CSUSM is partnering with Sea Breeze Properties – developers of North City, which includes CSUSM’s North Commons, The QUAD and the Extended Learning Building – on the SWRC, which will be the latest addition to campus life. 

“This has been a long time coming, and we couldn’t be more proud to be here today,” said Darren Levitt, vice president and partner of Sea Breeze Properties and emcee for the Construction Kickoff. “I don’t know of any other development in the country that includes all of these elements in one project.”  

The SWRC will have a 10,000-square-foot gym space with strength training equipment and cardio machines, two standard-sized indoor courts and a rooftop deck with a turf field. In addition to the extensive room for student exercise, there will be dedicated wellness areas indoors and outdoors, a commuter lounge and an esports collaboration den. The project also includes additional student housing, with over 900 beds, as well as a central park and retail space.

“When students have access to wellness and recreation resources, they thrive, manage stress better, perform stronger academically and feel more connected to their campus,” CSUSM President Ellen Neufeldt said. “That’s what this center is all about.” 

“When you choose an institution of higher learning as a student, you’re not just choosing a place to learn; you’re choosing a community to live in and live with, and having this very crucial piece of the community be here on campus is going to be an enormous opportunity for our students,” Assemblymember Darshana Patel said. 

CSUSM’s Campus Recreation students and staff worked hard to advocate for the center. Campus Rec student ambassadors, along with other student groups and organizations, helped make the project a reality by conducting a referendum to ensure that students' voices determined the outcome of the SWRC.  

“I’ve seen firsthand how much our students have wanted and needed this space,” said Illeana Carmona Chavez, an Associated Students, Inc., leader and former Campus Rec employee who helped lead the student referendum. “Since 2016, students have been advocating for more wellness and recreation opportunities, and we’re making that dream a reality. 

“This center is about fitness and wellness, but it’s also about belonging. It’s about giving students – especially commuters like me – a place to connect, recharge and feel part of something bigger.” 

Added San Marcos Mayor Rebecca Jones: “We are very focused on wellness and keeping people healthy, so this could not be more appropriate. San Marcos used to be just known as the educational hub of North County; now we’re known as the health care epicenter. So to have a place like this built makes so much sense.”  

As CSUSM’s campus continues to grow, buildings like the SWRC are what make all the difference. Providing a space for students to exercise, play sports with friends or simply relax and unwind fosters the sense of community that CSUSM strives for. 

“This project reflects the power of public and private partnerships – students, faculty, staff, business, government and community coming together to make something extraordinary happen,” Neufeldt said.  

“Whether students live on campus, commute or call CSUSM home for just part of their day, this center will be their space – a place to recharge, to build friendships and to strengthen mind and body.”  

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

Being a middle child among three sisters, Walker was often the person who would help and listen to her siblings, cousins and close friends when they needed someone to discuss their feelings or mental health challenges. Without even realizing it at the time, Walker was already heading down the path of psychological sciences.

Coming to Cal State San Marcos, Walker felt introverted and nervous to talk to others, but that did not stop her from pushing herself to step outside her comfort zone.

Walker has been inspiring her peers and helping create a safe space on campus through her work as a residential adviser; as a collections, delivery and access student assistant in Kellogg Library; and by educating and advocating for BIPOC mental health awareness at Student Health & Counseling Services as a HOPE peer health educator.

Walker’s efforts led her to be selected as the recipient of the 2025 Dean of Students Award for Outstanding Leadership.

“I was just watching true crime and crocheting when Dean of Students Jason Schreiber called and told me that I won the award,” Walker said. “I was shocked. After I talked to him during the candidacy process, I felt really good about our conversation. I was kind of thinking, ‘Wow, I just finished talking to the Dean of Students.’ ”

Walker first knew that she wanted to work in the psychological sciences at 13 after experiencing her best friend going through a challenging time. Walker was a constant advocate for her best friend by being there for meetings with social workers and comforting her when others were dismissing the friend’s mental health struggles.

Walker was able to separate herself from the situation and truly just be there for her best friend.

The experience opened Walker’s eyes to the need for mental health advocacy, specifically for BIPOC communities when she would hear people dismiss the mental health experiences faced by young individuals.

Walker reflected on the rhetoric used during her experience advocating for her best friend.

“People would say, ‘You're too young to be depressed. You don't have anything to be depressed about. You don’t have anything to be stressed about,’ ” Walker said. “There were a lot of things that were happening in her life and happening to her that people were dismissing, and that was taking a toll on her mental health as well. Just seeing how big of an effect it was having on her, I was shocked by the lack of support. It made me aware that people in communities of color do not care as much as they should.”

Walker is from Los Angeles and a first-generation college student, so coming to San Marcos was a big transition. But being so active on campus helped her thrive, leading her to believe that you always end up where you need to be.

After she graduates next month with her bachelor’s in psychological science and a minor in Spanish, Walker has big plans for the future. She plans to return to L.A. and work as a mental health counselor specializing in underserved communities and communities of color.

Her educational and career goals, however, do not end there. Walker intends to obtain her doctorate to work as a psychologist, along with continuing her advocacy and educational work for BIPOC communities, which is similar to her focus at CSUSM.

Walker’s hard work and dedication have not gone unnoticed.

“Miyah’s commitment to excellence in leadership, scholarship and service is clear, both as an RA and as a HOPE peer educator,” Stephanie Burga, a residential director, wrote in her nomination of Walker for the Dean of Students Award. “In all of her roles at CSUSM, she has challenged herself to think creatively and communicate effectively with a wide range of individuals. She has also played a significant role in developing programs and initiatives that advance the university’s mission, and each of the programs she’s hosted has contributed to enriching student life at CSUSM.”

There’s little doubt that Walker’s legacy at CSUSM will live on as she moves forward with her education and career goals of being a pillar for mental health awareness in BIPOC communities.

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

From April 9-11, a referendum will be held in which students can vote on whether they want to increase their student fees to fund the project. Voting will begin on Tuesday, April 9 at 7 a.m. and be open until Thursday, April 11 at 5 p.m. Ballots will be sent to eligible students via their university-registered email addresses. All matriculated students who pay the recreation fee are eligible to vote. 

The wellness and recreation facility would be the first of its kind in the California State University system. The referendum is proposing to lease about 60,000 square feet of space in a new multi-phase student housing building on Barham Drive, next to The QUAD housing complex. The facility is envisioned as a central hub dedicated to lifelong success, bringing together health, wellness, basic needs and student support services and programs that create a sense of community and well-being.

The current recreation fee for students is $35 per semester. The direct operating costs for the facility require the fee to be fully active when the building opens, at minimum. Because the facility is anticipated to open in fall 2026, the fee is proposed to increase to $265 starting a year before, in fall 2025.

The additional fee revenue will support the purchase of furniture and equipment, and fund the pre-opening hires of full-time and part-time staff, the training of part-time student staff, and the development of branding and materials.

Each subsequent fall semester, the fee would increase by 3% to adjust for inflation and increases in the expense budget, which is standard practice in the CSU. During the summer term, the fee would be 25% that of the prior fall semester fee.

The wellness and recreation facility would provide student-oriented spaces and services to support all Cougars while promoting the eight dimensions of wellness (emotional, physical, social, spiritual, financial, intellectual, environmental and occupational).

“With a diverse student body, CSUSM stands committed to prioritizing physical and mental wellness as vital components to student development and providing valuable access to resources for students to learn and develop long-term healthy behaviors,” said Lisa Dickinson, the director of Campus Recreation.

Among the proposed features of the facility are:

• more than 10,000 square feet for cardio machines and strength training equipment (more than triple the space of the fitness center in Clarke Field House).
• dedicated wellness areas that include mindful reflection space, comfortable lounge seating and massage chairs for students to relax and rest. 
• an outdoor rooftop deck featuring a synthetic turf field for fitness programs, intramurals, sport club workouts, team-building, student organization events or other student activities. 
• two standard-sized indoor courts suitable for basketball, volleyball, pickleball and events, with a spectator viewing area. 
• three multipurpose rooms featuring flexible flooring for a variety of individual and group activities, including Zumba, hip-hop dance, strength-based cardio, yoga, Pilates or mindfulness/meditation sessions. 
• multiple activity rooms and gathering areas to accommodate a wide range of wellness programming.
• an esports digital collaboration area for gaming practice, competitions, spectator viewing, studying and socializing. 
• an outdoor courtyard of over 8,000 square feet with hammocks and a wood deck patio.

CSUSM students have advocated for increased wellness, basic needs and recreational spaces and services to support campus community for almost a decade. Since 2019, working groups of students and staff have been tasked to identify ways to achieve this goal. The effort has included two student surveys garnering almost 2,500 responses and multiple focus groups and forums with more than 250 students, staff and administrators.

Recent data suggests that student interest and desire for the expansion of wellness, fitness, basic needs and recreation remain overwhelming. In a survey last fall, 91% of students said a new facility should be a high priority for CSUSM, with 53% indicating a “very high” priority. Asked about the impact that a new facility could have on students and the university community, more than 90% of students surveyed said it would make a significant or moderate impact on attracting new students, improving students’ quality of life, reducing stress and overall enhancing the campus community.

More than 50 student ambassadors are leading the campaign to educate and inform students about the fee referendum and encourage them to use their voice by voting.

“I am excited for the chance to see our campus grow and compete with CSU schools that have established recreation and wellness facilities,” said Alyssa Loschiavo, Campus Recreation student coordinator and a student ambassador. "This project can be monumental for CSUSM and inspiring for students to look back on helping bring the facility to campus, and I am proud to be a part of it.”

For more information, including the complete voters guide and a list of FAQs about the referendum, go to: https://www.csusm.edu/rec/referendum.html.

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

bhiro@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7306