By Campus members gravitated toward a student in a bumbling dinosaur suit and blaring music in the Central Quad Wednesday as members of various organizations enthusiastically promoted themselves, vying for the attention of passersby beneath a sprawl of easy ups.
Rows of tables lined the walkways, hosting student organizations, clubs and departments seeking to recruit and attract students to their cause. Week of Welcome is a bi-annual event that kicks off at the beginning of each semester at Cal State Long Beach.
“The Week of Welcome is a great thing because many students that come here [Long Beach] don’t feel welcomed,” said Carlos Hernandez, senior and construction management major. Hundreds stopped by the quad, attracted by the club sign ups, food trucks, local vendors, music and free giveaways.
“I think it’s cool for the school to have [Week of Welcome],” said Valerie Perez, a junior English major. “I definitely felt a cool vibe with some of the tables that I went to.”
The purpose of Week of Welcome is to engage students in campus life and the Long Beach community. Despite being a commuter-heavy school, any opportunity for students to create a connection with the campus is encouraged by Associated Students Inc., clubs and organizations on campus.
“There are a lot of people coming through and a lot of people are open to new things,” Hernandez said.
For freshman and transfer students, the event allows students to explore the different clubs and organizations on campus. Some that were present ranged from academic, community service, religious, special interests, cultural, departmental, Greek and sports.
“It’s pretty awesome to be here at Cal State Long Beach and the new transition,” said Ivan Donato, freshman and undeclared major. “It’s awesome to see how family based the campus is. It’s great to see the organizations and clubs that are influential, being a freshman and meeting new people.”
Donato, a member of the Alpha Omega fraternity, used the event as an avenue to recruit more members.
“We just try to bring people on to our club [Alpha Omega] and see the family we have and get to know more people,” Donato said.
If students missed day one at Week of Welcome, they can catch day two Thursday as many of the same clubs and organizations will be present in the Central Quad.
