News Release| CSULA; Cal State L.A.; Los Angeles; CSU; new University-Student Union grand opening celebration

January 6, 2009

Note to editors and news directors: This advisory is for news-media planning purposes only. As this event is intended solely for the campus community, please do not publicize the concert to the general public in advance. Reporters and photographers are welcome to attend; the ribbon-cutting ceremony will be at 6 p.m. Pre-tour of new facility can be arranged ahead of time by calling the CSULA Public Affairs office at (323) 343-3050.

Media Advisory: 3-10 p.m., Friday, Jan. 9 

Cal State L.A. opens new University-Student Union

Estelle to headline free outdoor concert

celebration for CSULA students

 

What:           Cal State L.A.’s new University-Student Union will open its doors to an afternoon and evening of fun, food and festivities. For the campus community only, a free outdoor concert featuring singer Estelle (of the hit “American Boy”) will be held in the evening on the U-SU Plaza.

When:           Friday, Jan. 9, 2009, 3-10 p.m.

Ribbon-cutting ceremony begins 6 p.m.

Where:          University-Student Union, on the Cal State L.A. campus.

Info:             For directions, go to www.calstatela.edu/univ/maps/. For details, call (323) 343-2450.

Los Angeles, CA -- With the theme of “U Live, U Learn, U Grow, The New U,” the new University-Student Union (U-SU) at California State University, Los Angeles will officially celebrate its grand opening on Friday, Jan. 9.

A campus-wide celebration will kick off on the U-SU Plaza at 3 p.m. with music by the Grammy-nominated Mariachi Divas, followed by special tours of the facility until 8 p.m. An official ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for 6 p.m. There will be food and prize giveaways for all CSULA students.

At 9 p.m., the campus community will be treated to a free outdoor concert featuring Grammy-nominated hip-hop and soul singer Estelle. Entertainment by CSULA Gospel Choir-Graduate Chapter, The Spazmatics (an ‘80s New Wave cover band) and Pachamama (a world-roots-rhythm band) will also be provided throughout the event.

The new U-SU, complementing other campus architecture, connects to The Golden Eagle by a third-floor bridge. It is home to the Alumni Relations, Associated Students, Inc., Center for Student Involvement, Cross Cultural Centers, and the University-Student Union administration and staff.

The 93,000-square-foot building also features an outdoor plaza, expanded computer lab, a fitness center, 200-seat theater, game room, Wells Fargo bank, a coffee house, pizza restaurant, and added meeting and lounge space.

Following a seismic analysis in 2001, the decision to rebuild was a result of a student poll conducted that same year. Since 1975, when the former U-SU was built at the same site, the U-SU has depended on student fees for operational funding. Construction of the new $30 million building was begun in 2006.

The project required the combined efforts of the U-SU team; Barnhart Construction, Inc.; executive architect Tate Snyder Kinsey; design architect HMC; and Cal State L.A.’s Facilities Planning and Construction.

For more information, contact the U-SU Administration office at (323) 343-2450 or visit its website at www.calstatela.edu/usu.     

 

Cal State L.A. links:

University-Student Union

http://www.calstatelausu.org/

Alumni Relations

http://alumni.calstatela.edu/

Associated Students, Inc.

http://www.asicsula.org/

Center for Student Involvement

/usu/csi/studentorg.htm

Cross Cultural Centers at Cal State L.A.

/usu/ccc/index.htm

 

Entertainment lineup links:

Estelle

http://www.estellemusic.com/

Mariachi Divas

http://www.mariachidivas.com/

Pachamama

http://www.myspace.com/pachamamaraggae

The Spazmatics

http://www.myspace.com/thespazmatics

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Working for California since 1947: The 175-acre hilltop campus of California State University, Los Angeles is at the heart of a major metropolitan city, just five miles from Los Angeles’ civic and cultural center. More than 20,000 students and 205,000 alumni—with a wide variety of interests, ages and backgrounds—reflect the city’s dynamic mix of populations. Six colleges offer nationally recognized science, arts, business, criminal justice, engineering, nursing, education and humanities programs, among others, led by an award-winning faculty. Cal State L.A. is home to the critically-acclaimed Luckman Jazz Orchestra and to a unique university center for gifted students as young as 12. Programs that provide exciting enrichment opportunities to students and community include an NEH- and Rockefeller-supported humanities center; a NASA-funded center for space research; and a growing forensic science program, housed in the Hertzberg-Davis Forensic Science Center. www.calstatela.edu