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survival
guide
Dorm life hectic,
but a great experience
By Kristine Hernandez
Special to the On-line Forty-Niner
Senior Jessica
Aitken came to Cal State Long Beach four years ago with expectations
of having a true college experience. Moving into the residence
halls allowed her that opportunity.
Aitken lived in
the Residence Commons B building, where she met many friends
and started her college experience. She said she was pleased
with the location of her dorm but felt that she would have
been happier in the Parkside Commons, because the friends
she met through classes and events lived there.
Aitken said she
found many advantages to living in the dorms because they
are a place to expand one's horizons and do something new.
"There were
always limitations to who you could meet in high school,"
Aitken said. "The dorms gave me a chance to meet different
personalities from different backgrounds."
On campus housing
at CSULB is in high demand. There are currently 1,827 beds
available throughout the five buildings: Parkside Commons,
Residence Commons, Los Cerritos Hall, Los Alamitos Hall and
the International House.
According to the
Housing Information and Application, these five buildings
consist of 18 halls and can accommodate more than 1,800 students.
With a campus of 30,918 students and growing, according to
University Outreach, the freshmen classes are getting bigger,
and whether expansion is possible is still in question.
Conversations for
growth are currently being held between the university and
its neighbors, the Veteran's Affair Medical Center. Exactly
when and where the expansion would take place is currently
up in the air, said Stan Olin, the interim director of housing
and student life. The promise of a new building is probable
though, he said.
As with all incoming
freshmen, Aitken received her application for residential
life along with her admissions information. She mailed back
the application and later, she received another package in
which she was able to give more personal information.
Olin said they
resist using computer technology to match-up roommates. This
way the hall staff is able to match people with the same interests,
including the same major or coming from the same area. This
process gives students' living situation a more "personal
touch," Olin said.
For Aitken, the
situation was not quite that personal. She and her roommate
did not have any common interests at first, she said.
"We eventually
grew to be very close, but just like any relationship it took
awhile to warm-up," Aitken said.
Thirty-one residential
advisers organize programs and special activities to keep
everyone excited, Olin said. The point is to give the students
variety.
Each RA is assigned
to come up with a sponsored excursion for residents to participate
in. According to the pamphlet, "Residential Life Programs,"
some examples are Casino Night, Bingo Night, trips to the
J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles and to the Laugh Factory.
The idea with such a variety is that one of these events would
"tickle your fancy," Olin said.
Aitken said she
never really took advantage of these events but many students
found them to be the best way to meet people. "The dorms
were more fun than I expected," Aitken said. "I
would recommend it to anyone."
"We want it
to be more than a place to hang your hat," Olin said,
"but a place to live."
To find information
for the dorms contact Housing and Residential Life at (562)
985-4817 or e-mail at housing@csulb.edu.
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