Tuesday Sep. 09, 2014

Page 1

SSI subcommittee formed

Daily textbook rentals

Group will oversee implementation of Student Success Fee

Packback gives students an affordable way to buy books

News 3 Tuesday September 9, 2014

Features 4

The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton

Volume 96 Issue 4

MARISELA GONZALEZ / DAILY TITAN

The Titan Dreamers Resource Center, located on the second floor of the Pollak library, features a wall with sticky notes expressing the dreams of the students who utilize the center.

Resource center keeps dreams alive TDRC provides support for undocumented students

NEREIDA MORENO Daily Titan When Karen Zapien met with her high school guidance counselor in 2010, she was told that she could not afford tuition at a four-year university because she was undocumented. A lifelong honor student with a 4.0 grade point average, Zapien had worked tirelessly to attend UCLA, her dream school. She was either president, vice president or secretary of anything she was involved in, including––but not limited to––the Associated Student Body, Key Club, Best Buddies Club (which she founded), CSF honors society and faculty committees. Her counselor suggested community college. She explained it wasn’t realistic

for Zapien to attend a fouryear university because she would not receive financial assistance. Despite these pessimistic comments, she decided to go ahead and apply to UCLA. To nobody’s surprise, Zapien was accepted––but her counselor was right. She just couldn’t afford it. Her parents had emigrated from Mexico when she was a one-year-old. The family moved to Huntington Park in search of opportunity. Both of her parents worked overtime in strenuous jobs and earned minimum wage. “They wished they could help me, but they just couldn’t,” Zapien said. “They didn’t have any savings––nothing.” Her parents gave her two options.

“Either you work to go to school because we can’t help you, or you work like us.” *** When Zapien began school at Cerritos College, she was determined to achieve her goal of graduating from a four-year institution. Higher education was her passion. However, Zapien had a difficult time accepting that despite her hard work, she wasn’t going to attend a four-year institution. “I was depressed. I didn’t even want to go to school or work,” Zapien said. “I thought, this is so unfair, I’ve been here all my life, it’s not my fault.” Through hard work and persistence, she was able to work two jobs to help pay for school and get straight A’s in her classes. “My biggest setback––being

MARISELA GONZALEZ / DAILY TITAN

At the Titan Dreamers Resource Center, students use the facility to study at their convenience.

undocumented– –beca me my biggest strength,” Zapien said. She attended Cerritos College for three years before transferring to Cal State Fullerton for the fall 2014 semester.

A long-time advocate of immigration reform, Zapien was impressed by the newly established Titan Dreamers Resource Center (TDRC) at CSUF and the university’s commitment to diversity. “I felt at home,” Zapien said.

*** CSUF is the first university in the CSU system to establish a fully functional support center for undocumented students. SEE DREAM CENTER

4

ASI sponsors Titanmon cards Psuedo trading cards both entertain and inform students about campus services

JAMES LUNA For the Daily Titan

MARIAH CARRILLO / DAILY TITAN

Reduced price software has been available since 2011, but a lack of funds means student access to free programs will be curtailed.

Changes in software options Lack of revenue leaves some program options on hold until SSI funds come through

AMBER UDDIN Daily Titan Since 2011, Cal State Fullerton students have enjoyed free Windows 7 and Windows 8 upgrades, Microsoft Office, Adobe and other software. This semester, however, students will see a few changes. Windows upgrades are no longer available. During negotiations with CSUF, Microsoft decided to unbundle Windows and Office and wanted the university to VISIT US AT: DAILYTITAN.COM

pay full price for the software, said Amir Dabirian, Vice President for Information Technology. CSUF was on a one-time funded pilot program with the companies and the software was going to be harder to obtain without sufficient funds. “We couldn’t subsidize Microsoft or even Adobe for a long-term perspective. So last year the students passed the Student Success Initiative (SSI) to start paying for some of the software for student use,” Dabirian said. The Student Success Fee began this semester and

included funds to help pay for programs on campus, including free software for students. The mandatory $181 per semester fee will be phased in over the next three years to help offset the cost of campus improvements. Approximately six percent of the fee goes toward technology upgrades and software. During the first two years of the three-year-phase in, funds will be allocated from the fee for programs like reduced-price software. These funds will start small and steadily increase until the fee is fully

implemented. Last year, the program saved students more than $3 million on Microsoft software costs alone, Dabirian said. “We want to save the students money and to give them the right tools. ... If we don’t make deals with the vendors, the students end up paying 10 or 20 times more than that for one copy,” Dabirian said. With Windows 9 coming out in January, Dabirian hopes to be able to strike a deal with Microsoft in the coming semester. SEE SOFTWARE

2

In order to help new and returning students become better acquainted with the Cal State Fullerton campus and the available services, the Titan Pride Center has created Titanmon. Titanmon are a series of pseudo trading cards, whose name refers to the popular cartoon and trading card game of the 90s, Pokémon. Titans can travel far and wide, like the Pokémon master Ash Ketchum, to various destinations to acquire these cards and to learn more about their campus. The collection consists of six cards, each with an illustrated Tuffy the Titan who resembles signature Pokemon characters, leaving fans with a feeling of nostalgia. They were illustrated and created by Bryan Patio and Lety Macarty, two of the Titan Pride Center’s design students. Aside from the renditions of Tuffy, each card features a piece of Titan trivia to educate students about campus history. They also highlight

and incorporate the different services offered by the center, including Titan Rewards Program and referrals for involvement. Riter Heng, a CSUF information systems major, was one student who was infected with the “gotta collect ‘em all” fever when he heard about it. “I was always collecting cards, so I was like, why not collect some from the school that also provides information about the school and the services they offer to the students,” Heng said. Students can collect the cards by visiting various locations on campus such as the Student Recreation Center, Career Center and Titan Student Involvement Center. “I enjoyed the process. It was kind of traveling all across campus … I would definitely do something like this again or other activities that involve going around campus finding out what’s available to the students,” Heng said. Drew Wiley is the Leader and Program Development coordinator for Associated Students Inc. He oversees the Titan Pride Center and all of its operations. SEE TITANMON

4

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: @THEDAILYTITAN


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.