By Adrian Medina, Jasmine Canada and Andrew Amaya
The second floor of the Long Beach State Bookstore will be renovated to become a hangout area for students during the University Student Union reconstruction.
Due to the USU construction, faculty and staff will be moved to different locations all over campus in a two-year process, as outlined by CSULB President Jane Close Conoley during an Academic Senate meeting last December.
The USU is set to start construction this summer with an end date of summer 2028. The bookstore renovations are expected to begin during this semester with the anticipated completion being summer.
The merchandise placed on the second floor of the bookstore will be moved down to the first floor, according to Associated Students Inc. communications manager Shannon Couey.
“The second floor will feature seating and tables for students to lounge, study and meet,” Couey said. “There will be some convenience store offerings on the second floor.”
According to the Future U website, the food service Fooda located between the University Bookstore and the Nugget Pub and Grill will remain in the same area for all students to grub and relax.
The convenience store, which is attached to the bookstore, will not be affected by the second floor renovations.
Along with the merchandise, ID services and LBS Financial services will be moved to the first floor to make space for the second floor renovation.
Additionally, the first floor of the bookstore will be renovated to have a Beach Pride theme.
The second floor will begin to move its merchandise, such as CSULB shirts and plushies, and services such as LBS Financial, to the first floor when renovations begin in the upcoming months. Photo credit: Adrian Medina
The finalized layout of the second floor’s renovation is still being worked on to ensure that the layout meets the Office of the State Fire Marshal and American with Disabilities Act compliance requirements, Couey said.
“The priority for the space is student seating and study areas,” she said. “However, there may be opportunities for vendors to set up in other locations.”
Some students are in favor of the proposed new lounging area, such as Raylina Kong, a first-year healthcare administration major.
Kong said adding an additional recreational would make finding a place to relax more accessible. “I am in hopes of adding napping spots as I find them rare on campus,” Kong said.
Some students like Meadow Le, a second-year pre-psychology major, feel like there is no need for renovations. She said that her concern is that the second floor does not have enough space to become a good hangout spot for students.
“Personally, I don’t really think there’s anything that needs to be changed in the bookstore since it’s mostly just a place that sells books, but I don’t think it’s a bad idea to renovate the floor into a hangout spot,” Le said.
