College sports new courtyard
Dedication ceremony set for Thursday
By Larry Meyer
Argus Observer
Tuesday, September 29, 2009 10:34 AM PDT
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| Stephanie Flores looks over some papers while taking time to study in the new courtyard at Treasure Valley Community College. The courtyard and fountain will be dedicated at 5:30 p.m. Thursday. |
ONTARIO — Treasure Valley Community College students, administrators and staff will gather Thursday to celebrate the completion of the fountain and courtyard project — the fifth venture members of the college student government put on its of projects it wanted completed by 2014.
The event will be at 5:30 p.m. in front of the TVCC Student Services Center, on the south side of the Four Rivers Cultural Center. The public is invited.
“It’s beautiful,” Stephanie Flores, a sophomore student from Ontario, said. “They did a great job.”
Ontario resident Christina Garcia, another sophomore remembered how the same area looked when it was just a large patch of lawn.
“It was bland looking,” she said. “It makes for a positive atmosphere. It feels more campus like.”
“It’s colorful,” Flores said.
From the 1970s to about 2004, few changes or additions graced the local college campus. Other than some upgrades to some buildings, few students spotted few projects.
That changed, especially in the past five years. A new parking lot by the Oregon Trail Building and a move of the administration to the Weese Building, along with numerous other ventures, showcased the partnership between the Associated Student Government, the TVCC Foundation and the college administration.
The basic structure of the courtyard, including the fountain, was completed last spring, and college staff continued to make touchups through the summer. There are benches, picnic tables and lots of landscaping to make it an inviting places for students to gather. And they do.
“I often see students congregate there,” Randy Griffin, acting TVCC president, said.
The same thing is true for the “Bistro,” the lounge in Barber Hall, formerly an open patio that was enclosed and includes tables and chairs and places to buy coffee and snacks, Griffin said. It is used as a study area as well as place to relax.
Money for the courtyard was raised through the sale of bricks, which are engraved with names of alumni, people being honored and named companies who purchased them. Interested individuals could also sponsor trees, light poles, benches, picnic tables and rocks.
“We sold it all,” Griffin said.
The Malheur Credit Union is the sponsor of the kiosk or information center, which features a campus map and will post campus activities.
“We’re still selling bricks,” Abby Lee, TVCC public information officer, said.
The 10-in-10 strategic plan list of 10 capital projects to be completed in 10 years was the work of student focus groups in 2003 and 2004, organized by Justin Core, student programs director, to dream about what they would like to see on campus. Lee credited Core with helping students see what could be done.
The first project was a campus-wide information system, which Core said has really enhanced communications. The second venture was the Bistro, and No. 3 was the new residence halls, which have been a huge success.
“The residence hall was full by the end of June (for this fall),” Travis McFetridge, student housing director, said.
The new buildings pay off in terms of attracting more students.
The fourth project focused on technology enhancements, including sound and lighting to improve productions and performances on campus. The sixth project, planning for which is just getting underway improves college entrances.
“It’s a phenomenal partnership,” Core said. He has been told about some campuses where there is animosity between students and administration. “We don’t have that here at all,” Core said.
Although not on the 10 in 10 list, the college will soon be raising money to help pay for science classroom/lab building.
Larry Meyer is a reporter for the Argus Observer. He can be contacted at LarryM@argusobserver.com
