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One era ends and another begins!

What a wonderful and productive academic year we have just completed! The 2008-2009 AS Council, boards and committees, College Councils and AS departments accomplished a great deal! Some of the highlights include:

Solar System: Installed a 41kW solar photovoltaic electric generating system on the MBAC that will produce 100% of the MBAC’s yearly electrical consumption for the next 25 years.

MBAC Lease Renewal: Finalized negotiations and received City of San Diego Council approval of a 25-year lease extension.

GreenFest: CASE was able to host the first annual GreenFest event, geared to promote sustainability, green awareness, and Aztec Pride. GreenFest 2009 incorporated student organization competitions, educational workshops, a green awareness faire, a tree planting ceremony (coordinated by GreenLove), campus sustainability tours and a nightime festival.

Securing of a Naming Rights Sponsor for the Arena: The signing of a contract with the Viejas Tribe of Kumeyaay Indians making them the naming rights sponsor of the Arena was completed.

“A.S. Day” in the City of San Diego: On the occasion of our 77th anniversary, student leaders were able to work with the office of San Diego City Councilmember Marti Emerald to receive a proclamation declaring March 7, 2009 to be “Associated Students of San Diego State University Day” in the City of San Diego.

AS Study Abroad Scholarships: As part of the spring 2008 referendum, SDSU students agreed to increase their Student Body Activity Fee for additional programs and services. One of those approved programs was the AS Study Abroad Scholarship. This past academic year, 355 SDSU students were awarded $275,100 in scholarships to Study Abroad.

Green Love Initiatives: further expanded sustainable programs and operations within AS and made a commitment to make Modern Space Student union replacement project a LEED Platinum certified project, the first such student union in the US.

We look forward to continuing to build upon this solid foundation!

Class Notes

1950s

Norman Brinker, President (’56-’57) passed away last month at the age of 78. Norman who was vital to the initial implementation of the mandatory Student Body Association fee, went on to found Brinker International, Inc. the parent company of Chili’s Grill & Bar, Maggiano's Little Italy and On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina. He is considered “the father of casual dining.” Norman meant a great deal to many people and he will always have a special place in AS history.

1970s

Stephen Coslick, Finance Board and Scripps Park Committee Chair (’70-’71), Chairman and CEO of the Woodmont Company, was honored with a Monty at the SDSU Alumni’s Annual event, which recognizes distinguished alumni for their achievement and success.

1980s

Daniel E. Walker, Ph.D, President (’88-‘89) is the author of "No More, No More: Slavery and Cultural Resistance in Havana and New Orleans," the Founding Director of the Gospel Music History Project, and a Research Associate at the Center for Religion and Civic Culture at the University of Southern California. He collaborated with multiple organizations to coordinate the Psalms of Freedom African American Church History and Music Tour last month. The multi-state tour shared “the uplifting history and one-of-a-kind music of the African American church from its African foundations to the present-day.”

1990s

Maria del Carmen Mendez is currently teaching for LASUSD elementary and adult school in the evenings. She is also a proud mother of six children.

Nick Inzunza, Vice President of Finance (’91-‘92) was appointed chairman of the San Diego County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Guadalupe R. Corona, Vice President of Finance, (’94-’95) is the Systemwide Director for Latino Achievement Initiative at Alliant International University. She is married to Cristian Santiago Hernandez and in December they had their first son, Dariel Santiago Hernandez. Her older son, Endo Rosales is now 14 and attends San Diego High School International Studies Program.

2000s

Katia Pena, Executive Vice President, (’01-’02) is currently the Sr. Tour Manager for a Music Entertainment company based out of Los Angeles. She tours with different Latin artists and bands (such as RBD, Kumbia Kings, Gloria Trevi, Pee Wee, Alejandra Guzman, etc.) and has visited many countries and venues around the world (including the Arena at SDSU). She currently resides in Los Angeles.

Kelli Kedis, President (’04-’05) will begin pursuing a Masters in Government with a concentration in Security Studies at the John Hopkins University this fall.

Samantha Spilka, Women’s Resource Center Representative and Honors Council Representative (’05-’07) graduated with an MA in Organizational Psychology from Columbia University in May and has joined the Bank of America leadership team as an executive consultant with the Merrill Lynch transition group in New York City.

Erin Hogeboom, Women’s Resource Center Representative (’06-’07) who has been volunteering for the Peace Corps these past two years in Paraguay wrote an article about her experience that was published in the Peace Corps media and can be viewed at www.peacecorps.gov

To send us your news and updates for inclusion in future editions, visit: as.sdsu.edu/news/point.htm

The Modern Space student union project was placed on hold last fall in the face of rising construction costs, lower SDSU enrollment estimates attributable to the current State economic crisis and higher bond interest rates affecting the financing for the project. In May, the AS Council directed that we proceed with a revised student union construction project that will meet the current and future anticipated needs of SDSU students with a goal of being the first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum certified student union in America…..assuring our organizations continued leadership role among comparable student body organization in the US! Due to draconian cost estimates to bring the current 40-year old structure in compliance with current seismic, environmental and building code standards, the decision has been made to replace the current structure in place of the original plan to renovate and expand the existing Aztec Center.

Cannon Design has been selected as the new project architects and the remainder of the project team is being assembled. The fee increase approved by student voters in spring 2006 will not be adequate to cover the estimated $70-$75 million project costs, so a fee increase augmentation will be necessary before we proceed. An advisory student fee referendum is tentatively planned for spring 2010 to accomplish this goal.

Look for news in the future about the new project plans and how you can get involved in supporting our goal to build a state-of-the-art student union that promises to meet the needs of future generations of SDSU students.

Go Aztecs!

Warm Regards,
Dan Cornthwaite