Union events get with the program

By Phil Witte
Daily Forty-Niner

Much of the entertainment provided in the University Student Union is the work of three Cal State Long Beach students.

Yassi Amini, Tyrone Robinson and Patrick Wong serve as program assistants and plan the campus events under the supervision of program advisor Precious Robinson. Though the process of scheduling events is not as complex nor as easy as one may think.

The council plans and books most of the bands, lectures and films brought to the Student Union. For a band to make it on stage at CSULB, it takes perseverance and a little luck.

"We have a whole drawer of demos that we get from students dropping off or from record companies sending them in," said Yassi Amini, program assistant of the University Student Union Program Council. "Student volunteers will come in and listen to the demos, and we keep a log of what people like and don't like. It takes more than one opinion because everyone has different tastes."

After a few recommendations, the demo is brought to the weekly staff meeting, where a second panel decides the band's fate. The second panel consists of Robert Garcia, president of the Associated Students, Inc., representatives from Student Life and Development and other student volunteers.

If a band gets approved, the only obstacle that remains is scheduling. Money for the events comes from an annual budget for the council taken from student fees.

CSULB senior Derrick Engoy has been through the process along with his band, Elements of the Outer Realm.

"We dropped off our CD and press kit with the council last semester and we got a call over the summer that there was an opening," Engoy said. "This is our fourth time playing on campus, but the first time through the council. We've also played for the Filipino Club, a sorority and a fraternity."

Wong said he looks for variety in planning concerts for the campus.

"I like to book a diverse group of bands, one that has a unique sound that is not mainstream," he said.

In addition to noontime concerts, the council also plans fashion shows, movie series and free screenings. They also work with the Odyssey project and lectures like the one Ralph Nader recently gave, and the upcoming Julia "Butterfly" Hill.