CSUDH’s brand-new Student Residence Hall threw open its doors on Thursday, Aug. 19, welcoming hundreds of first-year students to the place they’ll call home for the next nine months. Throughout the day, the hallways buzzed with excitement as families and friends helped the new Toros move their things into the complex. In all, over 200 students moved into their new rooms on the first day the hall was open.
Each student had their individual motivations for wanting to move into the new residence hall, but most agreed that the combination of living on their own and proximity to classes were the biggest factors.
Masha Mukumoto, a first-year student from Yorba Linda, Calif., moved into the new complex because “I wanted to move away from home—but not too far away!” she laughed. “I think it’s important to live on campus because it gives you the experience of meeting new people, finding out what it’s like living away from home and not just staying cooped up in your own house. You’ve got to get out there!”
Long Beach native Idania Martinez decided to spend her first year in college living on campus in order to help facilitate her studies. “I thought it would be great to live next door to the new science building, because I’m a biology major,” she said. “I’m also right next to the library, so I have a quiet place to study and focus on my education. I’m very excited to be here!”
First-year student Joshua Esparza moved to campus from his home in Ontario, Calif., because “I wanted that real college experience of being on campus, meeting new people, and seeing what it’s like to live on my own.” Move-in day was Esparza’s first chance to see the new residence hall, and he was impressed. “It’s incredible. I was surprised by how nice it was when I first saw it.”
The new residence hall was built to accommodate over 500 students living on campus; although COVID-19 restrictions have limited that number for the time being. The complex includes double, triple, and quadruple bedrooms, a laundry room, study rooms, several lounges, and many other amenities designed to make on-campus living easier.
“We’re excited to have our students return in person,” said Lesley Stevenson, CSUDH associate director of residential life. “This will be a year of transition for all of us as we work to ‘build back better.’ We have various activities and campus collaborations planned to keep our students engaged and thriving through these uncertain times. We look forward to meeting each of our residential Toros!”
