Winter/Spring 2014 Beta-Rho Bulletin by Rick Childs

BETA-RHO BULLETIN Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity

California State University, Northridge

Volume 42, Issue 1

Winter - Spring 2014

Watermelon Bust A Hit Graduation Horror Stories While the undergrads at Beta-Rho have virtually abstained from partying this semester to concentrate on boosting the chapter’s overall GPA, graduation has been on the minds of more than a few brothers as the semester winds down. Eight of them will have gone from active membership to alumni status after Commencement Week in late May. One alumnus returned to CSUN after he got married and started a family to finish his degree program. Another bagged his master’s degree in cellular biology. They have all learned that being active in Beta-Rho can be fleeting, and the road to graduation can be like Carmageddon.

The Watermelon Bust returned to its traditional springtime slot under balmy skies as the chapter’s main philanthropy event for the semester on May 3. In an unprecedented move, Beta-Rho followed its fall Pumpkin Bust with a back-to-back semester campaign to collect cans for the fraternity’s official charity, Feeding America. Five of CSUN’s Panhellenic sororities collectively donated more than 1,800 cans of food near the Lindley House’s front porch registration table. Bags and boxes of cans were stacked along the side of the house by members of the Alpha Omicron Pi, Alpha Phi, Delta Delta Delta, Delta Zeta and Phi Mu sororities. More than 90 actives, alumni and sorority members participated. High Theta Eric Planas (BP 630) chaired the event. Volunteering to judge the games were Christopher Aston (BP 452), Vahan Khodanian (BP 562), Kevin Mojaradi (BP 462) and Neil Sanchez (BP 535). Also among the alumni were DJ John Bonilla (BP 593), photographer Rick Childs (BP 83), Steven Zavala ((BP 581) and Spencer Schmerling (BP 288) who brought along his fiancée, Sarah Zeal. Before the games got underway, many of the sorority guests took turns painting a large mural on white butcher paper that was taped to the wall in the downstairs lounge. Dylan Connolly (BP 645) encouraged sorority reps to toss water balloons at a 4x8 plywood target that was leaned against a tree. Bull’s-eyes netted some extra points for each sorority; balloons that landed elsewhere – not so much. Six decorated watermelons lined the display cabinets in the living room. Purple CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 Welcome back my friends. Brothers were out in force to greet sorority registrants at the beginning of the Watermelon Bust on May 3. From left: Can Ergen, Luis Canton, Jacob Holmes, Brinton Marsden, Eric Roberts, Wesley Lamphere and Daniel Ramos.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 11

Features ! 2! Chapter Chronicles: Spring 2014 6 Watermelon Bust 10 Graduates of 2014 12 The Class of Spring, 2014 13 Scholarship Fund/Alumni News 14 Rick Isaac Interview 16 Liberty Crew Foundation 18 Kevin Mojaradi Interview 20 Night of the Phoenix: 3/27/04 22 When CSUN Had Yearbooks 24 Editor’s Journal

Photos: Rick Childs

Chapter Chronicles: Spring, 2014

Students checked out the displays and the chapterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s info table (1) at the Matador Square during Rush Week on Feb 3. Later that evening, the brothers commandeered the Games Room in the University Student Union (2) for some billiards. Wesley Lamphere (3) kept things business as usual and ran the Jan. 26 chapter meeting as the High Beta; later that night he won the election for High Alpha. High Gamma Kyle Shaver (4) eventually took on the position of High Sigma during the semester. Members of the High Zeta faced the rest of the group during the Jan. 26 meeting in Juniper Hall. High Pi Chris Dyer ((6) showed the chapter a video about recruitment techniques from his laptop during the Feb. 16 meeting. High Phi Corey Davis (7) addressed the chapter. Photos: Daniel Bermudez (1-2), Rick Childs (3-7)

WINTER - SPRING 2014

Volume 42, Issue 1

Version 2.6

Editor, reporter, designer & photographer: Rick Childs The Beta-Rho Bulletin is the official publication of Beta-Rho Zeta of Lambda Chi Alpha, Inc. at California State University, Northridge. Article ideas, directory revisions, weddings, anniversaries, births and career info should be snail mailed, e-mailed or sent via Facebook to the editor. His mailing address is 44044 Engle Way Apt. 65, Lancaster, CA; 93536-6660. Email: rc4x4profit@verizon.net. All other correspondence should be sent to P.O. Box 280311, Northridge, CA 91328. Made on a Mac Mini with iWork Pages ’09 v.4.1. Originally published on June 23, 2014. Last revised on Nov. 3, 2014. Editor’s phone number: (661) 948-3260

Spring 2014 House Corporation Board of Directors: President VP, Communications VP, Activities Secretary Treasurer Alumni Director Alumni Director Chapter Adviser High Alpha High Tau High Rho House Manager

On the Web: Headquarters Chapter Website Facebook Instagram

Spencer Schmerling Rick Childs John Bonilla Rob Press Steven Shapiro Scott Press Hamid Jahangard Chris Dyer Wesley Lamphere Jorge Reyes Brinton Marsden Mychal Davis

www.lambdachi.org www.lambdachinorthridge.org CSUN Lambda Chi Alpha CSUNLambdaChiAlpha

Photos: Rick Childs (1), Kyle Shaver (2), Daniel Bermudez (3 & 4), unknown photographer at ice rink, CSUN Lambda Chi Alpha/Instagram (5).

3 BETA-RHO ZETA OF LAMBDA CHI ALPHA INTERNATIONAL FRATERNITY

After a chapter meeting, Michelle Feige and Daniel Bermudez (1) were up past midnight on Jan. 27 painting a rush billboard in the Lindley House lounge area. On the evening of Feb. 18 after AM Installation (2), the chapter’s ten newest recruits were ready for their close-ups in Sierra Hall including, from left, Weslee Cole, Angel Torres, Vincent Pimental, Rodrigó Valenzuela, Jesse Marinez, Bryan Martinez, Nick Dinsmore, Jesse Espinoza, Charlie Rios and Daniel Ruelas Verduzco. Many of the brothers took part in a busy Intramural Sports schedule. Some of them took advantage of the dodgeball tournament in the Student Recreation Center (SRC) on Feb. 25 (3). On Feb. 15 the brothers on the basketball squad (4) won by a score of 44-28 in the SRC. Fans showed up in force (5) to watch Eric Roberts #11 (#19 on the team roster) and Brian Carcerano #10 (actually player #91) play for the CSUN ice hockey team at the L.A. Kings Valley Ice Center in Panorama City on Feb. 9.

4 2

WINTER - SPRING 2014

5 Photos: Eric Planas (1 & 5), Rick Childs (2-4), unknown photographer(s) for the ones on the opposite page and 6-10 on this page.

Opposite page: The Intramural Softball champions of 2014 (1) had their team picture snapped on March 15; they won by a score of 6-1 (2) on Feb. 7. Big Bear was the site of a Brotherhood Retreat (3) over the weekend of March 28-29.

9 BETA-RHO ZETA OF LAMBDA CHI ALPHA INTERNATIONAL FRATERNITY

A couple of Eric Planas’ gifts (1) from his little brothers Ozzy Robledo and Franky Castanon. Among the big brothers who were given decorative paddles from their little brothers after initiation on May 10 were Brother Planas with Angel Torres (2), Can Ergen with Wes Cole (3), and Daniel Bermudez with Vincent Pimentel (4). For a buck a throw, anyone could “Pie A Lambda Chi” during the Relay For Life at the Sierra Quad on March 22 to raise money for the American Cancer Society; Skyler Lee took one for the team from Celia Harrow (5). More than 100 faces were creamed. The Intramural Volleyball Team closed out their season with a group picture that wound up on Instagram on April 21 (6). Brothers and friends gathered for the chapter’s Pizza Rev fundraiser (7) on March 11. Myke Davis proposed to his girlfriend Luz Ramos (8) on May 3 during the UC Santa Cruz Gamma Phi chapter’s formal in San Jose. Chris Burgos (9) was named the Crescent Man at Delta Delta Delta’s Crescent Ball [sounds familiar, doesn’t it?] on March 16. Jorge Reyes (10, center) posed with his little brothers Bryan Gonzalez and Deivid Lopez on March 29 in Big Bear during the Brotherhood Retreat.

Watermelon Bust 2014

WINTER - SPRING 2014

The Watermelon Bust returned to its traditional springtime slot under balmy skies as the chapter’s main philanthropy event for the semester on May 3. In an unprecedented move, BetaRho followed its fall Pumpkin Bust with a back-to-back semester campaign to collect cans for the fraternity’s official charity, Feeding America. Five of CSUN’s Panhellenic sororities collectively donated more than 1,800 cans of food near the Lindley House’s front porch registration table. Bags and boxes of cans were stacked along the side of the house by members of the Alpha Omicron Pi, Alpha Phi, Delta Delta Delta, Delta Zeta and Phi Mu sororities. More than 80 actives, alumni and sorority members participated. High Theta Eric Planas (BP 630) chaired the event. Volunteering to judge the games were Christopher Aston (BP 452), Vahan Khodanian (BP 562), Kevin Mojaradi (BP 462) and Neil Sanchez (BP 535). Also among the alumni were deejay John Bonilla (BP 593), photographer Rick Childs (BP 83) and Spencer Schmerling (BP 288) who brought along his fiancé, Sarah Zeal. Each of the five sororities received four reps from the chapter in the weeks leading up to the games. Daniel Bermudez (BP 650), one of the Alpha Phi coaches, posted early and often about his enthusiasm to help the sorority win. On his Instagram page, Brother Bermudez wrote, “I feel so loved! I will always coach Alpha Phi from now on!” Before the games got underway, many of the sorority guests took turns painting a large mural on butcher paper that was taped to the wall in the downstairs lounge. In the back yard Dylan Connolly (BP 645) encouraged sorority reps to toss water balloons at a 4x8 plywood target that was leaned against a tree. Bull’s-eyes netted some extra points for each sorority; balloons that landed elsewhere – not so much. Six decorated watermelons lined the display cabinets in the living room. Purple

BETA-RHO ZETA OF LAMBDA CHI ALPHA INTERNATIONAL FRATERNITY

The Coaches Alpha Phi Daniel Bermudez Brian Carcerano Weslee Cole Angel Torres

Kappa Kappa Gamma Corey Davis Rodrigó Valenzuela Deivid Lopez Nelson Tobar

Phi Mu Christian Anderson Wesley Lamphere Brinton Marsden Jesse Espinoza

Delta Zeta Jorge Reyes Francisco Castanon Glen Probst Jessie Martinez

Alpha Omicron Pi Daniel Ramos Keshon Robinson Adrian Morales Mychael Davis Skyler Lee

Delta Delta Delta Chris Burgos Jeffrey Perez de Leon Kyle Shaver Vincent Pimentel

Photos: Rick Childs

and gold glitter was a major decorator item this year. The most unusual watermelon featured a stainless steel faucet attached to the front that actually worked; a few people could be seen helping themselves to pouring watermelon juice into their cups. Alpha Phi and Delta Zeta fielded two teams each (except during the watermelon decorating contest) while the others fielded single squads. The Kappa Kappa Gammas’ team did not play. Sororities could choose two backdrops for their team photos during the games. Associate member Jesse Espinosa took pictures of Delta Zeta’s team(s) and others until the Watermelon Roll got underway at the basketball court. High Alpha Wesley Lamphere (BP 611) demonstrated how to navigate the Watermelon Roll course as the contestants were taking their marks. Immediately following the race, reps took turns tossing watermelons across the basketball court and traffic cones marked each contestant’s throwing distance. As hard EDM tunes filled the air, the teams, coaches and judges convened alongside tables lined with watermelon slices. Five pieces were laid out for each group, and contestants moved aside after each teammate slurped down their slice to the rind. To make the contest trickier, Brother Aston announced that no one could handle their watermelons while eating. “The way you get to the next watermelon is by one of the Where the watermelons roam. Sorority participants work on a mural in the downstairs lounge. (Clockwise from upper left.) Delta Zeta’s entry doubled as a functioning watermelon juice dispenser. Judges, from left, were Kevin Mojaradi, Neil Sanchez, Vahan Khodanian, Eric Planas (event chair) and Christopher Aston. Devin De Leon gets a better view with a little help from Eric Roberts.

judges tapping you to go,” he said. “But you need to show that it’s gotten to the rind. There are no hands in this game.” Watermelon appetizers aside, brothers and contestants adjourned to the back door of the kitchen where a light dinner was served and water bottles were distributed. Despite the absence of sledgehammers, the grand finale consisted of team performance art that almost seemed reminiscent of one of standup comic Gallagher’s watermelon destruction derbies. The leadoff team handed off a watermelon to a woman riding piggyback on one of her sister’s shoulders so that she could dunk it through the basketball hoop. Another contestant who one might pay a lot of money to see at a Cirque du Soleil show karate kicked a watermelon in two. Even a tribute to The Big Lebowski played out as one team lined up like bowling pins and let a watermelon roll underneath their legs before they demolished it. When it was all over, Brother Planas took the megaphone and announced the winners. With a total of 10,820 points, Alpha Phi walked off with the first place trophy and spirit award. AOPi followed closely behind with 10,667 points for second place. The Tri-Delts and DZ tied for third place. Before the weekend was over, various pictures from the event were starting to make the rounds on Instagram and Facebook, especially the group shot after the awards ceremony. Many of the brothers and guests indulged in taking selfies and ‘ussies’. “It was a crazy week and I couldn’t be happier with the turnout,” Brother Planas wrote on one of his Instagram posts. “Shoutout to @csunalphaphi for getting first place!” Christian Anderson (BP 649) wrote, “You could say Lambda Chi Alpha’s Watermelon Bust was a complete success.” This was Beta-Rho’s fourth Watermelon Bust to date. The first two were held in the spring of 1988 and ’89, respectively. Brother Schmerling could be seen at the event wearing a t-shirt from the ’89 edition. The last time the chapter presented a Watermelon Bust was on Nov. 13, 2011. Judging from this year’s edition, watermelons will be subjected to unnecessary roughness again in Northridge next spring.

Feeding our guests. Clockwise from below: Actives took turns serving a light dinner to the sorority women first and then the brothers in ascending Zeta order. Alpha Phi’s team displays their trophy and Spirit Award with their coaches. Bryan Martinez and Corey Davis moved can donations to the garage near the end of the day. Opposite page: the Alpha Phi judges, their trophy and everyone else.

Photos: Rick Childs

WINTER - SPRING 2014

Watermelon Bust 2014

BETA-RHO ZETA OF LAMBDA CHI ALPHA INTERNATIONAL FRATERNITY

Beta-Rho’s Beta-rho’s Graduates graduates of of 2014 2014

Courtesy of Luis Canton

Courtesy of Chris Carcerano

Courtesy of Dylan Connolly

Courtesy of John DeVaughn

Courtesy of Can John Ergen

Luis A. Canton

Brian Carcerano

Dylan J. Connolly

John A. DeVaughn

Can John Ergen

BA: Political Science Graduation Date: May 21 Honors Convocation, New Student Orientation Leader (NSO), TUC Board of Directors. Past High Beta, Kappa & Gamma Hometown: Northridge Future Plans: USC Rossier School of Education. Age: 23 BP 615

BA: Kinesiology – Applied Fitness Graduation Date: May 19 CSUN Baseball & Ice Hockey Teams. Past High Beta. Hometown: Aliso Viejo Future Plans: Strength conditioning coach or firefighter, master’s program in sports management at CSUN. Age: 22 BP 646

BA: Broadcast Journalism Graduation Date: May 21 Hometown: Orcutt Future Plans: Interning at Fox Sports Radio. Age: 22 BP 645

BA: Animation Graduation Date: May 19 Past High Kappa Hometown: Homewood, PA Future Plans: Continue as a part-time massage therapist and work in the entertainment industry as a set production assistant. Age: 25 BP 643

BA: Music – Industry Studies Graduation Date: May 19 Music Industry Studies Program, Turkish Student Association (vice president). Past High Sigma Hometown: Ankara, Turkey Future Plans: Release an EP and work in music publishing. Age: 23 BP 632

Courtesy of Yesai Fstkchyan

Courtesy of Jeanine Seeley

Courtesy of Brinton Marsden

Courtesy of Mayra Pernudii

Courtesy of Shawn Showkati

Yesai S. Fstkchyan

Paul J. Gritsch

Brinton R. Marsden

Giovanny Pernudi

Shawn Showkati

MS: Biology BS: Cell & Molecular Biology (2012) Graduation Date: May 21 Outstanding Biology Graduate Student Award, Graduating with Distinction, Gamma Sigma Alpha, Order of Omega, New Student Orientation Leader, Matador Mentor, TAKE Guest Cast Member. Past High Delta, Corp. Board Secretary. Hometown: North Hollywood Future Plans: PhD program in biomedical sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, New York City. Age: 24 BP 598

BA: Communication Studies Graduation Date: May 19 Dean’s List: 4.0 GPA for the last three semesters. Gamma Sigma Alpha. Past High Sigma. Hometown: Los Angeles Future Plans: Sales work, possibly attending law school. Age: 22 BP 622

BS: Civil Engineering Graduation Date: May 21 Past High Tau, High Rho. Hometown: West Hills Future Plans: Get a job ASAP. Age: 23 BP 636

BA: Sociology – Criminology Graduation Date: May 21 Dean’s List. Inter-Fraternity Council Dry Rush Compliance Officer. Hometown: Burbank Future Plans: Continue as a traveling field rep for CVS Caremark Specialty Pharmacy Division for Los Angeles, San Diego and Arizona. Age: 30 BP 473

BA: Liberal Studies Graduation Date: May 22 Honors in Personal Achievement/A.S. Leadership. Iranian Student Association (vice president), New Student Orientation Leader (2 years), Associated Students Marketing: Graphic Artist. Past Standards Chair. Hometown: Woodland Hills Future Plans: Create a startup company with his brother, Ali. Age: 25 BP 666

One short of 10,000 students graduated from Cal State Northridge in six separate commencement ceremonies held on the Oviatt Library lawn between May 19-22. Not shown: Neil Sanchez, MA, Philosophy (Cal State Los Angeles).

Winter - Spring 2014

Courtesy of Shawn Showkati

Daniel Bermudez

Courtesy of Christopher Aston

GRADUATION HORROR STORIES

Christopher Aston (BP 452, top) supervised all preparations and staff for the six graduation commencements between May 19 and 22. The chapter held a ceremony in honor of its eight actives who became alumni on May 18. Shawn Showkati steps onstage to shake hands with CSUN’s President Dianne Harrison. Beta-Rho Zeta of Lambda Chi Alpha International Fraternity

Thinking back after the chapter meeting on May 4, Brinton Marsden felt that his final undergraduate semester has not been one he wants to go into. “As for me, it’s hard to reflect on the nightmare while in it,” he wrote in a Facebook message. As finals approached, Paul Gritsch could feel the domino effect that resulted from one overlooked assignment. “In one class, I thought that the term paper – which was most of our grade – was due during finals week,” he told Brother Marsden. “It turned out that it was due the week before so I ended up turning it in late and almost failed the class. The teacher accepted my work late, but I ended up with a ‘C’ because of my mistake and didn’t get honors credit for it.” Dylan Connolly endured an epic case of procrastination. “Oh gosh, my senior horror story is when I left my online class assignments (all of them) until the very last week. I finished it in a week and got a B+ in the class.” Some of the seniors found themselves juggling too many balls. “My struggle was finishing while applying to graduate school,” Luis Canton recalled. “Studying for the GRE – while working – being in a relationship, holding an office in Lambda Chi [fraternity educator], and taking a full unit load. It was nearly impossible to balance everything.” “I’m taking Kin 446 [kinesiology] right now, which has the highest failure rate of any class in my department,” CSUN ice hockey team player #91 and chapter vice president Brian Carcerano said. “Everyone knows it and fears it. My girlfriend has a high GPA and this class has been her only ‘C’ in college, so I’ve been studying non-stop this semester.” Shawn Showkati upped the ante on juggling his schedule to extremes. Nevertheless, he maintained one of the highest GPAs during his two semesters in the chapter. “I decided to take on more responsibilities my senior year. I rushed a fraternity and held an officer position [standards chair] at the same time. I became vice president of my club [the Iranian Student Association] on campus and I took on more responsibilities at work. On top of it all, I had my classes to worry about. It was a big challenge for me to balance everything because I wanted to give my best in each organization. Looking back, I think I became over-involved.” Gio Pernudi re-enrolled at CSUN in the fall of 2012 after taking a leave of absence for a few years. He had married his girlfriend, Ofelia Marquez, on April 19, 2008 after proposing to her at the previous spring’s White Rose Formal. While working for Best Buy the couple started a family. Recently, he has spent a lot of time on the road as a client relations executive for CVS Health. He has been specializing in providing services for hemophiliacs around his territories of Los Angeles, San Diego and Arizona while taking classes. Can Ergen took his senior year in stride even though he has had a particularly onerus commute to CSUN. “I’m studying hard which is why I don’t stress out at all,” he wrote. Ironically, Brother Ergen totaled his car in an accident a couple of months earlier. “He has no car nowadays and lives [near] Brentwood,” Brother Marsden noted. One of the brothers, Max Eberle, helped Brother Ergen get to his classes on time. Like all the others, Brother Ergen has probably gotten all too familiar with the terrors seniors encounter in the final push to graduate. Some roll with it better than others. —Reported by Brinton Marsden

The Class of SprinG, 2014 Rush Chairman: Justyn De Leon Fraternity Educator: Luis Canton

Ritualist: Corey Davis

Weslee A. “Wes” Cole Nick C. Dinsmore

Jesse G. Espinoza

Bryan A. Martinez

Jesse A. Martinez

Class Level: Freshman Major: Music Industry Big Brother: Can Ergen Favorite Social Media: Instagram Age: 18 BP 671

Class Level: Freshman Major: Kinesiology Big Brother: Steven Robledo Favorite Social Media: Twitter Age: 18 BP 672

Class Level: Freshman Major: Psychology Big Brother: Wesley Lamphere Favorite Social Media: Tumblr Age: 18 BP 673

Class Level: Sophomore Major: Political Science Big Brother: Jorge Reyes Favorite Social Media: Instagram Age: 20 BP 674

Class Level: Freshman Major: Bus. Adm.: Mgmt. Big Brother: Chris Burgos Favorite Social Media: Instagram Age: 18 BP 675

Vincent T. Pimentel

Charlie Rios

Daniel Ruelas Verduzco Angel Y. Torres

Rodrigó J. Valenzuela

Class Level: Sophomore Major: Kinesiology Big Brother: Daniel Bermudez Favorite Social Media: Instagram Age: 18 BP 676

Class Level: Junior Major: Bus. Adm.: Mgmt. Big Brother: Kyle Shaver Favorite Social Media: Instagram Age: 25 BP 670

Class Level: Freshman Major: Bus. Mech. Eng. Big Brother: John DeVaughn Favorite Social Media: Facebook & Instagram (tie) Age: 21 BP 677

Class Level: Freshman Major: Psychology Big Brother: Corey Davis Favorite Social Media: Twitter Age: 18 BP 679

Class Level: Sophomore Major: Political Science Big Brother: Eric Planas Favorite Social Media: Twitter Age: 18 BP 678

Initiation took place on May 9 during a waxing gibbous moon. Black hoodies were handed out by big brothers before a post-ceremony group picture session. Many of the new brothers reciprocated by giving their big brothers elaborately decorated paddles. Moon photo taken on May 9 by Robert Van den Heuvel Danield Ruelas Verduzco & Rodrigó Valenzuela’s Facebook photos used by permission.

WINTER - SPRING 2014

Scholarship Fund Re-emerges Plans are underway to re-introduce Beta-Rho’s scholarship fund program. Its first recipients will be named at the housing corporation’s Annual Meeting on the first Tuesday in December. Hamid Jahangard, (BP 479) the scholarship & note program committee chairman and one of the housing corporation’s two directors-at-large, introduced a draft proposal at the May 14 corp. board meeting. He has been in contact with Jerry De Felice, the director of development for University Advancement, to align the scholarship fund with university rules and regulations. A scholarship account for the chapter under the jurisdiction of the university’s banking resources was still active and had a positive balance of between $1,100 and $1,200. Its existence has provided the chapter with a way to attract fully taxdeductible contributions from alumni and friends. During the April 9 corp. board meeting, Brother Jahangard said he was told by De Felice that “based on the way the fund was established, we can fundraise for a scholarship fund and either apply that towards tuition or housing.” The draft proposal spelled out the scholarship fund’s purpose, criteria, selection process, selection committee, suggested scholarship award(s), timeline and notes. Award candidates with active membership in the chapter were defined as “current undergraduate and graduate students enrolled full-time at Cal State Northridge.” Applicants could start submitting

forms beginning on Aug. 1, and the filing period for the fall semester would end on Sept. 30. Some recommendations were made by Housing Corporation President Spencer Schmerling (BP 288) to align the scholarship fund’s allocations to defray the costs of chapter overhead, namely rent at the Lindley House, or possibly cover an active member’s dues expenses. He expressed concerns about whether the new proposal followed Capital Fund Drive Chairman Howard Brightman’s (EΣ 528)

Rick Childs Devin Berman

Alumni News

Paul (ΦE 528) and Devin Horn welcomed Tara Prudence at 5:51 p.m. on Dec. 23, 2013 at Kaiser Permanente Hospital/Kraemer Labor & Delivery in Anaheim. Her birth weight was 6 lbs., 5 oz., and she was temporarily 19.25 inches long. Brother Horn has busied himself as Mr. Mom while Devin has returned to work. Tara has been making frequent (and adorable) appearances on Brother Horn’s Instagram feed. It’s another boy for parents Michael (BP 455) and Amanda Press. Brady Michael joined the family on April 21 at 8:50 p.m. at Los Robles Hospital and Medical Center in Thousand Oaks. He reportedly weighed in at 6 lb. 12 oz. Granddad Scott Press (BP 55) said during the May 14 corp. board meeting that he will have a much easier time remembering grandson no. 2’s name. (Grandson #1 is Jackson.) BETA-RHO ZETA OF LAMBDA CHI ALPHA INTERNATIONAL FRATERNITY 13

recommendations for future scholarship drives that had been discussed during the Annual Meeting in 2013 and by email in March. Reviving the scholarship fund has also given Beta-Rho another avenue for attracting new members. “It’s a perfect recruitment tool,” Brother Schmerling said. Volunteers were being sought to put together a selection committee chaired by Brother Jahangard. Four alumni-at-large positions would complement a university staff representative, faculty representative, the chapter adviser and a non-Lambda Chi member of the community. Donations could be submitted in two ways. For those writing checks, they need to be made payable to the University Foundation and sent to the corp. board’s mailing address. “Online donations would be done through the university’s website with a note to designate the funds to our scholarship fund,” Brother Jahangard added. Amanda Press

c a a s I k c i R e Liberty Crew Foundation & th

Interview by Rick Childs

WINTER - SPRING 2014

ick Isaac (BP 67) arrived at That was the first Pumpkin Bust, but hadn’t the chapter done our appointment on May 13 a Haunted House the previous year? a few minutes after I’d “Yeah.” walked out of the Jamba You were initiated almost exactly a year earlier than me in Juice in Northridge. Originally November, 1974? I had told him to meet me in “Right.” front of a Robek’s, so I fretted I recall that we did the Haunted House over near Birmingham over the directions I had given High School on Victory Boulevard, right near an Army Reserve him a day earlier. Fortunately, building. I also mentioned that it was “That’s right. In a community center.” next door to the Starbucks on Devonshire and Reseda, and he I remember the white t-shirts we wore; I still have mine in storage. pulled up to a parking spot right next to my table. After he “I still have one. I can’t wear it.” bought some coffee at Starbuck’s, we both realized it was too I think I had a large. (Rick Isaac laughs.) It was fine for my noisy in there, and there were no tables inside Jamba Juice (just shape back in the Seventies when I was 145 or 150 pounds. a tiny counter with some bar stools), so we sat outside. S “I even wrote a manual on how to do a Pumpkin Bust. This Brother Isaac was one of the first brothers I really got to know was obviously before computers, so it was typed with lots of when I was rushing Lambda Chi Alpha. With his leadership, I White-Out, 20 pages. I just went crazy with it. I found it chaired a fundraising campaign that raffled off a portable TV somewhere; I may be able to relocate it.” while I was still an associate member. He helped me (and Jon Rice (BP 82) was really involved in that first Pumpkin others) raise around $4,000. Bust too. I still see in my mind He was the first brother to this picture of him, some women introduce me to the art of public from one of the sororities and relations, something he just Mark Jacobs (BP 68), my big kept getting better at while I brother. Were they coordinators knew him as an undergrad. or coaches? The main reason why I “I think they were coaches. wanted to speak to him was Mark had a lot of ideas, gave to hear him recount how a directions and was behind the family tragedy became the scenes helping me....” impetus for starting a foundation He was the ritualist back to help teens cope with then, wasn’t he? substance abuse and the “He was. But I did an awful underlying problems that got lot. Trying to do a Haunted them there in the first place. House, the Pumpkin Bust back Talking about some of our to back in two weeks, and we shared experiences in the were also fundraising. We had fraternity first, however, seemed the parents club, and we raised like a better place to begin our $12,000 that year to purchase conversation. our first house on Halsted. So I Let’s talk about the Pumpkin was up to my eyeballs… and not Bust. That’s something we both very experienced.” know about. Were you the vice president? “Sure!” “Yes. Beta. So that’s where I I was an associate member got into public relations.” when you started the Pumpkin My fraternity educator was… Bust back in the fall of 1975. “Dick Greenberg (BP 76). Wasn’t it the Friday after Yeah, he was Kappa. I was Halloween? Kappa the next year.” “I don’t recall. We did the Brother Isaac held out his Pumpkin Bust in conjunction hand and showed a fraternity with the annual Haunted ring he was wearing. House. So it might’ve been “I wore this. I got that on right after it, and we raised a eBay. I was just lookin’ around couple thousand dollars for and I plugged in Lambda Chi the American Diabetes Alpha. It’s from some estate. I Association.” looked up the name of the Didn’t the Pumpkin Bust jeweler, and I think it’s from have some sort of charity too? Boston College – around “It was connected, so I 1920-1930. It’s sterling silver. So The original Pumpkin Bust on the Engineering Field (now Matador Square) in suspect it was part of the I thought, I’ve gotta get that. It’s 1975. Mark Jacobs, Rick Isaac and Richard (Dick) Greenberg circa 1974, a same [charity].” picture that was preserved in one of Tom Lawrence’s (AI 620) scrapbooks. like 90-95 years old.” BETA-RHO ZETA OF LAMBDA CHI ALPHA INTERNATIONAL FRATERNITY

RICK ISAAC When you were the president, the chapter bought its first house. “… One day we were just struggling over in Reseda on Cantara. It was hard to run a chapter from there and pull in new people. The chapter consultant said, ‘You guys have gotta get out of here, but it will take you years.’ So one day I just decided to go look for a house for sale. I was driving up and down Halsted, and I turned the corner and saw a ‘for sale’ sign. I knocked, talked to the lady, forgot her name. Came back, called [Beta-Rho Housing Corporation President Howard] Brightman (EΣ 528). Worked on it, bought it. Then we had to move – and clean up Cantara.” Right, we had to move in there right around the beginning of July in 1977. “Yeah. It was an active summer.” I remember Daryl Mobraten (BP 107) and his then-girlfriend Wanda were driving the rental truck back and forth between Cantara and Halsted with all of our stuff. “That was pretty wild.... That place just lit up everybody. “Suddenly, everyone was having fun again for awhile, until Hal Reed [a neighbor across the street] tried to shut us down. He came out and said some pretty tough stuff. We weren’t zoned [as a fraternity house]. The police told me they’d arrest me if we operated because I was the president. How do we operate and have fun but not get whacked and me get arrested? The Pike president was actually arrested for a short time. They started coming down on all the fraternities. So that was a tough time. We actually said that we couldn’t party there, and that was a tough way to go.” Nobody wanted to hear that. When you said you can’t always party, the ‘t’ [in can’t] was missing. “Exactly.”

think that I started asking about wanting to interview you for the newsletter at least a year ago. “I was supposed to get back to you, but the last 5-6 years have been really difficult. My son was really struggling. Everything got set aside; it just disappeared. We knew that we were in big

trouble, or that he was.” I didn’t know that it went back that many years. “It was a progressive thing.” I looked at the article on the Acorn and the stuff on CBS. [According to the CBS Los Angeles affiliate station’s website, Josh Isaac died from a heroin overdose on Aug. 21, 2013. Brother Isaac’s 19-year-old son had been visiting an acquaintance he had met in rehab the day he was due to enter a long-term treatment program.] When I read this, the first person that came to my mind was, of course, Philip Seymour Hoffman. It can happen to someone like him, but why would it happen to a really nice kid from the Valley? When I found out about it, I was in such shock. Then I thought, now that talk with you is going to have a whole different [context]. It made me think: what could I do that would be beneficial to Josh instead of just doing an article about the life and times of one of our alumni? I jotted down some questions last night, and I thought I would just go for it. “Sure.” Talk to me a little more about Josh because your Facebook page is like a memorial nowadays for him. It’s got a picture of the big banner that was down on Liberty Canyon and Lindero Road. Then he corrected me.

WINTER - SPRING 2014

“Liberty Canyon and Country Glen. “Yeah. His friends on Liberty Canyon – they refer to themselves as the Liberty Canyon… I don’t remember what they said – the Liberty Block or something. A couple of nights after he died, at about 2 in the morning, a whole bunch of them put that sign up. And we had over 380 signatures of people that knew him around the community. I said to my daughter, ‘Who put it up?’ ‘Oh, a bunch of his friends. They call themselves the Liberty Crew.’ “So we are just getting incorporated now. We’re getting a logo made, and we are starting a foundation for The Liberty Crew. And it’s going to help guys like Josh. “There’s a lot of misunderstandings about drug abuse. People think this stuff just happens. Some of them are just troubled kids, some of them come from troubled homes, some get in the wrong crowd. But a large percentage—and many that I know that we are trying to help—had some kind of learning disability. It could be somewhere in the autism spectrum, attention deficit. It could be a mood issue. I mean, it goes on and on. “Josh had auditory processing [issues]. It’s kind of like dyslexia, but for hearing. So if you’ve grown up like that, and you’re in school, and teachers are going, ‘don’t forget to do the page 9 assignment – and the test is on Friday,’ you’re hearing gobbledegook.” I have a mild form of that too. “Yeah, same here.” That’s why I would try to sit in front of the room and look at the teacher in the eye. “And that helps some people. But there’s different types of auditory processing. There’s background filter noise, which I struggle with. There’s sequential processing between hearing in the left ear and right ear. Getting the words out of order. “And so, you come into the school as a young kid, and your self-esteem is being developed. Then the teacher is putting you down – and he grew up with a bunch of really good kids that excelled. So he now felt uncomfortable around them as he hit middle school. He had a very high IQ, very well liked, but couldn’t find the sync at school in the traditional sit down in your chair, shut up, take notes, do the tests. He wasn’t that kind of guy. He had trouble articulating it. There’s processing-related issues that come with it too.” Was he more of a visual or kinesthetic learner? “Kinesthetic. He loved skateboarding, hockey, [basketball], all those things. But the school systems don’t understand that, so we battled them.... “The schools were saying stuff like, ‘He’s not motivated.’ And then we talked to other experts. They went, ‘How could you possibly be motivated when you can’t even connect the dots in order to be successful when it’s laid out for you in a way that you can’t succeed? No one’s going to be motivated.’ So we are fighting the school on that. They were thumping him for not being motivated.” What school district is your family in? “Las Virgenes. And we were told by doctors, ‘You’d be better off in L.A. Unified for this because they have been sued enough where they get it,’ and they now help rather than check the box. Las Virgenes… has improved, but they still don’t get it.

“I spent hundreds and hundreds of hours researching what was going on to see how [we could] help… whole days as the years went on because we could see something was going off course. “I came across a guy named Dr. Ross Greene, and he’s now the gold standard for this. He explains the traditional view in psychology [as it has related to] parental issues and defiant children. And you have to deal with that. As you work with kids using the traditional view of 20-30-40-50 years ago, none of them were really getting better. He said, ‘They’re just not doing what I’m telling them.’ And then he thought about it and he goes, ‘I’d better check. There’s something wrong here.’ So he started interviewing the families. And what he found was that the kids who were struggling—most of them had siblings that were doing just fine, and parents that were normal. He said, ‘Well, how can that be?’ And then he realized that almost every one of those children had a learning disability in neurological processing. Maybe, instead of ‘they could if they tried,’ maybe ‘they would succeed if they could.’ They were not given the tools to succeed. And that’s what we are seeing. So he changed his entire approach, and he travels the world now working with school systems to say, ‘Don’t see it as bad, defiant, unmotivated kids. You’re going to make it worse.’ “There’s so much stuff we’ve seen. Learning, mood, medications, wrong medications. Now if a child has ADD and they give them two ADD drugs and it doesn’t work, they stop it. They go to a mood stabilizer. But back four years ago, or five-six years ago, they’d just keep giving new ADD drugs. The problem is all those conditions in teens look the same: trouble focusing, irritability, school issues, frustration—and that could be a learning issue, it could be a mood issue, it could be trauma, it could be teen years, it could be substance abuse. The side effects of all those things labeled: it could be autism. All those things I labeled look the same. You give the wrong solution, you might be making it worse.” How does your background as a consultant help you with developing this foundation? “Good question. I work with leaders and supervisors on how to work with other people or organize or whatever it might be. It’s helped me get through the startup phase, which is really tough on a brand new organization. It’s especially tough with a volunteer organization because a lot of people flake out.” Is your organization that you have been working with called HR ChangeWorks? “That’s my company. I work with Nissan and Yamaha and the Department of Defense. So I go to Japan once or twice a year. Some naval bases, Pearl Harbor. And I train leaders on group issues. Kind of like the High Kappa.” (Laughs.) Which had a bigger influence on your career: being the fraternity educator, or being the president? “In terms of products and skills, what I do is Kappa-ish stuff. But in terms of learning to deal with tough situations, High Alpha more.” Where do you see the Liberty Crew Foundation going? What is the mission, and where do you think it’s going to be in a year from now? “It’s hard to say. We are starting from scratch. Going from a

“I saw him the night before. He was positive: ‘I’m going to do this – I’m turning my life around,’ the night before he died.”

BETA-RHO ZETA OF LAMBDA CHI ALPHA INTERNATIONAL FRATERNITY

startup, you don’t know what it’s going to look like. We’ve got a board going and some community leaders that are helping. What we are focusing on is the conditions that lead to addiction. So, a lot of people are out there dealing with addiction. Great. But the experts we’ve talked to—some who are going to be on the board—they know their stuff. They said you’ve got to prevent it. If you want a good shot at it, you’ve gotta help these kids before they become addicted. There’s attention deficit issues, learning issues, mood issues, trauma issues. And then there’s genetic as well. People that have a gene… they start drinking or they could be in [some other potential] trouble. “Anyway, we are helping educate parents and kids about those conditions that are going to lead to addiction and how to deal with those: how to identify what is what. Is it a learning disorder that needs a stimulant? Or is it a mood disorder that looks almost the same at that age? What we are trying to do is get out there and educate and come up with ways to help these young people before they become addicted – but also help those that are.” Was Josh’s drug habit something that was a procession, and heroin was something that came in really late? “Yeah.” Was this a one-time thing that happened, or was it something that he had done before? “He had done it before. He was scheduled for a treatment center that day. He had been in and out of several [places] the months prior. We always helped him get in. We were working, doing everything we could to assist. He was going into an eight-month [long-term program] that he said he was committed to. I saw him the night before. He was positive: ‘I’m going to do this – I’m turning my life around,’ the night before he died. “He was extremely well-liked. Everyone knew and liked Josh. He was just a positive kid. He seemed to have everything.”

Rick Childs

RICK ISAAC

Interview by Rick Childs

The Lambda Chi Connection Inside A.S. with Kevin Mojaradi

esides Lambda Chi Alpha, Kevin Mojaradi (BP 462) and I have something else in common: we have both worked in the same position for CSUN’s Associated Students. The title has changed over the years, but as the public relations manager since 2004 he wears just as many hats, if not more, as I did in the Eighties and early Nineties. Also, both of us are Honorary Lifetime Members of A.S. We chatted in his University Student Union office on May 21. Next to his computer was a framed collection of pictures of his beloved bulldog, Tipsy, who has made frequent appearances on his Instagram and Facebook feeds. You joined the chapter at a pivotal point in time. You rushed Lambda Chi Alpha when the chapter was regrouping and colonizing. What was it like to become part of the chapter when it was just trying to get itself re-acquainted on campus? “The thing is, I also joined when I was a graduate student. [He graduated in 1999 with a Bachelor of Arts in biology.] I’d never heard of a graduate student joining the fraternity. “That was new to me because I thought that phase of joining a fraternity had already passed in my life. But when Ryan Haney and George... from Headquarters were trying to get students involved, they approached A.S. And that’s the best place to go if you are trying to bring the chapter back. Because you know that people in A.S. are going to have the grades, they’re going to have the leadership skills, they’re going to have the experience on campus— and they know people. They were smart. “At that time I was the finance director for Associated Students. When they approached 18

WINTER - SPRING 2014

me I thought, ‘sure, why not?’ For me it was more not just doing something that I wanted to do, but I never got a chance during my undergrad years to join a fraternity. The fact that, hey, we could bring something back—that in itself was an incentive to do it. Also, a lot of my friends were doing it too who were in A.S., so it was many different factors on why I did it. “It was challenging at first because we didn’t know what we were getting into. I think what helped was the alumni support. That was the biggest thing.” Who were the alumni that were the backbone in that period? “Coop (Mike Cooperman, BP 386) was one. He was awesome. All the alums who are active now [on the corp. board]—Spence (Spencer Schmerling, BP 288), yourself… everyone. Howard (Brightman, EΣ 528), definitely. It was fun to try to find our own way as well. We had the support of the alums, but we also had the adventure of doing it our own way. It wasn’t challenging as much as it was an experience for all of us during the first year. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I wish I could’ve stayed with the chapter more, but I couldn’t, so I took the alumni status.” How many semesters were you active in the chapter? “I took the alumni status in 2004 after I graduated with my Master’s [6 semesters] in public health.” That was the semester that the chapter got re-chartered. “Yes. I was working with Dustin (Mirochnick, BP 461) at the time, I believe. We put the packet together that was sent over to finalize it. I remember staying up until midnight working on the packet, putting some pictures and the PDFs together.... We were really excited to get the charter back.” Did [little brothers] give out paddles in those days to their big brothers as presents [after initiation]? “Yeah. The new initiates did back then and they still do…. My little [brother], Hamid (Jahangard, BP 479), didn’t give me a paddle, but my grand-little brother (Ron Reyes, BP 510) gave me one. [Hamid] said, ‘I don’t want to give you a paddle; I want to give you something that you could actually use.’ So he gave me a nice jacket that I still have to this day.” Let me switch gears for a minute. Since I walked in here and sat down, I have been pleasantly distracted by this Matador

Courtesy of Kevin Moaradi

Some of Brother Mojaradi’s employees and peers just happened to be undergraduates from the chapter this spring. From left: Shawn Showkati, graphic designer; Eric Planas, executive producer of A.S. Productions; Brother Mojaradi, Daniel Ramos, marketing student assistant; and Jorge Reyes, chief of staff and internal affairs committee chair. (He was also an A.S. Senator for the School of Arts, Media & Communication until May 26.)

BETA-RHO ZETA OF LAMBDA CHI ALPHA INTERNATIONAL FRATERNITY

portrait in your office. [It is the same one that was hanging on the wall in the Santa Susana Room where the A.S. staff conducted meetings before the USU was remodeled in 2000 and the former office building was torn down.] There’s a story behind this portrait. How did it wind up in your office? “When I was a senator [in the School of Health and Human Development] and the finance director after that, this was hanging in the conference room over at the main A.S. office. When I got the internship on the staff position here, this somehow disappeared. They had remodeled the entire room and repainted it. I hadn’t seen it until about three years ago. When I was cleaning out the closet in the conference room, I noticed this was in the back— and that’s why there’s a little tear in it on the cape—and no one wanted it. So I asked, ‘Can I just put this on my wall? I just want to borrow it until I leave A.S.’” I always liked this picture. To me it seemed like something you might see in the Administration Building or the Oviatt Library. “Right! It was going to sit in the closet, otherwise. Everyone who walks in my office goes, ‘oh my God, that’s a cool Matador!’” What is it that you do to help promote the Associated Students? “I oversee the entire marketing department which consists of all student employees. There’s graphic design students, web students, video marketing, social media and market research. And then we have a general student that just does our documents, paperwork and stuff. Our department also oversees the MIND [Matador Information Network Display] screens, the [22] 42-inch screens that are around campus.” When did those get put up on campus? “They were put on campus about two years ago. We researched it from the other Cal States. We visited four or five of them, and they had these displays that showed posters, movies and calendars. We got the company name, applied for funding, and we got it on campus.” I was happy to see that the campus [bulletin boards] evolved and got into the [electronic marquee] LED technology. “The current screens are a new generation that A.S. approved back in 2000. Those were the info displays which were just regular TV screens on campus. They were just running PowerPoint, really. So that’s why we got the new ones that have their own dedicated software and they are multimedia. They play almost anything. My office runs those at well. “Right now, Associated Students is promoted mainly through social media. The paper media has its benefits, but it’s outdated. So we are mostly doing it electronic.” What do you think A.S. is going to look like in five years? “If it’s gone the way it’s been in the last couple of years, it’s definitely going to grow. Even this year we brought so many programs on campus. We brought in Zipcar and Flo Water.” What’s Zipcar? “Zipcar is the [almost] free car rental [program] on campus for students [plus faculty and staff]. It’s all done online. You have a little card. Once you get close to [it], you take that card, point it at the car, and it unlocks. You just reserve it... for nine bucks (an hour). Free gas, free insurance, and it’s parked right on campus.” What’s Flo Water? “It’s a water system on campus. It’s where you can fill up your water bottles or whatever. Thirty-five cents for 20 oz. of water. It’s cold, filter-sanitized. Right now we have five locations.” Do you think the chapter has been continuing its involvement in the Associated Students?“ “Oh yes. We have at least three or four in student leadership.”

Beta-Rho’s Night of the Phoenix Nearly 90 brothers and guests convened at the Odyssey Restaurant in Granada Hills on March 27, 2004 for Beta-Rho’s Rechartering Banquet and Formal. Among the special guests in attendance were Grand High Tau Ed Leonard, Headquarters’ Expansion Coordinator John Otten and Jamison Keller, CSUN’s student activities coordinator and Greek Life adviser. More speakers stepped up to the ballroom podium than at any banquet since the chapter’s original charter installation ceremony on Sept. 2, 1972. Among them were Housing Corporation President Spencer Schmerling (BP 288), High Pi Mike Cooperman (BP 386), Josh Lodolo (BP 459), Dustin Mirochnick (BP 461), Cesar Ayllon (BP 453), plus Brothers Leonard and Otten. Brother Keller, A Sigma Nu Fraternity alumnus, also addressed the gathering. The chapter had re-colonized in the fall of 2001 after its alumni advisory board had called for its shutdown three years earlier. Like a phoenix, it slowly revived and recruited 18 prospective members that were initiated on the weekend of Jan. 20, 2002 at the Secret Rose Theater in North Hollywood. Brothers from the Fresno State chapter conducted the ritual. During its absence, the housing corporation kept the chapter’s three Halsted properties’ bills paid and occupied with tenants. Brother Cooperman served as chapter adviser during the re-colonization process starting in 2001. At this moment in time, Anthony “Tonee” Sherrill (BP 469) served as the chapter’s recently-elected High Alpha. He accepted the new charter from Brother Otten. “What I remember from that day was how inadequate I felt to have been newly voted in as High Alpha,” Brother Sherrill wrote in an email. “Dustin had done such an amazing job up to that point. It seemed unfair of me to accept the charter on

behalf of Beta-Rho because Dustin (the previous High Alpha) and his team worked tirelessly to regain [it]. “The sense of excitement we felt as a unit was at an all time high! We celebrated big time that night! There was something about us all working together to achieve a common goal and then actually making it happen that was powerful and unifying.” Although the speeches dominated the evening’s agenda, various brothers were honored. Chris Dyer (BP 500) received the High Alpha Award. Gabe Lockwood (BP 497) was a good sport and accepted the Golden Spigot Award. A traditional group hug capped the night. The chapter’s High Alpha when the chapter re-colonized, Sean Sievik (BP 464), served as the banquet chairman.

Spencer Schmerling

Josh Lodolo

Ed Leonard

Jamison Keller

Housing Corporation President

Former A.S. President (2002-03)

Grand High Tau

CSUN Activities Coordinator/Greek Life

Cesar Ayllon

Mike Cooperman

Founding Father

Chapter Adviser

WINTER - SPRING 2014

Clockwise from left: Headquarters’ staff representative John Otten presents High Alpha Tonee Sherrill with the chapter’s new charter during the celebration. Brother Sherrill with Dustin Mirochnick during the passing of the gavel; with Golden Spigot recipient Gabe Lockwood; every brother in attendance; the Odyssey ballroom.

BETA-RHO ZETA OF LAMBDA CHI ALPHA INTERNATIONAL FRATERNITY

All photos, with the exception of the group pose, by Rick Childs

When CSUN Had Yearbooks Back in the day, a small but dedicated number of students produced yearbooks for the university. As of 1980, one could be had for $12. The first edition, known as the Sunburst for nearly all its incarnations, appeared in 1957 in comb binding when CSUN was known as San Fernando State College, or Valley State. They went on hiatus between 1965-67, 1970-75 and 1987. A couple of soft cover yearbooks appeared between 1968-69 that were called Matadors. Like the bygone days they recorded, they vanished for good after 2004. Three of the brothers from Beta-Rho played key roles in producing Sunbursts. Dr. Robert Scher (BP 51), known in those days as Bob, was in his senior year when three of his classmates in the art department banded together to produce one in the spring of 1976. One of them, Judy Prell, convinced her friends in the Associated Students office that it would be a great idea to have them sponsor it (again). In just over two months, the book went to the printer. Brother Scher took on the role of photo editor, and his main preoccupations were providing the cover art and snapping group pictures, candids, plus the IFC and Panhellenic Greek organizations, including Lambda Chi Alpha. Sports and club sections wouldn’t reappear again until the 1977 edition. When Brother Scher shot the 1976 edition’s cover photo, his cover subject lent an air of mystery to it. During a telephone interview on May 27, he said that he had met with a friend at the top of a hill at Pierce College near its farm one evening. They found some old farm machinery and he posed his friend in his farmhand clothes. While it looks like a sunrise or sunset to the casual viewer, his friend was actually looking out over the Valley’s streetlights toward the Warner Center. The yearbook never became a hot commodity on campus, and it survived a calamitous budget shortfall in 1978 and nearly disappeared again. In the early summer of 1979, Phil Virga (BP 121), an A.S. senator for the School of Engineering and Computer Science, asked Rick Childs (BP 83) to apply for a job as the next yearbook editor. Brother Childs had volunteered since January of 1976 in the role of chapter historian, and his background in photography landed him the job. Actually, no one else had bothered to apply. Coincidentally, about the same time Brother Childs applied for the editor position, he had been working as a handyman and audiovisual technician for the University Student Union. One day while he was clearing out some discarded items in the basement under the

PUB, he came across several boxes of unsold 1970s yearbooks. Although Brother Childs supervised a committee of five fellow students, he shouldered much of the photography, design, copywriting, bookkeeping and marketing work. The 1980 edition featured the Sunburst’s first 4-color process cover, more color pages than any of its predecessors (8), a mid-May publication date, and it managed to break even on its budget of $12,000. Nearly all of the 500+ copies were sold, some at the graduation commencement area near the Oviatt Library. The 1980 cover photo came about when the editor was buying some slide film at The Darkroom on Reseda Boulevard one September afternoon. Suddenly, a couple of the workers behind the counter excused themselves and darted outside to take some photos of the impending sunset. After he paid for his Ektachrome rolls, Brother Childs drove back to the ‘C’ parking lot off Zelzah and ran past the student union to the Oviatt Library. A couple of students chatting by the library’s east side provided the silhouette in the photo. The cloud cover sunset had settled into a curtain of deep maroon, cayenne powder red and copper orange for the backdrop. From 1980 to 1992, Brother Childs either edited or advised the yearbook program as part of his job as the A.S. publicity specialist. In the summer of 1985 Patrick Schaefer (BP 245) took over the reigns of editor-in-chief. What made Brother Schaefer’s contribution so unique (and entertaining) was his illustration expertise. He had been drawing cartoons for the Daily Sundial the previous year, and his gift for Mad Magazine-inspired comic satire made the 1986 yearbook one of the most unique in its history. Among his most memorable illustrations was the yearbook’s cover, a depiction of the Matador mascot as a superhero flipping his cape past a streaking sun. Sunburst production slowly transitioned to computers in the early 1980s. Brother Schaefer’s edition was the last one to use carbon forms for submitting layout designs done on drafting boards. Leading up to the final deadline, Brother Childs used an Apple IIC and fed a box of carbon forms into a temperamental dot matrix printer from 10 p.m. until 6:30 the next morning. With the proliferation of Macs in the A.S. offices and Aldus (now Adobe) PageMaker, desktop publishing slowly took over the design work beginning in the fall of 1987. To prepare for the yearbook’s 1988 edition, Brother Childs taught himself how to use the new software by designing Beta-Rho Bulletin newsletters. After 1992, yearbook production slowly 22

WINTER - SPRING 2014

Bob Scher, Judy Prell, Tom Kendall and Julie Kephart in 1976.

Patrick Schaefer in 1986.

Rick Childs in 1980.

Illustration by Patrick Schaefer

BETA-RHO ZETA OF LAMBDA CHI ALPHA INTERNATIONAL FRATERNITY

ground to a halt. Sponsoring the yearbook had been a loss leader for years, and the production responsibilities shifted off-campus to the senior portrait photography studio. A publicity nightmare ensued in 2003 when the studio’s yearbook printing rep procured the email addresses of the entire student body for promotional purposes. The breach in privacy prompted A.S. to cut its ties with the studio. The following year, the printing presses stopped. Reviving the yearbook today would not be on A.S. radar screen, according to Kevin Mojaradi (BP 462), the A.S. public relations manager. Everything they do nowadays to promote themselves, with the possible exception of advertising in the Daily Sundial’s print editions, is done with websites and social media. Nowadays, if one wants to peruse any of CSUN’s old yearbooks, they will either need to visit the Oviatt Library’s reading room inside the Tseng Gallery or book an appointment for the A.S. office boardroom. Then again, there might be a few boxes of them stored in the PUB’s basement.

BETA-RHO BULLETIN BETA-RHO ZETA OF LAMBDA CHI ALPHA FRATERNITY P.O. BOX 280311 NORTHRIDGE, CA 91328-0311

Address Service Requested

Editor’s Journal This will be the nineteenth newsletter that I’ve Rho Bulletins were my passion project that enabled worked on for Beta-Rho since 2007. I can’t tell me to familiarize myself with design work that had you how many times I’ve stared at my computer been previously done with now quaint tools of the screen and wondered what I’d come up with trade like typewriters, cropping devices, drafting next. I skipped a year, but I’ll get to that later. boards with t-squares, Letraset dry transfer When I get writer’s block, sometimes I’ll hear lettering sheets with wooden burnishing sticks or a voice in my head that sounds a little like Mike a very clunky Kroy machine that produced Cooperman that says, “Don’t ever stop making typography on an expensive form of Scotch tape. newsletters.” Brother Cooperman’s off-the-cuff As I was perfecting a PageMaker-based template remark from a few years back has provided me for the newsletter, I poured my newfound familiarity with some encouragement that has helped me with DTP into making better, cheaper yearbooks work through periods when I thought that all I for the university. Starting in the fall of 1987, the could do was ‘jump the shark.’ In a way, he’s Sunbursts began to resemble large-scale become something like a muse for me. newsletters, and vice-versa. Doing color pages Although Beta-Rho Bulletins have been slanted was prohibitively expensive in those days, so with much more alumni news than chapter news, everything I produced right up until I left my post this edition throws that rule out the window. It’s at the Associated Students in 1992 was done exceptional and possibly the new norm. There using a black and white Apple monitor. simply weren’t any alumni events to cover—just For this edition, I can’t emphasize enough some announcements—so I concentrated more how helpful Facebook and especially Instagram on writing about the chapter. I was fortunate to have been with procuring photos and vetting A chapter newsletter from 1995 that has influenced information. While I’ve been using Facebook have High Rho Brinton Marsden doing some of the design of every edition since 2007. the reporting and liaison work before he graduated. since 2009 to keep tabs on our brothers, my Brother Marsden and I went back and forth Instagram account is only a few months old. The about whether we should do more mini-bulletins or produce an edition big drawback with it is that it doesn’t have a user-friendly timeline like like the ones I designed and edited in the last few years. I was secretly Facebook’s, so finding photos more than a few weeks old becomes a thrilled that he wanted a newsletter instead of one of the minis. pretty onerous task. Most of the pictures in the chapter chronicles Nevertheless, I knew that my ideas for one would be a lot more section between pages 2 and 5 originated from Instagram; that’s why elaborate than what he had in mind. Also, I was concerned that his the layouts feature so many square photos. involvement would be limited because he was weeks away from finals. While I was researching photos for various articles, I came up with If I had to choose between acing my tests and turning in my papers on the idea of asking each of the new initiates which of the social media time over fussing with a newsletter, my scholastics would trump a apps were their favorites. Surprisingly, Facebook trailed Instagram and chapter publication every time. And like so many of the yearbooks I Twitter. I always feel a little behind the times with social media, and I edited or advised over the years for the Associated Students at CSUN, worry that in ten years the whole playing field will be upended and the ultimately I had to rely on my own wild ideas and efforts to pull it off. apps I’m currently using will be reduced to MySpace status. So if I have no idea what the vast majority of newsletters look like from Snapchat wins the race to attract the most eyeballs, the online world other chapters. Maybe that’s a good thing, because I don’t want ours will have become a complete wasteland of momentary lapses of reason. to look quite like anyone else’s. However, I try to follow Headquarters’ It’s exhilarating but a little nerve wracking to bring another one of Style Guide, and although I really like their recommended Futura type style, these newsletters to fruition. Much of the content, like this journal entry, I just haven’t been able to afford buying the entire font family yet. gets written between midnight and 4 a.m., just like most of my college The model newsletter that has influenced all of the ones I’ve done papers. If I were a musician, I’d most likely drive the engineers nuts. these past eight years was created in 1995. It was the one time I tried Then again, I’d probably record using a home studio and Pro Tools. using Quark XPress to design it, and I never quite wrapped my brain As much as I’ve been challenged in my pursuit to come up with a around that software. I still remember sitting in one of the bedrooms at newsletter for the first half of 2014, I suspect that trying to go back and the Halsted 2 house pecking away at a Macintosh IIci while coming up publish one for last year will become even dicier. Some of the yearbooks I with the artwork. One night while I was there an aftershock from the worked on were completed months after their intended publication dates. Northridge Quake rocked the chapter house. Coincidentally, I was Making a newsletter of year-old news will not be easy. Fortunately, I working on an article about how the housing corporation was figuring have plenty of photos, notes, plus recordings from two alumni interviews. out a loan program to complete the repairs from the 1994 temblor. The Posting that newsletter at Issuu.com will take a big load off my mind. If badge used on the front page of that newsletter is the one I still wear. I don’t get too distracted, I will pursue it later this summer. Gary Thomas helped me photograph it on the sidewalk in front of the These are just some of the things I think about when I produce former location of his Chatsworth graphic design and printing offices. another newsletter. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have another blank Speaking of computers, I used one of the earliest versions of Apple’s template to transform into what you have been reading. Okay, Mike, Mac Classic to learn desktop publishing in 1986. Then as now, BetaI’ve got it covered for a little while longer.