Just opened for business: Mariposa Hall.

This grand piece of new classroom architecture, near the north end of campus, has already been dubbed the Titanic,” by students because of the five-story building?s oddly ship-like appearance which features a large glassed-in conference room on the top floor that resembles the bridge of a ship. Up there, the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences has a fabulous suite of offices, by which to steer the academic careers of thousands of majors with the help of his Associate Dean and staff.

It is an interesting building ? and probably should be, considering it also houses the Program of Design among other departments ? but it fairly shouts to any student who walks in: Take your classes and get out of here!

How does a building shout? By not having space for students to comfortably hang out, lounge or study between classes. Not in the halls, not near the classes, not in student-designated spaces. Students march into their classrooms and march out, relegated to the position of guests (paying guests, at that) in Mariposa.

Mariposa Hall is, unfortunately, not all that unusual in this regard. Most of the recently built classroom buildings on campus have been designed with the same corporate efficiency and a philosophy of “move ?em in, move ?em out,” to keep the numbers of students going through classes at its highest possible rate.

Of course, there are spaces for students to congregate: the library, the university union, and in small pockets here and there. (I don?t count Lassen Hall. A lengthy forced visit there to apply for financial aid or work through the byzantine labyrinth of admissions and records is more like a visit to the Department of Motor Vehicles than a university lounge.)

But the library and union don?t help a student patiently waiting outside a classroom on a rainy day, or a student who arrived on campus early enough to find a parking space but has a class in the far reaches of campus, or a student who has to wait in a hallway for a professor during office hours. And it certainly isn?t conducive to building a sense of community ? one of the stated missions of our campus administration.

Every building on campus should have some comfortable spots for students to sit, converse ? and yes, even study. And that includes the administration building, which isn?t unfriendly just to students. It gives off a decidedly unfriendly aura toward faculty, too.

This new great ship, excuse me, building, Mariposa Hall will be the scene of a gala open house and party the evening of Friday, Sept. 15, a celebration (and a welcome-back-to-campus-party for faculty and staff) sponsored by our university President.

The President is justifiably anxious to show off the building as an example of the progress his administration is making, at least in the area of capital expenditures and concrete. But perhaps in addition to throwing that soiree, the President might consider taking a few thousand dollars out of the hors? d?oeuvre budget for the event and purchase a few couches and chairs for students.

That or open up the fifth floor bridge of the Titanic to students.

It would make a dandy place to study, too.

Michael J. Fitzgerald is a professor of Journalism and a member of the CSUS Faculty Senate. He can be reached by telephone at 278-7896, by mail C/O The State Hornet? CSUS, 6000 J Street, Sacramento, CA, 95819 or by e-mailing [email protected].