Coffee, Books, Tacos, Repeat: Matadors Go Back to School

  • Two CSUN students crouch down to pet a larger goat and a baby goat (a kid) inside a small petting zoo pen, at the University Student Union.

    CSUN students visit a few four-legged barnyard friends Aug. 28, 2019, at the USU Matafest, a yearly event hosted by the USU to welcome back students, with games, prizes and booths dedicated to informing students about resources the USU provides. This year's event was Western themed, with a petting zoo and free barbecue. Photo by David J. Hawkins.

  • Two students pose for a photo, one holding a polka dotted cutout that reads

    While at Matafest, students could stop and pose for a photo with their friends. Photo by David J. Hawkins.

  • Two students sit on a giant inflatable chair as another student takes their picture.

    In between visiting booths, students at AS Fair could take a rest on a giant inflatable chair. Photo by Lee Choo.

  • A student holds a golf club, two tennis balls laying in the grass by him.

    While at Sports-A-Palooza, held on Aug. 28, students could play mini golf with tennis balls in between visiting booths. Photo by David J. Hawkins.

  • A student prepares to throw a rope ring at a cartoon cutout bull.

    One of the many games students got to play at Matafest, held on Aug. 28, involved throwing rings at a cartoon bull. Photo by David J. Hawkins.

  • A student prepares to throw a ring onto a cow print milk jug.

    This year's Matafest on Aug. 28 sported a Western theme. Here, students toss rings at milk bottles for prizes. Photo by David J. Hawkins.

CSUN students kicked off their first week of school with flair: Students munched on free tacos, spun a wheel to win prizes, visited a petting zoo and even tried goat yoga.

Goat yoga? Yes, it’s a thing: If a participant crouches low enough during a yoga pose, one of the small goats may jump on their back to join in the fun.

During the first week of the fall semester, the Associated Students (AS) and University Student Union (USU) put on several events to get students back into the swing of campus life and connect students with the many resources and activities available.

Up first was the Aug. 27 AS Fair, where students played games, bought tickets for CSUN’s Big Show 19 annual music festival (scheduled for Oct. 5) and devoured free tacos and watermelon.

Religious studies major Jemima San Diego and communications major Tristan Cold attended in hopes of getting involved with AS. San Diego, a freshman, is hoping to be a part of the AS team because “they love outdoor adventures like I do,” she said. Cold, a senior and recent transfer student, is hoping to find an on-campus job in AS, he said — possibly in AS Productions, which provides concerts like Big Show 19, cultural events, lectures and special events.

On Aug. 28, student leaders and staff presented both the USU Matafest and Sports-A-Palooza throughout the day.

Matafest is a yearly event hosted by the USU to welcome back students, with games, prizes and booths dedicated to informing students about resources the USU provides — such as the Oasis Wellness Center, the Pride Center and the Computer Lab, where students can print up to 20 free pages a day. This year’s event was Western themed, with booths sporting cowboy hats and free barbecue.

At the Sports-A-Palooza, students browsed a broad array of booths and met team and group leaders for intramural sports clubs. Michael Merino, a freshman mechanical engineering major, expressed interest in boxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Merino practiced jiu-jitsu when he was younger, achieving an orange belt, and he noted that he’s looking forward to getting back into the martial art on campus.

“I’m mainly [at Sports-A-Palooza] for my education, but also just to have fun and see what I like.”

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