President Harrison speaks to a filled VPAC Great Hall after being formally instated as CSUN’s president. Harrison’s investiture took place after one year of starting at CSUN. Photo credit by Ken Scarboro/Senior Staff

CSUN President Dr. Dianne Harrison cemented her position as the university’s leader at an investiture ceremony held in the Valley Performing Arts Center Friday.

Faculty, staff, alumni, students and a CSU Board of Trustee member witnessed Harrison officially take her place as president after accumulating a year’s worth of experience in the position.

“The investiture ceremony is one of the oldest traditions in academia, signifying the ceremonial transfer of the symbols of the office, in this case the CSUN presidential medallion, and the pursuit of knowledge,” Harrison said in her presidential address. “Most typically it is done at the end of the person’s first year. And some experts have suggested that this timing of course is to make sure the person is suitable before doing the ceremony. So, I guess I passed one test.”

A bevy of supporters sat by the new president’s side and welcomed her to the university including A.S. President Sydni Powell, Faculty President Steven Stepanek and Vice Chair of the CSU Board of Trustees Lou Monville.

The CSU Board of Trustees appointed Harrison CSUN’s fifth president in 2012, replacing Dr. Jolene Koester who Harrison called “a dear friend.” Before delving into her own experience at CSUN, Harrison recognized the presidents that came before her.

“Because of their vision and their accomplishments I inherit a resilient, rebuilt and strong institution that is ready to move on,” Harrison said.

Harrison, who served as CSU Monterey Bay’s president since 2006, said that while listening to former president Koester at CSU president’s meetings she learned more about CSUN. She said those meetings were part of her process in coming to know that CSUN was the right choice for her.

“Well when I read the job description and then started learning more and more about the university, it’s diversity and the kinds of programs it offers. I knew from having listened to Jolene Koester for several years at our president’s meetings what a great institution it was and then when I was able to really do my own homework and learn more about it then I knew,” Harrison said.

In her address the new president focused on “unlocking potential and cultivating achievement” at the university by implementing initiatives brought to her attention by the campus community. Some of those initiatives focus on pedestrian and vehicular safety, enhancing matador pride and achieving a tobacco-free campus, something Harrison will tackle in the fall.

Anthropology professors Dr. James Snead and Dr. Matthew Des Lauriers were happy to hear the new president say that providing opportunities for students to participate in research was a priority at the institution.

“I like President Harrison’s priorities,” Snead said. “One of the things we’ll be doing is more involvement from students in research.”

Des Lauriers said that it’s important for students to have access to research opportunities because it will help students get hired.

“I like the research and the re-emphasis on research rather than seeing it as something in competition with teaching. It’s this hands-on applied experience that matters more than a GPA,” Des Lauriers said.

Senior art history and chemistry major Eleanor Wolgast, 21, works in the International and Exchange Student Center and attended the event to show support for the new president because she’s attended a lot of the center’s events as well.

“It was inspiring to hear someone talk about higher education and the hope she has for CSUN,” Wolgast said.

Failing to capitalize with runners in scoring position late in the game, CSUN lost 6-2 to the Gauchos.

“We’ve just got to get back to playing good fundamentally sound baseball, playing good defense,” said head coach Matt Curtis. “You know pitching and defense has really been our trademark, and we gotta do a better job at the plate.”

After stopping the game in the first inning in order to repair the infield dirt, the Matadors worked around a two-out double by the Gauchos, but were unable to stop UCSB from scoring for long.

Two throwing errors by freshman starting pitcher Calvin Copping gave UCSB two of its runs, including the games first in the third inning.

Singling to open the inning, UCSB had runners on first and second with no outs after a fielding error by freshman third baseman Nicolas Osuna. A throwing error by Copping on a sacrifice bunt gave the Gauchos a 1-0 lead.

Tacking on two runs in the fifth on a solo home run and another throwing error by Copping, the Matadors trailed UCSB 3-0.

Copping went six innings, gave up three runs, six hits, walked three and struck out five in his outing before being pulled in the seventh.

“(Copping) was doing a good job. We really let him down defensively and he made some of his own mistakes defensively,” Curtis said. “(I) felt like they were starting to get good looks at him (and I) felt like it was time to throw a different look at them. Harley Holt’s been really good for us out of the pen all year.”

Holt’s outing was short-lived though, as he gave up two runs without recording an out. Hitting a batter, a wild pitch and a walk, and Holt was pulled from the game after being looked at by the trainer.

“He’s been a little tender and just didn’t look right and that’s why we went out there with the trainer.”

Back-to-back hits by the Gauchos extended their lead 6-0 after the seventh inning.

“(UCSB) just saw the ball and hit the ball pretty well and they found holes today,” said senior left fielder Cal Vogelsang, who went 3 for 4 in the game.

Northridge’s offense came to life in the bottom of the seventh, getting the first two runners on with walks, Osuna doubled in CSUN’s first run of the day.

“I was just looking for a fastball that at-bat, I was just sitting on it and he left one right there and I hit it into the gap,” Osuna said.

An infield single by senior shortstop Kyle Attl with one out, plated the Matadors second run, but two harmless groundouts would kill the rally.

“I don’t think we mounted a serious threat today until maybe the seventh inning, so we’ve got to put some better at-bats together,” Curtis said.

Loading the bases with no outs in the eighth inning, the Matadors were unable to score anyone, and went down in order to end the game in the ninth.

“Yesterday was a tough loss and this is the first time in a long tme that we haven’t immediately bounced back from adversity,” Curtis said.

“Construction has begun in small parts, but in June it will begin in earnest,” said Librarian Lynn Lampert.

The new commons area will include a permanent Freudian Sip in the lobby of the Oviatt, replacing the coffee cart that resides there. Lampert and her associate Coleen Martin presented their designs for the new study areas, which includes ergonomic seating, and lower bookshelves to enhance student views of the area.

“We’ve been hearing really positive feedback on our designs,” Lampert said.

Students will be able to rent laptops and tablets from the library and will be able to receive help from a new information technologies desk, as well as the standard references desk.

The Commons are set to open by Fall 2013, but students can keep track of the construction progress over the summer on the Oviatt’s blog.

“I don’t think we’ve had so much fanfare for the Oviatt since we rose from the earthquake,” Lambert said.

The blog contains a timeline of the construction and a gallery of designs.

The Senate also approved a number of resolutions to end the year, including the creation of a Matador Bicycle Shop, which would provide bikes and services to students in an effort to promote environmentally-friendly commuting.

“Currently there is the CSUN Bike Collective, who provides students with services,” said Sen. Jesus Martinez-Ramirez. “We think it’s important to establish this space for students.”

Based on a survey released during the A.S. spring elections, a majority of students are in favor of the bike shop.

Before adjourning her final meeting President Sydni Powell continued the tradition of “Passing the Gavel” on to Vice President Christopher Woollett. Graduating senators, or those not returning to the Senate, were offered a few minutes to thank their peers and offer advice.

“Take advantage of your time here,” Powell said. “You learn a lot about yourself.”

Sitting on a couch in the back of the photo lab Sean Moore opens up a family sized box of Lucky Charms. “It’s never okay to skip breakfast,” Moore says sarcastically.

In between handfuls of marshmallows and sugary cereal bites he explains that this is his last year at CSUN. Moore will be graduating with a photography degree in the hope of pursuing a life as a professional photographer, specifically to photograph to live music.

“Music photography, in my opinion, is one of the most spontaneous and energetic forms of photography. Being able to conquer the fast moving subjects and constantly changing lights and still get an amazing photograph is what drives my passion for documenting live music.”

Within minutes of time spent with Moore you can see his personality shine through any projection of seriousness he was attempting to have during this interview. His sarcastic comments and silly humor are quick to catch.

Even with these qualities there is something else that makes Moore stand out in a crowd. Towering over anyone around him, Moore gets from class to class on what he calls his “tall bike.” With one adult bike and a kid’s bike frame welded together Moore rides in the clouds, grabbing everyone’s attention as he passes by.

Though it is not the defining element of Moore, it is a fitting addition for his unmatched character.

Courtesy of the offices of Assemblymember Susan Bonilla

A new bill has been introduced in the California State assembly that could change how women who donate eggs are compensated.

Assemblymember Susan Bonilla (D-Concord) representing the 14th district, introduced AB 926 on Feb. 22. The bill would alter the regulations pertaining to compensation for women who volunteer as medical research subjects.

As the law stands now, medical research volunteers may be compensated for their “time, trouble and inconvenience” when participating in research studies. However, women who donate their eggs are excluded from compensation.

“The ban was a really paternalistic way to ‘protect’ women,” Bonilla said. “Women can make their own decisions about egg donation.”

When a woman donates her eggs for research, under current law she may only be paid for direct expenses incurred for the medical care that goes into the months-long process of egg donation. AB 926 would change the law to allow women who donate eggs for research to be compensated like any other research subject.

Bonilla addresses the issue of possible exploitation of women selling their eggs directly in the text of the new bill.

“Concerns that women will be exploited if compensated for providing human oocytes (egg) for research have not borne out in the states where compensation is allowed,” Bonilla said.

According to the USC Fertility clinic, egg donation is an involved process that can take up to two months. Harvesting a human oocyte, or egg, involves multiple visits to a physician’s office, hormone therapies, daily injections and multiple ultrasound scans before the actual process of “egg retrieval” can be performed. The retrieval process itself takes about two hours.

Passage of the bill would allow fertility research could be beneficial to many women, including cancer survivors. Bonilla said cancer treatments can be detrimental to women’s fertility. Research may provide information that would allow doctors to choose chemotherapy drugs that are less harmful to women’s fertility.

The California Pro-life council opposes the bill. Though they could not be reached for comment, the council has posted many messages protesting passage of AB 926 on their website and Facebook page.

A recent posting reads, “AB 926 would reverse the current ban on compensation for women providing human oocytes or embryos for research, creating an industry for eggs to be harvested.”

They also protest the forming of an ethics committee to determine compensation amounts for women donating eggs for research, saying they have “an inherent conflict of interest with the outcome.”

But Bonilla disagrees. “This bill is not about incentivizing women at all,” she said. Bonilla added that the review board already oversees research in other areas and will ensure that research projects are closely examined and that compensation levels are fair.

The bill has been voted on in the house and will now go to the Senate Health Committee, then on to the Senate floor. The state fiscal committee did have to vote on it as there is no cost to the state if it passes. If AB 926 passes through the state senate, it will then go on to the governor’s desk to be signed into law.

“This bill is meant to find healthy eggs for research beneficial to women,” she said.

California State University Chancellor Timothy P. White will present Harrison with the Presidential Medallion, according to the investiture website. The medallion symbolizes her responsibilities to the university.

The event will be held in the Valley Performing Arts Center’s Grand Hall. As stated in the investiture website, the investiture is the formal ceremony of conferring the authority and symbols of high office and is a ceremony that has been around since the Middle Ages.

As a result of the investiture of Harrison, an award was created. “The Harrison Leadership Award will recognize a freshman CSUN student for his or her leadership as demonstrated by involvement in student government, or in a club or organization,” according to the investiture website.

An honors convocation will be held on Monday at 6 p.m. on the Oviatt Library lawn.

On May 21 the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media and Communication will hold their commencement at 8 a.m. on the Oviatt lawn, the College of Science and Mathematics ceremony will be at 3:30 p.m. on the Manzanita Hall lawn and the College of Health and Human Development will hold theirs at 6:30 p.m.

On May 22 the ceremonies for the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and the College of Humanities will both take place on the lawn at 8 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.  The College of Engineering and Computer Science will hold commencements on the Manzanita Hall lawn at 3:30 p.m.

May 23 will be the College of Business and Economics and the Michael D. Eisner College of Education will hold their ceremonies on the Oviatt Library lawn at 8 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.

The Queer Studies department will also be holding a ceremony for graduates at the Northridge Center on May 20 at 1 p.m.

A recent straw poll conducted by the Los Angeles Times and USC shows Garcetti has taken a ten point lead over Greuel.

The mayoral run-off race has been dominated by discussion over the Department of Water and Power union’s $3 million investment into Greuel’s campaign. The investment has sparked heated debates between the candidates.

The DWP union’s campaign contribution has influenced Garcetti to call into question Greuel’s transparency and credibility even though Garcetti has also been supported by the DWP in the past.

In between the candidates’ arguing, they have alerted voters to their plans as mayor. Both Garcetti and Greuel want to decongest roads by implementing more public transportation.

Both want the city to invest in technology and recruit businesses, especially start-up companies to come to Los Angeles. The pair have said that they want to make it easier to establish businesses in the city by eliminating the gross receipts tax.

Dr. Darrick Danta, died Feb. 15 in a mountain climbing accident in the New York mountains in the Mojave National Preserve in San Bernardino County.

At the memorial service, which will be held from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m., there will be speakers from the dean’s office as well as the geography department.

The memorial service is open to the campus community, alumni and retirees.

Guests for the Darrick Danta Memorial Service should stop at information booth 3, located at Zelzah Avenue and Prairie Street, to obtain a complimentary guest parking permit. Vehicles without a parking permit will be subject to citations.

Attendees can RSVP to csbsinfo@csun.edu or call (818) 677-3317.

The geography department created the Darrick Danta Fund for Field Research for students in the department in honor of Danta. This fund reflects Danta’s commitment to support students research out on the field and collecting information.

Please contact Anne Robison at 818-677-7738 oranne.robison@csun.edu to make contributions for the fund.

Collectors of such body art share the meanings behind their creative ideas, expressing that each piece symbolizes anything from overcoming significant events in life to religious beliefs, heartache and simply sheer enjoyment.

Although tattoos have become popular and more acceptable, individuals with these works of art still face pretense from the public and within the workplace.

Displayed are five individuals that contrast their art with their jobs in a specific profession and have an educational background.

Ramil Garcia, 30, is a registered nurse currently working for a specialty unit in acute rehab at St. John’s Reginal Medical Center, where a he works close with patients with spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, and strokes with a primary focus on rehabilitation of spinal cord injury patients. When not working at the hospital, Garcia works part-time as a nursing supervisor and director of an RNA program for a long-term care facility, Shoreline Care Center. All photos by Raelita Darag/Contributor

Working as an RN for seven years, Garcia is one of the few that follow dress code at work that require employees to cover visible tattoos. Garcia explains his own reasons for following through with the non-reinforced dress code. “Personally, I already know what the feedback on it is. I do it for my own because I just want people to just accept my service or my care without judgement…There are people that probably refuse me as their nurse, but I’ll probably end up saving their life later,” says Garcia.

Christel Zelenka, 20, serving as a reserve in the Marine Corps for the past four years, is a Seregeant (E-5) stationed in Mira Mar. Zelenka is a Field Wireman and is attending school for criminal justice in hopes of becoming a police officer in the future.

A new policy has been implemented, restricting Marines from receiving any new tattoos bigger than the size of their palm. “It doesn’t affect our jobs. Having a tattoo on my arm doesn’t make me program phones or run wire any different,” Zelenka said. “It’s frustrating to be worried about getting in trouble especially when I’m in the Marine Corp. Everyone’s argument is that we fight for freedom, we fight for all this stuff. We fight for everyone in America, but then you can’t have tattoos.”

Ryan Dermody, 27, works as a senior systems engineer for PennyMac, where he has worked for the past nine months. Dermody finished a two-year program at ITT.

Dermondy follows the dress code at work, but in when he shows his tattoos in public people will stare. Dermody explains, “No one ever expects to hear that I work, not only work at a technical industry, but at a well respected huge place. And that I’m a lead on it, not just some dude in the mail-room.”

Registered dental assistant, Stephanie Daigre, 25, currently works for R. Craig Ford, a private dental practice in Woodland Hills. Daigre completed her eight month dental assistant program at Everest College located in Reseda and has been with the private practice for eight months.

Assistant Daigre got her first tattoo at 18 and plans to continue adding to her current body art, describing tattoos as a way of expressing her feelings without having to say words. During company events that happen after work hours where employees are free to wearing any attire, Daigre chooses to continue to cover her tattoos to keep the perception her coworkers of her positive, ensuring sure that the possible judgement of her tattoos do not effect the way colleagues view her work.

Freelance hair dresser, Sonia Salinas, 22, completed cosmetology school at Lu Ross and has been doing hair for almost six years. In her free time Salinas participates in events hosted by RAW Artists, an independent arts organization that supports local artists with talents in everything from photography, music, and fashion, where Salinas has had her own runway show displaying her works of makeup and hair on chosen models.

Salinas describes her encounters with customers at her past job at Macy’s working the makeup counters before moving up to a vendor position. “They would look at me weird, then I would be the one helping them. It’s completely different once you get to know me…especially with my nose [ring], I barely take it out now because people do judge,” explains Salinas.