Posted on Nov 10, 2007

$1 million gift received from Packard Foundation
--President Dianne Harrison has recognized the David and Lucile Packard Foundation for its gift of $1 million toward the cost of the Tanimura & Antle Family Memorial Library. "This leadership gift is a major vote of confidence in the university," said Dr. Harrison. "It represents the Foundation's deep commitment toward student success, and it sends a strong message to our community about the importance of private support for the library."
When it is completed next September, the library will be the academic and social heart of the campus, CSUMB's defining building and a regional landmark.

CSUMB alum featured on State Department website
--CSUMB alum Merlyn Calderon is featured on the website of the U.S. State Department, as part of its salute to Hispanic Heritage History Month. She has been a Presidential Management Fellow in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Exchanges Budget Office, since 2005. Merlyn first entered the Department of State in 2001 as a Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities intern in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Office of International Visitors Program. Her fellowship assignments have included staffing the U.S. Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee; special assistant to the Public Affairs Minister at the U.S. Embassy in Paris; and a member of the Passport Task Force in New Orleans. Prior to joining the State Department, Merlyn was a senior legislative assistant in the California State Legislature for Assembly Appropriations Chair Judy Chu from 2002 to 2005, where she focused on public health policy issues. She was also awarded a State Executive Fellowship with the California Department of Consumer Affairs in 2001 and 2002. Merlyn holds a master's degree in public administration from the University of Southern California, and a B.A. in Global Studies from CSUMB. A native of Salinas, she speaks Italian and Spanish. She is the youngest in her family of six children and the first to attend college.

The woman behind Integrated Studies
--Teacher, thespian, poet, environmentalist, lecturer, scholar - Dr. Barbara Mossberg is a living example of integrated studies and the potential for interdisciplinarity. Or, as she describes it, living purple. "Purple is the color of Integrated Studies," says Barbara (or "Dr. B," as her students call her), who directs the IS program at CSUMB. "Just as red and blue make purple, purple represents the creativity which is forged through the fusion of arts and sciences and the disciplines that make up our students' academic dream plans. "
To read more about Dr. Mossberg, click here.
To read other faculty profiles, click here.

Truths worth telling
Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg visits campus Nov. 28

--The President's Speakers Series concludes this semester's presentations with a Nov. 28 visit by Dr. Daniel Ellsberg, the RAND Corp. analyst who, in 1971, leaked the classified Pentagon Papers to the New York Times. The documents revealed the U.S. government had engaged in a pattern of deceiving the public about the number of Vietnam War casualties and the nation's ability to win the war. And they instantly validated the antiwar protest movement. He'll be talking about his book, "Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers," copies of which will be available for sale. To reserve a seat for the free event, click here. To read more about Dr. Ellsberg, click here.

Txt Msgs Alert U
Cell phones transmit safety alerts at CSUMB
--Cell phones - a convenient way to send greetings to friends and family via text messages - have been transformed into campus communications vehicles.
At CSUMB, the service is called - what else? - OTTERalert.
They blast out campus-wide security and emergency communication alarms - a service that has been getting a lot of attention since the tragic shootings at Virginia Tech.

The campus community can rest assured that OTTERalert is for emergency alerts only; those who sign up will not receive spam. Privacy is protected, and only campus administrators and members of the University Police Department can originate the messages.
To read more, click here.

TAT student to screen film in Monterey
--Estee Blancher will show her film, Heaven Come Down: Stories of the Lower Ninth Ward, about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, at the East Village Cafe on Monday, Nov. 12 from 6 to 9 p.m. The cafe is located at 498 Washington Street, Monterey. Screenings will be held every hour, followed by a discussion with the filmmaker on the current situation in the Gulf Coast region. To read more about Estee and her project, click here.

-Wednesday, Nov. 7: Open house informational session for the Master of Public Policy program, 6-7:30 p.m., Alumni and Visitors Center.
-Thursday, Nov. 8: Strategic planning town hall meeting, noon-2 p.m., University Center ballroom
- Thursday, Nov. 8-Saturday, Nov. 10: The Good Woman, a play by Bertolt Brecht, presented by the Department of Music and Performing Arts, 8 p.m., in the Meeting House. Free.
- Tuesday, Nov. 13: Ergonomics and Preventing Repetitive Stress Injuries, a presentation by the CSUMB Safety Team. Two sessions - 12:30 to 2 p.m. and 2 to 3:30 p.m., University Center conference rooms. Register at https://cmsweb.csumb.edu/HMBPRD

- Tuesday, Nov. 13: Open house at the Reading Center, Bldg. 59, 3 to 6 p.m.
- Tuesday, Nov. 13: Open house at the Visual and Public Art Department, 5 p.m.

ONGOING
- Through Nov. 9: "Guardians," works by students in the painting and mural class, and "Walking Through," pieces by sculpture students, are on display in the Balfour/Brutzman Gallery in VPA Bldg. 71. In "Guardians," students created self-portraits to express their thoughts about what they might guard or protect. The pieces in "Walking Through" are made of wire; pliers were used to bend and shape the material into the form of shoes. Hours are Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday noon to 3 p.m.
- Through Nov. 26: Works by students in VPA 347 Chicana/o Black Art taught by Dr. Amalia Mesa-Bains and Professor Stephanie A. Johnson is on display in the library. Based on the Spanish Castas paintings of the 17th and 18th centuries which categorized the mestizaje or "mixed race" people into socially stratified positions, the students' "remix" focuses upon narratives of familial legacy, ancestral exploration, and personal cross-cultural negotiation. Using the original paintings as a background with strategic alteration and addition of elements, these modern pieces counter the divisions, legal inequities, and fears promoted by the historical Castas paintings. The students developed their own narratives and reflections of hope in the new Castas images.

The November issue of Campus Connection is now online.

Read about:

- Strategic planning process is under way
- $4 million gift to fund scholarships
- CSUMB's electronic nerve center
- Meet Gigi Kiama
- President Harrison takes to the skies . . . Sky Radio, that is

- A reminder: Fourth Avenue (the street behind the Alumni and Visitors Center) between Divarty Street and Inter-Garrison Road is ONE WAY southbound. There are no plans to make the street two-way, even during the construction work in the area. It's a safety issue - the street is too narrow to safely accommodate two-way traffic and parking.

- Third Avenue is closed to through traffic from Inter-Garrison Road to Divarty Street while five wooden structures along Third are coming down. Access to the Outdoor Recreation Center, the Child Development Center and parking lot 84 will be available only from Inter-Garrison. The work is expected to be completed in late October.

- Fifth Avenue is closed to traffic.

- Divarty Street between Fourth Avenue and Gen. Jim Moore Boulevard is open to westbound traffic only. Divarty remains closed from Fourth east to the site of the new library. Traffic traveling north on Engineer Lane will be able to access the Human Resources Building, and Parking Lots 21 and 23. Traffic can access the lots by turning off Gen. Jim Moore onto the small road just south of Divarty Street, adjacent to the Veterans Clinic. This road connects to Engineer Lane and to the entrance to Parking Lot 23. Parking Lot 21 will be accessed via a newly constructed entrance at the southwest corner of Parking Lot 23.

- Our campus is under construction. Please be cautious around construction areas. We invite you to view this short slide show created with your safety in mind.

Otters ready for playoff run
If you think the CSU-Monterey Bay men's soccer team's only goal was to make the playoffs, think again. Courtesy of a dramatic come-from-behind 2-2 tie against CSU-Los Angeles last Sunday, the Otters qualified for the California Collegiate Athletic Association's post-season tournament, which begins today in Carson.
- Monterey Herald, Nov. 2, 2007

Dance for Dead - Mexican holiday fetes spirits
Surrounded by massive flower-adorned altars, to the beat of drums and the scent of burning sage, hundreds of people carried candles at CSU-Monterey Bay on a fog-drenched Thursday night to celebrate the memory of loved ones passed away. Produced by the school's Visual and Public Art Department, the event was part of the contemporary revival of the traditional Mexican Days of the Dead, in which deceased friends and family are remembered and honored on Nov. 1 and 2.
- Monterey Herald, Nov. 2, 2007

Voice of the people at Author's Table
Through the devastation of the Southern California fires, Los Angeles Times columnist Al Martinez found himself doing what he does best - writing. . . Martinez will be one of 16 authors participating in the sixth annual Author's Table, co-sponsored by CSU-Monterey Bay and the National Steinbeck Center, Sunday and Monday.
- Monterey Herald, Nov. 2, 2007

Family key element for CSUMB donors
Stephen Weldon, the director of Planned Giving for California State University, Monterey Bay, said his approach is a little different from that used by his peers at other academic institutions. "What we focus on is learning about the family history, its values, ethics and the challenges they have overcome," Weldon said.
- Salinas Californian, Nov. 1, 2007

CSUMB gets $1M grant for doctoral students
College students interested in pursuing doctoral studies might get an extra boost as a result of a federal grant received this week at CSU-Monterey Bay. Officials at the college announced Tuesday it had received almost $1 million to help minority students pursue Ph.D.s. The grant from the U.S. Department of Education is part of the Robert E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program. "The fact that we will be adding to the preparation of students who will be McNair scholars means they have a much better chance in getting into very prestigious Ph.D. programs," said CSUMB president Dianne Harrison.
- Monterey Herald, Nov. 1, 2007

Brecht tweak - CSU-Monterey Bay provides a modern backbeat to 'The Good Woman (of Setzuan)'
California State University-Monterey Bay's production of Bertolt Brecht's "The Good Woman (of Setzuan)" contains a somewhat unique set of elements, which together seemingly provide the makings of an engrossing night of drama, one in which you can lose yourself in the action on stage.
The tickets are free (cool). The "theater" is a converted army chapel referred to as "The Meeting House" (quaint). The audience is interspersed among the actors and action of the play, an intimate 65-70 seated per performance (cozy). The characters wear hand-made masks crafted by professor, director and mask-maker Will Shepherd (classy). But don't get too comfortable.
- Monterey Herald, Nov. 1, 2007

Table Talk - The Author's Table revives the lost art of the literary salon
. . . . Called the Author's Table, the event, now in its sixth year, combines the nourishment of a dinner party with the literary exchange of a salon. Literary salons - intimate and intellectual gatherings at the homes of distinguished people - once flourished throughout Europe. Most famous, perhaps, is that of Gertrude Stein where she hosted Picasso, Hemingway, Fitzgerald and others. Closer to home, Henry Miller hosted salons that attracted artists, writers and celebrities from all corners. The Steinbeck Center and CSU Monterey Bay collaborate on the Author's Table, which consists of a 200-person champagne reception/luncheon at CSU Monterey Bay's University Center paneled by six of the Author's Table authors; a VIP opening reception for all 15 authors at Pasadera Country Club; and Monday evening dinners at the homes of notable local hosts, each starting at 6pm, each attended by one author, all open to the public.
- Monterey County Weekly, Nov. 1, 2007

Talking about Anime
INK writer Leslie Escobar sits down with members of the CSUMB Anime Club to find all the buzz in Japanese animation
Alan Sprenkel has seen the effects of anime obsession up close. Sprenkel, 22, dressed up as a favorite anime - short for Japanese animation - character, Kakashi, a few years ago at a convention. "The first year I did a good one I had fan girls who liked this character getting 20-foot-long running starts and tackling me to the ground," said Sprenkel, who's a student at California State University, Monterey Bay. "Last year I got lucky because my girlfriend came with us and every time she saw someone coming, she literally got between us and went, 'No, it's mine,' because she is as big of a Kakashi girl as the girls who tackle me." Trevor Nagy, a CSUMB student and friend of Sprenkel's, smiled as the story was told as the two hung out at the Otter Bay Restaurant on campus. Nagy and Sprenkel are both members of the CSUMB Anime Club, which was formed about nine years ago. Throughout the years, both said they've noticed a surging interest in anime and manga, or Japanese comics. Today, the club has about 50 members.
- Salinas Californian, Nov. 1, 2007

Police pedal CSUMB area - eight of 14 officers patrol Seaside campus on bicycles
If you've been on the California State University, Monterey Bay campus in the past couple of months, you may have noticed a few new bicyclists zipping around the Seaside campus. . . Police say patrolling on mountain bikes allows them easier access to quad areas and walking trails and makes them more approachable by students, faculty, staff and visitors on campus. "People seem to like it because you blend in more with the public," said Officer David Ham, adding that he enjoys biking so much he's been invited to join the campus bike club on weekend rides.
- Salinas Californian, Nov. 1, 2007

 

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