This morning, San Francisco State University held a dedication ceremony at the Mashouf Wellness Center field to celebrate two of its buildings: West Grove Commons and the Gator Student Health Center.
The buildings are on the former West Campus Green. The roughly $179 million two-year project was built to provide more student housing and unite Student Health Services, Counseling & Psychological Services and Health Promotion & Wellness.
Among the 150 attendees at the ceremony was Sen. Scott Wiener, who said the project signifies a step forward in making utilities more accessible at California State University campuses.
“We try to get back to the basic notion that we should have enough housing for everyone who needs it,” said Wiener. “The CSU needs to succeed. This is a university system that is an engine of the middle class in California.”
West Grove Commons opened ahead of the Fall 2024 semester to house 750 first-year students. The Gator Student Health Center opened at the end of March. It includes the Yerba Buena Dining Hall and offers mental and physical health services.
The State of California paid for the bulk of the project’s expenses, $116.3 million, through the Affordable Student Housing grant program.
California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, a speaker at the event who serves on the CSU, UC and California Community College boards, said the contribution is the largest of its time from the state for on-campus housing.
“I think it’s very important to recognize that a project like this breaking ground today probably would not be possible in the current tariffs regime that the Trump administration has put on the country,” said Kounalakis, a former U.S. ambassador. “California is deeply integrated into the economies of the world and we need to be able to stand up and make sure those projects can be built.”
Students living at West Grove Commons who receive a Cal Grant A or B are eligible for the reduced-rate housing program, allowing them to pay 25% less than the traditional rate of $1,251 per month. With this program, SFSU became the first CSU to offer reduced-rate housing.
“If you do the math on that, that keeps a student from having to work full-time at 18 while going to college; it enables a student to stay in college,” said President Lynn Mahoney.
Mahoney credited the high expense of renting in San Francisco and their preparedness as factors in receiving state funding for the construction. Barry Jodatian, the associate vice president of Capital Planning, Design and Construction, presented a certificate at the ceremony honoring the construction delivery method of the project. The certificate was one of the five awards to SFSU for this project.
“We presented the plan that met all of the program requirements including affordability, number of beds, budget and a schedule. The schedule was very, very challenging,” Jodatian said. “The project required extensive collaboration between the university and design builder and authorities having jurisdiction over this project.”
The project’s completion comes after SFSU’s STEM facilities were upgraded in January with the renovation of the Science Building and the construction of the Science and Engineering Innovation Center. Jodatian said the long-term master plan includes major renovations of Thornton Hall, the HSS Building, Mary Ward Hall and Mary Park Hall.
Rylissa Javier was invited to speak at the ceremony about her experience as a student, resident assistant at West Grove Commons and a former commuter student. Javier recalled seeing groups of residents in the Community Great Room cooking for each other and hanging out on the couches during the first weeks of the Fall 2024 semester.
“It felt very disconnected and it was hard to build a sense of community,” Javier said, referring to her time as a commuter student. “It’s been heartwarming to watch the residents find their community and make this campus their home.”
This story has been updated for accuracy.
