Daily Sundial

I suggest a new strategy: let the pirates win

PAUL CASTILLO • February 12, 2007

With the recent release of Windows Vista, Microsoft's newest iteration of the most used operating system in the world, computer users can improve their system in a wide range of ways. One of the most controversial changes in the new operating system is the inclusion of new forms of Digital Rights Management, or methods used by copyright owners to prevent the unauthorized use of data such as DVD movies or CDs.

Daily Sundial’s new serialized story: ‘Waiting’

PAUL CASTILLO • February 7, 2007

Shiloe makes his way over to the chair and hops in. At first he sits straight up, then slides down some, then scoots up a little, then rocks left and right, adjusting his clothing, before sitting down in the exact spot he started in. He slides his elbows down the armrest until they touch the seat, griping the ends of the armrests firmly.

Upper division writing exam ineffective

PAUL CASTILLO • February 7, 2007

One of the experiences all CSUN students must go through is the test known as the Upper Division Writing Proficiency Exam. While all tests are stressful, the Writing Proficiency Exam is well known to CSUN students as being one test you don't need to stress over, and starting this semester, students will once again not have to worry about the exam.

New performing arts center not for students

PAUL CASTILLO • February 6, 2007

Plans have been set in motion to construct something new at CSUN. Perhaps more buildings so we can have more classes, instead of keeping students bottlenecked in two or three classes? No, surely we don't need to make it feasible for students to graduate in four years.

What is scary and exciting about graduation

PAUL CASTILLO • February 2, 2007

It's a shocking fact to realize, but for the last 20 years many of my peers who are graduating and I have been in school. That's two decades, what will likely end up being a quarter, or more, of my life spent in one classroom or another. And soon, frighteningly soon, we will be leaving all of that behind to enter the "real world.

Daily Sundial’s new serialized story: ‘Waiting’

PAUL CASTILLO • January 31, 2007

A man walks into the waiting room of a dentist's office. The bell on the door rings out as it closes behind him. He walks over to the receptionist counter and waits for help from a slim, raven-haired woman, I'm guessing about 35 years of age, though her constant glare has added years to the lines in her face, the man thinks to himself.

Hispanic Access Initiative another Army blunder

PAUL CASTILLO • January 31, 2007

One of the more controversial organizations on campus is the Reserve Officers Training Corps, a U.S. Army reserve recruiters who try to sign up college students to be officers in the Army Reserves. Very few of their programs are more controversial than the Hispanic Access Initiative, a program aimed at specifically recruiting officers of Hispanic descent.

CSUN perks for assuming A.S. presidency

PAUL CASTILLO • January 31, 2007

With Associated Students elections coming up soon, possibly as early as the end of March, some students are probably thinking about filing the paperwork to run for office. There are many offices to run for, from senator to director of finance, but the office I would recommend running for most is that of president.

Why A.S. elections always get low turnout

PAUL CASTILLO • January 29, 2007

It's once again time to start the process of electing the officers of the Associated Students. I find myself wondering, as I'm sure many of my peers ask themselves when confronted with such elections, why I should really care. Associated Students, for those who are unaware, is CSUN's form of student government.

Tuition hikes not something to gripe about

PAUL CASTILLO • January 26, 2007

A favorite topic of discussion among college students is the high cost of higher education, and CSU students are once again going to be able to gripe about a fee increase. If the CSU Board of Trustees votes in March to institute a tuition hike, CSU students will be able to gripe 10 percent more.

Dormitory life for the over-30: not everyone is young

PAUL CASTILLO • December 15, 2006

Having a "problem" roommate is not an unfamiliar situation for many, especially when it comes to living in the dorms. Numerous conflicts can arise, from conflicts of taste to preferred levels of cleanliness. But how often is the problem a difference in age? Mark Harris, a 38-year-old senior Cinema and Television Arts major, has certainly had this problem before.

Registration mysteries revealed

PAUL CASTILLO • December 14, 2006

Ever really needed a class, watched the available seats in the section dwindle down to just one before you can even register, and rushed to register in the first possible moment, only to lose the spot at the last second, cursing your late registration date the whole time? One of the more confusing things college students have to do is register, and little about the process is more mysterious than how students get the dates for when to register.