Event Reflections – Mental Health Matters

Event #2: CSUSB’s 2nd Annual 50/50 Celebration

CSU San Bernardino held its second annual 50/50 Day celebration on Thursday, May 9th, 2019. Prior to the event taking place, emails were sent out to the student body advertising the event and posters were hung about campus. The posters featured the event’s featured speaker, Monica Stockhausen, and the emails also included an explanation of what 50/50 day was.

50/50 Day is a free day and global initiative for people to engage in conversation about working towards a more gender-balanced world in all sectors of society: business, politics, culture, home, and more. All this with one theme: #GettingTo5050, a gender-balanced world that’s better for everyone. All genders. All races. All ages. All issues. Participating groups view films: 50/50: Rethinking the Past, Present, and Future of Women in Power, which explores the 10,000 year history of women + power — from setbacks and uprisings, to the bigger context of where we are today.

The event offered preregistration, which took place online at eventbrite. Admission was free and registration prompted follow-up emails in the time leading up to the event which offered more information. The first follow-up email came from the university ten days after registration and included a check-in time and a map of the event location with “Lunch included” in the subject line. The next email came five days later from eventbrite and was a simple reminder notification.

On the day of the event, the campus was bustling as usual with students attending classes. Approaching the building showed very little signs of unusual activity. It was not until the second floor that a rare sign was posted to help guide students to the event center.

Check-in at the event included two tables arranged for check-in by the last name. One person checked a list and crossed off the name, the other looked for the identification badge. The table included “first time attendee” ribbons that could be attached to the badge as well as buttons advertising the event, and students were given free water bottles.

Walking into the actual event room was overwhelming. Round tables were set up throughout the room, covered with black tablecloths and adorned with a beautiful centerpiece. Each place setting included a mission statement, an Ombuds Services bookmark, an event schedule, and a 50/50 Movement postcard. A buffet was set up along the back, and a discussion panel table was at the front. There were four or five cameras set up in order to stream the event to the Palm Desert campus. I settled into a spot with another awkward, underdressed student and we joked about how unprepared we were for all the suits and the actual lunch. My selfie came with numerous silent apologies as I captured people eating in the background.

The event was a little late getting started, but the opening statements were heartfelt and it was clear the event was incredibly important to them. Asia Fam, one of the people responsible for putting the event together, introduced Dr. Shari McMahan, the first woman to hold her current position within the university. Then President Tomas Morales offered a breakdown of the gender statistics in and around CSUSB, followed by encouragement for students and women together. Graciela Moran, a member of the 50/50 committee and the woman’s resource center, then introduced the featured speaker, Monica Stockhausen.

Monica Stockhausen is the CEO of Nerdy Girls Rock, which encourages women to thrive in the business world. Stockhausen, a previous student at CSUSB, offered a simple, truthful speech that had everyone in the room applauding and nodding along. She was blunt and she was emotional. The committee did a truly wonderful job obtaining her as a speaker for this event. Everyone in attendance was fully engaged in listening and the conversations were all in agreement.

The event was in honor of the ongoing struggle to reach equality for all genders, races, and ages, with the majority in attendance being women. In this crowd, she asked everyone to recognize their own privilege. Her speech was moving and her requests eye-opening. In a crowd that was gathered to recognize their struggle, they ended up recognizing their own privilege. That is the type of understanding the event was designed to encourage, and that is the type of understanding I walked away with that day.

Parts of the event were a little lacking. I was not the only one questioning where to go to reach the event center. I was not the only one who had not realized they would be serving food; the only mention was in the subject line of a single email. I was not the only one seemingly underdressed in a room full of power-suits. Despite these shortcoming, the event was truly successful. A substantial group of men were in attendance for an event that, on the surface, largely appeared to be directed at women. The event room was packed full of attendees and they were all engaged in the material, in the speakers, in the conversations. Their second annual 50/50 Day celebration was a success, and I for one, look forward to attending their third annual celebration next year.

For more information on the 50/50 Movement or Monica Stockhausen:

Apple Valley Inn main building, during its heyday

The Apple Valley Inn, opened 1948, was a popular destination for Hollywood celebrities during the ’40s, ’50s, and ’60s. The Inn’s website boasts visitors such as Bob Hope, Marilyn Monroe, John Wayne, Richard Nixon, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans during the height of the Inn’s popularity. The Inn was closed in 1987 and has spent the last sixteen years under private ownership slowly being refurbished.

Concept art based on architect Hugh Gibbs’ vision

At its best, the Inn claimed 90 miles of hiking and riding trails, a lake for recreation, a golf course, a heated pool, tennis courts, and two cocktail lounges, both well stocked and luxurious.

Planter currently in front of the Inn’s main building

Though the Inn has seen better days, the current owners are striving to recreate the history that once lived within its bounds. The entrance proudly displays an old wagon, though not the original, as well as a similar “Apple Valley Inn” sign and cover, visible just above the wagon. The walls within the main building are full of old pictures, beautiful paintings, and a mural that graced the wall before the Inn’s official closing.

Famous AVI mural and history painted in the hallway. Picture found on Apple Valley Inn’s website.

It is fitting then, that this beautiful, historically significant site is the location of the High Desert’s Arts and Literary Festival. Taking place on a Saturday in April, the event was open for six hours and free to the public. Approaching the Inn, there were two younger adults standing on the sidewalk near the entrance, waving signs promoting the festival, several of which were posted to help navigate to the event. The parking lot boasted a food truck ready to serve and the entrance was flanked by both a popcorn stand and a snow cone stand. Clearly hoping to portray a fun front in order to attract family elements, it is only upon walking through the front doors that the significance of the location becomes apparent.

The building itself held constant and beautiful reminders of the Inn’s history: old benches and other artifacts, numerous paintings, and the extravagance of some features. Peppered in amongst the older artworks dedicated to the building were the booths, all showcasing unique and incredible art. In the first room alone, there was an abstract painter with astonishingly vibrant colors, a woodworker with truly delicate crafts, three painters with varying subjects, and a woman with gracefully blown glass. The next room only became more diverse with jewelers, painters, photographers, quilters, sculptors, and other artisans. From the desert to beaches, adorable insects to magnificent wolves, delicate glass earrings to wood bracelets, the festival was a place for everyone to showcase their art, whatever that may be.

Arriving a little after eleven, the event was already in full swing. People bought popcorn and snow cones outside, taking the time to speak with the event organizers explaining that the proceeds benefited local STEM educational programs and scholarships. Every booth inside had the artist next to their displayed works, talking to those who perused and perhaps deigned to purchase some of the art for themselves. An older photographer and another older author had crowds building around their booths, they were so engaged in conversations with their potential customers. The children’s center was bursting with noise as kids got their faces painted, adding a live demonstration of what the art that surrounded them could be.

The festival was a success, both for those who were fundraising for the educational programs and scholarships and for those artists and authors present and striving for exposure. It was truly a community event, something for all ages to come to, enjoy, and learn. Children were exposed to art, younger adults were able to get inspiration, and the older generations collected beautiful crafts and conversations. It was incredible to see how involved all the perusers became with the artist and their art work. All of this community engagement in a truly unique and historic site. Not only did this event provide an opportunity for authors and artists to connect with their audiences, students to fundraise for educational purposes, and citizens to connect with their community, it also offered a glimpse of what the once prolific historical Apple Valley Inn could become if the community banded together and gave it the care and attention it needed.