Welcome (Back)!

Hi everyone!  Welcome back.  The GSA is excited to start the new semester.  We have fun events planned for each weekend and hope to see you at one or more of them!

Fall 2015 Officers.  Left to right: Laylita Day, Haminton Lam, Sokha Ny and Moe Nanami.  Not pictured: James Medway.

 As some of you may know, we kicked off the semester with Week of Welcome (WOW) where students could meet our new officers and learn about what we have planned for this semester.  We even had a raffle for two AMC tickets, which was won by a new member Robert.  Congrats!  Our new officers this semester include our President Haminton Lam, Secretary Moe Nanami, Treasurer James Medway, Historian Sokha Ny and the continuing Vice President Laylita Day.  

WOW Fall 2015.  Left to right: Sokha Ny, Jennie Ramirez and Moe Nanami.

Our first meeting of the semester was Sep. 8 and was well-attended.  We played ice breaker games, a trivia-style battleship, ate green tea cupcakes and various cookies and learned about what will be happening this semester.  This month features learning all about Mexico.  Each month we will feature a different place in the world so come join us and "travel" around the world with us!

First GSA Meeting Fall 2015.

Our first event on Friday Sep. 11 was the free public lecture held by the Los Angeles Geographical Society (LAGS).  They have lectures every first Friday of the month and this month's was titled "The End of the Rainbow: Ethnicity in Los Angeles" by Gary Booher.  This was a great lecture showing through various maps, how ethnicity has changed in LA since the early 1900s.

Here are some of the highlights:

• California has the largest population in the US with 38 million people.  It also is the 8th largest economy in the world with $2.3 trillion. 
• 27% is foreign born with over 50% native born; both are the highest in 100 years.
• Recently there has been a net migration of people leaving California but it is still a major destination for immigrants.  30-40% of US immigration occurs in California with about 80% coming from Asia and Latin America.  
• According to US Census data, 39% of California's population is Latino/Hispanic.  The highest percentages are found in San Joaquin Valley because of the farm-related jobs.  50% of LA's population is Latino/Hispanic and most come from Mexico. 
• Whites are 38%, located mostly in northern, rural California; Asian/Pacific Islander comes out at 14% with most at the San Francisco Bay area and Chinese are the largest group.  Black/African American is 6% with most found in the LA area.  And Native American makes up only 1% and are found throughout urban areas.    
• An interesting trend being seen now is the creation of multi-ethnic cities where no one ethnicity is dominant.  
• In the 1940s, there were only three locations that Blacks could live because of deed restrictions that forbid whites from selling their homes to Blacks.  This changed in 1947-48 when the law was overturned.  From then until the end of the 1980s, the Black population expanded.  Since 1990 the Black population has decreased as other ethnic groups have increased.
• There was no category for Asians and Hispanics until 1970.  In the 1960s, there was "Spanish Surname," which also included Filipinos.  From the 1970s on, the Hispanic and Asian populations increased.  Hispanics were especially growing in central LA and moving into areas that were originally Black areas.  The Asian population mostly increased north of downtown LA (Alhambra, Monterey Park, etc.), Cerritos, Torrance/Palos Verdes and other various places.        

Our second event was Saturday Sep. 12.  This was a hike at El Dorado Nature Center in Long Beach.  This nature center is 105 acres and has three different trails, a 1/4 mile, 1 mile and 2 mile one.  There are two lakes and streams, a visitor center and lots of wildlife.  On our hike we saw ducks, California ground squirrels, fox squirrels, a heron, dragonflies, butterflies, various lizards, turtles, unusual trees, beautiful flowers and snakes (those were in the visitor center).  It was a nice break from the normal urban landscape.  Our group walked all three trails and despite the humid heat and slight sprinkling of rain, we all had a good time and even went to lunch afterwards.

Here are some photos from the hike.  All photos by Laylita Day.

Please join us for our next events!

Saturday Sep. 19: Fundraiser at Pizza Rev.  20% of purchases will go to the GSA.  Starts at 7pm.  Carpool available.  Sign up here: GSA September Events.

Saturday Sep. 26: Bolsa Chica Beach Cleanup.  Starts at 9 am.  Wear clothes for working outside.  Carpool available.  Sign up here: GSA September Events.
  
Saturday Sep. 26: Cultural Night at Los Compadres.  Food and good company.  Starts at 7 pm.  Carpool available.  Sign up here: GSA September Events.

We hope to see you at one of our events or meetings!

WOW 2015

The GSA is welcoming the new year and we're kicking off this new semester with new (and old) GSA officers and an enthusiastic, energetic and activity-filled year.  We started off this semester with Week of Welcome (WOW) and had a lot of fun talking to students about geography.  Plus we had amazing cookies.

As for upcoming events, our first one is the free LA Geographical Society lecture this Friday at 8 pm at LA City College.  This month's lecture is on "Amenity Clusters defining the Spatial Logic of Los Angeles" by Samuel Krueger from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.  If you want to carpool send us an email.  For more information on LAGS lectures, check out their website lageography.org.

We will have meetings every other Thursday starting at 2:30 pm in PH1-230.  The first meeting of the semester will be on February 12th.  This is a great way to meet fellow geographers, learn about events and even contribute ideas for future events.

We plan to have more events later this month so keep checking us out here and on our other social media site for updates.  We hope your semester is off to a good start and that the GSA can help make it even better.  We hope to see you around.  Spread the good word of geography! 

All photos taken by Laylita Day (except last one taken by Carol Phillip).

CALL FOR MAPS

This November 19, the Geography Student Association will be holding the second annual GIS Day Map Exhibition. The goal of this event is to showcase the Geography field's diversity of thought in general, and research done by students and faculty of the CSULB Geography Department in particular. We're taking over the outside wall of the LA5 building and covering it with maps that show the range of issues and subjects that can be studied with an education in Geography.

Fall 2013 Map Exhibition.  Photo Credit: Laylita Day

To that end, the Geography Student Association would like to borrow maps by CSULB faculty or students. The maps can be of any size, as long as they exist on paper or can be printed to an 8.5x11 size. After the exhibition, the maps will be returned.

To enter your map into the Exhibition, submit an entry form. Complete one form per map you plan to submit, and GSA members will be in touch with you to arrange the details of picking up your map or maps.

Click here for the entry form.

LAGS and Cultural Night

LAGS
This month's first LAGS lecture was presented by some Roosevelt High School students.  These students have been learning how to use GIS to map social inequalities, such as obesity, community gardens, PTSD and alcoholism in their local community, which is mostly minority and low income.

The first group showed maps concerning the obesity epidemic found in Boyle Heights.  The question the students asked was whether one’s economic status affected their likelihood of developing obesity.  They compared Boyle Heights with Pacific Palisades, a higher income neighborhood.

Obesity/Income Map for Boyle Heights. Image from Boyle Heights Beat (online).

The next group focused on community gardens.  They explored community gardens in their local area ad found quite a few, but they were usually small and rarely open.  The students commented on the abundance of vacant lots, which they suggested could be used for community gardens.

The third group examined PTSD in young adolescents.  They said a lot of young people suffer from PTSD in low income communities where gang violence and shootings occur daily.  The students presenting this topic said they experience such events in their own lives.

The last group addressed the issue of alcoholism among both adults and young people.  These students walked around Boyle Heights, taking note of every alcohol advertisement and liquor store they found.

For more information on this topic visit Boyle Heights Beat and GeoMaster.  Next month's LAGS lecture is titled "Bahrain - Between Two Seas" by Dr. Zia Salim, Assistant Professor of Geography, CSU Fullerton.  It will begin at 8pm on October 3rd.  Visit the LAGS page for more info.  Email us at csulbgsa@gmail for carpool info.

CULTURAL NIGHT
The first cultural night was a huge success!  We had so many people show up that we couldn't fit them all at one table!  We ate at Magic Lamp, a Lebanese Mediterranean grill restaurant on East Second Street in Long Beach and it was delicious.  There was not only good food but live music and good service.

Afterward we got dessert at Sweet Jill's Bakery across the street from Magic Lamp.  All the cakes there looked amazing and the ones our group tried tasted amazing too.  If you missed this past cultural night, don't worry.  We're having another one in October, place and day TBA.  Here are some photos from this month's cultural night.   

Week of Welcome: Day Two

Here is a photo gallery of the second day of Week of Welcome.  You can see some of the people who put pins in our map!  Plus the complete map is at the end.  Enjoy!