A.S.I.
brings Beach Pride back to agenda
By Todd Leland
On-line Forty-Niner
The
Associated Student Inc. Senate has decided
to take up the Beach Pride Day project left
to them as a 2001-2002 government initiative
at the A.S.I. meeting Wednesday.
“It’s been left to us as an initiative from
last year,” Vice President and Senate Chair
Sharouk Sheik said. “[Beach Pride Day] is
still in the beginning stages.”
The project still needs to be brought forth
to the Senate as a resolution, Sheik said.
If the resolution passes, a day must be
chosen and suitable on- and off-campus vendors
must be contacted about the possibility
of discounts for students on that particular
day.
Senate members showed particular interest
in the project as nearly half of their members
volunteered to further the process.
The Senate also met with University Library
Director Roman Kochan to get an update on
the activities of the Library.
Kochan, who has been the library director
for the last six years, said the library
is in the process of preparing for major
renovations.
“If Proposition 47 passes, [California State
University] libraries, primarily our own,
will receive a funding grant of $18 million,”
Kochan said.
Kochan and the CSU trustees are optimistic
about the favorable response to Proposition
47 and have made plans for major renovations
to the library.
“Our library is already the biggest in the
CSU system, save for San Diego State’s,”
Kochan said. “With the influx of funding
we want to make more classroom and faculty
office space, incorporate a robotic book
retrieval system and hopefully place a Starbucks-like
cafe in the middle of the first floor lobby.”
Senators voiced concern over the price of
printing in the library, the location of
Beach Card purchasing machines and the operating
hours of the library.
In response Kochan said the library has
reduced the price of printing by 5 cents
and are looking to reduce the price further.
“Beach Card purchasing machines are in the
process of being placed more prominently
on the lower and first floors,” Kochan said.
Library operating hours will primarily stay
the same with an hour or two being added
on certain days to accommodate student studying
habits. The idea of the library being open
24 hours a day was deemed unfeasible by
Kochan and library staff due to lack of
student turnout and budget constraints.
Also presenting an update to the Senate
was Enrollment Management.
Alan Nishio, associate vice president of
Student Services, informed the Senate that
Cal State Long Beach has reached its achieved
capacity.
“Over the past five years CSULB has seen
a 26 percent increase in enrollment,” Nishio
said. “In 1997 we had an enrollment of 27,000
students and now we’re at about 34,500.”
Nishio informed the Senate of the numerous
ways that the university is going about
keeping the number of students stable.
The Senate’s primary concerns were the availability
of classes and the time it takes to reach
completion of a degree.
In other news, the Senate confirmed the
appointment of third year journalism student
Luis Pena to Chief Justice of the Associated
Students Judiciary Wednesday.
Pena’s appointment was confirmed by a vote
of 16-0-1.
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