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VOL. XCIX, NO. 1
New parking spaces revealed Riverside City College follows through on master plan to improve parking
AUGUST 23, 2018
RCC continues search for new president SAMANTHA BARTHOLOMEW
INTERIM NEWS EDITOR
MIA MAGANA | VIEWPOINTS
The new parking lot has 154 additional spaces which includes three electric vehicle charging stations, five motorcycle parking spaces and two police and service vehicle parking spaces. MARISSA MORENO STAFF REPORTER
Riverside City College is making its first steps in attempting to improve the college’s parking situation. After six months of construction, RCC opened the newly renovated parking lot in front of the Charles A. Kane Building on Aug. 17. The new parking lot was built where the old Noble Building was previously located. It has 154 more spaces than the previous lot. It includes 162 student parking spaces and 126 faculty parking spaces. The new lot also has three electric vehicle charging stations, five motorcycle parking spaces, and two police and service vehicle parking spaces. “I think that it is a great new addition to our school,” April Morris, RCC’s parking administrative clerk, said. “It has plenty of visitor spaces which will be very helpful since the Kane building receives so many visitors.” The number of spaces
The new (parking) lot is just the first step to address our long-term parking needs.
-- April Morris
were discussed and approved t h r o u g h R C C ’s s t r a t e g i c planning processes, according to Vice President of student business services Chip West. The processes include meetings between leadership councils and committees composed of faculty, staff and student representatives. “The new lot is just the first step to address our long-term parking needs,” West said. “In reality, the new Facilities Master Plan, which we anticipate will be approved by the end of the semester, will address long term planning for not just future parking on campus, but all new facilities and spaces needed for RCC in the future.” In an email addressed to RCC faculty and staff; West further
explained that Facilities Master Plan proposal details will be addressed on Fall Flex Day. “The new Facilities Master Plan, which aligns with RCC’s Educational Master Plan, will guide the future physical development of our campus over the coming decade.” RCC can also anticipate a few more changes around campus drive. Parts of Terracina and Mine Okubo Avenue will be closed to vehicles and converted into “pedestrian only” zones. The closing of these internal streets was approved as part of the Division of Business Services strategic plan last year. “The pedestrian zone will enable students, faculty and staff to move freely in and around the
internal core of campus and with new parking at the perimeter,” West said in an email. “This plan aligns strategically with similar college and university safety pedestrian/vehicular conflictreducing initiatives taking place all across the country.” RCC student Antonio Martinez shared his thoughts on the addition of the pedestrian zones and the opening of the new lot. “Yes, I do feel safer knowing that no cars are allowed to drive in the area. As for parking, I think that there is never enough parking for the students,” Martinez said. In addition to the new parking lot, RCC has negotiated the use of 100 parking spaces at the Presbyterian Church on the corner of Magnolia Avenue and 15th Street for the first month of the fall semester. According to West, further use of the parking spaces will be evaluated at the end of September. “I hope the new lot eases some of the anxiety and concerns related to parking here at RCC this semester, but I know that it isn’t a silver bullet that will solve all our parking challenges.”
Riverside City College is in the process of searching for a new president with Norco College’s president, Bryan Reece, leading the search team. The search team, comprised of 14 members who represent various organizations of the college and district and will work together to screen and judge the qualifications of the applicants. “The role of the search committee is to identify from the total pool of candidates a smaller group of candidates who appear from their applications to meet well the qualifications specified in the presidential profile,” Reece said in an email. “The committee will interview this subset of applicants by asking them a series of questions which the ommittee will be developing.” After an initial review of the candidates, the committee will review each candidate again, taking both their answers and pre-interview application into account. The finalists will then be brought to RCC to meet with various campus groups and participate in a public forum. According to the presidential profile, the candidates must have an outstanding record of academic leadership, financial stewardship and business acumen in a higher education system. The chosen candidate will become responsible for finding funding sources, ensuring the success of the students, recruiting and managing staff and providing career opportunities to students. The new president is expected to take office January 2019, over a year after the former president, Wolde-ab Isaac, took on the role of chancellor.