2008 Woodie Awards
New 400 Building brings disputes about usage
LaTasha Monique
Issue date: 11/28/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 2 next >
With the opening of the new student services center, Solano Community College students, staff and faculty will finally be able to have the comfort of having all their student service needs met in one building.
Designed to be the main college entrance, the new building will be open on Jan. 7 and house programs such as the disabilities program, counseling, career center, extended opportunity program and services and the transfer center, that are currently scattered all over campus.
However, one program is not happy about the move. The ethnic studies program feels the move and time restrictions the new building has "brings down awareness and knowledge of cultural diversity of campus students," said Brandi Bennett, enlightenment series coordinator.
The program has been hosting guest speakers in the governing board meeting room, 626, for about 20 years and likes both the space and prestige the board room has to offer.
According to Superintendent-President Gerry Fisher, the new building will include four new meeting rooms that will provide space for faculty meetings as well as student presentations. But program head Sanford Wright says, "They just won't do."
"The move is not directed at any one department, it's simply to take advantage of rooms designed for meetings," said Fisher, who feels Wright, "is not seeing the bigger picture."
Although Measure G-funded campus enrichment projects, which included the development of the 400 building, have been taking place for at least five years, program staff still found the news of the discontinued use of Room 626 to be a shock.
"We went to set dates we needed for next semester as we always do and we were informed we couldn't do it at this time," said Bennett.
This presents a problem for the program, which has already confirmed 14 guest speakers for the spring semester. Program staff also worries that they will not have the appropriate space to host these guests and lose both their support, and the possibility of future presentations.
Designed to be the main college entrance, the new building will be open on Jan. 7 and house programs such as the disabilities program, counseling, career center, extended opportunity program and services and the transfer center, that are currently scattered all over campus.
However, one program is not happy about the move. The ethnic studies program feels the move and time restrictions the new building has "brings down awareness and knowledge of cultural diversity of campus students," said Brandi Bennett, enlightenment series coordinator.
The program has been hosting guest speakers in the governing board meeting room, 626, for about 20 years and likes both the space and prestige the board room has to offer.
According to Superintendent-President Gerry Fisher, the new building will include four new meeting rooms that will provide space for faculty meetings as well as student presentations. But program head Sanford Wright says, "They just won't do."
"The move is not directed at any one department, it's simply to take advantage of rooms designed for meetings," said Fisher, who feels Wright, "is not seeing the bigger picture."
Although Measure G-funded campus enrichment projects, which included the development of the 400 building, have been taking place for at least five years, program staff still found the news of the discontinued use of Room 626 to be a shock.
"We went to set dates we needed for next semester as we always do and we were informed we couldn't do it at this time," said Bennett.
This presents a problem for the program, which has already confirmed 14 guest speakers for the spring semester. Program staff also worries that they will not have the appropriate space to host these guests and lose both their support, and the possibility of future presentations.
Be the first to comment on this story