Cal State Monterey Bay welcomes new and returning students

SEASIDE — Roughly 3,100 new and returning students and their families spent this week moving in for Cal State Monterey Bay’s fall semester – one that’s set to look much different than previous years.

On Wednesday and Thursday, thousands of excited students moved into their housing for the year, supported by volunteers in blue shirts dubbed the Otter Welcome Team. Whether they were settling into life in first-year dorms, North Quad, Promontory or East Campus apartments, the excitement levels were the same.

CSUMB will have about 3,900 students living on campus this fall, the bulk of which came to campus this week.

“Move-in day is one of the most exciting days of the year,” said President Vanya Quiñones. “It’s when you see people with brand new comforters and all of these new things, but also the hope and the face of people as they’re so excited to to start their new life at CSUMB.”

The campus is set to be upgraded in many ways this year, ranging from new dining options, an expanded Basic Needs hub, more mental health counselors and clinicians, a commuter lounge and five new printing kiosks throughout campus. MyCSUMB, a new student dashboard, is also set to be rolled out soon, which will allow students to check their course materials, student account balances and keep up with campus events in one app.

Cal State Monterey Bay President Vanya Quiñones helped welcome roughly 3,100 students moving into campus for the fall semester this week. (Photo courtesy of Brent Dundore-Arias)

The move-in process also got some tweaks this year, including having trucks filled with bins that could be rented out for an hour to help speed up the process. There was an increased amount of volunteers helping lead the way and even providing help unloading cars, too.

“It’s much quicker, easier and faster,” said Jade Love, who spent Thursday moving in her second-year student. “This year seems like everything went by way faster so it’s a lot better and has improved a lot.”

With boxes and trash being discarded left and right, volunteers were also tasked with making sure sustainability was being practiced Thursday.

“We’re trying to make people sustainability-aware on campus,” said Sukoshi Moana, part of the school’s Safety, Risk and Sustainability department and move-in volunteer. Moana was stationed by the big landfill and recycling bins outside of the North Quad apartments to help families sort their trash into the right bin. “That’s one of the biggest things we want to do, is make students aware that CSUMB has a sustainability plan on campus.”

Move-in days were split up between students staying in different parts of the campus. This year marks the highest number (76%) of first-year students living on campus. First-years, who typically stay in Area 1 residential dorms, were welcomed Wednesday. Parents were also hosted by Quiñones during a parents and family reception Wednesday night, where university leaders gave them advice and answered any questions they had.

“You can see the hesitation that they’re leaving their kids behind,” said Quiñones. “It’s not just a transition for the students coming to the university, it’s also the transition of the parents dropping their (children) here, and that is really also a place where everybody needs support.”

Even for returning students, the excitement of a new semester doesn’t seem to get old.

“I’m very excited and I’m definitely looking forward to being in a new space and spend a good year making more friends,” said fourth-year psychology major Andrea Aguiar Perez.

Although her second year at CSUMB is also her last, Aguiar Perez has some wisdom for new students finding themselves away from home for the first time.

“Definitely communicate with the people around you, it’s the most important thing that I’ve learned. Especially with roommates, the first day in, make sure everybody is comfortable and can bring up something they have an issue with,” said Aguiar Perez. “It’s a new space, but it’s also a place where you kind of have to learn how to be a grown up.”

The incoming class represents the diversity of the university as well as California, according to Quiñones. The class is about 57% female and 38% male with the majority (44%) being Latino followed by 30% white, 7% Asian and nearly 5% Black students.

The top majors are marine science (19.5%), business (14.5%), psychology (13%) and biology (10.3%). About 47% of the class are first-generation college students.

“Move-in day is like a mark of a beginning for the families (and) for the students,” said Quiñones, “for the university it’s the beginning of our relationship with the student, so it’s a really important day.”