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Articles by Justin Gans
Dr. Erika Díaz-Almeyda Presents Research Seminar on ‘Milpas for the Future’
On Thursday, Feb. 13, more than 100 students, faculty, and staff crowded into Academic Hall 102 to hear biology professor Dr. Erika Díaz-Almeyda speak. As part of this semester’s seminar series focused on international research, her presentation was titled “Milpas for the Future: Protecting and Reclaiming Traditional Agriculture.” Milpas are a Mesoamerican polycrop farming practice also known as “The Three Sisters”: corn, beans, and squash.
CSU Employers Union student workers rally in Administration Building to demand fair treatment
November 26, 2024 The CSU Employees Union student workers delivered a petition, consisting of 4,000 signatures, to President Neufeldt’s office on Tuesday to express their frustrations with California State University leadership. The CSUEU represents over 35,000 student workers and career staff across the CSU system. The union’s demands center around protecting jobs, improving wages, and ensuring sufficient resources to support students and staff as enrollment grows.
Milpa Breaks New Ground for Mesoamerican Culture and Research at CSU San Marcos
November 20, 2024 Since it broke ground last May, the milpa has created a surprising amount of attention through word of mouth alone. Dr. Erika Diaz Almeyda, who directs the project, conceived of the milpa with Ethnic Studies professor Dr. Garzo-Montalvo. “Wouldn’t this be like the perfect place to do a milpa,” she asked him. In record time they got something on the ground, and it is showing strong signs of success. “I cannot believe that now it is done. With all the challenges, we did it.
Books for a World on Fire
As we near the 2024 Presidential Election and pass the one-year mark of Israel’s ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip, many feel disillusioned about the future. Community organizing and education will be crucial to avoiding the many crises we face. Here is a list of introductory books for some of the critical issues of our time. This includes general subjects, big-name intellectuals, and revelatory new histories that can inspire us.
Students Should Vote Down the Wellness and Recreation Facility Proposal to Avoid Sky-High Student Fees
Students have long advocated for better wellness and recreation services on campus. According to Campus Recreation, “when surveyed in the fall of 2023, 91% of students indicated that a new facility should be a high priority for CSUSM.” Last semester, the “Be Well. Be You.” campaign proposed a Wellness and Recreation facility near the QUAD that would have raised Recreation student fees to $265 per semester. However, this did not pass after a campus-wide student fee referendum.
Cross Cultural Center Workshop Features Borderlands Relief Collective
Last Tuesday, Oct. 1, the Cross-Cultural Center featured the Borderlands Relief Collective (BRC) for an Activist Lab workshop covering humanitarian relief volunteer opportunities along the US-Mexico border. Sarah and Kirsten led a presentation covering the BRC’s work, immigration politics, and how people can get involved with the collective. Kirsten is an immigration attorney who has been doing volunteer work at the border for over 8 years. Sarah has been volunteering for about a year.
Motivational Morpheus - The Matrix at 25 Years
September 27, 2024 Like many others who are younger than the film, my first exposure to “The Matrix” was through my father. I always knew “The Matrix” as that cool movie with a rebel group of slow-motion bullet dodgers. Revisiting the film in theaters for its 25th anniversary, I got a much better sense of what “The Matrix” means for the 21st century and how it continues to inspire today. Much has been said about “The Matrix’s” philosophical themes, namely issues of representation and reality.
Fighting for a Truly Public University: “Lend & Rule” Book Review
Discussions around who should control public higher education have amped up in recent years. Students, faculty, and workers increasingly feel the impact of university disinvestment, budget cuts, and institutional debts.
2024-2025 Library Campus Common Read Kick-Off Event
Last Thursday, Aug 29, the CSUSM Library celebrated its 2024-2025 Campus Common Read selections with a special kick-off event and book giveaway in the Kellogg Plaza. The library is continuing its ongoing “banned books” theme, highlighting books regularly targeted for removal from schools and public libraries. Library staff introduced the books to all who stopped by, handing out free book copies, buttons, bookmarks, and more.
Justin Akers Chacón on Transnational Working-Class Solidarity, US-Mexico Border Abolition, the Palestinian Liberation Movement, and the Future of Organized Labor - The Cougar Chronicle
Justin Akers Chacón is an activist, labor unionist, and educator based in the San Diego-Tijuana border region. He is currently a Professor at San Diego City College. Chacón has published three significant books on the US-Mexico border in the past six years. In collaboration with late historian and urban theorist, Mike Davis, his book “No One Is Illegal: Fighting Racism and State Violence on the U.S.-Mexico Border” debunks the leading ideas behind the often-violent right-wing attacks on migrants.
CSUSM Students Vote Down Fee Increase Proposal for a Wellness and Recreation Facility
On Friday, April 19, CSUSM Campus Recreation announced that the measure to increase students’ Recreation Fee did not pass. If passed, the increased fee would have supported CSUSM’s proposed Wellness and Recreation Facility. The special referendum election ran from April 9 through April 11. Nearly 60% of CSUSM students voted “no” to the proposed $265 per semester Recreation Fee increase. Only 1,317 students voted, being just 9.85% of the student population.
What You Should Know Before Voting on the Wellness and Recreation Facility Referendum
April 8, 2024 On April 9-11, CSUSM students will be eligible to take part in a campus-wide vote on a proposed increase to their student fees. This fee increase would support the development of a Wellness and Recreation facility. Students have long voiced their desire for better wellness and recreation facilities.
CSUSM Announces Student Research Symposium Finalists
March 26, 2024 The finalists have been announced for the CSUSM Symposium on Student Research, Creative Activities, & Innovation. They are now moving on to represent CSUSM at the 38th annual CSU Student Research Competition. The competition intends “to promote excellence in undergraduate and graduate scholarly research and creative activity by recognizing outstanding student accomplishments throughout the 23 campuses of the California State University (CSU),” according to CSUSM.
Upcoming ACLU Event to Explain San Diego County Board of Supervisors
San Diego County has a whopping $8.2 billion budget, handled by the County Board of Supervisors. Have you ever wondered what the San Diego County Board of Supervisors does? If so, the local San Diego affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is hosting an event that explains how the County Board of Supervisors works, and how to make your voice heard. The event will take place on Wednesday, March 13th at 5:30pm in Poway. For more information, click here.
CSUSM Library Unveils New Makerspace, The Makery
At noon on February 29, the library unveiled The Makery, CSUSM’s brand-new makerspace on the library’s second floor. The library wants The Makery to be a place where “members of the CSUSM community can gather, create, invent, tinker, explore, discover and learn new skills using a variety of tools and materials.” The unveiling had various activities, including a collaborative banner and button- and bookmark-making stations.
ASI Announces Festival 78 Headliners
ASI announced on Tuesday the headliners for CSUSM’s art and music festival, Festival 78. The event will take place April 13 from 2:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Mangrum Track and Field. The two headliners are The Driver Era and Snakehips. (In addition to the music, there will be a mural and some art installations.) The main headliner, The Driver Era, is a music duo comprising Ross Lynch and his brother, Rocky Lynch.
An Interview with Professor Ibrahim Al-Marashi, Historian of the Middle East
First off, thank you for agreeing to this interview. Could you start by introducing yourself and the general focus of your work? My name is Ibrahim Al-Marashi, and I am a professor of history. The area I work on is the modern history of Iraq—but with specialties ranging from the history of climate in Iraq, how climate change and the environment interact with the peoples of Iraq, and the history of the Greater Middle East.
The Elephant in the GOP
Mainstream media’s portrayal of the upcoming 2024 presidential election is seriously flawed. Right now, there is a dire need for the press to stop covering the election like business-as-usual. Democratic backsliding is not contingent upon Trump’s reelection. Fascism has already spread throughout the Republican Party, and now is the time to form a popular front to protect democracy.
Q&A with President of the Speech and Debate Club Zachary Dybeck
What is the speech and debate club, and what do you guys do? An analogy I would give for our club is that it is similar to something like track and field. You are running and doing hurdles, but there are many smaller events within it—hundred-meter dashes, relays—and speech and debate is like that too. For example, there are events that focus on impromptu speaking, where you get a couple of minutes to prepare a seven-minute speech.
Concert Review: Armand Hammer in Santa Ana
Armand Hammer—a rap duo comprised of underground legends Billy Woods and ELUCID—released their latest album, “We Buy Diabetic Test Strips,” to widespread critical acclaim on September 29, 2023.
CSUSM Library Kicks Off the 2023-24 Campus Common Read
Campus Common Read is back! The 2023-2024 theme, reprised from last year, is banned books. Book bans have been an increasingly dire issue for libraries and schools. This year’s selection of five books continues to focus on underrepresented voices and their stories. “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood, considered by many to be a modern classic, is a feminist novel set in a dystopian, patriarchal future that suppresses female autonomy and self-determination.
An Update on Recent Stolen Vehicles on Campus
On February 6, a car was stolen from Parking Structure 1. Less than one month later, on March 5, a similar style vehicle was stolen from Parking Lot K. Many students commute to campus, and this has naturally left them concerned about the safety of their vehicles. In two safety bulletins, the University Police Department (UPD) shared details about the stolen vehicles, how to report information about them, and what students can do to prevent their cars from being stolen.
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