Keeping the `Runner spirit alive in a virtual space

Campus Programming continues events and more from home

By California State University, Bakersfield

September 30^th, 2020

The California State University, Bakersfield campus might be empty and quiet right now, but the `Runner spirit isn’t, especially for Campus Programming.

It’s a unique season, in which all of the usual annual events and activities have been strictly online, but they haven’t let that deter them from their mission.

“The spirit is still strong with Campus Programming, and the collaborations have felt even more deliberate and thoughtful this semester,” said Campus Programming Director, Emily Poole Callahan.

Callahan said that the online platform has allowed them to get creative and contract with people they might not have been able to in person.

“The events calendar is packed with opportunities ranging from social, cultural and educational programs hosted by a wide variety of departments. The spirit of providing opportunities for students is in full force and that makes me extremely happy and proud of what we do,” said Callahan.

photo of Campus Programming with T-Pain for virtual concert — Campus Programming's virtual concert with T-Pain

This month, they celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month, which kicked off on September 16 with a virtual mariachi performance and a wonderful lesson of Hispanic Heritage History. Friday, September 25th will be “Art Night: A Night of Art Therapy with Friends” and then a cooking demo with Curbside Kitchen on Wednesday, Sept. 30, which Callahan is looking forward to, since she misses seeing them on campus.

October is Pride Month and it is packed with activities and events called OUTober!

“In years past, we have celebrated a week, which doesn’t seem like enough, so we have collaborated on a few events to host during the entire month of engaging, enriching, celebratory and educational programs,” said Callahan.

One of the highlights from the month is Expression Nights and Coming Out Stories, where students, faculty and staff are invited to share their coming out stories in a safe and supportive environment. Dr. Jeanine Kraybill, assistant professor in political science, will be a guest speaker for a Brown Bag Discussion on Thursday, Oct. 15 to discuss the recent LGBTQ+ employment protection under Title VII.

Campus Programming will also partner with the Multicultural Alliance and Gender Equity Center (MAGEC) for hosting virtual Paint Night led by a local artist on October 9. They are taking RSVP’s and mailing paint kits to the students’ homes, so they can follow along.

Lastly, but certainly not least, the student-focused group will also host Drag Queen Bingo with Cynthia Lee Fontaine from RuPaul’s Drag Race on Wednesday, Oct. 14, who will read the letters and numbers both in English and Spanish.

Another favorite event for Callahan on campus is Runner Letter Day, designed to support freshmen during midterms of their first semester on campus in the form of an encouraging letter.

“Our campus community rallies together to write to our freshmen and remind them of their dedication to their success at CSUB,” said Callahan.

She added that it will “look a little different this year,” but the goal hasn’t changed. All freshmen will still receive a personalized box folder with a special video message and at least one letter.

Finally, the fourth annual International Education Week is scheduled for November 16-20, which will include a full schedule of events, featuring food giveaways at local restaurants with an international cuisine , including Blue Elephant for Thai Food, Viceroy Indian Cuisine and Bar for Indian food, Toro Fusion Grill for Japanese food, Frugatti’s for Italian food and Ruben’s for Mexican food.

Callahan explained that one of the challenges they have been met with is being able to provide meals in large quantities to the students. In the past, Campus Programming has been able to feed more than 200 students a meal at a meaningful discussion or celebration.

“Although that looks a little different, we are still providing meals as we partner with local restaurants this semester for students to do take-out,” she said.

At this time, Campus Programming has partnered with Ruben’s Mexican Food and Kings Ice Cream.

In order to stay plugged in and on top of events and resources offered at this time, Callahan encourages students to follow Campus Programming on social media, as well as other CSUB accounts, which will provide more details about their events. It’s also important to check the virtual events calendar often, if students would like to attend an event.

Callahan also encourages students to view the Virtual Wellness Tips Sheet: Resiliency Resources and the 8 Dimensions of Wellness on CSUB’s Wellness website, which reminds students to help maintain their physical, emotional, social, environmental, intellectual, occupational, financial and spiritual health.

“We know that Zoom fatigue is a real thing right now. However, expanding your mind with a fun activity or new information or a social opportunity is good for the soul,” Callahan added.