Media Arts building in limbo Budget problem dissolves plans

TIFFANY BERWAGER & GABY SORIANO tberwager.roundupnews@ gmail.com gsoriano.roundjpnews@ gmail.com

The future location of the proposed Digital Arts and Media building continues to be up in the air after updates on the project last week discussed alternative options.

The scenarios presented to the user group are to renovate the current library building, renovate the village 8200 just for Media Arts, or reduce the size of the proposed building.

The ongoing discussion about the Digital Arts and Media building plan leaves the former library empty as it becomes more evident that limited space on campus is a common issue among all departments.

JOSE HERRERA Staff jherrera.roundupnews@ gmail.com

Students passing by the tennis courts on a game day for the tennis team would not suspect that player Anthony Avakian, who serves two handed, had suffered a head injury that left him in a coma for several months.

On March 23, 2013, then 18-yearold, Avakian was driving from his grandparent’s home in Las Vegas to his mother’s home in Los Angeles at 2 a.m. with his 14-year-old brother when a semi truck hitch had come undone hitting his car and causing him to veer off the road.

Avakian’s car flipped several times before coming to a halt. He was unconscious with a severe head injury, a shattered shoulder, several broken facial bones and cervical vertebrae. Hours after the accident both brothers were transported to Loma Linda Hospital where they to offer a workshop in the Transfer Center.

There are seven impacted majors at CSUN, meaning they have more qualified applicants than there is space. Norine Fine, academic counselor, helped to organize the Kinesiology workshop.

“This is the first time we’ve done a kinesiology workshop and one of the reasons we decided to do this is because the kinesiology major at CSUN is now impacted,” Fine said.

Since it will be the first time that CSUN’s Kinesiology major is impacted, Pierce College counselors do not know what type of effect this change will bring to the students applications or what CSUN will be looking at for the program upcoming fall.

Counselors said that when a major is impacted the selection criteria becomes more rigorous. Selection criteria includes GPA and the completion of the student’s major preparation courses, according to Fine.

The purpose of the workshop was to better inform students on what core classes they must take and were treated for their respective injuries.

“It just shows that life is a struggle and that you have to work hard to get it,” Avakian said. “Each thing is a test in life. That tested my faith in god, my belief in who I am and what I want to do with my life.”

Doctors had to remove the right part of Avakian’s skull to reduce swelling that occurred. He was in the ICU for approximately three months before he became responsive. Then doctors put him into an induced state to help him recover and all the while his family were by his side.

“It was very serious and because of my grandfather, I’m capable of doing it,” Avakian said. “He stood by me every single day motivating me that I could do it and I will do it because he’s there. My family is inspirational because they’ve been beside me but also my brother who saved my life the moment of the accident to after.”

To help Avakian recuperate from the accident he underwent six cranial plastic surgeries. After two years of on and off hospitalization Avakian has regained most of his motor abilities he lost with some assistance from physical therapy as well as recovering his cognitive abilities.

“For probably six months I wasn’t walking,” Avakian said. “I was in a wheelchair. After another six months I started slowly progressing to my walker to without a walker and walking by myself.”

Before the accident, Avakian was a wrestler and swimmer. He attended the junior olympics for the Sandpipers swim club back in Southern Nevada in 2013. He had gone to the 2012 state championships for swim, participating in the freestyle 15 meter and also qualified for the butterfly, placing 4th.

Now, 21-year-old Avakian swings his tennis racket for the Brahmas. He tried to go back to swim but the left side of his body still struggles to function as it used to.

In January, Avakian approached head coach Long Dao during a physical day, inquiring about playing for the team.

“He brings a lot of spirit,” Dao said. “He’s always the one who wants to practice. He’s always the one who wants to stay longer. He’s the one who wants to play and that’s the kind of thing I want to see is that my guys play beyond practice and get better.”

A few weeks after joining the team Avakian told Dao about his accident and how he has limited function. Even then, Avakian works hard and is a persistent player, never backing down from a challenge.

“He has a disability but I like how he is always very positive all the time and he wants to try harder and harder,” teammate Daniel Barrega said. “He’s always trying to encourage us. It’s very motivating to see someone like him on the team. I like his spirit.”

As a result of his dedication to swim, Avakian had obtained a full ride from University of Southern California and opportunities from

[See Avakian, pg. 7] internships they can participate in to be a noticeably contender.

“We wanted to do this workshop to educate students interested in kinesiology and what they need to do to really help themselves to be a more competitive applicant for CSUN and other campuses as well,”

Fine said.

Fine said in the past she would occasionally have a student be interested in Kinesiology, but it has become more popular.

“Most of the campuses do have impaction in their kinesiology programs and it has really become a very popular program,” Fine said. “I think it’s partly because Kinesiology, as opposed to the biology major, has a lot of attraction to somebody that is not interested in doing all the premed type of coursework.”

Elvin Garcia, Kinesiology major, attended the workshop and was satisfied with the information provided about the types of careers he could pursue.

“The slides gave a lot of descriptive information of each field and that was helpful,” Garcia said.

Alejandra Morales considered kinesiology two years ago but was surprised there weren’t many workshops available. Morales found the workshop helpful and thinks it could benefit students with organizing their classes, especially for kinesiology because it’s like a science major having to take chemistry, biology and physiology.

Assistant professor of photography, Sean McDonald, voiced his discontent with the current housing for media arts, at Tuesday’s meeting. The department has been constantly in trailers and moved about the campus since its beginning.

“I’m in a trailer that could fall apart in the next three to five years,” McDonald said.

Project Manager Ed Cadena said the project is $5 million over budget at the Pierce College Council meeting on Feb. 25. Members of the Facilities Advisory Committee, discussed potential campus repairs and upcoming construction projects at a meeting on Tuesday March 15, 2016.

Following Tuesday’s meeting, Rolf Schleicher, vice president of Administrative Services, told the committee that the budget has to be talked about due to lack of funding. Funds need to be allocated, and the priority list for construction needs to be discussed. Some projects may be deselected and defunded in order for higher priority projects to be completed, according to Schleicher.

“I think it helps people with organizing their classes and which classes you have to take each semester and for time managing too,” Morales said.

“These workshops help students be more prepared and I do think attending can benefit them,” Fine said.