Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver will be at the Plaza Del Sol Performance Arts Center at CSUN on Wednesday to announce a new initiative in community service.
“It’s not specifically involving (CSUN) but they told us they chose us because of our reputation for community service,” said Ken Swisher, associate vice president of public relations.
Other than that, Swisher declined to release any other information about the specifics of the announcement, saying only that it will be “a kind of unprecedented one.”
Sabrina Lockhart, a media representative from the governor’s office, also declined to comment.
“Unfortunately, we do not comment on the governor’s schedule until it’s final and then we issue a statement about it to the press the day before the event,” she said.
President Jolene Koester will be the only CSUN representative speaking at the event scheduled for 1 p.m. A private reception at lunchtime is also being hosted by Shriver, but no information is being given about who might be attending.
“They sent out invitations, so it is reservations only,” said Swisher. “The university has invited a few students who are leaders in community service, and then if there are extra seats, and there may be before the event starts, then we’ll let people in on a first-come, first-served basis.”
Security will be tight but Swisher did not anticipate it would have much effect on the daily activities of the campus.
The hosting agency will be responsible for the university’s direct costs, which include security and physical plant maintenance activities. The university also has the option to request a rental fee for the facility but Swisher said that is often waived for non-profit organizations.
It’s hard to say how much it will cost, said Swisher, adding that a lot of the cost is in security. Although the governor has his own security detail, CSUN’s security will also be helping out, said Swisher.
California’s First Lady has made volunteering one of her priority projects. She founded CaliforniaVolunteers.org, a website that matches potential do-gooders with organizations that need assistance.
