By Jeremiah Rojas, Co-Managing Editor
Toros showed out in both cosplay and casual attire for ‘Torocon,’ the Loker Student Union’s (LSU) Fall open house. The event ran all day on Sept. 25, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and brought a “Comic Con” style theme to campus for students to participate in various games, activities, and workshops.
Community, culture, and care were the focus of Torocon this semester. The open house event expanded beyond the medieval fantasy themes of the ‘Toroquest’ open house from the Spring semester, this time opting for a comic convention style to build upon the concept of community at Dominguez Hills.
Senior literature student Marilin Flores, who is also an LSU operations assistant, said that the Torocon theme was a general concept built to bring students together and allow them to connect over shared interests in cosplay, films, art, and other media.
“It’s about making community… everyone has different interests, but you can still gather together and enjoy those things,” Flores said. “[Those interests] are not necessarily something that separates you.”
Torocon was also an opportunity for students to become familiar with the LSU, according to Flores. The complex, first opened in 1992, is home to some of the student cultural centers on campus. The space also features ballrooms for events, a games room and nap room.
Flores said the process of putting Torocon together began early in the summer. The LSU team met to discuss possible themes, activities, and what accessories and prizes students could take home.
The LSU gave students a Torocon shirt as an incentive to dress in cosplay.
Fourth-year microbiology student and cosplayer Alexis Martinez showed up at Torocon wearing a homemade costume based on the character “Dante” from the video game Limbus Company. Martinez said cosplay is a quick and easy way for new people to meet and interact with each other.
“It’s gonna catch some attention … and you get introduced to people like that and make more connections,” Martinez said.
In addition to cosplay, Torocon had plenty of activities for students like ‘Toro Trivia’ where students went head-to-head to test their campus knowledge.
Junior English student Laraine Perez, and LSU Student-at-Large, described competing in Toro Trivia.
“With the trivia, I went ahead and met this really cool audio engineer [student],” Perez said. “They were like, ‘I never do stuff like this,’ but they got out of their comfort zone and got a really cool prize.”
Some of the activities and games at Torocon gave students the opportunity to win prizes like Sony headphones, iPads, and Lenovo Ideapads.
Students could also score a temporary tattoo, build their own LEGO Minifigure super hero, or have an artist draw their caricature. Workshops offered later in the afternoon let Toros create their own art pieces or stamps to take with them.
Fourth-year biology student Steffany Hernandez and third-year criminal justice student Matthew Guzman both said they planned on “zooming” their way through every activity at the event. By the time The Bulletin caught up with them, Hernandez and Guzman were already wearing their temporary tattoos and carrying their Minifigures.
“I like how it’s an all-day thing so I can actually come here and – with the little time that I have – try to enjoy everything,” Hernandez said. Guzman echoed the sentiment, saying the 9 p.m. end time gave students lots of time to show up and enjoy the event.
Torocon wound down on the lower-level patio outside the LSU with a clubs and activities mixer. The ‘Belonging Mixer’ invited students to explore the various organizations and meet their respective officers. The last several hours of the evening opened up the LSU games room for the ‘Games Room FreePlay’ for all students.
The mixer was something to look forward to for Perez, who said the mixer was an opportunity to introduce Toros to the LSU Board of Directors and learn more about their work on campus.
Flores said Torocon, ultimately, was about bringing students together and fostering a sense of school pride.
“I think it’s a really good way to socialize,” Flores said. “We want [students] to have a great experience and have all these activities and also be able to win prizes that might help them in their academic success.”
