News
The Right to Breathe
Jane Close Conoley, president of California State University, Long Beach, has announced plans to eliminate smoking on campus by 2016. To complement her plan, Conoley is implementing Breathe, a campaign that will educate the campus about the health risks of smoking.
“Many things distinguish CSULB from other universities — great faculty, staff, students and location, to start,” Conoley said in a message to the school. “I’m hoping we might add another distinction — the healthiest campus.”
In 2013, about 6,500 students voted in an Associated Students, Inc. election, with 64 percent of votes recommending a smoke-free campus. After this, Conoley assembled the 24-member CSULB Tobacco- and Smoke-Free Task Force – consisting of faculty, staff and students – to help develop policies and figure out the impact of becoming a smoke- and tobacco-free campus.
According to the U.S. Surgeon General’s Report in 2014, smokers are estimated to lose more than a decade of their life, but by quitting by age 40, it reduces the estimate by 90 percent. The report also stated that smoking is a cause of macular degeneration – a condition that “gradually destroys the macula and can ultimately lead to loss of vision in the center of the eye.”
“While some may feel that I’m limiting an adult right, I am actually trying to ensure our shared right to breathe easier by creating the best environment for the well-being and longevity of all,” Conoley said in her message.
For more information on the task force, health effects of smoking or Breathe, visit csulb.edu/breathe.
Tuning in to the Best
Sixteen years after Mike Soultanian founded student-run college radio station KBeach Radio in his dorm room in 1999, the radio station has been recognized as one of the nation’s best.
BestColleges.com placed KBeach Radio on its “Best College Radio Stations” list consisting of 51 colleges, which are not ranked numerically. ASI Student Media Coordinator
Danny Lemos attributes the recent success of Kbeach Radio to the passion for broadcasting his students bring every day.
“Our students’ ability to read the pulse of the student body is one of their greatest strengths,” Lemos said in a statement. “I know they don’t do such great work for the recognition, but when it’s acknowledged like this, we all know we’re doing something right.”
KBeach radio produces a variety of talk programs and music shows, such as “Hi-Definition News” and “Rebirth of Rock,” that can be found at 88.1 FM and live through its website. Not only that, but KBeach Radio alumni have moved on to related fields, such as product development engineering and editing.
For more information about Kbeach Radio, visit kbeach.org.
Quest for Knowledge
Late last year, the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs debuted its inaugural issue of a new university magazine focused on faculty and student research. Many faculty at CSULB are engaged in cutting-edge research. Key to the university’s research efforts is student training and engagement. Appropriately named Quest, the annual publication features stories and photos about faculty and students as they journey to create, discover and improve in the fields of science, technology, psychology, nursing, business and more through research. Visit csulb.edu/quest to learn more.
Remembering Nohemi Gonzalez
It was an emotional and moving sight on Nov. 15 as more than 2,000 members of the CSULB community gathered at the University Student Union to mourn and honor Nohemi Gonzalez, the 23-year-old design student killed during the Paris attacks on Nov. 13.
As grieving faculty, students and loved ones took to the podium to remember Gonzalez, known fondly as “Mimi,” a similar picture emerged – one of a sunny, positive and driven young woman who had an enormous impact on the Design Department, the university and the community.
Standing in testament to her influence were the thousands of tearful and somber figures wearing black and yellow ribbons that filled the Student Union ballrooms, spilled out into the lobbies and overflowed onto the lawn outside. It was a symbol of solidarity and love for Gonzalez, the campus and the global community.
Learn more about Nohemi and her remembrance at csulb.edu/article/thousands-attend-vigil.
Created to Encourage
In 1964, a group of art enthusiasts collaborated to form a group to support the arts at California State University, Long Beach, or Long Beach State, as it was known at the time. The result was the formation of a non-profit called the Fine Arts Affiliates (FAA), which resolved to support art students.
“The first group of founders were not all artists,” said Elaine Marks, who serves as FAA’s historian. “Some were collectors and others were just supporters of the new college in town.”
Fifty-one years later FAA continues to exclusively support the arts at CSULB by offering 15 scholarships for students studying Dance, Design, Theatre Arts, or Film and Electronics in the College of the Arts; and to students of the Cole Conservatory of Music and the School of Art. Marks said FAA decided to support the campus because it wanted to “be a part of making the art department first-rate by helping talented and deserving art students reach their potential.”
“The FAA has contributed more than half a million dollars to scholarships over the years,” said Bethany Price, the communications and outreach director for COTA and a FAA member.
project featuring herself titled, “PINKEYE.”
Illustration alumnus Jorge Hurtado (’97, BFA) is a former recipient of a FAA scholarship. Before receiving the award, Hurtado said he did not feel connected or noticed by the campus. On top of that, he was going to school full-time, working many hours at his job, and had little time to explore what the campus had to offer.
But after receiving notice that he had been nominated for a FAA scholarship, Hurtado said a professor urged him to submit an application. Soon after, he was chosen to be a recipient, which led him to use the scholarship to pay for his tuition for one year.
“Receiving the scholarship made me feel valued, and it definitely helped me financially,” Hurtado said. “I felt more encouraged to pursue my academic goals, and I felt a deeper feeling of belonging to the university.”
Juliet Johnson, a fifth-year sculpture student, is one of the current recipients of the scholarship. She says she thinks it is a fantastic scholarship.
“I’m able to be a little more ambitious with my practice, and I can more easily afford materials, not to mention just having a little financial security is invaluable on its own,” Johnson said.
The non-profit group raises money through donations, by organizing excursions in Los Angeles and Orange County and through other related activities. Since FAA is an all-volunteer organization that is open to anyone, it also raises money through annual membership dues ranging from $50 for basic membership to $500 or more for benefactor membership. Member benefits include access to special gallery, theatre, and concert receptions; excursions to historical, cultural and architectural places of interest; and priority admission to special events.
With 215 members currently, FAA welcomes anyone who would like to join and contribute to the vision of supporting and encouraging the arts at CSULB. Those interested in joining can email Ann Busenkell at faamembership@gmail.com.
President’s Scholarships
Perhaps more than any other single campus initiative, the President’s Scholars Program has catalyzed CSULB’s growth in recent years and cemented its reputation as a “university of choice.” Introduced in 1995 by then-president Robert Maxson, the program has brought top students from throughout California — from Siskiyou in the north to San Diego in the south — to The Beach, where they have enriched campus life and raised the bar for all students, faculty, and staff.
As the program marked its milestone 20-year anniversary in 2015, it was re-envisioned for the educational and financial landscape we find ourselves in today. It now has some new features and goes by a slightly different name — “President’s Scholarships” — but it still remains the most prestigious merit-based scholarship awarded by CSULB.
Beginning in fall 2016, President’s Scholars will be selected from an elite pool of high-achieving freshmen admitted to the University Honors Program (UHP) and will receive UHP benefits, including priority registration, in addition to individualized award packages. President’s Scholars may also have opportunities to participate in international educational travel, hands-on research, real-world internships, and other high-impact activities and experiences.
“The President’s Scholars Program has greatly contributed to our university’s outstanding reputation,” said President Jane Close Conoley. “Hundreds of academically talented students now consider The Beach a campus of first-choice. Modifications to the program will ensure fiscal stability, relevance and vitality to the prestigious merit-based scholarships, expanding opportunities for personal enrichment and academic success to even more students.”
Invitations to apply for President’s Scholarships will be extended to exceptionally academically talented students who apply to CSULB. Alums of the program have gone on to notable careers and leadership positions.
For more information, please visit the President’s Scholarship website.
