Above: A few of the 1200 OLLI members pose for a photo.
OLLI members were recently shocked to learn that the university plans to evict them from their current building and move them across State College Blvd to the former Western State Law School campus. Currently, OLLI occupies the Ruby Gerontology Center, built in 1986 and funded entirely by donations from OLLI members. It is the only building on campus entirely financed by private donations. Members are concerned about safety factors at the proposed new site, including crossing a major street next to a high school, inadequate elevators, and evacuation planning during an emergency for members, many of whom use canes, walkers, and wheelchairs.
Another reason the members are angry is that, when the building was dedicated in 1986, President Cobb stated that: “Assurance that CLE would continue to be provided space in the building as long as it remained a viable and growing organization. Speaking personally as well as for the entire university, our relationship is a valued one and we look forward to a continued close relationship in the building that we have worked together to bring to realization”.
Members believe that they have more than met the goal of becoming a “viable and growing organization. Begun 46 years ago, OLLI has grown to a membership of 1200 seniors and offers over 100 classes, including book clubs, literature, religion, science, history, French, German, Spanish, and sign language. There are classes to help members learn to use their iPhones and iPads better. There’s even a flash mob group that meets bi-weekly to coordinate dance routines and entertain at facilities such as senior living residences and hospitals. There is computer support, field trips, and most important of all, friends.
Because the program is based on the University campus, there are frequent opportunities to provide mentoring assistance through tutoring and helping international students adapt to campus life. They also work with the university’s nursing, audiology and aging studies students by serving as “subjects” in their research.
The university also benefits as members rally to support students who are food-insecure by donating food to the students’ basic needs center. They also participate in clothing drives and fundraising campaigns for University programs and serve as a source of “planned gifts” (funds left in their wills) to the university. Many members are now reconsidering those gifts because of how the university has handled this issue.
One very special feature of their building that OLLI members cherish is that the building surrounds a courtyard where OLLI members can be found visiting or enjoying lunch or a cup of coffee. A full-service kitchen in the building allows them to serve hundreds of members at holiday parties and special events. There is a lending library of hundreds of books donated by OLLI members and a theater-style auditorium that seats 230 people for lectures by noted speakers. (A recent lecture by noted Constitutional scholar, Erwin Chemerinsky, that was open to the public, filled the auditorium and necessitated opening two classrooms where the program was live-streamed.) No such facilities exist in the building where the program would be relocated.
The university states that it needs to relocate OLLI because it needs more space for students. OLLI members have proposed several options for additional space for students that would not require relocating the OLLI program. “It certainly seems like it would make a lot more sense to locate the students across State College Blvd than expect seniors with mobility issues to do this,” said long-time OLLI member Barbara Rosen.
“Over four decades and 8 CSUF presidents, the University has been supportive and appreciative of OLLI,” said past president Michael Stover. “That’s why it came as such a surprise when we were told, with very little notice, that we would have to vacate our current location to move off the main campus across a major highway from the university. We understand that the role of the university is to educate students and help them graduate with college degrees and we certainly support that.
“We have always worked cooperatively with previous administrations and the students and faculty of the university as partners. What’s frustrating is that the university unilaterally plans to move the entire OLLI program without having much of a plan that could be successfully implemented,” he said. “When we met with CSUF President Rochon and his team, they didn’t provide key details and costs. We were simply told we would need to vacate our current home in January- an unrealistic timeframe for such a significant move. We were told we could have rooms on the first floor of Titan Hall and the basement of the ASC building. We have serious concerns that our population who use mobility devices would be in grave danger trying to evacuate this basement in case of an emergency, since there is only one elevator and a dangerous stairway. Unresolved are more than a dozen critical issues, including accessibility, parking, adequacy of instructional space, storage, and safe access by members and our trolley across a major highway.”
Many OLLI members count on the “OLLI trolley” (driven by trained volunteers) to pick them up at designated parking sites and bring them to the OLLI facilities. These trolleys, however, would have to cross State College Blvd, a major intersection, requiring several rapid, sharp turns. It is not clear if the slow-moving trolleys are even legal on major streets, and the university has not requested that the city do a traffic study of the impact this move would cause.
“We aren’t just a bunch of cranky elders, but it’s disappointing that the University is imposing this rushed and poorly thought-out plan on us without any consultation about our needs,” said Rosen. “We’ve been active members of the University community for decades and now we’re simply told to move in an unrealistic timeframe without much direction or details. Of course, our members are angry and worried.”
“We understand the need for classroom space, but if that’s the reason, why not move students to the facility?” asked Stover. “The University did this several decades ago when they moved administrative offices and the College of Communications to a building located across Nutwood Avenue. It seems to be working…and students are much more mobile than folks who range in age from 55 to their 80s.”
“Remember, many of us were young college students in the sixties,” one member said. “We know how to protest and push back. We may be old and not as mobile as we once were, but we know when we’re not being treated fairly or treated dismissively.”
The Resistance is an advocacy organization of OLLI past presidents, members, and faculty/community friends. It is independent of CSUF Administration or the OLLI-CSUF Board of Trustees.
Learn more about OLLI by visiting https://olli.fullerton.edu/
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Categories: Community Voices, Education, Local News
Fight, fight, fight Fritz
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OLLI Members Stage Peaceful Occupation of CSUF Administration Building in Protest of Proposed Relocation
In an unprecedented show of solidarity and civic engagement, members of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at California State University Fullerton (CSUF) staged a peaceful occupation of the university’s administration building and the President’s office on Monday, October 6. The action was a direct response to CSUF’s proposed relocation of OLLI from its long-standing home at the Ruby Gerontology Center—a move that many members view as a threat to the integrity and accessibility of the program.
OLLI, which has served the Fullerton community since 1979, is a beloved institution among older adults seeking intellectual stimulation, social connection, and continued personal growth. The Ruby Gerontology Center, built entirely through community donations, has been the symbolic and functional heart of the program for decades. The university’s proposal to repurpose the space for expanding student enrollment has sparked deep concern among OLLI members, who fear the change could marginalize their presence on campus and diminish the quality of their experience.
The occupation began early Monday morning, when dozens of OLLI members—many using walkers and wheelchairs—gathered at the entrance of the administration building. With quiet determination, they formed a human blockade, effectively preventing access to the President’s office. Signs reading “We Built This Center” and “Lifelong Learning Deserves Respect” adorned the hallways, while members engaged in impromptu lectures, poetry readings, and storytelling circles to demonstrate the vibrancy of their community.
“We’re not here to disrupt—we’re here to remind the university of its promise to lifelong learners,” said Margaret Liu, a retired educator and OLLI member. “This building may be theirs, but the Ruby Center is ours. We built it, we funded it, and we’ve filled it with life for over 40 years.”
The protest remained peaceful throughout the day, with university staff observing from a distance and campus security maintaining a respectful perimeter. OLLI’s Board of Trustees President, Vickie Hite, emphasized that the action was not sanctioned by the board but reflected the deep emotional investment of its members. “This is a grassroots response to a top-down decision,” she said. “It’s a testament to how deeply our members care about their place in this university.”
As negotiations continue between CSUF leadership and OLLI representatives, the occupation has drawn attention from local media and community leaders, many of whom have expressed support for the preservation of the program. Whether the protest will influence the university’s final decision remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: OLLI members are not willing to fade quietly into the background.
Their message is simple but powerful: lifelong learning is not a luxury—it’s a right. And they’re prepared to fight for it, one seminar, one story, and one peaceful protest at a time.
Time for what Democrats call a “Mostly peaceful protest”.
They don’t want to go but seem more than eager to send tuition paying students.
You seem less than eager to support the elderly population. You also seem less than eager to note the fact the people being moved are the ones that created the facility in the first place. It’s no different than you buying and building a condo than the HOA forces you to move to a different condo on the other side of the building. Would you be happy about that? As far as tuition paying students are concerned, I agree with OLLI, it makes more sense to have younger, more able bodied and mobile youth to be in the other facility, and to leave the elderly to the space they created.
Remove the president & IMMEDIATELY rescind all donations & planned donations until he IS removed. Send a clear message that this plan to vacate them from what THEY built will bite them in the ass. CSUF is Clearly not appreciative of the effort & work put in by all the elders.
Mike – That’s a bit drastic. For one thing I am sure it was not a decision made solely by the CSUF president.
Maybe some rethinking can be done by all. For instance – the university should look into how many of the OLLI folks are, and have been, among the large donors. The Center is certainly one that promotes goodwill towards the university.
The argument that younger people are more able to walk the distance from parking to the old law school site is a good one. I hope the university will reconsider its decision on this. It is odd that OLLI was not considered in talks leading up to the proposed change.
It doesn’t sound like they own it. Second anyone elderly in 1986 is probably not around.
Seems like they just need to resolve an issue of transporting people around campus. Probably resolvable.
That makes no sense, “anyone elderly in 1986 is …not around”. So if your parents pay to build a home for themselves and will it to you when they die it’s ok for the city to say, “we’re taking it because your parents aren’t around anymore. Who cares if they funded it and built it for themselves”. Same thing.
The article is unclear I guess, but it doesn’t seem OLLI owns the building, but did provide the donation to build it.
If I’m wrong about that, then I agree with you. Otherwise, I don’t. It doesn’t seem the university is trying to deny them space, just move them across the street. Maybe they didn’t consider all the impacts, but that seems like something that could be worked out one way or another.
This no planning and lack of foresight is extremely disheartening. Have you no respect for the seniors, who btw, not only covered the cost of the building they are in, but also contributed to the school’s operation expenses. This is complete disrespect, in my opinion. This edict was never given clear thought, nor proper planning. Shame on the decision makers. They have no empathy, nor the ability to think logically.
This is a major blunder. All involved, I would like to remind you, will get old if you live long enough and like a place to socialize later in your life. This decision is nothing more than selfish, and it has been promoted by only social rot. Reconsider your plans, please. Have at least some smidgen of decency. I urge all OLLI members and friends, do not continue to give 1 more penny to the school. They have no concept what the word “Respect” truly means. But God knows exactly what it means, and if you continue with this plan, all involved will be penalized in the afterlife.
I hope you have a contract with the school, even so, I would think you could sue.
I agree that not much thought went into this plan. Reportedly, it’s not even on the three year plan. Yes, there’s a spike in enrollment for now. But the current decline in high school, middle school, and elementary school enrollments across Orange County point to an expected decline in enrollment at CSUF in the near future. And the senior population continues to grow. Why displace seniors from a beautiful facility, built BY and FOR them, for a short term spike? It shows a lack of wise leadership from CSUF’s new president.