The University Student Union (USU) will host the “Lunch and Launch” event on Feb. 17 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. at Plaza del Sol to promote a new series of podcasts about life skills.
Matt Eickhoff, program coordinator of training and development, is organizing the promotion.
“We’re just attempting to relate the new technology of current era and making everything more accessible,” he said.
The podcasts are a new development from a series of life-building workshops called the “Leadership Life Skills Institute.” But due mostly to scheduling conflicts, less than five students would attend the workshops, said Eickhoff.
Rachel Serrano used to be the student assistant for training and development. She organized the workshops and contacted guest speakers but said she was disappointed by the low attendance.
“They had a really good program for great information but it wasn’t getting out to the students,” Serrano said. “I’m really excited to see how it turns out and what audience we’ll get. We’re just trying to give them that outside world experience.”
The event will have two tents set up; the first will allow students to browse the Web site and listen to some of the podcasts. The second tent will be where students can receive a free lunch for attendance. Tommy’s “Shack on Wheels” will be handing out burgers and fries for the first 250 students. There will also be a prize give-away of an iPod Nano for attending the promotion.
The podcast series is called the “Leadership Toolbox” and currently features five recordings of time management, goal setting, networking, conflict management and public speaking. Each is no longer than 15 minutes and features professional experts for each topic.
The podcasts can be accessed by going to www.usu.csun.edu/toolbox. There are links to listen from the Web site, to download to a computer or to sync with an iPod.
Daisy Galvez, 21, a child development major, is wary about the switch from workshops to podcasts but will probably attend the event to find out more information.
“Free food is always an attraction,” she said.
