New Student Programs

1st Issue - September 11th
Week 1

Welcome, first-time freshmen to SFSU in Fall 2007!

The FYI newsletter is in response to many email questions New Student Programs has been receiving. If one of you has a question, I bet many of you have the same. As director, I will be editing this newsletter, but the GatorAiders will be contributing articles.

If you have questions, concerns, problems or feedback on topics YOU would like to see covered, email us at orient@sfsu.edu

Best wishes,
Karen Kingsbury,
Joe Benjamin and...

The Gator Aiders!

Good Eats @ SFSU
Allison Burns, Green Team

It’s the second week of school and you’re tired of the Dining Center. The “DC” isn’t the only place to get your grub on, on campus. Whatever you’re craving, there’s something on campus that’s sure to hit the spot.

(continued on page two below)

 

Yippee for MUNI!!!
Roseann, Blue Team

Roseann

I absolutely love taking Muni, and this semester it has gotten a whole lot better. If you didn’t already know, Muni is the city’s public transportation system, and with parking permits increasing in price and gas prices rising, it’s the college student’s best friend. In fact, we are lucky to have such an extensive transportation system. I take the bus multiple times every day, and I just discovered that they installed GPS tracking devises in ALL of the buses. Last semester it was only the light rail lines and a select few buses. This means that I never have to wait an hour for the bus again, and neither do you.

If you go to www.nextbus.com you can see when the next bus is coming. What a concept! I have more important things to do than wait at a bus stop inhaling car exhaust and cigarette smoke and I think you do too. If you know how long it takes you to get from the residence communities to 19th Avenue you can leave your door when the bus is that many minutes away and catch the 28 to Golden Gate Park or Lincoln Ave. to catch the 71 to the Haight. Or, you can take the M to Church and hop on the 22 to Mission to go to Thrift Town.

If you do this regularly like I do, you might want to grab a $45 pass at the Info desk in the CCSC to save some money. If you take Muni 31 times in a month you get your money’s worth. Or you can consider it an investment. Buy a bus pass for one month to go as many places in the city as you can. But you might want to get a map while you’re at it so you don’t get lost. This city has incredible possibilities; go out and find them!

Taking Care of Yourself: The Gator Way!
Michele, Red Team

Hello Fellow Gators! So we all hope that your classes are going well and you aren’t stressing out too much. The biggest thing that you need to worry about is staying healthy and releasing some of your stress too. The biggest thing that I have learned is no matter how busy you get, always be sure that you stay hydrated and have some healthy snacks to keep you going.

Some of you may have classes back to back from each other and so keeping water and snacks on you is really important. To relieve some of the stress that you may have gotten over the past few weeks will be easy to maintain as you get into the grove of things.

  1. Be sure you stay organized with a planner, palm pilot, cell phone, laptop or whatever other gadget and gizmo you may be using.

  2. Exercise is key to preventing you from getting sick. We are located right next next to Lake Merced which is a perfect place to jog if you like to do so. If you brought a bike, you can pretty much ride anywhere. You can ride around the lake, or down to Golden Gate Park and through it on some really great trails. You can also pick up Kinesiology classes like Yoga, Karate, Step Aerobics, Tae Kwon Do, Swimming, and many others to choose from. Just remember stress can lower the strength of your immune system, and so it’s important to keep that up. Last but not least,

  3. Take one step at a time. If you try to tackle everything at once, the chances of you succeeding becomes slim. Focus on one thing at a time and you will be sure to succeed. Good luck to you!!!

  
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(continued from "Good Eats @ SFSU")

There are over 15 places to eat around campus. Starting near the residence halls, just a short walk up campus, you’ll find the familiar yellow Subway sign if you’re ever in need of a quick sandwich fix. Across the way, you’ll find the convenience of the Village Market, where you can order pizza (call ahead 415-405-2292), sandwiches or pick up snacks and other necessary items. You can even pay with your Gator dollars! Are you in the mood for a refreshing smoothie or delicious wrap? How about gyros? Try Taza, located under the yellow awning behind the Student Services building. Next to Burk Hall is Café Rosso which offers coffee, tea, pastries, and a variety of pasta salads.

The majority of campus life happens inside the Cesar Chavez Student Center on the plaza level. Here, there is an assortment of foods from Mexican at Taqueria Girasol to salads and grilled foods at Gold Coast Grill. The Philly cheese steaks are filling, but too good to pass up. Natural Sensations serves bagels, frozen yogurt, smoothies, and much more! A couple favorites include the pesto pasta salad and freshly squeezed orange juice. Need a pick me up in the morning? Stop by Café 101 for coffee, tea, or some yummy pastries. They even make delicious Italian sodas (vanilla is my favorite). There are also two convenience stores located on the plaza level: Snackademic and The Lobby Shop; both providing snacks and other last minute essentials.

Find yourself starving at the top of campus? You’re in luck! On the corner of 19th Ave. and Holloway is SFSU Station; a small coffee, bagel and sandwich quick stop. Also, right on the first floor of HSS in room 101 is a mini version of Café 101, where I pick up my favorite bagel sandwich, the #3; turkey, herbed cream cheese, tomato, sprouts, all on a toasted bagel of your choice.


            Outside in the south plaza at Carmelina La Petite you can grab a cup of Peet’s Coffee along with fresh fruit juices and sandwiches (with vegetarian options). Next door you can satisfy your hot dog cravings at Bark-n-Bun. Downstairs, in the Recreation and Dining level you will also find a unique variety of foods such as Asian, Italian and a New York style deli.


           

For more information on hours and full menus, check out this website:
           
           http://sfsustudentcenter.com/services/restaurants.php

Moving Forward
Juaquin Argones

Dear FG (Freshmen Gator),

College will undoubtedly be an experience to remember. The time has come to be independent and pick the path that you want to lead; not the path that has already been chosen. Usually, these questions arise when coming to college: What am I trying to escape? Who do I want to become? What do I want to do with my time at SFSU?As many as 30,000 students go to state and it is easy for one to get lost in the mix of everything. Many freshmen are not well informed or equipped with the tools necessary to be successful as new students to the campus. It is not until the second year at state that then freshmen feel like they had been sheltered from the resources available to them. Whether that be ASI Project Connect Free Book Loan Service, the  Career Center in search for on campus jobs, or simply the Library in which there is access to study rooms and books.

My advice to you freshmen is to be aware of what goes around on campus. Make sure to keep an open mind and be willing to explore new things in college. Being able to take risks and learning from ones mistake is a part of the college experience. Don’t hold back on what you assume you might know. Get off out of your seat and do something productive. Smell, breathe, learn, and live the college experience at SFSU. Once you do, I assure you that moving forward from being a new students (freshman) at this institution will no longer matter, but rather being a well rounded person perusing their aspirations.