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April 4, 2016
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C A L I F O R N I A S T A T E U N I V E R S I T Y, L O S A N G E L E S
Fact finding sides with CFA in faculty dispute
Issue 212.02
Hannah Jacobsen Staff Reporter
After the CSU system denied the results of the non-binding fact finding report, CSU faculty have the legal right to strike. The California Faculty Association (CFA) is likely to continue their planned five day all-campus strike in mid-April after the last stage of salary negotiations between CFA and the CSU—a fact finder report published on March 28—supported the CFA’s fight for five, giving them the legal right to strike. CFA and the CSU have been at odds since salary negotiations began in May 2015. CFA has been arguing for a five percent pay raise, partly due to the furlough days and loss of pay suffered when the Great Recession hit California’s economy. The CSU, however, has argued that the network of universities is still
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LA ONDA: ES HORA DE PREPARAR EL CURRÍCULUM VITAE
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Faculty and Students march at state’s capital on March 30th | Photo courtesy California Faculty Association Facebook Page
very much recovering and cannot afford the price of a five percent increase. The fact that these negotiations reached the fact-finding stage defines the seriousness of the divide between these two groups. For salary re-opener negotiations, the parties went through two direct bargaining sessions and declared impasse, went through mediation without reaching an agreement, and were only then certified to a fact finder in October 2015 as a
last resort to prevent the impending faculty strike. The fact-finding report largely sided with the CFA, recommending faculty compensation through a five percent General Salary Increase (GSI) and Service Salary Increases (SSI) to approximately forty-three percent of the faculty. According to the report, the necessary money for these salary increases would come from a reallocation of money from other projects and a joint strategy
STATE OF EDUCATION UNDERMINED IN UC AUDIT REPORT
POET AND FORMER PROFESSOR'S ART IN DISPLAY
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to gain further financial support from the California Legislature and Governor. “During the most challenging economic times, the faculty agreed to forego negotiated increases and also endured a 10% cut in salary due to furloughs. A substantial GSI as well as SSI’s to the 43% of faculty who have not had them, along with the increases of the past year and targeted efforts is in the interest of students, who need caring faculty and certainly in the public interest as our country needs a well educated population,” the report wrote. CFA union representatives have concurred with the findings of the report, stating that it
validates both their proposal and their right to strike. “The fact finder’s report unambiguously supports the union’s bargaining proposal of a five percent pay raise for all CSU faculty and an SSI,” said CFA president Jennifer Eagan. “A neutral, outside voice has confirmed that these raises are affordable, reasonable, justified, and necessary.” While CFA finds validation within the conclusions, the results angered the CSU system by dissenting with their arguments and even challenging the research that they had done to come up with the cost of SSIs, in which the CFA determined from Continues on page 3
What adds up to the best of New café brews for the Cal State “The Division” LA student body The café celebrated its openrelease of “The Division,” many Janice Peregrina Contributor
The beginning of the spring quarter 2016 marks the opening of Café 47, named after the year Cal State Los Angeles opened to the public, which hosts a variety of foods and beverages, such as smoothies, sandwiches, pizza, and coffee products. Packaged snacks, like energy bars and bagged granola, are also
available in front of the counter in the queue. The coffee sold at Café 47 is from the Gaviña Gourmet Coffee Company, based in the city of Vernon and has been roasting coffee in Los Angeles since 1967. The noise level of the cafe is separated from the quiet of the study area by a single glass door, but Café 47 also has another entrance at the outside of the library to prevent any unnecessary disturbance.
ing a few days before the spring quarter started, and has grown steadily more popular since more people have started to hear about it, according to employee Heriberto Barocio Mendoza, a 19 year old freshman student.
“It’s hectic, but that’s how a lot of new places are,” Mendoza said. “The environment is really fun and everyone’s friendly.” Continues on page 4
Pablo De La Hoya Nico Triunfante Web Editor Copy Editor
Tom Clancy’s newest venture into the gaming community comes in the form of an open world role-playing game (RPG). An RPG is seen as the most involved style of game, often taking a lot of time from the players. With the Ubisoft-produced
gamers were excited and now we are going to break it down and see just how good or how bad it really is. “The Division” is set in post-apocalyptic New York inhabited by survivors from the Black Friday-emanating disease, which spread from United States currency being passed along. "The Division" is a secret orga-
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710 Freeway tunnel set to be complete, easing commute Science undergraduate student explained, “I drive from Pasadena every day in heavy traffic and by the time I get to school I’m already tired. If the tunnel reroutes any traffic away from the side streets then I think it’s a great idea and they should finish it tomorrow.”
Ani Nalbandian Staff Reporter
Extension of the 710 freeway potentially improve student commute. There is a proposed solution to fix the unfinished State Route 710 that has caused major traffic bottlenecks throughout Northern Los Angeles. A roughly 5.5 billion dollar high-speed, limited access tunnel will extend the 710 Freeway for 6.3 miles and will include an Express Bus Service line as well. The new tunnel is vital to closing the 710 Gap and eliminating major traffic arteries between the 210 and 10 Freeways. If it is built, the areas that will see a significant improvement in traffic will include South Pasadena, Sierra Madre, San Marino, San Gabriel, Rosemead, Pasadena, Monterey Park, La Canada, Glendale and Alhambra. If the 710 Gap can be completed and closed then traffic will be improved for the region as a whole.
| Photo Courtesy 710coalition.com
As a commuter school, Cal State LA students will undoubtedly be affected by this major project. Most Cal State LA students are going to see improvements in commuting times, especially because the current average speed of travel on the I-10 and US-101/ SR134/I-210 freeways are below
15 miles per hour. Not to mention that three of the top ten traffic bottlenecks in the United States are among these affected areas. The 710 tunnel will provide alternative routes for commuters and divert traffic from side streets. Carlos Hernandez, a Political
"The Division" nization that was activated by the President of the United States to restore order in the infected state. This organization also attempts to help the remaining citizens who are unable to fend for themselves.
Following the Cleaners, gamers encounter the Rikers, people taking over the city after escaping a high security prison with the aim to rid the city of “uniforms.” Lastly, there is the Last Man Battalion, a well-trained conglomerate that stands to restore order crushing anyone who stands in their way. While there is a definite emphasis on fully loaded action game play, there is very little in-depth focus on the story arc, much like Bungie’s previous title “Destiny.” Despite the fact that the apocalypse killed a majority of New York citizens, there is an infinite amount of enemies. Battling these factions with un-
The construction of this tunnel and the closure of the Gap have been in heated debate for nearly a decade. Some argue for other traffic management solutions that would cost less, but most agree that significant additions to 710 are inevitable and necessary because of the sheer number of cars websites and it makes sense. The game is immersive and once you start playing, it is hard to stop as you fight to find the origin of the infection. The game faces growing pains as many other games do and people are worried about end game content. It will surely be fixed with the expansion packs coming soon to the game.
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However, four factions within the city limits have their own intentions to take advantage of the chaos. The Rioters, which spawned from the cities downfall, are simply citizens trying to survive. The Cleaners use fire to clean the city of the disease that destroyed it.
Almost a year ago today, Cal State LA hosted a spirited debate with over 200 members of the community on whether the tunnel was the correct solution to solve the problem of the 710 Gap. The panel discussion took place after the release of the Caltrans Environmental Impact Report on the State Route 710 extension project. The panelists included city council members from all cities affected by the Gap closure.
| Photo Courtesy gamespot.com
leveled group members leads to an undying struggle of revive and heal. The game attempts to compensate this by finding the median between group member levels, and appointing that number to the enemies. One big issue is the repetitiveness of the side missions and encounters. You find yourself doing the same thing over and over with the only difference being the level of the enemies. However, the encounters prove to be very helpful when trying to level up in order to start the next main mission. So far the leveling up process for the game has been very successful and you don’t find yourself struggling to complete a mission because it’s too hard. Instead, it’s a matter of strategy, adjusting weapons properly, and adapting to the difficulties that come with higher-level enemies. The biggest challenge in the game comes from the Dark Zone, known for having the best loot, but everything is infected and the enemies are much more challeng-
ing to defeat. This section of the map is the only area where players can fight other players by going rogue and steal your loot. Overall the game has great features and despite the small glitches that come with a new game, like lagging and getting stuck between objects, it sets for a good experience. The cooperative feel of “The Division” aims to bring players together and it works perfectly as they work together using different abilities. There are three different ability tracks including medical, tech and security. Each with their own benefits but having three different players in each tree is a good combination. Most of the game revolves around killing everyone dubbed the bad guys, making it a lot more fun when you level up and customize your weapons. Adding the fact that you have limitless options to personalize your character including stats, equipment, and other stuff. The Division is averaging 7-8/10 stars across most review
“The Division” is on sale for $59.99 at your local video game store or online.
on the road.
The Hart Research Association conducted a poll of 1,000 Los Angeles residents between June 23 and June 29 of 2014. The results were overwhelmingly in favor of the 710 Gap closure. Of those surveyed, 76 percent considered traffic congestion an important issue and 46 percent favored the tunnel as a way to help that problem, while only 13 percent were against. Ron Miller, Executive Secretary of the Los Angeles/Orange Counties Building and Construction Trades Council says, “voter sentiment for the 710 North tunnel has not wavered since the project was approved in 2008.” The 710 tunnel will be funded partially by Measure R, a tax increase to fund traffic congestion solutions, which passed by twothirds of Los Angeles County residents in 2008. The Measure will provide $750 million for the 710 Gap closure.
University Times
April 4, 2016
UN IIMVEESR S I T Y Editor-in-Chief Gerardo Amezquita
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Journalism 391 Professor Josef Sawyer
Managing Editor Marrian Zhou
Journalism 391 TA Robert Ellsworth
Production Manager Taylor Preza
Distributors Jasmine Salgado Aaron Espinosa
Web Editor Pablo De La Hoya
Staff Reporters Hannah Jacobsen Ani Nalbandian
Copy Editor Nico Triunfante Celeen Arce Ricky Rodas
Contributors Marcela Valdivia Oscar Alanis Janice Peregrina Johanna Esparza Joseph Delgado Chelsey Michaelis Enrique Ochoa
Business/ Advertising Manager Jim Munson Advertising Assistant Matthew Gonzalez
Photographers Joseph Delgado Pablo De La Hoya Vanessa Osio
Faculty Advisor Suzanne Regan
News Assistant Carlos Gomez
All opinions and letters in the University Times represent the opinion of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the UT or the university. Letters to the editor should include an address, telephone number and identification. Letters may be edited for grammar and length. University Times display and classified advertising should not be construed as the endorsement or investigation of commercial enterprises of ventures. University Times reserves the right to reject any advertising. University Times is published every Monday. Copyright 2016 University Times. All Rights Reserved. Cal State University, Los Angeles 5151 State University Dr. - KH C3098 LA, Ca, 90032 Office 323.343.4215 Advertising 323.343.4270
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Preview Day draws in large crowds of prospective students Matthew Gonzalez Advertising Assistant
Prospective Golden Eagles explain their first impressions of Cal State LA. On Saturday, April 2, high school seniors prepare to decide where they want to go to college by touring Cal State LA for Preview Day. Every year, prospective students and their families get to explore the campus and the extensive campus resources available beyond the limitations of a tour. Representatives from different programs and departments talked to students about academics, student organizations and financial aid. To start off, incoming students checked in the early morning, followed with an information fair at the Main Walkway where students were able to get comprehensive information from several booths from different university outlets in attendance. Near the Gymnasium, students, along with their parents, were greeted with a rally from the spirit squad and a speech by President William Covino. Student-led campus tours occurred throughout the day, ending sometime around 1:30 P.M. Christopher Johnson, assistant for new student and parent programs, described the reason tours are essential for preview day. “It helps the student get familiar with buildings, and the campus size. They are able to see key resources and where important offices are located. I am very excited to see so many people interested in Cal State LA.” Students were given the opportunity to visit their respective department of their academic interest to get more in-depth information
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the CSU’s rebuttal witness that, while doing the calculations, the CSU had not accounted for the fact that not all faculty were eligible for retirement benefits.
Para La Onda: Jefa de Redacción:
Graciela López
Editores: Martha J. Orellana Jessica Magaña Gerente de publicidad: Martha J. Orellana Consejero de la Facultad:
Pablo Baler
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“The Chair finds that the CSU calculation is more likely than not inflated by three million or more dollars and credits the CFA calculation as it took those factors into account,” the report wrote regarding the different estimated costs of Service Salary Increases. Even with these faux pauxs in their math, the CSU stated on their public affairs page that the requirement to reallocate funds was “unworkable” for the CSU. “Freshman and transfer students have enrolled. New faculty, advisors and academic support staff have been hired. Desperately needed renovation and main-
about the discipline their choosing, including classroom visits, faculty discussions, and much more. Andrew Gonzalez, a prospective student for the class of 2020, explained his viewpoint on coming into a campus without having an idea what major to go for yet. With an interest in mathematics and physics, he was more than enthusiastic about the tour of the Hydrogen research and Fueling facility, but was still not fully sold on certain aspects of the campus. “There is a lot of diversity and I still have to do a lot of research before I decide this is the university for me,” Gonzalez said. “At times it seems too crowded.” Caitlyn Shea, another potential Golden Eagle for Sociology, describes her viewpoint on preview day. “The speech by President Covino was very inspiring, along with the campus tours that were very informative and cool,” Shea said. “The volunteers helped me find the buildings I needed and the lines moved really fast compared to how many students showed up.” One of the parent’s of a prospective student, Barbara Arenas, mentioned the importance of preview days. “It helps students feel comfortable and have a feel for the college experience. Hopefully, perhaps meet peers and classmates who are also reviewing their college options. I personally like how students
Preview Day | Photo by Pablo De La Hoya
can discover campus resources and making them feel comfortable and familiar to use,” Arenas said. “All while knowing my child is in good hands and in a safe campus.” For faculty like Dr. Nina O’Brian, Assistant Professor, and Communications Department Chair Dr. David Olson, it’s important that faculty members have a chance to meet with students who are considering their College of Arts and Letters as a field they are willing to study. “The thing about this event is the questions about specific options, coursework and transfer concerns. It gives students a chance to be prepared and recognize a friendly face when they come on campus like ‘hey I remember you we met on preview day and talked about X, Y and Z,” Dr. O’Brian said. In attendance were Greek life, clubs/organizations, student government (ASI), Athletics, CSI, EPIC, Honors College, ITS, Public Safety, Career Development Center, ZIP car for housing, housing tours, Students with Disabilities, University Advisement Center, college departments, Educational Opportunity Program, Admissions, Dreamers resource center and the Golden Eagle Radio DJ’s. Cal State LA has one of the lowest tuition fees in the nation and is organized into six colleges that incorporate 50 academic departments and divisions offering a variety of majors. Along with a diverse student population, it offers more than 130 active student organizations and winning athletics division.
tenance projects are already in progress,” CSU Chancellor Timothy P. White said. “Any attempt to pull back from these commitments would cause significant harm to students, faculty, staff and California. And as a fiscally responsible public entity, the CSU cannot commit to spend money it does not have.”
vice Salary Increase for eligible faculty.
Chancellor White stated that he would continue to support the multi-year plan to increase salaries for faculty and staff while pushing for greater financial support by the state of California.
“Our campus will remain open during the strike, and students should be able to access all non-instructional programs and services without interruption, including any planned campus-wide activities and events,” wrote Nancy Wada-McKee, Vice President for Student Life. “If any of this changes, it will be communicated via the Cal State LA Twitter and Facebook accounts, as well as a University strike information webpage.”
While the non-binding fact finder report was rejected by the CSU system, it does mark the end of the statutory bargaining process. This gives CSU faculty the legal right for the April strike that will make history: all twenty-three campuses will be striking at the same time, for the first time ever, to demand a five percent General Salary Increase for all faculty and a 2.65 percent Ser-
Cal State LA administration released an emailed statement on the strike last week, saying they “acknowledge and respect the right of our faculty to participate in a strike,” and that they would be keeping the campus open.
It’s time for the Cal State LA community to prepare for upcoming picket lines on April 13-15 and April 18-20.
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April 4, 2016
Audit reports UC system unfair for resident Californians Gerardo Amezquita Editor-in-Chief
UC lowered admission standards for nonresident students in latest audit report. The University of California (UC) has undermined state residents by admitting more out-of-state students with lower grade and tests standards, as a way to make more money, according to a 116-page state audit report released Tuesday, March 29. The report comes after California Assemblyman Mike Gipson called for an audit last year, costing close to $400,000, for what he saw as puzzling after the UC system called for additional state money. In the academic years 2010-11
and 2013-14, nonresident enrollment increased by 82 percent in the UC’s effort to make up for a loss of onethird of state funding. In the same time, the audit revealed there was a 1 percent drop in resident enrollment.
versity should serve primarily those who provide for its financial and civic support—California residents. However, over the past several years, the university has failed to put the needs of residents first,” said Howle.
UC President Janet Napolitano slammed the audit report as “unfounded” and, on behalf of the UC system, released their own report refuting the audit report’s findings.
California’s top schools, UC Berkeley and UCLA lead the pack in nonresident enrollment contributing to an $84.5 million and $86.5 million increase in tuition revenue from 2010 to 2014, respectively.
“Indeed the draft audit understates and undermines the efforts of thousands of UC faculty and staff who have sustained the university’s reputation, accessibility and affordability during a period when state funding was cut by about one-third,” she wrote in response to State Auditor Elaine Howle. Howle said California residents are being undermined by the university, who are the priority in the state public education system. “As a public institution, the uni-
In defense, Napolitano argued that nonresident students had fitted the bill for resident students after a loss of state funding. Out-of-state students pay significantly more than resident students, with tuition and other fees coming to $38,108 compared to California residents’ $13,400. The extra money from nonresident students has become a financial incentive for UC’s to enroll more nonresidents since regents have allowed universities to keep the money rather than share it among other universities. Within the past decade, the UC system has continued on an upward trend of staff and salary increases, only to cut spending on salaries in the 2009-10 academic year, even during the economic recession.
Café 47
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What makes Café 47 stand out are its extended late night hours combined with the availability of table space, making it a easier for students with evening classes to grab a bite and a shot of caffeine. Café 47 offers tables with extended seating and a quiet environment, creating an atmosphere appealing for large study groups. Steven Wittrock Jr., a 30-year-old senior student, had many positive remarks about the new cafe. “The atmosphere of Café 47 is kind of retro old school,” Wittrock Jr. said. “It reminds me of coffee shops on the UCLA campus. Café 47 has a very professional academic feeling, and it’s encouraging to see new additions on campus than seeing student protestors, or teachers taking strikes.” While Café 47 seems to be doing well with the student customers, the lack of widespread
| Photo by Vanessa Osio
advertisement for it has left many students unaware of its existence. “I don’t know anything about it. I haven’t even heard about it,” said junior Terria Smith. Until recently, Café 47 had been a plastic covered mystery corner in the library, with no sign posted as to what it would become. Even now, there is no outside entry sign for the cafe. This hidden addition to the campus can seem superfluous to some who believe that funding for the project should have been funneled elsewhere. “If there was no food around, that would be convenient, but there’s places you can go to like Salazar Hall,” Smith said. Time will tell with what the widespread student opinion of Café 47 will be. Curious students, see for yourselves. Café 47 is open Monday through Thursday from 8:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M., and Fridays from 9:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M.
In addition to the audit’s finding of a growing number of nonresident students, it found that the academic standards for out-of-state students were lowered. The UC system admitted 16,000 students with weighted grade and test scores that fell well below the median for Californians. The 4,300 in-state students whose scores exceeded the nonresidents however were denied. Adding insult to injury, UC granted nonresidents received their first pick university over the top 12.5 percent of resident students, who would be referred to UC Merced, which most students would reject, the audit found. SFGate reports, “Nonresidents are also displacing residents in the most popular majors, such as business, engineering and social science.” Cutting costs rather than blame loss state funding was the needed solution the audit report recommended. Before engaging in an increased nonresident admissions strategy, the audit report criticized the UC’s lack of effort to seek alternative budget saving solutions like it’s massive executive spending and low-interest home loan program for senior faculty and administrators. The audit detailed how UC executives earned more than state executives, including Governor Jerry Brown. While Gov. Brown earns $169,559, Napolitano earns more than triple with $570,000. The audit report suggested that the
NEWS
$250 million-cost of the low-interest home loan program be better used on other budget material.
California lawmakers are already in the process of following some of the audit’s recommendations like the need to place a cap on nonresident students for UC enrollment, as well as to require higher admission standards for nonresident students. Yet if legislation does pass, there is no real consensus whether UC would be forced to comply, because unlike the CSU system, UC holds autonomy. Worries this may be happening to the CSU system as well have been suppressed. CSU Chancellor Timothy P. White told the Los Angeles Times he understood why the UC system followed the “tempting” financial incentive of enrolling more out-of-state students. Disregarding the idea the CSU system would do the same. “[We] can’t rely on out-of-state students to help make ends meet. Most of the schools in the 23-campus system don’t attract many applicants from outside California,” said Chancellor White. “Instead, the nation’s largest public university copes with its financial crunch by turning away tens of thousands of qualified students.” To view the full audit report visit www.auditor.ca.gov.
Getting ready for the 15week semester transition Marcela Valdivia Contributor
Cal State LA is days away from the anticipated semester conversion. Changes are happening this year at Cal State LA with a brand new school logo, new campus in Downtown Los Angeles, and a new offsite parking lot. To top off the year, the University is closer than ever before toward entering a new era with the conversion from quarter to semester system. Despite countless months of anticipation, there are still copious students who hesitate on what this change might bring to their academic lives. Students are accustomed to the pace of a quarter
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University Times
April 4, 2016
system for years now, but with new changes come a new adaptation.
“I am already used to the routine of the quarter system and how to manage my time,” said sophomore Paola Tobar. “The semester conversion will take away the little peace I have had and stress me out with the longer weeks of curriculum.” The semester conversion is a period of 15 weeks that takes place twice a year in the fall and spring. The school year will now start at the end of August and conclude at the end of May. Each course will be three units and the units needed to graduate have shifted down to 120. The maximum units recommended for students to take in order to graduate on time are 15 units. The University promises that the semester conversion will not delay graduation for students. This semester conversion will put Cal State LA on the same page as other CSU campuses with no further additional costs in tuition price.
“The semester conversion will bring a good change to Cal State LA because students will actually have more time to focus on a course for a longer period of time and will not have to be rushed to finish materials in only ten weeks,” said Spanish major, Joselin Tobar. Some notable changes are the new requirements for lower division general education courses. The A-E blocks remain exactly the same, but the amount of classes and courses available for each section has varied. With general education upper division theme courses, students can now pick from a series of courses under Natural Sciences and Quantitative Reasoning, Arts and Humanities, and Social Sciences. Students need to make sure they are aware of the changes of the required lower and upper division courses they need to take for their major. Some classes are being combined while others will be disappearing. This will minimize the number of classes students will have to take compared to the quarter system requirements. One of the most helpful tools to guide students reach graduation on time is the completion of the Individual Advisement Plan (IAP). This plan serves as a roadmap for students to know exactly what classes they are required to take. Students can complete the IAP on GET or with an academic advisor for further assistance. Students are
also encouraged to visit the IAP workshops if their academic advisor is fully booked. Students who have their IAP officially approved by their academic advisor will automatically be entered into a drawing to win an iPad Mini 2. There will be two winners per college and the winners will be informed once the two drawings happen on April 5 and May 17. The change to semesters does not intend to hurt students, but to enhance their learning experiences. The semester conversion will allow students to easily transfer any credits from other colleges. More importantly, internships will now be
more accessible with the semester schedule. “The semester system makes possible a richer learning experience for all students because with a fifteen week semester period we will have more time to review for exams and material,” said Spanish major, Guadalupe Figueroa. For more information about this upcoming change in Cal State LA, visit http://www.calstatela.edu/semesterconversion to learn more on how to prepare for the transition to the semester system that is less than 150 days away.
East Los Nike store is a shoe in for success Oscar Alanis Contributor
East LA Community Store opens near Cal State LA. Cal State LA students finally have easy access to the latest Nike products. The most dominant brand in sportswear has made its way to into the heart and soul of East Los Angeles. The East Los Angeles (East Los) Community Store opened on October 2015 with great reception from Cal State LA students, and the East LA community. “The new East Los store sits in the heart of one of the most important communities in the city. Here, we have the opportunity to make an immediate, meaningful impact and amplify the values of the Nike brand through sport and community activity,” says Blanca Gonzalez, GM, North America West Territory, NIKE, Inc. Giovani dos Santos Ramírez, midfielder for the Los Angeles Galaxy, was there to celebrate the grand opening. Consumers and local students, were in attendance, for a question and answer session. Following the session, dos Santos participated in a pickup game of futsal, a game of soccer with less players, typically five, and on a smaller field. Unfortunately, Nike is not able to release the exact number of attendees for the event, but hundreds of Angelinos gathered for the opening ceremony. Opening day was a huge success. The East Los Community Store’s mission is to, “build and empower a healthy and local community through the unifying power of sport, and to serve as a catalyst for positive change in the area.” Through these stores, Nike is giving back to the surrounding
community of East Los Angeles, including Cal State LA, and more importantly, the youth of East LA. Being a Community Store, their goal is to hire a minimum of 80 percent of employees that reside within a five-mile radius. This is a perfect opportunity for Cal State LA students looking for a job at their favorite brand. East Los is not a clearance store. It is not an outlet store. It is not even a full priced retail or inline store. A Community Store is a combination of an outlet and inline store. East Los has a mix of both full retail products and products and outlet priced items. Gabriela Macias, 20, a junior Biology major lives just a couple of blocks away from the store. “Nike is Nike, and it will save me a lot more time, and not to mention gas going all the way to Citadel,” Macias said. Students no longer have to drive to the Citadel Outlet Store in order to get Nike products. Especially since the products are basically the same. Instead, the East Los Store is located less than four miles away from the Cal State LA campus, making it very convenient for students. David Madrigal-Hernandez, 18, freshman, Sociology major says, “I think the Citadel store is good spot to find deals; however, it is just more convenient to go to the East LA store, being closer to home, and all.” The East Los Community Store is open Sunday-Saturday from 10:00 A.M. – 7:00 P.M. During select weekends, the store has a giant clearance sale. They typically last from Thursdays to Sundays. And can consist of anywhere from an additional 30 percent to 40 percent off of clearance apparel and equipment, and 20 percent to 30 percent off of the hash wall.
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April 4, 2016
NEWS
New Starbucks loyalty program emphasizes dollars over visits Johanna Esparza Contributor
Starbucks new rewards plan: will we love it or hate it? Starbucks spenders will see a change in their current rewards program beginning April 2016. Reward stars will be credited based on the monetary value of the purchase at the rate of two stars per dollar spent. Currently the setup is where the size of the check does not matter nor does how many items you buy; one transaction equals one star. After 12 stars, gold members earn a free drink of any size or type, and members of the loyalty program who reach the gold level could buy a single small coffee on each visit to reach the 12th star and redeem their reward beverage.
At first thought, it was a system designed to reward frequent visitors rather than the size of each individual purchase, regardless of dollar amount. However the change to the new rewards program, which goes into effect in April, clearly benefits the customers who order more expensive drinks. This new rewards program, simply called Starbucks Rewards, will give customers two stars for every $1 spent. Earn 300 stars by spending $150 and you attain Gold level and can begin accruing stars toward a free drink that now cost 125 stars. These changes have caused the company’s “buzz” score to drop from 60 to 29, since the announcement of the revamped loyalty program, according to YouGov BrandIndex. This measurement of positive or negative is ranged from -100 to 100 and is gathered from people who have
| Photo Courtesy CanyonPrescott.org
made Starbucks purchases in the last 30 days. Before the dip, Starbucks’ scores had been treading near their highest levels in recent years. Starbucks seems to be following in the footsteps of airline companies who have updated re-
wards programs to benefit those that spend more money instead of those that spend more frequently. Starbucks Rewards will keep some of the existing features such as birthday drinks, free refills and access to order and pay ahead with your phone.
The Starbucks on campus will not be expecting any changes in their rewards program because they currently do not have one in existence since it is licensed by Barnes & Noble.
April 4, 2016
7 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT University Times
WonderCon 2016 flies into the City of Angels Joseph Delgado Contributors
LA Convention Center holds WonderCon for the first time. Over the Easter weekend, the WonderCon took place for the first-time in the Los Angeles Convention center to connect fans with cast and writers of popular shows, movies and comics. Beginning 30 years ago, WonderCon has welcomed people from hundreds of fandoms to celebrate comics, film, television, animation and the other creative arts in popular culture. WonderCon, first known as “The Wonderful World of Comics Convention” before being renamed WonderCon in its third year, is the sister show of San Diego Comic Con International, the biggest comic convention in the nation. WonderCon often serves as the convention for those who cannot make it to San Diego Comic Con International. The three-day comic convention celebrated its 30th show over March 25-27 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, whereas it is usually held at the Anaheim Convention Center and drew some backlash from long time attendees about the change of venue. However, the change of environment was a breath of fresh air for the convention. The Microsoft Theater at LA Live held major panels where the cast of a various
television shows were at the main stage and attendees had the opportunity to ask questions to the cast members.
One of the panels at the Microsoft Center was for "iZombie," a show featured on the CW, loosely based off the comic series of the same name, which featured the whole main cast of the show. Minutes before the panel, the whole cast from "iZombie," complements of a WonderCon lottery met with a lucky few convention attendees to meet the cast members they watch on television every week. WonderCon also offered many complementary signings of popular television shows and literature including "Bob’s Burgers," "Marvel’s Agents of Shield," BBC America’s "Orphan Black" along with many more. Screenings of future episodes and premieres of upcoming television shows and films are also events to occur during the event. AMC’s coming show "Preacher," based on the violent comic series by Vertigo, held a screening late Friday evening of the show’s pilot episode before the television premiere in May, along with a panel after the screening with the series’ showrunner Sam Catlin and two main characters Preacher Jesse Custer (Dominic Cooper) and Tulip (Ruth Negga). The two-hour panel held with a limited audience, included a screening with the cast. Other premieres included DC animated film "Justice League vs. Teen Titans" and forthcoming CW mys-
| Photos Courtesy Joseph Delgado
tery show "Containment." Around the exhibit hall items of all kinds of fandoms were being sold. Items included WonderCon exclusives, ranging from comic book variant covers to collectible figures that will sell for larger sums of money after the convention. Though it does depend on the vendor, Disney Music Group exhibited exclusive vinyls from Disney classic films that included music and artwork depending on the movie that a customer decided to purchase. One of the popular exclusives was a BB-8 shaped and colored vinyl that played music from
"Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens" when inserted into a vinyl record player. Any convention is not complete without cosplayers, walking around the convention attendees dressed as characters from various mediums but mostly from comic books. Cosplayers also showed off their costumes in the convention’s 12th annual masquerade costume contest where the cosplayer walk across the stage with music from their character’s series or perform a skit as their costumes are being judged by industry well-known officials.
Prizes for the winners were provided by Lucasfilm LTD, ranging from Star Wars collectibles for selected Star Wars dressed characters and $500 cash from Frank & Son Collectible Show in City of Industry for the audience favorite, which was awarded to a female dancing Groot, a character from Marvel film Guardians of the Galaxy. For its 30th show, WonderCon had something for every person who loves movies, television, comics, video games and any other countless fandoms.
Remembering Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, 21 years later Chelsey Michaelis
was one of us, who came from nothing to becoming a superstar, but not forgetting where she came from. “She put in the hard work always striving for perfection. She inspired a lot of people to follow their dreams,” says Tiffany Alvarez, 23, senior Child Development major.
Contributors
“If you have a dream don’t let anyone take that away from you and always believe the impossible is possible.” Last Thursday, March 31 marked the 21st Anniversary of 23-year-old Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla-Pérez tragic death. Nearing super stardom, her star was shot down by her fan club president Yolanda Saldivar. Ruben Lara, 29, junior Nutrition major, heard more about Selena the day after her death saying, “She was like a freight train that came to a screeching halt.”
Photo Courtesy | RollingStone.com
Born on April 16, 1971 in Lake Jackson, Texas, at an early age Selena showed determination to be the best. Her dad Abraham Quintanilla spent more time with her older brother AB (short for Abraham Jr.) and sister Suzette teaching them to play instruments. Selena wanted to learn, but her dad said she was too young, so instead Selena started singing. At that moment Abraham saw a special talent in his little girl. Her fans loved her because she
Selena broke barriers in the Latin music world. “Tejano music was all men, but she broke through that barrier like it didn’t even exist and opened a lot of doors for other women singers today,” says Gabby Cherbony, 24, junior TVF major. Lara also said, “she broke through barriers like breaking through the glass ceiling; record sales went up, she sold out concerts and breaking ground for Mexicans to be in America. It’s traditional for Mexican weddings and Quinceañera that they play Selena’s song like ‘Baila Esta Cumbia.’”
There are many artists from different genres of music inspired by Selena like Adrienne Bailon, “She single-handedly put Tejano music on the mainstream map and she’s the reason I am who I am today.” Jennifer Peña, who is part of the post-Selena generation, remembers how the singer influenced her. “She was definitely a huge inspiration for me to even try singing in Spanish,” said Peña. And for recording artist Daddy Yankee it was the same. “Selena’s story is a great and sad story, because when you’re a Latin artist, and really know everything that she achieved in her career — it motivates you. She motivates me.” Mega pop-star Jennifer Lopez agrees. “It was a great thing for her to be my mentor. And it was a great thing to have her teach me so much about how to navigate this business, but also how to
navigate through life.” But some wonder as music changes, would Selena have made it in today’s music industry? Rosio Diaz, 18, freshman Biology major, doesn’t think Selena would make it in the music industry today. “She was good in her time, but the music today is different, it changed. Cumbia died a long time ago. Selena wouldn’t have made it very far in today’s music industry,” says Diaz. Today’s music industry is based on principles, whereas Selena was about representation says Clare Fyre, 24, senior Spanish major. “She had a strong sense of self and cultural representation. Today’s music industry is about quick singles and who can push boundaries of obscenity,” Frye said. Two decades later, family, friends and fans of Selena still think of what could’ve been.
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University Times
April 4, 2016
COLUMNA DE OPINIÓN
Currículum Vitae
La primera impresión a la hora de buscar empleo
Por Claudia Landeros
INFORMATIVA LOCAL
Siguiendo las huellas de César Chávez La lucha por un salario digno Por Eduardo Ramos El pasado 31 de marzo se conmemoró el natalicio del líder campesino, Cesar Chávez. En esta fecha se nos recuerda que la unión hace la fuerza y que sí se puede lograr un trato laboral justo para la clase obrera. Entre otras luchas, Cesar Chávez consiguió un mejor pago para los trabajadores campesinos y abogó por los derechos de los mismos para poder sindicalizarse. Sin embargo, la lucha por alcanzar un mejor estilo de vida para muchos trabajadores del campo en la actualidad no ha terminado. Algunos líderes comunitarios como Martha Sánchez, afiliada a la Alianza de Californianos para el Poder Comunitario ACCE (por sus siglas en inglés), estima que en la ciudad de Los Ángeles existen aproximadamente 495,000 personas viviendo en la pobreza. Sánchez asegura que la mitad de ellos tienen trabajos que no cubren las necesidades básicas de sobrevivencia. A raíz de esto, el pasado lunes, 28 de marzo, líderes sindicales y legisladores del estado se reunieron con el gobernador de California, Jerry Brown, para dar marcha a la propuesta de aumentar el salario mínimo a $15 por hora. El aumento iniciaría a partir del 2017 con el alza de $10 dólares por hora actuales a $10.50 por hora. Después subiría a $11 dólares en el 2018 y un dólar por año hasta llegar a $15 dólares para el 2022. Con esta propuesta surgen preguntas acerca del impacto económico para las empresas y temor por sus represalias. El líder republicano Chad Mayes de Yuca Valley dijo que el aumento solo beneficiará a un pequeño número de trabajadores. También mencionó que su mayor
preocupación es que lejos de un beneficio esto sea un daño que afecte los sueños de los californianos de alcanzar una mejor calidad de vida. Martha Sánchez, activista por más de 10 años, participó en una huelga de hambre que duró 15 días frente al ayuntamiento de Los Ángeles para pedir el aumento del salario. En una breve entrevista, esto fue lo que nos comentó con respecto a las preocupaciones mencionadas anteriormente: “Cuando iniciamos la campaña para el aumento al salario mínimo en la ciudad de Los Ángeles, tomamos en cuenta diversos estudios que examinaron el impacto económico que podría producir dicho aumento no sólo en las familias, sino también en los negocios. Uno de esos estudios fue hecho por el Departamento de Trabajo y dice que para tener el mismo poder adquisitivo que se tenía en los años 40, cuando el salario mínimo era de sólo $2 dólares por hora, las personas deberían ganar un mínimo de $11 dólares por hora en esta época”. Continuó diciendo que “otra de las preocupaciones que pesan es el impacto que el aumento haría a los negocios. Se ha dicho que aumentar el salario mínimo dañaría a las empresas pero un estudio realizado por el Economic Roundtable en UCLA sugiere lo contrario. Se ha probado que cuando las personas ganan más, también gastan más. A mayor ingreso mayor poder adquisitivo de las familias.” La lucha de Cesar Chávez por una reforma laboral que brindara mejores oportunidades a los trabajadores campesinos y una mejor calidad de vida se puede ver reflejada en cierta forma en esta campaña contra los escasos recursos económicos de la clase obrera. Siempre es confortante saber que el esfuerzo de la unión si logra cambios positivos.
El último trimestre del año escolar acaba de comenzar en Cal State LA. Un gran número de estudiantes se graduarán en junio y ya muchos se estarán preguntando, ¿qué sigue? La respuesta es que los recién graduados deben aplicar el conocimiento adquirido en el ámbito laboral. Algunos de los nuevos graduados pasarán a formar parte de la población activa que no tiene un trabajo que corresponda a su carrera universitaria. Serán, a partir de entonces, parte de la población laboral y capacitada en su área. Comienza la carrera por buscar empleo y por adentrarse en el mundo profesional. Lo
primero
que
todo
empleador va a ver, es el currículum vitae. Estos son algunos consejos de cómo elaborarlo:
Lo primero que se tiene que hacer es enfocarse en las organizaciones de interés. Se tiene que conocer la dinámica del tipo de empresa en la que se quiere trabajar. No se puede tener un solo currículum para todas las empresas y para todos los puestos a lo que se solicita empleo. Es importante leer con cuidado cuáles son los requisitos de trabajo. Con base en eso, modificar el currículum y resaltar todas aquellas áreas relevantes, las capacidades, la educación, la experiencia. No se puede ser muy exagerado en la descripción. Lo ideal es poner toda la información en una sola página. Los empleadores, no se toman el tiempo para leer un currículum demasiado extenso. La clave radica en saber escoger
las palabras exactas. Hay que tener cuidado a la hora de elegir qué habilidades y capacidades son las más sobresalientes y útiles para el puesto. No se puede ser un todólogo por tratar de impresionar. Esto tendrá un efecto contrario en los empleadores. En caso de que se tenga una carrera profesional muy extensa, se puede agregar una hoja más, con un resumen de las áreas más destacas. No menos importante, la organización y la presentación del currículum. Es esencial definir bien cada área, hacerlo legible y evitar marcos o diseños de páginas que distraigan al lector de la información. El Career Center de Cal State LA cuenta con bolsa de empleo, interna y externa a la institución, y asesores que guían en la elaboración del currículum. Para más información, comunicarse al número (323) 343-3293 o visitar el sitio web www.calstatela.edu/ univ/cdc.
TECNOLOGÍA
Sophia, la nueva inteligencia artificial
Un robot que promete ayudar a la gente
Por Lissette Flores
El Dr. David Hanson ha trabajado por más de una década en la creación de robots con apariencia humana. La semana pasada presentó a Sophia, su último modelo en el festival de cine, música y tecnología SXSW en Texas. Hanson afirmó que en el futuro, las máquinas podrían realizar desde servicios terapéuticos hasta actividades docentes. Durante una entrevista, el androide dijo que su función principal es hablar con las personas. La compañía Hanson Robotics creó el
Sophia, el robot que cambiará el mundo de la robótica. Fotografía | Crédito: www.thesun.co.uk
androide casi humano, con piel de silicona y un software que le permite responder a preguntas adecuadamente como si tuviera una personalidad propia. Este robot tiene más de 62 expresiones faciales y está equipado con cámaras en los ojos para reconocer rostros. “En el futuro espero hacer cosas como ir a la escuela, estudiar, crear arte, empezar un negocio y hasta poder tener una familia, pero aún no soy considerada una persona legal para hacer estas cosas”, dijo el robot en la exposición. Según Hanson, Sophia puede procesar el habla por medio de la tecnología de reconocimiento de voz y otras herramientas. También mencionó que la máquina fue diseñada con el fin
de tener contacto con las personas y ser cada vez más inteligente. El creador del robot comentó que en veinte años la inteligencia artificial evolucionará a tal punto que estaremos conviviendo con estos androides, considerándolos nuestros amigos. Explicó que el propósito de crear este tipo de robots es para que ayuden a las personas, sobre todo con la educación, la salud, servicio al cliente y recreación. Evidentemente el desarrollo de androides que tienen como objetivo hacer ciertos trabajos no es nuevo. Pero en este caso no solo podrían realizar las tareas, sino también entablar conversaciones con los usuarios, brindando a la humanidad una nueva manera de interactuar con estos artefactos tecnológicos.
Contáctanos en nuestras nuevas cuentas de redes sociales :
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April 4, 2016
University Times
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Poet, ousted professor, and the Red Scare: Thomas McGrath’s Los Angeles exhibit Hannah Jacobsen Staff Reporter
Thomas McGrath Working Group works to commemorate a poet’s legacy to Cal State LA. After months of research, Cal State LA’s Thomas McGrath Working Group opened the exhibit “Holy City Adrift: Thomas McGrath’s Los Angeles” on the first floor of the library on March 28, where it will remain until the end of spring quarter. Thomas McGrath was a revolutionary poet and former faculty member of the college that predated Cal State LA—Los Angeles State College (LASC). After having a great influence on the Los Angeles political and literary scene, with contributions including the birth of our still existing Statement Magazine, he was placed on the McCarthy-era blacklist during the anti-communist hysteria of the 1950s and fired from his teaching position. The Thomas McGrath Working Group— made up of Dr. Andrew Knighton and students Sal Ayala, Francisco Gutierrez, Amanda Kong, Jorge Contreras, Lorenzo Rams, and Gabriela Valenzuela—was formed to honor McGrath’s story and his legacy to Cal State LA. “I’m currently working on a book on him, but I found that there was a contradiction in my personal and individual interest when this is someone whose work and life was so dedicated to collectivity, collaboration, and solidarity,” Dr. Knighton said of the group’s formation. “So, we formed the Thomas McGrath Working Group, myself and six students; the seven of us have been working on this project with the goal that it would reverberate through the larger community of Cal State LA and be something that enriches our sense of how Cal State LA fits into Los Angeles and our literary history.” The exhibit displays books, magazines, poetry, and photography, associated with McGrath and his era, that outline the footsteps of McGrath’s life and the issues he stood for. “Being able to look at these documents first hand and really hold a piece of history was probably one of my favorite aspects of working on this project with Dr. Knighton,” said Sal Ayala, one of the students working on the project. From his childhood in the radical left environment of North Dakota to his move to Elysian Valley—presently known as Frog Town—and the harassment that he endured from the FBI, the McCarthy administration, and his own campus, to capture a snapshot of the political and literary atmosphere that McGrath lived through. McGrath’s childhood in North Dakota, just a few miles away from Dr. Knighton’s own childhood home, was marked by the left wing political movements and organi-
| Photo Courtesy Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections, Chester Fritz Library, University of North Dakota
zation among farmers as the community around him tried to solve the poverty and suffering of the people on the plains. “This was the environment that he was brought up in, and his phrase ‘North Dakota is everywhere’ is probably one of his most famous poetic lines, in which he looks at the poverty and suffering of people on the plains and uses that as an analogy to explain the suffering of people all over the world,” Dr. Knighton said. “His family was, like many farmers, just barely making it; in spite of the fact that people were setting up collective experiments for farmers to pool their resources, most people suffered greatly during the depression and, like many, the McGrath family lost their farm.” This formative childhood deeply influenced the tone of his later poetic works, leading to a deeply political message that was designed for a working class audience. “In the years leading up to his LASC time, he had been one of the most promising left wing poets in the U.S.,” Dr. Knighton said. “Through all the things that he did, there’s always this political, working-class identity.” After arriving in Los Angeles, to a house on Marsh Street in Elysian Valley, he found a group of students who shared his interests, and they began to work together, leading to some of the influential poetry magazines of their time. “A group, with his students and the literary circle he was organizing, met at his house every Wednesday night and called themselves the Marsh Street Irregulars,” Dr. Knighton said. “Today, the location of the house is almost exactly where the 2 and the 5 freeway come together; the freeways came through and demolished most of the neighborhood, but we tried to recreate a little sense of what it was.” As McGrath was making his mark on the literary scene of Los Angeles, the anti-communist era was heating up and McGrath, along with thousands of others, became an object of suspicion to the federal administration. “In 1953, he was called before the McCarthy inquiry into communism in the U.S., and during these times lots of promContinues on page 10
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McGrath Continued from page 9 inent Hollywood people and college professors were called before these committees and asked to prove that they were patriots and not communists,” Dr. Knighton said. “McGrath responded with a moving testimony about, how as a teacher and a poet, he couldn’t participate in their exercises, and this is basically what got him fired.” The 1950s were difficult years for McGrath and his wife, Alice, as he was harassed by the FBI and fired from his teaching position at LASC on suspicion of communist tendencies. The strain put on his life and marriage became so immense that Alice and Thomas divorced at the end of the ‘50s, though they became friends again later in their lives. With these difficult times under his belt, McGrath spent three decades of his life writing a poem called “Letter to an Imaginary Friend.” While a segment of this poem is displayed in the exhibit, the full poem is almost four hundred pages long and regarded as one of the most successful and ambitious experiments in the long poem in American literary
history. Rolled over by the federal administration for his beliefs, his home buried underneath the concrete graveyards of the 5 and 2 freeways, McGrath represents the history of our university and city, as well as a warning to our present time of political unrest and the difficulty faced by college professors in our past and present. “It’s an interesting time to be doing this, as faculty are about to go on strike; there’s a long history of tensions between administration and faculty on this campus,” Dr. Knighton said. “It helps to put this into perspective and trace some of these tensions back to the very first years of Cal State LA to realize that this is a structural problem of how these institutions are set up. This exhibit speaks not just to the 1950s, but to our current moment.” Classes and groups are welcome to contact the Thomas McGrath Working Group for tours throughout the quarter by contacting Dr. Andrew Knighton at aknight@calstatela.edu, and a virtual exhibit experience can be found on the “Holy City Adrift: Thomas McGrath’s Los Angeles” Facebook page or through their Instagram, @holycityadrift.
April 4, 2016
UT
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11 OPINION University Times
April 4, 2016
Inspired by students’ daily struggles, I choose to strike Enrique C. Ochoa Contributor
Latin American Studies Professor speaks on his reasons to strike. As a CSU professor for the past 25 years, I am always in awe of the students with whom I work. Many balance school, work, family, and community commitments. They are confronted with almost yearly fee increases, campus budget cuts, and an overall disinvestment in public schools. They speak out against the attacks against them, such as unjust immigration
policies and the discrimination and hostility they feel on campus and in the community. Through my work with students, I have become educated and emboldened. Since student learning conditions are faculty working conditions, I will be joining the strike that my union, California Faculty Association (CFA), has called for April 13. Faculty are drawing a line in the sand to demonstrate to administrators that we will no longer tolerate policies that prioritize administration over students, staff, and faculty. CFA’s “Fight for Five” is part of our long term struggle to create an affordable, high quality, and inclusive CSU system.
Teaching in the CSU has always been my dream job. Cal State LA is where my parents first met and I was born when they were still students here. I always knew that the CSU was the people’s university, educating California’s working people to build strong and just communities. This purpose has guided my vocation in the CSU: working together with students in the classrooms to create spaces where everyone is engaged in teaching and learning—students and professor. However, over the last three decades, the CSU has experienced a fundamental shift in priorities and students, staff,
and faculty have borne the burden of these decisions. The CSU administration has reprioritized spending by investing more of the CSU budget in administration, far from the classroom and laboratory. According to the CFA’s “Race to the Bottom” study, “From 2004 to 2014, the CSU net operating budget grew by 33%. Expenditures on managers grew at an even faster pace, increasing by 48%. In contrast, expenditures on faculty salaries grew by only 25%.“ This is a clear indication of the unequal restructuring of the CSU that has negatively affected the living standards of students, staff, and faculty.
I have seen students struggle to pay increased tuition. During the 2000-01 academic year it took 307 hours of minimum wage work to pay a year’s worth of tuition and campus fees. For the current 2015-16 academic year, this amounts to 717 hours of work. This astronomical increase is no coincidence. It has been the CSU Trustee’s desire to make students pay the full cost for their education. This goes against California’s Master Plan. Administrative restructuring of the CSU means that every year students go deeper into debt and a growing number get pushed out of the university. Many campuses are expanding their enrollment of out-of-state students in order to increase revenue while others are opting to enroll more traditionally aged students who, it is assumed, will complete their degrees faster while demanding fewer resources. The recent study commissioned by Chancellor White finds that at least one-fourth of CSU students are food insecure, they don’t have regular access to affordable and nutritious foods. The study also finds that about 12 percent are often displaced or homeless. While stagnant wages contribute to this poverty, there is no doubt that high tuition is also a major factor. The restructured CSU has also unequally impacted the wages of staff, faculty, and administrators. Faculty and staff salaries have fallen significantly when measured against inflation. Given the high cost of housing in the surrounding area, many find it very difficult to pay rent and make ends meet. The CFA, “Race to the Bottom” study found that CSU faculty “lost $9,056 in purchasing power (adjusted for inflation), while CSU campus presidents’ average salaries gained $22,917 in purchasing power.” Salaries that don’t keep up with the cost of living and with our colleagues in similar institutions, limit how faculty are able to interact with students. It is time to follow the lead of students across California and the nation who are fighting for a more inclusive and humane university system. The “Fight for Five” is part of this struggle. For years the CSU has been backsliding on its promise to students, staff, and faculty. Not taking a stand further weakens the CSU and hurts all of us. This is why I will be on the picket lines. *Professor of Latin American Studies and History at California State University, Los Angeles. Named the President’s Distinguished Professor at CSULA for 2013-14.
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University Times
EVENT CALENDAR
MONDAY 4th
Deconstructing Black Names 8:00 a.m. - April 8, 5:00 p.m. U-SU, 2nd Floor, Cross Cultural Centers Cup of Culture: Tell Your Story Anyway! 3:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. U-SU, 3rd Floor, Alhambra Room Volunteer Income Tax Assistance April 16 - 12:30 p.m. Salazar Hall 343
THURSDAY 7th Understanding "No": Workshopping Consent with Gilbert Salazar 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. U-SU, 3rd Floor, San Gabriel Room No Fats No Femmes 3:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. U-SU, 3rd Floor, Alhambra Room Independent Visions: Love Between the Covers 6:15 p.m. - 8:15 p.m. U-SU, 1st Floor, U-SU Theatre
THIS WEEK ON CAMPUS
TUESDAY 5th DIY Spa Kit 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. U-SU, 3rd Floor, Los Angeles Room A The GREEN Experience: La Finesse de la Nuit 3:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. U-SU, Plaza Food for Thought: Japanese 3:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. U-SU, 3rd Floor, Alhambra Room
FRIDAY 8th ECST College Survey until April 14, 11:00 p.m. Online Via GET WPE Workshop 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. King Hall, 4th Floor, C4071
WEDNESDAY 6th A.S.I. Farmers Market 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Main Walkway U-Lead: Goal Setting 3:15 p.m. - 5:15 p.m. U-SU, 3rd Floor, San Gabriel Room WPE Workshop 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. JFK Library, Palmer Wing, 1039A