Convocation celebrates arrival of new students to CSUMB

By Mark Muckenfuss

They came amid a fanfare of bagpipes, drums, the “whap!” of inflatable noisemakers, party horns and cheers. Marching down Divarty Street, hundreds of new Cal State Monterey Bay first-year and transfer students paraded past enthusiastic staff and faculty, who waved handmade signs, shook pom-poms and shouted encouragement, such as, “Go Otters!” and “Welcome to the Raft!”

The Party on Divarty is an annual celebration that helps move students from the heart of campus to the New Student Convocation at Cardinale Stadium. It serves as a highlight of the events welcoming students to campus for the start of the fall semester and provides an opportunity for campus leaders to address them. 

“You have the skills, potential and unique qualities to thrive,” Interim Vice President of Student Affairs Reuban Rodriguez told the students, who filled most of one side of the stadium’s bleachers. “We know you will be a valuable member of our community.”

Rodriguez then introduced Interim President Carlos Vargas, who told the students that, like them, he is new to CSUMB. Vargas started his term Aug. 3. But he took students back much farther than that, as he shared his initial encounter with university life in Mexico City.

“When I went to college, the first week or so I was really struggling with whether or not I belonged there,” he said. “Those of you who have doubts about it, do not give up.”

He assured them that there were programs, mentors, tutors and professors willing to help them. 

“If you don’t know who to talk to, come and see me,” he added. “I mean that.”

Vargas advised students not to be shy, but rather to be inquisitive. 

“Ask questions,” he said. “It’s a good way to get people to think. Ask questions and then question the answers.”

He then shifted to a bonding activity he only recently learned himself.

“We have a tradition here,” he said. “It is a very important tradition.”

He asked the students to stand and link arms, telling them that it was similar to the way otters come together in the wild to protect themselves and their communities. 

“At Cal State Monterey Bay, we like to ‘raft up’ to show our collective strength and support of each other,” he said. “Now let’s show our Otter spirit!”

Provost Andrew Lawson led the students in a pinning ceremony, asking them to affix a commemorative pin to their shirts and to recite the Otter Pledge. 

“This pin represents your entry into our Otter Raft,” he said. “From now on, you are an Otter for life.”

The Convocation ended on a fun note, with a bevy of beach balls being thrown into the stands for students to bat back and forth and into the air. 

For Bell Jimenez, a first-year mechatronics engineering major from Lynwood, the event was part of a series of exciting moments during her first week on campus. 

“There’s always something going on and something to do,” she said, adding that she thinks the string of social events that comprise Otter Days during the first week and a half of the semester are important. “You end up finding your crowd a lot more quickly.”

Many students shared experiences of finding new friends and exploring the campus and its surroundings. 

Rocky Bernal, of Redondo Beach, is also a first-year mechanical engineering student. He took part in what has become the popular activity of dorm touring. 

“Me and my roommate, on the second day, went and knocked on doors just saying, 'Hi,’” Bernal said. “We ended up with a group of about 20 people. Now, I know everyone in my hall.”

The Convocation was followed by the Campus Cookout, where students were treated to hamburgers and hot dogs on the main quad. Skies were sunny, and those who didn’t want to sit at the tables set up for the event were able to check out picnic blankets and stretch out on the lawn. 

Recreational groups tabled the event and there were numerous activities for students, such as volleyball, a rock climbing wall, a mechanical surfboard and a basketball toss. 

Kaylen Manley, a first-year environmental science, technology and policy major from Inglewood, said she was happily surprised by what she was finding at CSUMB. She had seen social media comments saying there was little social life on the campus. Her experience, she said, was quite the opposite.

“I’ve had a lot of fun so far,” she said. “I’ve been making new friends and staying up late.”

She was sitting at a table with seven other students, all of whom had bonded since coming to campus. 

“I somehow met you all,” said Harlow Miller, a liberal studies major from Huntington Beach, “and I don’t know how it happened.”

The group laughed before Manley chimed in, “We were all playing pool, and then we got hungry.”

Jacob Gillig, of Stockton, is majoring in sustainable hospitality and tourism management. He said he and his new friend Ethan Garner, a biology student from Bakersfield, had been enjoying themselves by exploring the surrounding beach areas. 

Gillig projected how CSUMB would shape his future. 

“I’m looking forward to making connections and setting myself up for the rest of my professional career,” he said. “It’s cool to think I’m going to be here for the next four years.”