Campus events open doors

Before I became a reporter on the Daily Forty-Niner, I rushed to class, the library, work and home to my family without taking the time to notice the many interesting events that take place on campus.

Unfortunately, there are many students like me, or I should say, the previously uninformed me, who do not slow down and enjoy life at Cal State Long Beach.

The people behind the events work hard to present programs lectures, theater performances, noon concerts and art exhibits that are enjoyable and enlightening.

Speakers and lecturers are experts in their field and have the expertise to present technical, boring material in an understandable and fun way. Is there a better way to learn new things?

Last spring, I was assigned two poetry readings being held on the same night on campus. Poetry baffled me and I did not want to go.

However, the readings were so great and so much fun that I came away inspired to try my hand at it. Now I write verses in a notebook.

For students not interested in lectures, noon concerts in the University Student Union plaza are free and offer a variety of music.

The University Art Museum in the North Library has exciting exhibits of art, sculpture and original works.

If art is your interest, walk over to the Fine Arts Buildings and enjoy the work of students displayed there.

You will be pleasantly surprised at how good the work is.

I am constantly discovering new things, people and places on campus.

We are very lucky to have so much offered to us.

So, I wonder, why are so many of these well-planned, interesting events so sparsely attended? Students who do not take the time to attend are missing out on an opportunity to experience things that may never happen again, as well as the opportunity to learn.

Carrie Porche Jones is a journalism major at CSULB.