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Students and resource program managers packed the Board of Trustees meeting to advocate for more space
By Abby Sigler
Tracey Faulkner brought backup to the Board of Trustees meeting on April 24: fifteen student-parents accompanied by their children. “It was complete chaos,” she said. Faulkner, who runs City College’s Family Resource Center, wasn’t trying to cause a scene. She was trying to illustrate one: how burdened the center will be after moving into the college’s soon-to-open Student Success Center, where they were given a smaller kids’ room. “The kids were running down the hallways. And I’m saying, ‘this is what’s gonna happen.’”
Faulkner and her chaotic representatives were only a fraction of the constituents who showed up to protest the downsizing of their spaces. Programs like Extended Opportunity Programs and Services, the Queer Resource Center, City DREAM, and the Family Resource Center have spent years cultivating spaces that are as much about presence as they are about programming — places to study, socialize and seek support. The new building, they’re told, will improve access, but many worry that access is coming at the cost of quality service and community.
Despite the pushback, more than 30 of City College’s student support programs are expected to pack up their current locations to move into the high-ceilinged, many-windowed Student Success Center. The $133 million building was first proposed in 2019 and primarily funded by a bond measure passed by voters in 2020. Its goal: to create a modern, centralized space where students can access everything they need from registration to graduation.
“The original concept was to make it a one-stop shop for students,” said Associate Vice Chancellor of Construction and Planning Alberto Vasquez. “They want a student to be able to walk in, whether it’s a new student, continuing student, or somebody of any age who’s interested in coming to City College, to register, find out if they have financial support, and find what services are available to them.”
Programs Adjust to a Smaller Footprint
When the EOPS program moved into its current home in the library, it was a step up. “We had relocated to the library from a bungalow,” said director Katrina Evasco. “We have two study rooms… one of them is specifically for our student parents.” The current center also includes a workshop room, a study area and a large computer lab.
In the new building, that setup is going to shrink. There will be a central table that fits about ten people and a smaller, less event-friendly computer lab. “We’re losing the study areas, the room for tutoring,” Evasco says. The program now serves almost 1,200 students annually and is among the largest EOPS programs in the region.
At the Family Resource Center, the space challenge is ongoing. “We were pretty good for babies, but as soon as they get to three, it’s really not the space,” said Faulkner of their current spot in the Student Union.
Faulkner described the many uses of their current center: peer mentoring, workshops, parent networking, and the child drop-in program. In the new center, they are expected to function as a child drop-in space for parents throughout the building.
When she requested outdoor space for the kids to run around, she was told it wasn’t feasible due to permitting issues. “The location is not set up to be a child care facility; that has whole other permit requirements that were not part of it,” Vasquez explained.
Alongside Evasco and Faulkner, City DREAM’s program manager, Maria Rodriguez Ramirez, has been hard at work advocating for her students. Her team supports undocumented and mixed-status students, yet in the new Student Success Center, they’ve been assigned the smallest space of all.
Ramirez urged the college to reconsider at the April 24 board meeting. “Right now, our students are being targeted… what our students need is that physical space,” she said, prompting cheers and applause from immigrant students in the audience. With six staff members and growing responsibilities, Ramirez worries their current allocation won’t allow them to serve students effectively.
“The student space is what it’s all about,” she said in a later interview. “When we are getting ignored, it means the students are getting ignored.” While she emphasized that City DREAM is open to working with the administration, she’s clear about what’s at stake. “We’re more than just a center– we’re a program, and we’re growing into a department,” she said. “Everything being in one place is what we need, but it has to be the right place.”
Space Is More Than Square Footage
Down the stairs to the second floor of Cloud Hall, the Queer Resource Center offers a cozy refuge with worn-in couches, communal desks, and computer stations. “We’re one of the most highly utilized resource centers,” said Katie Dalla, the QRC coordinator. “And I think that’s primarily because of our space’s size and location.”
When describing a typical day in the center, Dalla smiled. “It feels like I run a café most days. I love that there are little areas where people are socializing and talking about their dating life, plans or academic goals, and then in another corner, people are studying hard on their laptops.”
That ability to support quiet, communal and sometimes chaotic atmospheres has made the space work, but the new building won’t offer the same flexibility. “There won’t be as many compartmentalized areas where people can hang out,” she said.
Despite the size reduction, the design includes offices for program coordinators and communal spaces shared across the resource centers. That change, Dalla said, could bring some benefits. “There will be more common areas for all of our students to come together.” She’s also excited about being closer to other staff. “We can all collaborate more on events,” she added.
Nico HaBa, a student leader at the QRC, understands the benefits of these common areas, but emphasizes that, “there are certain advantages to having a student space for a specific marginalized demographic that’s a bit more private.”
Privacy matters, he said, because of what students bring into the room. “People have a lot of conversations about political things, about things in their lives, about things that they might not feel comfortable talking about in just the middle of the cafeteria.”
With this in mind, members of the QRC were unwilling to give up their slice of Cloud Hall, so they coordinated with the LGBT department to repurpose the room. By moving the department’s offices, “it can stay open as a student study space, and also our offices where we hold office hours,” HaBa said.
Unlike other programs, the Veterans Resource Center had protections for the design of its new space. “We have some minimum standards from the state,” said Brian Vargas, senior manager at the VRC. “Since we’re getting funds from the state of California… there are certain parameters to the size and space.”
The VRC also stands to gain from the accessibility of the Student Success Center compared to its current location on the third floor of Cloud Hall. “I’m a disabled veteran myself, and I’ve got to get up here, but it can be hard and taxing to make it up to this office,” Vargas said.
“There are a lot of military veterans on our campus who are going to benefit from not having to walk up the stairs,” he added.
Final Touches, Lingering Questions
Construction is nearly complete, with some areas awaiting final touches and inspections. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was initially scheduled for May, but a few behind-schedule items forced the administration to postpone. Departments are expected to move in at the end of June, and everything should be up and running for students by July 1.
The administration’s general response to the various programs’ concerns has been to proceed with the transition and adapt as challenges arise. “I think we’re going through that at STEAM. We’re trying to figure out the good things of the building and the bad things and adjust accordingly,” Vasquez said of another recent addition to the campus.
“Our program is extremely resilient and caring, so I think regardless of where you put us, we’re going to provide that quality service,” Evasco said, echoing the resolve shared across all resource centers in the face of an anxiety-inducing situation.
“The most important thing is that our students feel at home regardless of where they are,” she added.