Mighty
move for dorm residents worry free
By Christine G. Adamo
On-line Forty-Niner
Cal
State Long Beach students who won the on-campus
housing lottery had a move-in that was virtually
worry free.
 By
11 a.m. Saturday a dozen students and parents
lined up outside the Los Alamitos and Los
Cerritos Residence Halls waiting for noon
check-in to begin. A line began to form
in front of Residence Commons an hour and
a half later.
The activity level at the dorms that morning
was low, even at the nine buildings that
comprise Parkside Commons. The total number
of students checking in was expected to
reach 1,000 by Sunday night.
Ed Murawski, associate director of residential
life, said beds were added to Parkside in
an attempt to meet the demand for on-campus
housing. Other enhancements include vending
machines and DVD players in residence lobbies.
“This is an active time for all of us,”
Murawski said. “The students are in transition;
they’re really interesting because their
minds are so active right now. It’s great
to be around that.”
Los Alamitos and Los Cerritos residents
were able to check in during pre-established
hours. Parkside residents were scheduled
to arrive alphabetically. Resident Coordinator
Gabriela Valenzuela and her team of resident
assistants made exceptions, as time and
resources allowed, to keep the process moving
smoothly.
First-time CSULB resident assistant Jill
Thomsen, a senior studying print journalism,
led Melissa Baker and her parents on a tour
of Building M at Parkside. Baker, a freshman
from San Diego, was happy with the accommodations.
Baker’s father, J.D. Baker, inspected the
furnishings for wear and integrity. Sharon
Baker sighed with relief as she said of
her daughter’s room, “We’d made several
trips up to visit the campus but never had
the opportunity to look at a room.”
Once Baker was taken care of, Thomsen settled
down in the lounge and elaborated on the
staffing changes at Parkside. The number
of resident assistants was doubled for the
2002-2003 school year; two to a building
versus last year’s one. There is also one
faculty member in residence in each building.
Thomsen previously lived on campus. She
said she wanted to be a resident assistant
for more than one reason.
“I wanted to spend my last year (at CSULB)
around younger students. I wanted
to have fun and be a part of what’s happening
on campus.”
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