Music
lounge keeps students in tune
By Oscar Montealegre
On-line Forty-Niner
The
growing popularity of the University Student
Union Music Listening Lounge is expecting
to create more noise during the fall semester.
The lounge continues to be a haven for students
who are seeking to just relax and listen
to music.
 According
to Lisa Molina-De la Loza, assistant director
of USU services, the lounge is hoping that
this semester it will receive more visitors
due to the rise of student awareness that
the lounge exists.
The Music Listening Lounge, located on the
second floor of the University Student Union,
has been in the USU for over 20 years. “It
is the only place on campus where you can
study, relax, sleep and listen to music,”
said De la Loza, “and at the same time have
a good time.”
The lounge is free of charge and welcomes
all students who have a Cal State Long Beach
identification card. To live disc jockeys,
individual listening booths, and two comfortable
lounge areas are available to students.
In addition, they have arcade machines that
only charge 25 cents.
All services are free of charge except the
individual listening booths. One of the
five listening booths cost $1 per hour.
However listeners have the luxury of choosing
a CD of their own preference out of a library
of over 1,000 CDs. The individual listening
booths contain one CD player, an amplifier,
two speakers, and one or two beanbags.
However, there are coupons being passed
out in the beginning of the semester that
offer a reduced price of 50 cents an hour
to get an individual listening booth. The
coupons will be inside the Associated Students
Calendar book. They will be passed out to
students all over campus during the beginning
of the semester.
De la Loza said that this advertisement
would hopefully increase the amount of students
entering the lounge. “It gives students
another place to spend their free time between
classes,” said De la Loza.
“The beanbags were a big hit last semester,”
De la Loza said. “They get occupied
very fast.” In fact, they are adding more
beanbags to the lounge to their existent
50-bean bag inventory. The beanbags are
located inside one of the lounges that is
dark with painted black walls, disco lights
and neon wall decorations to give it a surreal
mood.
“Chillin’ in the dark room relieves me from
the constant stress that school gives me,”
junior liberal arts major Anthony Nichols
said, “It is also an escape from the hectic
pedestrian traffic and noise that you have
to endure everyday outside.”
“Those beanbags are very comfortable,” said
Anthony Nichols, “I almost fall asleep on
them every time.”
The Music Listening Lounge also attempts
to change the configuration and aesthetic
of the lounge each semester. “We give students
that work at the lounge the opportunity
to practice their artistic capabilities
and change the music lounge to their satisfaction,”
said De la Loza.
The lounge is also a location where it offers
the opportunity to meet new people. Students
use the lounge to study, relax or listen
to music. Others find it as a spot to catch
up on conversation with other peers.
“I like going to the lounge to talk to girls,”
said senior Brian Kleiban. “It is a cool
place to meet other people, especially since
it is hard to find a place in this school
to find people that are just relaxing and
kicking back.”
The Music Listening Lounge is open from
8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday
and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday. |
