Associated Students Inc. voiced increased student engagement and publicity on the BEACH 2030 initiative.
The BEACH 2030 initiative will have a two-day, online public event Nov. 14 and 15 that is meant to involve the entire LBSU community to plan the future of the university.
The initiative is led by President Jane Close Conoley and BEACH 2030 Action Teams and the event is meant to gather feedback, concerns and comments about improvements within the campus from the city and campus community. More information about the event will be given closer to the date, according to Manuel Pérez, director of the LBSU Career Development Center.
“It’s not just about the classroom, it’s about what’s going on outside of the classroom,” Pérez said. “This is an opportunity for [students] to engage in a conversation with the entire university community, to share [their] thoughts and to share [their] ideas.”
According to Pérez, BEACH 2030 has been in the works for about nine months. He also said that LBSU is collaborating with the Institute for the Future, a nonprofit organization that helps businesses and universities strategize their goals.
Once the November event is over, the information gathered will be available for the university community to view. In spring 2019, Conoley and other staff members on the BEACH 2030 Action Teams will analyze the data and discuss what specific issues to work on.
“Ultimately in 2020, the university will then develop the strategic vision or where we’re going to be and develop a map, if you will, on how to get there,” Pérez said. “But for the next 10 years after, we will be building the future of Long Beach State.”
Liberal Arts Sen. Brianna Guzman raised concerns regarding a lack of promotion for BEACH 2030. To combat the lack of publicity, there have been ASI tables at different events, such as a job fair that happened earlier in the day.
According to Pérez, a mass email informing recipients of BEACH 2030 may be sent out to all students.
Senate votes in Samantha Brown as the new commissioner for disability affairs.
Samantha Brown said she has been passionate about promoting inclusivity for people with disabilities on campus since elementary school. In high school, she was a member of the Best Buddies club, a group that works with students with disabilities. She hopes to continue her work at LBSU as commissioner.
“One of my main goals is dismantling the use of ableist language on campus because I believe it’s a really big issue that I came into confrontation with as a student here,” Brown said. “The first steps to acceptance and advocacy for others is just the way you talk and present yourself.