THE NEWSPAPER OF SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1913 VOLUME 99, ISSUE 23
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2012
Aztecs lose cherished faculty member campus
COUNTDOWN TO VOTER REGISTRATION DEADLINE:
18 DAYS
SDSU Director of Disability Services was found dead
Check out the best events coming up this month on page 5.
Tara Millspaugh News Editor
San Diego State lost a member of its community on Sunday. Director of Disability Services Mary Shojai, 66, was found killed in her home in Santee. SDSU will never forget her 37 years of service as a dedicated faculty member. During Shojai’s time at SDSU, she secured multi-million dollars in federal and state grants that
antonio zaragoza , editor in chief
She will clearly be missed by our entire campus community. Aaron Bruce Chief Diversity Officer provided critical services for students with disabilities. A colleague told SDSU NewsCenter that Shojai was a
(From left to right) Vice President of Business and Financial Affairs Sally Roush, Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. James Kitchen and Director of Disablity Services Mary Shojai. Shojai was killed on Sunday and will be missed by the entire SDSU community.
“transformational leader…(who) got things done.” Shojai was recognized in 2011 with an SDSU Staff Diversity Award. “She taught us that our campus belongs to our entire community, and the barriers to success—no matter how small—are everyone’s responsibility to address,” SDSU Chief Diversity Officer Aaron Bruce told SDSU NewsCenter. “She will clearly be missed by our
entire campus community.” According to the San Diego Sheriff’s Department press release, officials found Shojai murdered inside her home after responding to a 911 call. The suspect, 64-year-old Paul Tomasini was found inside Shojai’s home suffering from nonlife threatening stab wounds. Tomasini, an acquaintance of Shojai’s, was arrested on suspicion
of murder and hospitalized under guard. Authorities disclosed no suspected motive for the murder and no explanation of how Tomasini suffered his wounds. According to the District Attorney’s office, his arraignment was scheduled for yesterday afternoon but has been postponed because of a jail medical hold.
Happy young professionals reside in SD local
David Hernandez Staff Writer
San Diego has been ranked No. 5 as the happiest city in the U.S. for young professionals to enter the work force, according to data released by CareerBliss. “Through our research, we found that a positive company culture, which focuses on overall happiness and not just compensation, is key for young professionals,” co-founder of CareerBliss Heidi Golledge said. “We have cities ranking higher, even though some are paying less because they offer a happier life for employees who choose to live and work there.” A graduate student survey conducted by San Diego State Career Services for May/August 2012 revealed that the mean reported salary for bachelor’s degrees was $41,215. From those who completed the survey, nearly 75 percent said they would be residing in San Diego, and 45 percent said they would be employed full-time after graduation. SDSU Career Services Director James Tarbox believes that in a struggling economy, students don’t typically consider job satisfaction when searching for work. However, students are again beginning to have the opportunity to consider their happiness with respect to their profession. With more prosperous companies, young professionals receive multiple offers, which allow them to ask
SPORTS
Be sure to check page 3 to see which Mountain West teams the sports staff predict to win
Company restores eyesight campus
Michele Pluss Staff Writer
be something where they can make a difference, or apply what they’ve learned, or see the results of what they’re doing,” Tarbox added. “They’re not cut off in a cubicle, they’re part of a community, they’re making a difference in their community.” In the CareerBliss survey, young professionals “were asked
Wearing a pair of sunglasses can help change the way a person sees the world, and make them look good doing it. Launched in Ocotber 2011, SOLO Eyewear is committed to providing corrective eye surgery and eyeglasses to those who cannot afford them. Since 2011, SOLO has restored vision for 2,400 people, reaching 12 countries around the world. SOLO Chief Executive Officer Jenny Amaraneni has firsthand experience with poor vision. She was inspired to give back after learning nearly 80 percent of the world suffers from blindness. Half of those also suffer from cataracts, although that’s is preventable. However, close to one billion people do not have access to proper eye care. After teaming up
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SOLO continued on page 2
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themselves whether they are going to be happy with a certain job and consider it before accepting an offer, Tarbox said. “I see more of that dialogue coming up that I hadn’t seen in about two years,” Tarbox said. Among the many factors young professionals find important, Tarbox believes employer benefits are among the most important.
“For a long time in (SDSU) Career Services, students didn’t ask about benefits and employers glossed over them and now I see them talking more about them,” Tarbox said. “If you have something that you can get from the employer, that’s important.” Tarbox also believes that students value meaningful work. “For me, meaningful work would