By Anne Hall

Staff Writer

Many students have likely seen the construction occurring near the César Chavéz statue at the top of the stairs on the south side of campus. This fast-materializing building is set to be the future student union at CSUSM.

Much deliberation has taken place over the making of this building and plans for how to finance it. It is to be a lounge area for students, but some feel the plan is wrought with problems. Students this semester are paying a mandatory student success fee to offset the costs. With this in mind, it is important to consider how connected students are with its construction. Current opinion from students on the finalization of the facility and its usefulness vary.

“I graduate in a year-and-a-half, so if the facility is open by next spring I will probably use it,” said Lana Cook, an Arts and Technology major.

The Academic Excellence and Student Success Fee Proposal Alternative Consultation Report and Open Forums in Spring 2013 said that state funding drastically dropped since 2007 despite the growing numbers in enrollment over the years.  In 2008 and 2009, CSUSM established a University Student Union Alternative Consultation Process that presented an idea to build the Student Union building and charge a student fee to pay for the establishing costs.

The Student Union is intended to “enhance the quality of campus life through unique programs and services which offer casual as well as purposeful, in-depth opportunities for student engagement and co-curricular learning,” as stated in Appendix C of the CSU Alternative Consultation Proposal.

This facility was developed with hopes of creating stronger student community and camaraderie.  Benefits were listed as providing opportunities for student employment, campus involvement and leadership development. Other benefits to creating the facility were more food options, fostering a space for socializing, studying and to develop campus pride.

“I have faith that the Student Union will be done.  It may not be done on time, but I have faith that I will be able to walk in there and make it a home,” Armand Gutierrez, a Communications major, said.

Arguments against the construction of this building stated that students should not have to pay for a building they won’t be able to use; increased fees will make college less affordable.

Common arguments include, “CSUSM is a commuter campus that does not need services to support student life” and “we do not need a Student Union because we have the Clarke” (Appendix C). Other opposition points to the student library.

Some faculty and students communicated that such a development was viewed as unnecessary.  The official report acknowledges that the building is focused more on bringing businesses to the campus than it is on initiating student camaraderie.

The cost of developing this establishment has been placed on the presently enrolled students that are expected to be able to use the facility. Voters were from the 2008-2009 attendance years. However, some people can argue that since the building is being paid for by students five years later, they did not have as strong of a say in its construction as others before them did.

“I don’t even know what that is,” Rico Palmerin, a Literature and Writing major said when asked about the Student Union.

Another factor of concern is the recession that was still evolving in 2008.  Students of all walks of life have been struggling to afford college.  In consideration of investment cost, operating income and projected estimated cash flow shown in the development phase do not account for present economic situations.

“I probably won’t use the Student Union because I have no interest in any of the facilities offered there unless the student newspaper was moved into an office there.  Also, because there’s already so much money that I’m having to put into my education that I can’t afford any extra expenses,” says Blanca Sarabia, a Sociology major on campus.

Businesses approved for operation within the Student Union include: food services, restaurants, auditorium, meeting rooms, coffee shops, catering services, retail shops, student areas and operations and storage facilities.  The new University Student Union building is scheduled for completion November 2013.  It will be open to students in January 2014.

Sarah, if you think its best, just take the paragraph out about the recession (2nd to last) if it sounds opinionated…I’m just going with the facts I saw from reading through the projected costs in the documentation without having to give specific statistics.  So do what you need to.  I don’t know how else to relay that point without providing a chart with numbers and explaining economics formally to students so that the general public can see the facts and understand…it is a very important detail though….