This year's Don Dorsey Excellence in Mentoring Award was given to CSUN physics and astronomy professor Duane Doty because of the positive impact he has had on students during his 40-year career at CSUN. A humbled Doty was surprised upon receiving the award.

The increased enrollment of international students has placed CSUN in "second place among U.S. master's level institutions hosting students from foreign countries," according to an Open Door 2006 annual report. For the 2005-06 school year, there were 1,693 international students enrolled at CSUN.

Music therapy, a course offered at CSUN, helps people who have suffered from physical, emotional and intellectual distress. The Musical Therapy Wellness Clinic has four therapists brought to the CSUN campus to reach those who seek therapy. "People hear about our clinic through either word of mouth or through our Web site," said Ronald Borczon, music professor and director of the program.

The California State University system has developed a program that allows students to participate in the examination of the desert environment. The 30-year-old Desert Studies Center, which covers 1,280 acres of land, runs courses through the College of Extended Learning at San Bernardino.

It seems as though desktop computers, which have been in production since the 1980s, are becoming a thing of the past. "I see more people coming in the store and buying laptop computers vs. desktop computers," said Kahn, an employee at Circuit City. Just by observation on campus, it is evident that many students are using laptops.

The American Indian Student Association at CSUN honored Indigenous Awareness Month by having a pow wow during Veteran's Day weekend, about two weeks after Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante announced that November will now be recognized as American Indian Heritage Month in California.

Ageism is a little known phenomenon that is becoming more of an issue as baby boomers grow older experts say. Those same experts state that though elderly are a rapidly growing segment of the population, their needs and troubles often go unnoticed. "Ageism is the biggest problem in society," said Cynthia Schlesinger, who specializes in retirement, consumer affairs, and aging with a disability.

CSUN's Model United Nations delegates took home nine out of 17 awards at this year's California Model United Nations conference Oct. 21. The Pan American Model United Nations hosted the California Model United Nations at The Clarion Hotel in Anaheim for the one-day conference.

Walking to the Matador Bookstore to go to Freudian Sip can sometimes be annoying when people are standing in your way trying to get you to join this or donate money for that. Sometimes, walking to class and passing through Sierra Quad can be a difficult task when there are groups trying to get your attention left and right.

The University Student Union Plaza del Sol Performance Hall will hold the first lecture of the "Speak Your Mind" series, a platform for speakers to come to the university and address national and global concerns. The lecture series, set to begin Oct. 23, "is the debut of a major event at the university," said Peter Nwosu, chair of the communication studies department.

When the sun sets after a full day of fasting, members of the Muslim community break the fast with Iftar. From 5:20 a.m. to 6:50 p.m., those who participate in the month of Ramadan are fasting not only by not eating and drinking, but also by not committing any other sins such as lying or cheating.

Construction on a new fuel cell power plant at CSUN is scheduled for completion by December 2006, said Tim Brown, director of Physical Plant Management. The production of the 1-megawatt power plant began in late spring 2006, Brown said. Initially the plant was planned for completion by January 2007, but CSUN will receive rebates if it is done by the end of this year.