New Alumni Center being built, loss of 250 parking spaces

The CSUS Alumni Association broke ground July 28 for a new Alumni Center to be constructed on the south side of campus near Anderson Field and Stadium Way. This new building, which will contain facilities that will accommodate up to 600 people at a time, is to be built over parking spaces in Lot 8.

At the February 20 meeting of the Transportation Advisory Committee, Director Nancy Fox announced that the Alumni construction would eliminate "approximately 150 parking spaces."

Additionally, 100 more spaces will be designated for use solely by the Alumni Center once construction is complete. What this means to the students of CSUS, is that after the new perimeter road eliminated 400 student parking spaces and over 200 faculty spaces, 250 more will be lost.

Funding for the new Alumni Center came from private donors, and the efforts to construction the building was headed by several CSUS alumni.

This new 12,000 square foot building will be filled with conference rooms for a multitude of gatherings, offices for out-of-town visitors to conduct business, as well as administrative offices for the Alumni Relations Department. Additionally, two large patios will surround the building, providing space for both casual and formal events. A large catering kitchen will be able to service several events at the same time.

According to Ron Richardson, Manager of Facilities Planning, finalized drawings of the Alumni Center are expected to be completed within the next three months, with construction to begin soon after.

Richardson refused to comment on the loss of parking spaces expected with the construction, indicating that Howard Harris, Associate Vice President for Facilities Management, or Alumni Association Director Steve Black were the only people who could discuss it. Both were unavailable for comment. ASI President Gary Davis, who campaigned last semester on a platform that included proposals to improve the parking situation at CSUS, was also unavailable for comment.