Longtime CSUN professor,Chemistry Dept. chair dies

Omar Zahir, professor and chair of the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, died Aug. 26. Zahir joined the faculty at CSUN in 1990 as an assistant professor in what was then the Chemistry Department. Zahir graduated from the State University of New York at Stonybrook with a Ph.D., and served as a Postdoctoral Fellow at Iowa State University and as a NASA Postdoctoral Fellow at JPL. He was also a visiting research fellow at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Zahir has been a leader in the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, a centerpiece of CSUN’s Learning-Centered University initiative.

Campus Crime Alert posted in the UPA residence halls

A Campus Crime Alert was posted to make campus residents aware of recent burglaries that occurred in the University Park Apartments earlier this month. Campus Crime Alerts are posted in the dorms and around the CSUN campus when a Part I crime incident has occurred, such as a burglary, sexual assault, arson or automobile theft. These alerts are posted with the utmost discretion when it poses a threat to the CSUN community. There is not a direct link between the recent alerts and the fact that there have not been any more burglaries reported in the dorms, said Christina Villalobos, spokesperson for the CSUN police. The alerts’ main purpose is to catch each student’s attention.

CSUN graduate makes his way into Hustler magazine

A CSUN graduate student made a bold political statement during commencement last spring, and his actions have made it to the pages of the November 2005 issue of Hustler magazine. Tony Seybert, graduate of the History Department’s master’s program, received an array of taunts and praises from students, faculty and audience members when he donned a homemade sandwich board that read, “Heil Bush! Support the troops! Either go and help or bring them home!” during commencement exercises in June. Seybert wrote in the Hustler piece that he partly found the inspiration to state his own political beliefs after seeing CSUN’s campus being exploited by military recruiters keen on signing prospective soldiers to go to war in Iraq.

Residence Halls Association starts year with elections

Residence Halls Association, the student government of the University Park Apartments, will hold elections in the upcoming weeks to pick this year’s Community Council members and building senators for the 14 residence halls. RHA has 41 open leadership positions available for the upcoming 2005-06 school year. “I intend to ensure a leadership as well as a mentoring and tutoring program,” said Peter Gallego, vice president of finance for the RHA. “We want to make a lively and rewarding experience for the students who reside on campus.” The RHA plans to have a variety of programs available for students, and the organization will work with A.S. to create two or three events throughout the year, starting with a Halloween activity.

Daily Sundial premieres new Sundial Update mini-section

Appearing in this space for the rest of the semester, the Daily Sundial will feature short one-paragraph stories that will quickly update readers on important campus events, news stories, and student club and organization meetings. Readers interested in submitting story ideas for the Sundial Update can e-mail Samuel Richard, City editor, at samuel.richard@csun.edu. Submissions for the Daily Spotlight Calendar should be sent to spotlight.sundial@csun.edu.