By: Jyllian Roach, Editor-In-Chief
A recent proposal from the Executive Council of Students could mean a Student Organization Center would be added to Main Campus in the future, said Criminal Justice Major and President of ECOS Stephen Martos.
The Center was proposed to adminis¬tration for inclusion in the five-year master plan at the end of the fall 2012 term, and has made it into the second round of the decision making pro¬cess, he said.
“Just making it this far is a big deal. We’re really happy that the proposal has made it into phase two of the selection pro¬cess,” said Martos.
ECOS felt prompted to submit the proposal after being warned that the portable buildings east of Ken Chappy Hall and south of the Student Resource Center, which currently houses four student groups, could be removed from campus in the near future, said ECOS Vice President Cesar Silva.
“Our building could be condemned soon enough, and a lot of other Chartered Student Organizations don’t have a building at all,” he said.
Should the center be built, it would help stu¬dents find likeminded students for a variety of interests, he said.
“This is something that has been in the works for a very long. It’s not only a big thing for ECOS, but for all student organi¬zations,” said Silva.
The next step in the process is to explore the cost and specific necessities of such a location, he said.
Members of ECOS and members of the Purchasing, Budget, Facilities and IT departments will work out these details, and then send the proposal to Vice President of Student Services Phillip Bustos, according to an email sent to Martos from Planning Officer Juliane Ziter.
If the center is approved in the second phase, it will become a part of the official master plan, she said. The length of time to complete the project will depend on the complexity of the project, she said.
“College resources are heavily utilized when working on Master Plan projects, so it is difficult to say how a particular proj¬ect will get ranked for completion,” said Ziter.
Ziter had never encountered a pro¬posal from student or student organization for the master plan before now, she said.
“I am not aware of a student or student organization submit¬ting a request to the Master Plan in the past, so this current request is an exciting one for our vetting team; this was very positively received and was also very well written,” said Ziter.
Digital Arts Team Club member Shelley Carney said that she did not know the details of the proposal, but liked what she heard so far.
“We normally have our meetings in the classroom at the ATC, but it might be nice to have a place at Main for screenwriters and actors to meet, do readings and rehearse,” she said.
The center would include private offices, conference rooms and large meeting rooms, said Martos.
Student organiza¬tions would be able to apply for space in the area annually, he said.
“The student org’s are something that are very beneficial. They help the campus – they help our community – by making it a really good environ¬ment for getting degrees and making it through,” he said.
