The fifth Arts and Lectures event of the semester features jose e. abad, who is a multidisciplinary choreographer, DJ and curator who centers their work around the complexities of cultural identity.  The presentation, “Rhythmic Ancestries: Film Screening with Choreographer/DJ/Curator jose e. abad,” is at 2 p.m. on Nov. 1 on Zoom. The event is free for Cal State San Marcos students; community members, faculty and staff can make a donation if they wish.  Rooted in collaboration and improvisation as tools of resistance and liberation, abad focuses on QTBIPOC experimental collective process-based practices of becoming and re-membering. The event will highlight the most intelligent technologies that exist in this world – our bodies, ancestral wisdom and nature. abad will present three short films followed by conversation. CSUSM’s Arts and 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. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, all events in the fall series are occurring virtually. Attendees can reserve tickets online via the Arts & Lectures website.   What: Arts and Lectures event “Rhythmic Ancestries: Film Screening with Choreographer/DJ/Curator jose e. abad” Who: jose e. abad, multidisciplinary choreographer, DJ and curator  When: 2 p.m., Nov. 1 Where: Zoom (link available by registering online)  Cost: Free for CSUSM students; optional donation for faculty, staff and community members Tickets: Register online Information: Arts and Lectures website  Media Contact Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

Like many Americans, Kiora Ridgeway took to the streets after the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in May 2020. The Cal State San Marcos sociology student and volleyball player was in her hometown of Portland at the time, having completed her sophomore year at CSUSM. Several times that summer, she ventured downtown to join in some of the largest and most visible protests in the nation, with thousands of people making their voices heard and sometimes encountering police who deployed tear gas and riot gear against them. “I felt like I had to do something,” Ridgeway said. “I knew that there were people standing up for what's right down the street from my house. I was like, ‘I have to go out there; I have to take a stand, physically take a stand, for all the injustice that's happening.’ I think that experience really empowered me to speak up for what's right.” Her feeling of empowerment was no summer dalliance. Over the ensuing weeks, she spoke multiple times with her coach, Andrea Leonard, and teammates about how to translate her newfound activist voice into action. When she returned to San Marcos that August, she seized on the momentum within the athletic department and pushed for progress toward increased diversity and inclusion. As a result of her efforts over the past year, Ridgeway was selected this month as one of two winners of the President’s Student Champion Award for Inclusive Excellence and Diversity. She received the award, along with co-winner Ashley Gallardo, at CSUSM’s All Peoples Luncheon on Oct. 12. “It's not ever something that I thought I would get any recognition for. That was never my aim,” Ridgeway said. “I think it's really special that the school has an award like this to recognize student effort to make this campus more equitable and enhance the student experience. I'm really grateful that it exists and that I was chosen.” When Ridgeway came back from Portland in the summer of 2020, Leonard connected her with Jennifer Milo, director of athletics, who was receptive to hearing Ridgeway’s ideas about how to help effect change in the department. Milo appointed Ridgeway as one of several athletes on the newly formed Cougars Against Racial inEquality (CARE) Squad, designed to ensure an inclusive, safe and diverse atmosphere for student-athletes. Ridgeway also was chosen to serve as the diversity and inclusion contact on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, through which she organized the athletic department’s statement of solidarity with the Black community after Floyd’s death. And she’s the only athlete from CSUSM, and one of only two in the 12-school California Collegiate Athletic Association, to be a member of the CCAA Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. Through her involvement with the latter group, Ridgeway developed a keen interest in diversity hiring practices that she brought back to the CARE Squad, working with the team to advocate for hiring committees with diversity as a major priority. With that focus in mind, the athletic department hired several assistant coaches last summer as competition was set to resume after a year lost to the pandemic, and Ridgeway is pleased with the outcome. “I think Jen Milo took those points into consideration of really making sure that we don't just look locally, we look nationwide for people to come to a university that prides itself on diversity and protecting it,” she said. “It's making an impact where people are being intentional about that now – not just trying to show face, but really trying to take the time to look at how diversity can enhance an institution.” Ridgeway imported other ideas to the CARE Squad, such as creating an open forum for student-athletes and department staff to discuss social justice and cultural diversity, and improving the collaboration between athletics and Student Life. To that end, she organized a wellness and equity resource fair that was held outside The Sports Center in late August. The fair featured student-athletes from every sports team mixing with representatives from all five Student Life Centers for Identity, Inclusion and Empowerment; Student Health and Counseling Services; and many other student organizations.   Ridgeway was inspired to lay the groundwork for the event by her experience upon transferring to CSUSM in 2019 from Long Island University, which had moved to cut the volleyball program the previous year. She had been part of the Black Student Union at LIU and hoped to recreate that experience at her new school. But it proved to be harder than she expected.  “I went in to the Black Student Center, and I was super intimidated,” Ridgeway said. “Not that I felt uncomfortable, but it was really hard for me to try to introduce myself and get myself acclimated in that space. My goal with the resource fair was to remove that intimidation factor, and I think it was really successful in making that connection between student-athletes and everything this campus has to offer.”  Leonard, who nominated Ridgeway for the Student Champion Award, was struck by the drive that Ridgeway carried back from her summer of protest in Portland.  “What impressed me was her commitment and her sense of urgency to act,” Leonard said. “She was involved and suggested things, created dialogue and established connections immediately without being guided. Kiora has the ability to bridge gaps, create understanding and provide unity in times of uncertainty.”  Ridgeway credits that ability in part to her family and her hometown. The daughter of a Black father and a Filipino mother, she was exposed to a wealth of cultural diversity as a child. She attended a Catholic grade school and high school that drew from a wide range of races and ethnicities.   “I got all ends of the spectrum growing up,” she said. “Coming here, I wanted to bring that along, experience as many different people as I could. Portland has definitely influenced me in that way.”  Ridgeway had been aiming to complete her degree in May, but she’s enjoying her return to collegiate volleyball so much that she’s leaning toward playing one more season next fall and graduating that December. A Spanish minor, she afterward plans to pursue a Spanish immersion program in Central America. Her career ambition is to work as a community outreach coordinator for a sports team.   “The work I’m doing now has helped me realize that I want to help people in the community,” Ridgeway said. “I would love to be a bridge between professional athletes and them working in the communities around them. I want to highlight marginalized people and help them get more opportunities while being around sports.”  Media Contact Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist bhiro@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7306

New Student & Family Programs is accepting applications for Orientation Team (O-Team) for the spring 2022 semester. The application priority deadline is Nov. 1. O-Team members are responsible for welcoming new students and their families to the CSUSM community by creating a positive orientation experience. Team members work collaboratively alongside New Student & Family Programs professional staff and campus partners to support New Student Orientation sessions for over 4,000 first-year and transfer students. In addition to completing an application, prospective O-Team members will complete a 30-minute individual interview via Zoom and participate in a group interview. A complete position description and application checklist is available online. Being part of O-Team will help students develop effective communication skills and many transferable career skills. O-Team members also receive priority registration for the fall 2022 semester and CSUSM apparel. Visit the O-Team website for more information. Media Contact Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

Ashley Gallardo never could have imagined a career in speech-language pathology when she moved to Southern California from Guam to pursue higher education. Gallardo attended Long Beach City College before transferring to Cal State Fullerton to study communications. But it was almost a decade from the time she started until she received her bachelor’s. College was put on hold for many of those years so Gallardo could care for her father after he suffered a debilitating stroke. It was from that tragedy that Gallardo found a new calling. “That is actually how I was introduced to the world of speech pathology,” Gallardo said. “I didn't even know it existed. I learned, first and foremost, from the caregiver side. And then I was like, ‘Wow, this is a really interesting domain. I think I could really get into this.’ And even though my father did pass, I think he would be very proud of that.” Gallardo completed her studies in communications at Fullerton after her father’s death, but learning through his health struggles about speech, swallowing and communication issues faced by stroke victims left a lasting impression. As Gallardo began researching speech-language pathology programs, she was drawn to Cal State San Marcos’ master’s program because of its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. The speech-language pathology field is composed of 92% white females, and few of the people of color are Asian Pacific Islander Desi American. Gallardo wants to be part of changing that number, and her achievements in advancing CSUSM’s goals in the areas of diversity, inclusive excellence, educational equity and social justice were recently recognized by President Ellen Neufeldt, who presented Gallardo with the President’s Student Champion Award for Inclusive Excellence and Diversity at the university’s All Peoples Luncheon on Oct. 12. “I'm honored,” Gallardo said. “And even though I'm a communications grad and an SLP major, I was speechless when I found out.” Gallardo has been an integral member of the student organization Students of Speech and Language for Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (SSLIDE), a group that grew out of discussions that speech-language pathology faculty and staff organized to help students struggling in the wake of the George Floyd murder. SSLIDE aims to increase diversity in the SLP field, address health disparities in diverse populations, and increase education around systemic racism. Gallardo volunteered to chair SSLIDE’s marketing subgroup and wrote a vision statement that received unanimous approval from the members: We will change the face of speech-language pathology through inclusion, diversity, and equity. We will set the precedent of diversity in the SLP world by elevating awareness and taking righteous action. “A unique feature of the SLP department is that we have a student-led group that is tied into the department’s DEI strategic plan,” said speech-language pathology professor Sue Moineau, who nominated Gallardo for the President’s Student Champion Award. “Ashley put in noteworthy effort researching DEI initiatives, presenting at our monthly meetings and following up across various entities to ensure that all student, faculty and staff voices were heard and represented in the vision and in the marketing plan that was evolving in 2020." Gallardo’s work with SSLIDE led to other notable opportunities. She participated in a leadership panel for student inclusion and diversity at Cal State Northridge and at the California Speech Language Hearing Association Conference earlier this year. Gallardo also is part of a CSUSM team that developed a presentation called “Taking Righteous Action – Changing SLP Diversity Statistics Through the Creation of Student Organizations,” which the group will present next month at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Convention. Gallardo completed CSUSM’s post-baccalaureate SLP preparatory program last year and will graduate with her master’s in May 2023. In addition to the faculty and staff of CSUSM’s speech-language pathology department, she said the support of her family has been vital, including her husband, Steven, their three young children and her sister, Nicole Williams, who helped care for their father. And Gallardo is looking forward to a career dedicated to helping young children in a Title 1 elementary school, which include children from a high percentage of low-income families. “Ashley is a dedicated and conscientious student who has maintained exceptional grades while engaging in extracurricular activities aimed at increasing diversity in the field of speech-language pathology,” Moineau said. “Not only does she represent diversity within the field, but she is also a strong advocate for inclusionary practices and equitable treatment for all. “Her contributions thus far reflect a student committed to CSUSM’s goals of creating access, fostering success, and practicing inclusive excellence by setting and maintaining a welcoming climate for all.” Media Contact Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

The Cal State San Marcos faculty has grown more diverse this semester. A new program at the university helped make it that way and will do its best to keep it that way.  Seven new professors are on campus this fall as CSUSM has joined the ranks of universities across the country that are instituting cluster hire initiatives. Cluster hiring is the process of adding new faculty in groups rather than individually, with a goal of building up the research interests and pedagogical concerns particular to people of color.   “When a single person who’s interested in diversity issues gets hired, they’re often the lone voice,” said Andrew Spieldenner, a communication professor at CSUSM. “So the idea is to build up a cohort that has a stronger voice together, and that these cohorts also would be able to share best teaching practices, publish together, do things to enrich the campus life.”  In addition to his teaching role, Spieldenner is a faculty fellow in the Office of Inclusive Excellence, which is directing the cluster hire initiative, a recommendation from the Faculty of Color workgroup. A couple of years ago, Spieldenner and the OIE began the push to diversify the faculty in this manner, but the effort really accelerated when Carl Kemnitz started his tenure as provost in the summer of 2020.   Kemnitz was a big advocate of cluster hires, having managed them at his previous job at San Jose State, and was eager to see the initial one implemented at CSUSM. With the blessing of President Ellen Neufeldt, he threw resources behind the initiative, and it all came together this year.   The seven new faculty members represent two of the four colleges on campus and six different departments (see bios below). Their areas of expertise range from ethnic studies to biological sciences.   “Sometimes the cluster is in one discipline, and other times it’s in a variety of disciplines. In our case, it's a variety of disciplines,” said Aswad Allen, CSUSM’s chief diversity officer. “And it does improve the interdisciplinary collaboration across campus.”  After helping to shepherd the cluster hire initiative into existence, Spieldenner is on sabbatical this semester. Taking over day-to-day management of the program is sociology professor Lori Walkington, who began over the summer by planning events designed specifically for the cohort through the New Faculty Institute, an orientation organized by the Faculty Center at the start of each school year. Walkington also will be meeting with the cluster hires monthly for their first year on campus.   “We do a good job of recruiting people of color, and not such a great job of retaining people of color in multiple positions,” Walkington said. “I’m welcoming this cluster into the village that we are hoping to set up for them so they can plant roots and we can keep them here for our students. We need to have faculty who remain.”  A unique aspect of the program is an interdisciplinary research project that the new professors design, collaborate on and gather grant funding for.   “I’ve been hearing some really promising and creative ideas for how to implement ethnic studies in STEM courses from this cluster hire already,” Walkington said. “To have these diverse disciplinary offerings in the same space, doing critical approaches to this work and feeding off each other is already sparking types of knowledge that I don't think would be possible from a group of new faculty if they weren't part of a cluster like this.”  Both Walkington and Spieldenner praised campus leadership for taking concrete action that lives up to the diversity pledges in CSUSM’s mission statement.   “More has been done toward that mission statement since 2019 than I have ever seen,” said Walkington, who earned a bachelor’s degree from CSUSM in 2005 and a master's in 2011 before returning to the university as an assistant professor three years ago. “I think that the new administration is a big part of that. Something is different, and I’m here for it.”  Allen, who has been in the chief diversity officer position since July, said the knowledge that the cluster hire initiative was in the works helped reinforce to him that he made the right decision in deciding to join the university.   “What we're doing with this initiative is transforming the institution to move in the direction of and fulfill the promises that we have committed to,” he said. “It's as simple as that. It doesn't happen unless the faculty lead the way, and that's what's happening right here.”    Cluster hire cohort  Marcelo Garzo Montalvo, ethnic studies  Garzo Montalvo (he/they) is a musician, dancer and ethnic studies scholar-activist. He is a first-generation Chilean-Canadian-American of Mapuche and Spanish descent. They hold a B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. in comparative ethnic studies from UC Berkeley, and were a community college transfer student from MiraCosta, Cabrillo and San Diego City colleges. Their teaching and research focus on comparative and critical approaches to Black, Indigenous, Latinx and Xicanx studies as well as dance and performance studies. Before coming to CSUSM, Garzo Montalvo served as visiting assistant professor of Latinx studies in Harvard University’s Committee on Ethnicity, Migration, Rights (EMR), and as the coordinator of Indigenous technologies at the Berkeley Center for New Media.     Lisa Graves, psychology  Graves earned a Ph.D. in 2019 from the SDSU/UC San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, with a major area of study in neuropsychology. She is a licensed psychologist in the state of California, and has extensive experience in neuropsychological assessment of adults with known or suspected neurological dysfunction, including mild cognitive impairment and dementia within the context of neurodegenerative disease, cerebrovascular disease and traumatic brain injury. Her current research program includes examining influences of risk and protective factors on cognitive, functional and biomarker trajectories, particularly among culturally diverse and historically underrepresented populations.     Mikee Inton-Campbell, women’s, gender and sexuality studies  Inton-Campbell is a trans academic and activist from the Philippines. She earned her Ph.D. in cultural studies at Lingnan University as a Hong Kong Ph.D. fellow. Her work centers on representations of queerness in Philippine and Asian cinema and media. She has extensive teaching experience, having taught courses on media studies, gender studies and film studies at the University of the Philippines Diliman, the University of Hong Kong and De La Salle University Manila. She is also an advocate for trans rights; she serves as a board member of the Society of Trans Women of the Philippines, the oldest trans-oriented support and advocacy group in the Philippines.     Allison Monterrosa, ethnic studies  Monterrosa’s areas of specialization address racialized gender-based violence, the criminal-legal system, state violence and the health implications of racism. As a community-based scholar who centers the experiences of racial-ethnic marginalized communities, her research and teaching pedagogy emphasizes structural and cultural competence and intersects with community and service work to promote social justice and health equity. Her work has been published in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence, Feminist Criminology, and Rutgers Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Books.    Mallory Rice, biological sciences  Rice’s research program investigates the nature of teaching and learning science in university and K-12 settings, with a specific focus on making science more inclusive for all students. She is interested in understanding student and faculty perceptions and experiences in university science classrooms, the influence of peer learning assistants in STEM courses, and how mentorship of K-12 students may influence their trajectory into STEM disciplines.     Marisa D. Salinas, sociology  Salinas received her Ph.D. in sociology at UC Santa Barbara with a race, ethnicity and nation concentration and Black studies emphasis. Connecting the experiences of formerly incarcerated Latinas to Latina professors with Ph.D.s from carceral communities, her research seeks to disrupt the exceptionality and disposability continuum by interrogating how neoliberal institutions utilize mechanisms of social control to socially reproduce inequality for Latinas. Salinas received bachelor’s degrees in sociology and Chicana/o studies from UC Santa Barbara and a master’s in sociology from San Diego State.     Eric S. Trevan, American Indian studies  Trevan recently completed a one-year tenure as a visiting scholar of innovation, business and economic policy for tribal nations in the California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center at CSUSM. He also was a tenure-track faculty member for the Master of Public Administration (MPA) program at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash. He is an economist who specializes in local and tribal economies and economic policy. He earned a Ph.D. in local and tribal economies from Arizona State University, a master's in public administration from Central Michigan University and a bachelor's in public administration/economics from Western Michigan University. He is a tribal citizen of the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians, Gun Lake Tribe.   Media Contact Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist bhiro@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7306

Marco Jacome had been working at Cal State San Marcos for a few months when he finally got to move into the recently completed Viasat Engineering Pavilion in December 2019. An instructional support technician for the engineering program, Jacome was able to set up all of his equipment and have the new space ready for students returning to campus for the spring 2020 semester. Jacome was in the new space for less than four months when the pandemic hit. And it wasn’t long before he was moving all of his equipment back out to make way for a county-operated COVID-19 testing center at the Viasat Engineering Pavilion. But Jacome stayed busy during that time, and one of the projects he assisted with to help students work remotely proved so successful that it is becoming a staple of the electrical engineering program even as students return to campus. “When the pandemic happened, in less than a month we changed our electrical engineering laboratories to remote offering,” electrical engineering professor Reza Kamali said. “To achieve the objectives and outcomes of our courses without any interruption, we put together a package of portable devices and components. Marco was a key person to help me pack the selected tools and components and deliver it to our students.” Kamali said logistics were particularly difficult during the first month of the pandemic, and Jacome was integral in overcoming those challenges. Jacome said he and Janine Smock, an instructional support technician for physics, helped package kits that included everything students needed to complete assignments from home while instruction was occurring virtually. “We didn’t have any interruption of hands-on practices,” Kamali said. The equipment students received included an Analog Discovery 2, which has an oscilloscope, a wave generator, a power supply and a voltmeter; an analog parts kit, which has all of the components needed to complete labs; a BNC adapter, which is used to connect oscilloscope probes and signal cables; and a multimeter. “Even though students were on their own, they were still able to practice the mechanics of translating a schematic diagram to actual circuit boards and conducting basic measurements,” said Jacome, who graduated from San Diego State with a bachelor’s in engineering in 2017. “It’s like a full-on lab within a small little device.” Jacome also created lab instruction videos, which were uploaded to YouTube, to help students better visualize lab practices, learn how to use the equipment remotely and successfully complete their assignments. It was a new experience for Jacome, who had never before produced an instructional video. “I didn't write a script or anything,” Jacome said. “I was just going off the top of my head, but trying to speak clearly, pronounce my words well, just making sure I had good vocal skills. Once you're on camera, it's a little bit more difficult as opposed to just explaining it to someone in person.” Although many students have returned to in-person learning this fall, the at-home kits proved so successful that they remain part of the engineering program. The kits are being used to help students taking “EE 100: Introduction to Electrical Engineering” get accustomed to the type of equipment they’ll eventually be using for more advanced courses. Kamali, who was CSUSM’s lone electrical engineering faculty member at the peak of the pandemic, said Jacome’s work was essential in providing students technical instruction. “With his help, we were able to improve our retention and enrollment even during the pandemic,” Kamali said. Media Contact Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

Six CSUSM biology professors are among 78 CSU faculty members who received COVID-19 Research Recovery Microgrant Program awards from the California State University Program for Education and Research in Biotechnology (CSUPERB). CSUPERB announced the awards on Oct. 7 as part of an “ongoing initiative to assist tenured/tenure track faculty researchers and their students across the California State University system as they restart, reinitiate and reengage in existing and established research activities after campus laboratory closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.” The CSUSM recipients are: Elinne Becket: $1,500 for the proposal titled “Acquisition of DNA extraction and next-generation sequencing reagents to re-analyze samples due to expired materials.” Julie Jameson: $1,500 for the proposal titled “Recovery of lost cell lines due to COVID-19 shut down.” Carlos Luna-Lopez: $1,403 for the proposal titled “Cancer-associated adipocytes: Investigating the crosstalk between MD-MBA-231 and adipose.” Bianca Mothé: $1,500 for the proposal titled “MHC Expression in Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (IPSCs).” Arun Sethuraman: $1,500 for the proposal titled “Deciphering the Evolutionary History of Dinocampus coccinellae (Hymenoptera:Braconidae).” George Vourlitis: $1,500 for the proposal titled “Interactions between carbon type and nitrogen pollution on soil microbial activity and abundance.”   NAU honors communication professor Communication professor Antonio De La Garza was named the Dr. Cliff Harkins Distinguished Citizen of the Year, presented by the Northern Arizona University Alumni Association to recognize distinguished service to nonprofit organizations; governmental assignments at the municipal, county, state or federal level; or other outstanding citizen service. De La Garza received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Northern Arizona before attending the University of Utah for his Ph.D.   Rankings CSUSM is ranked 42^nd for total bachelor’s degrees awarded in Hispanic Outlook on Education Magazine’s annual list of “Top 100 Colleges and Universities for Hispanics.” The university was also 78^th for total enrollment among four-year schools and third in “Top 10 Schools by Major” in the category of “Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences Degrees.” The nursing program is seventh out of 36 schools in Nursing Schools Almanac’s 2021 rankings of prelicensure Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs in California. Media Contact Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

Associated Students, Inc., is celebrating its 30th anniversary throughout the 2021-22 academic year with numerous events to reminisce, enjoy moments together in the present and look toward the future.  ASI invites alumni, current students, faculty, staff and community members to submit photos, which will be shared at a 30th anniversary celebration in February. “This year, we are celebrating 30 years of Associated Students, Inc., serving, engaging and empowering CSUSM students and the campus community,” ASI President Dylan Crivello said. “That’s 30 years of representing and amplifying student voices to enact change and leave a legacy here on campus. Join us as we celebrate ASI milestones, traditional events and highlighting the work of students. A celebration event will take place on Feb. 19, and we look forward to seeing you there, Cougars!” Fall semester events include:   CougarFest  Oct. 13, 4 p.m., Forum Plaza Come celebrate Cougar pride at this annual event that features crafts, games, space to relax and an inflatable obstacle course. Contests and giveaways will be part of the program for current students.    Love Your Body Day Oct. 21, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Forum Plaza ASI is collaborating with the Gender Equity Center, which was established by ASI as the Women’s Center in 2006, to celebrate body diversity and create a body-positive culture at CSUSM.   ASI Cougar Pantry Ribbon Cutting Nov. 18, 5 p.m., Commons 104 The ASI Cougar Pantry has been serving all CSUSM students since 2019 in an effort to decrease food insecurity on campus. After two years in a 700-square-foot location in the USU, ASI is celebrating the opening of a new 1,400-square-foot home for the pantry in Commons 104.   CSUSM Giving Day  Nov. 30 CSUSM Giving Day, which is held each year in conjunction with the international effort known as Giving Tuesday, is a unique opportunity for the campus community and our region to support what they love about CSUSM. ASI aims to raise money for the ASI Cougar Pantry to serve even more students and continue to fight food insecurity.    Visit the ASI 30-year celebration events calendar for more information and a list of events for spring 2022. Media Contact Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

The fall 2021 (Re) Sounding Visions series includes five events featuring BIPOC artists, musicians and scholars whose work focuses on “unearthing invisibilized histories, calling attention to present injustices, and envisioning more equitable futures.” The series is hosted by the Department of Art, Media and Design, and the programming committee includes School of Arts professors Misael Diaz, Anna Luisa Petrisko, Jeff Ray and Malesha Taylor. The series is made possible through the generosity and support of Steve and Laura Wagner and the Epstein Family Foundation. Each event is presented in a hybrid format, with in-person attendance in Arts 380-7 and virtual attendance via Zoom.    Ami Dang Oct. 14, 1 p.m. Amrita “Ami” Kaur Dang is a vocalist, sitarist, composer and producer from Baltimore whose work references her identity as a first-generation South Asian-American and her Sikh upbringing. Dang, who has been playing the sitar since she was 12, aims to bring a broader sound palette to the legacy of South Asian music. As part of that mission, she has collaborated with Animal Collective, Thor Harris, Celebration and Pearl & the Oysters, among others.    Charmaine Minniefield Oct. 21, 1 p.m. Charmaine Minniefield’s work preserves Black narratives as a radical act of social justice, and it draws from Indigenous traditions to explore African and African American history. Minniefield's recent project, “Remembrance as Resistance: Preserving Black Narratives,” honored the more than 800 unmarked graves discovered within the African American burial grounds in Atlanta's Oakland Cemetery. Minniefield’s Praise House project received a prestigious Our Town grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.    Pamela Z Nov. 4, 1 p.m. Pamela Z is an award-winning composer, performer and media artist who makes works for voice, electronic processing, samples, gesture-activated MIDI controllers and video. Her performances range from small concerts in galleries to large-scale multimedia works in theaters and concert halls. Pamela Z has composed scores for dance, film and chamber ensembles, and she has toured throughout the United States, Europe and Japan.    NuAfricans: Featuring Grace Kisa and Maurice Evans  Nov. 18, 1 p.m. A collaboration between artists Grace Kisa and Maurice Evans, Nu Africans addresses the notion that Africans of the diaspora, through their particular set of circumstances, have evolved into their own tribe. Kisa and Evans styled and photographed women as warriors and queens to signify the historic roots of Africa. They note that though the inspiration is rooted in Africa, the women are from this time and place and the experiences that have brought them here.   jose e. abad  Dec. 9, 1 p.m.  ​jose esteban abad is a multidisciplinary choreographer, DJ and curator based in San Francisco. Born in Olongapo City, Philippines, to a Filipina mother and an Afro-Caribbean U.S. Navy sailor, their work explores the complexities of cultural identity at the crossroads of gender, sexuality, class and race. Rooted in collaboration and improvisation as tools of resistance and liberation, abad’s work centers QTBIPOC experimental collective process-based practices of becoming and re-membering. Media Contact Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

The fourth Arts and Lectures event of the semester features a group of panelists from Chola Vida, an organization that supports former and active female gang members.  The presentation, “Chola Vida: Homegirls Navigating the Barrio to Academia,” is at 6 p.m. on Oct. 25 on Zoom. The event is free for Cal State San Marcos students; community members, faculty and staff can make a donation if they wish. Female gang members often go unnoticed because the narrative of gang formations in the United States centers on men's experiences. Chola Vida’s mission is to inspire homegirls to attend college and to disseminate knowledge by creating barrio frameworks that promote consciousness and symposiums to reach a broad audience. Panelists will explore pressing topics about Chola solidarity, education/scholarships, economic development/entrepreneurship and social justice work.  CSUSM’s Arts and 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. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, all events in the fall series are occurring virtually. Attendees can reserve tickets online via the Arts & Lectures website.   What: Arts and Lectures event “Chola Vida: Homegirls Navigating the Barrio to Academia” Who: Chola Vida, an organization that supports former and active female gang members When: 6 p.m., Monday, Oct. 25 Where: Zoom (link available by registering online) Cost: Free for CSUSM students; optional donation for faculty, staff and community Tickets: Register online Information: Arts and Lectures website Media Contact Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314