Issue date: 9/10/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Claire Elise Padgett CSUS students participate in a pie eating contest during the ASI carnival, part of Sac State Welcome Week festivities. [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: Claire Elise Padgett Senior Erika Alatorre hands out free notebooks and answers questions about ASI during carnival. [Click to enlarge]

A short checklist for hosting a successful welcome: Stylish booths? Check! Free food and perks? Check! Herky the Hornet? Checkmate! Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to Sacramento State.

Campus organizations and local businesses rolled out the welcome mat to introduce students to the university during Hornet Welcome Week, a weeklong event designed to increase awareness of student activities and organizations on campus, and an opportunity for students to learn about what Sac State has to offer. The event took place in Sac State's library quad during the first week of the fall semester.

Students were treated to freestyle rapping behind the University Union on Sept. 2, voter registration tables in the quad throughout the three days and booths from local vendors signing up students for anything from bank accounts to Internet service. The College of Arts and Letters also had an information booth between Mariposa and Eureka halls, helping direct first-time students to their classes.

At the Peak Adventures booth, students learned about the various activities being offered, including hikes, rock climbing and guided tours. Bank of America manager Yessica Rodriquez set up shop near the Union and signed up students for free college checking accounts. Community member Dale Parks sold T-shirts and campaign buttons supporting his preferred presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama.

In the quad, Associated Students, Inc., held a carnival to promote student government and get help students register to vote in the November presidential election.

ASI Executive Vice President Roberto Torres organized the carnival, which featured free pizza and sodas along with an introduction to ASI. Students also participated in a pie-eating contest as ASI members answered questions from first-time students and community members.

"Do you have anything to welcome international students?" Zeynep Erdil, a Fullbright Scholar from Turkey studying TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) asked ASI officials. She was concerned that international students did not have access to on-campus services and social activities.

Cervantes and Torres directed her to where she needed to go, and made sure she could contact them if she continued to have any issues on campus.

"Being an international student for the first time isn't so easy, I must confess," Erdil said.

Talking with Erdil and helping her and other students find the services they needed "was the reason I wanted to become EVP," Torres said. "I want ASI to be the go-to organization for any issues."

During her international student orientation, Edril said Sac State's academics were covered clearly, but campus life was not really discussed. Erdil feared she would not have time to fully engage in the Sac State community as a result.

Fraternities and sororities set up shop recruiting students to one of the many on-campus Greek groups.

Kappa Sigma, a fraternity that has been a part of Sac State for 17 years, drew large crowds throughout the week. The main draw involved the fraternity's ad campaign proclaiming a Kappa Sigma as "The most wanted man in the country," in anticipation of Rush Week.

Kappa Sigma brothers junior accounting major Kyle McCaffery and sophomore commercial recreation major Adrian Rice shared with students the hallmarks of what made a Kappa Sigma most wanted.

"What makes you the best at anything?" McCaffery said. "Dedication, hard work, perseverance. Not all of us are the fastest, not all of us are the smartest, not all of us are good looking."

Unlike fraternities in the movies, Kappa Sigma does not want a fraternity full of perpetual partiers who don't engage with the community. Kappa Sigma wanted guys who would complement each other in order to balance out its membership.

Rice said that a guy with book smarts, for example, would complement another guy with strong social skills, since the book smart member can assist the social member with school problems. In return, the social member can show the book smart member that it is OK to take a break from studying and to have fun, he said.

In short, Kappa Sigma is looking for "guys who will better us; guys that have what I don't have," McCaffery added.

Benjamin R. Schilter can be reached at bschilter@statehornet.com.

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