With housing being one of the most frequent topics of discussion amongst students at Cal State Monterey Bay (CSUMB), the news of a brand new housing director entering the school’s sphere may leave some students feeling skeptical and resistant to the change, especially when looking at previous semesters’ housing practices and directors who left students feeling unseen. Now, Dr. Crystal Lay is taking on the senior housing position with care, precision and optimism.
“Reading some of the things that had happened here prior, I was like, ‘I think I can come in and really help this team grow and move forward.’ So, what I read didn’t scare me, it just intrigued me.”
Lay began her position as Senior Director for Student Housing and Residential Life in the middle of October back in 2025, and is bringing years worth of both professional and educational experience along with her.
Born and raised in the city of Chicago, Lay earned her bachelor’s degree in both English literature as well as broadcast communication from North Central College in Naperville Illinois, then went on to get her master’s degree from Eastern Illinois University. Lay spoke on her robust undergraduate experience. Participating in everything from clubs to campus radio shows, Lay credits her ambition to try new things during her college years to her identity of being a first generation college student. “I was a DJ, I was a part of a duo that created the first hiphop show at our campus radio station… I made homecoming court, I had work studies so I worked in admissions my first two years. I did a lot of community service…And then I was a president and vice president of black student association. so I was involved in everything possible, and first gen college student, and so I just wanted to try everything in undergrad.” As far as professional experience goes, Lay is bringing years worth of experience working within university housing and beyond, taking on roles as assistant housing director at Sonoma State, University of California, Berkeley, University of Colorado, Boulder, Northern Arizona University and many more. “I’ve been at every campus for three to four years, but my hope and goal is to be here long term because I believe in this program, and people have been really kind, and I see a lot of potential and growth and opportunity here at CSUMB.”
Lay shared a handful of new changes coming to housing that her team and her are actively working on, including a new, full tme position in housing dedicated to assisting students navigate the search for off campus housing.
Lay also listed details regarding the new student housing to take over Gavilan Hall. “It’s about 240 beds, triples, and then folks get to, you know, that triple will have their own bathroom, and I think it’s going to be a really neat experience for our sophomores who apply to live there.” While the Gavilan Hall reconstruction project began prior to her arrival to campus and not being a part of the project’s planning team, Lay is hopeful that the hall will be ready to house students by August 2026 if all construction goes according to plan. “With any campus and any construction project, you cross your fingers, right? Like, the weather, materials getting here, we stay on timeline, but the goal is to open for fall ‘26.”
The soonest change that students will be able to see with housing this semester under Lay is the rebranding of what were previously known as “Reservation Days” for continuing students applying for on campus housing. “My understanding is that based on previous years, maybe more so last year, the term or the name of ‘Reservation Days’ just really holds, you know, some ill feelings, right?” The new name for the continuing students’ student application will be “Settle in the Kelp,” and Lay shared some of the differences between this semester’s application versus previous years. “We have been working with our software company that we use to make sure that the application works better, that we hopefully will not have waitlists, and that your assigned time will be your assigned time.” Lay further shared that additional application support will be available during the application process for students to utilize. “We’re also flying out the team, and will have dedicated support to our office to ensure that we won’t have any application failures, so I’m really excited about that, we have really put in a lot of time and money and resources to make sure that this process runs smoothly this year.”
CSUMB’s track record housing wise has been noted by students to be unresponsive and un-accommodating to students’ needs over many years. Lay says that she is aware of the narration that exists in students’ heads when they think of housing, and says it doesn’t deter her from her goal of making housing better.
Even with her confidence and qualifications, Lay is asking students for one thing: grace.
“This is a big operation and there’s so many different balls in the air, and so grace to learn, understand, talk to as many folks as possible as we are trying to rebuild and create a new and different experience as we move forward.”