Pete Moye’
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Cerritos College is undergoing plans of a complete, top-to-bottom reconstruction of the school to provide students of the campus with a better space to enhance their education in.

A public forum meeting was held on Oct. 6 and another was held on Tuesday to introduce the construction plans via a PowerPoint presentation, with means of demonstrating what buildings are coming down to make room for new buildings.

The focus is on every single building, due to the aging effects over the years.

Commissioner for student services David Agguirre said, “A lot of our buildings are really old, I think the [Liberal Arts] building was maybe built in the [mid]-1950s, when our college was built.”

Aguirre personally claims that there is a desperate need for construction, such as the student activities building, where the roof is falling apart.

The funding is provided by the state, however, if it is not put into use then funds are just simply removed.

There is only enough funding from the state to cover the “first step” of the project, which features the Liberal Arts building being demolished and then rebuilt on the corner of Alondra and Studebaker.

“We are just making plans so when the funds come in then we could start building, but at least we have a plan,” Aguirre explains.

With active plans in hand for upcoming years, swing spaces will be provided to avoid disrupting the flow of study in the school. For instance, in the making of a [new] Liberal Arts building, classes will be conducted in the Social Science building.

Aguirre appears to be satisfied with the planned changes. He envisions how it would benefit the student’s mobility around the campus.

“It will be able to hold a lot more students in our campus buildings than what it does now,” Aguirre says.

Concerning the students’ ease of access, there are plans in making a new building, known as the Gateway Building, which would link offices together in one building related to any student services, such as the admissions offices, student activities and the student store.

The location of this building would be facing Alondra Boulevard, one of the main streets in which Cerritos College is located in, in means to attract and lead students and guests to offices of the highest service.

It has also been confirmed that the Burnight Center Theatre buildings will be brought down as well as the “hill”, to bring about renovated buildings.

Unfamiliar with the plans that are taking place, students who socialize at the hill are surprised and hoping to not have the hill removed.

“This is my sanctuary. It’s a green pasture of shadiness, [and] I see my friends here,” communications major Cameron Bastin.

“If the hill’s not here, then I am going home a lot earlier, and not buying snacks,” Bastin concludes.

Other students who are new to the campus, such as undecided major Daniel Torres, believe “there are not too many ways that you could improve this spot, it’s just perfect the way it is.”

Although students don’t want the hill removed, some do want it improved.

Music major Maguiver Sanchez would like “to be able to use the stage for stuff.”

She suggests taking on events in which students would be able to conduct poetry readings and play music on a daily basis.

Campus administration is looking forward to making the campus more “student friendly;” a place in which students can enjoy conversations or study in the outdoors under new wider-shaded areas, as well as being furnished with more parking areas.

“We have to look at the context of the plan, not just for what we like,” Aguirre concludes about how students should perceive this upcoming wave of change.