The Rebirth of Eastfield College

When it was built 40 years ago, Eastfield College had an almost unmatchable aesthetic charm. But throughout the years, the beauty faded.

Like a withered flower trying to be revived, the campus is beginning to blossom again under the leadership of interim president Dr. Jean Conway.

This is especially true in between the C and N buildings, an area which now includes flagstones and new shade trees.

"I wanted to bring a natural look to the area," Conway said.

The changes have been embraced by students, faculty and staff.

"That's a really nice job," sergeant Larry Jordan of campus police said. "Clean air around the trees, that was a good environmental project with the trees and the plants."

The whole campus has been embellished with year-round trees and some seasonal flowers. To make the campus buildings less energy-consuming, some buildings' roofs have also been modified, and the school plans to put walkways all around the campus.

Conway said that the courtyard outside the F building will be renovated to prevent rainfall from damaging the nearby Student Life office.

There is more good news for students, faculty and staff concerning the parking lots. Conway said parking lots W3 and E1 will be fixed this fall to better accommodate the public.

"It will be a lot better. Going over potholes and stuff is super bouncy," sophomore Reagan Shaffer said. " Especially for lower cars like mine, it will scrape the bottom of my car."

Another achievement is the addition of electronic marquees at the three campus entrances.

"It is something I always wanted to have at Eastfield, but because of the budget we couldn't get it for a long time," Conway said. "It helps us to communicate more with the neighborhood about the activities on campus and when we close because of snow."

In addition to the outdoor remodeling and construction, many changes have also taken place inside the buildings.

 Room C112 now has new windows and new carpet but no longer houses the office of Continuing Education, which has moved to the W building. In its place is the English Language Learning and Advisement (ELLA) office.

The campus police office also has a new home, close to the bookstore. The department made a smooth transfer from room C137-138 to N112A, and its old office now houses the Dual Credit department.

"I never liked the old site of Dual Credit because it wasn't a proper to way welcome the future students because they always got lost," Conway said. " Now they can find the new place easier and get familiar with the student programs on campus because it is really close."

Room C238, the former business division office, is now the new home of Rising Star.

Also, C127 has added more computers for newly admitted students. This became necessary when the campus went paperless.

"Students need to have more computers available because they come on campus wanting to see schedules and catalogs and to be able to register for classes," said Laura Robles, testing center coordinator. " We (the testing center) may get C116 for extra computers."

Lecture hall C297 will be remodeled soon, according to Conway, and a new sprinkler system will be installed. This has already been completed in C295.