Staff Editorial
This spring students and faculty will get to enjoy Daytona State’s new 84,000-square-foot Student Center.
Nearly two years after the groundbreaking ceremony on May 4, 2017, the building will house many current student-life activities, including a new library, cafeteria, game room and meeting rooms for clubs, among many other features to help students connect.
The need for a new building, however, is questionable. Enrollment has been going down steadily over the past decade, from about 21,000 students across all campuses to 17,600 in 2017, according to Daytona State’s enrollment records. While enrollment rose by about 40 students from 2016 to 2017, that seems hardly enough of an increase to warrant a large building that cost over $32.6 million.
Many familiar buildings could fall into disuse, likely including the library, which is moving into the new Student Center. The Theater Center, which can be seen from the new Student Center, is being demolished and will be replaced with fresh grass for the time being. The Lenholt Student Center, which contains Student Life, clubs and the cafeteria, will soon house the Center for Women and Men and the Veterans’ Center will remain there.
Costs are being cut in other places, such as replacing faculty when they leave or retire and potentially defunding clubs. Is a new, expensive building a good use of funds?
The L. Gale Lemerand Student Center is the most modern design the college has seen and the administration appears to want a new face for the college, and this building certainly makes a statement. The building was designed with beauty in mind and the unique architecture will make it a landmark while driving up International Speedway Boulevard. How a school looks attracts students, and a brand new building filled with updated technology makes a good first impression.
“I first worked at the college in the marketing department, which was then in building 110, in 1988,” said Director of Co-Curricular Activities Bruce Cook.
To make room for the new massive project, Bergengren Hall, or building 110, was torn down. Built in 1972, building 110 was once home to the president’s office, marketing and student services before the Wetherell Center was built.
“It was a little difficult watching the Bergengren Building go down because that was my home when I first joined the college,” Cook, said of the demolition of Bergengren Hall and existing buildings on campus. “By the same token, it has been very exciting to see the new L. Gale Lemerand Student Center taking shape. That building is going to change the whole character of the Daytona Beach Campus.”
Change is a good thing and nothing new to the college. When Cook started here in 1988, they didn’t offer bachelor’s degrees.
“It shows you just how quickly things can change,” he added.
If the new building could bring more students to the campus and help retain current students, it would be a success. The campus is relatively spread out and since it is a commuter college only, there are not many opportunities to get everyone involved. By housing dozens of resources and study places, it could be easier to meet and bond with fellow students and raise awareness of various clubs and resources — many free — offered by DSC.
Some old, familiar buildings are closing their doors, but more are opening. About 1,200 students use the library each week, according to DSC, and students have spent countless hours there studying. But that’s just one of several buildings filled with memories from the Daytona Beach Community College days dating back more than 30 years. Despite being torn down, they will not be forgotten as we ring in the new.