If finishing my last midterm was the cake, then watching Upright Citizens Brigade was the icing. And I had my fill when UCB performed its classic improv sketch comedy for an hour and a half Thursday before a crowd of 200. Walking into the University Ballroom at Sacramento State, I could feel the energy as everyone waited for the show to begin. With UCB's television show long canceled, the only chance for viewing the show is at its Los Angeles or New York City theaters. While I waited, I remembered a phone call earlier in the week: "We take 15-22 of the best performers from both theater casts for the touring production," said director and coordinating producer Carter Edwards. "What peopl

Veterans all over the region are homeless, struggling to find their next meal. They served their country with pride and now find themselves in dire straits. Enter the Student Veterans Organization from California State University, Sacramento. Until March 26, all nonperishable donations are being accepted by the club. There are several drop-off bins located in the Sac State student union that are available for anyone to use. Donations can also be made to the Student Veterans Organization, located in Lassen Hall. All donations will benefit the Sacramento Veterans Resource Center. The center has multiple ways of assisting veterans from every generation. It provides counseling, housing, empl

Earlier this winter I was at Sac State's track for a fitness event. I was surprised to see the magnitude of the new Wellness Center that had been in the planning stages when I was there as a grad student a few years ago. As a graduate of UCLA, I have a scale of comparison to what I experienced returning to Sac State. I had also attended Sac State for one very mediocre year after high school so I was interested in seeing what had changed. I can only speak about the Art Department and can't say enough great things about the faculty. About the facilities? Shockingly underfunded and at times, pathetic, with students having to do work that facilities should do. The Art Dept. is split into two a

 Kip Fulbeck, an artist, slam poet, filmmaker, and teacher at UC Santa Barbara, informed and entertained about 300 people Thursday at Sacramento State. Fulbeck is a renowned figure who created the Hapa Project, a project focusing on mixed-race people that includes a book, photograph exhibit and online community. The term "hapa" is used to refer to someone of mixed racial heritage that includes Asian or Pacific Islander descent. His nearly hour-and-a-half-long presentation, "Race, Sex and Tattoos," combined short films, poetry, humor, stories, and even a quiz in a format that analyzed personal identity, with a focus on mixed-race people. While the event featured some of Fulbeck's humorous

Popular rock band Jack's Mannequin is playing at Sacramento State Thursday. The concert is the fifth stop for the "Sing for Your Supper Tour," which also features rock bands Vedera and fun. fun. member Andrew Dost said the tour has been awesome so far. "It's been such a joy to play for people who are so accepting of new music," he said. "The bands are good. We have a tremendous amount of respect for Jack's Mannequin." Dost said fun. is on its second tour with Jack's Mannequin, which is enjoying the success of its second album, "The Glass Passenger." The album has sold over 200,000 copies since its release in September 2008. Jack's Mannequin formed as a side project of Andrew McMahon, t

Chuck D of Public Enemy spoke Thursday night at Sac State's Union Ballroom. Students from Sac State, Sacramento High School and community members braved the rain to listen to him speak for an hour-and-a-half. D directed his speech to the younger students in the room, the freshmen and sophomores who are new to the higher learning system. He spoke about the importance of education, stressing that it is a way for people to improve their lives. He credited his wife,Gaye Theresa Johnson, a college professor who was in attendance, with instilling a love of knowledge in him. D captured his audience by using slang and references of the younger generation. "(Chuck) gave us the tools necessary t

From its first note to its last song, The New Humans rocked the Sacramento State campus earlier today. The New Humans, a Sacramento-based four-piece band that describes its sound as "electro piano rock," played a 40-minute set in the University Union for approximately 150 students. It was part of Sacramento State's weekly "Wednesday Nooner" free concert series, presented by UNIQUE. The band opened with an intro that quickly set the tone for the show: Drums, synth and loops swelled until the band launched into its first song, a dance-worthy tune that featured heavy drums and piano hooks. The rest of the set was filled with energetic songs that showcased The New Humans' ability to mix so

Chuck D is a rebel without a pause. The co-founder of seminal hip-hop group Public Enemy is a rapper, author and activist. He refers to himself as a "raptivist," and "an ambassador for hip-hop." Thursday night, D will give a free speech at Sacramento State, where he'll be talking about rap, race, technology and communication. The event will also be a celebration of Black History Month. D likes to talk. Given that he writes a blog, tours the world on speaking gigs, and owns the SLAMjams music label, which recently threw together an iTunes album for Haiti, he is surprisingly available. He called me for an unscheduled interview, just a few minutes after I e-mailed him. "You can't go throug

With unemployment rising and private college tuition skyrocketing, more and more people are returning to school at all ages. Sacramento State and Sacramento City College have both seen an increase in enrollment despite an increase in fees. Sacramento State's fees were raised $672 per year. Increased fees doesn't equal a better education. After reaching a compromise with the Board of Trustees, the California State University Employee's Union approved 24 furlough days school wide. These days are designated under the direction of President Alexander Gonzalez and each department head. With eight campus-wide furlough days, the entire school shuts down. Students are unable to inquire about fin

Charles Garcia began the 2009-10 college basketball season relatively unknown while playing for Seattle University. With 2010 underway, it's clear Garcia is registered on the NBA radar. Some observers say the 6-foot-10, 230-pounder could be a first-round choice in the June NBA draft. Garcia was at Sac State during his freshman year, but could not keep his academic status stable enough to play or practice for the Hornets. Garcia made a return to the Hornet Gym with his Redhawks, Saturday afternoon. It was Sac State who displayed all of its wares during a closer-than-it-seemed 80-67 victory before a crowd of 783. Garcia scored 16 points, but made just five of 14 field-goal attempts and g

Concert pianist Sachiko Kato will perform Bach’s Goldberg Variations on Sunday, December 20, at 3 p.m. The hour-long performance will take place in Capistrano Hall at Sacramento State. Concerts are free to members of the Crocker Art Museum, $12 for nonmembers and $5 for students and seniors. Free parking is available in Parking Structure I, which is adjacent to the Hall. The Goldberg Variations, composed in 1742, is one of Bach’s masterpieces, but it is not often performed in concert due to the complexity and length of the work. Kato will open the concert with a work by contemporary Japanese composer Somei Satoh titled Hashi (Bridges) II. A native of Osaka, Japan, Kato grew up in Los Ang

Three local non-profit organizations were featured in a Sacramento Social Media Club panel on Tuesday evening hosted by the Sacramento State College of Continuing Education. The panel included Celia Cortez, Projects and Event Manager for the Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; Jordan Blair, Board Member for River City Food Bank; and Jon Benorden, Program Coordinator for the Center for AIDS Research, Education and Service (CARES). Lesley Miller, Media Director for 3Fold Communication, also sat on the panel. Moderator Josh Morgan, principal at Morgan/Dorado and program director for the Sacramento Social Media Club, focused the discussion on how non-profits are using social media to educ

The Sacramento Clean Tech Showcase keynote speaker Daniel Sperling is an internationally-renowned expert on transportation, energy and sustainability issues. In December he co-authored the book Two Billion Cars which projects that within 20 years the number of motor vehicles on the planet will double from its current total of one billion due primarily to growth in India and China. Sperling is a Professor of Engineering and Environmental Science & Policy at the University of California, Davis, and Founding Director of the university's Institute of Transportation Studies. He also serves on the California Air Resources Board, chairs the Future of Mobility Council of the Davos World Economic

Audiences will laugh and cringe through a variety of disturbing and repulsive topics at Spike & Mike's Sick & Twisted Festival of Animation, coming to Sacramento State's University Union Ballroom Thursday. "Spike & Mike shows are different from other movies," said Zenia Diokno, program adviser for event-sponsor UNIQUE. "There is a ton of energy in the crowd. Everyone is yelling and having fun. I thought it would be great to host this on a college campus." The film will include 28 short animated clips ranging from one to five minutes. Highlights from this year's film include "Washington," the popular Internet cartoon by Brad Neely, and Jeff Chiba Stearns' Post-It production of "Yellow Sti

The California State University system faces a $1.27 billion dollar cut in its 2009-10 General Fund Budget from one year ago.  While total enrollment is up 4,000 students across the CSU system, budget outlays are 55 percent less than they were in 2008-09. To balance the CSU budget, the CA Board of Trustees has enacted a three prong approach. Teachers will be furloughed twice a month in order to save jobs, classes are being cancelled to save cash, and students will see a 32 percent increase in their student fees.  This is the seventh time in eight years that student fees have gone up, and students are finding it very difficult to graduate because the classes they need have either been canc

Sacramento State University sent thousands of graduates off to their next venture in life Fri. May 22 during graduation ceremonies held at Arco Arena.  Tomorrow, Sat. May 23, will see thousands more move their tassels. The ceremonies' main speaker was Sac State president, Alexander Gonzalez, who wished the graduates well in their upcoming quest for employment. He placed emphasis on the importance of hard work and diligence in the struggling economy and requested alumni to remember to give to the university when they achieve success. A highlight of the College of Arts and Letters commencement ceremonies, held at noon, was the graduation of 92 year-old Estelle Rees Arroyo who received her

The Sacramento State Women's Gymnastics Team have traveled up to Seatle for a meet tonite against the University of Washington, Stanford, and Seatle Pacific. This is the second meet of the season for the Hornet's who defeated Cal Berkley and their rivals UC Davis last Saturday in Berkley. Tonite's meet begins at 7:00 and is being broadcasted by the University at http://all-access.cbssports.com/player.html?code=wash&media=98456

Sacramento State isn't generally known for their athletic prowless. This can be contriubted to the fact that the sports that usually get the most publicity, Football and Men's Basketball, are routinely fairly mediocre. The truth is that Sacramento State is actually extremely competitive in most women's sports including Softball, Rowing, and Gymnastics. The Sacramento State Women's Gymnastics team is perhaps the most consistantly talented teams on campus. They have made 3 straight trips to the NCAA Regional Finals and were back to back Western Athletics Conference Champions in 2006 and 2007. This year Women's Gymnastics looks to take a third title in 4 years at their home gym on campus whe