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Las Positas College
  1. Las Positas College
  2. Measure A Bond
  3. Measure A Requests

Measure A Requests

Arts & Humanities

Summary of Division Meeting Discussion

  1. Remote location of the new building meant to house automotive, public safety, etc classes raises concerns about the integrity of these students and staff, and how we keep everyone connected; it also touches important issues, which require further clarification: i.e. flow between buildings and logistics in general, mobility of people with disabilities, etc.
  2. Is Building 300 going to be a multi-level one? Is it going to house classrooms or office space for faculty as well?
  3. The timeline of the whole process is really ambitious. However, is that not going to compromise the quality, and ultimately result into increased expenditure to repair / amend omissions and extended timeline to successfully finish the project? Here, a reference is made to the works being done in r. 4130, which have shown to be a protracted affair.
  4. Concerns by foreign language disciplines that labs might be used as teaching space, which is not the best way to reach students. Besides, labs and classrooms should be in very close proximity and there should be designated space to keep dictionaries, grammar books, etc.
  5. Music department has sent their input (see below).
  6. It is suggested that the relevant sections from the program reviews are compiled and put together, and further communicated to staff within the division, which will improve transparency and help identify synergies between disciplines. A need of better planning at division level is discussed and eventually, a separate division meeting on this subject is arranged as well. It is suggested that the relevant extracts from the program reviews are compiled into a comprehensive document, which will be circulated within the division and will serve as a starting point for discussion.
  7. Dave has sent the ARTS concerns: only 1 studio for all the classes; they need more space to be able to grow in terms of students numbers and offer competitive classes. It is suggested that some of the classrooms are open up to accommodate arts classes (see below).

Arts

Studio Art/Photography/Visual Communications –ART BUILDING

(Programs suggest this be included to Current Master Plan for Building 300 spaces since Building 100 was repurposed from master plan art-focused building to a classroom/computer lab building)

  • More studio arts classrooms (only 1 heavily-impacted classroom now)
  • A larger art gallery is needed to showcase artwork of students/faculty/campus community
  • Additional facilities needed to bring on high-demand art programs like ceramics/sculpture (classroom, lab room with kiln, etc.)
  • Photography/Visual Communications (new facility to replace Building 700 as it is torn down)

A lack of studio space is a major obstacle for our students. We have too little space for too many students. In addition, we have too many courses sharing the same studio space. It is impossible for students to work on long-term projects based on observation if the room needs to be reconfigured completely after every class.

Because space is so cramped, we are not able to provide as many courses, and the courses we offer are over full. There is no room to offer Intermediate drawing in the Fall semester. Any student taking beginning drawing in the Spring has to wait a full year to continue academic progress in drawing.

Our art department needs a newer and bigger space. In addition to our cramped studio area, the art gallery is also extremely minimal and it is impossible to provide much more than a very small exhibition. Las Positas needs a larger gallery space.

There is plenty of room for our department to grow, but we cannot do it in the space provided. Our department needs more room for 2-D courses, such as drawing and painting. In addition, we would like to instigate a 3-D studio to accommodate ceramics and sculpture, which we are currently unavailable. Las Positas College is underserving our students and community by providing a bare minimum of courses in the arts instead of making our program a broad resource which will attract more students. Currently Ohlone, Chabot, and Diablo have ceramics facilities. Most colleges have ceramics. Even local high schools have ceramics. We are missing an opportunity by not offering this kind of program.

Our art history department also needs to grow. Classes are full and because of their popularity as general education transfer courses, there is demand for more availability.

The art history faculty are facing a variety of issues. Lighting and technical problems disallowing for a solid slide viewing experience are occurring because classes are held in random classrooms not designed for a course which emphasizes the viewing of slides.

Theater

Theater Program – Storage/Warehouse

  • Storage Warehouse space (a building/small warehouse to store all sets, scenery, etc. in one space rather than multiple shipping/storage containers)
  • Storage Loft in Scene Shop

Changes to Program Needs include:
With the implementation of the CTE program, and increase in the technical theater courses, we have begun identifying needs as they relate more specifically to the theater program.

Storage Warehouse space
Storage Loft in Scene Shop
Additional tools, organizational space, and equipment for CTE program application

E. What are your most important plans (either new or continuing) for next year?
Securing a permanent and large Storage Warehouse space for production supplies
Storage Loft in Scene Shop, to free up needed floor space for safety and proper training
Additional tools and equipment for CTE program, as identified by the new Technical Theater Faculty

Music

MUSIC Program requests several facilities changes:

  • Choral Rehearsal Room in building near 4000 (Suggest building 300 for Arts and Performing Arts)
  • Recording/technology space be built alongside a new choral rehearsal space
  • Vocal Practice Rooms
  • Finish remodeling current musical rehearsal and choir rooms (work incomplete/ineffective)
  • Sound insulation/isolation in 4226 the Keyboard Lab

Within the music department, we are advocating for several facilities changes:

  1. Wenger ceiling tiles that are acoustically designed for music rehearsal rooms in 4130 and 4138. The recent round of room revisions had regular ceiling tiles installed, which are designed for noise suppression.
  2. Sound insulation/isolation for the keyboard lab (4226) to prevent noise pollution.
  3. Potential replacement of the choral rehearsal room (4130) entirely. This room was never designed to have elevator mechanics inside of it acoustically, making the refinement of sound aesthetics incredibly challenging. The acoustics of the room are highly compromised by having the physical obstruction of the mechanical room (not part of the acoustician’s blueprints), and the overall sound/noise floor is constantly interrupted by mechanical noises from the same source. Because this room is, in effect, permanently acoustically crippled, we are suggesting that a new choral rehearsal room be built into any new arts building that is designed and built. 4130 would be converted into a full-time classroom that does not deal primarily with sound.
  4. We are also advocating for a new recording/technology space be built alongside a new choral rehearsal space. This is the intended design of the recording booth between 4130 and 4138, but because of the acoustic crippling of 4130 there is no way to record without interruption. There is also no sound isolation booth, a staple of any recording space. LPC Radio is using a faculty office for this purpose, which is a bandaid fix at best for long term use.
  5. We have requested a locks system to keep our practice rooms (and the expensive practice room pianos) safe from theft/vandalism/inappropriate use. These locks have been delivered but have not been installed. This will also allow us to keep track of attendance for our Applied Music program.
  6. Our students are constantly battling for practice room space. We request that additional vocal practice rooms be built around a new choral rehearsal space.

Here are the pieces of our Program Review that touch on the requests listed above:

Music Technology is an increasingly popular offering for community college music programs. In order to successfully recruit and grow our student body, we require a new recording studio and state-of-the-art recording equipment. Currently the only space in which recording, mixing, mastering, and film scoring could be taught is in the LPC Radio space (which is actually designed to be used as a faculty office). This space is not sufficient. To offer this properly, we require a larger dedicated space that would house the necessary requirements listed above. This space would include an isolation booth, a separate mixing space, room to safely house expensive recording equipment, and any additional educational equipment/student workstations. While we are waiting for this facility to be constructed, we will require our keyboard lab to be professionally soundproofed. This is where the music technology classes will be taught until a new facility is built, and sound currently bleeds through the walls. Everyone on the upper floor can hear the pianos and recordings being played in the lab, so this room will not be suitable for recording.

Although acquiring these additions would be a significant improvement, we ultimately require a separate recording studio and booth to effectively teach these courses. New faculty with emphasis in this area is also needed to compete with other CC music technology programs.

We must be able to access the recording room which is in between 4130 and 4138 that was specifically designed as a recording classroom space. Currently LPC Radio is the only program with access. In the future, the school needs a dedicated recording space built to industry-standard specs.

We plan to install locking mechanisms on our practice rooms to track students who are using practice rooms. This allows us to maintain a record of practice hours in addition to protecting valuable instruments and equipment. This will also become the way we will track practice hours for the applied program (with SARS). This system has been paid for and received but has yet to be installed. (IER approved). We are directly copying Chabot’s current system for their applied program. This system, or something very similar, is the industry standard throughout the community college system.

We plan to attend all Facilities meetings in pursuit and support of a new Arts Building for LPC students. With a rapidly expanding arts program, the demand for space and adequate/appropriate facilities has increased dramatically. As a music department, there are three areas that do not currently meet acceptable standards that would be solved with a replacement/additional space: 1) The choral rehearsal room is permanently acoustically inadequate, as the elevator mechanics are housed within the space itself. Repeated attempts to isolate the elevator noise have been unsuccessful. The most cost-effective long-term fix is to convert 4130 into a permanent lecture space and build a new choral rehearsal room into a new Arts Building. 2) The recording room (4139) is designed to utilize 4130 and 4138 as recording spaces. However, neither classroom is designed for this purpose and will not function for recording, especially with the previously mentioned acoustic challenges of 4130. To teach music technology and recording (an upcoming approved class with several more to come, plus a certificate program) we will require a recording studio designed specifically for exclusive use, not a shared classroom space. The current space houses the LPC Radio program, also in need of their own exclusive space to operate effectively. 3) As the music program continues to expand, there is a developing shortage of practice rooms available for LPC students.

Within the Mertes Center, there are two classroom issues remaining that we plan on addressing during our attendance at the above Facilities Meetings. 1) The summer construction project in rooms 4130 and 4138 is nearly completed after several delays. However, there are multiple remaining issues with each room, as the intended outcome of the project (acoustic isolation and dispersion) remains unsatisfactory due to allowed compromises in overall cost, material used, and quality of work. As mentioned above, 4130 has permanent acoustic issues that are irreversible. The ceiling tiles installed in both 4130 and 4138, while acoustically isolating, fail to meet the acceptable standards for acoustic dispersion (leading to inappropriate reverberation and echo). This issue negatively impacts the listed SLOs of all performance classes in these spaces. We will recommend replacing the 4138 tiles with Wenger Acoustic Dispersion tiles appropriate for this application. 2) The summer construction effectively isolated noise between the first and second levels. However, one of the solutions involved permanently disabling the use of floor outlets within the second floor keyboard lab (4226) by gluing them shut. Furthermore, the project failed to address the need for acoustic isolation in 4226 itself, leading to frequent issues with sound pollution (both into and out of the lab). The thin walls of 4226 are the likely culprit, requiring additional insulation.

English

  • Building 400 English Center Replacement (called the “Reinvention of 2000 and 2100” in the Master Plan)
  • Lab classrooms for English 1A
  • Proctoring Center: A proctoring center is needed to help support our faculty with make-up exams and re-take exams for students and to support our DE courses, and expanded hours to supplement DSPS’s proctoring. This could potentially benefit the entire campus, as many different disciplines can utilize this resource. We would need the facility and faculty/staff to support the proctoring center.
  • Academic Support Center: A centralized Academic Support center is desired, where the Integrated Learning Center/Open Math Lab, RAW center, Tutorial center, and Computer Lab (and possibly Math X and/or Library), are all located in the same building, to better serve our students. This facility has been discussed in Math’s program reviews and in Task Force meetings since 2013.

While building 400, the English Center, is scheduled to be demolished as part of the Facilities Master Plan, there are still no plans to replace that dedicated space. (THE CURRENT FACILTIES MASTER PLAN SLATES THIS FOR A LANGUAGE ARTS FACILITY TIED TO THE LEARNING RESOURCES BUILDING CONNECTED TO THE LIBRARY)

As a department that works with and supports almost every student on this campus, we believe that a facility that has dedicated space for English classrooms, lab space, faculty offices, conference rooms, and an instructional assistant office space would impact student success across the campus. This cohesive space would support our college’s mission to serve students across disciplines with their diverse and learning goals.

Lack of Plans to Replace Building 400 Space: While building 400, the English Center, is scheduled to be demolished as part of the Facilities Master Plan, there are still no plans to replace that dedicated space.

The English basic skills program has had remarkable student success (in the 70% range, very high for a basic skills program), largely due to our instructional assistant support, collaboratively developed curriculum and dedicated space that at-risk students treat as a home base (for example, students come in for help from instructional assistants outside of their regular class time). Student success will be dramatically impacted if if the courses are offered in scattered classrooms all over campus where instructional assistant availability will be inconsistent and curricular materials will be harder to access.

Also, it is important that faculty and instructional assistants have an office to work in together to collaborate on curriculum development. A private office with several computer work stations would help facilitate this collaborative relationship. We do have an office for the instructional assistants now, but it lacks privacy needed when discussing sensitive issues.

Ideally, English composition classes (100A, 104, 1A, 4 and 7) would be offered in a single building with access to computers or computer lab space and instructional assistants for all courses. This center would have at least five classrooms and two computer lab rooms or other solutions such as laptops or tablets for student use. The ability for students to have easy access to instructors and instructional assistants will help support our most vulnerable learners.

Also, currently, our basic skills classes run on the opposite side of the campus from instructor offices. It would be very beneficial to our basic skills population, in particular, if they could easily access their instructors by being near their offices when taking their classes. It would also be helpful if we had space for part-time instructor offices or private meeting spaces to work one-on-one with students throughout the day since we don’t currently have any private meeting space in our English Center.

Need for Lab Rooms: With almost 80% of our students placing into English 1A, we have added sections of 1A, but are limited by the lack of available lab rooms. English 1A has one hour of lab time per week that needs to be scheduled in a room with student computers. We have added several DE sections since campus facilities were not available, but we need more sections for our face-to-face students.

Our highest-level composition classes (English 4 and 7) do not have lab times, but instructors increasingly find that in-class time with computers would be useful, particularly as the research process moves largely online. Additional campus computer lab rooms that could be reserved for classes, or a dedicated English computer room, would allow easier access to classroom computer time, which would help us meet the research outcomes for our courses.

Proctoring Center: A proctoring center is needed to help support our faculty with make-up exams and re-take exams for students and to support our DE courses, and expanded hours to supplement DSPS’s proctoring. This could potentially benefit the entire campus, as many different disciplines can utilize this resource. We would need the facility and faculty/staff to support the proctoring center.

Academic Support Center: A centralized Academic Support center is desired, where the Integrated Learning Center/Open Math Lab, RAW center, Tutorial center, and Computer Lab (and possibly Math X and/or Library), are all located in the same building, to better serve our students. This facility has been discussed in Math’s program reviews and in Task Force meetings since 2013. As a result of NOT having this central facility, there is a redundancy of support and our current support is spread too thin. This would be a great asset to our students as a “One-stop” shop for assistance in their classes across disciplines.