At what could not be a more unfortunate time, CSULB announced yet another increment for students to add to their budgets.
According to a Daily 49er article, the fee increase will fund the relocation of the Nugget Grill & Pub and the deconstruction of the Dining Hall as part of the Future U expansion plan.
Shannon Couey, ASI’s communications coordinator, said in the article that the Future U project is expected to be completed by fall 2028.
The University Student Union is open to alumni and the public and will continue to be when the project is completed. This is great for the alumni who plan to stay in Long Beach after graduating, but for alumni who plan to move away, they won’t get their money’s worth.
“We understand financial burdens on students and we’re very conscious of that,” Couey said, but for most students, it does not feel like it. Every CSU student’s college budget just took a big hit with the recent Board of Trustees decision to raise tuition by 6% per year over the next five years.
Unfortunately, the tuition increase cannot be used to fund the Future U project because ASI is a separate organization from CSULB as it is funded by students, for students.
The project has been in the works a decade longer than the tuition increase decision. “While it’s unfortunate that these developments are happening simultaneously, the urgency of these renovations cannot be understated. Delaying them would ultimately result in higher costs for students in the long term,” Couey said.
I think that I will still be receiving enough financial aid to cover these costs if I finish my studies by next year as expected. However, not every student shares my experience. In fact, I know many who do not receive enough financial aid as it is.
Consequently, some of these students have taken on the responsibility of multiple jobs and loans. Even though this increase is advertised as something that will help students, as a full-time student who also has a job, I fear the consequences this increase will have on students’ education and mental health.
In the article, Couey said, “…with expanded facilities, they can hire more student employees.” I do not think that the current problem is finding a job, but instead, the need to have one or multiple while also balancing school. It seems to me this plan is finding solutions to a problem it is causing.
When I chose to attend CSULB, a large part of that decision was the ease it gave me to know the cost of attendance would not break my bank account. I now fear that many incoming students will not know what that feels like.
Although I can understand the money is needed to improve resources for students, I do not believe this is the best time to more than double our student fees.
Couey said that these renovations are necessary because the USU has not been renovated since 1998. The building is old and in need of fixing. I think that the money we are already paying should be enough to cover the costs of any repairs that are necessary and urgent.
Even if in the long run this renovation is less than or equal to the cost of simply fixing the building, the potential concepts for this project look modern, fancy and therefore expensive.
I would suggest that ASI look for a simpler, cost-effective concept because most students, myself included, are not willing to pay the high costs, especially not now.