RENOVATION IN PROCESS AT STUDENT CENTER.

Byline: Bhavna Mistry Staff Writer

VALENCIA - An outside food vendor, booth seating, computer lab and game room all will be fitted into the newly redesigned Student Center at College of the Canyons.

The $2.4 million, 10,000-square-foot remodeling job started in August and is due to be completed by June. The center now houses the student bookstore, cafeteria, main dining room and health center.

``It's outstanding. It's a true benefit for the students on our campus,'' said Mike Joslin, assistant dean of student development and retention.

One of the biggest changes to the student center will be the addition of a student resource center that will include a computer lab, a study lounge, copy and fax machines, and meeting rooms nearby.

``This is what is needed,'' said Ricardo Tejada, president of the Associated Student Government. ``We need more resources for students.''

The addition covers five former outdoor patio areas that were underused.

``They weren't used efficiently,'' Joslin said. ``It was wasted space.''

Besides additional space, the new student center will have a glass-wall entryway through which students pass to a mall-like environment.

The book store and the Student Health Center will be expanded. Booths will be added in the main dining room. A new game room has already opened.

One of the most anticipated changes will be the addition of outside food vendors. Although the decision as to who will set up shop inside the main cafeteria has not been made, officials more than likely will follow suit of other colleges that brought in Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and Subway.

``A lot of what we are doing is based on student feedback,'' Joslin said. ``One of their desires was to have additional food services for more variety.''

Joslin said the new student center has been designed to accommodate two more vendors.

Tejada said he is pleased with the remodeling design and planned changes. ``The old student center was so outdated,'' he said. ``It was like it was back in the '70s. It was ugly. We decided we should change it.''

Costs will be covered by student fees earmarked for the center. Since 1997, students have paid $1 per unit or up to $10 a year as a student center fee.

``The fee allows us to improve student facilities,'' Tejada said. ``This is truly putting our fees to work.''

The money collected from the fee is expected to pay for half the remodeling costs, while a new contract with a book vendor in the bookstore will pay for the other half.

Joslin said the remodeled student center also is expected to assist college officials in retention efforts.

``Many universities and colleges are building these student center buildings because they understand the importance of keeping students on a campus, encouraging them to get involved beyond the classroom,'' Joslin said.

``We hope the various facilities and amenities we are building will be part of a larger picture,'' Joslin said. ``Student success and persistence models show that students who become involved beyond the classroom are more likely to enjoy their college experience and more likely to make a connection beyond the classroom.''