By For decades, the University Student Union at Long Beach State has served as the central hub for students, providing spaces to eat, relax, study and socialize.
However, beginning on April 14, students will face the start of the USU renovations, which will continue until completion nearly three years later.
According to a campus update on the renovations, the USU has needed an upgrade, as the original building was constructed in 1972 to accommodate a student population of 10,000. Now, with around 40,000 people on campus, the update is essential.
Students will also see an increase in USU fees from the $220 fee for the spring semester to a new fee of $475 beginning in the Fall 2025 semester, a $255 per semester increase, according to an article by the Long Beach Current.
Associated Students Inc.’s “Future U” frequently asked questions page states that, “While the USU undergoes construction, the fee will continue to fund the Student Recreation Wellness Center and the essential USU student programs and services, which will be temporarily relocated to ensure you still have access to the resources you need.”
Student sentiment about the financial aspect is that it is not fair for students to bear the $255 increase and be inconvenienced by having to find new spots on campus to do the same things that they once did at USU.
Students also feel that ASI is not doing enough to inform them about the construction of the USU, which is already leading to frustration among students who will bear the ramifications for the next three years.
“It should have been discussed more, something other than a text or an email,” third-year computer science major Aiden Perkins said. “I still don’t know what they plan to change.”
ASI has notified students of the upcoming construction through pinned posts on their Instagram account and emails sent out by ASI President Nikki Majidi.
The USU construction will affect more than just students. Student programs and services will relocate, while others had no clue about plans to move elsewhere.
CSULB Chess Club President Kevin Abdalla hosts meetings every Wednesday from noon to 2 p.m. in USU-306.
“I didn’t hear much about the closing except from friends,” Abdalla said. “ I feel like there should have been some contact saying what was going to happen. I guess I will have to book a room in one of the Liberal Arts buildings.”
Third-year political science major Romario Leon acknowledged that while the USU does need to be updated, renovations on other parts of campus could have helped students in the future needing to find places to go once the USU closes.
“It would have been better to see these resources allocated into areas that would have benefited students,” Leon said. “What we are losing here, the school should have had comparable spaces in other areas on campus.”
A new student-centered facility, such as an expanded Steve and Nini Horn Center, could have been a more practical investment, especially if it had been completed before the USU closure, ensuring students had an alternative space instead of being left without key amenities.
Students have become the odd ones out regarding the renovation plans for the USU, and much depends on whether ASI can handle all the direct and indirect consequences of the construction over the next few years.
If ASI makes students pay higher mandatory fees, it should ensure that students are not left scrambling for alternatives.
