Collegio Online

Issue date: 8/23/07 Section: Campus Life

Media Credit: Shiho Itooka/Collegio

Students, businesses and nonprofit organizations were brought together by the one thing that unites them all: freebies.
Posters, compact discs, tumblers; whatever the schwag, students got their hands full as they walked through the Community Fair held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 22, in the Oval.
Tents and booths blanketed the campus, hawking everything from church services to cell phones.
"I didn't even stop and they're like, 'Here!'" said Kristal Gritzmaker, sophomore in biochemistry, of a particularly forceful group.
Gritzmaker made out with a free makeover, a poster, school supplies and more.
"I think it's good for freshmen to get an idea of what's in Pittsburg," Gritzmaker said.
One business in particular went all out for this year's Community Fair. Tony Allen, manager of Hastings, says he hoarded around $3,000 worth of merchandise over six months just to give out at the event.
"For us, our biggest thing is we have to get (students) past Wal-Mart," Allen said.
Others took a more subtle approach. Matthew Witt, senior announcer at campus radio station KRPS, stood quietly next to a radio playing gentle classical music while nearby Creative Car Audio nearly blew him away with a blaring "Guitar Hero II" setup.
Groups as diverse as those two had no choice but to compete for attention at the fair, which has grown to encompass a large area south of the student center.
Edie McCracken, program coordinator for Campus Activities, says this year's fair included booths from 76 groups.
"We invite businesses, churches and nonprofits with volunteer opportunities," McCracken said. "Anyone college students might come across in their four years, we invite."
McCracken says the Community Fair gets larger with each year.
"This is my seventh year coordinating, and it's grown every single year," McCracken said. "It makes it really easy for students to find out what's in the community."

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