26
August
2024
|
11:46 AM
America/Los_Angeles
By Bri Phillips
Biology student Vasanti Prasad shares some favorites on the first day of classes Monday. Photo by Kirra Robusto
Students sit outside Kellogg Library on the first day of the fall semester Monday. Photo by Luna Canham
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Latest Newsroom
- Celebrating Latinx Heritage MonthIn celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month, Cal State San Marcos’ Latinx Center is partnering with campus organizations to present an exciting lineup of events. The month, which runs Sept. 15-Oct. 15, is an opportunity to celebrate the rich culture and diverse backgrounds of Hispanic-identifying people. Everyone is invited to participate in Hispanic Heritage Month events. Latinx Heritage Month Reception Tuesday, Sept. 10, 5-8:30 p.m., Forum Plaza Kick off Latinx Heritage Month with cultural music, a speaker, games, student org tabling, food and performances. Chingona Fest Tuesday, Sept. 17, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. brunch event, 5-8 p.m. festival event, USU Ballroom Join the Latinx Center and Women and Gender Equity Center for Chingona Fest to celebrate Latinx Heritage Month. My Culture is not a Trend Tuesday, Sept. 24, noon-1 p.m., USU 3300 (Latinx Center) Learn about problematic stigmas that society creates and the inappropriate portrayal of members in the Latinx community. Shared Roots (in collaboration with APIDA) Wednesday, Oct. 2, noon-1 p.m., USU 3300 (Latinx Center) APIDA and Latinx communities will explore shared roots. Cafecito Con Pan Tuesday, Oct. 8, noon-1 p.m., USU 3300 (Latinx Center) Students will hear from success coaches Samantha Bosch and Elizabeth Hernandez. Joteria Night (in collaboration with PRIDE) Thursday, Oct. 10, noon- 1 p.m., USU 3100 (Pride Center) Feminism in Latin America (in collaboration with WGEC) Tuesday, Oct. 15, noon-1 p.m., USU 3200 (WGEC) Media Contact Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314
- Dance Project Addressing Mass Incarceration Highlights Fall Arts & LecturesAn event featuring a dance project that addresses mass incarceration highlights the fall lineup of the longstanding Arts & Lectures series at Cal State San Marcos. This season boasts a diverse selection of five events as the university hosts renowned guest speakers and performances. Attendees can reserve tickets online via the Arts & Lectures website beginning Aug. 26. Mexicans: Hispanic, Chicanos or Native? A Journey of Self-Identification and Cultural Reclamation Sept. 18, 6 p.m., USU Ballroom This lecture by cultural practitioner Grace Sesma dives into the complex identities of Mexicans, exploring the terms Hispanic, Latino, Chicano and Native. Sesma will reflect on the profound impacts of colonization, including the loss of culture, tribal identity, land and community. Through historical narratives and personal stories, she will examine how these identities have evolved and the struggles faced in maintaining cultural heritage. Sesma will highlight the resilience of the communities in reclaiming traditions, language and land, and discuss the significance of self-identification and the ongoing efforts to preserve and celebrate the culture. CSUSM students: Free Faculty/staff/alumni: Free Community: $5 Intersections: Opera and Musical Theater Sept. 27, 7 p.m., Arts 111 Collaborating with esteemed pianist and CSUSM music professor Ching-Ming Cheng, Caroline Nelms will lead a captivating exploration of the parallels between the beloved art forms of opera and musical theater. The concert will highlight pieces that share common characters or storylines, offering a fresh perspective on familiar narratives. The audience can expect an evening of rich vocal performance, along with Nelms’ personal anecdotes, adding a touch of comedy and warmth to the experience. CSUSM students: Free Faculty/staff/alumni: $5 Community: $10 Dancing Through Prison Walls Oct. 8, 6 p.m., USU Ballroom Dancing Through Prison Walls is a California-based dance and performance project whose mission is to amplify voices of incarcerated individuals and address mass incarceration. The event features a screening of the 2021 documentary “Undanced Dances Through Prison Walls During a Pandemic,” which highlights six choreographies written by incarcerated dancers from their bunks inside prison. The dances are performed by members of the Dancing Through Prison Walls community, with deep knowledge in a diversity of styles including hip-hop, breaking, tap, performance art, quebradita, spoken word, butoh and contemporary dance. After the film, artistic director Suchi Branfman will host a community discussion with the Dancing Through Prison Walls team of artists. CSUSM students: Free Faculty/staff/alumni: $5 Community: $10 Musica Latina: Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month With Camarada Oct. 15, noon, Arts 111 Since 1994, Camarada has been creating connections between its San Diego audience, its renowned guest artists and its diverse range of musical programming. Camarada will present Musica Latina, a program for flute, violin, double bass and piano in celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month and including the music of Miguel del Aguila, Manuel Ponce, Astor Piazzolla and Andres Martin. An Argentinian, Martin is a world-renowned composer and bass player whose arrangements and commissions for Camarada reflect the flavor and fervor of contemporary tango as well as the pulse of Latin America. Other performers include Beth Ross Buckley, flute; David Buckley, violin; and CSUSM lecturer Dana Burnett, piano. CSUSM students: Free Faculty/staff/alumni: Free Community: $5 Cities and Cultural Production in the Developing World: Insights From Pune, India Oct. 28, 6 p.m., Arts 111 Kiran Shinde will offer insights on public spaces and public art in Pune – a bustling metro in India – to illustrate how artists, designers, architects and built-environment professionals can contribute to the production of visual culture in a city. Shinde will present several public projects that his team has implemented in Pune to inspire students and staff from different disciplines to take active roles in promoting better visual culture in their cities. He’s the founder of Pune Biennale – a festival of art, design and architecture – and has organized three successful editions of the event in partnership with Pune Municipal Corporation CSUSM students: Free Faculty/staff/alumni: Free Community: $5 Media Contact Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist bhiro@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7306
- From the Baseball Diamond to 'The Bachelorette'Austin Ott had never watched an episode of “The Bachelorette” when he received a DM on Instagram from the show encouraging him to apply. Ott immediately sent it to his mom, who is a huge fan of the show, and she quickly became his No. 1 supporter to try out. Ott later received news that he would travel to Los Angeles and begin filming for the 21st season of the hit ABC series, a reality TV dating show where a single woman meets a group of 25 romantic interests in hopes of finding her future husband. The contestants were introduced in the first episode, which premiered July 8. Each participant made a grand entrance where they met this season's bachelorette, Jenn Tran, for the first time. “The limo entrance was crazy,” Ott said. “You can always have it in your head of how it’ll look, but until it smacks you in the face, you have no idea what that feeling is like. No one can prepare you for that.” However, Ott felt prepared when it came to having an audience. His communication and media studies degree from Cal State San Marcos gave him a foundation to build on. Ott’s first speech in COMM 100 gave him an idea of what being in the public eye might look like. “I think that after you can do that as a freshman, an 18-year-old in college, you're prepared for anything,” Ott said. “It helped me block out the negative and be myself.” Ott owes his experience at Cal State San Marcos to the late Dennis Pugh, the university’s first baseball coach, who recruited him for the team in 2014. “My time at Cal State San Marcos was probably the best years of my life,” said Ott, who graduated in 2019. “There’s nothing better than playing the game you love and being around your best friends.” Even though Ott’s time on the field ended, he never left his baseball roots. His mullet haircut and love for wearing hats is still part of his everyday life. “I don't know if it's the baseball player in me, but ever since I was a little kid, I have always worn a hat everywhere I go, other than when I'm working,” he said. “I probably have 60 to 70 hats in my closet. It's ridiculous.” Ott’s love for his mullet only grew once he flew to Melbourne, Australia, with the cast to film “The Bachelorette’s” third episode. “I kind of fit in a little bit because that's the big haircut in Australia,” Ott said. Once in Melbourne, Ott and three other contestants went on a group date in a high-speed race-car competition. The winner of the race had the chance to spend some time alone with Tran. “Despite the combination of trying to drive stick, which I don’t know how to, and being on the right side, I somehow won it,” Ott said. “That was such a crazy experience. Getting to ride in that car and win the race ended up with me having some extra time with Jenn.” Ott wasn’t sure what would be shown once the episodes began airing, and watching it for the first time with his family and friends was a memorable experience. A scene of “Truth or Dare” was a rather hard watch for Ott. “I had to run around the mansion in my underwear,” Ott said. “When that happened, I had to look away.” While it was awkward for him to watch, Ott shared laughs among family and friends. Ott even made new friendships during filming. “I went there for romance and I left with bromance,” he said. Ott voluntarily left the show in episode five, saying his connection with Tran was not at the same level as the other participants. Ott returned to his job as an account executive with FAIRWAYiQ, a golf course operation technology company in San Diego. He plans to continue his sales career but would love to expand his social media presence. “If there is a little side quest in social media, if I get that opportunity, I would love to do that,” Ott said. “I think I would flourish in it.” Returning home from the show, he was shocked at the love he had received on social media. While he made connections on the show, he made even more through various social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Before the show, Ott had a small following on TikTok where he shared lifestyle videos showing his life in San Diego. Since being on the show, his TikTok account has grown to more than 100,000 followers. Being noticed in public was never an everyday occurrence until now. “I think that’s the craziest switch,” Ott said. “Sometimes when I go to the grocery store or the gym, someone will come up and be like, ‘Hey Austin!’ ” Being on reality television has changed Ott’s life. “It was something I never envisioned for myself, never pictured,” Ott said. “I'm so thankful that I got the opportunity.” Media Contact Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314
- SLP Summer Clinic Boosts Future Professionals, CommunityFor Cal State San Marcos alumni like Nicole Belanger, this summer marked an ideal time to give back. Belanger is a 2020 master’s graduate of CSUSM’s speech-language pathology (SLP) program, and she recently returned to campus as part of the university’s SLP summer clinic. A regional implementation lead for the state-funded Open Access project, she made a significant impact by mentoring students and introducing pediatric clients to augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices. “CSUSM’s SLP program provided me with a solid foundation for a successful career,” Belanger said. “Returning to supervise this summer was my chance to give back to a program that helped shape me as a clinician. I was thrilled to enrich my supervisees’ experience and inspire their passion for the field.” At the summer clinic, which operated for four hours each weekday morning through Aug. 9, Belanger and other supervisors helped 120 pediatric clients and 24 adults receive vital speech and language services at no cost. The program not only provided crucial support to the community, but it also served as a hands-on training opportunity for graduate students in the SLP program. Adrienne Shah, a lecturer and supervisor at the clinic, highlighted the dual benefits of the program. “Our students provided over 3,000 hours of free speech therapy this summer,” Shah said. “It was an incredible opportunity for them to build clinical skills while serving our community.” Shah, who had a positive experience as a CSUSM student, was driven by a desire to support current students. “I wanted them to recognize the value of their hard work and the difference they were making in people’s lives,” she said. Sarah Alapizco, another clinical supervisor, emphasized the importance of building confidence among students. “I aimed to build their confidence and show them that they had the skill set to implement successful therapy,” she said. “The summer clinic also fostered collaboration, helping students support each other and enhance their learning experience.” The clinic’s impact extended beyond the academic and professional spheres. A mother of a young adult client shared her appreciation for the services. “I was so happy that we found this clinic,” she said. “We had never been a part of a program like this, and my son had needed these services for a very long time. This was a special place, and I was excited to continue coming.” Karen Delfau, visiting from France, brought her 10-year-old daughter, Augustine, to the clinic. “I sought a range of speech and communication resources unavailable in my region,” Delfau said. “While visiting family this summer, I was pleased that Augustine could benefit from the program, and I hope to return next year.” For more information about career opportunities in speech-language pathology or to learn about clinic services, visit CSUSM’s SLP department website. Media Contact Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist bhiro@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7306
- Professor Takes Reins of School of Education at Crucial TimeWhen the time came for a leadership change atop Cal State San Marcos’ School of Education this summer, there wasn’t exactly a mad rush of candidates. Teachers, after all, love teaching aspiring teachers how to teach, and the notion of sacrificing that for a largely administrative post can be a hard sell for many. But with the teaching industry still struggling to claw back lost numbers from the pandemic, the job is more essential than ever, and the School of Education thinks it has found the perfect person to lead the way. Moses Ochanji, who’s entering his 21st year as a professor at CSUSM, was officially appointed to a two-year term as the school’s director on Aug. 1. Ochanji has served as associate director for four years under two different directors, and he also has been the chair of the human development department. “I have been looking in at this job for some years,” Ochanji said. “I know a little bit about what the job entails, and I thought it was time for me to raise my hand and do it.” Ochanji has replaced Laurie Stowell, who became School of Education director in January 2021. Stowell, a professor at CSUSM since 1992, is entering the Faculty Early Retirement Program (FERP), which allows tenured faculty to continue teaching after retiring from service. Stowell also will continue to run the San Marcos Writing Project, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. “I think it’s fabulous,” Stowell said of the leadership change. “I talked to him about the job. All of us in the school have thought Moses would be a great leader for a long time, and he’s also a wonderful science educator.” As a professor of science education, Ochanji teaches science methods classes for prospective teachers. He also is the co-principal investigator on two grants in the science education arena: the Mathematics and Science Teacher Initiative (MSTI), a California State University-funded program to help recruit math and science teachers; and the Noyce Teacher Scholars program, a National Science Foundation grant that encourages talented STEM students and professionals to pursue teaching careers. Ochanji and Stowell agree that recruitment is the biggest hurdle facing the School of Education and the teaching profession as a whole. Teachers left the field en masse during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, and the population has yet to recover. At CSUSM this fall, there is the usual distribution of student teacher cohorts – three for the multiple-subject credential, two for single subject and one each for middle school and special education – but the numbers in each cohort are smaller. “When people are leaving the profession, the word goes around,” Ochanji said. “So there are spillover effects. People hear about it and think, ‘Teaching is hard. I don’t want to go into teaching.’ And that discourages more. “Then there’s this national narrative that teachers are not paid well. So it’s, ‘Why would I do something so difficult and not get paid well?’ Those are some of the challenges that we face with many young people.” Both the state and CSUSM are taking action to stem, and even reverse, the tide. The state, for example, has removed the requirement that teachers must pass the California Basic Educational Skills Test, allowing the undergraduate degree to substitute as a measure of competency. California also offers residencies as a way to pay students while they are engaged in student teaching so they don’t need to hold down jobs on the side. At CSUSM, the School of Education is considering bringing back a part-time program or adding the option of a January start so that student teachers have more flexibility. The school has a recruitment committee and faculty recruitment fellow who is studying the challenges that the university is facing and how it can better reach prospective teachers. Despite the enrollment decline, the School of Education has enjoyed some clear successes. Perhaps the best recent example is Project SUPPORT, a five-year, $2.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education that ended last fall. The program greatly increased the number of bilingual teacher candidates to enter the School of Education, to the extent that in the last two years there was almost a full cohort of them (roughly 30 teachers). “One thing that the CSU has pushed is to make teacher recruitment a university-wide event, not just a School of Education activity,” Ochanji said. “We’re all parents, and we want the people who leave our program to be good enough to teach our children. So we all have an interest in making sure that we have good teachers in the classroom helping our students.” Media Contact Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist bhiro@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7306
- Summit at CSUSM Elevates Voices of Young StudentsAs a student affairs professional, Erik Ramirez has attended many meetings in which the primary topic is concerns about enrollment in higher education. What if the best way to address such worries isn’t to brainstorm solutions among administrators in a conference room, but rather to go out and ask the targets of any enrollment push: high school students? That’s the concept behind a national organization called REP4 (of which Cal State San Marcos is a founding partner), and it was main thrust of a REP4 regional summit hosted by CSUSM on June 11-12. “I don’t think it happens often that young people are asked to share their ideas or to tell us what it is that we’re doing wrong or what it is that we could be doing better to serve them,” said Ramirez, director of initiatives and partnerships for CSUSM’s Division of Student Affairs, and the organizer of the summit. REP stands for “Rapid Education Prototyping,” and it aims to engage young students to solve problems in higher education. Earlier this month, for the first time, CSUSM held a two-day summit that brought together 37 high school students along with eight CSUSM student mentors, three CSUSM professors and some staff members. The high school students were 10th through 12th graders from Los Angeles County who have migrant and seasonal farmworker backgrounds. They were already on campus as participants in the second annual Migrant Scholars Summer Institute, a 10-day program through which students live at CSUSM and get a head start on experiencing what college is like. The summit took place in the Innovation Hub and the University Library Reading Room. The students were split into seven groups, and each group started with a team-building activity that involved building a tower out of raw spaghetti. With a CSUSM undergraduate mentor embedded in each team, the students then were introduced to the notion of design thinking by the trio of CSUSM faculty: sociology professor Matthew Atherton, social work professor Jimmy Young and Sajith Jayasinghe, chair of the chemistry and biochemistry department. The faculty teach different disciplines in different colleges, but all are experts in design thinking, a framework for grappling with real-world problems by trying to empathize with the community that the problem affects. It’s an iterative process with multiple stages: understanding the problem, devising various possible solutions, creating a prototype of the solution you decide on, then testing and evaluating it. Once they had settled into their teams, the high school students were presented with a prompt: How do we make college more attractive, inclusive and accessible? Guided by the professors and using the principles of design thinking, the teams went through a series of activities to determine how to tackle the prompt. Some focused on the difficulty of picking a college, others on the financial aspect or a sense of belonging. “Then based on what particular issue they wanted to address or they identified, they proposed a solution,” Ramirez said. The proposals were made in the manner of a business-style quick-pitch competition – think the TV show “Shark Tank” – and, in the end, two top pitches were selected. The first was for a peer mentor program called Adopt a Buddy that would pair new students with upperclassmen who would serve as their mentor during their first year at a university. Participation would be incentivized by things like academic credit for the mentors and free swag for the mentees. The second pitch was for a phone app titled Uni-verse through which college students would create youth-oriented content to help high school students learn about universities in California and ameliorate the issue that many feel of overwhelming choices. The app could be scaled to include virtual reality tours of individual campuses. “The most rewarding part was seeing their confidence build throughout the process,” Atherton said. “As the students were able to start creating and refining their innovations, you could see them getting excited about their proposals. Seeing the students gain confidence each time they presented their idea to a new audience during the final event shows the power of active, experiential learning opportunities.” Each member of the winning teams received a $200 credit for the CSUSM bookstore. More significantly, from a university perspective, the two winning pitches will be submitted this fall to the REP4 national conference, where the best two pitches from all the regional summits across the country will be chosen to receive funding as a prototype. Media Contact Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist bhiro@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7306
