October 4, 2011 Daily Sundial by The Daily Sundial

California State University, Northridge FREE

December That’ll be $5, please cut likely to hit CSU www.dailysundial.com

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Andrew Lopez daily sundial

tudents will not be asked for more tuition to make up for what have been described as inevitable trigger cuts, set to slash another $100 million from California higher education if the state does not meet expected revenues by December, said CSU Chancellor Charles Reed. “I think the trigger will get pulled,” Reed said at the Sept. 21 board of trustees meeting. “I met with presidents two weeks ago and, frankly, we’re going to spend down to nothing almost.” Effects of cutting spending could include fewer classes and possible staff layoffs, as was the case in 2009, said Liz Chapin, CSU spokeswoman. Expecting $4 billion in revenue may have been too confident an assumption when lawmakers included the anticipated funds in the July budget, said Robert Turnage, CSU assistant vice chancellor for budget. “It was a bit of a leap of faith” Turnage said. “It’s hard to get terribly optimistic about the situation.” Though revenues in August were $560 million below projected figures, a surge in funds could undo the potential cuts, said H.D. Palmer, spokesman for the California Department of Finance. “Things swing back and forth pretty quickly,” he said. “It’s too early to tell.” The coming months will provide a clearer picture of

whether CSU’s and UC’s total cuts for this fiscal year will stay at $650 million. The Legislative Analyst’s Office, which provides nonpartisan financial advice for the state legislature, files a fiscal outlook report once a year in November. The report focuses on the outlook of the California budget, including revenues and expenses for the state. The financial outlook report will be the first strong indicator of whether or not expected revenues for the state will be met, Palmer said. The Department of Finance, which serves as Gov. Jerry Brown’s chief fiscal policy advisor, will file their own report by December. Ana J. Matosantos, director of finance, will choose the higher projected state revenue estimate. If the higher estimate is still more than $1 billion short of the $87.4 billion the state budget had hoped for, the trigger cut will be enforced no later than Dec. 15, Palmer said. Matosantos can use her own discretion as to how much of the potential $100 million will be cut from the CSU and UC systems, Turnage said. Though Reed expressed disappointment with the uncertainty of the situation, he urged state legislators to begin putting money back into colleges and universities. “What I’m worried about is (how state legislators) could treat it, because of the economy and downturn in revenue as a recurring cut,” Reed said. “I sure hope that this state leadership makes the decision to start investing in higher education.”

since 1957

Andres Aguila / Daily Sundial

Freshman sociology major Maria Vasquez, 18, gets money out of a Bank of America ATM in the Matador Bookstore Complex. Bank of America might start charging debit card users $5 a month when using their cards to purchase items. “It’s stupid. It’s not necesary. Why would (Bank of America) take away money from customers?” Vasquez said.

Caitlin Martin daily sundial

B ica

ank of Amer(BofA) debit card

users could pay more than just overdraft fees starting next year if the bank approves charging customers $5 a month to swipe their plastic. New fees are being

used to recoup losses banks will incur after a new government bill limits the amount of money banks can charge merchants and customers for debit card transactions,

according to the Wall Street Journal and CNN Money. “Debit cards and checking accounts are for

See bank, page 2

Scheduled repairs put portal to sleep for a week Rachel Costahaude daily sundial



Courtesy of myNorthridge portal

in today’s

issue

Volume 53 Issue 22 • A financially Independent student newspaper

he myNorthridge Portal will be unavailable from Oct. 5 to Oct. 10 for a system

upgrade. Class registration, financial aid information, account balances and degree progress reports will be unavailable during site construction. Students will be unable to view transcripts, grades and class

NEWS

OPINIONS

SPORTS

Taking from big oil and giving to students p. 3

‘Potentially Middle Eastern?’ Not important p. 6

Azulay, a native from Israel, contributing to men’s soccer team p. 8

schedules. These services will also be unavailable at the Student Services Center in the Bayramian Hall lobby. With the semester in full

See portal, page 2

ONLINE Scan this QR code to enjoy the website on your phone!

2 News October 4, 2011 • Daily Sundial • CSUN • city@sundial.csun.edu

portal

Continued from page 1 swing, some students have questioned why the decision has come now. John Briar, senior director of information systems, said there is a window now. “There’s a lot more activity during other times (of the year),” Briar said. “Right now we are postfall registration and prewinter and spring registration, so the traffic is at a minimum.” An aesthetic change, including rollover instructions and an altered navigation bar, will take the shortest amount of time. The technical changes to the portal, including registering for classes, checking grades and the solar student center, will take about a week to upgrade, said Marieanne

Quiroz, student marketing and communications manager. The upgrade will begin at 6 p.m. on Wednesday Oct. 5, and be completed by 6 a.m. on Tuesday Oct. 11. Student Services will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. during this time to address students’ questions about unavailable features, Quiroz said. “The Solar Center will be available to students Tuesday morning,” said Briar. “Whether it’s the old system or the new system, it will be available.” University Cash Services will still accept payments at the counter in Bayramian Hall, Briar said. Payments will be reflected in the student’s account once the upgrade is complete, but payments made by debit card or check will post to the student’s bank account immediately.

bank

Continued from page 1 money we already have,” said education major Kaitlin Marks, 19. “I don’t get why we would have to pay just to use our own money.” The fee has yet to be finalized, but if it were, the charges would not go into effect until April 2012, said Hector Alvarado, personal banking representative at the Northridge BofA. The $5 fee will not apply to premium or business accounts, but will apply to ebanking and standard checking accounts, Alvarado said. “If it is finalized, customers will be notified well ahead of time,” Alvarado said. Other banks, like Wells Fargo and J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., are expected to devise similar plans for charging debit card users to make up the almost $6.6 billion in lost revenue the

industry is expected to face due to these newly regulated swipe fees, the Wall Street Journal reported. Jeff Brun, 20, said he will seriously rethink being a BofA customer if the fee is approved. “That is $60 a year just to spend money that I already worked hard for,” Brun said. “This is not a ‘convenience’ fee to me, it’s just like more taxes.” New fees, such as this one from BofA, joins a list of changes banks are implementing. In October, Wells Fargo will end its debit card rewards program, which allowed consumers to gain points for using their debit cards, CNN Money reported. “I think that they will lose customers,” said marketing Professor Deborah Heisley. “This is a bad time because people are very frustrated with the banks. They see them as having been bailed out and they haven’t risen to the

occasion.” Changes come in response to the Dodd-Frank financial reform legislation passed last year which regulates the charges banks can levy, the Wall Street Journal reported, such as capping charges for debit card transactions at 24 cents. “It just seems like the banks want more money and don’t care that the laws are trying to help the consumer,” Marks said. Other students said the change did not seem like behavior out of the ordinary for banks. “You already seem to get charged so much for going to other banks or using the ATM, so I’m not surprised,” said Robert Daves, 24, engineering major. Companies, including American Express, Citibank and BofA, have charged credit card customers an annual fee on certain cards for the last few years, Time Magazine reported.

J.P. Morgan has been testing a $3 fee in Northern Wisconsin, according to CNN. But depending on the bank, those fees can be avoided.

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News 3 October 4, 2011 • Daily Sundial • CSUN • city@sundial.csun.edu

CA oil industry may need to pay more Professor circulates petition to get initiative on November ballot to create new oil taxes for state education braulio campos daily sundial

hat do schools and oil companies have in common? Nothing yet, but if a California initiative passes, taxes on one could be given to another. Initiative 1481 proposes to put a 15 percent per barrel severance tax on California oil, and Cypress College political science professor, Perry Matthews has been trying since May to get the bill on a November ballot. Severance taxes are imposed on the removal of nonrenewable resources, in this case crude oil. The tax would bring in an annual $3 billion to California education systems, with about $350 million going to the California State University system, said Mathews. “Wherever someone drills, there is a severance tax paid, except in California,” Matthews said. “Why should we be any different?” California does not have a statewide severance tax, according to the California Department of Conservation, but the state is not alone. There are 11 other states that do not impose a severance tax on oil, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Money from the proposed bill would be allocated to education, not for expenses uncovered by federal funds, according to the proposition.

Andres Aguila / Daily Sundial

The 76 Gas Station on Nordhoff, accross the street from CSUN. A new proposed bill will impose a tax on oil extraction that will produce around $3 billion per year for education in California.

As of now, California’s general fund will provide $10.2 million to higher education for the 2011-2012 school year, according to the California Department of Finance’s projections. CSUN economics professor Shirley Svorny said taxing oil companies could make them think twice before investing in the state. “If businesses know that a state gov-

ernment will tax them when they are doing well, fewer businesses will locate in a state,” Svorny said. This disincentive may be true for some business, but not applicable to the oil industry, said Martin Saiz, political science department chair. “Unfortunately for oil companies, they can only drill where the oil is,” Saiz said. “If this was true the oil extraction

industry would have moved from Alaska, Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana a long time ago.” Alaska and Wyoming collect the highest in severance taxes, according to the National Conference of State Legislature. “Simply put, states that can tax natural resources do so because, in effect, it is taxing residents from other states for

things they need and cannot produce themselves," said Saiz. Proposition 87, which would have diverted 6 percent of revenue from oil products to fund alternative energy research, was rejected by Californians five years ago. “Additional taxes on California oil has been debated before,” said Tupper Hull, communications vice president of the Western State Petroleum Association. “Once people realize what the taxes would do to the state the idea has been rejected.” Hull said while California oil does not pay severance taxes like other states, the Golden State oil business does pay state fees. “We are taxed principally on property, of which we pay hundreds of million in taxes to California,” said Hull. "As well as corporate taxes.” The corporate tax rate, 8.84 percent, is the same for oil as it is for all industries in California. Oil extractors often lease land, passing the property taxes on to the drill-site owners, according to the California Progress Report. Property taxes in California are limited under proposition 13, which taxes properties at the rate in place when the property was acquired, including oil-bearing properties, wrote Anthony Rubenstein of California Progress Report. Taxable property value is far below the true market cost under proposition 13, Rubenstein wrote, and oil companies can pay a property tax as low as 2 percent.

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Opinions

October 4, 2011

opinion@sundial.csun.edu

The most common psychotropic drug: Caffeine Mind-altering drugs like caffeine can be safe, should not be banned or regulated by government Ron Rokhy daily sundial

merica’s strict policy concerning psychotropic (mind altering) drugs has been raging since the 1980s when the “war on drugs” was

declared. Substances such as cocaine, ecstasy, crystal meth and heroin have all been declared illegal for their dangerous and addictive properties. Similar drugs, namely alcohol and tobacco, are legal but regulated by the government for commercial use. But

the most common drug of all, which is unregulated and potentially just as dangerous as the others, is a stimulant 90 percent of American adults consume daily: caffeine. Whether consumed through coffee, tea, energy drinks or soda, Americans have easy and unlimited

access to caffeine, but is our government’s policy too lenient? Should caffeine be treated like other psychoactive drugs and be regulated, or even banned? The policy we currently have on caffeine is adequate, and it shouldn’t change for many reasons. Firstly, although caffeine may be dangerous in large doses, there have only been four documented cases of caffeine deaths since 2007. That’s about 500 times less than the number of Tylenol deaths per year. Secondly, caffeine addiction doesn’t pose much of a threat. People who are addicted will have mild withdrawal symptoms when the drug isn’t present in their system. The symptoms, which resolve within 2-5 days, include lethargy, headaches and sleepiness.

“Sure, caffeine is addictive,” said Dr. Mark Stevens, director of university counseling services. “But you have to look at the consequences of the addiction. The physical aspect is nothing more than having headaches for a while.” Lastly, while the symptoms of caffeine overdose, which include confusion, fever, hallucinations, convulsions, irregular heartbeat and even death are similar to that of stronger substances, the amount of caffeine needed to achieve such fatal levels far exceed that of illegal drugs. It takes an excess of 5 grams of caffeine for the average person to overdose, and since a cup of coffee is contains about 60-100 milligrams of it, someone would have to ingest over 50 cups at

once to overload themselves to the point of death, not very likely. For some, the benefits of caffeine greatly overpower the drawbacks. “If taken in moderation and without prior health concerns, caffeine has plenty of benefits,” said Stevens. “Users get more blood flow in to their brains which leads to heightened alertness, concentration, and it helps people focus on tasks without getting distracted. There’s also a social interaction centered around caffeine. People get together, drink coffee, and socialize, and that’s always good.” At the front line of the war on drugs, it’s important to remember that the “drugs are bad” mantra is far from universal.

Letter Policy Letters should be no longer than 300 words. Students must include their full name, e-mail and contact number, and major. Faculty and staff must include position and department. All other submissions must include relationship to CSUN (i.e. alumni, parent). Letters written on behalf of a CSUN club or organization must be signed with student names. Individuals may not have more than one letter published within a one-week period. Anonymous letters and those attacking the writer will not be published. Letters that do not contain contact information will not be published. You will be contacted if your letter is a candidate for publication.

CSUN instills racial fear Illustration by Jennifer Luxton / Contributor

laura davis contributor

odern American society values the rights of and respects controversial minority groups more so than it has in previous times. Last week, despite the progressive effort toward tolerance, CSUN took a giant step backwards by instilling an unjust fear of Middle Easterners in our students. The CSUN community was bombarded last Tuesday by a multitude of phone calls, text messages, and emails about a suspected gunman on campus, who was identified as of potential Middle Eastern decent - a detail The Daily Sundial chose to omit in their version of the story. According to news editor Samantha Tata, the student publication felt the description of his appearance and outfit was sufficient and his supposed race an unnecessary detail. CSUN’s emergency notification system provided a

detailed description of the suspect, later identified as 22-year-old philosophy major Gahren Moradian. “A white male 5’8 wearing a white tee-shirt that says, ‘human rights violation,’ of potential Middle Eastern decent with short spiky hair, and short jeans,” the notification read. Moradian’s supposed race was conveniently sandwiched between the description of his hair and clothing. No matter how intentional or unintentional the inclusion of his race may have been, it created an exaggerated fear on campus by attaching a stigmatized stereotype to the suspect. American society as a whole is in limbo over whether to accept Middle Easterners as one of several tolerated minority groups, or to reject them entirely out of fear and ignorance of their beliefs, religion and culture. “People widely perceive that law enforcement routinely and unfairly targets minority citizens,” according to a national poll conducted by the American Academy of Politi-

cal and Social Science Such was the case Sept. 27. CSUN jumped to conclusions by identifying Moradian as potentially Middle Eastern without realizing its consequence - racial fear on campus. The suspect’s dark hair and dark eyes could easily be attributes of a Latino, or someone of mixed race. By prematurely calling him Middle Eastern, CSUN contributed to the ongoing perception that Middle Easterners are dangerous and irrational. “Anti-Islamic incidents were the second least reported hate crimes prior to 9/11, but following 9/11, they became the second highest reported among religion-bias incidents,” according to the Muslim Public Affairs Council’s (MPAC) website. “From pre9/11 to post-9/11, a growth of 1600 percent took place.” CSUN, however, did not appear overly concerned by the alleged armed student who was heard muttering profanities and photographed facing a pillar outside the Oviatt Library.

Despite the large amount of alerts sent to students, classes were not officially canceled - and minus the library - the university remained open. Referring to Moradian as Middle Eastern, an irrelevant detail, could discourage cultural sensitivity and awareness. Ignorance is a root cause for hate and hate crimes, and as students we should strive to appreciate all cultures, not shy away from them and reject their members out of fear of difference. MPAC’s site gives several tips to help stop hate crimes and recommends educating family and friends about the underlying reason for hate crimes and how to prevent them. The time has come to stand up against bigotry and put an end to the false perception that Middle Easterners are dangerous, irrational and pose a threat. There are extremists in every race and religion under the sun, but the vast majority of people are good and deserve respect and equal treatment from their peers.

Have an opinion? Want to share? Whether you’re a professor wanting to share an expert view or are a student who wants a venue in which to express your ideas, the Sundial may be the place for you. E-mail us at opinion@sundial.csun.edu.

daily sundial Editor in Chief Ken Scarboro editor@csun.edu News Editor Samantha Tata city@sundial.csun.edu Live News Editor Ashley Soley-Cerro city@csun.edu Features Editor Brian De Los Santos features@sundial.csun.edu Sports Editors Gilberto Manzano alonso tacanga sports@sundial.csun.edu Life & Arts Editor Natalie Estrada ane@sundial.csun.edu Opinion Editor Kristin Hugo opinion@sundial.csun.edu Visual Editors Tessie Navaro Mariela Molina photo@sundial.csun.edu Art Director Abby Jones Online Editor Andrew Lopez online@sundial.csun.edu Social Media Editor Brien Overly

Madison Kaufmann Sarah Lorsch Caitlin Martin Katherine O’Neill Hansook Oh Mary Pham Julian Reyes Mehron Rokhy Kathleen Russell Kristina Sanborn Abbey Seltzer Senior Staff ivette lopez Irene Moore Christianna Triolo Contributors Reanna Delgadillo Sales Manager Sara Jones Sales Representatives Ben Andrews michael johnson Jessica Lysholm Nicole maddocks Paige Prinz Production Designers caitlin Martin jessica strelioff Marketing Jessica Goodman Coleman Kieke

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October 4, 2011 • Daily Sundial • CSUN • classifieds@csun.edu

FOR RELEASE OCTOBER 4, 2011 FOR RELEASE SEPTEMBER 30, 2011

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Sports

sports@sundial.csun.edu

men’s soccer

Big time Azulay Adjusting to American life, Israeli freshman is impact player for Matadors

Letter to the editor

Greatness is a journey From Sept. 20, 2011:

Herber Lovato / Senior Photographer

Forward Yarden Azulay (5) scored a goal during the Matadors’ 3-0 win against Cal State Fullerton Saturday night.

Anthony Carpio daily sundial

reshmen have a lot to deal with when they first start college. Living away from home and learning how to survive on their own can make their college experience challenging. Most freshmen attending CSUN may come from neighboring cities and even a few from out of state. But one freshman athlete on the men’s soccer team came from a different country: all the way from Israel. Matador midfielder Yarden Azulay is no ordinary freshman. Having to serve three years in the Israeli military prior to coming to the U.S., the 23-year-old has already done some maturing. “He’s not a freshman in the sense that he’s an 18-year-old out of high school,” said CSUN assistant coach Peter Bomar. “He’s in his 20’s, he’s served in the Israeli military, so he’s known what it’s like to grow up and become a man.” Born in Israel, Azulay had no choice but to serve for his home country. “You have to serve three years, no matter what,” he said. But Azulay tried to make his years with the military an enjoyable experience. He thought about becoming a pilot for the Israeli Air Force, but if he went down that path, it would have been a

career he would have been stuck in, Azulay said. He eventually became a driver for a high-level commander and later joined a group of drivers in the military. By becoming a driver in the military, Azulay was able to serve his three years while still focusing on the sport he loves. “I did my time and practiced (soccer) by myself,” Azulay said. Azulay stayed with his parents before and after he entered the military. That changed once he came to the U.S. Azulay said it is not his first time living alone, but it’s his first time living by himself in a different country. “It’s quite hard to live by myself,” Azulay said. “No parents, no family, no nothing. It’s hard to live by myself right now. I just have outcome, no income.” Azulay added that, had he stayed in Israel, he wouldn’t have been able to live the type of life he has here. “In Israel, I can’t combine my academics and soccer together. It’s this or that,” Azulay said. “Here, I get the opportunity to get them both at the same time.” It was CSUN head coach Terry Davila and associate coach Yossi Raz who helped Azulay fulfill his dream. “(Raz) is very predominant in the Israeli community in the Valley,” Bomar said. “There’s not a lot of them, so he’s definitely a figurehead. With (Raz’s) family being in Israel

and a lot of his friends coming from Israel, we were able to find out about this young man who wanted to come play here.” It was only a matter of time for the staff to realize Azulay would be an asset to the group. “The Israeli community knew he’d be a good fit for us,” Bomar said. “And from there, we were just able to work it out with (CSUN athletics) and his family over there (to bring him to) the United States to be a big part of our team.” It is Azulay’s maturity and experience that has contributed to CSUN’s success so far in the Big West Conference. He currently has three goals and one assist, with his last score coming during the Matadors’ 3-0 victory Saturday against Cal State Fullerton. “When you bring someone like (Azulay) to the soccer field, it teaches the younger guys, who are traditionally out of high school, how to work and how to focus and prepare for soccer,” Bomar said.

As we have all come to see in the last few years, athletes are apparently defined by the decisions they make in moments where clutch performances are needed. But can we really rely on a single game or play to decide if a player is worthy of being called a “choker?” Since Lebron James came into the league, people have done nothing but hype him up until he gets to the playoffs, where we all know he has been less than what has been expected of him. The latest victim of this ongoing tragedy is Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. Unfortunately, Romo kicked off the Cowboys’ season with a less-than-perfect performance, which has people all over the country talking, including our very own Sundial sports columnist, Ron Rokhy. In Rokhy’s article, “No Mo’ Romo, Please,” which was published on Sept. 14, 2011, he expresses his utter disapproval for Romo and perpetuates the cycle of labeling great athletes as premature chokers. After seeing Romo’s performance during Week 1, we can change the saying, “Rome wasn’t built in a day” to “Romo wasn’t built in a day.” Despite his potentially not up-to-par games in the past, I believe that it is unfair to label someone as a poor performer simply based off of a few poor games. It takes years and years of countless reps to even see the slightest improvement in someone’s game. A single game, no matter the situation or what is at stake, does not disprove an athlete’s ability to be a superstar. Everybody has a bad game, it’s part of an athlete’s career, but it’s what they do after that should define them. Not once have we seen Romo quit during a game. He plays through pain and broken bones in order to get the job done and a “W” for his team. The failures that Romo has endured serve second to none and no victory will ever teach him the same lessons that his losses have. All Romo needs is one clutch performance in a big time game for him to quiet his critics and gain the confidence needed to truly be the player that he knows he can be. The last I checked, there is no “I” in Romo and there is certainly no “I” in team, so unless you’re ready to label the entire Dallas Cowboys organization as “chokers,” I would be careful how that word is thrown around. Matt Siporin Communications major

Yarden Azulay Freshman Forward #5 2011 stats: Goals: 3 Assists:1 Courtesy of MCT

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo.