Students explore campus connections, resources at Week of Welcome
Cal State Long Beach’s Week of Welcome transformed upper campus into a bustling fair last week, featuring student clubs and organizations, university resources, cultural and religious groups, academic departments – and thousands of new and returning students.
More than 300 campus-related groups participated in the event, which occurs at the start of each fall and spring semester. The booths and tables stretched from the University Library to the bookstore, just a few yards from the top of the Friendship Walk. Booths ranged from the mariachi club, women’s flag football and the bird watching club to fraternities and sororities, ASI student government, Basic Needs and the Black Student Union.
“It’s super cool. Despite the heat, I think it’s really interesting,” said Krystal Ngeam, a first-year psychology student. “There are so many clubs you can go to and ask questions. It’s very diverse.” Ngeam was interested in Cambodian and Chinese clubs, psychology-related clubs and the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program.
For Jasmine Orozco, a fourth-year exercise science kinesiology student, this Week of Welcome was her first, since she’s a transfer student.
“I feel like there’s a lot of student participation here,” she said. “This is definitely the fullest I’ve ever seen the quad.”
Orozco was interested in groups related to her major — the Exercise is Medicine Club and the Pre-Physical Therapy Club. But she was also interested in the salsa club, Latine clubs and martial arts.
“I think it makes you want to be part of the community more, and spend time coming to school more,” she said.
Campus resources like Guardian Scholars, CAPS and Project Rebound had a strong presence at Week of Welcome. Basic Needs had a line of students stretching from its booth, most of them waiting for free paletas, or ice cream bars, and other giveaways. But they also learned about Basic Needs’ resources, such as CalFresh and emergency grants.
“We offer support for any financial insecurity, housing insecurity, food insecurity that’s directly impacting their ability to thrive academically,” said Dulce Gonzalez, a CARES/Basic Needs case manager at the booth. “This is a good opportunity to be front-facing with students, have them meet us. This can be a little more personal than sitting behind a desk at a computer.”
Scores of students carried tote bags from various groups, filling them with swag, publications and info sheets representing different organizations. Many students were marking off squares in a scavenger hunt while visiting various booths.
Associated Students Inc. hosts Week of Welcome at the beginning of each semester. It’s a signature part of its Beach Pride Events, as is Smorgasport, which will be celebrating its 25th anniversary on Sept. 11.
While Week of Welcome is geared toward CSULB students, staff and faculty members were also walking around, taking in the variety of clubs and organizations and talking to students.
“I think Week of Welcome just exposes (faculty) to every possibility that their students might be interested in,” said Tanya Cummings, a professor of graphic design who was in search of the Study Abroad booth. “They can also become more familiar with campus resources, so they can refer their students.
“By going around and seeing how students are participating, it recalibrates why you’re doing this, and why working with students is such an important thing.”
