CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, LONG BEACH
VOL. LXVIII, ISSUE 5 | SEPTEMBER 1, 2016
ASI
ASI elects students as trustees-at-large Senate elects students, alumni for leadership roles. By Meghan McGillicuddy Staff Writer
The Associated Students, Inc. Senate is still getting the ball rolling, with elections continuing during its second meeting of the semester this Wednesday. Last week, the senate elected seniors Julio Rosales and Matthew Taylor as trustees-at-large for the the Media Board. The Media Board oversees KBeach Radio, College Beat and the Union Weekly. Rosales and Taylor said they want to increase community outreach through media outlets associated with ASI. He said he hopes to help students with professional
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skills and create workshops such as resume building. Two out of three trustees-atlarge were elected for the Isabel Patterson Child Development Center last week —– Erin Burdex, an alumna of the university, and current senior Jessica Morales-Alvarez. The third nominee did not show up for the meeting, delaying the vote. At Wednesday’s meeting, the senate attempted to make up lost ground and elect the third trustee-at-large for the IPCDC, but the candidate did not show up. The senate has now reopened the application. ASI also elected senior Karla Estupinian as the general election officer. Estupinian will oversee political outreach at CSULB and said she wants to encourage students to vote in
see SENATE, page 2
STUDENT LIFE
Semester’s Greetings From dancing to 3-D design, CSULB’s clubs and organizations look to replenish their ranks at Week of Welcome. By Navy Keophan Staff Writer
Braving the midday heat and the crowds packed along the central quad, Cal State Long Beach students navigated a maze of booths, bodies and fliers on Wednesday at the biannual Week of Welcome. Held during the second week of the fall and spring semesters, Week
of Welcome helps link students with over 300 campus clubs and community organizations, giving students the opportunities to network with other student professionals, find a place for themselves on a commuter campus or engage in their hobbies with other students. Groups and organizations such as Delta Delta Delta, Black Student Union, Muslim Student Association and the CSULB Salsa club handed out information for potential new recruits interested in participating in their organizations. Many booths had candy, snacks and gifts such as stress balls to give to interested students. The even hungrier students made their way to Ragin Cajun, one of two food trucks set up near the quad.
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see WOW, page 2
Benjamin Hammerton | Daily 49er
icking her way into Long Beach State’s record books, junior Ashley Gonzales will be looked to ignite women’s soccer team to a second straight Big West regular season title. See page 8.
CSULB alumna finds new way to bring tips to online artists
By Daniela Alvarez Staff Writer
Cal State Long Beach alumna Natalia Kochan brings tossing coins in a street performer’s guitar case into
the virtual world. Curensea is a digital platform that allows artists to express themselves and receive validation from others in the art community, as well as appreciative enthusiasm, through an online tipping service. Kochan and co-creator Sofia Chirico wanted to make a solution for people who wanted to both share and consume art of all types. Painters, writers and musicians are welcome to register and upload content on Curensea for free. The concept of tipping became the center of their project. Artists can join Curensea and purchase Curen-
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sea coins, which they use to “tip” other art they come across. Kochan and Chirico concluded artists would
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The creators of the online platform Curensea want artists to know that their art is valued through digital tipping.
Their end goal and overall mission, however, will always remain the same: value the art.
receive half a penny for each Curensea coin donated to their profile. Users can later choose to keep their
coins and pay the tips forward or cash out out for real money. “This generation is not so big on buying luxuries like art, because most of the time we can’t afford it,” said Chirico. “We wanted people to be able to both consume art and have an online experience through an affordable and fun way.” Kochan and Chirico’s friendship – and partnership – began when they met at the Beijing Film Academy in China during 2011 while studying screenwriting. The site creators bonded over the struggle of trying to make money through their art, and their collective need for a creative
outlet for themselves and fellow artists. After creating Curensea in 2014, colleagues recommended that Kochan and Chirico find developers, investors and contractors in Chirico’s hometown of Germany as well as Ukraine, where Kochan’s family is from. After building a solid team, the duo finally settled in Long Beach to raise awareness of their business. For Kochan and Chirico, creating a startup was a stressful task, but maintaining poses even more of a challenge. Curensea is ad-free for
see TIPPING, page 4