Residence Life and Housing Services has several projects currently underway to adapt to the population increase as student enrollment at California Baptist University continues to increase each year.
The most recent housing project scheduled to be added to CBU is a new housing complex called Magnolia Crossing, which will be located on Magnolia Avenue, west of Monroe Street. The facility will hold 500 upperclassmen in two- and three-bedroom suites.
The complex will also feature lounge space, study rooms and a grab-and-go food location that will be included in student meal plans. The current goal, said Daron Hubbert, director of Residence Life and Housing Services, is to open the complex for the Fall 2020 semester.
Hubbert said other ways the university is providing room for new students includes adding beds to pre-existing rooms and apartments and reclassifying university resources for student housing, such as houses the university owns.
“We are continually looking for ways to improve campus housing at CBU and what we can offer to students,” Hubbert said. “We make minor changes each year in order to address questions or concerns that we see across campus.”
Rebecca Patty, senior theater arts and Christian studies double major, said she is pleased to learn the administration is building a housing complex off campus.
“Even on the first day of classes you can see the heavy foot traffic and the need for more housing and why they have to expand,” Patty said. “I prefer that we expand outward rather than inward. I know they have had to do that right now — putting more people in a room — but I am glad we are getting more housing. … It’s exciting that we are growing and having to expand.”
Commuter student Lilly Boles, freshman interior design major, said she appreciates CBU making an effort to build housing for students who want to live on campus.
“I was in the Village for my first semester, and I noticed there was (limited) housing for students, and (this year) my friends were having some issues getting housing. The process was really slow,” Boles said. “So it’s really good that they’re now building new (housing).”
Hubbert said other changes in campus housing include the removal of some of the balconies in the Colony Apartments for safety reasons. The remainder of the balconies will be removed during the summer 2020.
Another improvement includes a quicker check-in process, which Hubbert said he hopes will also help with students checking out at the end of the semester.
