Some of the world’s leading scholars, activists and experts on gender in the Middle East will speak at the “Transnational Perspectives on the Middle East, North Africa and Beyond: Gender Conflicts and Social Transformations” symposium at CSUN.

Some of the world’s leading scholars, activists and experts on gender in the Middle East will speak at the “Transnational Perspectives on the Middle East, North Africa and Beyond: Gender Conflicts and Social Transformations,” symposium from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 26, at California State University, Northridge.

Free and open to the public, the symposium will bring global insights into how women and girls are responding to increasing violence and extremism in the Middle East. It is funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and sponsored by CSUN’s  Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies (MEIS) program, the Departments of Political Science and Gender and Women’s Studies, as well as CSUN’s Institute of Gender, Globalization and Democracy.

The symposium’s theme is designed to reflect the most timely and urgent matters in the Middle East and North Africa, said Nayereh Tohidi, CSUN gender and women’s studies professor and director of the MEIS program. Tohidi is a world-renowned scholar and activist for human and women’s rights in Iran, and a former consultant to the United Nations on projects concerning gender, development and women and civil society building in the Middle East and post-Soviet Eurasia.

“When it comes to the unfortunate aftermath of the Arab Spring in some countries, rather than leading to democracy, it has — hopefully only in the short term — led to chaos, inter-ethnic conflicts, tribalism, civil war and the polarization of society,” Tohidi said.

Experts will discuss topics such as: Islam and women in central Asia; Afghan women confronting jihad; Iranian feminism after the 2009 uprising; violence against women in Syria; Islam, Muslims and hip-hop; and Muslim women’s activism in the United States. Some of the scholars include Cal State Long Beach professor Maryam Qudrat, who is the former director of the Social Institutions Department of the Embassy of Afghanistan in Washington, D.C.; Sherifa Zuhur, former director of the Institute of Middle Eastern, Islamic and Strategic Studies; and Asli Bali, professor of law at UCLA and a member of the Human Rights Watch Advisory Committee for the Middle East and North Africa division.

Tohidi said people are becoming increasingly interested in the Middle East. She said she hopes that the symposium will help students and the larger community gain more awareness of some of the most burning issues, and expand their horizons to include global and transnational perspectives.

“I want students to move beyond simplistic news bites and to problematize some stereotypes they might have in their minds,” Tohidi said. “In this era of globalization, Americans, unfortunately, know little to nothing outside of the United States — or even California. If you don’t understand the world, you can’t understand your own community well. It is important to think globally and act locally.”

The event will be held at the Whitsett Room in Sierra Hall 451. For more information, contact Nayereh Tohidi at nayereh.tohidi@csun.edu or call (818) 677-7218.

Children studying hard at the CHiME Institute’s K-8 school. The institute is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Photo by Lee Choo.

It started out as an idea from a couple of California State University, Northridge special education professors who were looking for a real-world way to demonstrate full inclusion of all children in a classroom.

Over the past 25 years, the CHIME Institute has grown into a nationally recognized program that includes an early childhood education component, a public charter K-8 school as well as a research and teaching demonstration center. It has been hailed by educators around the world as a model for inclusive education.

The institute is marking its 25th anniversary with a special celebration at the Woodland Hills Country Club on Friday, Oct. 30. The evening will include a ceremony to honor current CHIME parent and advocate, actress Amy Brenneman, former CHIME parent Rochelle Gerson, and long-time CHIME supporter and CSUN special education professor Deborah Chen for their contributions to the institute. Celebrity DJ Richard Blade of KROQ and SiriusXM Radio is serving as the night’s master of ceremonies.

Brenneman, who has two children attending CHIME’s K-8 public charter school, called the institute “a visionary community where individuals of varying abilities come together in an atmosphere of mutual respect and support.”

“Before we were enfolded by CHIME, and as my daughter’s cognitive differences were making themselves known, my family was isolated, worried and, quite frankly, scared of what the future held,” she said. “At CHIME, not only did both my children flourish, but my husband and I got to know other families who also previously felt isolated and worried. Together, we are challenging old beliefs and creating a bright future for our children and ourselves — the students, the parents and the committed educators who never say die and whose hearts blaze a trail for all of us.”

The CHIME Institute began as an early childhood education program on the CSUN campus. It grew out of a futile search faculty made for a school to which they could refer their students — one that had successfully implemented a full-inclusion program. Not finding what they were looking for, they decided to create one at CSUN.

“It was kind of a Judy Garland moment. We needed a place to demonstrate inclusive education, so we created it,” said special education professor Michele Haney, a CHIME founder and chair of the institute’s board of directors. “What started out as a small grant has evolved into a respected institute that provided benefits to all families with children. Its work with all children — those with disabilities and those without — has turned into a model for social justice for everyone.”

Inclusive education at CHIME means that children who reflect the demographics of the surrounding region — including children who develop typically, children with special needs and children who are gifted — learn side by side. CHIME’s model allows for the individual needs of each child to be addressed in a manner that enhances his or her strengths, while providing educational progress.

An initial grant from the U.S. Department of Education in the late 1980s inspired the creation of an inclusive preschool program in CSUN’s Children’s Center, which serves the preschool-aged children of the university’s students.

“In the late ’80s, the word ‘inclusion’ wasn’t even used. At the time we talked about ‘mainstreaming’ children, especially in preschool,” said Annie Cox, executive director of CHIME’s early education programs and a founder of the institute. “By the time CHIME started, there was some really good research that showed that if it’s a high-quality early education program, with collaboration between general and special education to support diverse needs, is good for all children.”

At the end of the three year grant in 1990, CHIME started its collaboration with CSUN’s Child and Family Studies Center’s Laboratory School, and the CHIME Institute was born. In 2001, the institute opened a public charter elementary school at the urging of families who could not find an inclusive educational environment for their children once they left CSUN. Two years later, a middle school was added. The two schools merged into a K-8 school located in Woodland Hills in 2010.

As it’s grown, the CHIME Institute has gained a national reputation as a leader in developing and implementing model educational programs and dynamic research and training environments to disseminate best practices in inclusive education. The institute’s research and training center is housed in CSUN’s Michael D. Eisner College of Education.

CHIME serves as a model for educators through its partnerships with the Eisner College and the Los Angeles Unified School District. It facilitates research opportunities and regularly hosts visitors from around the United States and the world who are interested in replicating its success in their own schools. Visitors have come from as far away as Japan and Holland to explore the educational practices of the institute, and CHIME readily offers to send its educators to local schools to help them adapt its methods to their curriculum.

CHIME has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a model for full inclusion of students with disabilities and for providing a blueprint for local schools across the country.

“CHIME is a wonderful charter school that actually holds the key for successful, larger lessons that can be brought forward to all of public education, which is what charter schools were intended to do — explore innovative ideas, refine and generalize them to the benefit of all of public education,” said Michael Spagna, dean of CSUN’s Eisner College. “It exemplifies the best of what charter schools can be.
“I encourage everyone to come and connect with CHIME,” he continued. “Its success, its generalized lessons can be borrowed and implemented in public schools all over the country, not just in our area.”

For more information about CHIME or information about attending the institute’s 25th anniversary celebration, call (818) 677-2922 or visit the website CHIMEinstitute.org.

Secular studies scholar Phil Zuckerman

The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution preserves Americans’ right to practice – or not practice — the religion of their choice. Yet, politicians and community leaders regularly invoke “God” as they go about their business.

Secular studies scholar Phil Zuckerman will explore what it is like to be an atheist or an agnostic in the United States, where religion plays such a dominant role, as part of California State University, Northridge’s Richard W. Smith Lecture Series in Cultural Studies on Wednesday, Nov. 4.

The lecture, hosted by CSUN’s College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, is scheduled to take place at 7 p.m. in the Whitsett Room Sierra Hall 451, on the west side of the campus located at 18111 Nordhoff St. in Northridge.

“The College of Social and Behavioral Sciences is excited to offer the prestigious 2015 Richard Smith Lecture featuring Phil Zuckerman’s presentation on the perspectives of nonreligious Americans, addressing questions such as, ‘How one can live a moral life without religion?’” said administrative fellow and Department of Psychology professor Sheila Grant.

Zuckerman is a professor of sociology and secular studies at Pitzer College in Claremont, Calif. He is the author of several books, including “Living the Secular Life,” “Faith No More” and “Society Without God.” He also has edited several books, including “Atheism and Secularity” and “The Social Theory of W.E.B. Du Bois.” He writes a regular blog for Psychology Today titled “The Secular Life,” and he is a regular contributor to The Huffington Post. In 2011, Zuckerman founded the first secular studies department in the nation at Pitzer College.

His lecture will provide a personal, as well as societal, perspective on what it is like to live in the United States as an atheist or agnostic. He will discuss how the general public, and certain segments of society, view atheists and agnostics.

The lecture is free and open to the public. However, seating is limited. For more information about the event or to reserve a seat, call (818) 677-7169. A reception and book signing will immediately follow the lecture.

While the lecture is free, parking on the CSUN campus is $6. Parking permits are available at the information booth located on Prairie Street east of Darby Avenue. Communication services — including sign-language interpreters, note takers, real-time captionists or assistive-listening devices — are available for this event. Requests for such services must be submitted to the above phone number at least five days in advance of the lecture.

CSUN has received at $250,000 gift from the TF Educational Foundation to ensure that future teachers working with Armenian students have a strong foundation in understanding Armenian culture and language. Photo by Lee Choo.

California State University, Northridge has received at $250,000 gift to ensure that future teachers working with Armenian students have a strong foundation in understanding Armenian culture and language.

The TF Educational Foundation has pledged the money, to be paid over five years, for the creation of an annual scholarship to liberal studies students in CSUN’s Integrated Teacher Education Program (ITEP) who are also minoring in Armenian studies. The gift, the largest donation to CSUN’s Armenian studies program to date, also will provide support to existing teachers as they continue their education.

Armenian studies program director Vahram Shemmassian said the gift will help the university create one of the nation’s leading programs for students who would like to become teachers of Armenian language and culture.

“For the longest time, teachers serving the Armenian community came from elsewhere in the world, Middle Eastern countries like Syria, Lebanon and Iran or Armenia,” Shemmassian said. “Things are changing. With the large number of Armenians now living in the United States, there is a substantial pool of potential Armenian teachers and community leaders to prepare for the future.

“I am not aware of any program in the entire U.S. that is designed to prepare teachers for working with Armenian students — giving them a solid foundation in Armenian culture and language arts — while at the same time giving them the necessary tools to be successful educators in the classroom.”

Some estimates place the number of persons of Armenian descent in the Los Angeles area are as high as 500,000, with a large number residing in the San Fernando Valley. At CSUN, university officials estimate that 8 to 10 percent of the student body is of Armenian descent.

“The TF Educational Foundation’s generous gift creates new avenues of access for Armenian studies students, and will increase the quality and diversity of programming of teacher candidates,” said Elizabeth Say, dean of CSUN’s College of Humanities. “I see this gift reverberating through generations as our teachers graduate and enter the classroom.”

The Integrated Teacher Education Program provides a Bachelor of Arts degree in liberal studies. These courses qualify students for a multiple-subject teaching credential, enabling them to teach grades K-8 in a self-contained classroom. This classroom structure is found in elementary schools and in core block subjects in some middle schools.

The addition of a minor in Armenian studies provides the added focus on Armenian culture and language arts curricula, giving the students special skill sets for working with Armenian children.

“Classes like ‘Armenian Culture,’ ‘The Armenian-American Child’ and ‘The Changing Roles of Armenian Women’ and other courses that cover ethnicity and diversity issues will give the students a solid understanding of the community they are going to serve, while at the same time they are taking courses that satisfy state standards for teachers,” said Ranita Chatterjee, English professor and director of CSUN’s liberal studies program.

Chatterjee noted ITEP students have had the option of adding minors in Chicana/o, Asian or Africana studies.

“The addition of Armenian studies is a tremendous boon, not only for teachers in the San Fernando Valley and in Los Angeles, but in terms of the program itself,” she said. “It provides even more options for students.”

The first students in the program are expected to enroll in fall 2016. The program will be housed in CSUN’s College of Humanities. For more information, contact CSUN’s Armenian studies program at (818) 677-3467.

CSUN political science professor Leigh Bradberry. Photo by Chris Horton.

Presidential debates are intended to help voters wade through the rhetoric and narrow down their choices among the candidates vying for the White House.

As Republicans gear up for tomorrow night’s debate on CNBC, California State University, Northridge political science professor Leigh Bradberry will be watching to see which candidates appeal most to one key constituency for the GOP — highly religious voters.

Bradberry, who studies religion and politics and has published on religion’s influence on the 2012 election, said that early in the campaign, one big surprise was that businessman Donald Trump appeared to be the favorite among evangelical Republicans.

“While it is true — in some of the early polls — that he was doing well with evangelicals, Trump was polling about the same with them as he was with any other Republican group,” she said. “What’s been really interesting to see are some of the changes for Trump among evangelical Republicans.”

Citing major polls conducted by Public Policy Polling in early October compared to August, Bradberry noted that Trump’s favorability among likely Republican voters who identify as evangelical Christians decreased by eight points, while retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson’s favorability ratings went up eight points. Among those same voters, Trump’s numbers as respondents’ first choice declined from 31 percent at the end of August to 25 percent in October.

“You might think, ‘Oh six points isn’t that big of a drop,’’’ she continued, “but when you look at the overall field, you now have Ben Carson, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz all moving up with those voters.”

At least for now, it’s Carson who is benefitting the most, despite his controversial statement made last month on “Meet the Press” regarding Muslims. However, Bradberry pointed out the importance of distinguishing between the electorate in a general election and those who vote in Republican primaries: “Ben Carson’s statement that he would not support a Muslim candidate for president is simply not controversial to many of the highly religious Christians who vote in Republican primaries.”

Bradberry cited a recent poll by Bloomberg/Des Moines Register as evidence.

“In that poll, 69 percent of likely Republican caucus-goers in Iowa thought it would be unacceptable to have a Muslim as president, and 73 percent of those same respondents saw Carson’s comments about a Muslim running for president as something that was ‘mostly or very’ attractive about him,” she said. “I don’t think it’s a coincidence that in that same poll, Carson is now leading Trump by nine points generally, and by 15 points among evangelicals. Instead of harming Carson, his comments likely solidified his appeal to Republican voters in Iowa and other states that contain a lot of evangelical Christians.”

Bradberry noted, however, that despite religious Republicans’ affection for Carson and Trump, there is one candidate who shouldn’t be forgotten: Ted Cruz.

“By announcing his candidacy at Liberty University, Cruz sent a clear signal to evangelical Christian voters that he was the candidate for them,” she said. “In 2012, this important constituency accounted for about half of all Republican primary voters. When you combine that with Cruz’s under-the-radar fundraising — a lot of people don’t realize that he is one of the top fundraisers among the Republicans — I think Ted Cruz is playing the long game.”

Bradberry said his strategy may pay off in Iowa and particularly on Super Tuesday, when the greatest number of states hold their primary elections. In 2016, Super Tuesday falls on March 1.

“In this election, Super Tuesday is really a southern Super Tuesday because you have several Deep South states taking part, in addition to Oklahoma and Texas,” she said. “And these states have a lot of highly religious Republican voters.”

She’s not ruling out Rubio’s potential, though. She noted that the Florida senator performed well in the most recent debate and came out strong in the recent Public Policy Polling poll, in which likely Republican voters were asked for second presidential choice.

“Rubio has a broad appeal,” she said. “When people are asked to consider the possibility that their first choice won’t make it, they are comfortable going to Rubio. And what’s really intriguing is that he was the second choice of voters with very diverse preferences for their first-choice candidates, including those who support New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, businesswoman Carly Fiorina and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.”

Bradberry also noted that Rubio’s support has increased among Tea Party Republicans, as well as among evangelicals. She said that as a result, tomorrow night’s debate is an important opportunity for Rubio to build on his momentum in the polls.

Bradberry, however, cautioned that polls in October can tell us only so much.

“As we get closer to the first contests in February, highly religious Republican voters will be paying closer attention to which candidate really speaks to them,” she said. “They will be focusing on the issues that matter to religious Republicans, and on the candidate who most explicitly communicates to them, ‘I am one of you.’

“That’s what Ted Cruz has been desperately trying to do,” she continued. “So, I will be watching to see whether any of the candidates will appeal explicitly to these voters tomorrow night. And if the moderators bring up Carson’s comments about a Muslim candidate for president, it will be interesting to see how not only he responds, but how the other candidates respond as well.”

But where does all of this leave Trump, the candidate who has been leading the polls for months and who has made the most headlines?

“What’s interesting about Trump is he’s doing well enough among evangelicals, yet he certainly is not changing who he is just to please religious Republicans,” Bradberry said. “That says to me that he is also eyeing the general election. Carson is going to have a tougher time making that pivot. Cruz also would have an extremely difficult time appealing in the general election to a broad range of voters, not only because he’s been so focused on religious Republicans, but because of his intransigence as a senator.”

What ultimately makes this race so interesting, Bradberry said, is the unpredictability Trump’s candidacy has added to the mix.

“The things we know from political science and conventional political wisdom do not apply to the singularity that is Donald Trump,” she said. “It’s like a cliff-hanger movie, but we won’t know how it ends for at least four more months.”

The Arpa International Film Festival is partnering with California State University, Northridge to screen a sample of student films produced at the university, as well as other short films from around the world.

On the set of the student film “¡Corre!” directed by Robert Havonisian and Elmer Zelaya. Photo by Germano Kuerten.

All the films are “Official Selections” of the festival and provide an opportunity for university and Arpa officials to cultivate and promote young, talented filmmakers.

“I am excited by this opportunity for our students’ films to be displayed in a program that also features other top-quality shots from around the world,” said Jon Stahl, chair of CSUN’s Department of Cinema and Television Arts. “I have no doubt that our students’ work will shine, and this is, therefore, a win-win-win. Our partnership with Arpa allows them to expand their brand to a new audience — our campus community — our student filmmakers have the chance to participate in a top-flight, international festival, and our campus community gets to see some brilliant, inventive filmmaking.”

The screening will take place on Monday, Nov. 9, at 7:30 p.m. in the Alan and Elaine Armer Theater in Manzanita Hall near the southwest corner of the CSUN campus, located at 18111 Nordhoff St. in Northridge.

For the past 18 years, the Arpa Foundation for Film, Music and Art (AFFMA) has hosted the Arpa International Film Festival at Hollywood’s Egyptian Theatre to cultivate cultural understanding and global empathy. The film festival organizers take pride in working toward recognizing the diverse tapestry of international talent and presenting it to an appreciative audience. For more information about the festival, visit its website, www.arpafilmfestival.com.

A scene from “When a Flame Stands Still,” directed by Michael Canon.

Hailed by Variety as one of the top 30 film programs in the nation, California State University, Northridge’s Department of Cinema and Television Arts, housed in the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media and Communication, has an international reputation for producing dedicated and talented entertainment industry professionals who recognize the value of hard work as they learn and continue to perfect their crafts. The department’s alumni work in all aspects of entertainment media, from writing, producing and directing to manning cameras and having the final say in what project is made.

The following films have been selected to be shown as part of the festival’s offerings:

• “¡Corre!” (CSUN, 2015), directed by Robert Hovanisian and Elmer Zelaya; written by Hovanisian, Zalaya and Mia Mallory; and produced by Itai Forman and Kyle Frey. Told in Spanish and English, film is the story of Daniel, a member of a Los Angeles-based human-trafficking ring who recognizes an 18-year-old captive. Daniel decides to save her, risking everything to redeem all that’s left of his broken spirit.
• “Hazel & Louis: Animal Agents” (USA, 2014), produced, written and directed by Sy Ozcan and Marissa Madsen. Hazel and Louis Flickman are two New York transplants who live the hustling, bustling life of Hollywood agents … for animals. They were at the top of their game in the 1970s, and with a little chutzpah manage to keep going strong after all these years.
• “High Stakes” (CSUN, 2014), written and directed by Sydney Waco and produced by Christopher DePretis and Nicholas Cane. “High Stakes” is a 1950s-period piece about a timid movie theater owner, Carl Morris, who faces a dilemma when his brother, Norm, asks him to screen his latest work. Norm is a blacklisted filmmaker caught in the McCarthy-era Hollywood witch hunts. Carl must decide whether to show his brother’s film to take a stand against McCarthyism, even if it means compromising the safe life he and his wife worked so hard to build.
• “Pareto Principle” (CSUN, 2012), written and directed by Beneyam Wolde-Yohannes and produced by Wolde-Yohannes, Edward Vasquez and Jaime Hutchins. Two friends discover a mysterious duffle bag filled with money that will challenge their friendship and change the courses of their lives forever.
• “Straw Dolls” (USA, 2015), written and directed by Jon Milano and produced by Milano and Justin Alpern. Told in Armenian, “Straw Dolls” offers a look at the Armenian genocide through the lens of a father desperately trying to protect his daughter from the deportation being forced upon them by Turkish soldiers. The film tells the story of how a father and daughter sacrifice their own well-being for a mother and her young daughter.
• “The Loyalist” (South Korea, 2015), directed by Minji Kang, written by Willem Lee and produced by Alex R. Ma. A North Korean general checks in on his daughter at a Swiss boarding school to test her loyalty to her motherland.
• “When a Flame Stands Still” (CSUN, 2015), written and directed by Michael Canon and produced by Randy Kulina, Zack Meyer and Cynthia Manzo. In the midst of the Holocaust, a young couple hides in two claustrophobic bunkers that are separated by one wall. Unable to see, hear or touch one another, they reminisce about their love story, from when they first met to the time they are separated.
• “While They Were Flying to the Moon” (Serbia, 2015), written, directed and produced by Borisa Simovic. Set in Belgrade, Serbia in 1969 on the day of the Apollo 11 moon landing, Tozi sits alone in a bar when suddenly Vera walks in and sits a few tables away. During a time when neighbors are encouraged to spy on one another, the work colleagues are reluctant to speak to each other. But this day, in the heat of the moment, Tozi decides to approach Vera.

The presidents of California State University, Northridge and the American University of Armenia (AUA) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to foster scholarly and educational collaborations.

The memorandum enables faculty and student exchanges between the two institutions and encourages the development of joint teaching and research projects between CSUN and AUA faculty.

“Given CSUN’s strong relationships with the Armenian community, we are very proud of this partnership,” said CSUN President Dianne F. Harrison, who signed the MOU with AUA President Armen Der Kiureghian during an official ceremony on Friday, Oct. 30, at the Northridge campus.

Harrison noted that 8 percent of CSUN’s more than 41,500 students are of Armenian descent, as are more than 125 full- and part-time CSUN faculty and staff.

“This first step is creating opportunities for CSUN students and faculty to study and learn together in Armenia with AUA students and faculty,” she said. “I look forward to seeing specific opportunities that future steps will bring.”

Der Kiureghian agreed.

“There are many, many different ways that both universities can benefit, both for our students and faculty,” he said. “I am very pleased about the potential that the MOU offers us.”

While the MOU does not involve a fiscal commitment on either institution’s part, leaders from both universities have committed to support the development of joint programs, and to work collaboratively on projects and activities where possible. Potential areas of collaboration include women’s studies, public health, nutrition and dietetics, teacher education, environmental chemistry, early childhood development, nonprofit management, Armenian studies, sustainability, nursing, and engineering and computer science.

In addition to faculty and student exchanges, the memorandum also encourages the admission of the other university’s undergraduate and graduate students, in keeping with the academic standards, rules, procedures, policies and practices of each institution for international students.

To keep the momentum of the collaboration going, Dianne Philibosian, faculty member and former director of CSUN’s Institute for Community Health and Wellbeing, will be traveling to Yerevan, Armenia, to meet with AUA officials for further discussions regarding their needs and thoughts. Upon her return, Philibosian will work with representatives from AUA and CSUN to develop a formal process for the exchange of students, faculty and research programs between the two institutions.

Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia and affiliated with the University of California. AUA is the first stand-alone, U.S.-accredited institution in the former Soviet Union that provides undergraduate and graduate education.

The American-style education that the university offers is grounded in principles of academic freedom, knowledge-based learning emphasizing inquiry and critical thinking, and multidisciplinary studies. AUA also strongly advocates for public service and democratic values anchored in an ethical and merit-based environment, and provides access to state-of-the-art facilities. AUA offers three undergraduate and eight graduate degree programs to about 1,500 students.

Serving more than 40,000 students each year, CSUN is one of the largest universities in the United States. CSUN ranks 10th in the country in awarding bachelor’s degrees to underrepresented minority students, fifth nationally in awarding master’s degrees to Hispanic students and enrolls the largest number of deaf and hard-of-hearing students of any U.S. state university. CSUN’s 171 academic programs and engaged centers enjoy international recognition for excellence. CSUN currently partners with more than 100 institutions of higher education in 22 countries around the globe and attracts the largest international student population of any U.S. master’s level institution.

The rich, artistic contributions of the region that stretches from the tip of South America to Mexico will be celebrated for the second consecutive year at the Latin American Film and Art Festival, during four days of free events from Thursday, Nov. 12, through Sunday, Nov. 15, at California State University, Northridge.

A scene from “Carmin Tropical,” by Rigoberto Perezcano.

The festival, hosted by CSUN’s College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and UNAM Los Angeles, will offer a wide variety of cultural events including a program of short films created by UNAM and CSUN students, an art exhibit by Mexican artist Eva Malhotra, a live theatrical play featuring the lives of Diego Rivera, Archbishop Oscar Romero and Joaquin Murrieta (El Zorro), a series of theatrical readings with live audience participation, documentaries, and the feature film festival highlighting some of Latin America’s most talented filmmakers.

“The Latin American Film and Art Festival offers an opportunity for people to explore the diversity of cultures that characterizes Latin America through a variety of media,” said Stella Theodoulou, dean of the college. “The College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and our partner UNAM Los Angeles were so pleased with last year’s success that we decided to expand the activities and the number of films, so this year we are very excited to present a program that not only includes films from Latin American filmmakers, but also a series of theatrical performances with live audiences, children’s films and a program of short films done by CSUN and UNAM students.”

A scene from “La Tirisia (Perpetual Sadness),” by Jorge Perez Solano.

The festival is free, but space is limited. Those wishing to attend are encouraged to reserve their tickets at the festival’s website, www.csun.edu/csbs/filmfestival2015

The festival’s activities will take place across the university’s campus, located at 18111 Nordhoff St. in Northridge. Parking at CSUN is $6. Parking permits can be purchased at information booths located near the perimeter of the campus on Lindley Avenue to the south or on Prairie Street to the west. Parking permit dispensers can also be found in student parking lots around the campus.

The festival’s schedule is as follows:

• Thursday, Nov. 12:
  • 5 p.m. – Reception for “Bang Bang!” an exhibition of work by artist Eva Malholtra, in the West Gallery of CSUN’s Art Galleries
  • 7 p.m. – Performance of “Los Valientes” by Core Ensemble, in the Little Theatre of Nordhoff Hall

• Friday, Nov. 13:
  • 11 a.m. – Screening of “El Tiemp Suspendido (Time Suspended),” a film by Natalia Bruschten, Argentina (2015), in room 25 of the Oviatt Library
  • 3 p.m. – Theatrical readings of “Palimpsesto” coordinated by Abril Alzaga (UNAM – Catedra Ingmar Bergman), in the Whitsett Room, Sierra Hall 451
  • 6 p.m. – Festival’s opening reception in the lobby of Manzanita Hall
  • 7:30 p.m. – Screening of “Corre,” by CSUN students Robert Hovanisian and Elmer Zelaya (2015), and of “Relatos Salvajes (Wild Tales),” by Damian Szifron, Argentina (2014), in the Armer Theater

• Saturday, Nov. 14:
  • 11 a.m. – Screening of short films by CSUN and UNAM students, in the Little Theatre of Nordhoff Hall
  • 1 p.m. – Theatrical readings of “BF Bipolar” coordinated by Abril Alzaga (UNAM – Catedra Ingmar Bergman), in the Whitsett Room, Sierra Hall 451
  • 3 p.m. – Screening of “La Hazaña del 41 (The 1941 Feat),” by Carolina Vila and Jose Pulido, Venezuela (2011), in the Armer Theater
  • 5 p.m. – Screening of “La Tirisia (Perpetual Sadness),” by Jorge Perez Solano, Mexico (2014), in the Armer Theater
  • 7:30 p.m. – Screening of “Güeros,” by Alonso Ruiz Palacios, Mexico (2014), in the Armer Theater

Sunday, Nov. 15:

• • 11 a.m. – Screening of “Anina,” a children’s animated feature by Alfredo Soderguit, Uruguay – Colombia (2013), the Little Theatre
  • 1 p.m. – Screening of “Carmin Tropical,” by Rigoberto Perezcano, Mexico (2014), in the Armer Theater
  • 3 p.m. – Screening of “Gabo,” by Justin Webster, Spain (2014), in the Armer Theater
  • 5 p.m. – Screening of “Fermin, Glorias del Tango (Fermin, Glories of Tango),” a film by Hernan Findling and Oliver Volker, Argentina (2014), in the Armer Theater

Cedric Hackett

Hoping to inspire intellectual curiosity while encouraging a frank dialogue around the issues confronting young black men in today’s society, California State University, Northridge is hosting its fall Bi-Annual Men of Color Enquiry and Student Research Poster Session on Wednesday, Nov. 18.

The session will focus on issues raised by students in CSUN’s Africana studies class 325, “The Black Male in Contemporary Times.” The event will feature a presentation by Joseph White, professor emeritus of psychology and psychiatry at UC Irvine, who will discuss popular images of black males in American society.

The Men of Color event is scheduled to take place from 2 to 4:30 p.m. in the Northridge Center of the University Student Union, on the east side of the campus located at 18111 Nordhoff St. in Northridge.

“While the student presentations are part of a class project, the session itself is designed to inspire a serious exploration of the issues facing black men in today’s society, as well as a discussion about what we, as a society, should do about them,” said Africana studies professor Cedric Hackett, director of CSUN’s DuBois-Hamer Institute for Academic Achievement.

“The discussions can be eye opening,” Hackett continued. “The students are exploring culturally relevant and sensitive issues. The day has a social justice component to it not only because of the issues we are exploring, but because we are asking the students, what are they going to do with the information they’ve gathered? How are they going to educate their peers and their community? We are planting a seed, and we’ll see what takes root.”

CSUN has joined with universities across the country in trying to find ways to bridge the gap between higher education and black male students. A report published in 2012 by the University of Pennsylvania documents the “crisis” facing black men in higher education. According to the report, the relative number of black men entering college hasn’t improved since 1967, and only 33 percent of black male college students graduate within six years.

Hackett said one of the goals of the Nov. 18 event is to actively engage young black men academically. The topics being explored by the students in the student research poster session include the media’s influence on the perceptions of African Americans, the mass incarceration of black men, manhood training for black men and social engineering.

“Several of the topics are very provocative and will get people thinking,” Hackett said, adding that having White as a presenter is a “bonus” for the day’s discussions. He noted White’s book, “Black Men Emerging: Facing the Past and Seizing a Future in America,” is one of the textbooks used in the class.

“Dr. White is considered the ‘godfather’ of the field of black psychology,” Hackett said. “It’s interesting to see how much things have changed [and] not changed since he first started researching the state of black males in society.”

For more information about the Men of Color session, visit the website http://www.csun.edu/dubois-hamer-institute-for-academic-achievement.

Unified We Serve collected more than 2,000 donations during the 2014 food and clothing drive. Photo by Nestor Garcia

What:             California State University, Northridge student volunteers plan to cover the steps of CSUN’s Delmar T. Oviatt Library with thousands of items — canned and boxed goods, clothing, toys and books — collected during the university’s annual drive to collect goods for needy San Fernando Valley residents.

For the past two weeks, CSUN students, faculty and staff have donated items at key locations across the campus by Unified We Serve, CSUN’s volunteer program. The collected goods will be donated to to MEND (Meet Every Need with Dignity), a non-profit organization in Pacoima that serves an average of 38,500 and as many 49,000 poverty-level clients each month. MEND’s mission is to break the bonds of poverty by providing basic human needs and a pathway to self-reliance.

Unified We Serve collected more than 2,000 donations during the 2014 food and clothing drive.

When:

When:            Noon on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015

Where:          California State University, Northridge – Oivatt Library

18111 Nordhoff St.

Northridge, CA 91330

Who:              Dozens of CSUN students

Media Contacts: CSUN Media Relations, (818) 677-2130 or Maria Elizondo, Matador Involvement Center, at the event.

Franck Vigneron

As a college student, Franck Vigneron, now a marketing professor at California State University, Northridge, was intrigued by the influence branding activities had in creating and maintaining the appeal for luxury goods — whether it was the sleek designs of Louis Vuitton or the sporty features of a Lamborghini.

At the time, many researchers painted consumer marketing with a broad brush, asserting that the same tactics used to sell dishwashing soap and laundry detergent could be applied to sell haute couture and fine wines. Vigneron was not so sure, and he entered what was then a new field of study — the marketing of luxury goods.

His latest work, a book co-authored with other specialists in the field at Paris universities, was published in French in 2014. “Marketing du Luxe (Luxury Marketing)” has just been named the 2015 Best Business Book of the Year in France by the Paris Chamber of Commerce.

“This is quite an honor,” said Vigneron, a French native who has been a member of CSUN’s marketing faculty since 2000. This accolade has been given annually in France since 1962 to recognize business books that represent the greatest contribution in advancing the business body of knowledge.

“I started working in 1993 in the field of luxury marketing,” he said. “I have been most interested in studying the differences and similarities between branding luxury versus nonluxury efforts. What does this mean? This field of research was marginal 22 years ago, but it is today a significant business subject with, for instance, 31 MBA programs in the world specialized in luxury management. Luxury items account for more than $950 billion in sales worldwide. It’s nice today to see that I might have made a good decision to work years ago on something that I had passion for, even though not many people seemed to pay attention to it. Things change!”

The Paris Chamber of Commerce was established by Napoléon Bonaparte in 1803. The best business book selection also was made by the Académie Française de Sciences Commerciales, which was established in 1957.

When Vigneron first expressed an interest in studying luxury marketing in the early 1990s, the only people who seemed to be interested in the subject were the French writing in their native language, which he said made sense given that so many luxury items were made in France.

“The thing was, what research there was was written in French for a French audience,” he said. “I was studying in England at the time. What interested me was that many of these luxury goods had an international appeal, but there was very little out there in English or any other language.”

Vigneron saw an opportunity to explore a new aspect of marketing and decided that he would publish his work in English. That decision was a revelation, he said, and it helped shape his research. Today, he is regarded as a pioneer in the field.

“Most people see a topic through the culture they were raised in,” he said. “When I was reading in French and writing in French, I was thinking a certain way. But now when I research and write in English, I think in a different way. When I study a subject, a lot of the culture perceptions — or perhaps misperceptions — fall away, and I am able to look at the subject in a whole new way, and a way that helps improve my research. It is like I am the combination of two different people conversing with one another. At the end, it allows me to have a broader viewpoint.”

His research on the motivations of luxury brand consumers has gained international attention. In 2007, Vigneron was honored with the Academy of Marketing Science Review’s Best Paper of the Decade award.

He pointed out that true luxury items are like fine art — unique, individualized pieces created by craftsmen who take pride in their work and wish to convey a certain image. He noted that many of the most elite brands are still family-owned and highly controlled, as family members work to preserve the integrity and reputation of the line.

“Those companies target a certain clientele, often by word of mouth,” he said. “For instance, there are some designers who create pieces that are so unique that they are one-of-a-kind. Their customers pay thousands of dollars for a piece that they may never wear, but instead store in a highly controlled warehouse.”

Then there are some luxury brands that become so successful that they are eventually bought by large corporations, hoping to expand the product’s availability while capitalizing on the brand’s reputation.

“It’s how the new company handles the brand that is so interesting,” Vigneron said. “Marketing of luxury goods is now a global industry, where France still plays an important role in manufacturing and where the USA is about 45 percent of the world consumption.

“There are customers and manufacturers of luxury goods all over the world, from China to the Middle East to the United States and Europe,” he said. “Whether that Rolex is real or a fake, people desire luxury goods, and we now realize that you don’t sell Lexus the same way you would sell Toyota.”

This means the question is, “How do you do it?” Vigneron said. He is working on a newer version of his work, in English this time, to broaden the opportunity to reach people.

Bonnie Raitt

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Bonnie Raitt will headline KCSN 88.5 FM/Los Angeles’ next benefit concert on Monday, Feb. 22, at the Valley Performing Arts Center at California State University, Northridge.

A Los Angeles music icon, Bonnie Raitt is the latest music legend to take the stage in support of KCSN and its annual benefit concert series. Past concerts have featured performances by such artists as Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Jackson Browne, Stephen Stills, Lucinda Williams, Ryan Adams, Conor Oberst and Sarah McLachlan.

“Bonnie Raitt is one of the most influential artists in our lifetime,” said KCSN General Manager Sky Daniels. “She is a legend in the Los Angeles music scene, and her philanthropic efforts and social activism make her one of rock’s most honored persons. KCSN is grateful for her support in playing our benefit concert.”

Joining Raitt as part of the KCSN benefit concert will be Los Angeles artist Maia Sharp. A CSUN music alumna, Sharp has written, performed and produced songs with such artists as Carole King, The Dixie Chicks and Trisha Yearwood. Billboard Magazine has said Sharp “conjures the allure of yesteryear’s Brill Building luminaries.”

KCSN members have an opportunity to purchase tickets for the show via Ticketmaster with the member’s passcode in a special pre-sale arrangement beginning Thursday, Dec. 3, at 10 a.m. Members of the general public can purchase tickets beginning at 10 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 4, via Ticketmaster or at the Valley Performing Arts Center’s box office.

As a service of California State University, Northridge, KCSN offers a 24-hour, commercial-free blend of rock, alternative, soul, blues and Americana, including a wide range of artists such as U2, Petty, Jack White, Arcade Fire, Wilco and Beck. The station’s programming also is available on the station’s HD1 channel and online at KCSN.org.

The Valley Performing Arts Center is located at the southern end of the campus at 18111 Nordhoff St. in Northridge.

Properly pruned rose bushes are more disease resistant, grow better, require less maintenance and produce better blooms. So why does the act of pruning roses seem so daunting?

Popular landscape designer and lecturer Steve Gerischer will de-thorn the prickly topic of rose pruning with a hands-on workshop at California State University, Northridge’s next CSUN-al Gardening Series session on Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016, at the university.

The workshop, which will take place from 10 a.m. to noon, will begin with a brief introduction to the “why,” “when” and “how” of rose pruning. Participants will then have the opportunity to put theory into practice when the class goes outdoors to apply what they’ve learned on some of the campus roses.

“The class will take place, rain or shine, except for extreme weather,” said Brenda Kanno, manager of CSUN’s Botanic Garden, which hosts the CSUN-al Gardening Series. “Participants are encouraged to bring a brimmed hat, gloves and hand pruners so they can practice their rose-pruning technique.”

Gerischer, proprietor of Larkspur Garden Design, lectures on a wide variety of horticultural topics. He serves as president of the Southern California Horticultural Society and the Pacific Horticultural Society, teaches classes at the Los Angeles County Arboretum, Descanso Gardens and Fullerton Arboretum, and he puts in an occasional appearance on HGTV —  most notably on “Landscapers’ Challenge.”

Registration for the free class begins today, and is required. E-mail botanicgarden@csun.edu to request a space in the class, or for more information. Driving and parking instructions, as well as the class meeting location, will be sent upon registration.

California State University, Northridge’s Botanic Garden is operated by the university’s Department of Biology. It serves as a field site for botany, entomology, photography, painting and other classes. In addition to outdoor landscapes and natural botanic environments, the garden also features greenhouses where noteworthy botanical specimens are grown. The garden is open to the public.

Visit the website www.csun.edu/botanicgarden/ for more information about the Botanic Garden.

Cadence Valentine, a graduate student in social work at California State University, Northridge, recognized years ago that the media can be a powerful tool in helping people overcome their prejudices and preconceived notions about people who they think are different.

When Valentine received an email last year from Oscar-winning actor Eddie Redmayne asking to meet with her as part of his research for his role in the now critically acclaimed “The Danish Girl,” the 35-year-old gave his request careful consideration, and then said yes.

“It was the kind of email that anyone would send — no pretense, no Hollywood anything – just like Eddie,” she said. “He had heard that I was a trans woman, that I have a partner who was with me for 11 years prior to transition and followed me through transition, and that we’re still together today, almost 15 years now. He wanted to talk because our experiences —  of me and my partner, Trista — were similar to the ones in ‘The Danish Girl.’’’

Redmayne spent hours talking to Valentine and her partner, exploring the dynamics of their relationship and the strength of their commitment to each other when Valentine, then a perceptually male heterosexual, came out to Trista Hidalgo in 2011 and later transitioned.

Cadence Valentine

“We pretty much opened up our entire lives to him and gave him a peak of what this whole experience was like,” Valentine said. “He was just amazing. I had been very, very nervous given all the politics in Hollywood and its representation of trans people. He understood. We both agreed that there are valid and inarguable problems regarding trans representation in the media. He got it, and I trusted that he would do a good job.”

Critics have lavished praise on Redmayne’s portrayal in “The Danish Girl” of 1920s landscape artist Einar Wegener, who transitions to Lili with the help of wife Gerda. But for Valentine, an advocate for the transgender community, the true test was whether Redmayne’s character accurately reflected what it is like to be transgender for her.

“His depiction is very genuine,” Valentine said. “The film is astounding. It is, in my opinion, flawless.

“There are little pieces of dialogue in the film, scenes in the film that are almost direct representations of stories we told him,” she continued. “My partner and I sat in a screening of the film holding each other’s hand, and every time one of those moments happened, we’d look at each other crying, squeezing the other’s hand.”

Valentine first attended CSUN from 2004 to 2006, studying cinema and television arts. But she dropped out to start her own business — a hot rod shop that customized cars.

“I did the whole masculine thing in my previous life: was a Marine, built hot rods and raced cars, and traveled the world doing it,” she said.

Valentine returned to CSUN a few years ago and earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in queer studies in 2014. She initially thought she wanted to serve as a counselor for others, including trans people, their families and loved ones. But as she became involved with CSUN’s Pride Center, which serves lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer students, and helped establish programs for the campus’ trans community, her focus shifted.

“I came to CSUN with one direction in mind, but there came a specific point in my life when I realized that was not going to be my journey,” she said. “I’ve learned to master spinning lots of plates. As an undergrad I worked at the Pride Center while also working for a nonprofit in Hollywood as a coordinator of its HIV education and prevention program for trans women and MSM (men who have sex with men) community.

“While I was still dealing with all the hardships of being a trans woman, I also had a lot of privilege,” Valentine continued. “My story is so rare. Unfortunately, a lot of other trans people who come out do not have partners who support them. The partners aren’t bad people. When you are in a heterosexual relationship and your partner does not identify with the ideas you thought both started out with, you have to make a decision. It can be hard for somebody who defines themselves as heterosexual, not a de facto lesbian or queer. Just like one’s gender identity, sexual identity also isn’t a choice.”

Recognizing the gift her partner, Trista Hidalgo, has given her —  her unwavering love and support  — Valentine decided to become a public and vocal advocate for the trans community.

“I don’t see how I could not,” she said.

Valentine has been invited by CSUN faculty to educate their classes about the trans community. She founded and helped organize CSUN’s now annual Trans Awareness Week. She has educated students at various CSU campuses, USC, UCLA, Antioch University, Cal Arts and many more. She has also worked with the Los Angeles Police Department to educate law enforcement officials about the issues facing the transgender community and dispel misconceptions about trans people.

She also is part of a national effort to get health insurance companies and health care providers to remove exclusions of coverage based on gender identity and expression. Her first target several years ago was here in California. Kaiser Permanente, her health care provider at the time, refused to provide her coverage for her transition. She fought back and won, not only getting coverage for her transition, but for all trans Kaiser members who followed her. Kaiser is now considered a leader in the coverage it provides to the transgender community. Her efforts also contributed to changes at the state level, eliminating exclusions of coverage based on gender identity and expression in Medi-Cal recipients.

Valentine noted that there is some irony with her work on one of Hollywood’s most talked-about films of the year, “The Danish Girl.”

“The trans community seems to be a favorite topic to mine in Hollywood at the moment, with not only ‘The Danish Girl,’ but ‘Orange is the New Black,’ ‘Transparent’ and other shows,” she said. “Yet its unions, SAG-AFTRA and others, exclude trans coverage in their own group insurance policies. Someday soon, I hope that changes.”

In the meantime, Valentine is balancing even more plates in the air as she organizes a series of lectures CSUN Women’s Research and Resource Center to take place at the university next spring called “Behind Closed Doors.”  The lectures will center around topics such as BDSM and discussions around Sex Work and decriminalization. She continues to accept requests to speak – across the country. She’s taking advantage of the opportunities “The Danish Girl” presents for her to educate people about what it is like to be a trans person.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) has awarded California State University, Northridge $2 million to support students and enhance technology in the school’s acclaimed Department of Cinema and Television Arts.

A portion of the grant will go toward creating endowed scholarships to support underrepresented film and television students in the industry. Scholarship recipients will be declared Hollywood Foreign Press Association Scholars and be mentored by department faculty and industry professionals.

HFPA President Lorenzo Soria expressed his enthusiasm and hopes for what the grant bestowed upon CSUN will bring.

“The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is thrilled to continue its relationship with CSUN, which now spans nearly two decades and has provided invaluable opportunities for deserving students to hone their craft,” Soria said. “We believe that by empowering the filmmakers of tomorrow, we can ensure that our industry is left in good hands. We hope that these gifts will open doors that otherwise wouldn’t have been there in the first place.”

“Southern California’s entertainment industry is known worldwide for creative storytelling with universal appeal,” CSUN President Dianne F. Harrison said. “The Hollywood Foreign Press Association exposes global audiences to new voices and their generous gift to CSUN greatly expands opportunities for even more talented filmmakers to find their voice.”

Nate Thomas, head of CSUN’s film production program. Photo by Lee Choo.

Cinema and television arts professor Nate Thomas, who heads CSUN’s film production program, hailed HFPA’s generosity.

“The new $2 million from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association will allow a diverse group of underrepresented students to study with us and transition into the tough industries that make up the cinematic arts,” Thomas said. “The students selected to become HFPA Scholars will come from mostly working-class backgrounds. This gift will literally make the difference between mere artistic aspiration and actual fulfillment of dreams. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is at the forefront of helping to attain needed positive change in the entertainment industry, and ensuring that tomorrow’s filmmakers reflect the wide diversity that their audiences consist of.”

Noting that the HFPA’s gift includes money for purchase and maintenance of new film and television equipment, Thomas said the gift “will ensure that the many students that we serve will cultivate their art and craft on state-of-the-art equipment, since no tools change as quickly as the tools of the film arts.”

To date, the HFPA has committed more than $23.9 million in grants, handed out over 1,000 scholarships and helped restore 90 films. Last summer, the HFPA continued their long-time tradition by awarding more than $2 million in grants at their annual Grants Banquet. The donations benefit a wide range of projects, including higher education, training and mentoring, and the promotion of cultural exchange through film.

CSUN’s relationship with the association dates back to 1996, with an initial gift of $500. Prior to this announcement, the association over the years has nearly given CSUN a total of $1 million to support student film projects and keep CSUN’s film program current with the latest technology. Students edit in the Hollywood Foreign Press Association Senior Film Edit Suite on campus, and work on sound design in a state-of-the-art sound mix facility made possible by a grant from the association.

“Everybody in this industry talks about diversity, but it remains mostly talk,” Thomas said. “The HFPA is willing to use its money to make change, and to train the next generation of filmmakers and industry practitioners who come from and reflect the lives of their audiences.”

Jon Stahl, chair of CSUN’s Department of Cinema and Television Arts, thanked the HFPA for its “remarkable level of generosity and support, and for the faith in us and our mission that this grant represents.”

“The HFPA grant will allow us to enhance and upgrade our production and post-production facilities, bringing them to a level commensurate with the excellence of our program,” he continued. “Additionally, this wonderful grant will allow us to provide direct scholarship support to several of our most deserving students, many of whom are the first in their families to attend a university.”

Dan Hosken, interim dean of CSUN’s Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication, which houses the Department of Cinema and Television Arts, agreed.

“We are grateful to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for their generous support of our students and our programs,” he said. “This gift will provide much-needed scholarship support for our students and provide them with state-of-the-art facilities to go along with our exceptional faculty. Combined with our close proximity to the heart of the entertainment industry, this gift will allow us to offer an unparalleled educational experience in the cinema and television arts.”

CSUN’s Department of Cinema and Television Arts has an international reputation for producing dedicated and talented entertainment industry professionals who recognize the value of hard work as they learn and continue to perfect their crafts. The department currently enrolls nearly 1,700 undergraduate students and 30 students in its graduate screenwriting program. Its alumni work in all aspects of entertainment media, from writing, producing and directing to manning cameras and having the final say in what project is made. In 2014, The Hollywood Reporter listed CSUN as one of the top film schools in the U.S., and this year, Variety listed CSUN as one of the top 30 film programs in the U.S. and one of the top 40 film programs internationally.

Serving more than 40,000 students each year, CSUN is one of the nation’s largest single-campus universities in the U.S. and is the third largest in California. CSUN ranks 10th in the country in awarding bachelor’s degrees to underrepresented minority students, fifth nationally in awarding master’s degrees to Hispanic students, and it enrolls the largest number of deaf and hard-of-hearing students of any U.S. state university.

About the Hollywood Foreign Press Association:

Founded in the 1940s during World War II, the HFPA was originally comprised of a handful of LA-based overseas journalists who sought to bridge the international community with Hollywood, and to provide distraction from the hardships of war through film. Seventy years later, members of the HFPA represent 55 countries with a combined readership of 250 million in some of the world’s most respected publications. Each year, the organization holds the third most watched awards show on television, the Golden Globe® Awards, which have enabled the organization to donate more than $23.9 million to entertainment related charities and scholarship programs. For more information, please visit www.GoldenGlobes.com and follow us on Twitter (@GoldenGlobes) and Facebook (www.Facebook.com/GoldenGlobes).

VITA students volunteers getting ready to offer free tax preparation assistance to low-income individuals and families. Photo by Lee Choo.

The calendar may say January, but before you know it, April will be here and your taxes will be due. California State University, Northridge business students hope to take a little bit of the sting out of tax day by offering free tax preparation assistance to members of the public.

CSUN’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Clinic is offering free assistance with state and federal tax preparation to low-income families and individuals — including veterans, non-English speakers, senior citizens and persons with disabilities — beginning Jan. 23 through April 15 at locations throughout the San Fernando Valley.

“Many low-income households cannot afford to pay a tax professional to prepare their income-tax return,” said accounting professor Rafi Efrat, CSUN’s Bookstein Chair in Taxation and director of the university’s Institute for Higher Education in Taxation. “This often means that they will do it themselves or have a family member or friend do it, and may miss important tax deductions and credits that could put more money back into their pockets.

“Our goal here is to dramatically increase the number of individuals and families in the San Fernando Valley who receive no-cost tax preparation assistance and who access the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) program — the nation’s largest and most powerful federal aid program for the working poor,” Efrat said.

For a list of CSUN VITA locations — including sites in Panorama City, Sylmar, Pacoima, Sun Valley, San Fernando, Van Nuys and Canoga Park, as well as on campus — and the dates and times students will be available to prepare tax forms, visit VITA’s website at http://www.csun.edu/bookstein-institute/csun-vita-clinic.

Recognizing the increasing demand for VITA’s services, Efrat said the CSUN program has expanded the period it offers free tax preparation assistance from about seven weeks to 11 weeks. It also has expanded its hours of operation on the CSUN campus from eight hours per week to 44 hours per week.

“With the expanded capacity, we plan to increase the number of taxpayers we serve from 350 in 2015 to more than 1,800 this year,” Efrat said.

While the CSUN VITA Clinic welcomes walk-ins, taxpayers are strongly encouraged to make an appointment through the VITA website.

In addition, Efrat said, VITA student volunteers are working with their colleagues in the university’s Department of Finance, Financial Planning and Insurance and the Consumer Affairs Program in CSUN’s Department of Family and Consumer Sciences to offer eligible taxpayers free financial planning consultations.

“We believe there is a significant unmet need in the San Fernando Valley for high-quality, cost-free tax preparation services,” Efrat said. “Powered with more than 300 IRS Tax Law Certified student volunteers here on campus and in seven locations in the San Fernando Valley, the CSUN VITA Clinic is ready to serve many more eligible taxpayers in our community. We are excited to offer this important service.” 

Due to the large volume of individuals who require assistance, the maximum gross income limitation per tax return has been set at $54,000. Those seeking assistance must bring Social Security cards or Individual Taxpayer Identification notices (ITIN) or cards for themselves, their spouse and/or dependents.

VITA does not prepare tax returns for people with complicated capital gains and losses, a minor’s investment income, a request for a Social Security number, a request to determine a worker’s status for purposes of federal employment taxes and income tax withholding, a non-deductible IRA, small-business owners with losses, ITIN applications, active members of the military and married taxpayers filing separate returns.

Almost 300 CSUN student volunteers completed intensive training on handling federal and state tax returns. In addition to providing service to the community, the CSUN VITA Clinic also gives students an opportunity to gain knowledge and experience in their field of study.

Launched in 1971, the CSUN VITA Clinic, located in CSUN’s David Nazarian College of Business and Economics, serves as a valuable community partner that is responsive to the culturally diverse San Fernando Valley.

This year, the program has received grants from City National Bank and the U.S. Treasury Department and was awarded a subcontract from the City of Los Angeles through close collaboration with NEW Economics for Women to support its expanded efforts.

For more information about the CSUN VITA Clinic, call (818) 677-3600 or email CSUNVITAClinic@csun.edu.

Los Angeles City Councilwoman Nury Martinez and Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas will join members of law enforcement and community-based organizations, as well as officials from California State University, Northridge and Strength United, to explore ways to stop human trafficking in the San Fernando Valley on Thursday, Jan. 28, at the university.

The event, called “Reaching for Hope: Putting an End to Human Trafficking in the San Fernando Valley,” will take place from 9 a.m. to noon in the Northridge Center of the University Student Union, located on the east side of the campus at 18111 Nordhoff St. in Northridge.

“Within the United States, California has emerged as a magnet for sex trafficking of children,” said Kim Roth, executive director of Strength United. “Three of the nation’s 13 high-intensity child prostitution areas identified by the FBI are located in California: San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego metropolitan areas. Given the challenges unique to commercially sexually exploited children, the efforts put forth by the panel presenters will help each of us improve how we identify and respond to those who need our help most.”

“I’m looking forward to shining a light on human trafficking in the Valley,” said Councilwoman Martinez. “We will raise awareness on all possible solutions going forward.  I’m committed to fighting human trafficking in the San Fernando Valley.”

The event will include an examination by Councilwoman Martinez and Supervisor Ridley-Thomas of the ways that the city and county can combat human trafficking.

They will be followed by a conversation about law enforcement and prosecution efforts to deal with the problem by Catherine Pratt, a commissioner with Compton’s STAR Court; Los Angeles Supervising City Attorney Richard Schmidt and Lt. Marc Evans, with the Los Angeles Police Department’s vice unit.

The morning will culminate with a panel discussion on healing and recovery for the survivors of human trafficking with Stephany Powell, executive director of Journey Out, and Lisa Hornack of Strength United. Powell and Hornack will be joined by a survivor of human trafficking who will talk about her experiences.

Seating for the event is limited. Reservations are recommended. To make a reservation, email lisa.dorado@strengthunited.org or call (818) 787-9700.

Strength United is a comprehensive social service organization that operates through CSUN’s Michael D. Eisner College of Education.  It provides 24/7 support and crisis intervention, along with long-term counseling, victim advocacy and prevention-education programs to individuals and families affected by domestic violence, sexual assault, child maltreatment and other crimes.  http://www.csun.edu/eisner-education/strength-united

Compton’s STAR (Succeeding Through Achievement and Resilience) Court, which provides referrals to specialized services for underage victims of sex trafficking.  

Journey Out works with survivors of human trafficking.  

Officials at California State University, Northridge are teaming up with their counterparts at the University of Pennsylvania to launch an unprecedented program to increase the number of Latino professors working in the humanities.

The program, Pathways to the Professoriate, is supported by a $5.1 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to the University of Pennsylvania for its Graduate School of Education’s Center for Minority Serving Institutions. Over a five-year period, the program will prepare 90 students from Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) across the United States, including CSUN, to move forward and get doctorates in humanities-related fields.

The program comes as colleges and universities across the country struggle to develop faculty that reflect the nation’s growing ethnic and cultural diversity.

“Cal State Northridge was honored to be selected to participate in the Pathways to the Professoriate initiative,” said Elizabeth Say, dean of CSUN’s College of Humanities. “We know well the quality of our students — what they sometimes lack is opportunity. This partnership with the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions and the Mellon Foundation will provide unparalleled opportunity for our students to achieve their educational goals. Together with our other institutional partners, we can begin to transform the professoriate to better reflect and serve the next generation of university students.”

Elizabeth Say, dean of the College of Humanities.

The problem of not having enough minorities in the professor pipeline cannot be fixed overnight Marybeth Gasman, director of the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions, which will oversee the project.

“We see this program as a way to begin a fundamental change,” Gasman said. “We hope this creates a strong pathway to graduate school for Latino students that will grow over time, with these students supporting one another, and one day becoming mentors themselves.”

Mariët Westermann, vice president at the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, said that as the demographic profile of the United States changes, the country has a compelling interest to obtain the full participation of previously underrepresented communities.

“The past decade has seen considerable gains in doctoral attainment for Latinos, yet these gains have not kept up with the growth in the U.S. Hispanic population,” she noted.

Over the course of the five-year program, the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions will partner with CSUN, Florida International University and the University of Texas, El Paso — all Hispanic Serving Institutions — and five research institutions — New York University; the University of California, Berkeley; the University of Pennsylvania; Northwestern University; and the University of California, Davis.

As part of Pathways to the Professoriate, selected CSUN undergraduates in the humanities, social sciences and related fields will take part in intensive summer research programs and cross-institutional conferences, while also receiving mentoring and support for applying to and enrolling in graduate school.

CSUN faculty mentors will work closely with each student beginning in the second semester of his or her junior year, and the relationship will continue as the student matriculates into Ph.D. programs. The summer research programs at CSUN will focus on an exploration of humanities-based methodological approaches, as well as professional skills, including academic writing, graduate school application writing and preparation for taking the GRE. The standardized admissions test is required by most graduate schools in the United States.

Say noted that in the academic year 2012-13, CSUN awarded 1,143 bachelor’s degrees in the humanities and social sciences. Thirty-three percent of those went to Latinos.

“We have the students, and now we have a way to help them go on to Ph.D. programs that they may have only dreamed about,” she said. “The fact that CSUN faculty mentors will work intensively with each student beginning in the second semester of junior yea — and they will be there as the student goes on into Ph.D. programs — is critical. This investment of time and resources is a game-changer for our students.”

The Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions brings together practitioners from Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions and Asian American, Native American and Pacific Islander Serving Institutions. Based in the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education, the center’s goals include elevating the educational contributions of minority-serving institutions; ensuring they are part of national conversations; bringing awareness to the vital role such institutions play in the nation’s economic development; increasing the rigorous scholarship of the institutions; connecting the institutions’ academic and administrative leadership to promote reform initiatives; and strengthening efforts to close educational achievement gaps among disadvantaged communities.

Founded in 1969, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation endeavors to strengthen, promote and, wherever necessary, defend the contributions of the humanities and the arts to human flourishing and to the well-being of diverse and democratic societies by supporting exemplary institutions of higher education and culture as they renew and provide access to an invaluable heritage of ambitious, path-breaking work.

Serving more than 41,000 students each year, CSUN is one of the largest universities in the United States, and it has an impact to match its size. CSUN is a national leader in awarding bachelor’s degrees to underrepresented minority students and master’s degrees to Hispanic students. It also enrolls the largest number of deaf and hard-of-hearing students of any U.S. state university. CSUN’s 171 academic programs and engaged centers enjoy international recognition for excellence. CSUN currently partners with more than 100 institutions of higher education in 22 countries around the globe and attracts the largest international student population of any U.S. master’s-level institution. Situated on a 356-acre park-like setting in the heart of Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley, the campus features modern educational buildings and world-class LEED Gold-certified performing arts and recreational facilities recognized as among the best in the country. CSUN is a welcoming university that champions accessibility, academic excellence and student success.

California State University, Northridge students and the greater community will have a chance to “meet” the father of modern music, Les Paul, at a free interactive traveling exhibit on Feb. 2 and 3 on the campus at 18111 Nordhoff St. in Northridge.

Les Paul’s Big Sound Experience will immerse visitors in the world of Les Paul and learn about his innovations in music, and take part in his legacy by making and mixing music from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Feb. 2 and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Feb. 3, in front of the Valley Performing Arts Center on Nordhoff St.

Created by the Les Paul Foundation, Les Paul’s Big Sound Experience has been traveling the nation visiting universities, music festivals, special events and trade shows, all in celebration of Les Paul’s 100th Anniversary. Paul is known as the “father of modern music” because of his huge contribution in inventing the solid-body electric guitar and multitrack recording. He was also a popular recording artist in the 1950s and had several chart-topping hits such as “How High the Moon” and “Vaya Con Dios.”

“Without him, rock and roll as we know it would not be what it is today,” said Ric Alviso, a CSUN music professor. “Ninety-nine percent of the recordings and hits you hear on the radio use techniques that he developed back in the 1950’s. In 1954-55 came the arrival of a new generation of artists who capitalized upon Les’ innovation, the most famous among them Elvis Presley. From that point on, LP’s smoother jazz inflected style was superseded by the more energetic and raunchy rock and roll sound.”

Alviso said the hands-on activities in the Big Sound trailer will make learning about Les Paul fun for students, regardless of their musical knowledge and ability.
Jeff Salmon, a trustee of the Les Paul Foundation, said Paul’s life offers many lessons for students and the public.

“One of the big forces behind accomplishments was persistence — he never took no for an answer,” Salmon said. “He had rheumatoid arthritis and was partially deaf. Gibson said no to his solid-body electric guitar for ten years. Capitol records didn’t want to release “How High the Moon,” but he kept persisting and it became a No. 1 selling hit. [His persistence] allowed him to overcome adversity and become successful.”

The trailer holds photos and memorabilia of Paul, but also has activity stations where visitors can mix and make their own music and send their creations digitally to their phones. They can also take a picture “with” Paul and send it to their phones.

Salmon said the interactive nature of the exhibit reflects Paul’s spirit.

“Les didn’t like the idea of his stuff in a glass case, he wanted people to interact,” Salmon said. “He continues to inspire creative and innovative thinking today.”

For more information about the tour, visit www.lespaultour.com. For more information about Les Paul and the foundation, visit www.lespaulfoundation.org.

When watching a Woody Allen film, California State University, Northridge film professor D. E.  Wynter often plays a kind of intellectual film geek version of “Where’s Waldo” trying to find subtle, and not so subtle, references to great film or literary artists who have influenced Allen’s work.

Wynter and colleague Klara Stephanie Szlezák, a lecturer in American studies at Passau University in Germany, have turned their affection for Allen’s movies into a new book, “Referentiality and the Films of Woody Allen.” The book, published by Palgrave MacMillan, is a scholarly collection of essays from academics around the world that explore Allen’s use of dialogue, imagery or other tricks of the film trade to reference works of literature, theater, other filmmakers and even his earlier works.

“People going to Woody Allen films often play ‘Where’s Waldo.’ [They] try to figure out whom he’s referencing and what artist his work is bringing back to life,” said Wynter, who teaches film directing and film as literature in CSUN’s Department of Cinema and Television Arts.

Wynter, a fan of the late 19^th century Swedish playwright August Strindberg, writes about Allen’s references to Strindberg in his film “Match Point” in her contribution to the book, “‘Darling, have you seen my Strindberg book?’: Dialogism as Social Discourse in ‘Match Point.’”

“Only a few Strindberg plays are produced regularly in the States, perhaps because personal tragedy embittered and radicalized some of his later works,” she said. “But Allen’s homages to Strindberg in his films thankfully help to uphold his relevance.”

Wynter’s essay is just one of 12 by academics who take apart Allen’s films and explore how the filmmaker uses parts of the real world, such as art and literature, to enhance his stories.

“There are several reasons why we chose to put together a collection of academic essays on Woody Allen’s films,” said Szlezák, Wynter’s co-editor of the book. “First, the numerous and diverse facets that characterize his filmmaking. Part of our goal was to show just how dense his films are — how teeming with references to other works of art and others arts and media. This impacts the meaningfulness of his films.”

“Second, we were motivated by the wish to add to the existing research literature on Allen’s films in a book that is theory-based and approaches his oeuvre from a decidedly interdisciplinary vantage point,” she continued. “We further wanted to reveal the multi-layered-ness of his oeuvre by looking at a wide range of films over several decades up to his most recent work.”

Despite, or perhaps because of, its scholarly intent, the book offers a treasure trove of insights into and criticisms of Allen’s use of cultural references, from Strindberg to Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini.

“It’s pretty heady material, and what makes it even more exciting is to see young Ph.Ds who are passionate about Woody Allen’s films and bring new insight into his work,” Wynter said. “Not everyone is a raving fan. We do have unbiased criticism of Allen’s oeuvre that explore recurring references to themes, motif, forms and styles of other artists, texts and media — subtly and palpably.”

Szlezák agreed.

“These features are exactly what speaks to moviegoers and academics — that beneath the surface of any film, whether it is funny or tragic, there are so many layers that you can peel off and that then add more and different nuances of meaning to the films,” she said. “These may be subtle allusions or explicit references, and they are not restricted to filmmaking or film history, but reach far beyond that. I’ve watched all of his films multiple times and seem to discover something new, something that escaped me before, every time.”

Douglas McGrath, co-writer of Allen’s film “Bullets Over Broadway,” called the book a “thoughtful and rigorous collection of essays [that] explores all aspects of [Allen’s] amazing career.” Wynter was told that McGrath presented a copy of the book to Allen for his 80^th birthday on Dec. 1, 2015.

“That was one of our goals, to have this book out before Woody Allen’s 80^th birthday,” Wynter said. “We weren’t sure we could do it, but somehow everything managed to come together and we pulled it off.”

The book originated at a conference Wynter attended three years ago. There, she presented her research on Allen and the influence Strindberg has on his work. Her presentation caught the attention of Szlezák, who emailed Wynter and suggested they work on a book together.

Wynter said she became an aficionado of Allen’s work as a young girl growing up in the same Brooklyn neighborhood where Allen grew up.

“I went to the same high school that he did,” she said. “He was in the water, the air you breathed. He was part of the atmosphere. When I was in seventh or eighth grade, my friends and I would go see his early movies. I don’t know how we got into the theaters at age 12, but we did.”