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Chico State's independent student newspaper

The Orion

Chico State's independent student newspaper

The Orion

Chico State's independent student newspaper

The Orion

All content by Yessenia Funes
Kaitlin Haley, A.S. Commissioner of Environmental Affairs. Orion File Photo.

Environmental groups lack diversity

Yessenia Funes
May 13, 2014
The environmental groups on campus are predominantly white but are trying to diversify.

Student leaves behind friends but keeps unforgettable memories

Yessenia Funes
May 12, 2014
Life is unstable as a college student who is constantly moving from place to place, but that doesn't mean students shouldn't build friendships during their temporary stays.
Kevin Killion, a Chico State student involved in the divestment campaign, attended the California State Student Association May 4. Photo credit: Yessenia Funes

Divestment gathers faculty support

Yessenia Funes
May 10, 2014
Students in the "Environmental Thought and Action" class continue to campaign for divestment of University Foundation stock funds from the top 200 fossil fuel companies in the world.
Juni Banerjee-Stevens, counselor at the Counseling and Wellness Center. Photo credit: Yessenia Funes

Programs tackle veteran illness

Yessenia Funes
May 8, 2014
Chico State is developing programs to help student veterans with mental illness.
Anya, a Butte College student, shows off her dance moves at Centerfold strip club Sunday night. Photo credit: Annie Paige

Student by day, stripper by night

Yessenia Funes
April 30, 2014
Chico Centerfolds strippers discuss their experiences balancing school and work.
The white vehicle reversed into the home and was halfway through the bedroom. Photo credit: Yessenia Funes

Car crashes into student’s bedroom

Yessenia Funes
April 29, 2014
A car struck a Warner Street home this afternoon, leaving no one hurt. Four Chico State students live in the house, only one was student was inside when the car backed into it.
Steers from the University Farm research program that are fed spent grains from the Sierra Nevada Brewery. Photo credit: Matthew Vacca

Brewers unaffected by proposed FDA rules

Yessenia Funes
April 26, 2014
American breweries, including Sierra Nevada, were worried that proposed U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations would destroy their relationships with farmers, but the FDA confirmed yesterday that brewers will be exempt.
Employees face workplace bullying

Employees face workplace bullying

Yessenia Funes
April 23, 2014
Chico State and the rest of the California State Universities struggle with institutional bullying, causing health issues and fear among employees.
Luis Caraballo, assistant vice president for Facilities Management and Services Photo credit: Yessenia Funes

Campus delays $150 million in repairs

Yessenia Funes
April 16, 2014
Decaying infrastructure on campus is hurting the administration's pockets and students' ability to learn.
AS vote doesn't guarantee divestment

AS vote doesn’t guarantee divestment

Yessenia Funes
April 14, 2014
The fossil fuel divestment ballot measure can only encourage the University Foundation to remove its investments.
Butte County strides toward fracking ban

Butte County strides toward fracking ban

Yessenia Funes
April 8, 2014
The Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday in support of a ban on hydraulic fracturing in Butte County.
Butte Hall banners call for divestment

Butte Hall banners call for divestment

Yessenia Funes
April 3, 2014
The demonstration was part of a campaign to get the university to divest its stock investments from fossil fuel companies.
Students in Mark Stemen's Geology 440 class march to the front of Kendall Hall on April Fool's Day to host their own Fossil Fools "human oil spill." Photo credit: Emily Teague

Students create ‘human oil spill’

Yessenia Funes
April 1, 2014
The "Environmental Thought and Action" class created a human oil spill to campaign for the divestment of university stock funds from fossil fuel companies.

Cesar Chavez day parties lack reverence

Yessenia Funes
April 1, 2014
An outsiders perspective on Cesar Chavez day
Mark Stemen, associate professor in the geography and planning department, discuss the fire safety issues in Butte Hall. Photo credit: Yessenia Funes

Fire marshal report reprimands Butte Hall

Yessenia Funes
April 1, 2014
Benches and bulletin boards on the second-through-seventh floors were labeled as fire hazards and removed following an inspection by the fire marshal. Tea kettles, microwaves, refrigerators and coffeemakers were also removed from offices on several floors.
Yaroslav Lazurenko, a Chico State student who moved to Chico from Ukraine eight years ago, holds a photo of rioting in his country. Photo credit: Emily Teague

Ukrainians react to unrest in homeland

Yessenia Funes
March 26, 2014
A Chico State student, a professor and her friend living in Kiev, Ukraine, all discuss the Ukrainian conflict and what Chico State students can do to help.
Image courtesy of The California State University.

Bullying a concern for university workers

Yessenia Funes
March 26, 2014
California State University employees discussed concerns such as institutional bullying, low wages and deferred maintenance, at the Board of Trustees meeting Tuesday.
Michael Alonzo, the supervisor of grounds and landscape services for Facilities Management and Services, explains the difference between two varieties of Oregon grape, a native plant. Photo credit: Yessenia Funes

Drought-resistant plants grow on campus

Yessenia Funes
March 11, 2014
Non-native plants cover 90 percent of campus, but more native and drought-tolerant greenery is popping up.
Campus wins state energy competition

Campus wins state energy competition

Yessenia Funes
March 10, 2014
In a competition among the 16 California campuses that have a Power Save Chapter, Chico State won—by a lot.
Sheridan Ex poses with her raffle prize from the This Way to Sustainability Conference. Photo credit: Shannon Miller

Sophomore shines at sustainability conference

Yessenia Funes
March 9, 2014
Sheridan Ex, who helped coordinate the This Way to Sustainability conference, is an environmental event-planning prodigy.
Anya Fernald, the CEO and founder of Belcampo, a California-based meat company, talks the future of sustainable agriculture. Photo credit: Yessenia Funes

Agriculture not green enough, experts say

Yessenia Funes
March 7, 2014
Three California activists spoke about the future of sustainable agriculture at the This Way to Sustainability Conference keynote Thursday.
Michael Alonzo, the Facilities Management and Services' supervisor of grounds and landscape services, explains water conservation plans as Marie Patterson, the department's assistant manager of utilities and sustainability, writes down students' ideas. Photo credit: Yessenia Funes

Workshop engages sustainable minds

Yessenia Funes
March 6, 2014
The Campus Sustainability Committee asked students how it can improve the campus' sustainability through water and energy use, food services, transportation, and waste and recycling.
Jana Frazier, an Oroville Dam tour guide, explains how the hydroelectric turbines work.Photo credit: Chelsea Jeffers

Drought depletes dam energy production

Yessenia Funes
March 1, 2014
Water shortages at Lake Oroville's hydroelectric dam could cause an increase in electricity costs for Chico residents.

Beefing up the argument against beef processing

Yessenia Funes
February 25, 2014
It's been more than a century since "The Jungle" hit bookshelves but the meat-packing industry continues to disregard safety.
Infographic by Liz Coffee.

Failing infrastructure affects campus

Yessenia Funes
February 24, 2014
Elevator problems persist this year, but facilities management and services is taking all feasible measures to reduce them.
Robyn Hearne, University Police chief. Photo credit: Yessenia Funes

Bike safety class offered instead of tickets

Yessenia Funes
February 19, 2014
The University Police will launch a new online bike safety program for people caught riding on campus.
Kurt Albrecht, co-owner of Chaffin Family Orchards, inspects a dietary mineral supplement used by his herd. This group of about 40 Angus cattle will have to be moved to another side of the property soon to prevent overgrazing.Photo credit: Nicholas Carr

Ranchers sell animals to survive drought

Yessenia Funes
February 18, 2014
Grass-fed animals need grass to eat, but the drought has dried the land, which is causing problems for farmers and could impact consumers.
Jimmy Yang

Veterans organization to honor dead student

Yessenia Funes
February 14, 2014
The Student Veterans Organization will be tabling Friday near Siskiyou Hall for Jimmy Yang, a Chico State student and U.S. Army veteran who died Saturday.
Jimmy Yang

Student, US Army veteran died Saturday

Yessenia Funes
February 11, 2014
Jimmy Yang, a 30-year-old Chico State senior and U.S. Army veteran, died Saturday.
David Daley, associate dean of College of Agriculture, University Farm administrator, discusses the impact of the water shortage.Photo credit: Yessenia Funes

First-ever zero water allocation affects all

Yessenia Funes
February 10, 2014
Due to the drought, the California Department of Water Resources cannot allocate water to its 29 public water distributors.
Infographic by Ashley O'Looney.

Council works to restrict fracking

Yessenia Funes
February 5, 2014
The Butte County Water Commission will decide whether to pass the Butte Environmental Council's resolution to protect local groundwater in February.
Tina Candelo-Mize, field manager of the Organic Vegetable Project. Photo credit: Yessenia Funes.

Organic Vegetable Project expands

Yessenia Funes
February 3, 2014
The Organic Vegetable Project's newly added 2 acres provide space to rotate crops and utilize green manure crops.
Howard Vlieger, co author and primary coordinator of a first-of-its-kind study on GMO's talks about the effect that they have on plants and animals.Photo credit: Thomas Martinez

Genetically altered crops may hurt pigs

Yessenia Funes
February 1, 2014
GMO-fed pigs suffer internal organ inflammation more than non-GMO fed pigs, according to research presented at the Chico Grange Thursday night.
Jill Cannaday, Student Health Center nursing supervisor.

Flu shots offered Wednesday at UHUB

Yessenia Funes
January 29, 2014
The Student Health Center has confirmed five students with the H1N1 influenza virus this semester, it is offering vaccinations on campus Wednesday.
A University Farm tractor pulls visitors travelling down the Sierra Oro Farm Trail last fall.

University Farm starts organic market

Yessenia Funes
January 26, 2014
The University Farm will sell fresh, organic produce every Friday at its Organic Vegetable Project.
Stephanie Kraker, age 20, a junior hospitality major, rides her bike home at night.Photo credit: Frances Mansour

University Police adopts bike light program

Yessenia Funes
January 26, 2014
University Police and the A.S. Bike Cart will substitute tickets for bike lights in support of a local cycling club's illumination efforts.
A University Farm tractor pulls visitors travelling down the Sierra Oro Farm Trail last fall.

University Farm begins Friday organic market

Yessenia Funes
January 25, 2014
The University Farm will sell fresh, organic produce every Friday at its Organic Vegetable Project.