Unheard and Unhappy: CSUMB Students Report Deeper Dissatisfaction Years After Quality Study

CSUMB students’ concerns leave a challenging, unmoving question: Are they satisfied with the quality of learning?

CSUMB students during finals week

A satisfaction study from 2016 through 2022 identified three stagnant issues: students want major-specific classes, feel unheard, and aren’t happy with campus social life. Years later, the question remains: Has anything changed?

The Quality of Learning

For many, the joy of college’s potential has been replaced by a way of survival. Senior Madeline Bautista, who balances a full-time job, a four-day commute, and 14 units, didn’t hesitate, “I’m just memorizing what I need to memorize for that class,” she explains, “But as soon as those classes are over, I can’t recall anything that I learned.”

She isn’t alone. Junior Evan Wold puts it even more bluntly: “Surviving the next semester has been the only thing helping me retain the information.”

A Game or an Enrollment Process?

Facilitating learning requires access to the right curriculum, but that has become a challenge. Junior Jaedyn White describes the enrollment process. “I’d probably get like one class every year that I actually enjoy,” White says, voicing her ongoing frustration with mass class drops and single-section course offerings. “You can’t even take some of the classes you actually wanted because it wasn’t going to your schedule.”

Missing Campus Life

Looking to destress, students look outside the classroom, but still cannot find what they are looking for on campus. The relief that students say comes from community seems harder to obtain at CSUMB, as some report struggles with the social scene.

Senior Lennon Scott notes that while some classes offer value, “The lack of student life made making connections harder,” she explains, pointing out that these missing connections are often the ones that open professional doors.

The Mental and Emotional Toll

The isolation is mixed with the clear exhaustion of the modern student experience. The “college experience” is continuously being defined by what students have to give up to be here. For Lilyann Aguilar, the sacrifice is family. Choosing CSUMB meant leaving behind her youngest brother just as he started middle school. “I didn’t think I was gonna miss a big chunk of their lives, especially my youngest, but I am.” Madeline Bautista says the sacrifice is for physical and mental well-being. “I feel DRAINED–very tired, very stressed out, and my academic anxiety is kicking heavily daily.”

No Outlet for Stress

With high pressure and low engagement, the tension has to go somewhere. Residential Advisor Kat Hernandez sees it spilling over in unexpected ways. She notes a rise in noise complaints even outside of quiet hours, such as dishes being washed.

“Students need an outlet,” Hernandez states.

The Administration Responds

Drawing on his quarter-century of experience at diverse institutions, including large research universities like VCU and UCF, Dean of Students Reuben Rodriguez acknowledged the perception of a quiet campus, but emphasized that the barriers to social life are often rooted in a lack of collective initiative rather than restrictive policy.

He insisted that the logistical barriers to fun are minimal. Stating that there are “no” restrictive policies on how late or loud events can be. While the university relies on the Time, Place, and Manner (TPM) Policy to manage noise and logistics, the Dean states this policy is used to support organized student fun, not stop it.

Dean Rodriguez challenged students directly to be more proactive: “I want something where they can look back and say, man, wasn’t that great that [event] came to campus.” To show institutional support, he pointed out that the university plans to invest millions of dollars to renovate the Black Box Cabaret, an old after-hours venue that pre-pandemic students used to instill campus life.

The Final Result

The data from 2016 suggested students feel unheard and unsatisfied. Today’s stories suggest those feelings have deepened into a routine of sacrifice.

If the purpose of a university is to help students grow into who they hope to become, the stories from CSUMB raise an uncomfortable question. Students are learning lessons–how to sacrifice, how to handle burnout, and how to stay afloat–but are they truly learning, or are they just learning how to endure? Although students do not always voice this concern, when asked, they are quick to express their opinion.