CSULB is a huge school, with about 34,000 students, most of whom are commuters, I assume. While most other big California schools offer limited or no opportunities for a guy trying to vend t-shirts (some require $1 million in liability insurance, some only open up the campus for one week per semester, some don't allow shirts because shirts are sold in the bookstore), CSULB has a program that lets me set up a table in the Student Union for $65 a day, with only two weeks notice. So a couple weeks back, I made a reservation for August 30, the second day of the new semester.
I was set up by 7:30, and of the hundreds of students who marched by during the day, several stopped to check out my merchandise and about a dozen bought shirts. I had two very interesting conversations as well: one with a young white guy who talked about the potential Democratic contenders in 2008, and one with an older black guy who had some interesting views on Condoleeza Rice and Colin Powell as well as Republicans and Democrats in general. These chats helped remind me that part of the reason I'm doing this is to get out in the world and talk to people about our country's leaders and their policies...it felt great just to talk, to hear other's opinions and hash out my own.Another nice part of the day was when my uncle Steve, who lives in Long Beach, surprised me with a visit. He's a staunch Republican, so I hadn't even told him I was going to be there, but he found out from my folks and stopped by, and even offered me lodging for future CSULB visits. Very cool.
Anyway, after CSULB I concluded that college vending has potential, and I resolved to look for similar opportunities at that school and others in the days ahead.
