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Song contest ends on high note

By Jaclyn Loveless

 He said it wasn’t going to be easy. Last winter Dan Gianoutsos, president of CSUB’s Associated Students, Inc. (ASI), vowed to help establish an alma mater and fight song on campus by spring. He can now say mission accomplished.

 “The process personally has been very demanding,” Gianoutsos said. “I have worked hard to make sure the process is organized, structured, and professional.”

  Those who entered the contest will receive a certificate of commendation. The winners will be rewarded with two commemorative plaques presented by CSUB President Horace Mitchell at the 35^th Anniversary Celebration and Presidential Inauguration on May 20. A copy of the fight song plaque will be displayed in the student union and a copy of the alma mater plaque will be displayed in the alumni office.

 Gianoutsos has been teaming up with music professor Doug Davis, and alumni relations director Jill Slaby on the project.

 Although CSUB has had a successful athletics program since it opened, a fight song and alma mater have never been part of the tradition. “We’re long overdue,” Slaby said. “Everyone keeps saying we’re about 35 years late in doing this.”

Slaby said it has been an easy and rewarding experience for her because of the huge response from the community.

 Determining the winners was a process in itself. The first committee consisting of music faculty received about 30 entries total, which they narrowed down to six in each category. The entries were then given to a finalist committee that included President Horace Mitchell, alumni Perry Eggleston and Marina Avalos-Kegley, and students Melissa Maricich and Omar Correa. This group narrowed the finalists down to two in each category.

 “The two in each category were so elite they stood far above the rest,” Gianoutsos said. He added that “all entries were evaluated fairly” and were judged on school spirit, catchiness (melody and lyrics), and whether they related to the campus.

 Faculty, staff, students, and alumni were then able to vote at either one of two home basketball games or in the student lounge in early March. KGET AM970 radio even got on board, sponsoring a basketball game and presenting the alma mater finalists one night. At press time, the winners had not been announced, but were to have been officially announced in late March.

 “I feel that the alma mater and fight song will increase school spirit,” Gianoutsos said. “The fight song will help turn momentum at athletic events. Both songs will help increase school identity. I also feel that the competition in itself has been a great bridge from the campus into the community.”

 Many people have been excited about starting this new tradition and there is even talk about forming a pep band to perform the fight song at games. “We have had tremendous success,” Davis said. “ We’ve received wonderful support from all CSUB fans and alumni. And they deserve to have a fight song and alma mater.”

Davis said the project has been conducted like a real professional song contest and that he has never heard of a school going through this procedure before.