Sustainability is about more than just greenhouse gas reduction and better waste management, says Jenney Hall, lecturer in environmental studies at CSUDH. “Sustainability is ultimately about perpetuating systems. When you perpetuate systems, you must ask if those systems are serving everyone,” Hall says. “I think that our unique perspective is incorporating social justice, environmental justice, and climate justice into that transition.” Integrating sustainability with social and educational inequities is critical to CSUDH's approach, says Ellie Perry, manager of the university's Office of Sustainability. “We're a small, under-resourced institution that caters predominantly to ... Read More
Administration
Student Janelle Nelson Attends Reproductive Rights Summit with Vice President Harris
CSUDH criminal justice major Janelle Nelson was among 75 student leaders who participated in a meeting at the White House with Vice President Kamala Harris to discuss the fight to protect reproductive rights. Nelson, a CSUDH senior and Presidential Scholar who will graduate this December, was one of two students chosen from the 23 CSUs across the state. She joined students from 65 other campuses and 33 different states at the forum. “It was amazing,” says Nelson. “I was only there for two days, but I slept a lot on the plane, so I had time to walk around and see as much as I could–to just soak it all in, because I don't know when I'll be going to Washington DC again!” In selecting a ... Read More
New Solar Panels Reduce CSUDH’s Carbon Footprint
Within the past year, five of CSUDH's largest buildings have gone from merely consuming energy to generating it. Approximately 2,400 solar panels now adorn the rooftops of the Torodome gymnasium, the Science and Innovation building, the Leo F. Cain Library, the Social and Behavioral Sciences building, and Welch Hall. The installations, which were completed between December 2021 and February 2022, officially came online in June as part of a broader campaign by Facilities Services and the Office of Sustainability to find more ways to increase renewable energy resources on campus to further reduce the university's considerable carbon footprint. Central Plant Manager Kenneth Seeton ... Read More
Fall Convocation Highlights Opportunities and Challenges Ahead
CSUDH President Thomas A. Parham and others laid out their thoughts on the state of CSUDH and their goals and hopes for the future of the university, as they welcomed the Toro community to a new academic year at the 2022 Fall Convocation on Sept. 22. Provost Michael Spagna began the event with a short address, touching on the ways in which the past three years have transformed the university–despite the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic. He highlighted the work that had been completed recently, from new campus construction to the university's new strategic plan. “We have reconfigured and revitalized our advising and student support models, using an integrated model to ensure that we ... Read More
Returning Toros Get Fresh Start on Graduation
Stephanie Esquivel enrolled at CSUDH in 2007 straight out of high school. She remembers the excitement she felt as a first-generation college student, eager to graduate and make a positive impact on the lives of others. However, her optimism soon gave way to an overwhelming sense of displacement. “I remember feeling lonely, undeserving, and even guilty for abandoning my family to focus on my own goals,” she said. “I stopped attending classes and quickly found myself in a downward spiral.” Esquivel never completely lost the ambition that initially inspired her. Through fifteen years of personal and economic challenges, she took classes when she could at several community colleges, ... Read More
