Rock The Vote arrives at CSULB

By Erica Miller, On-Line Forty-Niner

Tuesday, September 29, 1998

In an effort to raise Cal State Long Beach students' awareness about the importance of voting, this week the Associated Students Inc. and the University Student Union are sponsoring a Rock The Vote voter registration drive.

Students will get a chance to hear disc jockeys from local radio stations and bands such as Ire Beats and Zoot. Various guest speakers will also be making appearances on the USU Terrace from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. through Thursday.

The office of the Secretary of State contacted Christy Zamani, A.S.I. president, to organize the festivities at CSULB. All 23 CSU campuses will have Rock the Vote campaigns this week.

"It's a collective effort to make this happen. A lot of the initiatives and candidates will create more money for higher education," Zamani said. "Together we are more than 300,000 students and if we decide to collectively endorse a candidate, that is a huge chunk of voters."

Organizations have volunteered to set up tables during the event and register students. These organizations will have an opportunity to raise funds by selling baked goods and hot food items on Wednesday.

"The organizations are really excited about this," Zamani said. "This is a good chance for them to recruit new members and gain visibility."

One organization involved with Rock The Vote, the California Faculty Association, said it did so because it wanted to become involved in encouraging students to vote.

"We want to create a presence on campus because it is so important to support the CSU system," said Lisa Belsanti, CFA field organizer. "I'm hoping that students register to vote and learn what they can about both candidates and make good decisions."

The CFA is also assisting organizations with their fund-raising efforts by donating $2 for every completed democratic registration form they receive.

Zamani said that Republicans on campus voiced some concern to her about promotion of one political party over another.

"The ASI and student organizations are not allowed to promote the Democratic, Republican or any other party," Zamani said. "We just want students to realize the importance of voting whatever way they decide to vote."

Organizations interested in setting up a table, but did not pre-register can still sign up at the A.S.I. tent on the USU Terrace or the office in USU-213.

"Organizations are more than welcome to set up the day of the event depending on how many open tables we have," A.S.I. Administrator Robert Perez said.