OSU students’ lives just got a lot easier. The new 127,000-square-foot Student Academic Services Center at 281 West Lane Avenue officially opened for business with a ribbon cutting Thursday morning.
Speaking at the ceremony, President Gee said, “This building represents value added in putting our students first. With the Thompson Library, RPAC, Student Union and now [the Student Consolidated Services Center], we’re totally student-focused.”
Valerie Lee, interim vice provost for the Office of Minority Affairs, added to Gee’s statement. “My team was scattered all over,” she said. “Now they’re all in one place, and able to collaborate better.”
In the Martha Garland lobby, the Student Consolidated Services Center makes it easy for students to register for classes, pay fees, arrange financial aid and contact Minority Affairs.
Jack Miner, OSU associate registrar, spoke about why SCSC was built. “Many of these services had been in Lincoln Tower since the early 70s,” he said. “The concept was for one-stop-shopping for students,” he said.
Built for $31.6 million, the building came in under its projected cost of $32.5 million. Construction began in April 2008, and various offices opened for business to begin Spring quarter.
The entire building, including the 1,400-space parking garage, was designed and built to attain silver LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) certification, which takes about six months. For example, the entire roof is white, to avoid ‘heat-island effect,’ thus lowering interior cooling costs.
The building itself is a teaching tool. “We used materials from within 500 miles to reduce carry costs, and for the Buy Ohio initiative,” Jack Miner said. “The building has showers to encourage staff cycling to work, it’s within a quarter mile of COTA bus stops and signs show users how to reduce energy use, all because OSU is a leader in state environmental building.”
Even the restrooms were designed to be environmentally gentle, with dual-flush toilets and waterless urinals.
Dolan Evanovich is vice president for strategic enrollment planning.
“Students come here [SCSC] to solve problems,” he said. “We wanted [services] in one location. Staff are cross-trained to answer any student question, or solve any problem they may have with university business, adding to the consolidation. Also, we’re moving toward online service. The computer systems have been integrated now, too.”
Alejandra Ferrer, a graduate student in music education, visited SCSC Thursday morning. “I appreciate all the environmentally conscious signs,” she said. “And everything is so new and convenient.”
The new SCSC, and the Student Academic Services Center make conducting university business a lot easier, especially for students on the north side of campus.
