CSUDH has achieved a STARS Gold rating by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)–the culmination of more than five years of dedicated work by faculty, staff, administrators, and student leaders. STARS, or the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System, is a framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance in everything from water and energy conservation to the incorporation of sustainability efforts in learning outcomes. No other school in the CSU system has ever progressed from Bronze to Gold in as short a time as CSUDH has done it, said Sustainability Manager Ellie Perry, who spearheaded the ... Read More
Toros Educate West Carson on Pollution Risks
Cynthia Babich, founder of the Del Amo Action Committee (DAAC), doesn't mince words when assessing the environmental hazards that have put residents of West Carson–predominantly low-income residents of color–at significant risk for decades. “We're choking here. We're absolutely choking,” Babich said during a recent community open house, referring to the findings of a DAAC health report on airborne contaminants. In fact, air pollution is just one of many environmental risks that residents face. The DAAC office stands just a few blocks south of the Del Amo Superfund Site. The office was founded in 1994 to inform residents about the high levels of soil and groundwater ... Read More
CSUDH Hosts Girls in STEAM Day
Some 400 students from more than a dozen middle schools in Compton gathered at the CSUDH campus on February 27 for the second annual Girls in STEAM Day. This year's event came together through the collaborative efforts of GEAR UP Compton, CSUDH, and the University of California Irvine. GEAR UP, or Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, is a federal grant program with projects across the United States. It works with local school districts, community-based organizations, colleges, and universities to build long-term relationships with students starting in middle school. Girls in STEAM Day is one of several programs held each year by GEAR UP that seeks to ... Read More
Toros Showcase Scholarship at Student Research Conference
CSUDH convened its 18th annual Student Research Conference (SRC) on Feb. 22-24. The three-day event highlighted the extraordinary depth and quality of scholarly research by 330 undergraduate and graduate students in fields ranging from anthropology and history to chemistry and behavioral and social sciences. Cheyenne Cummings, an Earth Sciences lecturer and co-chair of the SRC, says the conference demonstrates the importance of research to overall student learning and provides crucial experience for students considering graduate and post-graduate education. “The SRC gives students the opportunity to learn how to present, which is one of the most amazing aspects of this program. It ... Read More
Homecoming Is Every Day for These Toro Alums
What do Dance Dance Revolution, Dungeons & Dragons, and theatre arts have in common? For alumni Mark Kerr and Paola Carbajal, these were just a few of the building blocks for their deep commitment to each other and their devotion to the Toro community. Perhaps no previous (or future) Toro alums have had as close a relationship with the campus as Kerr and Carbajal. CSUDH is their alma mater and employer. They were married on campus, and they've lived in student housing for the last eight years. “It's quite a legacy story,” says Carbajal. “It's not always ideal to live where you work. Some day we would like to have a house of our own. But we've made a good life here for us and for ... Read More