Editorial:
Ups and downs of campus growth
 Bouquets
and barbs to university growth. The university has accomplished a lot
in the past two years, but besides the growth, many areas of the campus
still need urgent attention.
Bouquets, the good news first
University President John Welty and his team of fundraisers and planners
deserve a pat on the back for a job well done on the tremendous development
the campus has seen in the last two years.
In a span of two years, the university has built the $100 million Save
Mart Center, one of the best arenas in the nation. The construction of
the Save Mart Center is perhaps one of the best decisions the university
has ever made. The center has had a great impact on the university and
the economy of the city.
It is already attracting investors who might make Fresno State an all-round
university in academics and entertainment. The Campus Pointe, a proposal
that plans to put up structures such as a movie theater, apartments and
a shopping center near the university, is a welcome idea. The center will
provide students with job opportunities and improve the economy of the
area.
The university deserves credit for building the multi-million dollar Student
Recreational Center for the use of students. By building the center, the
university has turned away from its bad reputation of building expensive
things for the exclusive use of athletes.
Among other things, the facility, which is expected to open next semester,
will provide students with a great place to exercise and an alternative
to commercial gyms such as Bally’s Fitness Center.
Focus on academics
P lenty of kudos to the university for building the Science II Complex.
Apart from housing numerous classes and offices, the presence of the building
coupled with the Downing Planetarium on the east, the Satellite Student
Union on the northwest and the old Science Building in the north, have
made the area one of the busiest yet most beautiful places on campus.
The grace of the new building is a great start in erasing the bad memories
of the demolished San Ramon eyesore.
We are also happy with the administration’s plans to build a new
library. Even though taxpayers are the source of funding, the university
has demonstrated great organization in keeping students informed about
its progress. The university has also displayed careful planning in the
transition process in its effort to make the new library a reality.
With the construction of the Science II building and plans for a new library
underway, the university has answered its critics, who have always pointed
out that the school puts extraterrestrial focus on athletic projects over
academics.
Barbs, the bad news
Despite the progress, the university needs to improve on many things.
Things ranging from the simple such as cleaning bird poop off the head
of Martin Luther King Jr.’s statue in the Peace Garden near the
Henry Madden Library, to the complex improvment of the pace of renovating
older buildings.
The pace of remodeling older buildings has been excruciatingly slow. An
example is the Psychology Building located near the Henry Madden Library.
The building has been under renovation since February this year, but some
parts are still incomplete. An elevator construction on the northern side
of the building facing McKee Fisk has mysteriously stalled. University
Director of News Services Shirley Armbruster said the elevator needs redesigning
and a bid would be going out soon. Armbruster said buildings usually underwent
redesigning to improve them and keep costs down. She said construction
of the elevator is expected to be complete later this semester.
Parking
Of all the biggest failures of the university, none is more colossal than
the never-ending parking fiasco.Despite the fact that Fresno State is
a commuter campus, the university seems ill prepared to provide students
with enough parking slots. Students have been left with few unpleasant
options: to buy parking permits and fight for parking slots, tempt fate
by parking on insecure streets around the campus or park on lots at the
furthest end of the campus such as the Save Mart Center parking lot.
David Moll, director of public safety, said improving student parking
is always in the university’s plans. Moll said plans are underway
to build more parking in lots A and J near the Science II building.
But as long as the lots are not created, students will continue to suffer.
Maintenance
The university also needs to do a better job in maintaining older buildings.
Ever since the west side of the campus started blooming, the university
seems to not care whether the rest of the campus degenerates into a ghetto.
Some windows of the University Center located at the center of the campus
are covered with spider webs and dust. The carpets on the hallways and
stairs have patches of stains and the elevator is barely working. It is
hard to believe that the center is a venue for senate meetings and other
important university events.
The McLane Building also requires an urgent facelift. Apart from the clean
College of Health and Human Services occupying one wing of the building,
the rest of the building just looks dirty. The paint on the walls has
been dulled by age. A section of a badly lit ground floor corridor reminds
you of a dangerous alley in a horror movie.
The corridors are badly swept, leaving dirt and dried leaves in corners.
The stair wells are covered with dirty patches and the boards under the
balcony walls are covered with dust. If this building ever looked nice,
the evidence has completely been wiped off.
The university should match the phenomenal growth of the west side of
the campus with maintaining the older buildings on the eastern side.
And would somebody please clean the bird poop off the head of the Martin
Luther King Jr. statue.
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