The “sweet science” — a common boxing sobriquet — isn’t one of the majors of study taught at California State University, Northridge. However, some students, like Terrence Harris and Giovanna Miranda, have set out to learn the finer points of the fistic artwork from the campus’ Matador Boxing Team. It’s a path that has led them to gold — they just won their weight and class divisions at the United States Intercollegiate Boxing Association’s National Championships in Miami, Florida.

The duo were just two of a group of six that represented CSUN at the Championships, which are given out by the USIBA, a group formed in 2012 by college boxing coaches and student leaders who sought the most ethical, safe and utmost positive experience for their teams. Harris, a business major, captured the men’s 152-pound Beginner division; Miranda, a communication studies student in her third year, found herself hoisting the gold belt in the women’s 152-pound Beginner division.

“After winning the belt, I told my coach and teammates I wanted Yogurtland,” said Miranda, a Boyle Heights native. “After dieting for months, and living behind Yogurtland and other temptations, I was dying for some frozen yogurt. Unfortunately, Miami does not have Yogurtland. They have similar places, but not Yogurtland.”

Harris, on the other hand, had a more tangible after-championship goal.

“The team enjoyed the chaos on South Beach,” he beamed.

According to McArio Del Castillo, the Matador Boxing Team’s president, the team of 15 to 20 boxers train in Redwood Hall 251, and those who want to actually box head over to Nelson’s Boxing Club in North Hollywood to spar. However, the seven-year-old club isn’t just about taking out aggression in the ring.

“The Matador Boxing Team provides an opportunity for those on campus to participate in the sport of boxing, regardless of skill level,” Del Castillo said. “Boxing is not just a sport for those who are super athletic or those who are looked over for their height and weight, but rather it offers anyone a chance to be a part of a sport. We wish to build a sense of community amongst our members.”

Harris and Miranda had different reasons for joining the club. While many of his peers are getting into the octagon of MMA, Harris decided boxing was what he’d pursue “because footwork is more important to fundamentally throw a proper punch and also learn how to defend a common strike.”

While he’d only been boxing for the past seven months (both he and Miranda were recruited by Del Castillo at the Student Recreation Center), she had more of a stake in it.

“I’ve been boxing since I was 10 years old,” she said, “but then I stopped because I became really stressed with school and boxing. Then I found out about the team at CSUN, so I joined it.

“I wanted to box to let all the stress out by punching the bags.“

While the team sweat and boxed their way to Miami — all the while juggling school, life and boxing — in the end, there was joy across the board, even for those who didn’t get a belt.

University life is all about new experiences and seeing where those experiences take you. For six Matadors, that experience was boxing, and where it took them was across the country to a place where most had never been.

“The experience of traveling to another place in the U.S. and leaving our school is a nice feeling. We met people from Maryland, New York, Michigan and North Carolina,” Miranda said. “It was a really fun experience, and I would want to do it again!”

By Olivia Herstein

California State University, Northridge Provost Harold “Harry” Hellenbrand accepted a lifetime achievement award from the American Association of University Administrators for his “outstanding, long-term experience as an administrator in the field of higher education — most often awarded as a career capstone recognition.”

Hellenbrand received the Eileen Tosney Award at the association’s annual awards luncheon on April 26.

Serving CSUN since 2004 as provost, vice president of academic affairs and, briefly, as interim president, Hellenbrand is a respected figure on campus and longtime champion of public education.

“It’s always flattering to receive an award,” Hellenbrand said. “I look at this more as a testimonial of survival than anything else. I compare it to surviving the trenches of World War I — a lot of hiding and gaining very little territory.”

Hellenbrand is known at CSUN as an erudite, eloquent man and steadfast supporter of students, faculty and accessible higher education.

“Harry’s career is the epitome why the AAUA created the Eileen Tosney Award,” CSUN President Dianne F. Harrison said. “Harry has committed his life to elevating students’ minds and is a true champion of access to education. He is an outstanding administrator who uses his keen intellect, his compassion, his dry wit and lots of data to constantly further the mission of the university.”

Hellenbrand said he came to CSUN because its mission aligns with his own values.

“CSUN is an urban university, very much like the City University of New York, where I grew up (in Brooklyn),” he said. “It’s what I call the universalist church of education.”

As provost and vice president for academic affairs, nearly all academic matters fall under Hellenbrand’s purview. Organized into nine colleges with more than 50 academic departments, the academic affairs division also includes the Oviatt Library and six administrative offices: Educational Opportunity Program, Department of Academic Resources and Planning, Office of Faculty Affairs, Office of Research and Graduate Studies, Office of Institutional Research, and Undergraduate Studies.

“Most of the highlights (of my tenure) are shared — with faculty, deans and fellow administrators: the growing size of the university, the student body, the remodeling of the library, the increase in graduation rates, coming through the budget crisis,” he said.

In these challenging times for state-funded institutions, how does Hellenbrand achieve so much and bring so many people together?

“Dialogue,” he said matter-of-factly. “Most can be achieved in the university through dialogue. You can’t be afraid of conflict.”

One of Hellenbrand’s biggest highlights, which he lists as a top accomplishment during his decade at CSUN, is the makeover of the Oviatt Library’s main floor — from a dry space that lacked dynamism to a new Learning Commons, created from additional funding secured for the project by President Harrison that enabled the Commons to open in fall 2013, sooner than originally planned.

“There was always something troubling to me about the library here. It was too staid,” said Hellenbrand, a bookworm himself who earned a bachelor’s degree in English and American literature from Harvard College, and a doctorate in modern thought and literature from Stanford University. “Colin Donahue (CFO and vice president of administration and finance) and Mark Stover (dean of the library) are the ones who made it happen. What we had to do is turn the library into a big living room. It’s the best thing we’ve done while I’ve been here.”

Now the library is alive with activity, with the Freudian Sip coffee shop, group study tables, modular furniture, flat-screen monitors, WiFi and a wealth of comfy couches. The makeover is just one piece of what Hellenbrand considers CSUN’s upward trajectory in higher education.

“I think we can easily become one of the five to 10 best universities in our classification in the U.S.,” he said. “We’re not in a race against time, but I don’t see why we can’t get there.”

After graduating from Harvard, Hellenbrand worked in politics, in Hugh Carey’s campaign for governor of New York — then “jumped ship.”

“I hadn’t intended to work in academia. … The family business was politics and law, and I wanted to get away from it,” Hellenbrand said. “I went to Stanford to study modern thought — I knew I wanted to work in literature and thought. I was interested in the work of landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted (who designed New York’s Central Park, San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park and the University of California’s flagship campus at Berkeley, among American masterpieces). It’s a very classical style. In fact, the (Oviatt) Library and the quad on this campus are in a similar style.”

Hellenbrand came to CSUN in August 2004. Previously, he served as dean and professor at the College of Liberal Arts at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (1998-2004), dean and professor at the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota, Duluth (1994-98), and English Department chair at California State University, San Bernardino (1982-94).

His CSU experiences have varied widely. “CSUN is like San Francisco State, Long Beach State and San Bernardino. It’s a great urban university, with all the opportunities, diversity and challenges of the urban setting,” Hellenbrand said.

As CSUN provost, Hellenbrand leads all academic and faculty concerns for one of the largest campuses in the 23-campus CSU system. The university enrolls more than 38,000 students and employs more than 4,000 faculty and staff. As a comprehensive university, it offers more than 90 different degrees at the bachelor’s and master’s levels in more than 60 different majors, as well as an education doctorate.

Before transitioning to administration, Hellenbrand taught a variety of topics — from the Lincoln-Douglas debate to the Salem witch trials — but he counts his courses in early American literature, introduction to the novel and introduction to poetry as his favorites.

Colleagues and staff use words such as “brilliant” and “revered” when speaking of Hellenbrand.

“Harry has an uncanny ability to easily dissect complex issues and provide concise, thought-provoking insights,” Donahue said. “Casual, off-the-cuff conversations with Harry often lead to strategies for solving some of our most perplexing issues.”

In addition to spending time all over campus with students and faculty, Hellenbrand treasures the time he spends with a few close university friends in several book groups. So what’s on the top of his nightstand right now?

“I read a lot of history these days,” he said, ticking off titles. “I read a lot of the histories of the Middle East, and I’m rereading a lot of the classics. I’m reading the Treatises by John Locke, Hume, Tom Jones, and I’m rereading Abraham Lincoln’s speeches.

“I also just reread The Bridge Over the Drina,” a 1945 novel by Yugoslav writer Ivo Andríc, who wrote the novel in Belgrade during World War II. “It has a lot to say about the tribal history of people. The events in Crimea, Ukraine, made me want to reread it.”

As Hellenbrand returned from the award ceremony in Washington, D.C., he prepared to wrap up another academic year with commencement in mid-May. The Eileen Tosney award, a “career capstone,” offered a moment to pause and reflect.

“I don’t think in terms of legacy (for myself),” he said. “A legacy is not physical, external. It is internalized within others. The best thing you can leave people is the confidence to move on, to move forward.”

– By Olivia Herstein

Some undergraduates expect to learn from the brilliant minds of major social figures, but only a handful of students get to realize this grand dream. At California State University, Northridge, this dream came true in former Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle’s Political Science 471A seminar.

Lingle ’75 (Journalism) noted at the beginning of the spring semester that she planned to use her contacts and 30 years of experience as a public servant to give the more than 20 students a taste of public policy.

“It’s not every day a student can take a course and learn firsthand experience from a governor,” said political science sophomore Paulin Minassian, who hopes to some day become a judge. “She taught us things that aren’t in our books and things that are overlooked in life.”

Minassian was the only sophomore in the seminar course — usually reserved for seniors and second-semester juniors — giving her a fresh take on the application of her studies to the real world. Beyond that, she became acquainted with a highly supportive environment that promoted critical thinking, public speaking and strong writing, she said.

The course was based on three projects. Students were asked to present a speech and brief — a memo no longer than three pages, according to Lingle — on a local, state and national policy. Points of view from which presentations could be given included lobbyist, politician and activist.

“[Gov. Lingle taught us] how to correctly write policy memos and testimonies, the importance of thinking through policy problems and that for any one policy issue, multiple solutions are available,” said Jessica Markham ’14 (Political Science). “She has a way of guiding your thought to reach a logical conclusion.”

The class heavily emphasized writing, and the students were expected to meet high standards.

“She was always willing to go over papers and make [students] see why [they] should shorten a certain sentence or rearrange paragraphs for clarity,” Markham said. “The former governor’s journalism training was very apparent and useful to the group of political science majors.”

Lingle was also able to help students stretch beyond their skill sets. For Diana Benitez ’14 (Urban Planning), the only non-political science major in the seminar, this meant relating the world of policy to her academic background.

“It was my last semester at Cal State Northridge, and I wanted to take a fulfilling course that would incite curiosity and help me to hone my skills for the future,” Benitez said. “As an urban planning major, I learned a lot of community-level work. I wanted to know how policy worked — how it was formed, how it came to be.”

Students learned through texts and practice, as well as anecdotes from Gov. Lingle and her array of guest speakers. The governor’s own connections led to class discussions with her former staff, including Linda Smith, Lingle’s senior policy advisor, and Corrie Heck of her communications team. Discussions also included local political celebrities such as L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and Bipartisan Policy Center President Jason Grumet. Lingle’s connections with Congress also provided the class a second chance to chat with Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who had a public speaking engagement on campus over lunch. The intimate lunch was only one example of networking opportunities provided by Lingle’s experience and know-how.

Networking was a key part of the class, said Minassian, who began to connect with guest speakers. Visitors were able to provide students with their own life stories and hardships that led them to their current positions. The variety of fields represented also helped students see themselves in niches relevant to their interests.

The networking went beyond the classroom for Benitez. “I ran into [Gov. Lingle]  at this year’s CSUN Distinguished Alumni Awards, and she introduced me to an urban planner,” she said. “I was able to connect with him and visit his office a few weeks later to talk about urban planning in the private sector. I have had my eyes opened to the world of policy and have decided to continue taking policy courses at UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs, as an urban planning master’s candidate.”

Ultimately, the students loved the course and admit to having learned more than they anticipated in a senior seminar.

“I think I speak for the whole class when I say [Gov. Lingle] didn’t do [this] because it was her ‘job.’ She helped us and taught us because she really wanted to inspire and prepare us for what’s ahead,” Minassian said. “This is what I’d categorize as an experience of a lifetime.”

“[Gov. Lingle] is very invested in her students’ success,” Markham said. “She is willing to talk about aspirations outside of the classroom and do whatever she can to help [them] meet those aspirations.”

California State University, Northridge honored more than 250 staff members this week for their years of service to the university, and several for making a lasting impact on campus.

CSUN celebrated its 48th annual Staff Service Awards on June 3 at the Northridge Center, where hundreds of people gathered to cheer their colleagues’ achievements.

Professor Johnie Scott (left), chair of the newly renamed Department of Africana Studies and other faculty, present awards to outstanding students during an end of the year event. Photo provided by the Department of Africana Studies.

Starting this fall, California State University, Northridge’s Department of Pan African Studies officially will be renamed the Department of Africana Studies.

The 45-year-old department, one of the oldest state-supported black studies departments in the nation, will take on the new name to bring consistency with the name of the department and the degree earned and provide the department an opportunity to “rebrand” itself.

“Students historically have always wanted their degrees to match the name of the department,” said Johnie Scott, chair of the department. “This moves us into the next century.”

CSUN joins a trend among black studies departments within the CSU and at other universities in changing their names to Africana studies. Officials with those departments say the name change brings more consistency to the discipline.

“It’s reflective of the disciplines trend,” said Charles E. Jones, former president of National Council for Black Studies and professor of Africana studies at the University of Cincinnati. “It better captures the state of the contemporary field.”

Students can earn a bachelor’s degree in Africana studies at CSUN. Scott said the name change will be reflected on degrees earned for the 2014-15 academic year. The Africana studies (AFRS) major is a multidisciplinary academic major (45 units) designed for students who wish to gain an understanding of the history, psychology, sociology, literature, culture and education of African-Americans and other Africans in the diaspora and the continent. The three specific options within the major enable students to concentrate their efforts on certain aspects: African and African-American Social Sciences; African and African-American Humanities and Cultural Studies; and African-American Urban Education. Students can also declare a minor in Africana studies.

The department also has launched a new website

that includes links to current and past events; clubs and organizations that support the department’s mission; and graduate programs where students can earn a master’s degree or doctorate in a related discipline.

“We envision our new branding campaign as an opportunity to promote our revised curriculum, to have more timely communications with prospective and current students, faculty, alumni, supporters and the campus community,” said Theresa White, a professor in the Department of Africana Studies and the website creative designer. “We’re also endeavoring to crystalize the importance and significance of pursuing an Africana studies major or minor.”

On a clear night in Los Angeles, hundreds of Matadors — including students, faculty, staff and alumni — gathered for CSUN Night as the Los Angeles Dodgers took on the Milwaukee Brewers at Dodger Stadium on Aug. 16. CSUN men’s basketball head coach Reggie Theus, a Southern California native and lifelong Dodger fan, represented the university and was chosen to throw out the ceremonial first pitch.

 Theus arrived at the start of batting practice and met several Dodger players and members of the coaching staff, including manager Don Mattingly and All-Star outfielder Yasiel Puig. Mattingly, a big basketball fan, recalled becoming a fan of the CSUN coach when Theus was a standout guard at UNLV, before his distinguished 13-year NBA career.

 Theus also reconnected with Dodger President Stan Kasten, who was the general manager of the Atlanta Hawks in the 1980s and signed the All-Star guard as a free agent. Dodgers dignitaries such as Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda and perennial All-Star Ron Cey also stopped by.

 When it came time to get to the business at hand, Theus donned a Dodger jersey with his familiar No. 24 on the back and threw a few warm-up tosses in front of the Dodger dugout, before firing a strike over the plate to the roaring approval of the more than 50,000 in attendance.

“I just didn’t want to bounce it,” Theus said. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I’ve been such a big baseball fan my entire life. I was a baseball fanatic before I ever picked up a basketball.”

At a young age, the Inglewood product fell in love with the Dodgers. Days were spent outside recreating iconic moments and practicing for a time when he’d shine under the lights on the diamond.

 “There are a lot of people that will say I would’ve been a better baseball player than basketball player,” Theus said. “I was on two or three different baseball teams at the same time. We used to play a game [when I was younger] called ‘Great Play’ with a hedge that was in my neighbor’s yard. My friend would be on one end of the yard and I’d be 10 steps from the bush. He would take the ball and throw it over the bush, and I’d dive over the bush, catch the ball and raise the glove up to make the ‘Great Play.’”

 Following the ceremonial first pitch, Theus joined the hundreds of Matadors at the game, including CSUN President Dianne F. Harrison, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Brandon E. Martin, and various head coaches and athletics staff, to watch a highly competitive game between two of the top teams in the National League.

 CSUN Night at Dodger Stadium is an annual event organized by the CSUN Alumni Association. Association members purchased a block of tickets to the game so that members of the CSUN community could sit together in reserved sections of the stadium. The Matador contingent was particularly loud when Theus threw his first pitch.

 The night brought quite a bit of visibility to the CSUN Athletic Department. As Theus took part in a variety of interviews that day, he spoke about the “Rise of the Matadors” pride campaign. He talked about what a great time it was to be a Matador — in athletics, academics and the community at large.

 With the start of the fall semester looming, Theus embarks upon his second season at the helm of the men’s basketball program at CSUN, looking to make a return trip to the Big West Tournament Championship and earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament. The 2014-15 season will begin with CSUN’s annual Matador Madness event in October, before the first regular-season games at the new Blacktop at The Matadome in November.

Highlighting that California State University, Northridge’s reputation has reached “new heights,” President Dianne F. Harrison said her vision for the university’s future includes building on CSUN’s strong foundation to produce leaders and innovators that are world leaders.

“We can educate not only California’s future leaders right here, but the country’s future leaders, right here,” said Harrison to a packed audience of mostly faculty and staff at CSUN’s Valley Performing Arts Center. “I would like for CSUN to be known for providing an outstanding education, evidenced by our graduation rates, by our career and graduate school placement and other external validations.

“My vision of CSUN is a campus of inclusive excellence that produces leaders and innovators and the highest percentage of successful graduates in an environment of caring, civility, mutual respect and celebrating each other’s successes.”

Harrison spoke on Aug. 21 at her third convocation address to faculty, staff and students. She was introduced by Faculty Senate President Shane Frehlich and joined on the stage by Associated Students President Tiffany Zaich, who also addressed the audience. Harrison started her presentation by offering a special salute to the 41 new tenure-track faculty members, 84 faculty members who were tenured or promoted, 230 permanent full-time staff who have joined CSUN in the past year or have taken on new roles, and faculty honored at the Honored Faculty Reception and staff who received Presidential and Merit Awards at June’s Staff Service Awards ceremony.

“When I came to Northridge, I talked about a second floor, or building the next level of excellence with the campus community, building on the great foundation that I was fortunate enough to inherit,” Harrison said. “As you have seen this morning, the signs of construction and excitement are everywhere.

“People in this the region, people in this nation and yes, even around the globe are recognizing CSUN.”

President Harrison said she will continue to focus on the seven priorities established in 2012:

· To continue an unrelenting focus on student success as CSUN’s number one priority. This will continue through programs like CSUN’s newly established CSUN Dreamers Scholarship, available for the university’s undocumented students. Harrison also said the campus will focus attention on traditionally underserved and academically at-risk students and study “high impact” practices that improve graduation rates. All students can now pay for tuition and other fees through CSUN’s mobile app.

· To continue to focus on employees for success with the goal of making CSUN a “destination workplace.” This will be supported by programs like the Help Make CSUN Shine Bright program; CSUN Shine from Within Program; campuswide celebrations like the first-ever campuswide holiday party and summer picnic; and an expansion of the university’s professional development programs; and she said employee compensation remains a top priority.

· To continue to grow campus visibility and reputation. The campus has already made great strides toward this goal with the CSUN Shine campaign, CSUN Shine Weekly e-newsletter and CSUN’s social media activity. In the coming year, the university will launch an external positioning campaign focused on the CSUN service area, and the campus will continue to explore the feasibility of a Multipurpose Event Center.

· To continue to plan for a future less dependent on state funding. The improved performance of CSUN auxiliaries will allow for a more than 30 percent increase in surplus they will contribute to CSUN next year; increased CSUN self-support degree and certificate programs provide new sources of revenue to reinvest in university capacities for instruction and support services; partnership agreements with companies like Providence Health Systems have increased corporate sponsorship revenues. The president said this has been a very successful year in philanthropy for CSUN with the campus exceeding its goal of raising 10 percent of CSUN’s state budget in philanthropic dollars. New gift commitments increased from $11.4 million in fiscal year 2011-12, to $14.8 million in 2012-13, to $20 million (projected) in 2013-14, a 75 percent increase in two years.

· To continue to increase research activity and sponsored programs with efforts like the agreement between CSUN and the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI). Harrison said this agreement will have a positive impact on the economic growth of the region through “invention, experimentation and creativity.” In addition, the campus has partnered in the establishment of the “CSU5.” This is a consortium that pools the talents and resources of the five L.A. County CSU campuses: CSUN, Dominguez Hills, Long Beach, Los Angeles and Cal Poly Pomona, to bring the collective strength and resources of the CSU for the purpose of networking and working collaboratively with community and industry partners to increase innovation in industry and job creation in L.A. and to work with K–12 and community college partners.

· To continue efforts to support sustainability by “educating future generations of global citizens and to model sustainable practices.” Harrison said it is CSUN’s goal to teach students to be leaders and innovators. The campus has made progress by supporting alternative transportation through programs like the A.S. Zipcar, which allows drivers to leave their cars at home and rent cars on campus if needed. This fall, the university will open the Matasphere, a new living-learning community in student housing with sustainability and conservation as the focus.

· To continue to use athletics as a tool for engagement both internally and externally. She said it is important to CSUN that athletes are successful both on the field and in the classroom. Harrison noted that this spring, CSUN inducted 45 new members in the Varsity N’ Honor Society, which recognizes student athletes for academic achievement. The university will continue to increase the visibility of CSUN athletics through campaigns like “Rise of the Matadors.” This year, the department introduced sand volleyball as a new varsity sport, and an on-campus court will be built for the Spring 2015 season.

Visit the president’s website to view the convocation address or read the speech in full.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded California State University, Northridge marine biologists Robert Carpenter and Peter Edmunds nearly $1.9 million to further their study of the effects ocean acidification on coral reefs.

CSUN’s research site in French Polynesia. Photo courtesy of Robert Carpenter

For more than a decade, the pair have taken CSUN graduate and undergraduate students with them to the coral reefs of French Polynesia near Tahiti as they conduct research on how climate change — in particular the increasing acidification of the world’s oceans, affect the reef ecosystem — and the broader implications for the world’s oceans.

The NSF grant for $1,892,911 will allow Carpenter and Edmunds to take their project to the next level. For the first time, a yearlong experiment will use replicated outdoor water flumes with different carbon dioxide treatments. Additionally, these experiments will be extended to the field to quantify the effects of reduced pH — the lower the pH level, the more acidic the water is — on fully intact reef systems off Moorea, located west of Tahiti in the Windward group of French Polynesia’s Society Islands. The marine biologists hope to assess ways through which organisms might mitigate some of the negative effects of increasing acidification.

“One of the key things we want to be able to do is to better understand what the reef will look like in 50 years’, 100 years’ time,” Edmunds said. “The more negative of our colleagues say that reefs will dissolve and disappear. We’ve felt for a long time that that’s not a true reflection of the full range of possibilities. We hope to gain insight into the possibility that in 50 years’ or 100 years’ time, there will be a subset of corals that are still surviving. While these may for attractive marine communities, they likely will provide very different goods and services than they do today.”

Peter Edmunds

Among the oldest and most diverse of the earth’s ecosystems, coral reefs provide natural storm barriers for homes and beaches; habitat for more species per unit than any of the planet’s marine environments; commercial fisheries; tourism; and recreation jobs. Often called the “medicine cabinets of the 21^st century,” the reefs’ plants and animals are important sources of new medicine.

They are also “the canary in the coal mine,” warning of the dangers ahead as the oceans’ continued acidification threatens the status of current marine ecosystems, Carpenter said.

Carpenter and Edmunds are focusing their research on how the algae and corals in a reef system respond to increase the probability of surviving in a warmer and more acidic ocean. To do that, the pair will conduct some of their experiments underwater on the reef itself.

“What we’ve been able to do is step up from our initial experiments, which involved taking individual specimens, bringing them in to the lab, creating the environmental conditions that we wanted to simulate and looking at the response at the organismal level,” Carpenter said. “So, the next step is to build flumes — basically long water tables where we can control the flow — and then build communities. Now, we’re expanding the ecological scale of the investigation by building communities with several organisms and several species, quantifying their response.

Robert Carpenter

“Finally, we want to expand the approach and go into the field and put similar flumes on intact reef communities and expose them to similar acidification treatments.”

Carpenter said that for years, researchers have focused on how individual species and organisms have responded to the oceans’ changes in laboratory settings. However, circumstances change when the organisms are brought together and other components of the reef community are introduced, he said.

“Until we can truly demonstrate what is going on in the field, there is going to be skepticism that what we’re seeing as a response is the true response,” he said.

Edmunds said the NSF grant underscores the global impact their research can have.

“These issues are immensely important for any country that has a coastline,” he said. “It has huge implications for local economies and tourism.”

Carpenter pointed out that officials estimate that the businesses that sprout up around coral reefs generate about billions of dollars in income annually.

The costs of climate change can be even more personal, Edmunds said.

“When you live on an island and your island is only three feet above sea level and climate change is pushing the sea level up and stopping coral reefs from laying down lime stones, it’s a pretty significant issue,” he said. “It can wash away your island and that’s it, end of country.”

Part of the NSF grant provides Edmunds and Carpenter an opportunity to include local K-12 educators in their research.

“You take those teachers out in the field and get them involved in the process, the passion is ignited in them — and that translates into the classroom and with their students,” Edmunds said. “They realize that science can be exciting and fun, and have an impact.”

David Nazarian (right) speaks with students at Hillel House on Sept. 23.

Hillel, the organization for Jewish student life on campus, honored alumnus David Nazarian ’82 (Business) last week for his recent major gift to California State University, Northridge’s college of business and economics. The Hillel House hosted a reception Sept. 23 that featured elected officials and campus leaders — and provided an opportunity for students, faculty and staff to mingle with Nazarian, founder and CEO of Nimes Capital.

In March, CSUN announced that Nazarian had pledged to help lead a $25 million fundraising drive and launched that effort with a $10 million cash gift. In recognition of his gift and pledge of continued support, the university has named its college of business the David Nazarian College of Business and Economics.

Last week’s Hillel reception in his honor fell one day before the start of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, and many of the speakers reflected on new beginnings and strengthening the Jewish, campus and wider communities.

“What David has done with the college of business here is the perfect example of someone who cares not just for the Jewish community, but cares for the wider community as well,” said Rabbi David Wolpe of Sinai Temple, where Nazarian and his wife, Angella, are active philanthropists.

State Assemblyman Matt Dababneh, D-Van Nuys, who noted his pride in having CSUN and Hillel in his district, presented Nazarian with a certificate of recognition from the state assembly.

“CSUN is putting out business leaders and has a proud tradition of business alumni,” Dababneh said. “David, I thank you for what you’re doing for this campus, and for your commitment to the college of business.”

Congressman Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks, also congratulated Nazarian and presented him with an American flag that had flown over the U.S. Capitol.

Nazarian talked with students, faculty and well wishers during the late afternoon reception and spoke briefly, thanking the crowd for honoring him. He noted the important role Hillel has played in the lives of his sons, who celebrated Rosh Hashana last week as students at Stanford University and the University of Pennsylvania.

“We as a family have always taken pride in our Jewish heritage,” he said. “We believe in the power of tikkun olam (“repair of the world”). When my parents came to this country, they rebuilt their lives.

“CSUN has been very close to my heart, not only because it gave me a basis for my own business career, but because it has one of the largest Jewish campus populations,” Nazarian added. “One of my hopes is to strengthen the Jewish community on campus and ties to Israel. … As you pay it forward, others will learn from you.”

Other guests of honor included CSUN President Dianne F. Harrison and Ken Lord, dean of the Nazarian College of Business and Economics. Deborah Kallick, incoming chairman of Hillel, praised Nazarian’s support of his alma mater and CSUN’s students. In addition to CSUN, Hillel 818 serves students from Pierce College and Los Angeles Valley College.

Already among the top 10 largest undergraduate business programs in the nation — with a diverse student population that reflects the demographics of California — CSUN will focus the new funding from Nazarian’s gift on expanding its resources and providing its students, faculty and alumni with access to an array of innovative educational programs and experiences.

More information on how to contribute to CSUN and the David Nazarian College of Business and Economics can be found at www.csun.edu/nazarian.

Rabbi David Wolpe (left) of Sinai Temple celebrates at Hillel House on Sept. 23 with Angella and David Nazarian, who are active philanthropists in the congregation. Photo by DJ Hawkins.

Dozens of faculty, staff and students showed up for the California State University, Northridge Black Alumni Association’s inaugural awards and scholarship fundraiser on, Sept. 27, at the Orange Grove Bistro.

The event, “Celebrating a Legacy of Success: Linkages Beyond the Classroom,” recognized the contributions of CSUN alumni, faculty and staff of African descent.

“We must not forget our past,” said the Rev. James D. Key ’88 (Speech Communications), the keynote speaker and author of Tough and Go: From the Streets of South Central Los Angeles to the War in Iraq. Key, a major in U.S. Army in charge of the North East Chaplain Recruiting Team and a minister with a master’s from Princeton Theological Seminary and doctorate degree in ministry from Howard University School of Divinity, said CSUN helped to lay the foundation for his success.

“One of the toughest classes I ever had was in the Pan African Studies Department,” he said. He said the PAS Department faculty were tough but compassionate. Those honored were:

• William Watkins ’74 (Urban Studies), CSUN vice president of student affairs and dean of students – Shining Star Award
• Fluke Fluker ’88 (Kinesiology), co-founder of The Village Nation – Community Service Award
• Charles Humphrey ’86 (Mechanical Engineering) and Andrea Humphrey ’88 (Economics), pastors of H.O.P.E.’s House of Christian Ministries – Community Service Award
• CSUN Faculty, Founders of CSUN’s Department of Pan African Studies (now known as Africana Studies). Those faculty who attended the event included emeritus professor James Dennis, emeritus professor Barbara Rhodes and Adewole Umoja ’68 (History).

Sen. Holly Mitchell, chair of California’s Legislative Black Caucus, and Los Angeles City Councilman Mitch Englander were among the dignitaries to congratulate the honorees. CSUN President Dianne F. Harrison sent a letter of congratulations and helped to sponsor the event along with the CSUN Foundation. John Harris ’72 (Political Science), CSUN’s 2012 Distinguished Alumni Award winner also made a significant contribution to the organization’s scholarship fund.

“Since our chartering on Sept. 27, 2011, we have dedicated ourselves to connecting all those interested in promoting and supporting the needs of alumni, faculty, staff and students of African descent at CSUN,” said Shanté Morgan-Durisseau ’90  (Journalism/Afro-American Studies), president of the BAA. “We were able to reconnect alumni and faculty from across the decades.”

For more information about the BAA, visit, csunalumni.com/baa.

In a new partnership at California State University, Northridge, Matador Athletics and the Delmar T. Oviatt Library are joining forces to launch the Read to Lead Initiative.

Brandon E. Martin, Ed.D., CSUN’s director of intercollegiate athletics, and Mark Stover, Ph.D., dean of the Oviatt Library, announced on Monday, Oct. 6, the launch of the program, which will run from November through the end of the school year and will highlight 20 leaders and their favorite books on leadership.

“The Oviatt Library is the soul of our university and connects with the educational and intellectual values that are true to CSUN,” Martin said. “This new initiative will undoubtedly empower our current and future leaders to make CSUN shine.”

Martin and Stover are collaborating to identify the 20 leaders that will be featured from CSUN faculty, staff, students and alumni. Each leader will be asked to select a book on leadership that has played a vital role in his or her personal life and professional career development. Confirmed participants include CSUN President Dianne F. Harrison; baseball head coach Greg Moore; Michael Spagna, dean of the Michael D. Eisner College of Education; and Octavio Cortes, chair of athletics for Associated Students.

“Dr. Martin came to me to convey his vision of this initiative, which I found to be compelling,” Stover said. “It is a powerful message that we are sending to the CSUN community. Books and reading can be an influential force in personal and career development, in building relationships and developing leadership qualities and opportunities.”

Participants will be featured in a library exhibit and take part in panel discussions during the fall and spring semesters to examine their chosen book and leadership philosophy.

“The campus community will connect with the models of leaders that we have on campus who have been influenced by books that communicate either explicitly or implicitly the values that it takes to be a leader on the job, with family and in life itself,” Stover said.

Students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members can join the Read to Lead Initiative by learning about and reading each of the featured books when the exhibit opens in the library next month.

Bobbie Eisenstock

It started in 2008 with a small classroom-run project at California State University, Northridge. It’s now a national campaign to advocate for positive body images by providing media literacy in partnership with the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA).

As part of her journalism service-learning courses through CSUN’s Office of Community Engagement, Professor Bobbie Eisenstock is leading an effort at the university and around the country about how to be media literate in a digital age.

“While media are not a causal factor, media are one of the factors that can affect body satisfaction and self-esteem and subsequently lead to disordered eating,” she said.

This is one reason why Eisenstock and her students created the “Get REAL! Digital Media Literacy Toolkit” last year.

The toolkit, which explores ways for the public to be more media literate, aware of how media affects body image and advocate for positive body images in the media, is available on NEDA’s website and is used nationally to help counteract unrealistic body images with media literacy. She also published an article about how to use the toolkit in NEDA’s magazine “Making Connections” last month. Eisenstock was the recipient of NEDA’s 2013 Westin Family Award for Excellence in Activism and Advocacy at its conference in Washington, D.C. for her advocacy work in the field.

Eisenstock partnered with NEDA after leading a media literacy boot camp at its annual conference in 2011. She asked if they ever worked with college campuses before. The answer was no, and a collaboration was launched.

“The collaboration between NEDA and CSUN students is a way to develop authentic content around body-image messaging that connects with college students,” she said. “My students really wanted to make a difference. They use the knowledge they gain in the classroom and their own personal experiences to create interactive activities to engage, educate, and empower their peers.”

Eisenstock explained that media has a large impact on college students, noting that some students enter the university either predisposed or already suffering from an eating disorder.

The average person spends more than 11 hours a day on media, which includes using the Internet, apps, listening to the radio and watching television, according to a study conducted last year by the Nielson Group.

Body image issues touch everyone in today’s digitally immersed age, Eisenstock said.

“Considering how much time we spend in the digital media culture, it’s really hard to escape the pressure of attaining a certain body ideal when everywhere we turn we are bombarded with picture-perfect digitally-retouched images of women and men,” she said. “Media body images have normalized a cultural body standard that is virtually impossible to achieve by the average person.”

Journalism major Cicely Chisholm, a former student of Eisenstock’s, worked on a body positivity campaign last semester. She said body image is a rampant issue for students as early as grade school.

“I had a friend who suffered from an eating disorder when she was 12,” she said. “It just doesn’t leave you. Kids in middle school are affected by what they watch on television and what they see in magazines. It’s a major problem.”

Communication studies student Carli Olson said working on the next step for media literacy at CSUN has inspired her.

“It’s sending a really positive message to those who need it,” she said. “We are the people who watch the most TV, we are the ones buying the most products.”

CSUN is one of two universities in the country currently working on a new national outreach initiative by NEDA. Titled “Proud2BMe On Campus,” it is a program to address the growing concern about eating disorders on college and university campuses. In a recent survey NEDA conducted, they found that 10 to 20 percent of female and 4 to 10 percent of male students are affected by eating disorders.

Her students are hard at work framing CSUN’s “Proud2BMe On Campus” projects, which include a storytelling booth for students where they can share their stories about how media affects their body image and a selfie wall of positive body image.

Theater major Avery Rodriguez said he is glad that Eisenstock gives her students the space to be creative with their projects on media literacy.

“I’m not too knowledgeable with body image and media literacy, I wanted to learn more,” he said. “It’s a great outlet to be creative.”

Olson said Eisenstock’s students are dedicated to being a positive change for the CSUN community and now the country.

“We are adamant about not only showing how media affect body images but helping people recognize it and learn not to dwell on it and appreciate who they are inside and out,” Olson said.

Chisholm said she was glad that students are involved in making a difference for the community.

“[Eisenstock's] ‘Get REAL!’ project is worth it. It’s making a difference,” she said.