A student loan debt cancellation plan officially announced by President Biden last month will bring much-needed financial relief to CSUDH students, a handful of whom addressed the program’s impact during a roundtable discussion on Friday, Sept. 9. Nanette Barragán from California’s 44th district, and Assistant Speaker of the House Katherine Clark of Massachusetts’ 5th district, met with President Thomas A. Parham and seven current and former CSUDH students to hear their concerns and answer questions about the program. Skyrocketing tuition rates and the failure of Pell Grants to keep pace often mean that students from low- and middle-income families have few options beyond borrowing ... Read More
Administration
New Student Convocation Welcomes Incoming Toros
Hundreds of new students received a warm Toro welcome on Friday, Aug. 26, at the university’s annual New Student Convocation. The afternoon featured a formal ceremony followed by an hour of carnival games and prizes, all meant to welcome incoming undergraduate and graduate scholars to the Toro family and celebrate the start of a mutually transformative collaboration between learners and educators. DJ Juan Young energized the crowd of several hundred during pre-ceremony events with the help of Teddy Toro and the CSUDH Dance Team. Students swayed to songs from Cali Swag District and DJ Tunez before President Thomas A. Parham and his cabinet members danced their way to the stage to ... Read More
Staff Spotlight: Catherine “Cat” Jermany
The program director of CSUDH’s Rose Black Resource Center (RBRC), Catherine “Cat” Jermany is dedicated to helping Toro students succeed. When the center opened in 2017, it was the only space of its kind on campus, and its success has paved the way for the Queer Culture & Resource Center, Latinx Cultural Resource Center, and more. Located on the first floor of the Loker Student Union, the RBRC provides a network of academic, personal, and professional support services for Black students at CSUDH. After coming on board as a program coordinator in 2019, Jermany was named the center’s first program director in July 2020. “I’m proud of the fact that I have been able to contribute to ... Read More
Bobbie Porter: Fighter for Equity and Diversity
Bobbie Porter’s passion and enthusiasm for her work are evident the moment she starts speaking—and she’s ready to put that energy to work as CSUDH’s first vice president and chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer. “Education changed my life,” she says. “If you look at the statistics, there's no way I should be where I am today. But I'm here. My mission is to help anyone that’s choosing education as that bridge, as that gateway to a better life. I want to help create the conditions so students can do that—so they don't just survive college, but they thrive in it. And then they go out and change the world!” Porter grew up in a military family—her father was in the Navy, so she ... Read More
Toro Men’s Soccer Ready to Take Next Step
When CSUDH men’s soccer coach Eddie Soto was hired in April 2019, it was with one goal in mind: returning the team to the heights it reached in the 2000s, when the squad won a pair of NCAA Division II national titles. Despite a 2020 season lost to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Toros are proceeding right on schedule. The 2021 team finished the season with a 10-6-1 record, including a pair of tough losses to eventual national champion Cal State Los Angeles. “For us, it was a success,” says Soto, who previously served as head coach at the University of San Francisco and assistant coach at UCLA. “We got to the semi-finals of our conference tournament, were ranked as high as number 13 in the ... Read More
