University overcrowding has spilled over from the parking lots and classrooms to the University Union where the University Center restaurant has been packing in the customers (almost exclusively faculty, administrators and staff) in such numbers that an outside seating area is now being used.

Last week, while the president dined with many of his senior administrators and Paula Lorenzo who was “president for a day,” the restaurant staff had to hustle with a speed taxpayers would like to see in all state employees.

Why the sudden rush to the University Center? Could it be that faculty, flush with confidence that their Faculty Activity Reports would merit a big boost in income be out celebrating? Is it the excellent food? (And the wine, don’t forget the wine on the menu). Or perhaps the University Center is just the latest place to be seen. Gordito Burrito just doesn’t have the same cachet for those chats around the mailbox to impress the department chair. “Yes, the Dean and I shared a plate of nachos today…”

… Amid all the negative flap in the news about our Associated Students, Inc. and its money problems, it was nice to see Shaun Lumachi, chair of the California State Student Association (and a government major here) get some public recognition on the front page of the State Hornet for his role in getting students more actively involved in all the CSU campuses.

Lumachi was instrumental last year in convincing CSU Trustees to change a policy requiring that whenever students voted to increase fees, one-third of the monies raised had to be set aside for financial aid. That he was able to do so over the stated objections of the Statewide Academic Senate made the victory just that much sweeter.

In the last five years, CSSA has gone from a dysfunctional student organization bent on self-destruction to a very effective lobbying machine, effective enough that Trustees are likely to approve CSSA’s proposal to let students sit on various University committees, something which could increase student political power exponentially. Considering Lumachi’s winning streak – and his influence with Chancellor Charles Reed – perhaps CSSA should form an alliance with CFA as the next round of contract negotiations get going. Lumachi and Susan Meisenhelder (CFA President) sitting on the union side of the table. A dream team?

… While the last few students try to drop classes this late into the semester, many others are already gearing up for spring semester, trying to untangle the conundrums of required classes and hurdles like the foreign language requirement. Some even believe that faculty actually have insights worth sharing about how to navigate through the bureaucratic minefield we’ve constructed.

But sitting outside the University Union, it’s hard not to hear some classic comments. The best last week were:

“I just don’t see why I have to take classes to get a degree.” “Why do I have to take the GRE? I just want to go to graduate school.”

Why indeed.

Michael J. Fitzgerald is a professor of Journalism and a member of the CSUSFaculty Senate. He can be reached by telephone at 278-7896, by e-mail at [email protected].