The future of the Music Listening Lounge, the Student Recreation and Wellness Center and a plan for parking relief in the fall were addressed at the second annual Associated Students, Inc. president’s State of the ASI Address Tuesday afternoon.
The State of ASI Address attracted about 25 members of the Cal State Long Beach campus. Two of those in attendance included Mary Stephens, the new vice president of administration and finance, and CSULB President F. King Alexander.
ASI President Mark Andrews, who will not be returning to his position in the fall, said that his stepping down was in part to focus on his education.
Andrews gave the crowd a recap of the accomplishments that ASI has made this year.
Andrews revealed that a Sbarro pizza and Italian restaurant and a Wells Fargo banking window will fill the space in the University Student Union that was previously used by the Music Listening Lounge.
The banking window, according to Andrews, will be able to open and manage bank accounts. ASI Chief of Staff James Davis said that ASI is planning on presenting to Wells Fargo the idea that campus organizations will use the new bank on campus.
Andrews commended his administration for its work with safety on campus, The President’s Forum on International Human Rights, and the Beach Team being revived after its one-year hiatus.
Davis emphasized that the current ASI administration is attempting to leave a foundation for future ASI officials to work from.
Andrews expressed his concern for leaving a foundation behind after he leaves.
“If an organization falls apart after one year, you might have some problems. If it falls apart after I’m gone, then I did something wrong… [I] didn’t create longevity,” Andrews said.
Andrews said that it is important that the ASI’s secretary of city affairs has a seat at the city council meetings, making it possible for CSULB to get more involved with the city of Long Beach.
Another partnering of ASI and the city of Long Beach resulted in free bus rides at the beginning of next semester. Andrews announced that students will be able to take the city bus to CSULB for free between Aug. 25 and Sept. 30. The purpose is to alleviate the initial parking havoc that occurs at the beginning of each semester.
“It’s a major accomplishment,” Davis said about the free bus program. “It’s things like this that this administration has been working on.”
Andrews mentioned the new directional signs in the University Student Union, carpet in the Maxson Student Organization Center and a sidewalk on the north side of the building. He expressed his excitement over a record-breaking 303 pints of blood donated at the annual blood drive, and how ASI made it possible to bring the rapper Ludacris to the Walter Pyramid.
“[It was] the first major performance at our campus in nine years,” Andrews said.
After the State of the ASI Address, Andrews told the Daily Forty-Niner which ASI candidates he will be endorsing.
“[I’m] supporting Erin Swetland for president… Chris Chavez for VP and Brian Trautner for treasurer,” Andrews said.
Alexander said that this year’s ASI has done well.
“We’ve had a wonderful ASI this year. ASI is moving to doing things it’s never done before. It’s about creating more opportunities for students on campus.”
