two CSUN students who received full scholarships from the Chinese Government Scholarship Council have begun their 2005-06 academic school year in China. Sean Hill and Patric McInnis of the Theater Department will study at the Central Academy of Theater Arts in Beijing.

Hill and McInnis were selected for the award based on academic performance, teacher recommendations, and their interest in Chinese culture. Eight other CSUN students have received the Chinese Government Scholarship Council award since 1999. 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.