CSUN On Point

In 2018, more than 17 million minimally invasive cosmetic procedures and surgeries were performed in the United States. This represents a 2 percent increase from the year before. But prices for these procedures can be high, and as result some people opt for the black market, risking permanent damage to their bodies.

“A lot of these medical spas that are popping up just want the end goal of making money,” said Doctor Amir Parvinchi. “So they will place RN’s (Registered Nurses), who are not supervised, for injecting people, and there are a lot of complications.”

Breast Augmentation is the most performed cosmetic procedure, costing around $3,800. Black market practices can be far cheaper, using industrial silicone and watered down silicone, leaving women with potential disfigurement, and even death.

“Everything that we use is FDA regulated,” said Nurse Practitioner Esmeralda Rodriguez. “There are a lot of illegal things out there: filler and botox things that look like the real thing, and are not.”

Botox is a toxin that is safe when injected in small doses. It is important to visit a certified dermatologist or a plastic surgeon to receive a safe amount of botox.

“One thing that should be a red flag [to consumers] is ‘botox banks’,” said Bella Skin and Body Medical Aesthetics Director Natalie Dempsey. “Some are real, and the botox is actually real, but many are not. If you are getting it at a price that seems too low, it is [probably] too good to be true.”

Non-invasive cosmetic procedures are safer than invasive surgical procedures, and can produce the same result for patients. But non-invasive procedures are not permanent, and last, on average, about three months.

“Before [these non-invasive procedures were available], people used to spend a lot of money and get facelifts, which were very expensive,” Parvinchi said. “Some of these [cheaper non-invasive or minimally invasive] procedures are kind of replacing those. You also reduce the risk of infection and bleeding astronomically when you compare it to surgery.”

More and more people are leaving the country for cosmetic procedures to save money. Brazil is now the plastic surgery capital of the world.

“Even in America, there are loopholes [for practitioners to get around licensing rules], and we are highly regulated by the FDA,” Dempsey said. “A lot of different countries don’t have these regulations. They will inject you with silicone.”

The most common side effects from procedures are hematoma, which is a pocket of blood that looks like a large bruise, and infections.

“Several months ago we had a lady come in who had a big abscess in her buttocks area because she had this Brazilian lift,” Parvinchi said. “Whether it was done in a non sterile fashion [or not], it caused a big infection in her backside, which tracked down to her lower extremities”.

The global cosmetic procedure industry is expected to be worth almost $44 billion by 2025.

“I feel like it’s become so popular,” said Rodriguez. “[It’s] more popular than going to get a facelift or… a chin implant.”

Moderator: Carol Santamaria

Producer: Karen Ruiz

Anchor: Ali Bash

Social Media Editor: Karen Ruiz

Reporters: Ali Bash, Zach Ferber, Ryder Mcconville, Karen Ruiz, Carol Santamaria and Yarazeth Tapia

The eSports industry is arguably one of the fastest-growing entertainment industries in the past few years. With competitive video-games drawing larger audiences all the time, eSports is today filling arenas and boosting bottom lines for both marketers and game publishers.

The popular game League of Legends attracted more viewers than the 2018 Super Bowl, an estimated 100 million. The Super Bowl, with  98 million viewers last year, had its smallest viewership since 2008.

With the dramatic rise in eSports, investors are now jumping in, a clear indication of potential growth in the sport. eSports now has a lot in common with traditional sports: highly skilled players and intense competition, and huge amounts of money generated through sponsorships and endorsements. eSports revenues were expected top one billion dollars in 2019, with viewership growing all the time.

“The sense of community is one of the biggest factors in eSports gaming,” said Erin Alonzo, president of CSUN’s eSports Club, “and there are a lot of people that go out to the college events or professional games.”

The ease of participating in the sport via streaming apps like Twitch is one factor ensuring the rise and growth of the eSports industry which also opened the doors to some of the first sports betting games.

“Streaming has made [growth] a lot more possible,” YouTube gaming show host Demothy Tien said, “because it brought [gaming] to the screens of the audience who were not able to make it out to all these events before … With streaming, it made it more accessible,  just like people who watch ordinary sports.”

Street Fight is one of the most popular games. “Streaming has been effective,” Tien said, “because it is easy to go online, type in the name of the game [like Street Fight], and get the chance to watch people playing live at a very high level.”

Tien, whose YouTube show is called “Hey! We’re Playin'”, said people enjoy watching for the competition among expert players, as well as the entertainment content of the games.

But the World Health Organization (WHO) has classified video-games as a health risk, and potentially addictive, officially adding internet gaming to its International Classification of Diseases.

“There are a lot of misconceptions around the decision by WHO to put video-games in the category,” Tien said. “It is not quite like all the people who like playing video-games have video-game disorder, but it is about those who are actually being affected by it, in terms of creating negative effects in their lives.”

Still, the eSports industry has the potential to grow and get to the level of professional sports, despite some negative stigma towards gamers.  Tien and Alonzo said the industry and players need to address the problems, such as the addiction and health issues, player burnouts, toxicity among the different genres, and the discrimination against women in the game.

With the dramatic rise of eSports, the industry is proving viable as an investment, but the huge growth has also opened the video gaming competitive community to the scrutiny of the world. “It is getting big,” Tien said, “and it is going in the direction that other sports have gone, becoming massive, and an even bigger industry in sports to consider.”

Moderator: Ryder Mcconville

Producer: Zach Ferber

Anchor: Yarazeth Tapia

Social Media Editor: Karen Ruiz

Reporters: Ali Bash, Zach Ferber, Ryder Mcconville, Karen Ruiz, Carol Santamaria and Yarazeth Tapia

Many public institutions such as CSUN continue to be open campus environments, which has raised the question of whether the students and staff are protected enough against threats to their security. California is home to 23 CSU campuses, all of which are open to the public, making these schools potentially more vulnerable to campus safety issues.

New CSUN Chief of Police Gregory Murphy said he is considering the idea of implementing cameras around campus to make it easier to prevent crime.

“I’m looking at bolstering the number of cameras on our campus and in public places, so that we have better eyes on the campus,” Murphy said. “I’m looking at video analytics, to be able to identify anomalies…so that we can be alerted to things…[and can] intervene if something takes place….[Video] also lends itself to the investigative phase, because it provides us with evidence.”

In December 2018, hate-filled messages and threats were found in bathroom stalls on campus; they concerned students, faculty and administration enough that the campus was closed.  In September of this year, more hate-filled messages were discovered, again in a classroom building bathroom. University President Dianne F. Harrison sent a letter reassuring the community that it was safe, and that an investigation was ongoing.

The instances of hate-filled messages on college campuses has greatly increased over the past few months. “This morning, I was in conversation with a forensic psychologist who focuses on campuses around California and the nation, and he further supported the assertion that there is a rise [of these incidents] on college campuses,” Murphy said.

But Murphy said the possibility of being able to arrest the individuals who are writing these messages is very rare. “These investigations are often long lasting,” he said, “because the ability and potential to get suspected individuals, who decide to go into a restroom understanding they are operating in secrecy [is low]….Absent of someone confessing to doing the activity, [the chances of catching them are] very remote.”

Murphy said the intent of these messages is uncertain, however, they should be taken as seriously as possible, in order to prevent further consequences.

Some CSUN students said they fear students are not being notified about many crimes, such as sexual assaults, that take place on campus. But all colleges and universities are required under the Clery Act to keep records of campus crime, and notify the community.

“The heart of the issue is, quite frankly, what is the right thing to do? We want to inform the community with the information that best allows them or provides them the ability to care for their safety,” Murphy said. “Understanding that there is an environment in which, if these actions are ongoing, certainly there is an obligation to let people know that.”

Other members of the CSUN community said they don’t necessarily feel fully prepared to deal with incidents in their educational environment, and are concerned about not knowing what to do if there is an active shooter.

“We have implemented a training program,” Murphy said. “It’s referred to as ASSERT, and it’s Active Shooter Survival Escape and Reaction Training. It’s consistent with run, hide, and fight, but what I really put emphasis on is the fight portion. Quite frankly, [it’s designed] to empower folk to have the will to survive.”

As authorities make their best efforts to implement higher security around campuses, the fact that many universities are open to the public may remain a disadvantage.

“A public state university is a part of the community,” Murphy said. “It is an extension of the community; it’s integrated into the community; and in that sense, there isn’t necessarily an outside to the campus. So that does create a greater challenge to safety and security, because your measures to establish a boundary around the campus are just not there.”

Anchor: Carol Santamaria

Moderator: Yarazeth Tapia

Producer: Zach Ferber

Social Media Editor: Ryder Mcconville

Reporters: Ali Bash, Zach Ferber, Ryder Mcconville, Karen Ruiz, Carol Santamaria and Yarazeth Tapia