The California State University has created a new forum for members of the CSU community to voice their opinions and concerns.

The new blog, “CSU Voices and Opinions,” is hosted on the CSU website and available to students, faculty and staff across all 23 campuses.

“People have a CSU story to tell, especially stories related to educational quality, access for students, university impact on California and environmental sustainability,” said Erik Fallis, spokesman for the CSU chancellor’s office.

Fallis said the blog is intended for a wide audience of people both directly and indirectly related to the CSU system.

“The CSU story is told every day, through many voices,” according to the first entry from the CSU Public Affairs team. “With 450,000 students and 48,000 employees, the university encompasses more diverse viewpoints than ever before in its history.”

The blog was created as an opportunity for students to share their stories and views, Fallis said.

The CSU blog comes at a time when the discontentment of students and faculty is no secret.

“Is this a means for students to vent as to not take it out on the head honchos of the CSU systems?” said Vinnie Guidera, junior communication studies major. “If they’re making an effort for people to hear about this, it’s not going well.”

Guidera is an aware Internet user. He checks his e-mail and social networks several times throughout the day and visits other websites.

Guidera has received previous notifications from the CSU system though e-mail, postal mail, and even pays attention to the various fliers posted around campus, yet has not heard anything about the new blog despite the press release from Pubic Affairs

“It’s of absolutely no interest to me,” Guidera said. “If I felt like talking about school I’d do it directly to my friends.”

So far the blog has only four entries and one comment, all from CSU staff or faculty, but it is open to entries from students across all 23 campuses.

The blog has four different categories to tag the posts under: Access for Students, Educational Quality, Environmental Sustainability and Impact on California.

Jeri Echeverria, the CSU executive vice chancellor and chief academic officer, posted a video on the blog about her college experience.

“So often when you’re 21 or 19 we have a tendency as I did when I was 19 or 21 that if something didn’t happen when I thought it should happen, that my life was over. Now that I’m 63, I understand there is a lot of life to live,” Echeverria said. “Things need to be taken in perspective; we need to take the long view. Everybody gets stuck every once in a while.”

Sac State does not have its own blog; San Diego State University’s blog is run by its marketing and communication program. It has hosted several entries varying from student reactions to social issue discussions.

Currently the blog is being used as an outlet for Rich Pickett, San Diego State’s chief information officer, to document his volunteering in Haiti.

Cahil Bhanji can be reached at [email protected].