By Gregory Horner, Staff Reporter.
Students and staff continue to share their thoughts as the vision for a new campus in Downtown Saginaw begins to take shape.
Following the decision to build the new $12 million center somewhere in downtown Saginaw, Delta College brought on two consulting firms to facilitate planning.
Douglas Kozma and TengTeng Wang from Smithgroup JJR, alongside Frank Markley from Paulien & Associates have been engaging students and staff about the future of the proposed center during a forum in the board room Tuesday, Dec. 2.
“What we’re proposing is a combo of about 13 classrooms, offering a variety of services in conjunction with the main campus,” said Frank Markley. “A computer lab, a library, a grab-and-go space for food are all being considered.”
Kozma asked students to identify areas in which Delta College can improve so planners can tailor the Saginaw center to the needs of students. “We want your perspective so we can get it right,” he said.
Many in attendance felt that Delta has to improve communication. Students attending Delta’s satellite campuses in Bay City, Saginaw and Midland rarely receive the same level of information and interest as students at the main campus.
“Every campus seems separate; it has to be unified,” said John Cone, a student of Marketing and Sales. According to Cone, in order for a new campus to succeed, Delta has to do a better job of getting the word out. “Events aren’t always well advertised and I don’t find out until after they end; there’s some social media presence, but it isn’t really followed.”
Students felt the school needs a larger social media presence, and that they don’t regularly update or follow their own website. Some participants acknowledged that student apathy doesn’t help the communication process.
“We do have postings throughout campus, I just don’t know if people check them out,” said Devante Marselis, a sociology student. “It’s all about your perspective and how you use your resources, there are teachers and options here that can really help you with your future if you use them.”
With a goal set for groundbreaking in 2017, organizers say this new center is all about the future. By the end of the meeting, students had discussed topics ranging from how far they would walk to get to their new campus, to what businesses they would want in downtown Saginaw.
“What we are trying to accomplish is equality of space,” said Kozma, addressing the need to replace the decrepit Ricker Center. “What we’re in right now is an old elementary school, what we’re talking about is a modern center.”
Students with ideas for the center are invited to send their requests to the facilities department via email at facilities@delta.edu. While Delta moves ahead with the planning, a location has yet to be chosen.
