The Associated Students of California Lutheran University Government introduced upgrades for the CCEI patio, including electricity installations, lights, and additional furniture.
The CCEI patio is located between the first-year dorms and the Student Union on Cal Lutheran’s campus.
According to the CCEI webpage, the patio is available for culture and justice clubs to use the space for their programs and events. The webpage also said the patio is open for anyone to use when it is not reserved for a program or event. The webpage also describes the patio as “a space for all students to engage, organize, and learn about social justice issues” supported by their overall motto, “enriching the cultural experience for all students.”
“I find a sense of safety and comfort in the CCEI just because I’m a first-generation Latino and first in my family to go to college so I wanted to give back, in that sense,” Senate director Anthony Garay said.
Sophomore Senator Jacquelyn Cambaliza said electrical outlets have recently been installed by the Facilities Department and ASCLUG is waiting on the delivery of lights and additional furniture upgrades for the patio.
“They wanted to rebrand it and put new furniture in because they noticed how people don’t really spend time there,” Cambaliza said. “So, they wanted to make the place look really good and want students to go in and enjoy themselves, like doing homework and catching up with friends.”
Sophomore Senator and Lead Programming Intern at the CCEI Ashlyn Bryson-Beane was one of the main leads of the remodeling project and assisted in its progression.
“The reason I took on the patio project is that it’s a nice outdoor space for our clubs to use so we want our clubs to use it,” Bryson-Beane said. “We want to make that a space where communities can come together and celebrate everything.”
The other senators that joined Bryson-Beane in this patio project were sophomore Senator Daphne White and junior Senator Mia Garcia.
“I was a Peer Advisor the past 2 years and we use it during orientation. We use the patio for commuter students to go and we host a little section there for commuter students,” Garcia said. “It’s just really run down. We all thought it would look a lot better, up-to-date with new furniture and electricity.”
Garay said during his junior year as a senator he introduced the project.
“It was something I always kept in the back of my mind, to have this project. Now as Senate Director, I’m not allowed to do senate projects but I am allowed to help out my senators complete their senate projects,” Garay said. “When Ashlyn approached me saying she was interested, I was so excited and so happy.”
Bryson-Beane said the patio was originally a senate project established in 2021, but it was built without electricity. She said that if all goes well, they will receive items such as string lights, tall bar-height tables and side tables to add to the space.
Garay said that while at an event for the Language and Cultures Club on the patio, it got super dark and produced an environment that was unsafe and scary. He said the new additions to the patio would make the space more welcoming and eye-catching, and said new projects have been discussed, such as renovating certain areas of resident dorms, adding more lighting projects, and making the Student Union more student accessible. He said there are many more senate projects to come.
In terms of funding, Garay said that there is a lot of confusion surrounding how funding is received for these projects. He said the portion of the student fee that is included in a student’s tuition is put towards ASCLUG and divided into the programs board, club budgets, and the budget for senate projects.
“It is always a goal of the Senate Director to make sure that those funds get used up in the academic year for the senate project,” Garay said. “Because, if you think about it, the students that are paying for that year, are expecting that those funds be used, that year, for them. It’s always our goal to get that number down to zero.”
