The present campus on Eldridge Avenue (8.1) opened in 1991 with three buildings: an instructional building with an administrative wing, a campus center, and an administrative services/bookstore complex. Since the last accreditation, the college has constructed buildings on campus to house Plant Facilities and the Office of Safety and Police. In addition, the technologically advanced Library and Learning Resource Center opened in 1997, and the Student Health Services facility opened in the summer of 2000. In the spring of 2000, the college broke ground for the new Collaborative Studies Building (8.2) that will include twelve "smart" teaching spaces and will accommodate several programs.

The Library and the Learning Center moved into the new Library and Learning Resource Center, leaving space on the first floor of the Campus Center available to house the Associated Students Organization (ASO) offices, the Project Adult College Education (PACE) program, and some specially funded programs, including the Center for Student Success and the Child Care Providers Consortium. The Campus Center was then also able to provide some additional classroom space. Moving the ASO and PACE from their former locations in the Instructional Building freed up space for additional faculty offices and Academic Senate offices.

Although the Financial Aid Office, Extended Opportunities Programs & Services (EOP&S), the Counseling Office, and Admissions and Records remain in limited space in the administrative wing of the Instructional Building, the college has plans to expand these areas (8.3).

Staff parking is adequate for the present number of employees, but current student parking lots accommodate only 70 percent of the need.

In addition to the primary campus, the college also houses programs and services at a number of sites scattered throughout its service area. The college offers credit classes at Los Angeles Lutheran High School (8.4), James Monroe High School, Granada Hills High School, and Verdugo Hills High School. It holds fine arts classes and Community Extension programs at the Cultural Arts Center (8.5), a leased facility in nearby Veteran's Park that Los Angeles County owns. Also, a facility at 436 North Maclay Avenue houses (8.6) the college-administered Los Angeles County One Stop and related grant programs. Plus, the college holds its physical education classes in a leased industrial building (8.7) two miles from campus on Foothill Boulevard in Sylmar.

New to the college is an increasing reliance on online education that has begun to provide virtual space for programs and courses. The Technology Mediated Instruction Committee of the Academic Senate provides support for online teachers in enrolling students and facilitating the increasing need for technological services.

An educational master plan and a facilities plan developed in 1983 initially allocated the current campus’ space to offices and programs. The physical facilities as currently configured provide thirty-four classroom spaces that can accommodate approximately nine hundred students at one time. The scheduling of classes (8.8) in any given semester now determines the assignment of classroom space. Considerations such as average enrollment in courses, projected growth, and specific program needs for laboratory classrooms determine the schedule. Specific language in the Agreement Between the Los Angeles Community College District and the American Federation of Teachers College Guild Local 1521 (8.9) that addresses working conditions affects utilization of space by other functions. Anyone requesting space under the governance structure in effect for the last few years submitted requests to both the Work Environment Committee, a committee created under the Agreement, and to the Campus Development Committee, a participatory governance committee. Finally, the Mission President’s Coordinating Council received the recommendations for coordination.

The district updates the five-year Capital Construction Plan (8.10) annually and submits it for prioritization and potential state funding. In January of 2000, the college submitted initial project proposals (8.11) for a culinary arts/food services training facility, a Multimedia Studies/digital art facility, a revised initial project proposal for a permanent childcare facility, and a student services annex to be considered for state funding. These projects can be accommodated within the 22.47 acres of land the college owns. Locally funded projects include enclosing the courtyard in the Academic Affairs wing of the Instructional Building and further renovation of the first floor of the Campus Center to house a transfer center (8.12).

The college manages, maintains, and operates its physical facilities with a recently expanded staff of approximately 20 regular status classified employees, which includes some new positions. The buildings and grounds staff is also responsible for three off-site locations and must travel significant distances between these sites and the college campus.

Faculty and staff send requests for facilities maintenance and repair by e-mail, telephone, or memo (8.13). These are now logged in to an automated system (ACT 1000) in the plant facilities office that assigns work and maintains a record of action taken. However, the person sending the request does not receive confirmation of receipt of the request or a scheduled service appointment.

The main campus buildings, having been constructed fairly recently (1991, 1996, and 2000), comply with current state and county codes. All current and past construction on the campus meets American Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations and building codes, as all are state funded and, thereby, must receive Department of the State Architect approvals in the planning phases. The Office of Facilities Planning and Development at the district also provides some oversight. Since state funding for ADA compliance is minimal, the college had to pay for some modifications to the buildings so that they would be wheelchair accessible.

Crime reports show that statistically the college is safe. Historically, the college has not experienced any car thefts or break-ins on campus parking lots, and other crime statistics (8.14) are equally low. Student satisfaction with campus safety is very high: 81.8 percent of students feel safe always or most of the time (SS, #41) during the evening and 93.5 percent (SS, #42) feel so during the day. A brochure detailing these facts is available to all students.

The type of funding available drives the planning for acquisition of new instructional equipment. In recent years, this funding has included State Instructional Equipment Block Grants, the Technology and Telecommunications Grant, and Vocational Education Funds (8.15). Block Grant allocations have undergone a process in which required program expenditures are set aside first. A percentage of the funds has been allocated for college-wide projects, such as the computer technology infrastructure. An ad hoc committee of faculty and administrators has evaluated proposals and has made recommendations. The Council of Instruction, a committee chaired by the vice president of academic affairs and comprised of department chairs, has reviewed the resulting list of equipment to be funded and has voted on the requests to set priorities. In addition, the various disciplines have received Vocational Education Funds based on their relative WSCH figures. Individual disciplines handle purchase of new equipment and/or replacement of equipment using general operating funds on an ad hoc basis.

Individual disciplines initiate repair and maintenance of instructional equipment, and some disciplines utilize maintenance contracts. In the Library and Learning Resource Center, the Computer Science Information Technology Department, for example, purchase agreements often include maintenance for at least a part of the equipment’s effective life. Outside vendors repair equipment, either through contracts or as needed.

When new equipment arrives, the Receiving Department tags it with an inventory number and records its destination office. The department performs an inventory every two years. In order to keep track of equipment at the college, faculty and staff must complete an Inventory Transfer Form when they move equipment from one location to another.

In 2000, the college began to move forward on a new assessment and planning process (see Standard 3). This participatory governance effort, chaired by the Academic Senate president, coincided with a district-led endeavor to reactivate the facilities master planning process by employing an outside consulting firm. The focus of the consultants, Moore, Iocafano, Goltsman (MIG), and subsequently of a district-wide needs assessment (8.16) was two-fold: a short-term assessment of plans for expanding the student services/counseling offices and a longer-term assignment to review campus expansion options. As of this writing, the board has accepted the needs assessment.

SELF EVALUATION

Tables 8.1 and 8.2 summarize student and college faculty and staff perceptions of college facilities.

Table 8.1: Student Evaluation of College Facilities

Overall, students and faculty and staff are closely aligned and at a high level of satisfaction. Moreover, ratings of importance for most areas are nearly equal to the satisfaction rating, indicating that group expectations are being satisfied. In addition, data from the 1996 District Student Survey portrays a pattern of satisfaction with college facilities.

The new campus has just one dedicated instructional building. Although the college added a 35,503 square foot Library and Learning Resource Center since the last self-study, the college does not have buildings to house individual programs. Ten percent of the evening program, which makes up 50 percent of all credit class offerings, must be housed off-site due to limited teaching space. Science programs are limited to one or two laboratories, and instructors must teach the lecture portion in the lab space. Culinary Arts has just one space to accommodate lectures, demonstrations, and practice altogether. All other disciplines are assigned classroom space as the schedule demands. Additional pressure on scheduling comes from specially funded programs that require space. For example, Gear Up required room for 125 students in the summer of 2000, and currently Upward Bound requires four classrooms and two laboratories for 70 students. Current classroom space, then, partially accommodates a number of the existing college programs but will not meet projected enrollment growth or anticipated additional programs.

While no evidence of student dissatisfaction with parking availability exists (74.3 percent responding satisfactory or better, SS #65b), students' ratings of its importance exceeds this (82.6 percent rating it important or very important, SS #65a), implying that students' expectations are not being met.

Although the computer is becoming increasingly indispensable to the learning process, most classrooms do not have access to the Internet. Computer System Services has installed a wireless Intranet hub in the Instructional Building in an effort to find an efficient and cost-effective solution. The new Collaborative Studies Building will be equipped with wireless technology so that all classrooms will have access to the Internet. In addition, with a few exceptions, classrooms do not have built-in VCRs and monitors. The audio-visual technician has implemented a computerized delivery service for audio-visual equipment, but it is too new to have been evaluated.

Four bungalows on the campus parking lot increase classroom space but are five years old and need renovation to upgrade carpeting and air conditioning. The college plans to replace the existing buildings and add two more for spring 2001.

The building the college leases for physical education classes has limited space and was not constructed for this purpose. The facility has one weight training room, one aerobics area, a few offices, and storage. It has minimal parking and is not particularly well lit, requiring campus police to be visible when classes finish for the evening. The building has no air conditioning or handicap access. Toxic fumes leak in from the building next door, the roof leaks, and the restrooms are inadequate. Only one of the two classrooms can be used at any one time because of inadequate soundproofing. The lease costs are increasing, prompting the college to look at other options.

The college leases the Veterans' Park Cultural Arts facility, approximately one mile from the main campus, for its Community Extension program along with the only art and music studios for the fine arts programs. It has a number of infrastructure deficiencies. The plumbing has not been upgraded for thirty years and emits rusty water. The exterior has needed painting for the last several years, and only minimal repairs have been made to exterior and interior hardware and walls. The lighting in the parking area is inadequate. The art studios need upgrading to bring them up to professional academic standards. While the lease costs have been reasonable, the college projects maintenance costs to be substantial unless the lease with Los Angeles County, which expires in February 2001, is negotiated carefully.

Faculty offices are open cubicles that provide little or no privacy, leaving inadequate and insufficient private conference space for consultation with students. Faculty and staff are only moderately satisfied with both the amount of space and privacy provided at their worksite. About 42 percent of faculty and staff rate space as adequate while 55 percent judge privacy to be adequate (FSS #35, #36). Original space allocation reflects the number of full-time faculty planned for the first three years on the campus. However, the college has hired many new faculty since then, causing a reduction in part-time faculty office space. No storage space for the accumulation of instructional material exists beyond the minimal storage available in each cubicle. The Work Environment Committee has approved and forwarded a plan to modify two areas that will provide minimal relief for storage and create one enclosed space for confidential conversations or one-on-one meetings with students. Faculty members are particularly concerned about whether new office construction will offer privacy and properly locked storage space.

Faculty and staff appear to have mixed perceptions of other aspects of the work environment, such as ergonomic features, equipment safety, and procedures to deal with hazardous materials. As seen in Table 8.1, these dimensions of work environment received moderate to low ratings.

Table 8.2: Additional Aspects of Work Environment

While all faculty have computers at their workstations, part-time faculty must use one of three available in the faculty offices or go to the Library and Learning Resource Center. Despite this inadequacy, 68 percent of faculty report a high degree of access to a computer on campus to prepare instructional materials (FSS #70). More computers should be made available as the number of offices expands.

The college is beginning a process of educational trends analysis to help identify the number, size, and description of classrooms and laboratories the college will need to serve the community. The recently completed facilities needs assessment calls for build-out of the immediate 22 acres. The new process of assessment and planning will tie educational trends analysis and facilities needs to the mission statement and goals.

In order to ensure that online courses are reliably available to students, the college is refining its routers and firewall to enable a direct connection between the academic network and the Internet. The Information Technology Office at the district will need to assist the college in separating its academic computing from the administrative needs for a firewall. This will improve the connectivity of the college's web server.

For two years, budgetary considerations required that the college eliminate its custodial "C", or evening shift, moving all staff to work those hours when the college was the busiest. In the short term, this proved to be beneficial in that college personnel and students were able to see custodial staff working. However, this change, along with the fact that the college has begun to offer classes on Friday evenings, all day Saturday and on Sundays, has limited the ability of staff to do the deep cleaning necessary for the proper maintenance of the buildings. As of this writing, the college has reinstated the "C" shift. While this will allow for more "deep cleaning", it does not represent an increase in staffing.

Faculty and staff recognize this: 45 percent believe the college support staff for the operation and maintenance of campus facilities is inadequate (FSS, #37). Despite the cutback, however, students and staff display a high level of satisfaction with the college facilities and with the services operations and maintenance staff provide, as seen in table 8.0. An additional problem unique to the college is the need for custodial staff to travel to outlying locations to provide service. The time spent traveling reduces the time available for personnel to schedule work efficiently and to complete work in the time allotted. However, as positions that have been vacant for several years fill, responses are timelier and equipment maintenance is more consistent.

The computerized request system, which will be available college-wide spring 2001, should make scheduled maintenance more effective. The software, because it allows automated reporting and provides historical documentation, will help with assessment of effectiveness and planning for improvements in service and efficiency.

Since the last self-study, all locations where wheelchair access had been a problem now have automatic doors. The main campus buildings are relatively free of problems with access, safety, security, and heath issues. Overall, 64 percent of college faculty and staff believe that the main campus facilities included adequate provision for the disabled (FSS, #38).

However, most of the off-campus sites do present challenges for health and safety. Because the college leases these facilities, they do not fall under state ADA guidelines or Education Code guidelines. Therefore, the college is presently re-evaluating the leases for off-campus sites for these reasons and because of issues of educational appropriateness.

Faculty office space is a pressing need that only new construction may be able to alleviate. Temporary solutions include the construction of additional workstations on the first floor of the Campus Center, additional open office space adjacent to the existing faculty office area, and office space in the new Collaborative Studies Building. The faculty is particularly concerned that the new office space needs to include enclosed rooms, as is planned, that will allow private conversations with students and colleagues.

The current method for the selection, maintenance, inventory, and replacement of equipment has been reactive rather than planned. Whenever possible, the operating budget has identified funds for acquisition and/or replacement of equipment not funded through instructionally focused grants. However, no one has evaluated the ad hoc committee responsible for reviewing requests for the allocation of funds for its effectiveness and ties to planning.

While this process has minimally met the needs of a growing institution, the procedure must become a part of the master planning process and be tied into goals and objectives.

As of this writing, the procedure for applying for State Instructional Equipment Block Grant funds has become part of the assessment and planning process. Measurable objectives and outcomes must accompany requests for equipment funds. The outcomes will be evaluated for effectiveness in the next planning cycle. The college must use grants and other one-time funds in the most efficient and effective manner to meet the needs of the instructional programs.

The college should look at contracting or leasing computers and related equipment to ensure at least minimal upgrades over a multi-year period.

Hardware maintenance agreements must support the life of the equipment. Without trained college employees, all equipment repairs have to be outsourced. The college needs to evaluate and plan for this eventuality by negotiating appropriate contracts with vendors.

The Master Planning Committee, with advice from the new associate dean for campus development and institutional research, recommended the purchase of Quality Builder (8.17), a planning software package that allows all segments of the institution to create measurable objectives and performance indicators. The software emphasizes the continuous improvement of the institution by analyzing and evaluating performance indicators that measure the effective use of resources. As a result, the college has developed new, more measurable goals along with a Title 5 compliant mission statement (see Standard 1). Several units within the college are learning to use the software, and they are building resource-connected objectives that will be measured in 2001.

PLANNING AGENDA

19. The college will use the new assessment and planning process, with the input developed through the needs assessment conducted in the fall of 2000 and the district contracted consulting firm, to continue the development of a comprehensive facilities master plan. The plan will take into consideration the identified needs of those facilities that are currently not housed on campus, the need for faculty offices, and the projected demands for facilities to house planned new programs. The plan will include those facilities that can be funded through state sources and those that can be funded by local resources such as district funds and bond issues. This will also apply to new equipment purchasing and leasing, including all required maintenance support.