Second Floor Of Learning Resources At North Campus Undergoing Facelift

Visitors to the second floor of Learning Resources at North Campus are greeted by a giant white tarp. 

The dusty aesthetic is part of a two phase renovation project that started this summer and is expected to be complete by the end of the spring semester. 

It will reshape the space that previously housed the computer courtyard into an academic support area loaded with tutoring labs and student study spaces.

“Now we have the computer courtyard back on the first floor, [and there’s] going to be more study spaces and furniture that [will] help students feel like they’re in a comfortable place,” said Angel Hernandez, North Campus director of Learning Resources. 

The first phase, which will be called the Academic Support Center, is concentrated on rejuvenating the main space and making it student friendly. Utilizing a $1.2 million budget, its foundation will feature comfortable couches, moveable tables, and private desks. 

Clifton Reid Jr., a tutor from the School of Engineering and Technology, who worked in the old space, said the new ambiance will be a welcome addition.

 “[The computer courtyard] was kind of cluttered.” Reid said. “Sometimes I would have multiple appointments at once to help out students with different assignments, [and there wasn’t much] space to move around.”

According to Evelyn Rodriguez, the senior director of campus administration, the main space will open in a few months. 

Phase two, which is expected to be completed by next spring, will be tutoring centers, next to the main space, for every subject.

The writing center, a space which assists students with their English assignments, is located in Room 2210.

Currently, the math lab, which was remodeled last fall, is located in Room 2222 and houses tutoring for other subjects such as science, engineering and business. During phase two, those disciplines will be moved to individual tutoring centers.

The outer edges of the space are being converted into the new STEM REEFS Center for science and engineering cohorts. That area was previously used as classroom space. Crews are bringing in new furniture and technology and updating the floors and lighting.

A $5,000 STEM PACTS grant, which was awarded by the Department of Education, will fund the 2,543 sq. ft. space and its tutors.

“The center will feature open, adaptable spaces with modern furniture that can be reconfigured for group work, seminars, or individual study,” said Claudia Sanchez, grant director of STEM PACTS. “[They] will have whiteboards and projection systems to support different learning styles and teaching methods.”

Business tutoring will be offered in the new business resource center and the tutoring centers for foreign languages and speech will move from their respective areas to Learning Resources. The new speech lab will include technology needed to produce podcasts. 

“The purpose of this project is to really make that second floor dedicated to student support,” Hernandez said.

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