For me, November is a time of reflection and gratitude. It’s a time to pause and give thanks to those who provide support, guidance and encouragement in my life. I am grateful for my husband, my daughters and a friend-circle that is more like family than friends.
This November, I am especially grateful for our A.S. family. Every day, I come to work and am surrounded by people that genuinely care for each other and for the work they do. It’s rare to find an organization that truly reflects its values and builds a culture of openness and kindness. I deeply appreciate those that have shared their lives with me and I cherish the relationships that have developed.
Last month, I celebrated 16 years of service with A.S. Time has certainly flown by! As I reflect on these years, so many students’ faces flash through my mind. What a joy it is to impact students in this small window of time during the years they are on this campus and work at A.S. It’s amazing to watch them grow and to influence their personal and professional lives, then to watch them graduate and accomplish great things in the world! A.S. is truly a special place, and I’m so lucky to be a part of it.
Throughout the month of November, I encourage you to also pause and express gratitude for those in your life who impact you in small and big ways every day. I hope that A.S. has brought you both professional mentors and friends that are more like family in your life. Especially at this time of year, please take a moment to thank them for their influence and impact. Your words of gratitude may go further than you think!
Patty Rea Associate Executive Director
Patty and her family, from left: Rusty, Alyssa, Patty and Meghan.
Native American Heritage Month
San Diego State University, which is on Kumeyaay Land, acknowledges Native American Heritage Month in November to celebrate the histories, cultures and significant contributions of Native peoples. Native Nations have thrived on this land for thousands of years, and today, more than 575 federally recognized Tribal Nations continue to uphold their sovereignty and traditions.
Throughout November, SDSU community members are invited to participate and engage in Native American Heritage Month events, which are designed to honor and create visibility for many different Native American Nations in the United States and beyond. More information about upcoming events can be found on the Native American Heritage Month events calendar.
All students, regardless of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin, who are interested in celebrating and participating in Native American Heritage Month events are welcome. Learn more by reading SDSU's Affirming Equal Opportunity statement.
SDSU’s Native and Indigenous Healing Garden was introduced in 2003 and was to be reminiscent of the elaborate gardens that the Aztecs enjoyed in Tenochtitlán, the capital of the Aztec Empire (1325c - 1521).
Aztecs Rock Hunger 2025
The Aztecs Rock Hunger (ARH) campaign is back for its 15th year fighting food and nutrition insecurity to support SDSU students and the San Diego community!
ARH is an annual university-wide campaign led by A.S. with the goal of meeting the basic needs of SDSU students. With two-thirds of California State University students currently experiencing food insecurity, the need remains greater than ever.
Where Donations Go
Twenty percent of the monetary contributions to ARH are given directly to the SDSU Economic Crisis Response Team (ECRT), assisting students facing housing, food insecurity or immediate financial crisis. Last year, ECRT distributed $28,000 in emergency food support to students. The remaining funds generated by ARH are used to stock the free, on-campus A.S. Food Pantry, which distributed 155,000 pounds last year, and the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank, supporting 400,000 San Diegans on a monthly basis.
Join the Fun: Pie-rates for Purpose
This year, ARH is hosting Pie-rates for Purpose, giving you the opportunity to pie some of your favorite A.S. full-time employees! Stop by the Student Union Courtyard on Wednesday, Nov. 5 from 12-4 p.m. to see or pie the following employees in support of ARH:
12-12:30 p.m.: Ryan DeLong, Aztec Student Union Director
2:30-3 p.m.: Kaylani Brown, Aztec Student Union Operations Supervisor
2:30-3 p.m.: Jeanie Maidona, Aztec Student Union Programs Coordinator
A $1 donation provides two meals to an SDSU student or community member in need. For more information on this year’s campaign, go to the ARH website or follow ARH on Instagram. Thank you for your support of Aztecs Rock Hunger!
Favorite Fall Activities
Even with San Diego’s year-long sunshine, there are fall festivities that encourage us to embrace the season. As the mornings turn crisp, here are some favorite fall activities described by fellow A.S. staff members:
Jamie Eubanks
MBAC Instructional Coordinator
My favorite fall activity is mountain biking. The trails are less dusty than in summer and not yet muddy or rutted out from winter rains. The cooler weather makes it easy to enjoy the greens and browns of the trees as I ride. Birds twitter and flit about while little animal tails disappear into the shrubs. And, I do occasionally brake for snakes. Some of my favorite spots are Otay Lakes, Rancho Peñasquitos, and Lake Hodges. Mountain biking in every sense of the word, is truly a "fall" activity for me. My miscalculations on the trails aren’t quite as forgiving as all my splashes at MBAC!
Kaylani Brown
Student Union Operations Supervisor
Fall is my favorite season! It fills me with excitement, thanks to the delicious drinks, fun activities and overall joyful energy. With Thanksgiving arriving in November, it’s a vital reminder to slow down and appreciate the people who make life special. I love finding ways to connect with them, especially through ART. My perfect fall includes painting pumpkins from a patch, hosting a cozy sip-and-paint night, celebrating Friendsgiving, or simply crafting with my favorite people. There’s something magical about the laughter, creativity and gratitude that fills the air. This season truly inspires me to cherish simple moments, make lasting memories through art and celebrate love and friendship in all their cozy, colorful ways.
Antonio Rivera
IT Systems Analyst
I love taking advantage of all the fall activities in San Diego, starting with a trip to a pumpkin patch. While I grew up going to Oma’s in Lakeside, this year I discovered and loved Bates Nut Farm. Going with my family to pick out pumpkins for carving is the perfect way to get into the fall spirit. For a more traditional autumn experience, I also enjoy traveling to Julian. The beautiful drive and crisp air help me embrace the season, and getting to eat some delicious slices of pie is a great bonus! My most San Diego way to enjoy the season, though, is through surfing. Fall is my favorite time of year to hit the waves because the summer crowds are gone and the swell patterns regulate, creating amazing conditions.
National Basketball Day
by Milan Rawls, A.S. Executive Vice President
Basketball season is here, and our men’s and women’s teams are gearing up for their final year in the Mountain West Conference at Viejas Arena! In partnership with SDSU Athletics, our A.S. employees have helped create one of the most exciting and energetic atmospheres in all of college basketball.
In celebration of National Basketball Day on Nov. 6 — honoring the birthday of the sport’s inventor, Dr. James Naismith — take a look behind the scenes to discover how our dedicated A.S. full-time employees prepare for each game day experience.
Reilly Bosworth, Viejas Arena Event Coordinator
“As the Event Coordinator, my day for an SDSU basketball game at Viejas Arena starts early. I ensure teams and staff have access for morning shootarounds, coordinating with security and SDSU Athletics to make sure everything is open and ready. From there, I oversee event setup — this includes everything from signage to preparing staff and ensuring all departments are aligned. My goal is to make sure everything is in place well before doors open, so the event runs smoothly.”
Turran Price, Viejas Arena Custodian
“On game days, the first thing I do in the morning is clean the basketball floor to have it ready for the game. The floor must be cleaned before the visiting team has their shootaround. Then, I empty all the trash around the basketball floor and wipe down all of the media tables. I also clean the team locker rooms, training room and the first floor restroom, dust mop all of the hallways and blow leaves outside the lower level parking lot and on the outside concourse. In addition to blowing leaves, I will scrub concession stands if there are any spills from the last event. Lastly, I will make sure all areas with carpet are clean.”
Ricky Meyer, Viejas Arena Conversion Coordinator
“Viejas Arena is magic. Patrons can leave a concert venue one night and step back into the same building the next morning, except now it's a basketball arena. Working through the night, as the rest of SDSU sleeps, my team dismantles stages, builds multi-tiered risers, moves hundreds of chairs, adjusts retractable seating and precisely locks 219 pieces of hardwood basketball floor into place. The roar of forklifts brings portable basketball hoops onto the floor, the rattle of power tools fasten bolts into place, and the crew carrying equipment in every direction all at once must look like and sound like chaos to anyone who might find themselves on the arena floor during our conversions. But it's all done with the purpose of turning your favorite artist's dressing room into the SDSU basketball team’s locker room and a concrete floor into Steve Fisher Court. As the sun rises, we hand the building off to bright-eyed Viejas Arena staff, ready to host our next exciting SDSU basketball game.”
With dedicated preparation occurring behind the scenes by A.S. staff, you don’t want to miss out on the action that basketball season will bring. Be part of the magic! As a reminder, SDSU students, including those at San Diego and Imperial Valley campuses, part-time or full-time, undergraduate or postgraduate, are eligible to claim FREE tickets to men’s and women’s basketball games. For more information, visit the Student Tickets webpage for instructions.
Fall Comfort Food Word Scramble
To dish out some fun, we’ve mixed up a few popular fall comfort foods. Unscramble the letters and use the clues to determine how many words you can solve.
SCRAMBLES
R G S R E C A N B L E S E O E E N
Clue: A creamy, baked vegetable side dish famously topped with fried onions.
A S A L M T E
Clue: Steamed corn masa pockets, often filled with meat or cheese.
G F I S T F N U
Clue: Savory bread cubes baked with herbs.
S R N Y A R U C E A B C E R
Clue: The tart side dish that traditionally comes in a can or is homemade.
E A C N A D Y M S I D
Clue: A sweet, syrupy side dish made from orange-fleshed tubers, often topped with marshmallows.
A L K T E S
Clue: Crispy potato pancakes fried in oil.
S A H M A T D E O T O E S P
Clue: A creamy, buttery side dish that often reigns as the #1 favorite side.
E A Z O C R N O L C R H E
Clue: A creamy, cinnamon-spiced rice pudding dessert popular in Latin American traditions and often served for holidays.
P K I N U P M I E P
Clue: An autumn/winter dessert, spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg.
ANSWERS
GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE
TAMALES
STUFFING
CRANBERRY SAUCE
CANDIED YAMS
LATKES
MASHED POTATOES
ARROZ CON LECHE
PUMPKIN PIE
A.S. Part-Time Student Employee Scholarship
Applications for the Fall 2025 A.S. Part-Time Student Employee Scholarships are currently open. A.S. will now award five $1,000 scholarships to A.S. student employees — doubling the previous $500 amount!
Applicants must submit a brief personal essay that answers the following prompt:
Share your academic and career goals.
Provide details about how A.S. has contributed to your personal growth, professional development or career goals.
Most importantly, reflect on your experience working at A.S. What moments or experiences stand out to you?
The essay should be two to three pages and double-spaced. Typing and grammar are considered.
Fifteen years ago, Janice Dils, former A.S. Government Affairs Office & Marketing Supervisor, completed her 15 Questions for the November 2010 A.S. Newsletter. Now, 15 years later, as the Government Affairs Associate Director, Janice has answered the same questions. Read below as she reflects on her previous answers (in italics) and how she has changed in the past 15 years!
Janice Dils
What is your name and job title?
Janice Dils, Government Affairs Office & Marketing Supervisor
Janice Dils, Government Affairs Associate Director
Which A.S. department do you work in? Describe your job in 25 words or less.
I work at the Government Affairs Office in Aztec Center. Basically, I supervise the office operations of GAO to ensure that it functions well and efficiently. I wear many hats and I work with awesome people!
Government Affairs. My job includes the background operations to ensure policies and processes are followed and Government Affairs is as efficient and productive as possible. I still wear many hats!
How many years have you worked for A.S.?
I've worked for A.S. full-time since December 2001 - almost 9 years! I was also a student assistant at the A.S. Business/Government Office from 1998 to 2001. Adding those years up, I have been here quite a while. Can you believe that I have worked with 13 "sets" of A.S. Executive Officers & Council members?
23 years now, 24 years in December. Counting my years as a front desk assistant, add three. So, technically 26 years working for Associated Students.
What is your favorite restaurant?
I have so many! To narrow it down: Phil's BBQ for their ribs, The Restaurant at The Pearl Hotel for their duck confit and "Best Burger in Town," CUCINA Urbana for their risotto carbonara and pork belly + farm egg pizza, and C-Level Lounge for great San Diego views & fresh seafood.
I have a few: Pizzo’s Pizzeria and Wine Bar, Phil’s BBQ, California Fish Grill, Mandarin Beijing, and La Pinata in Phoenix.
What is your favorite dessert?
I prefer savory foods as opposed to sweets, but when I do have a craving for something sweet, I love crème brulee. I love the crunchy texture of the "brulee'd" sugar combined with the silkiness of the custard. Yum!
It is hard to pick just one! Creme brulee, carrot cake, mango sticky rice (anything with mango) and unheated Sprouts apple pie with Cool Whip (yes, I said it), French vanilla ice cream and any cheesecake-flavored ice cream!
What city would you most like to visit or visit again?
New Orleans. Charbroiled oysters from Drago's, beignets and chicory coffee from Café Du Monde, and original Bananas Fosters from Brennan's. Need I say more? All my travels revolve around food.
Tokyo, for sure. The greater Tokyo area has many cities and one that I loved was Tachikawa, located about 25 miles away from the center of Tokyo. It is a small city where I can still enjoy the quietness and nature of Japan being near the Tama River and enjoy delicious foods, of course. Also, I would want to visit Kawagoe again for its history and for the best soba I have ever had.
What is your favorite ride at an amusement park?
Space Mountain at Disneyland is a favorite of mine. It's pretty darn cool when you can't see the track while "riding off into space."
Rise of the Resistance at Disneyland (Star Wars land ‘Batuu’). I am always in awe of how awesome this ride is in every aspect — exciting, fun, innovative and AMAZING!
Who is your favorite singer / musician / musical group?
Alice in Chains. Layne Staley's voice is awesome and they are a talented group of guys. A Tribe Called Quest is my second favorite... I love old school hip hop!
A Tribe Called Quest, Tool and Justin Timberlake!
What is your favorite sports team or who is your favorite individual athlete?
Byron Scott - former LA Lakers player and current Cleveland Cavaliers coach. Byron became my favorite NBA player in junior high (early 1990's) when I was a huge Lakers fan. He wore #4 (my favorite number), I used to collect NBA basketball cards and told all my friends to give me all their Byron Scott extras (i still have them).
Byron Scott will always be my favorite NBA player. I root for the Arizona Cardinals because my husband is from Arizona, and I am mad at the Chargers for leaving San Diego. Still after all these years, they broke my heart.
Would you rather meet friends for coffee or curl-up with a good book?
I would rather meet friends for coffee - if it is lunch or dinner, even better! I believe that food & cuisine bring people together in many ways. I love sharing food adventures with friends, family, and people I want to get to know better.
Definitely meet friends for coffee. I love coffee so much — I need to have one during my drive-in and always crave one around 2 p.m. for an afternoon pick me up (APMU).
What type of pets do you have and what are their names?
We have a betta fish named Stanley who likes to stare at people for a long time without looking away. We're not allowed to have furry pets inside our condo so we have adopted Stanley as our pet.
We have an 8-year-old adopted black cat named Jiji. She is named after the black cat character in the anime “Kiki’s Delivery Service.” She is such a sweetheart!
Janice's cat, Jiji
Do you like to cook and what is your specialty?
Why, yes! MY cooking can be summarized as healthy comfort food. I don’t have one speciality, but I enjoy creating "healthier for you" versions of chicken parmesan, chicken enchiladas, turkey meatloaf, homemade pizza and many others.
I love cooking. Food is my passion and my specialty is cooking medium rare New York or ribeye steaks on a cast-iron skillet, served with sauteed onions, homemade mashed potatoes and garlic green beans.
What three things are always in your refrigerator?
Boneless, skinless chicken breast, Heinz ketchup (It has to be Heinz, no other brand) and eggs.
Oat milk creamer, Heinz Ketchup and cage-free eggs.
"Most people don't know that I like to.."
write about my food adventures. I have a food blog that I created over a year and a half ago. I want to not only talk about the food that I ate, but to also write about the people and the experience I have with them.
Run! My husband and I completed a number of half marathons before we had our son, and we both currently run together again! I run about 10 miles a week on average.
When you visit the Zoo, which animal do you make sure to see, and why?
The PANDAS! I always hope they are awake because they are so fun to watch when they are not sleeping. Who doesn’t love these cute, furry creatures?
Always the pandas! They are the cutest, and I wish I could hug and hang out with them all day.
