Unifying Campus Life: A Proposal for a Student Center at CCNY

Figure 1: Students enjoying the Student Center at their college campus

 

March 27, 2023

 

The Buzzing Beavers:

Queen Carrasco

Shameha Islam

Sithika Liyanage

Nida Tai

Introduction

Are you a CCNY student struggling to find a place to relax, study, and connect with other students? Do you feel isolated and disconnected from the campus community? A student center could be the solution to these problems. City College of New York (CCNY) is a commuter school, with a student population of 15,031 students (as of Fall 2021). Since its founding in 1847, CCNY has served to provide the public with free education and is renowned as a forefront of change. Presently, it is one of the many commuter schools; many students simply come to class and then go home for the day. The inconvenience of commuting long hours can make many students feel isolated and or uninformed about what goes on within their school community. A student center can fix this, unifying CCNY students, increasing their overall satisfaction, and even helping in retaining students.  

According to a survey that we conducted, 86% of the respondents said that they would like a student center on campus. They felt that the current spaces on campus were either “too small”, “too loud”, or just not well known. About 26% wanted the new space in the NAC, 8% in Shepard, 6% in Wingate, and 2% in Marshak. 34% of the respondents said “New Space” and 10% said “Anywhere”. Respondents felt that a new space would allow them to hang out with friends, relax, study, and fix the lack of connection among the student body.

 (Refer to figure 2 and figure 3 in the appendix to view the results of the survey)

At Anderson University, a study was conducted to determine if a relationship exists between college students’ involvement and their overall satisfaction at the university. Researchers found that increasing student involvement in events of any type should increase student retention (citation). A student center can increase satisfaction by getting students involved in events that are fun and interesting to them. Additionally, a student may find that they feel happier by being more involved with their school.

In regards to student retention, Dr. Barbara Flores Caballero writes that using Tinto’s Model for student retention is effective. The model consists of two phases: academic integration and social integration. Social integration includes an institution providing personal and familiar counseling. Said counseling can take place within a student center, where a more personalized approach can be taken. 

Ultimately, an educational institution (such as CCNY) should aim to provide for its students and be concerned for their needs. This concern can be shown by providing opportunities for student involvement and events – within a student center. 

 

Action Plan

 

Any educational institution would be incomplete without a student center, which serves as a focal point for all academic, social, and extracurricular activities. To improve the student center at CCNY, it is important to identify the key areas that require refinement and develop a roadmap to achieve the desired center. The 13,000 sq. ft. building that’ll go by the name of “City Union” will be located by the south campus near the towers and research centers. Creating a student center here will cause the main area of campus to be less swarmed and this area will be brought to life with school spirit. By taking into account what students desire, a student center can be developed that caters to the student body and improves the CCNY environment as a whole. The student center will have three floors featuring many accessible things such as a cafe, gaming room, study areas, and activity spaces. The layout of the student center will have some common features on each floor such as bathrooms, elevators, stairs, and study areas. Each floor will have designated areas consisting of quiet places, as well as areas where people can relax and have fun, as well as areas to eat and be social with others. 

 

First floor: It will consist of the reception desk, a quiet study area that covers the entire floor, massage chairs, and a gift shop. Students can learn more about the various programs and events offered in this location, which is often the student center’s entrance. The study area consists of tables and chairs and is the designated quiet room, allowing students to be focused and productive. There will be massage chairs to allow students to physically relax and a gift shop will be available; it will be made to sell CCNY merch for school spirit.

(Refer to figure 4 in the appendix to view the floor plan for the first floor)

 

Second floor: The second floor will have a gaming room with consoles, PCs, a TV, charging stations, sofas, as well as a lounge area,  a pool table, and a ping pong table. A game room’s main function is to give students a fun and unwinding space where they may take a break from their studies, hang out with friends, and engage in various games and activities. With the lounge, there will be board games provided to create entertainment.

(Refer to figure 5 in the appendix to view the floor plan for the second floor)

 

Third Floor: The third floor will have a cafeteria with a dining area, microwaves, a cafe (coffee shop), and a general hangout area. A student center cafe’s main goal is to give students a convenient and welcoming area where they may study, eat quickly, or hang out with friends. 

(Refer to figure 6 in the appendix to view the floor plan for the third floor)

 

Construction Time Table

The construction of the student center will take place for 90 weeks, beginning in April 2023, and ending in January 2025. This translates to approximately 21 months. Most time will be spent on the interior: mechanical, electrical, plumbing, insulation, drywall, flooring, etc. 

Figure 7: Our timetable for construction

 

Cost and Benefits

 

Costs: The chart below provides a breakdown of how much each item of the student center will approximately cost and the total cost of building the student center. 

Item	Cost
Construction (materials and labor)	$8,000,000
Permit and Fees	$5000
Excavation	$50,000
Professional Costs (architects, structural engineers, etc)	$300,000
HVAC	$100,000
Plumbing	$60,000
Insulation	$30,000
Electric Work	$80,000
Cafeteria	$600,000
Coffee Shop	$300,000
Furniture and Appliances	$800,000
Total	$10,325,000

 

Figure 8: Total Budget for construction and contents 

 

Benefits: When students are attending a college they are focused on their studies but they also need a place to have fun and relax when they are not studying. When choosing a college students may factor into their decision whether or not the school has activities for the students outside of studying. Having a building like a student center will encourage more students to apply and want to attend CCNY. The more students that attend CCNY, the more tuition the school can receive. In addition to that, if a student attends CCNY, and they do not find their experience enjoyable they will not want to stay and transfer to another school. By having the student center we will make students’ experience more enjoyable and students will want to stay at CCNY all 4 years and increase our retention rate. The cost of building a student center is very expensive but we can cover the cost by charging students to use the massage chairs, selling school merchandise, and selling food and drinks at the cafeteria. In addition, we would not have to worry about additional costs like paying people’s salaries. Through the federal work-study program, we can hire students to work at the student center to help run the place and the government will pay their salaries. Thus, building the student center at CCNY will be a great investment for the school. 

 

Experience

Our Team – The Buzzing Beavers

 

Get to know more about the team who created this thought-out student center:

 

Queen Carrasco is a passionate first-year Computer Science and Sociology student at The City College of New York. As a current research assistant, she has experience in data visualization and analysis; she uses Python, SQL, and Microsoft Excel regularly to clean, extract, and present her findings. Inside the classroom, she is currently learning C++, and taking courses such as Discrete Mathematics and Calculus II. She enjoys connecting with her community and solving the problems within them.   
                                                                  

Shameha Islam is a freshman and a Computer Science Major at the City College of New York (CCNY). She worked as a Social Media Assistant for the Dean of Engineering at the Grove School where she researched social media and how it can be used effectively. She has done additional work with social media; she interned as a social media intern at an online magazine company and is currently the Social Media Marketing Chair for the Association of Computer Machinery (ACM) which is a club at the CCNY. Some skills she has is that she can code in HTML/CSS and Python.  She is also interested in web development and creating websites and she interned at a non-profit where she helped with their website.

 

Sithika Liyanage is an undergraduate freshman at the City College of New York doing a major in Computer Science with an interest in minoring in Graphic Design. He has experience working in the customer service industry along with tutoring kids in both reading and math. With the help of summer internships and opportunities provided by his high school, he gained knowledge and intangible skills that would help him in future endeavors in his career path and even if he strays from it. 

Nida Tai is an undergraduate freshman at The City College of New York studying computer science. She is currently working as a financial aid assistant at her college and does a lot of data organization and puts her communication skills to use. Through an internship with Bloomberg Philanthropies, she was constantly organizing and pulling data with Microsoft Excel based on articles and files that were given. She is interested in software design and web development and wants to further excel her skills in coding with languages such as Python, C++, and Java.

 

Conclusion

To summarize, the need for a student center at CCNY has been expressed by the large commuter student population. Our survey indicated that 86% of students would like a student center on campus, with a new space in NAC being the most popular choice. A student center would provide a hub for students to connect, relax, and study, while also increasing student involvement through events and activities. Additionally, it can aid in student retention by providing personalized counseling and support. Dr. Barbara Flores Caballero suggests that a student center can help with student retention by offering social integration. By investing in a student center, CCNY would demonstrate its commitment to improving the overall experience of its students and maintaining its reputation as a leading institution in public education.

 

References

 

Caballero, B. F. (2020). Higher Education: Factors and Strategies for Student Retention. HETS Online Journal, 10(2), 1D+. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A627281075/AONE?u=nysl_oweb&sid=googleScholar&xid=89d50627 

Howard Community Coll., Columbia, MD. Office of Planning and Evaluation. (2001, May 31). Howard Community College Report on the 2001 YESS Survey: Annual survey of student satisfaction. ERIC. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED454932 

Reed, Whitney D., & da Silva, Stephanie P. (2007) The relation between college student involvement and satisfaction, Modern Psychological Studies: Vol. 12 : No. 2 , Article 3. https://scholar.utc.edu/mps/vol12/iss2/3 

 

Appendix:

Figure 2: Survey of determining if the students would like a student center

 

Figure 3: Survey of where the students would prefer the student center to be located

 

Figure 4: Student Center – Floor 1

 

Figure 5: Student Center – Floor 2

 

Figure 6: Student Center – Floor 3

 

Figure 9: The City College of New York Campus Map (X marks will the student center will be built)

 

Student Survey Response	Would you like a student center here at CCNY?	If you answered “Yes”, why does a student center matter to you? (Write N/A if you answered “No”)	Do you know any student spaces on campus?	Which building on campus would you like the student center to be located in?	Are there things about the current student spaces that you dislike?	Were there things pre-pandemic that you liked about the student spaces at CCNY that you would like to bring back? If no, type N/A.	What would you like to see in the student center?	Is there anything you would like to add that we have not touched on? If so, please add more. If not, thank you for answering our survey!
1	Yes	A fun, accessible place for students to hang out and do things they find important is necessary. Especially because the spaces we have now, the NAC’s cafe, library, and benny’s pantry, get extremely crowded.	Yes	Anywhere	Too crowded	I wasn’t here pre-pandemic	Comfortable lounging area, good wifi, space, access to better microwaves.
2	Yes	A space to hang out while on campus to relax, have fun and socialize all in one area	Barely, maybe hoffman but that is small	NAC	Too small, not known, limited resources and things to do	Video games available (consoles were in the game room)	Game Room, Clean and comfortable furniture, affordable food, open space
3	Yes	Place to relax	Library and wingate hall	NAC	Not enough space	N/A	Food
4	Yes	A place to chill or study that’s not the NAC library.	NAC library	Marshak	No	N/A	Lounge area
5	Yes	Resources for students will be more accessible and well known.	I do not	NAC	The secrecy	N/A	Calm friendly helpful people
6	Yes	A designated place to be with friends.	The LGBTQ center	NAC	Not enough outlets	I wasn’t a student pre-pandemic	Comfortable seats, areas to charge devices, somewhere to safely store things
7	Yes	It’d be nice to relax at	A couple	Shepherd	Too small	I wasn’t here pre pandemic	Games	Nothing really
8	Yes	We need a place for us that’s not just for studying	No	NAC	Not really	N/A	Games and food
9	Yes	Somewhere to pass the time between classes. It can avoid inflation of the library and make it better for studying. Can be a place to release stress for hardworking students. A place for better events.	Library and outside of the Library entrance.	Anywhere	They are placed commonly for studying and less for recreational activities.	N/A	Anything that can help students relax and have a good time. Maybe even a kindergarden throwback with nap time.	Thank you. Most students have adapted to the conditions and used what they can, however this idea wouldn’t hurt the college much.
10	Yes	Student Center allows students to have a place to hang out	No	Wingate	Too small	Idk	Idk	Ok
11	Yes	Yes	No	NAC	No	Idk	Fun stuff	Fun stuff
12	Yes	A student center matters to me as many students can build friendships and additionally, get more academic resources.	No.	NAC	N/A.	N/A	More computers, board games
13	Yes	have a space to work in that’s not the library	no	NAC	it’s loud, it doesn’t really feel like a student space	N/A	outlets, microwaves
14	Yes	have a space to work in that’s not the library	no	NAC	it’s loud, it doesn’t really feel like a student space	N/A	outlets, microwaves
15	Yes	place to unite students	no	Shepherd	i don’t know much about the student spaces to comment on this	N/A	opportunities/events that revolve less around academics and are more recreational
16	No	N/A	No	IDC	I don’t go to them to know enough.	N/A	I don’t care for one.
17	No	N/A	the library + hoffman lounge + lgbt center	I don’t want one	No	N/A	N/A
18	Yes	There’s no school spirit here. A student center might unite people and allow for more events.	No.	NAC	I feel like there aren’t many.	N/A	Student-lead events and seminars.
19	No	N/A	No. I’m not really on campus to know any	idc	no	N/A	I don’t care about having one
20	Yes	the spaces we have are so full of people now so it would be nice to have more space for students	wingate and that area outside the library	Wingate	not enough space for students! more space is NEEDED!!!	N/A	pool tables, gaming equipment, updated microwaves and fridges
21	Yes	Somewhere to hangout with friends and pass time in between classes and or eat. Commuting long distances is hard and when you arrive, you may be tired.	LGBTQ center but it’s small	NAC	they’re small and cramped	Idk	chairs to relax in, microwaves, pillows and blankets
22	Yes	They’re loud, crowded and the ones that are “quiet” are kept secret.	No	New Space	Loud, secretive	N/A	Events, quiet-time, comfortable seating and furniture	This school has some empty rooms in certain buildings that are not used anymore. Maybe we could have those at student centers or areas in which students can go and relax.
23	Yes	A place for students to hang out. The commuter life is sad.	No	Shepherd	i do not know many student spaces on campus to answer this	N/A I don’t remember much prepandemic	events to meditate and relax
24	Yes	A place to rest and hang out	no	New Space	Too crowded and noisy	N/A	A place to nap
25	Yes	all the cool areas are small and or not really well-known. it would be nice to have an area that everyone knows about	the architecture library	New Space	they’re too small	N/A	computers, printers, couches and chairs
26	Yes	space that we can relax in that’s not as hectic as the NAC	hoffman lounge, library	New Space	loud, a lot of people, nowhere to microwave food, no healthy food options	N/A	healthy food options, microwaves
27	No	Place to chill	No	New Space	Too many people	N/a	Quiet space
28	Yes	It provides a relaxing place after classes.	The wingate game room	New Space	It’s too crowded and there aren’t a lot of things to do	n/a	game room, a cafe, some technology, a rest room with comfy furniture
29	Yes	a place where students can unite and there can be more school spirit	Hoffman, Library, area outside the library	New Space	Too small.	Students were more involved in events.	School spirit events
30	No	N/A	Yes	Shepherd	No	N/A	Lounge/Study areas
31	Yes	Opportunities to connect with people	Yes	New Space	No	N/A	Study Rooms
32	Yes	It’ll make me more at peace to just enjoy my time despite school stress	Not really	New Space	It’s too small	n/a	Games, quiet spaces
33	Yes	place to relax at	no. i see all the high school kids around and it doesn’t feel like we have a separate space away from them	New Space	cramped with people	N/A	microwaves, space only for CCNY students, comfortable furniture
34	Yes	cause all the other cunys have a student space	the library and the other centers	New Space	we got no student spaces rrly	n/a	actual people, and good food
35	Yes	there’s no space for students on campus so it would be cool to have a space for oursevles	no	New Space	i don’t know any spaces on campus	N/A	events, meditation, calm space
36	No	N/A	Theres one in Wingate.	Wingate	The stuff there is outdated	N/A	Maybe a switch to play games with	N/A
37	Yes	It would give a students a place to destress	I do not	NAC	I am not aware of any current student spaces	I am not aware of any student spaces pre-pandemic	I would like to see any activities that would be engaging and fun	I do not have anything else to add on
38	Yes	so students can have a place for themselves to relax and do work away from the library	No.	New Space	i feel like there arent many spaces in general, so i can’t compare	N/A	open space/layout, less crowding
39	No	N/A	no	idk/idc	I don’t be on campus enough to answer this	n/a	idc
40	Yes	Place where students can advertise and share resources with each other; can build student community	Hoffman	New Space	there does not feel like a sense of community in these spaces; everyone is doing their own thing	it felt like there were more community events	events, activities for students, poster boards for students to advertise and share opportunties
41	Yes	A student center would make campus so much better and more interesting	Wingate	add onto the one in wingate or a new space	not enough room	N/A	gaming equipment, pool table, arcade games, comfortable furniture
42	Yes	place away from the high school students on campus; will make the college feel less like high school and more like a college	no	New Space	cramped	N/A	microwaves and utensils	Having a student center away from the high school students would honestly be such a blessing. The high school kids are aware and CCNY does not actually feel like a college. I know it’s a commuter school but the students deserve a space of their own.
43	Yes	Students would be able to relax	No	New Space	too small, not very well known if they are there	no, I can’t think of any	comfortable furniture, games, space to discuss things, events
44	Yes	The conditions here are horrible so it would be nice to have something improve	yes but i have not been to them in a while	Anywhere	🤷🏽‍♀️	N/A	idk
45	Yes	As CCNY is a commuter school so it would be good to have a place where we can stay in between our gaps.	I’ve heard about a room with a pool table in Wingate.	It doesn’t really matter to me	I haven’t really been to any student spaces so i guess the answer would be no.	N/A	Honestly, anything that isn’t in any other student centers. Some variety would be nice in this boring ass school.	Not really. You’re welcome.
46	Yes	place to study and work peacefully	no	New Space	loud , can’t focus there	no	tutoring, student activities and events
47	Yes	Having a place to ourselves / to be with others is important for a college experience	wingate	Anywhere	the student spaces that are good are small	N/A	pool tables, microwaves, furniture
48	Yes	have a place to relax	no	idk	i’ve never really thought about it	no, not really	printers and computers
49	Yes	Space where students can congregate outside of clubs and such	Hoffman	NAC	how small they are	N/A	the furniture/table/rolling chairs
50	Yes	most of the spaces are for academics so it would be nice to have something recreational	Library, Hoffman, Wingate	Anywhere	how small they are, how there are no events	idk	more events and recreational activities

Figure 10: Complete Survey Results