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Media Contact: Carmen Ramos Chandler
(818) 677-2130
carmen.chandler@csun.edu
Media Release Archives

MEDIA RELEASE

CSUN Throws Picnic to Welcome Students to New School Year

(NORTHRIDGE, Calif., Aug. 14, 2008) — Cal State Northridge officials are throwing a party for the university’s students on Thursday, Aug. 28, to celebrate the start of the 2008-2009 school year.

The 16th annual "President’s Picnic" will take place on the lawn near Bayramian Hall on the west side of the campus at 18111 Nordhoff St. in Northridge.

The celebration—which will feature free food, music and a chance to learn about the university’s various student clubs and organizations—will be split in two to accommodate students taking classes at night. Activities will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

In anticipation of the party, picnic organizers have ordered 4,400 hot dogs, 2,000 veggie hot dogs, 5,400 packets of potato chips, 5,400 slices of watermelon, 6,200 cans of vegetarian beans, 5,400 cookies and 5,400 packets each of such condiments as ketchup, mustard, relish and mayonnaise.

To serve all that up, nearly 200 faculty and staff members, including CSUN President Jolene Koester, have volunteered to work the picnic.

"It’s really just one great celebration to welcome returning and new students to the start of the school year. It also gives the students a chance to interact on a more informal basis with faculty and staff than they usually do during the school year," said Christopher Aston, activities coordinator for CSUN’s Office of Student Development and International Programs.

Classes for the fall 2008 semester at Cal State Northridge are scheduled to begin on Monday, Aug. 25.

California State University, Northridge is celebrating "50 years of life-changing opportunity" this year. The university has more than 35,200 full- and part-time students and offers 64 bachelor’s and 50 master’s degrees as well as 28 teaching credential programs. Founded in 1958, CSUN is among the largest single-campus universities in the nation and the only four-year public university in the San Fernando Valley. The university serves as the intellectual, economic and cultural heart of the Valley and beyond.