The men’s volleyball NCAA championship win last week and the first-ever Disney Day were among some of items discussed at the last Associated Students Inc. meeting of the school year.
The meeting was extended to offer more time to discuss remaining agenda items.
Following some regulatory resolutions, ASI vice president Sofia Musman surprised those in attendance by introducing men’s volleyball head coach Alan Knipe, who carried the trophy the team earned after its victory over UCLA Saturday.
“This is the third-straight Final Four we’ve played in, and getting over the hump and winning on a Saturday night in an environment that’s supposed to be very neutral,” Knipe said, drawing laughter from the senate.
“Final Fours are supposed to be very neutral, and when you have to play the opponent at their home gym, it doesn’t make it so neutral, so it made the story all the more special for our guys.”
As an alumnus of the campus, the coach expressed how proud he was to see his team overcome a 2-1 set deficit against UCLA.
“It’s because of the people,” Knipe said. “The people that make up Long Beach State is just a significantly better group than anything I’ve ever found. I hope everyone gets the chance to feel good about this and celebrate this national championship and understanding that everybody is involved in this.”
Knipe praised university faculty and the community, commending them for both their financial and emotional support. He singled out the professors for working with the athletes to help them stay on top of their school work as they traveled around the country.
Shortly after taking photos with Knipe and presenting him with a framed print-out of a resolution commemorating the team, the senate discussed a resolution that would present students with information for support on affordable housing.
The resolution raised debate among senators because of the phrase, “rent control,” which is a law that keeps apartments affordable. The issue has been considered problematic, as tenants who find these apartments won’t want to leave, creating less affordable housing for prospective tenants. ASI remained divided over the resolution and felt it would direct attention to the issue of rent control over affordable housing.
Many of the senators felt the term was not necessary to include in the resolution. Others argued that because it is supposed to coincide with the ballot targeting a cap on rent control, it should be included. After a lengthy discussion, the resolution passed 14-1-7.
Despite some controversy behind the Disney Day event, which replaced the “Big Event,” no students were present to add public comments. The organization received criticism after offering a small amount of Disneyland tickets to a university student population of almost 40,000.
ASI president Joe Nino weighed in on Monday’s ticketing event, in which only 1,000 students were able to take advantage of $10 Disneyland tickets.
“A lot of people were upset about Disneyland, and just because nobody spoke here today doesn’t mean they weren’t upset,” Nino said. “I’ve gotten lots of emails and it’s kind of scary, and yeah, we could have done it better. It was our first time and it was a good learning experience, and I think we will try to do better in the future.”