Campus Takes Break to Throw Picnic in Honor of Staff

Ioana Patringenaru | August 31, 2009

They ate burgers, ice cream and popcorn. They danced and sang along as UC San Diego staff members and students performed. They made funny hats and picked up information about UCSD’s various staff associations.

View a video of "We Heart the Funk," a band that includes UCSD staff member Suzie Fontanoza, her husband and children. View a video of Paul Magnano, a professional cook in Housing, Dining and Hospitality. View a video of the "Turtle Project," a band that includes UCSD staff members Jason Yamaoka and Jim Krooskos. View a video of UCSD students Leslie Lu and Frances Tang, accompanied by UCSD staff member Mark Aquino on the guitar. View a video of UCSD staff member Theotis Duncan, from Facilities Management and his band, "The Redeemed." View a video of Katie Spenser, winner of the UCSD Staff Idol contest, and a staff member at the Geisel Library. All video clips are in MP4 format.

More than 3,700 members of the UCSD community turned out for this year’s All Staff Picnic. In addition to free lunch and dessert, seven performers entertained the crowd during the two-hour event. Every year, the picnic provides the campus with an opportunity to thank staff members for their hard work, said Chancellor Marye Anne Fox.

“Thanks so much for all you do for UC San Diego every day of the year,” she said.

This year’s get-together is extremely important, as the university’s 50th anniversary approaches and as the campus tackles its budget struggles, said Vice Chancellor Gary Matthews. The event reaffirms the power of the people who sustain the institution, he said.

Chancellor Marye Anne Fox gets in the spirit of the celebration. Chuck Morgan, president of the UCSD Staff Association is in the background.

“This is what makes it all worthwhile,” Matthews said, as he watched staff members enjoy their lunch.

Matthews and others, including Vice Chancellor Tony Haymet, had been handing out ice cream during the picnic. Several staff members said they were pleasantly surprised that the campus had decided to hold the celebration in spite of a difficult budget climate.

“It’s really showing that they appreciate us,” said Brandy Misquez, a staff member in biological sciences.

She and fellow staff members lunched on burgers, chicken, potato salad, an Asian-style noodle salad, corn on the cob and fruit. They could also get ice cream at a number of carts, including strawberry bars, ice cream sandwiches and cones. Another cart sold kettle popcorn.

Staff members said they enjoyed the food and entertainment.

In addition to the food, the centerpiece of this year’s picnic was the music. Seven acts performed as part of the “UCSD’s Got Talent” showcase. This time, they weren’t competing against one another—just highlighting their skills. 

“Music gets people to relax and think about the important things in life,” said Mark Aquino, a staff member in Fleet Services, who performed Hawaiian music while two UCSD students danced.

Frances Tang, a fourth-year communications major who performed with Aquino, had been part of a Polynesian dance school in the San Francisco Bay Area, but has never been to Hawaii. Leslie Lu, also a fourth-year majoring in physiology and neuroscience, started dancing after she took a class titled Oceanic Earth here at UCSD. She doesn’t remember much of anything from her visit to Hawaii when she was younger, she said. Both Tang and Lu belong to the Hawaii Club at UCSD.

Students Leslie Lu and Frances Tang, from the Hawaii Club at UCSD performed.

Aquino, the musician, was born on Molokai, back when much of the island was a pineapple plantation. His family moved to Oahu later on, where his father taught high school. Aquino started playing yukulele as a little boy, then graduated to the guitar. “Music is the thread that weaves it all together,” he said.

His fellow performers agreed. Paul Magnano, a drummer and a professional cook in Housing, Dining and Hospitality services, said music was his way to relieve stress. “If I didn’t have music, I’d be living in a hole somewhere,” he said.

Theotis Duncan, a supervisor in Facilities Management, performed with Eric Overstreet, whom he’s known since second- or third-grade. “I love everything about singing,” Duncan said. “It’s really my life.”