CSI is here to get students engaged.
The Campus Center goes through rebranding, now called The Center for Student Involvement
The Vector was able to sit down and speak with Albert Martinez and Humberto Baquerizo, veterans of Campus Center staff, about the new image of the Campus Center office.
The Vector: What is the Center for Student Involvement?
Albert Martinez: About two years ago, we [the professional staff at a retreat] started talking about creating a new identity for the Campus Center. People associate everything with the campus center office: the good, the bad, and the ugly. We wanted to create a new identity for this office. We wanted the community and students to know we have a new identity: CSI. CSI is the Campus Center office, it is essentially still the same. The only thing that is changing at the moment is the name of the office.
TV: Why go through rebranding?
AM: Before we changed the name to CSI, people thought that the Campus Center was just a building. We wanted to change that perception. We want people to come into our office. The new name helps us identify what we do for staff, faculty, and students. In my opinion, we are solution finders, the nucleus that pulls everything together.
We know that when students are directly connected an engaged, they are more involved on campus. When you look at the engagement of the Honors College and its students, you see how their grades are when they are actively participating with the events.
Humberto Baquerizo: Everyone had a few more concepts for CSI and we wanted to look at that and see what they were doing and seeing what worked. We want to make sure we provide a more visual change.
TV: How many people work as part of the Campus Center staff?
AM: We have several people working as part of the staff, including myself, Humberto, and Bob Moran. We are currently down two people; one retired (Bill Red), and the other transferred (Donna Minnich). I am serving as interim manager of the CC.
TV: What can clubs expect to change along with the rebranding?
AM: Not much will change programming wise, but there are some changes coming organizationally.” There will be an event planning boot camp on May 2, the first Saturday of May. Clubs will be getting a packet of information in March about the boot camp and the changes.
Now, clubs must provide the name of their events, the services they may need, and have a checklist. We will be creating an activities calendar over the summer about events organizations will be having in the fall.
All events now need to be planned in the summer before the fall semester. At least the organizational details must be planned. We will be scheduling meetings with organizations and so on. It is so they communicate better. We want a one stop service for this new Campus Center.
TV: Is there anything that you want to say to students?
HB: We are always looking for people to be CSI agents. We want people to come in and make sure that events are a great quality for the community.
AM: If you have any suggestions to make sure we can improve, then we are also here for that.
HB: We are using student appreciation week as a template to move forward. It was a way for us to show that when our students are a priority, we can do amazing things. I want to make sure all students had the great experience that I had when I was an undergraduate.
