Issue date: 5/6/09 Section: Opinion

I ride my bicycle all over campus. I go from class to class and dodge and weave in between students. At Sacramento State, I am one of the few who does. If I were to go to the University of California, Davis, I would be one of many. Although it may not seem like that important of a difference, it is just one of the reasons why Sac State does not feel like a real college.

Sac State is obviously a real college. I get the feeling though, that for a lot of students, myself included, it is just the place where we are going to get our degrees. I came here last fall because it was the next logical step after community college. I never had any grandiose dreams of attending the illustrious Sac State as a child. I already have friends, I don't need to escape my parent's house, and being a Hornet wasn't that high up on my list of priorities.

Unless you're a part of some club or group, there is no real feeling of camaraderie around campus. It doesn't help that Sac State is mostly a commuter school. Most of the students here drive to campus, and once they're done with class there's usually no point to hang around school. The sidewalks roll up pretty early around these parts. On most days once the 4:15 p.m. classes let out, Sac State turns into a ghost town.

Yet, it doesn't have to be this way. I recently spent some time on the UC Davis campus and observed some things I think Sac State should adopt. As I mentioned earlier, at UC Davis everyone rides a bicycle. That is one of the most glaring differences between the schools, and it occurs because a majority of UC Davis students live on or around campus.

Adam Li, UC Davis mechanical engineering major, enjoys the neighborhood feel of his campus.

"Everyone lives here; you can walk around campus and know everyone that walks by. It's its own little world," Li said.

That, to me, is the biggest problem as to why Sac State feels more like a degree factory than a community. Nobody lives here. This could change. Included in the Destination 2010 project is the American River Courtyard, which is going to be one of the major attractions to draw students to campus living. It is intended for older students as well, which might help to alleviate some of the fears of living with freshmen.

Gloria Moraga, associate vice president of Public Affairs, said the school's Destination 2010 project is part of the answer.

"When the new residence halls open, there is going to be kind of a gathering place and a nerve center here. There's going to be restaurants, a place to hang out in the courtyard," Moraga said. "We'll have quite a number of places on campus for people to congregate, and we'll have a lot more people living on campus."

Sac State does have an edge on UC Davis and other larger universities. I recently sat in on a history class at Davis and was one of more than 200 students. I doubt the professor could even see me, let alone notice that I had never been there before. Every one of my teachers in my two semesters at Sac State have known me by name.

There may not be as many students either, but the experience here really depends on how much the student puts into it. Sac State may not seem like the destination campus that other California universities are, but sometimes you have to look a little harder to see what is truly there.

Matt Rascher can be reached at mrascher@statehornet.com

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