Hypnotist mania

Thursday, May 28th was an "unforgetable" night for many of the dorm residences as a special guest put a magical spell on some local faces making them now simply "unforgetable".

Everyone enjoys watching their friends make fools of themselves but when the tables are turned no one enjoys being the bud of the joke. For some, "who shall not be named" this was a reality this past Thursday as CSULB dorming residents were treated to a celebrity hypnotist show. Organized by Nicholas Cvjetkovic and Elise Prado the show was received well by a large audience from all the dorms; Residences Buildings, Los Cerritos, Los Alamitos, International House, Parkside and Residental Learning College.

Many came to see the lure of the hypnotist for his two hour show featuring many housing guests. Volunteers were told to do everything from bark like a dog, dance with fellow participants, take off their shirts (guys only), sleep on command and of course perform a glee musical.

Many residents enjoyed simply watching the show from afar prefering not to be involved in the action. "This is my third time watching the show, and I never seem to get bored, there's always something new," said Rebecca Seggy, audience member and International House resident.

Above: image showcasing a hypnotist's allure.
Photographer unknown, taken from article by Jim Edwards.

I must admit I was highly skeptical and I only went to see what the commotion was all about and I was impressed with the quality of the show in terms of entertainment. After the show I asked the hynotist who was featured on the show "Myth Busters" but it was no suprise I was not affected. The show is definitely a great laugh and I recommend it to all.

Japanese Garden Semi Formal Dance

Come one, come all to housing and residental's life first semi formal dance of the semester next Thursday. It's time to celebrate the end of semester and get dressed up in the process. 


Ladies, it's time to bring out your fancy dresses, highest of heels and best-colored lipstick cause it's semi-formal time here at CSULB. Gentlemen this means it's crunch time for you too, it's time to bring out your best suits, preferably without cobwebs on them from the back of your closet.

This Thursday, May 5th from 8.00 p.m.-11.00 p.m. the Japanese Garden Semi Formal Dance will be held at the Japanese Garden on campus. There was a hundred pre-sale tickets which have all been sold now although event organizer, Melissa Hernando says that there are still tickets to be sold at the door so if you haven't bought your tickets never fear, you can still purchase a limited amount of tickets at the event.

The event costs a small $3 for dorming residents and $5 for nonresidents and will include catered food, mock tails, and special guest dj-ing by Jordon. "I am excited for this event because I haven't dressed up in so long," said Ashley Mehmed, a Los Cerritos resident.

Others are more excited about selecting a dance partner although taking a counterpart is not mandatory. "I am excited to pick a formal partner, it's fun cause you can pick one of your friends and see them all dressed up in suits," said SyBella Conto an International House resident.

Events like this attract a certain audience and aren't completely embraced by all. I've gone to last year's dance and didn't like it because only girl's went and I went with my girlfriend's and so did others so there was less boys," said Bianca Lemus, an International House resident.

Come down and celebrate the end of semester and beginning of finals with this grand event.
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=145950985471246

Above: The semi-formal will be held at the Japanese gardens on campus. 
Photo by NatashaP 

Cost of dorm living too much for students to bear?

The rising cost of housing prices has forced many students to discontinue their exciting dorm life and opt for more cheaper and localized options of hiring apartments and houses with their co-dormers. This is begging everyone to ask the question, why so expensive?                                


Many dorm residents are deciding to move out next semester, opting to rent apartments and shared houses due to the high cost of dorming. The costs vary according to which meal plan selected although as a general for the 19-meal week plan which includes breakfast, lunch and dinner on weekdays and brunch and dinner on weekends and housing for one semester the price is $3, 893.75. This appears a price too high for many students, "I think it's too expensive to maintain for a long time, although it's a great experience it's more cost effective to share an apartment or house with someone. This is disappointing cause it's so nice here," said Laura Jensen, Building A resident. 


Many residents who are not paying themselves and are rather depending on their parents to make their payments are feeling the pressure as are students who are paying self-payments and balancing work and school. "I definitely think it's hard to live comfortably knowing it costs so much, " said Melody Rudd, a Building A resident. "I see a lot of students focusing on working as much as possible so they can afford to live in the dorms and in turn they lose part of their college experience to focus on payments."


On the other hand students who are opting to move off campus are losing benefits like prepared meals and cleaned bathrooms, certain luxuries which the cost of living on campus entail. "It's definitely a lot of money but you're paying for convenience and when you compare the dining hall foods to other campuses it's much better in terms of quality and options," said Andrew McGarity Building C resident. 


Overall, it's always going to be more convenient and more enjoyable to live amongst friends and on campus however in reality the situation in terms of finances can be a different story. Notably, all three residents said they will be moving out next semester mainly for costs reasons.

CSULB Housing Office celebrates it's first BEACH IDOL contest

BEACH IDOL

Above: Top-20 performer at the
 Live "Beach Idol" show.
Photo taken by NPingle.

On Wednesday, April 20  residents were treated to their very first "Beach Idol" competition emulating the real "American Idol" competition inclusive of auditions, a live show, eliminations and a voted winner. 


Housing residents were treated to a grand show hosted by resident assistants, Kimmberly Wehrli and Jordan Baranco-Bibb this past week. "Beach Idol" recently held at the Pointe celebrated its first grand show, with a mass turnout and positive audience support. The event consisting of three components: try-outs (filmed and played on Channel 3 prior to the actual show), a pizza party for finalists, and of course, the live show. 

Above: Anthony Haines "Beach Idol" contestant
 image from audition.
Photo taken by NPingle.

Entry to the Beach Idol final was open to all residents and attracted a large amount of dorming residents. "The response to our event was wonderful. From the amount of residents who auditioned, 50, all the way to the amount of residents that showed up to see the event," said co-event organizer, Jordon Baranco-Bibb. 


Co-event organizer,  Jordon Baranco-Bibb said the inspiration behind the show came from his and Wehrli's love for the original show, "American Idol" and for song and dance, "We really enjoy the fun yet competitive sides of the residents. We thought Beach Idol was something that residents can not only come to perform and compete, but it would also be a show for audiences to enjoy." And this it certainly was. 


Dennise Bender, an RLC resident and spectator of the final live show noted that despite the show being entertaining there was certainly room for improvement, "I thought it was a good event, pretty successful, but I think it went on for a really long time. I think they could've done with maybe a few more intermissions or had each contestant cut their song down to a certain time limit, because it lasted for a really long time."

Dennise Rodriguez, a Los Alamitos resident auditioned for the competition and was even placed in the elite top-20 performers. Rodriguez says in hindsight there was much for her to improve on "I wish I wasn't so last minute on my decision to audition and actually had my lyrics down. I was so embarrassed when I forgot my lines but in terms of performance, I would have liked to have been more comfortable before an audience," said Rodriguez. 


In terms of a second season, it seems there is much room for improvement to make the show bigger and better. " I think a lot of students attended to watch their friends which was really nice, but in talking to some of the other students, they didn't really know when auditions were or anything, so maybe it would have been more fully embraced if it was better advertise," said Bender. 


Baranco-Bibb wants to expand the show to include the wider CSULB community. " I wish we could expand this event for audiences and performers outside of the residential halls," said Baranco-Bibb. "This is an event I would like to see done for the whole school. Maybe I am dreaming too big, but who knows." 


Maybe next year we will see CSULB Beach Idol. 

Resident Assistant Profile: Melissa Hernando

As the semester nears it's end, not only does it mean everyone is getting ready for a new set of class schedules and professors but also a new batch of housing Resident Assistants. Melissa Hernando, a current Resident Assistants gave me a scoop into her job "keeping the dorms in line".

Recently, I have noticed everyone preparing and observably panicking about their Resident Assistants interviews. As a dorm resident you may already know via all the commotion that the housing office is taking interviews for potential Resistant Assistants for Fall 2011 and judging by the large numbers of applicants, it appears to be a coveted role.

So, what makes an ideal R.A.? I spoke with Los Cerritos Resident Assistants, Melissa Hernando to profile her job, and she offered some interesting tips to applicants, so listen up!

Above: Melissa Hernando,
 Resisdent Assistant for Los Cerritos building.
Photo Courtsey of Hernando.

Melissa Hernando

1) I live in Los Cerritos, and I am an R.A. for the second floor east side.

2) I applied to be an R.A. because I decided that I wanted to be a role model for the residents, and have someone that can mentor and help them the way that my R.A.'s helped me. I also had friends that were R.A.'s and they all seemed like they would always have fun and they had a special bond with each other which I wanted to be a part of.

3) Students who are applying to be an R.A. should remember that they need to be themselves first and foremost, and that they are trying to become representatives of housing so they should be prepared to present ideas on how to make the residence halls even more of a community environment and more enjoyable for the future residents.

4) Best part of the job for me is definitely bonding with the other R.A.'s and being able to set an example for the residents to follow. The worst part of my job is dealing with issues that the residents have and needing to be their main support system when the majority of them are leaving home for the first time.

5) I am reapplying to be an R.A. and I would definitely recommend the role because I honestly have never learned so much about myself and the potential that I have to offer, and the most rewarding part of this position is realizing how much of an impact I have made on so many people's lives, and that feeling is irreplaceable.

All the best to current applicants.

MORP - GLOW ALL OUT

This past Friday, May 8 residents from the dorms were able to bring out their brightest and most sparkly outfits as CSULB housing celebrated it's first MORP PROM of the academic year. 

We are all guilty of having some fluro colours in our back drawer and sparkly headbands hidden somewhere amongst our "sensible" attire. But students living at the residential housing were able to proudly display their most "glowing" outfit and with an excellent excuse, if I may say so. After the Valentine's Day dance the MORP; Glow all out prom dance was the next biggest dance event, and it got many residents excited. I was able to attend this event which if I may say so, was organized greatly from the decorations, professional DJ's, array of foods and mocktails provided throughout the night. I decided to interview one of the Residential Assistant's responsible for holding the event and two attendees, who I thought were definitely on fire on the d-floor. 

 Tait Kilgore at the MORP.
Kilgore is one of three event organizers.
Photo by Mark Kristick.

TAIT KILGORE - EVENT ORGANIZER

I chose to plan MORP! I held signups in the dining hall for two weeks and I made flyers and a facebook invite so I was expecting a lot of people. It ended up being a really big success so im very happy about the turn out. It's hard to get people to come to sober events these days in college at 8 p.m. so if I could change anything, I wish more people would have come. There isn't too much I would have done differently. It was everything I planned for. I think students would have enjoyed it more than they thought they would. But im very happy and glad its over now.

AARON WONG - ATTENDEE, RESIDES P BUILDING

Left: Aaron Wong at the MORP event.
Photo by Mark Kristick.

I decided to attend because my friend Tait was the one who put it all together. It was well advertised and clearly communicated. It was an extremely fun and safe environment and it was only $1. What I liked most about this event were definitely the DJ's we hired. The DJ's usually make or break the party but they were awesome. There was a good music flow throughout the entire night starting with the electric/house transitioning into top 40's and hip hop and people just kept dancing. I don't think there was anything else they could have done to improve the event other than keep it going longer. It was very successful.

Hilary Rayome dancing at the
 MORP event.
Photo by Pbalo J. Barillas Photography.

HILARY RAYOME - ATTENDEE, RESIDES A BUILDING

I personally love to dance so the music and lights were my favorite part as it sets everyone at ease enough to come alive on the dance floor and have a good time (the mock-tails were a good idea as well).  I was actually pleasantly surprised with the fact that they had enough cups and food to last through the whole event which generally would be what I would say our events need to improve on the most, but instead they actually carried everything thing off really well and we didn't run out. So, I guess if I have to say something for improvement, it would have been fun to have had more black lights to make people glow more and if we did, it also would have been fun to have glow paints we could put on under such black lights.

Overall, the event went well and despite it being scheduled to run only till 11 p.m. guests were  dancing till midnight so it was well received. Professional photographer, Pablo J. Barrillas was in attendance, check out some of his photos on on his album on Facebook > MORP - April 8th 2011.

The "infamous" RLC Shuttle Service



Above: Picture taken by NPingle on April 6th 2011 on RLC Shuttle. Sign depicts that RLC students are given first priorty prior boarding.



Since starting school here in Spring all I have heard is complaints from residents about the RLC shuttle and the poor service it offers in terms of frequency and timeliness. And recently new regulation which gives priority to RLC students has caused even more havoc. 

A new policy change now means that priority is given to RLC students who may board first meaning other residents will be required to exit first. This new procedure is implemented by a "sticker" service where a red sticker must be placed on your I.D. to indicate you are a RLC dormer. A sign is also displayed which is shown on the right hand side which says, "RLC SHUTTLE: RLC RESIDENTS BOARD FIRST. CSULB ID WITH RLC STICKER REQUIRED".

Recently, my room mate who was rejected despite the bus being empty complained about this service and how it disadvantaged follow dormers who also pay fees and should be entitled to eat at the RLC dining hall which is dubbed as the more exclusive and "better" dining hall.

So, I decided to board the RLC shuttle and interview students to see what they thought about the service. Jacob MacMaster, a freshman student residing at RLC said that generally he hadn't had any major issues though there was isolated days which caused issues. " Fridays is the worst day. Once I waited for the shuttle for 30 minutes. If you have 9 am class and you miss the shuttle you are going to be late," said MacMaster.

Furthermore several students complained about the I.D. requirement complaining about the stringent requirement which was sometimes enforced too strictly. "If you are running from RLC to the shuttle and you forget your I.D. they will not let you on,  I mean they have to soften up on these things," said MacMaster.

Kristine Chu another RLC resident complained about the overcrowding issue and the lack of frequent services. "There was many problems with overcrowding and it's getting a little bit better now. Though it's so annoying how there can be two shuttles waiting but they don't use the second until the first has left," said Chu.

Timeliness seems to be another issue. One angry student said he hated waiting in the dark after class for the shuttle when it almost inevitably always arrived late. " I am a music major and carry my instrument and I leave practice around 0.00p.m.-10.30p.m. and it just doesn’t come, it takes realistically a half hour to come. It’s ridiculous. I wait alone in the dark, it's kind of scary. I felt like someone was hovering behind me last night. I mean I come from the music department so it’s a good 10-15 minute walk to the bus stop then I have to wait in the dark till it comes," said frustrated student, Amir Fausi. 

It appears overall that the public of CSULB is unimpressed with the service and it needs to pick up it's game. CSULB College Beat did a recent segment on the RLC shuttle and managed to interview the department responsible for it's management, take a look at Spring Show Episode 1.

Off-campus RLC vs. On-campus Residential Dorms

It has been an age old debate, is it better to live on or off campus? It's the question on everyone's mind on campus, and if you ask anyone at the dormitories they'll have an opinion on it. It looks like the general consensus is that there are pros and cons for both choices with some residents citing some interesting reasons why.

California State University Long Beach offers various housing options.
The two main distinctions between what is offered concerns an on-campus and off-campus housing option. The dormitories located on campus at the top of Beach Drive include the International House, Residence Commons, Parkside Commons and Los Cerritos and Los Alamitos Halls whereas off-campus the main option is the Residential Learning College. There are various reasons for choosing either option.


CSULB housing website listing the 

 various options and descriptions of domority options. Photo
courtesy of CSULB. edu, photographer unknown. 

Andreas Christou resident at RLC Beach Hall, highlights the big dorm rooms at RLC as the best thing about the dorms in comparison with the on-campus dorms. Furthermore he highlights that most students prefer the dining hall food at RLC, which provides a more "restaurant-style" menu and seating style. However he cites the downfalls as reflected in the high price and dining hall hours. "They need an all-day microwave system and 18 operational hours for the dining halls because many cannot make it in the allocated time slot," said Christou. Andrew Mussett, resident at RLC Pacific Hall, further states that the fact local convenience stores and food outlets are within walking distance make it more convenient. However he complains that the shuttle bus needs to pick up it's game in relation to timing because it is an on-going problem. "The shuttle is the biggest load of bollocks. I have early classes Tuesday and Thursday, plenty of times myself and others have been late during mid-terms cause of it, and they should fix it considering the high tuition we pay," said Mussett.

By contrast Charles Allard resident at the International House prefers on-campus housing for the convenience, as do many students. Overall he cites on-campus dorms as being of good standards, kept tidy and clean regularly. "The common spaces are clean. I wouldn't want to live at RLC it's too far and I am late sleeper so I like how I can just come to the dining hall at 9.30 a.m. and get to class by 10 a.m." said Allard. Aman Uma resident at Parkside Building L since 2008, says the positives off living on campus are cheaper prices and meeting great people to "hang out with, and meet everyday" although he rates Parkside lower compared to RLC with a score of only 7/10.

Overall however all students stated that the high cost of dorm living turns off most students and that ideally most students prefer to find private accommodation once they have set up there social circles which dorms are great for and have familiarized themselves with the campus. One thing that struck me was a comment stated by RLC resident, Andreas Christou who stated that "living on campus and eating at a prepared dining hall is a disadvantage in the sense of learning how to cook for ones self." Despite dining hall food being convenient it does take away that added sense of independence but overall it is a fun experience. At the end of the day it's about whether you prefer convenience and sleeping in late or a nice dining hall experience, the choice is yours!