The days of students aimlessly wandering the Allan Hancock College campus in Santa Maria in search of essential services and then — defeated — giving up the quest are over.
Admissions, counseling, financial aid and similar resources are now housed under the same roof at the new One Stop Student Services Center, which was deemed mostly complete last month.
Some staff and offices are still settling into the large, open space that students and employees have been waiting for since last October — when construction was originally slated for completion.
On a recent morning, Noozhawk went on a tour of the facility, which was paid in part by a $180 million Measure I bond measure passed in 2006.
High, floor-to-ceiling windows seemed to have a calming effect on staff members, who readily shared smiles.
Trading their windowless, cozy cubbies for larger, more modern offices was key for many programs, which were previously separated and spread out in buildings all over campus, said Will Bruce, director of Hancock’s EOPS and Special Outreach program.
“We would literally lose them,” Bruce said of students. “We serve a lot of the same types of students. Now we can actually walk them over.”
Past the front welcome desk and combined financial aid/admission area, Bruce walked by boxes that still needed unpacking and into a counseling area that actually boasted a waiting room with places for students to sit before receiving help.
Such a simple concept, yet one lost in the former space in Building A, where standing-room only was king.
“This is what the students deserve,” said Yvonne Teniente-Cuello, counselor and department chairwoman. “It’s all about connecting students with services. There was a big disconnect.”
Teniente-Cuello joined the recurring chorus of staff who said the building was worth the wait, even offering students space to sit and hang out.
Bruce next walked into a combined space on the second floor for CalWorks and EOPS departments, state-funded programs that serve a combined 1,400 eligible low-income students.
More computers and peer mentor space were highlights, as well as more space in a nearby office for the college’s CARE program for students who are single parents.
“I think we’ll be able to help more students,” Bruce said. “We built this in mind for growth.”
After going through the career job placement center, which had been in Building K, and observing the soon-to-be student testing area, Bruce said the center would next see business services move in.
All that remains, he said, is making sure students know the new space is available to them.
“This is their building,” he said.
— Noozhawk staff writer Gina Potthoff can be reached at gpotthoff@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.