A.S.I.
combats commuter stigma
By Ryan Ritchie
On-line Forty-Niner
Cal
State Long Beach has the reputation of being
a commuter campus because of the perceived
lack of community in the area, but if Associated
Students Inc. President Danny Vivian has
his way, this will soon change.
Last semester’s A.S.I. proposed to remove
the commuter campus stigma by producing
more weekend and social events to help attract
and retain more students on campus. This
initiative is still on the list of things
to do for this year’s A.S.I., Vivian said,
because this is something not solely confined
to student government.
“Students have been working on this for
a long time,” Vivian said, “not just A.S.I.”
The CSULB community is not defined by how
many students live on campus, said Armando
Contreras, executive assistant to President
Robert Maxson, because the university has
only 2,000 dorm rooms available.
“It’s not whether or not you commute,” Contreras
said, “it’s about having people come to
campus four to five days a week.”
One of Vivian’s goals is to get students
into the habit of spending more time on
campus and he said he believes this is happening.
“When I think of a commuter campus, I think
of people who drive to school and go home,”
Vivian said. “People go here but also hang
out.”
Marquee events, such as concerts in The
Pyramid, are a good way to attract people
to campus, but it is the little events that
will erase the stigma, Vivian said. Things
such as students using the University Student
Union to bowl, play video games or get coffee
contribute to students spending more time
on campus. By doing so, students are building
a stronger foundation for the CSULB community.
“I want Cal State Long Beach to be a place
to hang out,” Vivian said. “It’s boring
to just show up and leave.
“It should help you relax to come to school
and hang,” Vivian said, “and that’s when
you break the status of a commuter campus.”
Another important factor in breaking the
stigma is what Maxson calls a “critical
mass of freshman,” Contreras said. Freshmen
are more likely to be involved in school
activities during the beginning of their
college careers and this involvement leads
to strong ties between students and their
community.
“Ninety-seven percent of freshmen are full
time,” Contreras said. “They may be commuting,
but they’re commuting a lot.”
Ryan Hammett, a senior political science
major, said he thinks the university does
a decent job in promoting a campus community.
“If I’ve got two hours to kill I like to
stay on campus to eat,” Hammett said. “I
don’t want to lose my parking spot.”
Events such as movies shown on campus is
a good starting point, Hammett said, but
said he still believes a problem exists.
“One problem I find in all of this is the
academic related events,” Hammett said.
“There are always ads for movies and restaurants
but not for academics.”
An example Hammett gave was the music department.
He said he would be interested in hearing
students perform but, “I never know when
they’re doing it.”
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