Daily Sundial

Apathy not the reason students don’t vote

PAUL CASTILLO • April 17, 2007

There's a big issue that no one running for an office in the Associated Students is talking about. Most of them don't even want to acknowledge its existence. Simply put, there's not much that will get the general student body out to vote. That's not to say they don't try their best to get people out to vote.

CSU administrators immune to student criticism

PAUL CASTILLO • March 19, 2007

With the recent approval of a 10 percent hike in student fees by the CSU Board of Trustees, no doubt many students are fired up with rage at the board. Many and loud are those who oppose fee increases of any kind, whether it's because they think many students will have to struggle with the increase or because they believe their current tuition is spent on the wrong things.

Abortion provider appreciation day not about abortion

PAUL CASTILLO • March 14, 2007

Everyone has their own opinion on abortion. Like many issues of our modern society, we've boiled down the argument into two narrowly defined sides, pro-choice and pro-life. Like every complex issue, though, there are actually a number of points of view which are not represented by either pro-choice or pro-life.

DREAM Act following ideals of American dream

PAUL CASTILLO • March 13, 2007

Though rarely mentioned alongside the more lofty principles of the United States like liberty and the pursuit of happiness, no less important of a principle is that of the meritocracy, a society where position is based on ability. Unlike other systems like Confucianism and the divine right of kings, where an inadequate son can inherit a high ranking position from his father, a meritocracy allows for anyone with the ability to assume a high ranking position.

Net neutrality important for open Internet

PAUL CASTILLO • March 9, 2007

Network neutrality is somewhat of a sticky issue in today's political environment. While not as high profile as other issues like abortion and the War in Iraq, network neutrality is no less complicated. Basically, the principle of network neutrality says that broadband carriers, such as ComCast and TimeWarner, should treat all Internet traffic equally, regardless of content or source.

Financial aid denial ineffective at curbing dope use

PAUL CASTILLO • March 8, 2007

Experimentation with illegal drugs is a stereotypical college activity. It seems like one of those things that you're supposed to do in college. Drug use during college is such a societal norm that even the nerds in "Revenge of the Nerds" smoked marijuana! But, since the passage of the Higher Education Act of 1998, the consequences of getting caught have gotten a new, potentially crippling penalty for college students.

Progress always takes priority over nature

PAUL CASTILLO • March 6, 2007

Soon, CSUN's botanical gardens, including the pond area next to the Klotz Student Health Center, will be destroyed and paved over to make room for a new science building. This isn't wholly unexpected. I don't remember all that many people using the botanical garden, though I do remember always thinking about how nice it would be to spend some time in there.

Tests on religious holidays student obligation

PAUL CASTILLO • March 6, 2007

As a nation, we take our tolerance very seriously, and rightly so. We strive to teach our children to accept everyone's own personal way of thinking, even if we don't agree with it. Sure, we still hold onto our winter break, formerly Christmas break, and spring break, formerly Easter break, but there's always room for more holidays in the American year.

Asbestos removal in buildings should be priority

PAUL CASTILLO • February 27, 2007

I may be going out on a limb here, but getting cancer-causing materials out of our buildings seems like it should be a pretty big priority. I would think that we would put the safety of our students, faculty, staff and administrators above pretty much any other concern.

Our capitalist society, for good and bad

PAUL CASTILLO • February 26, 2007

Economics is a funny thing. Like other kinds of science, in economics it's easy to go back and look at what has happened and say, "Oh, this must have happened for that reason." The hard part is predicting what will happen next. Unlike other sciences like physics, chemistry or even other social sciences like psychology, getting the same results in similar situations is, in practice, very difficult in economics, especially macroeconomics.

New fuel cell generator pushes CSUN into future

PAUL CASTILLO • February 23, 2007

This past Friday, CSUN became yet another first-in-the-nation. CSUN has become the first university in the world with its own megawatt fuel cell generator, in addition to this being one of about a dozen generators of about this size in the world. If there's one thing not just CSUN but the rest of country needs it's more power, and fuel cells are definitely a nice step in the right direction.

Daily Sundial’s new serialized story: ‘Waiting’

PAUL CASTILLO • February 14, 2007

When they reach the reception desk she sits down in front of a computer and starts tallying up the money he owes. "So, how was it," she asks without looking up from the screen. "Oh, about as well as these things go, I suppose," he says with a lopsided grin.