The Associated Students Inc. Senate announced that it is working on a plans to increase four- and six-year graduation rates at its meeting last night.
In January, Governor Jerry Brown released Initiative 2025, a budget plan aimed to help the Cal State University system improve said graduation rates by the year 2025.
The goal is to increase four-year graduation rates by 24 percent and six-year graduation rates by 60 percent. How a CSU reaches that goal is up to the campus’ administration.
In 2015, Cal State Long Beach had a six-year graduation rate of about 70 percent and a four-year graduation rate of six percent, according to ASI vice president Logan Vournas.
During the annual Convocation address in August, CSULB President Jane Close Conoley acknowledged the graduation mandate from Brown.
“We have a new challenge from the governor…by 2025 our four-year-graduation rate must go to 39 percent; it is currently at 15 percent and our average enrollment time is about five years,” Conoley said.
For CSULB to meet the governor’s demand, CSULB’s Director of News and Media Relations Michael Uhlenkamp said the university is working to increase class and faculty availability to students.
Now, the CSULB student government is getting involved to help the university meet its expectation.
Paul Fernandez, ASI secretary for lesbian, gay, bisexual, intersexual, transgender and queer affairs, reported that he is planning more programs and events for the queer-identifying community on campus.
Fernandez also said he is developing a plan so that students can be allowed to note their preferred gender identity on admission applications.
Following Fernandez, the senate heard from Courtney Yamagiwa, ASI secretary for internal affairs. She reported that she will be working on a resolution to advocate for cheaper food prices on campus.
“Students shouldn’t have to pay $7 for a tiny burrito at BeachHut – that is ridiculous,” Yamagiwa said.
Finally, Darshan Patel, a transfer student majoring in business management, was elected as the Secretary for International Student Affairs.
Patel said he wants to create more programs for international students and a bus system within CSULB that goes directly to Los Angeles International Airport, as it will create an easier access to transportation for international students..
Michaela Kwoka-Coleman contributed to this article.