News and Announcements
Alumnus Alex Carig (B.A., ’82) spent more than three decades working in broadcast and film, mostly in special effects, but it wasn’t until he was 67 years old that he got his dream job. He helped adapt the screenplay and later directed the award-winning feature film “A Long Road to Tao.”
Now available to rent on Amazon Prime, Storietv.com and Tubi, the film has another special connection to Carig. The screenplay is based on the 1997 Pulitzer Prize-nominated memoir “The Tao of Surfing: Finding Depth at Low Tide,” written by his brother-in-law Michael Allen. Allen’s book chronicles his relationship with his childhood friend and surfing buddy. Later in life, Allen learned his best friend was gay and dying of AIDS. Allen also attended SFSU as a graduate student in Philosophy before completing his graduate degree in Philosophy at CSU Long Beach. In his book, he applies a philosophical lens — dipping into Taoism and spirituality — to his experience of grief and loss.
The story is both personal and educational, Carig says. “We realized that this was a story that could teach generations of today what life was like back then, because today, as we know, the HIV virus can now be controlled by medical advances that we didn’t have in the ’80s and ’90s,” Carig said. Allen’s friend went into hiding because there was a lot of misunderstanding about AIDS, as well as broad discrimination against the LGBTQ community. The film turned Carig into a bit of a social activist, he says. He’s screened the film at LGBTQ organizations and events.
Carig plans to screen the film at small independent theatres. The movie, 20 years in the making, nearly had a different kind of theatrical run. Originally, a Hollywood production company signed on to the project with a different director, and actor Eric Balfour was hired to star. Allen didn’t like the direction the film was taking and took over the project himself, tapping his brother-in-law Carig for screenplay and directorial assistance.
“I knew there is no one better to direct this film than Alex Carig, as he has the deeper understanding of what this film is really about and what it was meant to achieve,” Allen said.
Instead of a Hollywood-trained crew, Carig turned to students at New Mexico State University to make their version of “A Long Road to Tao.” The movie, which was filmed on location in New Mexico, became the focus of a semester-long undergraduate class on full-length films. Their professor Sherwin Lau also became the director of photography and the colorist for the film.
In terms of a 90-minute, full-length feature, that’s a lot of eyes, ears, legs and arms moving about. At times what seems chaotic is really a ballet of movement that can only work when everyone has the same dream in mind,” Carig said. “Thankfully I was able to find the proper faculty and the student body to make this all work.”
Signing on to the project meant Carig was finally doing what he set out to do at SFSU nearly 45 years ago. He poured everything he learned from his directing courses at SFSU into the production. “San Francisco State taught me how to communicate through film, through image, sound and really reach out to a larger audience out there,” he added.
Recently, he was rewarded for his work. Over the summer, the film received top recognition from the Marina Del Rey Film Festival — the grand prize for Best Feature Film. Hopefully there’s more to come, he adds.
“It’s the kind of story that I’ve always wanted to make that can be seen over and over again,” he said. “I’ve had many people come up to me that told me that [the film] reminded them of their brother or sister that died of the disease. I’ve had men cry in the audience, which is a testament to what I learned at San Francisco State and in life in general. With the proper opportunity and obviously with the right people that you are surrounded by, you can make some very special magic that will resonate with a larger society.”
Interested in a film career? SFSU’s School of Cinema can turn that dream into reality.
Help your students stay on top of their financial aid by encouraging them to attend Financial Aid Fridays, happening every other Friday at 2 p.m. on Zoom. These sessions cover a variety of financial aid topics and give students a better understanding of how the process works at SFSU.
The Office of Financial Aid also requests you remind your students that the 2026 – 2027 application period for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)/California Dream Act Application (CADAA) opens Wednesday, Oct. 1.
SFSU has a proud tradition of organizing conferences for Constitution and Citizenship Day, a national holiday that commemorates the signing of the U.S. Constitution in 1787. The conference provides multiple opportunities to reflect critically on the past, present and future of constitutional rights, freedoms, citizenship, democracy, equality and justice. It will be held 9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 17, in Humanities 133 and Thursday, Sept. 18, in Library 121.
For details, please visit the Constitution and Citizenship Day event web page.
Per Academic Senate Policy No. S25-177, the Educational Policies Committee must inform the campus community of the following discontinuance proposal two weeks before Senate action. Discontinuance has been proposed for the Master of Arts in Geography and will be reviewed this semester.
To request more information or file a response, please email Claude Bartholomew at claude@sfsu.edu.
Carmelina’s Café is now open on the first floor of in the new Science & Engineering Innovation Center. Latin inspired, Carmelina’s Café offers a variety of coffee-and-tea beverages, pan dulce, empanadas, sandwiches and more.
Carmelina’s Cafe has also partnered with the local, alumni-owned businesses, La Victoria and Henry’s House of Coffee, for their fresh baked goods and coffee beans.
Academic Technology (AT) and the Center for Equity and Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CEETL) invite participants in generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) teaching squares for the fall. The squares provide opportunities for small groups of faculty to collaborate in the following activities:
- Reflect on a self-assessment of AI readiness
- Seek and share AI literacy trainings and resources
- Create and share course and curriculum materials
- Reflect on the use of AI in community with colleagues
AT and CEETL would like to meet faculty where they are. They do not suggest that faculty use or not use AI in their teaching and learning. They just ask faculty to take this opportunity to educate themselves, learn in community and develop well-reasoned and ethical uses of AI in teaching and learning. Thus, they encourage AI enthusiasts as well as AI skeptics to participate.
All lecturer faculty and tenure/tenured track faculty are eligible to participate. Participants will receive a $500 stipend for completing the teaching square and meeting expectations.
Please visit the CEETL website for details on how to sign up for the squares.
SFSU Climate HQ’s new Climate Justice Internship Program offers students a paid semester-long internship where they will be matched with partner organizations committed to climate justice. They will complete a project that advances that organization’s work while giving them the opportunity to learn from seasoned activists and other professionals.
Undergraduates from any major at SFSU can apply if they are full-time in spring 2026. Applications are due Friday, Oct. 10, for internships that will take place in spring 2026.
The SFSU Academic Senate will meet Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2 – 5 p.m., via Zoom for its second meeting of the academic year.
- The Campus Curriculum Committee presents the following consent item:
- Bachelor of Arts in Japanese: reduction in units
- Recommendation from the Executive Committee in first reading:
- Revision to Policy on Assigned Time for Exceptional Levels of Service to Students, No. S18-271
- Recommendation from the Faculty Affairs Committee in first reading:
- Academic Affirmative Action Policy Statement, No. S99-124: Motion to rescind
- Annual SFSU Retreats, No. 93-185: Motion to rescind
- Recommendation from the Campus Curriculum Committee in first reading:
- Bachelor of Arts in Video Games Studies: New program
- Specialist in Blood Bank Technology Certificate: New program
- Recommendation from the Campus Curriculum Committee in second reading:
- Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies, concentration in Natural Resource Management and Conversation: Name change
- Bachelor of Music, concentration in Instrumental Performance: Name change
The Digital Media Studio and MakerSpace in Library 260 hosts “Maker Lounge” on Monday, Sept. 15, 3 – 6 p.m. The event is a creative open space to design custom 3D prints, explore Arduino microcontrollers and collaborate on hands-on projects, plus open time to work on personal projects.
The Transfer Peer Mentor Program invites the campus community to join a celebration of new transfer students. The “Transfer Student Community Welcome” will be held Tuesday, Sept. 16, noon – 4 p.m., on the fifth-floor patio of the Administration building. This relaxed event features icebreakers, crafts, rooftop views and food to help SFSU’s newest Gators build connections and community.
This year’s theme, “Messages That Move Us,” honors Transit Month in San Francisco. In addition to other activities, attendees can write thank-you letters to public transit workers — the people who help keep the city moving and bring Gators to campus each day.
Please RSVP to the “Transfer Student Community Welcome” via Google Forms. Drop-ins are also welcome.
The “Image Creation with Generative AI” course explores image creation with generative artificial intelligence (AI). It will be held Wednesday, Sept. 17, 10:30 a.m. – noon, via Zoom.
Participants will gain a primer on generative AI tools for image creation, considerations for using generative AI and best practices for creating effective and accessible images for various use cases. Through hands-on activities, participants will develop skills in crafting descriptive prompts and selecting appropriate visual styles to generate unique images with ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot and Adobe Firefly.
This course is an elective that counts toward receiving a digital badge for the AI Literacy Education Program.
Please visit the SFSU AI website to register for the “Image Creation with Generative AI” course.
Human Resources offers the next Staff Forum on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 11 a.m. – noon, via Zoom. All SFSU staff, except management personnel plan employees and faculty, are encouraged to attend.
Presentations include: the San Francisco Bay Area Regional Network, the move from DocuSign to Adobe Sign and an update on the CSU/SFSU budget.
Staff Forums are offered monthly during the semester.
To opt into all Staff Forums and for the Zoom link, please RSVP via Qualtrics.
Join Academic Technology’s “Coding Commons” community to explore Swift coding, Xcode development and create iPhone/iPad and OSX applications on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2:30 – 4:30 p.m., in the Digital Media Studio and MakerSpace (Library 260).
This is an open environment for all levels of users to explore Swift coding and Xcode development. No prior knowledge of Swift or Xcode is required.
The “Working with AI” elective course is designed and recommended specifically for SFSU staff seeking to integrate generative AI in your daily work. It will be held Thursday, Sept. 18, 2 – 3:30 p.m., via Zoom.
Learn how to prepare for effective and responsible AI use, write goal-oriented prompts to accomplish work tasks, evaluate AI-generated content for quality and reliability, and refine outputs to enhance efficiency and productivity in your professional context. Participants will engage in hands-on activities with Microsoft Copilot or ChatGPT Edu to employ strategies in real-world work scenarios, share practical insights and use cases with peers, and assess additional opportunities for integrating generative AI tools in specific practice areas.
This course is an elective for the digital badge for the AI Literacy Education Program.
Please visit the SFSU AI website to register for the “Working with AI” course.
Join Assistant Professor Leticia Hernández, Yosimar Reyes and Olga Talamante for “Immigration, Changing the Narrative,” a panel and poetry presentation. It takes place Thursday, Sept. 18, 6 – 8 p.m., at Glide Memorial Church at 330 Ellis St. in San Francisco.
This event is presented by Glide’s Center for Social Justice and co-sponsored by the Department of Latina/Latino Studies.
At “3D Printing 101,” learn the basics of 3D printing and 3D modeling, from design in TinkerCAD to operating the Ultimaker 3 and Ultimaker S5 printers. It will be held Friday, Sept. 19, 1 – 2:30 p.m., in the Digital Media Studio and MakerSpace (Library 260).
Renowned designer and educator Omari Souza will give a talk on Monday, Sept. 22, at 1:30 p.m. in Knuth Hall, Creative Arts building. His presentation will explore themes from his first book, “An Anthology of Blackness: The State of Black Design,” and his new “Design Against Racism: Creating Work That Transforms Communities.”
Souza is an assistant professor at the University of North Texas and the organizer of the State of Black Design Conference. A first-generation American of Jamaican descent raised in the Bronx, he has worked with Vibe magazine, the Buffalo News, CBS Radio and Case Western Reserve University. He holds a BFA in Digital Media from the Cleveland Institute of Art and an MFA in Design from Kent State University. His research investigates how visual narratives shape culture, identity and perception.
Join the Center for Equity and Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CEETL) for an exploration of custom GPTs and their potential for teaching and learning. It will be held Monday, Sept. 22, 2 – 3:30 p.m., in Library 242 and via Zoom.
This workshop will cover the basics: What are custom GPTs? Why might they be better for teaching and learning than Chat GPT and other GenAI tools? Can custom GPTs better meet students’ learning needs and prevent well-documented problems with language-learning models?
Please register for “‘Curious about Custom GPTs?” via the CEETL website.
Hop on the redwoods ride to adventure! Join a faculty outing to the old-growth redwood forest at Sam McDonald Park in San Mateo County on Saturday, Sept. 27, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. It is hosted by Center for Equity and Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CEETL) in partnership with Save the Redwoods League. Gather at the shuttle stop where the adventure begins the moment you step aboard.
Please visit the “Faculty Outing: Ride to the Redwoods” page for details and to register.
SFSU Spotlight
Assistant Professor of Communication Studies Ashmi Desai recently published three articles:
- “Hear Me Talks: Story-listening and dialogic pedagogy in conflict transformation,” in the Communication Teacher journal
- “Your Life Jacket in Academia: Brown Women of Color Faculty Peer Mentoring for Writing, Publishing and Surviving,” with Hoa N. Nguyen in the Urban Review journal
- “Gender, caste, language and terrain in India’s Maoist conflict journalism fieldwork” in “Evolving Journalism Research Methods: Applications, Trends, Analyses” (Routledge), edited by Michael P. Boyle and Adam M. Rainear
For access to the articles or for any questions, please email Professor Desai at ashmidesai@sfsu.edu.
This summer, Peter C. DeHaas, lecturer faculty in American Sign Language (ASL), collaborated with a 7-year-old bilaterally deaf student from Sonoma County. The child’s family is originally from Oaxaca, Mexico.
DeHaas provided ASL interpretation during the child’s ongoing ABA therapy sessions and delivered ASL instruction to both the ABA therapist and the student’s family. This timely engagement highlights the University’s commitment to addressing the linguistic and cultural needs of diverse communities, ensuring equitable access to essential services, DeHaas says.
“There is profound gratitude from [the child] and his family for these critical supports,” DeHaas said. “This has been one of my most meaningful professional experiences.”
With over 12 years of teaching ASL at SFSU, DeHaas has influenced countless undergraduate students, equipping them with language skills and a strong foundation in civic responsibility. He says this work exemplifies SFSU’s mission to extend learning beyond the classroom, fostering meaningful community partnerships that promote social equity and inclusion.