On Thursday, Sept. 3, CSUN’s New Student Orientation hosted this year’s President’s Picnic. Students came together to grow their community and socialize with each other as they prepared for their upcoming classes.

As they waited for their turn in line, students were served various kinds of barbecue food along with cold sodas and water. The picnic had two different sessions. The first lasted from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., with students having the opportunity to get a free lunch. The second started at 5:30 p.m. and ended at 7 p.m. so students who were unable to attend the first session had the opportunity to eat before an evening class.

CSUN President Erika D. Beck spoke to students and reconnected with faculty after a long summer break. Many students and clubs stopped by to say hello and even take pictures with the president.

“I missed you guys so much, it was so quiet [on campus]…the energy is here and the ambition, excitement and enthusiasm,” said Beck.

President Beck discussed the importance of building a community around CSUN and hopefully give students the opportunity to kick back and relax for a little while.

“I joined the university in the pandemic, so we had no community, and I really feel like this year we’re getting a lot more engagement,” said Beck. “So I think it’s a really good sign, and so far, the students are all saying they’re loving CSUN, so they’re having a good time.”

The event also featured informational pop-up tents from clubs and organizations such as Associated Students, the Department of Police Services and CSUN’s Information Technology department.

“The idea is to get students engaged, to find each other and then also connect with clubs and organizations,” said Beck.

Members of the CSUN New Student Orientation were present to help set up the pop-up tents, serve food and to be a friendly face for students to go to if they wanted to talk with someone.

New Student Orientation members, Illy Vermeiren and Jared Morales, reflected on how events like the President’s Picnic help build a foundation of community among fellow students.

“It’s super cool to just start getting out there like networking,” said Vermeiren

Both student volunteers emphasized the importance of networking among students.

“Finding the common things within each other, even if you are different, you can still find things you’d love to get to know about people,” said Morales

Even if students might feel shy getting to know each other, it is important to remember that everyone is here to get an education and that means there is common ground. Finding that common ground can be scary, but it is the fun part of events like the President’s Picnic