The Echo

Fred Rosenberg left a lasting imprint on the California Lutheran University Biology Department. A month ago, on Monday, Oct. 19, Rosenberg, a senior adjunct faculty member, tragically passed away in a car accident at 88 years old. Rosenberg had been teaching biology at California Lutheran University since 1999. More here: https://cluecho.com//dr-rosenberg-made-an-impact-in-each-/

This fall, Thousand Oaks City Council unanimously approved a ban on many single-use plastic products, effective Jan. 1, 2022. After ongoing discussion regarding the effectiveness of limiting the distribution of these plastic products, the council moved to pass the ban. Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) foam, or styrofoam, was the focal point. For more on the ban: https://cluecho.com//citywide-single-use-plastic-ban-comi/

California Lutheran University’s English Department is hosting a virtual Literary Open Mic Night at 7 p.m. tonight to give students of all majors a place to share their written work. According to the event page, students are welcome to share their poetry, prose and short stories as long as their piece is under five minutes and is school-appropriate. Read more here: https://cluecho.com//literary-open-mic-night-gives-all-ma/

Today we remember the 12 community members, including alumnus Justin Meek, that lost their lives in an act of senseless violence at Borderline Bar and Grill two years ago. In honor of the 12 lives lost, the City of Thousand Oaks invites community members to perform 12 Acts of Kindness and share using #12actsofkindness on social media. Visit toaks.org/12acts for more information. Members of the Cal Lutheran community who are in need of extra resources can contact Counseling and Psychological Services at (805) 493-3727, or reach out to Campus Ministry for a confidential conversation.

California Lutheran University announced a 20% revenue shortfall in September and had to quickly adapt, reducing spending on goods and services, furloughing 10% of staff and asking faculty to forfeit their retirement contributions. Now the university looks to the spring semester as a means of economic recovery. https://cluecho.com//university-counts-on-spring-enrollme/

While Halloween looks a little different than years’ past, there are still ways to celebrate the spooky season. Initially Ventura County Public Health officers prohibited trick-or-treating and trunk-or-treating, but on Sept. 16 they changed the guidance, deeming the activities as not recommended. While the language is changed, the message from public health is the same. That is, that trick-or-treating during the COVID pandemic is risky, Dr. Robert Levin, the county’s pu...blic health officer said in an interview with the Ventura County Star. We compiled a few fun alternatives to the Halloween tradition here: https://cluecho.com//how-you-can-have-a-covid-friendly-ha/

Since Ventura County entered the red tier, some California Lutheran University sports have resumed in-person practices and workouts, while others eagerly await similar guidance. The Cal Lutheran dance team cannot share the same hopes. Since the dance team is officially categorized as a Sports & Recreation club, they will not get the same opportunities as the NCAA sanctioned teams at Cal Lutheran.... Read more: https://cluecho.com//neither-a-sport-nor-a-club-dance-tea/

Aubrey Blickman, junior swimmer for the Regals Swim & Dive team, recently added a new activity to her athletic profilebecoming a certified YogaSculpt instructor at CorePower Thousand Oaks. Read more about Aubrey and her journey to becoming a yoga and instructor here: https://cluecho.com//from-the-pool-to-the-mat-regals-swim/

Former California Lutheran University Track & Field runner Maddie Montero followed in her sister’s footsteps by becoming a Wildland Firefighter for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Nevada. Now that she is an active firefighter, Montero said her favorite part about her job is the adrenaline and conducting prescribed burns. Read more here: https://cluecho.com//from-the-starting-line-to-the-fire-l/

In a email to California Lutheran University students, faculty and staff, sent in May, Melinda Roper, vice president for Student Affairs and dean of Students announced that the university had named a new Title IX Coordinator. The new Title IX Coordinator is Angela Naginey, Deputy Registrar of Academic Services. Naginey started her career at Cal Lutheran in 1997 in Student Affairs. Read more here: https://cluecho.com///new-title-ix-coordinator-is-amazing/

Last spring, after two separate racist actions were revealed in an email from former President Chris Kimball, many students took a stand against the institutionalized racism that exists within higher education, and California Lutheran University specifically. This week we put out an article that told the stories of six students of color and their experiences with racism on the Cal Lutheran campus Read about it here: https://cluecho.com//racism-at-cal-lutheran-students-of-c/

Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Oct. 12, will be celebrated virtually at California Lutheran University. Read more here: https://cluecho.com//indigenous-peoples-day-a-time-to-sha/

After nearly eight months of COVID-19 lockdowns, event postponements and cancellations, Ventura County is beginning to reopen. On Oct. 6 the County of Ventura Executive Office announced that Ventura County can now transition from the purple zone to the red zone. Read more: https://cluecho.com//vc-enters-red-tier-cal-lutheran-star/

The Echo staff is proud to announce we have been recognized as a finalist for the Associated Collegiate Press Online Pacemaker awards! https://t.co/lalJODnDXg?amp=1

Mandatory implicit bias training for faculty serving on hiring committees is one way that California Lutheran University aims to ensure individuals with diverse perspectives fill open faculty positions. The mandatory training is meant to help prevent faculty serving on the committees from making decisions about applicants based on their preconceptions about others’ race, gender, or identity. https://cluecho.com//implicit-bias-training-creates-more-/

On Sept. 30, the authors of Sanctuary Cities: The Politics of Refuge led a Zoom discussion for California Lutheran University about the history and role of U.S. sanctuary cities. During the discussion, which was organized by the Center for Equality and Justice, authors Benjamin Gonzalez O’Brien and Loren Collingwood addressed how declarations of sanctuary cities are often an effort to combat the rise of anti-immigration policy. Read more here: https://cluecho.com//immigration-researchers-lift-fact-ov/

California Lutheran University Class of 2020 alumna Paige Poggione performed an original song about tragedy and loss during the Sunrise Remembrance Ceremony Oct. 1. The third annual event, held at the Clark County Government Center in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada, served as a remembrance of the 58 people who lost their lives in the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history on Oct. 1, 2017, at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival. Read more: https://cluecho.com//cal-lutheran-alumna-sings-in-remembr/

The 2019-2020 All-Region Player of the Year for the 5A Desert West Region in Arizona, Ali James, is one of California Lutheran University Regals Soccer’s newest recruits James played striker/forward on the Verrado High School varsity soccer team all four years and was team captain for both her junior and senior year, Verrado High School women’s soccer Head Coach Kristin James said. Ali James also contributed the most goals on her high school’s team record and was recognized f...or her flexibility across the field. Read more here: https://cluecho.com//all-region-player-of-the-year-is-reg/

This semester, California Lutheran University’s first Storytelling for Social Justice course was introduced, alongside new adjunct English professor Sehba Sarwar. Sarwar is teaching the course both at Cal Lutheran and University of California, Los Angeles. Sarwar said she typically doesn’t create a syllabus for her classes but instead waits to meet the students and see what she thinks they have yet to learn.... Read more: https://cluecho.com//sehba-sarwars-storytelling-for-socia/