Fullerton : Carnival Will Benefit Cal State Youth Camp

The hallowed halls of ivy at Cal State Fullerton looked, well, somewhat different Friday afternoon.

There was a giant slide and a Ferris wheel. A “Rambo Gun Shoot” and a goldfish bowl toss game. Nearby were clowns and the tilt-a-whirl.

Tracy Stotz, president of Associated Students Inc., the student government, looked over the scene at the north side of the campus and said jokingly: “I’ve heard it called ‘Cal State Disneyland’ before, but this is too much.”

Actually, Stotz was quite proud of the carnival scene on campus, as were other student and faculty leaders. “It’s very exciting to see students of Cal State Fullerton uniting behind a project of this size,” she said.

The colorful events were part of the first day of a weekend “Springfest” on campus that runs through Sunday night. The carnival rides, food booths and games are open to the public, as well as CSUF’s 23,000 students.

This is the first year for “Springfest,” but Associated Students, the sponsor, hopes that it will become an annual affair, said Natalie Malin, a senior from Cypress.

Malin, who organized the event, added: “There’s a two-fold purpose here. First, we’re raising money for Camp Titan, which is summer camp for underprivileged children in Orange County that’s sponsored by the university. And second, we’re letting the community know about us as a university.

“Cal State Fullerton is only 26 years old, and a lot of people still don’t know about us. So we hope they’ll come to the campus and have fun,” she added.

T. Roger Nudd, Cal State Fullerton’s vice president for student services, represented the faculty as the Springfest was officially opened.

“I’m really glad to be part of this happy occasion this afternoon,” he said. “A tremendous effort has gone into creating this. It’s events like this that generate school spirit. It gives our student organizations an opportunity to know each other better, to work together and all for a good cause. Congratulations to Associated Students, and now, let’s have fun!”

Interspersed with the speeches were dances and yells by the campus cheerleaders, some loud rock music, and appearances by mimes and clowns.

The clowns, who wandered through the booths and ride areas, were volunteers from the Garden Grove Elks Clowns. “We’re trying to help these people get off on a good footing,” explained Jo Jo the Clown, aka Donald DeWitt of Santa Ana.

Polka Dot the Clown, alias Owen Baum of Garden Grove, explained that the Elks Clowns volunteer their services for charitable events, and Springfest qualifies because it raises money for the underprivileged children’s camp.

The carnival rides and some of the game booths are professionally owned and operated, but most of the other booths--such as one selling chocolate-covered strawberries--are sponsored by student organizations.

There is no admission tab to the Springfest, but there are charges for the rides and games. The events will run today from noon through midnight, and on Sunday from noon to 10 p.m.

The carnival site is next to the Cal State gymnasium, near the Yorba Linda Boulevard exit from the Orange Freeway.