Students need stimulation outside class

Student Life and Development Office helps campus clubs and organizations plan events

Looking over events and activities of all the clubs and organizations at Cal State Long Beach is the primary function of The Student Life and Development office.

Most of the 270 clubs and organizations recognized by the Student Life and Development Office are also recognized by Associated Students Inc. The A.S., however, does not recognize sororities and fraternities, honorary societies, or coordinating councils, but the Student Life and Development office does.

After the initial recognition, Student Life and Development assists the varying groups in planning campus activities and programs.

"Students come to Cal State Long Beach not only to be engaged intellectually in their studies, but to be engaged in an out of classroom environment," said Jeanne Caveness, senior director of the Student Life and Development office. The Student Life and Development office sponsors over 2,000 programs a year, Caveness said. The office assists in about one major program a week, handling over 400 students per program.

"For these more complex programs, we spend a great deal of time with them," said Caveness, "It's a lot of hands-on work."

Besides these campus clubs and organizations, the Student Life and Development office also deals with student commissions, Student Orientation And Registration (SOAR), leadership development activities, interpretation of campus regulations, and acts as a general resource for campus information.

"Overall, we believe it's important to create a dynamic campus climate," Caveness said.

Three years ago, the Student Life and Development office produced a student video called "Blueprints through the Bureaucracy." Any student wanting to schedule events on campus must first attend workshops which introduce the student leaders to the campus and help them in planning their campus event. The video is a learning tool used in these workshops and over 15,000 students have gone through it.

The office, located on the second floor of the University Student Union also offers a variety of leadership workshops and activities for CSULB students to help other students. "Assisting students," Caveness said, "Is a critical part of their own development."

The Student Life and Development office has been involved in the planning of the upcoming Powwow which takes place March 18 and 19 outside of FO2 and FO3.

In cooperation with the Forty-Niner shops, the office is sponsoring an early bird lunch, which is free and open to all students. Speakers designed to motivate and teach leadership skills will be featured at the event on April 5 and May 3.