Seen Around Campus

Where Do Signs Come From

After taking the elevator down the the main floor of the Union, walking out the back door that was down a short hallway, through a bit of an ally and into a locked room we arrive at the University Sign Shop. Dan Roberts and Mike Archibald took me on a personal behind the scenes tour of the banners and posters you see around campus. As a fellow student here at CSUS, I always wondered who made the signs I see everyday as I walk from class to class.

Meet The Guys

Dan had been working in the Sign Shop for a year and a half, after working at the Info Desk in the Union and helping out during the summer he was asked to come on full time. "It's a relax job and allows for a lot of artistic freedoms" said Roberts. When asked what they hated most about their job, there wasn't much they could complain about. Mike said the most boring part is "when it gets slow and there is nothing to be done, or if we get too far ahead of our jobs". Dan and Mike's official titles are "Marketing Assistants" but Mike refers to Dan as their Manager. Laughing, Mike commented that "Dan is our Manager, he's here most often and knows what to do... unofficially".

Such a Thing As Normal

A normal day for the four guys who work in the Sign Shop is coming in , tracing the design created by the Design Team and driving around on the "lifted whip lifter on 10's"putting them up around campus. They are also responsible for putting up all posters for Unique and Rec Sports as well as cleaning up the kiosks around campus with expired events and unapproved postings. When asked if they needed any artistic abilities to work in the shop Mike jumped to respond with "I don't have any artistic skill so I'm living proof!"

As I was in talking with the guys, they were make a new sign to replace the one that someone stole. "This year there has been a lot of vandalism where we have had to redo signs." Along with the vandalism, October 13th wasn't such a normal day for the guys. As we all know, this was the day of the heavy storm that hit Sacramento. The guys lost seventeen of their banners and were in a panic to get them back up that same day. "Peak Adventures needed to get in here as well... we made all the banners in forty-five minutes... it was amazing!"

Deadly Violence on CUSU

Normal Day on Campus

Tuesday morning started like any other normal weekday, students were scrambling to get to class on time and going about their regular business. Unknown to anyone, life on campus was soon to change for a select few. In the new dormitory on the CSUS campus, a deadly beating took place between two roommates. 23-year-old Scott Hawkins passed away Tuesday afternoon shortly after being transported to the hospital after Quran Jones allegedly beat him with a baseball bat, as of now, there are no leads as to why this took place.

Things are Looking a Little Different

While walking through campus on Wednesday afternoon with Lynnie Hiratzka, a credential student ; campus seemed a bit eerie . Not many students were moving around campus and the parking lots were scattered with news vans. "I can't believe something like this would happen on campus, how could someone attack their suite-mate?". This seems to be the common question around campus. Know one knows the exact reason why the "incident", as President Gonzalez calls it, occurred. As a student who lived in the dorms at one time, Hiratzka was quite shaken up about the beating. "I would not want to stay in the dorms anymore, I don't think I would feel safe." Even though it was an isolated event, it has left many feeling uneasy. Hiratzka expressed as well that you never truly know your roommates when you are paired up by staff on campus.

What We Have Lost

Unlike other acts of violence on college campuses, there were no traces of ribbons or vigils to be seen around the dorm on Wednesday afternoon. "It's so sad to see that everyone is carried up in all the drama of the incident and no one is mourning the loss of a fellow student" said Hiratzka. What was so different about this act of violence, was it because it was and isolated incident? Campus officials seemed to be responding to the emotional need of students and provided councilors in the dormitories.

"It was said that Hawkins' had Asperger's disease and that he had been targeted in the past." Hiratzka was saddened to hear that someone like this would be a target for a crime. Individuals with Asperger's tend to have extensive vocabulary along with formal speech patterns, but will most likely need training in social skills.