The Cal State Northridge softball team (20-9) opens the Big West Conference season this weekend with a three-game series against the Pacific Tigers (15-14) at Matador Diamond. There will be a doubleheader on Saturday and another game Sunday afternoon.

The Matadors have been on a tear, going 17-3 over their last 20 games, and look like contenders for the Big West crown. The Tigers will be their first true test.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘

One of the main reasons for the Matadors’ recent success is the play of their star pitcher Debbie Duran. CSUN has won eight consecutive games. During the streak, Duran got the win in the first seven and the save in the last game. For the season, she has a league-leading 14 wins and 10 complete games.

The Matadors have worked Duran for over 111 innings and will need their freshman pitcher Hannah Fraijo to step up in the Big West to take some of the load off the junior. Fraijo has a record of 4-1 and an ERA of 2.45 in 48.2 innings of work.

The Tiger bats will challenge the Matador pitchers. Pacific has a team batting average of .301. The Tigers are lead by sophomore Nicole Matson, who is batting .398 with 33 hits and 27 RBIs.

The Matador bats will also face a test in the Tigers’ pitching staff (3.73 ERA) . Pacific’s one-two punch consists of seniors Chelsea Engle, who is 6-7 with an ERA of 4.60, and Heidi Helberg, who is 5-4 with an ERA of 3.52.

CSUN will need reigning Big West Player of the Week Jaclyn Rymer to continue hitting the ball well. Last weekend, Rymer went a perfect 8-for-8 in two games against Cal State Bakersfield.

Shortage of parking spaces is a very familiar scene on campus, but the opposite is true for the G3 structure, which was opened at the start of the semester.

At peak hours, the new parking lot is usually only filled to half its capacity, said Alfredo Fernandez, captain of parking and transportation services at CSUN.

‘We anticipate by Fall that’ll change as students start to realize there’s much more convenient parking where they can go in and park and not have to search,’ Fernandez said

The G3 lot has 1840 spaces total, 1390 of which are in the five-story structure, according to Fernandez.

‘Do you want to spend 20 minutes looking for space right next to where you need to go or park right away and walk a couple of minutes?’ said Fernandez.

Ryan Rhoads, 19, a kinesiology major, discovered the new parking structure three weeks ago and found a better solution for the distance from his classes. He parks at G3 and rides his bicycle around campus.

Rhoads gets to campus at 11 a.m. and said there’s hardly any parking elsewhere.’

‘This is the only structure that has space at that time in the morning,’ Rhoads said. He also finds the spaces are a little wider compared to other structures.

‘I love this parking lot’mdash;from day one I’m using this,’ said Yukiko Kanda, 30, a biology post-bachelorette studies. Her only concern was the visibility of incoming cars while making turns.

‘It’s two-way and that sometimes is dangerous,’ said Kanda. ‘I’ve observed a few times that cars come real close when I make turns.’

Ken Rosenthal, manager of construction services, said the structure cost about $17 million and construction took 14 months.

‘The parking structure came out great,’ said Rosenthal. ‘We’re very happy with the layout, location and the overall quality of the product is excellent.’

Rosenthal said the structure is located strategically to provide parking for new ongoing projects, the Performance Arts Center and the new science building.

For now, some students have found another use for the half-empty at peak hours and nearly empty in the evenings structure.

Most weeknights on level five, a group of sorority sisters practice ’strolling’ dances routines and reggaeton for an upcoming annual sorority and fraternity competition at the University of Southern California on April 18.

‘It’s a popular place to practice your dance routines,’ said Wendy Scndejas, 22, an English literature major who doesn’t park on campus because of the high cost of parking permits. She buys one day passes only on emergencies, such as the days she’s late to class.

The sorority sisters started to look for a new place to practice when their apartment complex neighbors complained about the noise.’

‘During the night, it’s usually empty,’ said Maria Balthazar, 22, psychology alumni still active in the Gamma Alpha Omega Sorority Inc. ‘We can bump our music and nobody gets mad.’

To inform students of the new parking structure, Fernandez said they passed out flyers, sent emails and informed the local media.’

‘I’m sure the students didn’t check their emails,’ said Jake Hytken, 20, a communication major. ‘There was nothing that said it was open. There was no big banner, no cutting of the ribbon.’

Hytken uses the parking structure when it best fits his classes and said he finds it always empty.

‘I don’t think the awareness is there yet,’ said Fernandez. ‘As we have gotten the word out they’re going to quickly realize that parking is far more convenient especially in light of available spaces.’

Rodrigue Mels always had it in him. His r’eacute;sum’eacute; authenticated it: Went to school with an NBA Finals MVP? Check. Played pickup basketball with him and his all-time defensive ace buddy? Check. Won nationwide MVP honors? Check.

Yet the senior’s elbow-rubbing with Tony Parker didn’t help him get a prominent role with the Matadors men’s basketball team coming into the 2008-09 season. His experience going heads up against Bruce Bowen didn’t make him Division-I ready. His MVP trophy from the national junior college tournament was nothing but a memento of a has-been.

CSUN Head Coach Bobby Braswell knew what he was getting in Mels: an athletic guard, a shooter and a scorer. Mels never thrived as a one-on-one stopper, but his active hands made him a defensive treat whenever a pass traveled from an opponent’s hands towards another’s.

‘I told Rodrigue he was probably the most talented guy in our program,’ Braswell said.

The statement came from a coach who had a guy who once scored 63 points in a single game and another who was the Big West Conference leader in assists for two consecutive seasons. Just how was the skinny man from Guadeloupe ‘- who averaged five points per game coming into 2008 ‘- his best player?

Backtracking to the beginning of the season, Mels wasn’t nearly prepared to be the best. Deon Tresvant, the 60-point man, and Josh Jenkins, the assist machine, had a year of experience and recognition ahead of the Guadeloupian. Mels couldn’t buy a role other than a ‘catch-and-shoot’ one for less than a fourth of a game’s duration.

But Tresvant went down for the season after being accused of a crime he claims he didn’t commit. Jenkins was also unable to finish his last days as a Matador on the court after suffering year-ending internal injuries in a car crash. Mels, CSUN’s best player, finally got his chance, because of others’ misfortune.

The junior college champion out of Midland made the most of it. He made the Matadors champions. Against UC Santa Barbara in the Big West Tournament’s semifinals, he should have had 30 points. In reality, he had 28, but the two he got after bouncing an inbounds pass back to himself off the back of All-Big Wester Chris Devine ‘- which led to a statement-making, game-sealing dunk with 41 seconds to go ‘- should have counted for four.

Those were the kinds of plays Braswell envisioned when he said what he said. There was a reason Mels won a national MVP, even if it was at the JUCO stage. And who did Mels beat on his way to that award and the championship? Jenkins’ Frank Phillips. On a buzzer-beating putback dunk.

Two years later, Jenkins and Mels were teammates. One was the Matadors’ face, the other a player in the shadows trying to earn the leeway that comes with being an established senior. Had Jenkins and Tresvant not been forced to cede those minutes to Mels because of life circumstances, would anyone have ever known who this French kid was?

‘Who knows? That’s a tough question. You don’t know the answer,’ Braswell said. ‘But I do know he rose to the occasion and the adversity we were facing. He stepped up.’

Braswell isn’t entirely the bad guy in this story. Mels was not ready to contribute when he first got to Matador-land. A groin injury prevented him from ever feeling comfortable on the court during 2007-08 as Northridge won a share of the regular-season championship and was eliminated in the tournament’s semifinals.

A season later, on the same stage, it was him who was dunking the Matadors into the Big West finals and it was him splashing six of 10 points in overtime against CSUN’s all-time nemesis (Pacific) to clinch Northridge’s second-ever berth to the NCAA Tournament. Had Jenkins and Tresvant been there, the Matadors could have still been champions, but it would have never played out the way it did.

Jenkins himself admitted it. He was happy for Mels getting his chance because he knew better than anyone the 6-foot-3 guard was buzzer-beating talented. Jenkins just hated Mels’ opportunity had come at his expense.

‘It was bittersweet,’ Jenkins said.

In the Big Dance, Mels’ 15 points were a major reason the Matadors were ahead of No. 3 Memphis, 62-56, with 10:11 to go. The upset didn’t happen. The Tigers went on to win 81-70, but Northridge made a name for itself. No first-round exiter deserved a hero’s welcome as much as Northridge did on Thursday.

Braswell is still getting e-mails from thankful fans proud of belonging to a community that has CSUN in its heart. As far as Mels goes, he probably will not admit it, but there had to be a miniature man standing on his shoulder whispering negative things to his ear from time to time. He felt he could have averaged 20 points. Instead he’ll be looking for a job showing nine points per game as his most impressive senior-season stat.

‘Coach knew what he was doing,’ Mels said.

There is a reason Braswell won the coaching version of an MVP award in back-to-back seasons. Consecutive Big West championships also didn’t happen from thin air. Through so much adversity, Braswell held it all together, even if that meant one ‘- or seven ‘- players weren’t happy.

Mels was the odd man out until the men ahead of him weren’t there anymore. A matter of adversity got transformed into luck for someone. If it wasn’t for that ‘hellip; Rodrigue who?

Employees have access to valuable services for issues ranging from stress to alcohol and drug abuse through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) located on campus.

Coordinated by Dr. Debra Rozanski, the program strives to provide individual and group assistance to faculty and staff in need.

Rozanski said Human Resources brought her on board to deal with these issues. From there, Rozanski created EAP from scratch.

‘It really has been a wonderful experience,’ said Rozanski. ‘A lot of it involves finding out from employees what it is they want, what they need.’

Offered specifically for employees, EAP started in early 2008 and is backed by the Employee Relations Department. Prior to its inception, employees were only able to receive help from the counseling services.

‘Until very recently we haven’t had a real formal Employee Assistance Program to offer to employees,’ Rozanski said. ‘The counseling center is just for students and there were some technical issues that they had to deal with in terms of employees and funding issues.’

EAP offers individual consultations for faculty and staff who find themselves in need of mediation or intervention.

If an employee’s immediate family members are involved with an issue, Rozanski can also help, especially when a family member is affected by the economy.

The tough and nebulous economic times have put a strain on faculty, staff and their loved ones said Rozanski.

‘Even though our employees aren’t being directly affected themselves, their families are being affected, Rozanski said. Family members are losing their jobs, they’re losing the insurance that they had through that family member so we are seeing the impact of it here.’

An initial consultation and an assessment will be provided, and then Rozanski will make referrals to outside services.

‘Dr. Rozanski helped direct me in a time I needed it most,’ an anonymous faculty member said. ‘Through the toughest time, the EAP put me through an individual consultation and then to outside therapists. I truly appreciate their help.’

Bob Foldesi, vice president of Human Resources, believes that EAP acknowledges the specific individual needs of employees.

‘We give life skills to help manage life better,’ Foldesi said.

Aside from individual programs, Foldesi said the program tries to put people together that are dealing with similar issues.

Faculty and staff can learn and help each other go through difficult times, according to Rozanski.

‘We’ll also be offering a monthly support group,’ said Rozanski. ‘The support group will be for anybody who wants to come in a meet and talk with other people who are in the same position.’

One example of the support groups provided is a weight management group.

‘It’s not a diet program, it’s called ‘Intuitive Eating’ and it’s a wonderful program being led by our dietitian that is here at CSUN through the health center,’ Rozanski explained.

One of the more popular services offered deals with caregiving. ‘We started that in February offering individualized sessions to employees who find themselves in the position of being caregiver to aging parents or other family members and we had such an amazing response,’ Rozanski said.

The sessions with the L.A. Department on Aging filled up within 10 minutes. ‘We seem to have a very large population of employees that have caregiving responsibilities and it has been just tremendously received.’

‘EAP is about doing the right thing for people,’ Foldesi said. ‘We value our people and see our people not just as a single element as a worker, but as a whole person.’

Rozanski said the program gives her a deep satisfaction.

‘This was my dream job. I’ve been a therapist for over 30 years. I’m a licensed psychologist and I’ve done just about everything within that field,’ Rozanski said.

She had always wanted to work with an EAP program. ‘When this came up it was really my dream come true and I love what I’m doing and the freedom and creativity. I love the population that I’m working with, I love responding to employees and what their needs are.’

For complete services and session times, visit www-admn.csun.edu/ohrs/eap/.

Michelle Obama has added an undeniable new energy into the evolving debate of feminism, motherhood and the traditional ideals of womanhood that still dominate our society’s consciousness.

This is a rather predictable debate that has manifested itself in a variety of ways. The most recent reincarnation is Michelle Obama. She is the equally famous first lady of an overwhelmingly popular president. But apart from that role, she is an accomplished professional whose life story warrants nothing short of respect.

During the campaign, there were also various attempts to portray Michelle Obama as the more feminist option among women voters than Hillary Clinton. This was a rather strange argument and was highlighted in an interview that President Barack Obama did.

He assured anyone watching that his wife would not take an active role in the policy and every day functions of the White House, such as Clinton had notoriously done. All the while, he stressed that his wife was the ‘rock’ of the family and the smarter of the two.

I couldn’t agree more.

Michelle Obama is an exceptionally gifted lawyer, community organizer and campaigner. So why keep assuring people that Michelle would not be involved? Wouldn’t it be wise to have someone of that caliber giving her input to help solve problems and be instrumental in using her unique position to fight for important causes?

Instead, Michelle Obama declared herself as a ‘Mom-in-Chief,’ and decided to not return to her job. Now granted, she is a wonderful mother to two vivacious young girls, and has every right to choose whether or not she wishes to work. That doesn’t bother me; after all, the women’s movement was and continues to be a struggle that wishes to give women the option to decide what they choose to do with their lives.

What has begun to bother me however, is watching Michelle Obama host garden parties and tea ceremonies. The first lady is an absurdly traditional and quaint title. Surely, she has better things to do with her time. Plus, what does it continue to say about our society that we expect whomever is in that position to spend her time with social gatherings and ribbon cutting?

During the primary campaign, many within the mainstream media faction, attempted to portray her as a radical whose ideology did not adhere to that all elusive moderate constituency. The Obama campaign tried to neutralize those attacks and waged their own. It seemed that in story after story we read about Michelle’s inspiring life story and a true example of what is possible. We were also bombarded with images and anecdotes about the Obamas’ marriage.

Hillary Clinton, with all the criticism that has and can be leveled against her, was one of the truly revolutionary first ladies, in the sprit of Eleanor Roosevelt. Michelle Obama has the potential to build on their accomplishments and make her own history.

What it really comes down to is that I desperately want Michelle Obama to take this as an opportunity to advocate for all the young women who are trying to find their place in this world. How wonderful would it be to see such an intellectual and beautiful woman help shatter an additional ‘18 million cracks’ in the glass ceiling? She is, after all, a mother, a sister, a daughter and a wife. She is smart and inspiring, not because she is a woman, but because she is an extraordinary human being.

The ballots collected for the candidates vying for the Arts, Media and Communication (AMC) senate seat will be nullified due to an error that excluded one candidate from the ballot.

If there is a scheduled run-off for the primary elections the candidates for AMC will be added to the ballot. If not, the Elections Committee will hold a special election that could cost up to $5,000, said Mazen Hafez the director of elections.

For a candidate to be elected they must receive over 50 percent of the votes. If they don’t there will be a run-off between the top two contenders. A run-off is common for the presidential elections.

‘It was bad communication made from our part and the people who made the ballot, it made it through all the provisions we made and we missed it,’ said Chester Inong Assistant Director of the Election Committee.

The error was caught when candidates noticed that the name of Julio Palacol who is running on the A-Team slate was not on the ballot, they then notified Hafez.

A decision has yet to be made on what action will be taken, but most likely a run-off election will take place next week on April eighth and ninth due to the number of candidates that are running for president and vice president, said Hafez.

Palacol had been campaigning on campus three weeks prior to Election Day and started reaching out to students at 7 a.m. on the first day that students were allowed to vote.

‘It is embarrassing and unprofessional on the behalf of the elections committee,’ said Palacol. ‘I am not letting this get me down, but it just hurts when people say they wanted to vote for me but that I was not on the ballot.’

Palacol along with the other candidates still plan to campaign for themselves and their slate until the run-off elections take place next week.

‘It was an error on my end and I offer my apologies to that candidate,’ said Hafez. ‘We are still going to keep elections going because we need to get the results for the other candidates in interest of fairness.’

‘Mistakes happen,’ said Hafez.

This marks the fourth semester in a row that the Elections Committee has run into problems. During previous semesters they tried using an online voting system that resulted in students not being able to log on, ballots being pre-selected and systems crashing.

This semester the elections committee tried to avoid any technical problems and turned back to traditional forms of voting.

‘I think this goes to show how many mistakes the elections committee has made as far as the debates go for the college of AMC,’ said Brent E. Zitsman, one of the AMC candidates, commenting on the fact that there was a last minute room change for the debates that caused confusion for students who wanted to attend.

‘It is disappointing because of all the campaigning efforts that we have put on today and tomorrow,’ said Vianney Moran a junior political science major who is a full supporter of the A-Team slate.

‘Who knows if people will want to vote again for the second time. It is a pretty big error,’ said Moran.

Malik Basurto
Major: Family and consumer sciences
Year: Graduate student
Currently involved in: SHAC

1. It would be to see what programs A.S. currently has and see what programs could be developed to enhance the academic experience while making sure they’re cost effective.

2. One of my specific priorities is to try to see if we can get free parking for people who are only going to be on campus for a few hours, it would be for someone who doesn’t need a full-time parking pass. As well as seeing if we can upgrade food services. When I first started going to CSUN we had Taco Bell on one portion of the campus, but they closed it because we have the one off campus. But the one off campus isn’t as accessible as the one on campus.

3. I plan to obviously be at events so I’m definitely going to make sure that I’m in touch with clubs and organizations. I plan to be very visible by taking out an ad in the Sundial through A.S. or send an email to the 33,000 students we have. There are many ways to do it I just need to look into what’s feasible.

4. I would definitely think so. If you’re a part of school and want a degree from that school it would help you stay through and graduate in a more decent time. Some students are transferring to UCLA and we’re loosing a lot of students to local universities. If they had more pride in CSUN or something to be proud of like the basketball team that would definitely make people want to go to CSUN instead of UCLA.

5. No I don’t plan on pursuing the Matador statue because it’s not important. I don’t even know where it would go. I don’t see how they’re going to use a statue and how it’s productive to academic life.

Andrew Collard
Major: Business marketing
Year: Junior
Currently involved in: Sigma Chi, Associated Students

1. I think we need to focus on student outreach and approach education differently. We want to help with the educational experience outside of the classroom, like internship opportunities through A.S. or a logo competition for best graphic design of the year. It would help people develop a competitive resume for their future career so they’re not just in class hitting the books but having experience in a real-world environment.

2. Our main thing is we want to include intercollegiate athletics as part of A.S. to increase school spirit and feed off the energy we have right now after we made it into the NCAA tournament. By promoting intercollegiate athletics more people will know more of the teams.

3. I don’t think I should be doing anything no one knows anything about. I don’t have a problem with having an open door policy and I don’t keep anything from any senator. I will also communicate with students and faculty on campus. People think being in politics is shady, but I’m not in this for personal politics, I’m doing this for the cause.

4. Having school spirit is being involved in CSUN. I notice a big difference between people who just go to class and people who are involved in campus.

5. People are really for it and part of the campus quality fee has to do with school pride. I don’t have a problem with it as long as it doesn’t come from A.S. fee’s. I wouldn’t use alumni money for anything else because alumni would be more excited to donate to the statue as part of their legacy. We should be able to reach out to more alumni for donations for the statue especially because of the 50th anniversary. I’d also ask for donations for the children center to help students on campus who might be a parent.

Luis Carbajo
Major: Electrical engineering
Year: Graduate student
Currently involved in: President of Eta Kappa Nu Honor Society, student liason for IEE, current A.S. senator

1. Well the quality of education will not suffer if I’m president because that’s why we’re creating new programs that will enhance education like the textbook stipend. We’re also increasing funding for academic related projects and research by $30,000. And we’re creating a Web site where students can exchange textbooks on campus. That’s going to help with the budget crisis. That’s how fees will be used, we’re not only going to provide campus activities, but more importantly help make college affordable. On the other hand, we’re going to represent every single student at the state level by making sure that the governor doesn’t cut our budget at the state level so we can afford college.

2. Creating the recycling and processing center that I proposed because it will create jobs and internships for CSUN students on campus for students from different colleges such as engineering, health, business, economics and environmental sciences, as well as chemistry. Where students will have the chance to work, get aid and build a competitive resume and help the environment.

3. Absolutely that’s what I proposed at the debates. My Web site will be up so students know what we’re doing, how we’re doing it and what’s left to do so you can keep me accountable. I’m not going to work for myself, but for the 36,000 students I’m serving.

4. Yes there is a relation. Student retention rates have a relationship to school spirit most but most students quit school because we can’t afford tuition or pay for textbooks. My plan is to go step-by-step and tackling programs one at a time so they can stay in school.

5. As I’ve said in the debates I support the statue but what I don’t support is students paying for it. I am for it as long as alumni would pay. If they don’t want to fully pay for it we’d start looking at outside sponsorships or the university itself. The fees students pay for the A.S. fees have to be used for students and not the statue. Especially when students have to work part-time to afford textbooks.

Abel Pacheco
Major: Political science
Year: Senior
Currently involved in: USU vice chair of board of directors, Hermanos Unidos, Tau Kappa Epsilon, North Campus board of directors, Associated Students.

1. I think my textbook online marketplace would help students save money by having students buy and sell textbooks in the student government Web site. It helps students save money and earn money while helping to create a community feel on campus. One thing that A.S. is looking into currently is providing internships here on campus.

2. I have a lot of goals, but my first emphasis is to create a textbook online marketplace so students develop a social network for students as soon as possible. Second is pushing the university to be more green by phasing out blue books for green books and moving us in the right direction.

3. I’m going to be accountable and transparent by publishing my presidents report within the Sundial so students here on campus know what I’m doing and working on, but also on that note installing a common/suggestion/concerns box right outside the president and vice presidents office so students on campus can keep me on my toes.

4. Yes because it’s proven that the more a student is involved on campus which helps promote school spirit. When your involved in a club or organization on campus your more likely to finish college. Therefore you want to encourage and assists clubs and orgs on campus. So that they can better assist students on those clubs and orgs get internships, job experience and networking skills.

5. I think there’s no better time than the 50th anniversary of CSUN to hold a fundraiser for alumni to help finance the matador statue. You can invite corporate sponsors to help with financing as well. But also encourage them to give money to other programs here on campus such as tutoring, scholarships and provide job opportunities.

Associated Students hopes to break the Spring A.S. election voting record by having at least 4,000 students vote today and tomorrow.

The current voting record, which was set nine years ago, is about 3,400 voters. The goal for the fall 2008 election’ was 5,000 but only 2,200 students voted.

‘Students don’t vote because they don’t know the candidates and they don’t understand A.S. and how it is important,’ said Mazen Hafez, Director of Elections. It’s important to vote because they influence important decisions that will be made for the school, said Hafez.

CSUN student Ralph Nava is not voting because he does not know the candidates and has never had any interaction with them.

‘It’s important to be connected because people don’t know what’s going on,’ said Nava.

One way that A.S. has tried to solve this problem is by having candidate debates to allow students to learn more about the candidates and their views. In addition to debates there have also been voting flyers and voting guides to better inform students about the candidates.

‘The debates have been a huge success and we have set a candidate record this election by having 47 candidates. We hope that they will be able to attract more voters,’ said Hafez.

Two of the four students that are running for president are members of’ Greek organizations on campus. Freshman Kristen Gonzalez, 18, sociology has a lot of friends in the Greek system and will be supporting the people who are running.

‘It is important to vote because they are the ones who make the decisions about what goes on around campus,’ said Gonzalez.

The voting polls will be open today from 8 a.m to 7 p.m. Other information in regards to the A.S. election can be found online at www.csunas.org/elections.

Construction on the $30.1 million new student housing complex, created to promote social engagement among its residents, will be completed by May 2009.

‘The new residence halls are designed to create social interaction that will help first-year students get to know one another and become better connected to their peers and to the campus,’ said Tim Trevan, director of Student Housing.

All single students are eligible to live in the new housing located between University Park Apartments (UPA) and the university’s outdoor track. However, Trevan said, by design, it’s primarily geared towards first-year freshman.

The complex is sectioned into living clusters of 32 students. There are two students to each bedroom with a bathroom shared by four residents. Each cluster is provided a common area and study room.

Student housing resident Cathy Smith recognizes current housing doesn’t lend itself to social interaction.

‘The dorms now, they’re cool, you have your own space like an apartment,’ said Smith, a junior liberal studies and Spanish major. ‘But you’re able to hide in your own space.’
Smith said, ‘If you’re forced to be around people at all times you are going to socialize.’

Samantha Liu lived in student housing during her first semester at CSUN and like Smith said the layout of the current apartments isn’t conducive to social interaction.

‘I think it will force them to make new friends within the community,’ Liu, a junior health and education major, said in reference to the new complex.

‘You were forced to get to know the people who were in your room but not the people in your hall,’ she added when discussing her own experience in housing.

Trevan said the demand for student housing may be less this year however all occupancies are expected to be filled as the housing department anticipates having a waiting list soon after the April 10 preferred application date.

‘Last year, we had about 800 students on a waiting list by mid-summer,’ he said. ‘We believe that the waiting list will be shorter this year, but we still anticipate filling all spaces by early summer.’

Trevan added that it’s important to apply by the April 10 date in order to be provided a space.

‘At the beginning of the year the whole waiting list thing sucks,’ Smith said. ‘I’ve known people who had to commute for a while, maybe until the middle of the semester.’

Liu said she believes the new complex will help decrease demand because at one point she knew there were hundreds and hundreds of people on the waitlist.

A little less money than the current apartments, new kitchen-less suites are priced at $4,779 for the 2009-2010 academic year. An apartment double without a kitchen in the UPA is $4,995.

The cost of the new complex is comparable to off-campus housing if you factor in all the services, resources and support staff afforded to on-campus students, according to Tresvan.

‘The convenience of being able to have a contract for one furnished bedspace for the academic year rather than being contractually obligated to the entire unfurnished apartment rent for a calendar year, as is standard for off-campus apartments,’ Trevan pointed out.

Smith said if she was to get in the dorms she’d probably stay in the more spacious apartments.

‘I’m not totally opposed to the idea but I’d choose my roommate,’ she said with a chuckle.