CSUN Student Union Marking Anniversary

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the University Student Union, Cal State Northridge kicked off a week of performances, live music, movie screenings and historical displays Monday.

The events, which will continue through Sunday, celebrate the union’s growth over two decades, said CSUN’s president, Blenda Wilson.

In 1991, a satellite office of the student union opened at the corner of Zelzah Avenue and Lassen Street. Four years later, the union had nearly doubled in size and had become the largest student union in the California State University system.

“The union is well on its way of fulfilling its mission statement of becoming a world-class student union and has become a cultural hub of the campus,” Wilson said during festivities opening the celebration Monday.

In addition to marking the expansion of the student union, the celebration recognizes the union’s programs and services that have “made life on campus better for students,” said Debra Hammond, executive director of the facility.

Monday’s activities also included a barbecue, live music, a crafts fair and a hypnotism presentation.

A photo montage depicting the history of the student union, from its groundbreaking to the present, will be on display in the Matador Lounge through Sunday.

Other activities planned this week include:

* Earth Day festivities, including the fifth annual Can Sculpture Contest and the CSUN Earth Fair, from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Thursday in the Court of Community of the Student Union.

* The Moscow Chamber Orchestra performing “Serenade” by Tchaikovsky and other selections at 8 p.m. Friday in the Performing Arts Center.

* “The Mex Files,” a play satirizing today’s Chicanos in mainstream America, at 8 p.m. Saturday in the Performing Arts Center.

For more information, call (818) 677-6023.