PC's New Student Union

PC's New Student Union Set for Late Fall Opening

Phoenix College students are getting a comfortable gathering space on campus when the new Student Union is completed in December. The renovated 10,000-square-foot building in the heart of campus will feature ample space for club and student meetings, a game room, a conference room, a Starbucks café, computer usage areas, large video screens, and the Bear’s Den, a traditional hangout for students to relax and socialize.

The construction project is one of two major construction projects going on at the central city campus. The other is the addition of a one-stop enrollment center to the existing Hannelly Center. The project is the centerpiece of the PC strategy to provide efficient student services in one centralized area. The project will also feature a long-awaited “gateway” to the PC campus. The prominent entrance will have a shade canopy.

Grand opening celebrations for both buildings are slated for January 2012.

“Any student will be able to come in, do their homework or meet up with friends,” said Genesis Toole, Director of Student Life and Leadership, which will be located in the new Student Union. “We’re excited about the challenge of seeing more students use the Student Union.”

The new Student Union building was originally built in 1938. The refurbished building will have historical touches from its past such as the original tall windows. It also will feature exposed steel tresses in the roof, skylights, original brickwork, and even some redwood panels found in the attic that will be used in the interior design of a Starbucks coffee bar.

“From the exterior standpoint, we have returned it to its former glory," said Doug McCarthy, PC’s Director of College Facilities Planning and Development. “We’ve painstakingly worked to highlight some of its design features.”

The interior will have wireless connection and laptop recharging stations, soft spaces with movable furniture, and a kitchen for club use as well as a conference room and a back patio with outdoor seating.

The Hannelly Center expansion and renovation adds 17,000 square feet of new space to the existing 34,000 square foot center.

The new One-Stop Enrollment Center for students will house Admissions and Records, Financial Aid, Advisement, International Student Center, Veterans Services and Recruitment and Retention. The center’s goal is to eliminate the traditional silo approach to service delivery. Students will be directed to zones where they will receive assistance.

“We want students to do everything they need to do as far as enrollment and matriculation services in one space,” said Yira Brimage, PC’s Vice President of Student Affairs. “Before it may have taken visits to four or five buildings.”

The second phase of Hannelly Center construction project will add a new cafeteria, an enhanced lower level that will house Counseling and Testing as well as an Atrium that provides inside spaces for students. That phase is expected to be completed by January 2013.

Funding for both projects came from a 2004 bond election passed by Maricopa County voters.

About Phoenix College:

PC is a premier institution of higher education that has been serving the community since 1920. As the flagship college of the Maricopa Community Colleges–the largest community college system in America–Phoenix College offers programs for university transfer, career training, and personal development. The 23-acre campus includes state-of-the-art instructional classrooms, a modern library and computer lab, the Eric Fischl Art Gallery, a performing arts theater, a culinary café, a gymnasium and fitness center, and premium athletic fields. Phoenix College students speak more than 50 languages and represent more than 100 countries, reflecting the diverse, multicultural central city that Phoenix College serves.

Phoenix College Presents Food Day Events on Oct. 24

(PHOENIX, Ariz., Oct. 12, 2011) – October 24 is National Food Day and Phoenix College will be hosting events throughout the day that address important food-related issues such as childhood obesity, diet-related diseases and factory farms.

“The college is a natural environment for intelligent, civil discussions about food,” said Liz O’Brien, a PC residential faculty member and director of the Honors program who led PC’s Food Day effort. “I’d like to see the campus community as well as the general community get on the bandwagon of making better choices for themselves, their families and the community.”

The events include “Fast” Food Talks led by eight presenters made up of local experts and PC Honors students; tours of PC’s garden led by Garden Club members; and a movie screening (repeated) followed by post-film discussions. Other events include student research displays in the PC Library and a Food Expert display in the campus Bears’ Den.

The events were developed to address food-related issues such as diet-related diseases, reforming factory farms, curbing junk-food marketing to kids and fair treatment for food and agricultural workers.

Phoenix College Food Day is among 1,000 food-related events taking place nationwide on October 24th. Sponsored by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, and modeling itself after Earth Day, Food Day has set a goal of pushing for healthy, affordable food produced in a sustainable, humane way and changing the way Americans think about food.

“People are starting to intellectually question the ‘food’ that is being placed before us,” said O’Brien. “We are paying horribly in medical costs for the stuff we eat just because it is cheap and accessible.”

PC Faculty Librarian Kelly Lambert has created a libguide that provides details on the campus events and links to the national Food Day website. PC activities include:

Student Research Display at PC Library: All Day

Garden Club Tours of the PC Garden: Come take a tour hosted by the Garden Club. PC's garden is located on 11th Avenue next to the E Building. Tours from 10 a.m. - noon.

"Fast" Food Talks: Join us for several five-minute talks by PC students and local food experts on various food-related topics. It will be moderated by Greg Peterson from the Urban Farm. Experts will be Amy Joon, holistic wellness practitioner, George Brooks, backyard farming expert, Luisa Valdez, herbalist, and Ingrid Hirtz, community cook. Noon - 1:15 p.m. in Student Life. Chipotle will kindly pass out free veggie burritos to 100 lucky session attendees.

"King Corn" with post-film discussion: In this informative and entertaining documentary, two friends follow an acre of corn to learn more about the foods we eat and how we farm. Film showings at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Art Building, Room 119. Post-film discussions moderated by PC Professors Sean Whitcomb (2 p.m. showing) and John Schampel (5 p.m. showing).

For more information on specific events, go to www.phoenixcollege.edu/foodday

Phoenix College now has charging stations for electric vehicles!

PC has the unique distinction of having two stations available for the charging of electric vehicles.  With funding provided through a grant from the US Department of Energy, these stations are one of our commitments to sustainability.

The two stations are located in the lower level of the parking structure across from the Public Safety office.  The stations are set up for electric vehicles, such as the Chevrolet Volt, the Nissan Leaf and the newest Toyota Prius plug-in.  Drivers of these vehicles can use a swipe card to activate the charging process which typically takes two to four hours.  The chargers will automatically shut off and the cord is long enough so that cars parked next to the designated spaces can be charged as well.  Attached is a picture of the designated space.

If you are an owner (or driver) of one of these vehicles, and would like to begin using these charging stations, please email me and I will supply you with a swipe card.

The next time you are out and about, please swing by and take a look!

PC Empty Bowls Luncheon to Benefit Homeless

(PHOENIX, Ariz., Oct. 4, 2011) – Phoenix College will commemorate World Food Day with the fifth annual Empty Bowls luncheon Wednesday, October 19, 2011, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on the main campus.

For $10, participants can purchase a bowl of their choice from among 300 hand-crafted bowls created by faculty and student artisan potters in the Phoenix College Art & Music Department. Students, faculty and staff as well as the community at large are encouraged to stop by and receive a simple lunchtime meal of soup or macaroni & cheese and water.

By eating a basic meal and keeping the ceramic handmade bowl, guests are reminded that empty bowls are a common occurrence for too many people worldwide. The community is encouraged to participate in the fundraising event, with most of the proceeds donated to Andre House of Arizona to help feed the Valley’s homeless population.

PC’s Culinary Studies program will provide the food and is taking an active role in organizing the event.

Empty Bowls began as a simple high school class project in Michigan in 1990 and has grown into a global effort involving thousands of participants that has raised millions of dollars to fight hunger.

“In a tangible way, this project allows PC faculty, staff and students to directly give to a pressing community need,” said Tim Hernandez, event organizer, artist, and residential faculty in the Phoenix College Fine and Performing Arts Department. “And the more the public participates, the more they get involved in making a difference in their community.”

Tickets will be sold at the event, which will take place in the breezeway in front of Bulpitt Auditorium in the center of the Phoenix College campus, which is located at 1202 W. Thomas Road. For more information, contact Tim Hernandez at (602) 285-7283 or Jonathan Higuera at (602) 285-7849.

Andre House of Arizona, the beneficiary of Phoenix College’s Empty Bowls event, was founded in 1984, and is located in the Capitol Mall District. It provides many services to aid the homeless and poor populations in the Valley.