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news
Kaleidoscope
brings together campus
By Alisha Gomez
On-line Forty-Niner
Despite inclement
weather, Cal State Long Beach was booming with vendors, guests,
music and food at Kaleidoscope Saturday.
From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., the school opened for the community,
students and alumni to view the campus.
One of the vendors, Angie Shin decided to give Kaleidoscope
a shot and sell her hand-made pillows and bags that had wild
Hawaiian prints at Kaleidoscope.
"I looked through this book for craft fairs and this
event attracted my eye," Shin said. "I sell at a
lot of college campuses because they are good business."
Newcomers, like the nursing alumni association, contributed
to the good turnout this year. Cheryl Deters and Mary Nichols
represented the association.
"We're pleased so far because several people have stopped
by," Deters said. "Our focus this year is to present
our outreach program."
Nichols, chair of the outreach program, said that the program's
goal is to try to let the public know about the numerous job
opportunities in nursing, especially because employment positions
in nursing are currently in high demand.
"The money's good, and people can pick their hours, go
anywhere, and you have major job security," Nichols said.
In addition, Nichols, dispelling the public misconception
that a nursing job means being in a hospital, said in reality
nursing jobs are not just in hospitals -- they have the opportunity
to go overseas to work.
The association plans to see what the public response is like
at Kaleidoscope on nursing and build from that.
Many vendors sold ethnic foods and other cultural items.
Also, Bikestation Long Beach attended Kaleidoscope and showcased
the new alternative to regular transportation: the Flexcar.
The city of Long Beach has created a new Clean Mobility Center
and is using Bikestation's location for housing all of the
alternative means of transportation.
The sharing program, City Wheels, has environment-friendly
electric cars, bikes and scooters.
Tom Devane, manager at Bikestation, said that the company
featured the Flexcar and attended Kaleidoscope to start getting
people involved in alternative ways of transportation while
traveling around the city of Long Beach.
"We are focusing on community outreach, things like Kaleidoscope,"
Devan said.
According to Bikestation's Web site, www.bikestation.org,
studies have shown that short trips by single passengers in
conventional automobiles contribute significantly to air pollution,
including smog and global warming gases, such as carbon dioxide.
Devane said that Bikestation is trying to encourage people
to use their bikes, scooters or Flexcars when they are going
about town, making deliveries, getting lunch and other errands.
He also said that the other scope of the program is to use
alternative transportation for going to and from work.
Other events included the pushcart race, which promoted a
smoke-free campus, and free shirts were given to all participants.
The Latinos on campus dedicated a certain area to Cesar Chavez.
Food, music and clothing, as well as free children's art,
decorated the area.
Daniel Martinez, coordinator of the children's art center
displayed banners in honor of Cesar Chavez. One banner featured
a picture of a raisin box and migrant workers.
"The banners were made at several different sites,"
Martinez said.
Martinez worked in the fields at an early age alongside his
parents while they were earning their education.
"My dad always said I want you to know what it is like
so I am going to take out in the fields and show you how hard
it is," Martinez said. "He gave me a good lesson
on reality and he told me go to school, get an education or
you'll be here forever."
An alumnus of CSULB, Martinez ran a booth that gave children
a chance to express themselves creatively. Although this is
his first time at Kaleidoscope, Martinez is not new to art
and children.
"I usually work in the schools or I teach the Cinco de
Mayo celebration at Veteran's Park coming up next week,"
he said.
Kaleidoscope, which is held every spring, gave people the
chance to see the campus as well as have the community involved.
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Michael
Watanabe/On-line Forty-Niner
Push cart racers from Academic Computing Services,
in the blue, make a pit stop while racing students from the
Health Science Students Association, in pink.
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