May 7, 2014
Los Angeles, CA – California State University, Los Angeles celebrated the naming of the Charon D’Aiello Sandoval and David Sandoval Student Services Center on May 7. This was one of several events to mark the May 9 investiture of William A. Covino as Cal State L.A.’s seventh president.
The naming ceremony, which took place at the west end of Student Affairs 101, recognized Cal State L.A. alumni Charon D’Aiello Sandoval and David Sandoval (Altadena residents) for their commitment of $350,000 to establish a permanent endowment for the benefit of the University’s Division of Student Affairs.
“Honoring Charon and David with the naming of our student services center makes perfect sense,” said Cal State L.A. President William A. Covino. “The Sandovals worked on campus for decades, supporting Cal State L.A.’s diverse student population and encouraging others to embrace diversity within the campus community. The rich and culturally dynamic university that we all enjoy today is the result of compassionate people like the Sandovals, who have given so much of themselves for the benefit of so many.”
Charon and David, who have been together since 1980, met through political activity off-campus. Through the years, they remained committed to finding new opportunities for people on campus, even after retirement.
Together, the Sandovals have worked for decades to bring more diversity to all aspects of Cal State L.A.—to the faculty and staff through Charon’s work in the Office of Affirmative Action and to the student body through David’s role as director of the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP).
Charon, who grew up in El Sereno, started at Cal State L.A. in 1960 as a business major. She quit school to work a series of clerical/typist jobs on campus, but resumed her studies part-time. Charon reveled in working on campus, and took full advantage of the many speakers and forums, as well as the advice of many kind faculty members who mentored her.
David was admitted to the university through EOP, which provides access for economically and socially disadvantaged minority students who display potential for academic success. He became a peer counselor in the program, and worked his way up to director by 1985—a position he held for 23 years.
The couple established the Ochari D’Aiello Scholarship in honor of their son, who was tragically shot and killed at age 16 while on a summer educational trip to Morehouse College in 1992. They had encouraged Ochari, whose biological father was African American, to attend the session and experience what it was like to be an African American in the South.
David, along with fellow EOP alumnus Guadalupe Valencia, established the Sandoval/Valencia EOP Fund, which benefits EOP students with funding for specific projects, travel, conference participation or direct aid that will enhance student experience.
For Investiture Week information, visit www.calstatela.edu/investiture.
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Working for California since 1947: California State University, Los Angeles is at the heart of a major metropolitan city, just five miles from Los Angeles’ civic and cultural center. More than 20,000 students and 230,000 alumni—with a wide variety of interests, ages and backgrounds—reflect the city’s dynamic mix of populations. Six Colleges offer nationally recognized science, arts, business, criminal justice, engineering, nursing, education and humanities programs, among others, led by an award-winning faculty. Cal State L.A. is home to the critically-acclaimed Luckman Jazz Orchestra and to the Honors College for high-achieving students. Programs that provide exciting enrichment opportunities to students and community include an NEH-supported humanities center; a NASA-funded center for space research; and a forensic science program, housed in the Hertzberg-Davis Forensic Science Center. www.calstatela.edu
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