Program Review Requests for Facilities
(Excerpts from Planning Section)
Spring 2015
InstructionAccounting / If we are allowed to increase our course offerings we will need additional classroom space.
Administration of Justice / X
Anthropology / Possibly installation of laboratory work stations in space to be designated unless other current laboratory facilities can be shared when it appears that Physical Anthropology Lab (127) will be offered.
AODS / X
Architecture / Improvements were made to the Architecture Studio Lab (190-114) in summer 2013, but students are still hampered by older stools, desks, and parallel bars.
Art 2-D / The white block out shades in the studios constantly break and need to be repaired by facilities at least once or twice a semester. Long-range planning needs to address this, although I believe that a conversation around this has already been initiated by Facilities.
Art 3-D / The facility needs some repair. However the maintenance of the classrooms is much better in the last few years. There have been upgrades to the equipment. Most notable a small gas kiln and a Raku kiln which alleviates an issue of smoke in the building.
The biggest issue is a lack of ventilation in the stone carving area. To alleviate this my students and I will use plastic screens to isolate the dust in a restricted area. A more robust solution is still need eventually. Follow is a copy of my last work request. Some but not all of these issues have been addressed. However the shelves are still not bolted to the wall which is a hazard if there were an earthquake.
copy of work request submitted 2014 the shelves are now mounted.
#1 is a Safety Issue request to repair or replace the surface mounted conduit and four electrical outlets on the backsplash of a 12-foot long workbench, located along the windows in the Sculpture Studio. The existing four outlets show evidence of overheating and arcing. Several of the outlets are in close proximity to splash from water cooled saws and grinders. The exposed 12-foot long power cord exits the conduit, drops approximately three feet to the floor, runs behind and under a 220 Volt electric ceramics kiln, behind a file cabinet and storage shelf and plugs into a wall outlet. I would like to have the outlet strip hard wired to the main distribution panel and either Outlet Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCI) installed in the strip or a GFCI circuit breaker installed in the panel. #2 is a request to have a 208 Volt receptacle installed in the Sculpture Studio near the main distribution panel on a 40-amp breaker. An additional receptacle is necessary to operate a second electric kiln. #3 is a Safety Issue request to have the existing metal shelving units in the Sculpture Studio securely reattached to the concrete walls. Facilities had removed the shelves and retaining brackets to paint the walls, but neglected to reattach them. #4 is a request to have two lightweight wooden shelving units fastened to the cement wall in the Sculpture studio
Art History / No Submission
Astronomy / At the end of the Fall 2015 semester, the Astronomy department will be upgrading the entire GOTO Chronos Hybrid system. We will be upgrading our present Chronos Hybrid D3 SP2HD to the RSA Cosmos Hybrid system. In this system, our present Chronos star projector will be upgraded to the Chronos II star projector. Here are some of the advantages of the Chronos II: LED stars that are 5x brighter, and minimum fan noise, since the LEDs run cooler than the original lamps. We will not have to replace burnt out lamps anymore, which also saves on cost.
The digital video component of the hybrid is a state-of-the-art system from RSA Cosmos. The video projectors will afford us high fulldome resolution 4k x 4k pixels. This increased resolution will give sharper, more realistic images and is more in keeping with our state-of-the-art facility. There will be numerous astronomical datasets, allowing us to probe deeper into galaxies, allowing us to display the most recent astronomical discoveries to our students and general public. The installation of this new RSA hybrid system will be the first on the west coast and the third in the country.
Biology & Health Science / Maintenance and replacement of classrooms items including seating, lighting, projector bulbs, shades. General environmental controls--temperature and humidity--are still a major problem in B36. Classroom and lab room doors slam with great deal of noise, interrupting class when students come and go into rooms. Safety and security improvements: electronic locks on lecture rooms; ability to lock doors from inside. In case of a lock down, faculty are not able to lock the classrooms or lab rooms from the inside of the room. Phones in the classrooms and lab rooms were requested in the original building construction requisitions as an important safety feature in case of emergency. During fire and lock down drills, there is no way to hear an alarm inside of classrooms or lab rooms. This is of particular concern in case of a fire; students and faculty could be trapped inside rooms if there is no floor monitor to alert them. Another concern, for security and fire-safety reasons, is that the building's outside doors often do not close completely. It would be of great value to have a general assessment of building 36 security conducted.
Long-term commitment to maintenance of teaching gardens is of critical importance to many biology classes. The teaching gardens on the East side of building 36 are used by several classes, including Biology 100, 102, 110, 184, 195, 210, and 220. [An assessment in 2010 showed that 40% of the classes on campus use the gardens for some class activity or purpose.] The gardens are the only mature habitat left on campus. The gardens have a variety of mature plant specimens representing many phyla and plant families. Some of the specimens are rare, and seeds or plants are not available for replacement. Some of the areas have matured and produce understory bryophyte communities. Students are able to conduct observations and studies of pollinators, birds, and plant morphology, vegetation and tree mensuration studies, phenology (seasonal cycles), and life cycles, in addition to data collection, in the safety of the campus gardens. The teaching gardens are also a source of botanical specimens for many of our biology classes (branches, leaves, flowers, fruits, etc.)
Biology students would benefit greatly from the installation of a new native plant garden next to B36, and this new garden could replace some of the older teaching garden sections that have not been maintained.
In addition, the HSCI 100 and BIOL 310 (Nutrition) courses would benefit from an edibles garden to demonstrate growing healthy vegetables, fruits and herbs. This area could be located with the upgraded Wellness Center as an alternative site, associated with the health programs taught in that building. CSM would follow the trend at almost every school in the county, supporting a demonstration of locally grown produce.
We are enthusiastic about the opportunity to include collaborative workspaces within the new Emerging/Innovative Technologies Building. For example, we propose adding a small, fully automated greenhouse to the new Technology building. This greenhouse will be a living laboratory for all STEM courses, as it will require design and maintenance of climate controls, water recycling, plant specimens, etc. Biology will benefit in that they will be able to grow much needed plant specimens for their courses. Technology and engineering/math will benefit in that they can use the greenhouse a lab for designing solar and water-saving technologies.
We all would like to see workspaces – a “design space” equipped with whiteboards, multi-purpose computer labs, and a “tech shop” to support prototyping – would allow students to work in interdisciplinary teams and extend what they learn in the classroom to more advanced projects. Students would gain hands-on experience as they prepare for internships and transfer. Projects could go beyond what is currently possible in a single course, making it easier to attract support from local businesses and industry. We look forward to working with faculty in other disciplines to develop the physical and curricular infrastructure for this effort.
Building Inspection / No Submission
Business & Management / No Submission
Chemistry / The volatile organic compounds are currently being stored in cabinets that are not vented. To maintain a safe working environment it is necessary that these chemicals are stored in a suitable cabinet that has appropriate venting. Two new cabinets are needed in the stock room and retrofitting of the vents in existing cabinets is required. A Demonstration of the problem is shown in the following youTube link:
In the general chemistry laboratories there are only single fume hoods in each laboratory. This leads to significant logistical and safety issues during teaching sessions. To effectively prepare our students for the workplace and their next academic institution they must receive rigorous laboratory training. Currently the fume hoods in the laboratories cannot adequately provide the right balance between efficiency and safety. The laboratory sessions require complicated logistical planning by the teacher. For example, a typical class has 30 students. Each fume hood can safely accommodate a maximum of 2 students at a time. If each student spends 3 minutes dispensing chemicals at the fume hood that amounts to 90 minutes spent only getting their chemicals. This can be further complicated if the students are working with chemicals that cannot be dispensed at the same time. It can take up to 45 minutes just to get the class equipped and ready to do their experiment. This is not efficient use of time or beneficial for their learning. It also poses real safety risks when working in the lab.
Plans are being developed to add more hood space to rooms 36-321 and 36-329. Following on from recommendations resulting from an environmental assessment carried out by the Denali group in March 2014, it has been established that there is a need for one new fume hood in each of the two of the general chemistry laboratories. Currently there is no official timeline for the installation of these units and the project is on going.
Communication Studies / Discussion of COMMLAB facilities will be handled in the Program Review of Labs and Centers.
Computer Information Science / Because of the pending new B19, all previous facilities requests are tabled.
Cosmetology / There is a need for another table in our break room as only 4 people can eat in there at one time and there is double the staff. We have to use this room for staff meeting also. The break room is all glass and the sun is shining into the all-glass break room from approximately 10:00 AM until 5:00 PM. The heat makes it unbearable to use for most of the year and we are requesting that shades be installed in the break room.
Dental Assisting / X
Digital Media / The existing facilities are pretty incredible. Sufficient engineering staff must be maintained to keep them operational. When the Broadcast program was revived in 2006, there were six Broadcast Engineers that could be called upon to address equipment issues. Now, there is one Broadcast Engineer left whose time for student-support is limited.
We realize that the TV station (KCSM-TV) is being sold, but the state-of-the-art student TV studio (in B9) will isn't going anywhere. It will remain a significant part of the Broadcast (and Film) program after the sale. It's also a great resource to support our own campus media projects, such as XLOnline Courses.
We cannot lose all of the Broadcast Engineers, otherwise, the academic program will not have critical technical support. Qualified Engineers must be retained to support the facilities and equipment used by Film, Broadcast, Electronic Music, Graphic Design, and Multimedia/Web. We have an amazing facility with high-end professional equipment, but the academic programs will fall apart without proper maintenance of facilities and equipment.
Drafting Technology / New carpeting for the 19-110 lab to replace the ripped carpet. Building 19 also has poorly maintained restrooms.
Economics / X
Electronics Technology / X
Engineering / Depending on the timing of building 19 demolition and contraction, access to the following types of facilities may be needed for at least one academic year: a computer lab for ENGR 100, ENGR 210, and ENGR 215; an electronics lab (or alternative; see 2015 Plan 3) for ENGR 260; materials testing equipment for ENGR 270.
English & Literature / X
English as a Second Language / X
Ethnic Studies / No Submission
Film / If we move in the directions outlined above, we envision a designated film lab space, for viewing, tutoring, and possibly production. Such growth would enhance transfer success and the ADT degree by offering more support for these courses.
Fire Technology / Facilities are needed for students to practice the different skills necessary to develop and perfect their proficiency. Using various tools and ladders as an example are common training techniques that we have repeated throughout the many years of the success of the program. Previously the use of the buildings around B-23, B-25, and B-27 for ladders and other tool instruction were used. With the demolition of these buildings it has become apparent that a need for a training facility for this purpose is needed. Utilizing the “older” buildings on campus was accomplished without much concern. The newer buildings are more vulnerable to damage and signs of wear if used for this purpose. A plan needs to be developed to provide an area useful for the purpose and durable enough to withstand that type of use.
Geography / X
Geological Sciences / Due to changes in California State law and new restrictions on areas where we previously were allowed to collect fossils, the fossil-collecting field trips for Paln Lab/Field Studies have been discontinued. We would like to request that a large sandbox be installed somewhere on campus so that the students could still get some experience in fossil hunting, especially since this a favorite activity of the students. Something very similar to the sand area that Track and Field uses for jumping events would be ideal. The problems of finding a safe and aesthetically pleasing cover for that area have already been solved. If it were not for the possibility of a few fossil teeth remaining in the sand, and usage time coinciding with spring Track and Field events, I would be tempted to ask Track and Field to borrow their sandbox.
History / No Submission
Kinesiology-Athletics-Dance / X
Library Studies / The main floor and mezzanine floors of the library are in need of updates/renovation. Updates of these areas would include reconfiguration of services desks, study spaces and books stacks. During the winter break of 2014-2015, the carpet was replaced in the public and staff areas of the library. Some data infrastructure improvements were made at that time.
The public elevator continues to be unreliable requiring numerous service calls for repair. During 2013-2014 a patron was stuck in the elevator. During 2014-2015, a library employee attempted to escorted a disabled patron to the mezzanine level in the public elevator and both were stuck for 45 minutes.
Lack of light management (sun rays) has a great impact on light and glare for many tasks including computer use. It also has an impact on heat and cooling control year round. In the summer, the cooling system struggles to cool the main floor and hardly makes a dent in the temperatures on the mezzanine floor.
Ongoing facilities requests have not resolved the temperature problems for the library classroom.
Mathematics / The department is currently seeking replacement shades in mathematics classrooms due to heat absorption issues that make the classrooms overly warm. Some funding was received in 2013-2014 and several classrooms are scheduled for replacement shades. We would like to see the remaining funding during 2015-2016. It should be of utmost importance for the learning environment and also the health and safety of people in these classrooms that they not become overheated. The specific classrooms we are looking for are 18-203, 18-301, 18-303, 18-305, and 18-307. We are looking for double shades in each room - one shear and one opaque (similar to those presently in 18-201).
Cabling and extension cords in 16-111, the statistics computer classroom, are constantly on the floor. We are looking for solutions to this problem and may make a request of facilities in the future. The department is again requesting an additional computer classroom, preferably adjacent to the current Math Resource center.
The department requests a third white board mounted in the hallway outside our offices in building 15. The hallway has become our extended office space and provides a way for instructors to interact with multiple students simultaneously and for small groups of students to work on problem solving within close proximity of their math faculty.
Microcomputer Applications Program / No Submission