A banging of drums ushered in the start of Africa Week and celebrated the opening, which was held at the USU on Monday. Francis Appiah, a member of the African Students Organization - which planned the events for weeks - wore traditional African clothing as he banged on his drums.

Among the issues discussed at the faculty senate meeting on Oct. 5 were alternative scheduling, improvements to the CSUN Web site, and changes to the academic calendar, the course add/drop policy and senate bylaws. All of these issues, including the recently implemented GE Plan, must go through a lengthy process of deliberations by the executive committee of the senate before going before the faculty senate committee and on to CSUN President Jolene Koester for approval.

For Hermine Mahseredjian, head of the Armenian studies program at CSUN, the time has come to step away from the curriculum she created and nurtured for 23 years, though the transition could be difficult given the dedication she has given the program since its conception.

Students attending CSUN this fall may be happy to know that tuition has not increased since the spring semester. There was, however, an increase from Fall 2005. In Spring 2006, a $500 increase in tuition was scheduled, but due to California's unexpected revenue, Governor Schwarzenegger was able to reverse the proposed plan for another increase this semester.

Ongoing scientific research conducted by several CSUN science professors was rewarded with a $7 million grant under the Support for Continuous Research Excellence Program from the National Institutes of Health. A gift of $85,000 was also provided by CSUN. According to biology professor Maria Elena Zavala, who has taught at CSUN for 18 years, this is not the first NIH grant awarded to the university.