In honor of Black Excellence Month, Cal State San Marcos’ Black Student Center is hosting a series of events to celebrate and foster empowerment among the CSUSM Black community through the arts, education, student engagement and community initiatives.  The festivities will conclude with the annual Black Excellence Awards Gala on Feb. 27. In addition to the listed events, plans are in the works for events that include a meet-and-greet with the Black Faculty & Staff Association, and Networking with Excellence through the Career Center. Black Excellence Month events are open to all students and the campus community.   Black Excellence Month Flag-Raising Ceremony and Lunch Feb. 4, 11:30 a.m., Chavez Circle flagpole/USU Ballroom Start the month of celebration with words of welcome, encouragement and reflections from members of the campus community followed by a celebratory lunch. This event serves as a powerful reminder of the rich cultural heritage and the ongoing pursuit of equity and justice. All are welcome to attend and engage with the BSC community, fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of Black excellence.   Black Brilliance In Motion: A Workshop for Black-Identifying Males With Hip-Hop Artist Quentin Robinson Feb. 4, noon, Arts Building 101/Black Student Center (USU 4200) In collaboration with Arts & Lectures, this workshop will help Black men use movement to connect with who they are and create their own path. Following the workshop, at 1 p.m., attendees are invited to an Q&A session with Robinson in the Black Student Center. The event is open to students, staff and faculty.   Creating Our Excellence: A Keynote With Kevon Lee Feb. 11, noon, Black Student Center (USU 4200) Lee, a motivational speaker, will deliver a speech empowering students to chart their path with excellence. Attendees will leave with a greater skill set to navigate the societal context in which we exist.   Divine Nine Panel Feb. 13, noon, Black Student Center (USU 4200) All are invited to learn about the National Pan-Hellenic Council and expand their network through the Divine Nine, which represents all nine member NPHC organizations.   Carnaval Feb. 13, 5 p.m., USU Ballroom Join this annual collaboration with the Latinx Center to celebrate with cultural games, food and entertainment.    Black Student Center Birthday Hour Feb. 18, noon, Black Student Center (USU 4200) Come celebrate the Black Student Center’s eighth birthday! This event is intended to honor the history of the center while continuing to push for progress in the years ahead.   Black Excellence Awards Gala Feb. 27, 5:30 p.m., USU Ballroom The Black Student Center is hosting this inaugural event in collaboration with Tukwut Life to celebrate and highlight the Black community. The evening will be a showcase of achievements and inspiring stories from our vibrant community. Guests are encouraged to dress in their finest attire to honor the occasion and the remarkable accomplishments being celebrated. Please RSVP using this form by Feb. 17 Media Contact Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

Suzanna Krivulskaya is a Cal State San Marcos history professor who specializes in the history of religion and sexuality. It’s only natural, then, that her first book is about one particular way that those two topics have intersected in American life.  Jan. 17 was the publication date of Krivulskaya’s debut book, titled “Disgraced: How Sex Scandals Transformed American Protestantism.” The book is described by its publisher, Oxford University Press, as a “sweeping religious and cultural history of Protestant sex scandals in 19th- and 20th-century America” as Krivulskaya “investigates the cultural consequences of scandal, what demands the public made of religion in response to revelations of pastoral misdeeds and how Protestantism itself changed in the process.” Krivulskaya, who has worked at CSUSM since 2019, says she’s thrilled that the book is out in the world. “The project is the culmination of years of research, draft workshops in communities of deep thinkers, and revisions,” she said. “I hope that the topic will attract a broad readership, and I hope that they learn from the many fascinating stories I tell in the book.” “Disgraced” originated as Krivulskaya’s dissertation during her time as a Ph.D. student at the University of Notre Dame from 2015 to 2019. In the course of her research for the project, she combed newspaper archives from the first half of the 1800s, which witnessed the emergence of human interest journalism. She then traced how the U.S. press covered the stories of ministerial downfalls through the late 1900s.  “It turns out that sex scandals have not been mere aberrations in the history of American religion. In fact, they have plagued churches since the birth of the modern press in the 1830s,” Krivulskaya said. “Initially, newspapers were hesitant to report on stories of ministers’ sexual transgressions because they wanted to protect the sanctity of Protestantism, which was the faith of the majority. But ministers kept getting caught up in scandals.  “By the end of the century, the press was on a crusade to expose all manner of hypocrisy among the nation’s leaders. Churches and religious institutions, in turn, strategized about addressing the crisis in their midst – to varying degrees of success. Scandals continued to propel newspaper sales and excite public sentiment, ultimately compelling Protestant institutions to attempt to handle matters internally to protect their reputations.  “By the late 20th century, a culture of secrecy and the rise of charismatic religious celebrities enabled tremendous abuses of power, as the scandals of multiple televangelists demonstrate. And, at the same time, scandal ceased to shock the public, thereby losing some of its generative potency.” Krivulskaya says her goal is for readers to come away from the book with a deep understanding of the major developments in journalism, religion and sexuality since the 19th century. She also wants readers to feel inspired to hold religious institutions accountable in the wake of scandals.  “Finally, I hope readers have fun,” she said. “The stories I tell in this book are fascinating, and the characters are colorful and compelling. I hope my narrative does them justice, and I hope my readers get to know these historical figures in all their messiness and complexity.” “Disgraced” is available for purchase on Amazon. It also can be bought at Oxford University Press for 30% off using the discount code AUFLY30. Media Contact Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist bhiro@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7306

The spring Arts & Lectures series will open with a day-long cypher and battle led by two notable hip-hop artists, Johnny Lopez (Johnny 5) and Quentin Robinson (SpecialFX).  Born in Oakland, Johnny5 is a Latino professional turf dancer and the founder of TURFinc, a Bay Area company that instills positive changes in the community through dance. SpecialFX is a father of two, a Marine Corps veteran and the founder of Movements 4 Movements. At CSUSM, they will share hip-hop dance and culture during an event that includes guest lectures, dance workshops and a cypher featuring authentic hip-hop dancers, performances, competitions and classes.  The event is from 1-10 p.m. on Feb. 5 in the USU Ballroom. Reserve tickets online via the Arts & Lectures website.  CSUSM’s Arts & Lectures series offers a diverse lineup of artistic, cultural and scholarly events every semester based on input and proposals from students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members.     What: Arts & Lectures event “All-Out Turf & Popping Hip-Hop Cypher and Battle”  Who: Johnny Lopez (Johnny 5) and Quentin Robinson (SpecialFX), two notable hip-hop artists  When: 1-10 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 5  Where: USU Ballroom  Cost: Free for CSUSM students; $5 for faculty, staff and alumni; $10 for community members  Tickets: Visit the Arts and Lectures ticket webpage  Media Contact Eric Breier, Interim assistant director of editorial and external affairs ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

The Cal State San Marcos University Library has received the 2025 Library Excellence in Access and Diversity (LEAD) Award from the largest and oldest diversity and inclusion publication in higher education.  This marks the second year that Insight Into Diversity magazine has presented the LEAD Award, which honors academic libraries’ programs and initiatives that encourage and support DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) across their campus. These include, but are not limited to, research, technology, accessibility, exhibitions and community outreach.   The CSUSM library was honored for the second year in a row and will be featured, along with 33 other recipients, in the March 2025 issue of Insight Into Diversity magazine.  “The University Library is deeply honored to receive this recognition again because we believe that libraries are more than just places to access information – they are vital hubs where every member of our community feels seen, valued and empowered,” said Toni Olivas, the library’s interim co-dean for faculty and system affairs. “This acknowledgment reflects our ongoing efforts to celebrate diverse voices, foster inclusivity and create a welcoming space for everyone. Whether it’s through our multilingual collections, culturally rich programming or partnerships with community organizations, we are dedicated to breaking barriers and building connections.” Insight Into Diversity magazine selected the CSUSM library because of its many diversity initiatives, including the infusion of DEI in its recently completed strategic plan; hiring a bilingual (Spanish and English) librarian to work with student families and the larger community; its support of underrepresented authors and researchers; art installations with DEI themes; and mandatory and valued DEI work in the librarian tenure process.  “We know that many academic libraries are not always recognized for their dedication to diversity, inclusion and access” said Lenore Pearlstein, owner and publisher of Insight Into Diversity magazine. “We are proud to honor these college and university libraries as role models for other institutions of higher education.”  A call for nominations for this award was announced in October.  Insight Into Diversity also annually hands out the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award, which recognizes U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion. CSUSM last fall received the HEED Award for the 11^th consecutive year.   For more information about the 2025 LEAD Award, visit insightintodiversity.com. 

For most of her life, Patrice Amon has bristled at the popular notion that Latino people vote as one monolithic bloc. So when she came across a script last year that delves into that very subject, she knew she had to make it her next stage production. The result is “The Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx/Latine Vote,” a play that will be performed at Cal State San Marcos on Wednesday night. Directed by Amon, the chair of CSUSM’s theater department, the show will take place at 7 p.m. in Room 111 of the Arts Building. Tickets are free. “There’s often an assumption that different parts of the Latino community will all act the same,” Amon said. “There is an abundance of diversity within the community. There’s a variety of languages that are spoken, a wide array of racial identities that we hold, a diversity of religions we practice. In that way, it is overly simplistic to imagine that all Latinos vote in a single bloc. There’s such diversity within the community that our voting practices are often just as diverse as we are.” “The Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx/Latine Vote” centers on Paola Aguilar, a university professor who’s an expert in Latinx studies and who’s in debt from years of fertility treatments. Facing financial strain, she accepts a lucrative offer from a political party seeking to decode and capture the titular vote ahead of an impending election. As Paola navigates the party’s often superficial understanding of her community, the play satirizes the oversimplification of Latino identities. The script was written by Bernardo Cubria, a Mexican playwright who lives in Los Angeles. Cubria based the story on his own experiences of volunteering for the Democratic Party and going through in vitro fertilization with his wife. Amon saw an early reading last January at The Old Globe’s Powers New Voices Festival and decided to produce it through TuYo Theatre, a San Diego company that specializes in Latinx narratives and for which she is co-artistic director. The play opened on Jan. 3 at a high school in Chula Vista, and after the show at CSUSM, it also will be staged at High Tech High and San Diego State. The 90-minute comedy features a cast of six, including Kevane Coleman, the administrative coordinator for the CSUSM art, media and design department who’s also a professional actor, singer and dancer. Coleman plays the role of Bernard, a political adviser who works with three other advisers to recruit Paola to help bolster the party's share of the Latino vote. Bernard and his partner have been on their own IVF journey, and he uses that as a way to befriend Paola after she has a miscarriage.  “When audiences, especially our students, come to see this play, I know many of them will see themselves reflected on stage,” Coleman said. “That representation is powerful and vital to the work we do as artists, but also the work that we do within each of our communities. As the president of the Black Faculty and Staff Association on campus, this production has also been an extraordinary learning experience for me. To be immersed in the Latin community by doing this show, it has broadened my understanding of critical issues facing this community.” Besides faculty in Amon and staff in Coleman, “The Hispanic Vote” also has CSUSM representation in the crew from Abby Chacon, a senior theater major who’s serving as assistant stage manager. About 40 tickets for the show are available. To reserve a seat, email info@tuyotheatre.org. “I think this play will resonate with our students and the larger campus community,” Amon said, “because we all want to live in a world where we spend more time thinking about the nuances of our world.” Media Contact Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist bhiro@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7306

Welcome to the spring semester! We hope you have enjoyed a restorative winter break. We look forward to our work together this spring in support students’ academic success. Learning & Tutoring Services for Spring 2025 The learning centers are at the heart of the direct academic support the Office of Undergraduate Studies (OUGS) provides CSUSM students. Virtual and in-person academic support is available. For a list of specific courses supported, visit our website. We look forward to working with you to ensure students have access to available academic resources.    STEM Success Center supports courses in these disciplines: Biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics and physics Writing Center: Supports writing in all courses Supplemental Instruction supports courses in these disciplines: Biology, chemistry, economics, physics, psychology and speech-language pathology NetTutor supports courses in these disciplines: Business, economics, finance, history, psychology, political science, philosophy, Spanish, statistics for human development, and statistics for psychology Language for your Syllabi/Cougar Course Container Faculty are our most powerful partners in engaging students with academic support resources on our campus. To assist you in directing students to campus academic support resources, we have drafted language to include on your syllabi/Cougar Course Containers. We encourage you to share this link with your students. When do we open to students? Students are welcome to visit Learning & Tutoring Services to see the space or study beginning Jan. 21. Tutoring begins Jan. 27 and is open Mondays through Thursdays from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Fridays from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Where? The second floor of the Extended Learning Building. The STEM Success Center is in ELB 250. The Writing Center is in ELB 201 for in-person tutoring (see our website for virtual support options). Do students visit the academic learning centers? Yes. Supported by roughly 120 trained peer educators, the STEM Success Center, Writing Center, Supplemental Instruction (SI) program, and NetTutor supported more than 19,000 student visits during the 2023-24 academic year. This includes an 8.8% increase in unique visits from the 2022-23 academic year.  Nearly 7,000 students visited Learning & Tutoring Services in Fall 2024. Thank you, faculty and staff, for directing students to these learning centers and for your key role in recommending students to serve as peer educators in Learning & Tutoring Services. We can support many more students, so please continue to direct them to us. To what effect? Data suggest that students who make at least five visits to a single learning center per semester in support of a specific course tend to earn higher grades. Visiting the learning centers early and often is sage advice. In the words of one of our peer educators, “The more you go, the more you know.”  Friendly Suggestions: Add this language to your syllabi and Canvas course containers. Encourage students to stop by LTS during the first week of the semester to get acquainted. They can simply come by to look around. Encourage students to make use of the free tutoring at least once during weeks 1-3. Remind your students that LTS is a safe space to learn. Encourage them to bring a friend with them when they visit LTS. Remind your students that with regular visits to LTS early and often throughout the semester, their learning will be deeper, and their GPA will likely be higher.  Feel free to reach out to us with your questions and suggestions.  In his role as assistant dean, Adam Petersen supervises Learning & Tutoring Services. You can reach him at apetersen@csusm.edu. For Learning & Tutoring Services questions, contact Evan Smith (esmith@csusm.edu), Learning & Tutoring Services Director. For Writing Center questions, contact Allison Reyes (ajreyes@csusm.edu), Associate Director of LTS for Writing Support. For STEM Success Center questions, contact Paulina Coronado (pcoronado@csusm.edu),  Associate Director of LTS for STEM Support. For Supplemental Instruction (SI) questions, contact Alex Picasso (apicasso@csusm.edu), SI Coordinator.  We know that the more students believe they belong, the better they do academically.  Thank you for all you do to enrich this vibrant learning community. Best wishes for a wonderful spring semester. Dawn M. Formo Dean, Undergraduate Studies Adam Petersen Assistant Dean, Undergraduate Studies