Summer concert calendar THE NEWSPAPER OF SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1913 VOLUME 98, ISSUE 121
MONDAY JULY 9, 2012
Service members naturalized
When & where to rock out this summer
local Paige Nelson Photo Editor
In honor of Independence Day, 35 active military members were sworn in on July 2 as official U.S. citizens in a biannual naturalization ceremony held aboard the USS Midway Museum. The flight deck of the aircraft carrier served as an official courtroom for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services as U.S. Chief Bankruptcy Judge Peter W. Bowie led candidates in the oath of allegiance. Service members from the Navy and the Marine Corps, were sworn in as citizens and received naturalization certificates. USCIS San Diego District Director Paul Pierre said the number of countries represented at the ceremony, include Ghana, Kenya and Thailand, showcased the “ethnic and cultural diversity of the military warriors.” “These military members place themselves in harm’s way on a daily basis to protect this great nation; now they are becoming citizens of the country they have been defending,” Pierre said. “You will not find a more deserving group of people in the world who deserve their citizenship today than this group.” U.S. military member Mohamed
Library gets some love
campus Amanda Guerrero Contributor
Members of the armed forces taking the naturalization oath. Judge Peter W. Bowie administered the cermony, which was held aboard the USS Midway Museum on July 2
Muhidin and his family gleamed as he posed for photos atop the stairs of a restored war plane with his certificate in hand. “It was a lifelong journey and I know my whole family has been through a lot, so this is just a day of celebration,” Muhidin said.
Peace initiative sends envoy to Middle East
The naturalization process takes at least five months to complete, from the time the application is submitted to taking the oath of citizenship. In order to be eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship, all non-citizen service members must be a lawful permanent citizen, be at least 18 years of
campus
Contributor
diversity Donna P. Crilly Contributor
Students from the San Diego State Chapter of the Olive Tree Initiative will travel to Israel and Palestine on July 21 to learn about conflict resolution. According to the SDSU website it is a “diverse student, faculty and community initiative promoting dialogue and understanding about conflict zones through experiential education.” Fellowships, fundraisers and $580
paige nelson, photo editor
from Associated Students funded the trip. Those selected were able to raise more than 80 percent of the trip’s total cost, which amounts to about $16,000. The students will stop in Washington, D.C., where they will meet with experts from the U.S. Department of State’s Middle East Partnership Initiative and the U.S. Institute of Peace before flying abroad. They will then spend approximately two weeks learning about Palestinian and Israeli culture by dining with INITIATIVE continued on page 2
age, display good moral character, and pass an English and basic civics proficiency tests. According to Public Affairs Officer for the Southwest Region Marie Sebrechts, almost 80,000 service NATURALIZATION continued on page 2
Health clinic details fees and services for summer Christie Curtis
Olive Tree Initiative candidates, Dolores Carillo, Jacqueline Ramos and Sandy Chavez
dustin micheslon, senior staff photographer
On June 26, San Diego State Student Health Services emailed a brief message and link to a video explaining changes for the Summer 2012 Health Fee to SDSU students. The video, titled “SHS Summer 2012 Fee Update,” focuses on the services available for SDSU students during the summer school term, whether or not a student is enrolled in the summer session. The video summarizes the services offered during summer and the cost is for students. For students taking summer school, the fee is included in tuition and covers the same services offered during fall and spring semesters, which include general medical visits, urgent care, health promotion, labs, x-rays and family planning. The same processes and services for filling prescriptions, immunizations and STD screening are available throughout the summer. Students not enrolled in summer school can still receive
the services for a one-time fee of $129. The total fee is broken down into $110 for the student health fee and $19 for a furnishing fee. This amount is lower than the $175 fee paid during the fall and spring semesters. “It [the fee] is prorated for the number of weeks in the summer term so it is lower,” Medical Director Dr. Gregg Lichtenstein said. After the one-time fee is paid, the student is covered for the entire summer session. “I think that the $129 dollar fee is very reasonable. It is actually pretty cheap compared to if you were to get services at the hospital, especially if you don’t have health insurance,” public health junior Sophia Huynh said. The video also addresses a few exceptions to paying the health fee. Between Aug. 6-17, students from the College of Extended Studies, firsttime students and nursing students do not pay the fee because they may be required to pay for additional testing and immunizations. Instead of visiting the health
After a month of renovation, the reference area located on the first floor of San Diego State’s Dome opened today offering an updated look to an old space. According to the Dean of Library and Information Access Gale Etschmaier, the renovation began after Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs Ethan Singer offered to help pay on new carpet for the first floor of the library. “That was an offer we couldn’t refuse,” Etschmaier said. “We were just delighted because we know students spend so much time in the library.” Etschmaier and other library officials decided to proceed with the renovation, using studentuse fees to update more than the carpet. The changes, which Etschmaier said were based on feedback from student surveys, include new tables receptacles and a variety of seating options. “There are so many needs, and we want to provide the best library for today’s students,” Etschmaier said. SDSU junior Jessica Mercado welcomed the renovation, LIBRARY continued on page 2
The Daily Aztec welcomes:
2012 EOP Summer Bridge students
read about them in our july 23rd issue
SERVICES continued on page 2