A Summer Journey At The Beach
Imagine walking to the University Library after class. You’re in a great mood because for once there isn’t a long line at Starbucks, but you immediately notice the normal chatter of students is gone. You head to the library, usually packed with students hanging out or studying, but notice today it’s nearly empty. It feels eerie. You finish your iced caramel macchiato and continue to explore the rest of the campus.
As you leave the library you notice a student sitting at his desk alone. His name is Miguel Navarrete, a third-year kinesiology major and student assistant at the Technology Help Desk. You ask him how it feels to work on campus during summer session as opposed to fall and spring semesters and he says it’s a completely different experience.
“It’s chill. I don’t have much to do because not many students are here and the students that are at the library already know what they’re doing,” Miguel says.
He explains that during the school year, the library is crowded with students studying or using computers. The Technology Help Desk keeps a tally sheet where they record every time a student asks a question. But in the summer? Miguel says it’s rare when students ask for help; he doesn’t get more than one or two questions a day.
You continue exploring and decide to check out another spot typically packed and full of energy, the University Student Union (USU). You walk down the steps, passing Sbarro and Elektric Hair, and open the doors of the USU expecting to find all the students, because this has to be a joke or a prank, right? The campus is never this empty. Yet you’re greeted by only a few student workers here and there.
One of the workers is Marinella Papa, (2016, B.A., kinesiology), who recently graduated and is finishing her last summer working for commercial services in Associated Students Inc. (ASI). You ask Marinella the same question you asked Miguel and you get a similar story. She says that during fall and spring semesters, the Information and Ticket Center is extremely busy with freshmen or transfer students who are lost, don’t know where to print, or want to know the USU hours. But right now, people don’t really need help.
“I feel weird because everyone’s gone and usually it’s so busy in the Union. So being here when it’s dead, it’s weird,” Marinella says.
Even though the USU is quiet during the summer, Marinella explains she loves her job and the flexible hours. “It’s so convenient because you don’t have to drive to another place to work, you can just come here after class and it’s so easy,” she says.
You thank Marinella and continue your journey until a loud grumble from your stomach stops you. It’s time to grab a quick bite to eat, so you head to Parkside Dining and find it to be, yes, vacant, too.
You find another student worker named Diane Lopez, a senior, sociology major with a minor in women’s gender and sexuality studies. You learn that in addition to studying, Diane also works on campus as a student supervisor at Parkside Dining.
You ask Diane the same question about working on campus during the summer? She tells you she loves it. She sees summer as an opportunity to work more hours and save money for the upcoming school year. Diane usually works 15 hours a week during fall or spring, but in the summer she works 20-29 hours a week.
Diane also enjoys meeting all the new international students, a refreshing change from seeing the same faces the entire school year. “During the summer, we have an opportunity to meet students from different parts of the world,” Diane says.
You finish eating and your feet are aching, so you decide to call it a day, thinking the next time you visit the campus it will be bustling with students heading to class with a coffee in hand. CSULB’s department of Enrollment Planning projects a total headcount of 37,639 students for Fall 2016.
