Students on campus do their best to hide from the hustle and bustle of university life. With breaks or canceled classes, students try to find a place of solitude, if only for a moment. Weekend activities put on by the university bring some of those students back to campus, however, to enjoy fun and festive activities. All are searching for the same thing, an escape.

By Jakob Smith
The Collegian

Ryan Tubongbanua / The Collegian

On a recent Saturday at Fresno State, homemade salsa won the fight against French̢۪s mustard.

The heat and blazing sun left no brow without sweat, but that didn̢۪t curb the appetites of the patrons at this past weekend̢۪s Latino Heritage Festival. And with the scent of carne asada in the air, it didn̢۪t take long for the food court to fill up.

A single row of booths stretched across the food court, selling food. Salvadorian specialties called pupusas were added to the standard tacos, burritos and nachos. Meat choices ranged from carne asada steak and chili verde to delicacies such as lengua, or tongue.

And parked in between these ethnic booths was a mustard-yellow trailer. Instead of hand-written menus, it had flags, pennants and a flashy banner advertising funnel cakes, corn dogs and garlic fries. But this fully equipped trailer with an indoor cooking area and dual propane tanks was not getting the business that one might expect.

A line of 15 people waited in front of the Super Taqueria booth. A few yards away, a young girl tore hand-written tickets off of an order pad at the El Rincon de America booth. And while this went on, the yellow trailer was lucky to pull in one or two stray customers.

And so it continued, funnel cakes and hot dogs going unsold as cooks pushed piles of meat back and forth over open grills. Apparently, being flashy doesn̢۪t always guarantee attention.

By Paige Ricks
The Collegian

Ryan Tybongbanua / The Collegian

Everyone walks around on a mission. But one young woman walks very slowly, reading from a piece of paper.

It̢۪s almost 1 p.m. and students seem to be running out of the classrooms of McLane Hall.

Some people talk to each other. Some wave as they pass one another. Some just lock eyes. But most just ignore each other.

“I’m so hungry, dude,â€Â a young man says to his friend as they walk out of room 161.

“Well, I’ll just see you at the house then, man,â€Â his friend replies.

McLane Hall, a building of large lecture rooms and science labs, sits in the middle of campus. Many students pass through the corridors to get to classes or sit in the shade.

Closer to the student union, an older man sits with his legs crossed on a bench. He reads The Fresno Bee, ignoring people walking in and out of the student union who are talking loudly.

A younger man walks past him, listening to music so loud from his headphones that anyone around him knows exactly what song he is listening to.

His poor ears.

“This is the year of the lover,â€Â the young man mouths to himself as he walks past.

Across the corridor, a young woman talks loudly on her phone, using big arm gestures, as if the person she is talking to could see her.

Most people walk out of each other̢۪s way.

Phone conversations of passers-by and observations of what people are reading and who people are with all seem to be irrelevant.

Why don̢۪t people pay attention a little bit more?

The slow-walking woman staring at a piece of paper could have seen so much more.

By Kaley Delarosa
The Collegian

For a brief moment of their day, Fresno State students are immersed into an atmosphere that sometimes resembles a summer street fair — the Free Speech Area.

The September air is hot and still. The scent of Panda Express overpowers all others. Eleven chimes follow the song of the campus clock tower as the center of campus floods with people.

Students pass through the Free Speech Area on foot, bicycle and skateboard. Many listen to iPods or talk on cell phones, unaware of the chaos that surrounds them.

Students talk excitedly as they devour fast food and caffeinated drinks. One student attempts to study. He eventually leaves, bothered by the distractions.

Information booths offer a shady social gathering place. People sit at tables and offer religious pamphlets and books, gym memberships, cable and Internet services and student credit cards.

Several people pass out squares of multi-colored paper offering discounts and promoting groups and events on campus and throughout the community. Many students ignore them or say “no thank you.â€Â

One student politely takes what she is offered. In a matter of seconds she is bombarded with various offers and advertisements. She is asked to register to vote, then sign a petition. As she leaves the area, she sifts through her colorful stack of papers, disregarding parties, church groups, discount coupons and credit card offers. She tosses them into a trash can and carefully slides the only one that caught her attention into her bag.

By Adam Criswell
The Collegian

On a scorching-hot early afternoon this week at Fresno State, students spent their lunch breaks in solitude.

One student, like many others, sought refuge from the sun at a table in the shade on the student union̢۪s patio. The young student stared at his laptop, disengaged with his surroundings. He was one student all alone, among more than 22,000 on campus.

Nine tables in the area surrounding him were in direct sunlight, and for passers-by these tables were undesirable, uninhabitable. Students overlooked his table and took their meals elsewhere.

One cluster of three female students waited for 10 minutes to get their lunch from Subway. The girls couldn̢۪t eat inside because all tables were occupied. The group had to find somewhere else to eat.

“It’s so hot in the sun,â€Â one girl said. Her two friends said something back to her as they walked through the automatic, sliding-glass door to the patio of the student union. They approached the table in the shade that was occupied by the guy on his laptop.

“Can we sit here?â€Â the girl in pink asked.

He said, “Sure, why not?â€Â He smiled as the girls settled in and ate lunch.

But the laptop guy didn̢۪t talk to them; he only sat up a little straighter. The girls chatted, and after a few minutes, he packed up his laptop and left, right back to the comfort of his own solitude.