Cal State San Marcos’ Supplemental Instruction program received accreditation from the International Center for Supplemental Instruction, becoming one of the nine California State University campuses to join the nationwide list. This national recognition confirms that CSUSM’s Supplemental Instruction (SI) program upholds the International Center’s commitment to academic excellence and student success, demonstrating that it meets national standards for quality peer-led learning and support. Vice Provost Mary Oling-Sisay credited the efforts of Adam Petersen, assistant dean of Undergraduate Studies; Evan Smith, director of Learning and Tutoring Services; and Alex Picasso, SI coordinator. She also noted that the recognition would not have been possible without the collaboration and support of faculty partners, including Lenuta Gonzales, Yasmine Sheraft, Robert Iafe and Alexander Buyain, all of whom provided strong recommendation letters to the accrediting committee. Offered through the Learning and Tutoring Services at CSUSM, SI provides students with an opportunity to collaborate with their classmates and deepen their understanding of course content. The goal of a supplemental instruction program is to promote success by positively impacting the way students learn in challenging courses, such as upper-level psychology, physics and speech-learning pathology. Through SI, students can meet with their peers for in-person and online tutoring sessions. SI was created at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, providing a non-remedial approach to learning that supports success by integrating various learning methods tailored to students’ needs. Media Contact Eric Breier, Interim assistant director of editorial and external affairs ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

When Sol Haro first attended Cal State San Marcos, he felt isolated. Not because of the school – Haro was an active student and involved in campus clubs – but because of a struggle with his identity.  As a Mexican American child of a single parent from a low-income household, he felt a level of pressure to find a place where he thought he belonged. This pressure was amplified by Haro’s gender identity as a transgender man. He felt alone on campus — othered — because he rarely saw his identity reflected around him. “I didn’t see myself in my peers or professors,” Haro said. “I always tell people I’m a triple threat because I’m brown, I came from poverty, and I’m trans. A lot of things have happened in my life, so it's hard to find people who relate to me without disclosing all those things.” Haro graduated last spring with a degree in social sciences, and he now works on campus as a basic needs assistant for the Cougar Care Network. The impact of his work on campus earned him the President’s Student Champion Award for Inclusive Excellence and Diversity this year, and he was honored as the winner at the All Peoples Luncheon on Oct. 23. “Every human being has a right to basic needs, and we should not have to suffer to acquire them,” Haro said during his acceptance speech. By his senior year at CSUSM, Haro realized that what was blocking him from connecting with others was the internal shame he carried as a transgender man. With that in mind, he not only began working on self-acceptance but also sought to be a representation of transgender people in higher education that he longed to see. Last academic year, Haro learned about an opening for a civic engagement ambassador through Service Learning and Civic Engagement. He was drawn in by the office’s advocacy and decided to apply. In his application, he stated that while he is committed to neutrality, his passion is in helping those from underrepresented communities. Soon after becoming an ambassador, Haro began creating a comprehensive and easy-to-understand CalFresh guide for CSUSM students. After going through the challenging and confusing process of applying for CalFresh as a transgender man, Haro used inspiration from his mother to help motivate him to push for a change. “My mom was like, ‘If you don’t like something, then do something about it. No one’s gonna do it for you,’ ” Haro said. The guide is a tool to help all students, but it also highlights issues that transgender students seeking basic needs might encounter, such as what to do when their preferred name doesn’t match their legal name. This was not only a way for Haro to help other students on campus, but also a tool for self-empowerment. “I wanted to create this guide for every student, because getting basic needs is what you deserve. It shouldn’t be so difficult,” Haro said. While his guide focuses on the experiences of transgender, undocumented and mixed-status students, it is for everyone, and Haro encourages all students to apply for CalFresh. “More than half of our students probably qualify for CalFresh, and they’re not doing it because they either don’t know what it is or they have some shame around it,” Haro said. “But if you need that help, there’s no shame in receiving it. You don’t need to suffer for your basic needs.” Breaking the stigma around public assistance programs like CalFresh was also one of Haro’s goals with the CalFresh guide. He saw the shame his mother felt in using programs like CalFresh, Section 8 and Medi-Cal. That shame was amplified by how people reacted when his mom pulled out her benefits card at the grocery store. He said he doesn’t want to see other people struggle the way his mother did just to fulfill their basic needs. “Your physical health, your mental health, food impacts both of those,” he said. “Statistics show that when you have a lack of basic needs, you’re not showing up to class and your grades are dropping. How are you supposed to thrive in school and get your degree if all you’re thinking about is how hungry you are?” Haro has found that seeking assistance can be empowering rather than bringing shame. Creating the guide wasn’t easy. The CalFresh application contains technical language that can be hard for some to interpret. It required cross-referencing documents, taking notes while completing his own application and interviews, and spending hours on research. Every conversation Haro had with a CalFresh representative during this process became a valuable tool to help students. “I wanted the guide to be empowering for people,” Haro said. “Yes, the process is difficult, but once you get the benefits, it’s totally worth it.” Along with the CalFresh guide, Haro has also collaborated with various university departments and student organizations to raise awareness about social justice, voting rights and public policy issues. In 2024, he won the Innovation Hub’s Social Innovation Challenge for his proposal to redesign CSUSM’s commuter hub into a lounge focused on students’ comfort and basic needs. Last year, Haro also contributed artwork that centered on transgender joy and the normalization of transgender identities on campus. The picture, which is on display in the University Student Union, features Haro shirtless, three months after his top surgery. Haro described being open about his transness as “so incredibly scary but so empowering” and “filled with self-love.” As Haro continues his work with the Cougar Care Network, he’s thinking beyond the campus community. What began as a way to navigate his own challenges is now opening doors for others, a step toward lasting change built on lived experience and compassion. “This is representation,” Haro said. “I’m happy, I’m thriving and I’m filled with joy because of who I am.” Media Contact Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

Fernando Amador likes to call himself an accidental archivist. Long before he was an assistant professor of history at Cal State San Marcos, Amador was a doctoral student at New York’s Stony Brook University who was doing field work for his dissertation in Mexico. Hoping to comb through the historical archive of the people of Temacapulin, a small town northeast of Guadalajara, he was surprised to learn that they didn’t have one. What they had was thousands of documents piled haphazardly into boxes, all too vulnerable to environmental damage in the event of, say, a flood. Helping to organize the town’s historical record wasn’t part of Amador’s dissertation, but his conscience wouldn’t allow him to return to New York with the papers in such disarray. So he gave himself a crash course in archival studies – which traditionally is more the domain of librarians – and, with the aid of some volunteers from the community, he led an effort in 2022 to whip the archive into shape. During the three months that Amador was in Temacapulin, word of his project spread to neighboring towns. It just so happened that the Indigenous community of San Juan de la Laguna (La Laguna for short) was in the midst of an effort to organize its own historical documents. The people behind it invited Amador to town, and he discovered that this project involved almost twice as many documents (nearly 20,000), stretching back more than a century earlier, to the late 1600s. “When I saw that this project was a different beast compared to the first one,” Amador said, “I knew we needed more resources and more help.” After a hiatus of a few years – during which he finished his dissertation, earned his Ph.D. from Stony Brook and was hired by CSUSM – Amador finally found himself in position to revisit the La Laguna archive. Last spring, he received a $15,000 grant from the Endangered Archives Programme of the British Library, the largest library in the world and the home of such storied pieces as the original Magna Carta. Over the summer, Amador spent two weeks in La Laguna, and the funding not only paid for his trip, but allowed him to purchase laptops and hire and train five members of the community as full-time workers on the 10-week project. “I never imagined I’d end up in this field, but it truly offers incredible opportunities,” he said. “I get to meet new people and develop skills in an area where, surprisingly, historians often know nothing about – archives. You’d think that’s odd, like chemists not learning about the equipment in their own labs. Now that I’m doing this work, I realize just how striking that gap is between what historians do and the archival side of their profession.” Amador streamlined and accelerated a process that had progressed in fits and starts since his initial visit to La Laguna three years earlier. In helping gather the materials, he found that many of them were stored in unfavorable conditions, such as sacks, cardboard boxes and bound together with string. Many also were marked with water stains. As the group surveyed and created an inventory of the documents, they encountered samples both mundane (countless tax receipts) and captivating. One example was a paper record of a legal battle in the early 20^th century between a town resident and an immigrant from Lebanon. “How did a man from Lebanon end up in this little town?” Amador said. “That whole story sounds fascinating. Discovering history through these documents is, in a way, truly thrilling.” Beyond just the work itself, the biggest challenge that Amador faced was gaining the trust of an Indigenous community that traditionally has had a fraught relationship with the local government and the outside world at large. “With me coming from the United States, people wondered, ‘What are his priorities? Why is he here helping us? What’s in it for him?’ ” he said. “It really came down to open communication – reassuring them that I’m doing this because I love the work and involving them in the process as much as possible.” As the grant-funded initiative wraps up this fall, Amador is considering a return to La Laguna in January to review the finished product in person. And as the domino effect continues, the second project might lead to a third one. Another nearby Indigenous community heard about the work Amador led in La Laguna and requested his support for its archival project, which features more digitized material instead of old, yellowing papers. For that one, which remains in the preliminary stages, he is coordinating with classically trained archivists, namely Sean Visintainer and Jennifer Ho of the CSUSM University Library. He’s also talking with Visintainer and Ho about the possibility of introducing and teaching a history course in archival studies. “I really did stumble into this type of work. I still am even hesitant to call myself an archivist,” Amador said. “I'm learning so much, and there's still so much for me to learn. But it does seem like this is where my career is headed – bringing archival studies and history together in some way.” Media Contact Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist bhiro@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7306

A local folk musician who has been performing for more than a half-century and was heavily influenced by Woody Guthrie has donated his personal archive to Cal State San Marcos. The Special Collections department of the CSUSM University Library recently received the archive of Joel Rafael, a singer-songwriter from San Diego County who has been making music with the Joel Rafael Band and as a solo artist for over 50 years.  Rafael began performing in showcases and small clubs around Southern California in the early 1970s. He opened shows throughout the southwestern United States for artists including Crosby, Stills and Nash, Sheryl Crow, Laura Nyro, Taj Mahal, Iris DeMent, Emmylou Harris and John Lee Hooker. The legendary Jackson Browne wrote of Rafael: “Joel Rafael’s songs are filled with passion and compassion; passion for social justice and compassion for those among us who have to struggle for a place at the table of American prosperity.  His voice is unmistakably his own – big, warm and strong – and a conductor for the human emotions that connect us all.” No influence is more obvious in Rafael’s work than that of Guthrie. Rafael has been a featured performer at the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival in Oklahoma for all but one of its 28 years, and he has five “co-writes” with Guthrie using lyrics given to him by Guthrie’s daughter, Nora. Rafael and his wife, Lauren (a CSUSM alumna), were referred to Special Collections to discuss the disposition of his archive last spring by CSUSM music professor Merryl Goldberg. After an assessment of the collection, Rafael made the commitment to donate his archive to the CSUSM Library; about one-third of the physical materials have been moved to the library to date. “For a few years now, I’ve thought about and wondered what will become of my life’s work spanning 60 years," Rafael said. "I am honored to have found a permanent home for my archives in the Kellogg Library Special Collections at Cal State San Marcos. North San Diego County has been my home for more than half a century. I have watched the evolution of the campus since its founding in 1989. I am heartened that the CSUSM core values of inclusion, culture and stewardship align with my own. Knowing that my work will be protected and available to the public gives me a feeling of peace, resolution and gratitude.” The collection includes master recordings in various formats; documentation of all of Rafael’s (and collaborators’) performances and contracts; scrapbooks and news articles of his life and musical history; flyers, posters and photographs for/of performances and festivals; and fan interactions including letters, email messages and social media posts. “I feel fortunate to know Joel and Lauren and to have the opportunity to steward Joel’s collection," said Jen Fabbi, a Special Collections librarian who has been working with the Rafaels to acquire the collection. “Joel has dedicated his life to social justice and activism through music, and that commitment, along with his talent and persistence, shines throughout this collection. I am excited for students and scholars to have access to it.” Special Collections recently recorded the first part of an oral history interview with Rafael, in which he discusses his early musical influences, his participation in the 1960s counterculture movement and the beginnings of his success in the music industry. A treasure trove of information about Rafael and his music can be found at https://joelrafael.com. For more info, contact Fabbi at jfabbi@csusm.edu. The University Archives and Special Collections staff work closely with donors to identify materials of research interest to be preserved. Although not all papers and records fall within the collecting scope of the unit, please send us an email to discuss a potential donation at archives@csusm.edu. In addition, you can support the mission of Special Collections to preserve North County history by making a donation.

Sometimes even the smallest things can be taken for granted. Many students have never had to worry about affording a meal or squeezing in hours of sleep between their work and school schedules, but that’s not the case for Alexus Foster. Alexus was in and out of the foster care system from the time she was 2 years old. She has lived in countless different states and attended 17 different schools. However, with the help of Cal State San Marcos’ ACE Scholars Services program she is graduating this winter with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and a minor in dance. “ACE has had a really big impact on me,” said Alexus, “and for that I'm very grateful.” Alexus always knew she wanted to pursue higher education because she felt it would help her avoid the challenges her mother faced. Pregnant at 15 years old, Alexus’ mother struggled to raise a child. After her mom was kicked out of Alexus’ grandmother’s house, Alexus was sent to New York to live with her great grandfather. Her mother booked a return flight to California, and Alexus’s childhood was on a new course. Growing up, Alexus experienced the hardships of persistent custody battles and court-mandated counseling therapy. She was constantly moving among different households and family members. Alexus is 29 years old and the oldest of six siblings (the youngest being 15). Alexus was 16 when her siblings entered the foster care system for the first time. Alexus hoped to shield them from the reality that would be foster care. But Alexus and her siblings were apart for almost a year, which was one of the hardest times of her life. Alexus and her siblings have always had a strong bond, celebrating every holiday together at their grandparents’ house growing up. “I love my siblings, and I just want to be the best big sister they could have. If they ever need anything, they can call me,” Alexus said. As complicated as Alexus’ life was growing up, additional struggles began to arise as an adult. After moving out of her mom’s house at 19, trying to complete her degree while managing two jobs to afford her rent became a strenuous task. Alexus was attending Riverside Community College when she learned about ACE Scholars Services. It’s a program that would soon change Alexus’ life for the better. ACE Scholars Services helps former foster youth pursue higher education by providing services and support systems. ACE knows that helping foster youth earn a degree will provide them the tools and self-determination they need to succeed later in life. That’s been the case for Alexus. Alexus worked the overnight shift at the Ontario airport, ending her shift at 7 a.m., then driving from Rancho Cucamonga for her hour-plus commute to campus. When she hadn’t slept all night, ACE provided her a space to get rest during the day. When she didn’t have enough money to afford food or school supplies, ACE was there. When her car broke down, ACE was there.   In October 2024, Alexus lost her job and was evicted, marking the start of a difficult time. However, ACE was once again there to help. “The support that I get from ACE, everything that I've been able to get through in my life is because ACE has always helped me, especially Leigh,” Alexus said. Leigh Quijada has been the director of ACE Scholars Services for the last two years after previously working with the program for 13 years as a counselor. She has played a huge role in Alexus’ life by not only guiding her but helping her get through every obstacle she has faced. “Persistence” and “resilience” were the two words Leigh used to describe Alexus. “I think Alexus might be the only student I’ve had who has been through it all and overcome everything," Leigh said. Leigh has been there for Alexus since the start of her journey at CSUSM and has watched her grow. When Alexus was put on academic probation last year because she had to prioritize going to work to pay her bills rather than attending class, Leigh did everything in her power and helped Alexus get re-enrolled. “She is probably one of the biggest people in my life,” Alexus said. “I wouldn’t be getting my bachelor's without Leigh; she’s definitely my rock.” After the difficult years Alexus endured as a foster child, she is graduating this winter and moving to Texas to begin her master’s studies in kinesiology. She has played sports since she was young and hopes to continue her love for that field as an athletic trainer for professional athletes. “People don't know what I've been through to get to this point,” Alexus said. “It's going to be a very big accomplishment.” Media Contact Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

Cal State San Marcos students filled The Sports Center on Oct. 15 for Cougar Madness, the university's annual event celebrating the beginning of the college basketball season. The men's basketball team opens the regular season by hosting Concordia University on Nov. 14. The women's team also opens Nov. 14 with a home game against Azusa Pacific. Visit the athletics website for complete schedules for both teams. Relive some of the event highlights in the Cougar Madness photo slideshow. Media Contact Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314