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New Student Services Center Already Hub of
Activity Before Grand Opening
Ioana Patringenaru | April 16, 2007
It’s Tuesday morning at UCSD’s brand
new Student Services Center, and though many departments
haven’t yet moved in, the place is buzzing with
activity.
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| Prospective students and their families gather in the courtyard of the new Student Services Center before a campus tour. |
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About 1,400 high school students and their families are going through the building’s courtyard, which is the starting point of their campus tour. Several UCSD students do their best to make themselves heard above the din of a nearby construction site. They give directions. A few more are actually here on business, dropping transcripts at the Registrar’s Office, which recently moved into its new digs.
Once all departments move in, the 100,000-square-foot
Student Services Center will become a one-stop shop
for students, including the Triton Center (a welcome
area for visitors, students and their families), admissions
and enrollment, financial aid and many other student
services.
“It’s just nice all around,” said Jennifer Rumery, a third-year student.
She had come by the center with fourth-year student
Antonio Perez, who was dropping off a transcript at
the Registrar’s Office. “This campus is
really big,” said Rumery. “So the less
walking we have to do, the better.”
The center also will include two restaurants, one of them dedicated to desserts, seven conference rooms for student organizations, a 300-seat multi-purpose room and a computer training room.
The official grand opening takes place in May. But some 350 staff members started moving into the five-story building, designed by famed architect Rob Quigley, in mid to late March. For Jaime Velasco, manager of the Triton Center, the new building is somewhat of a dream come true.
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| The new Student Services Center. |
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“We’re just excited,” he said Tuesday. “We’ve talked about this building for 15 years.”
Velasco’s main clientele will be prospective and admitted high school students and their parents – the target audience for the Triton Center. They will now be able to get all the information they need, especially about admissions, in one place, he said.
Tuesday, Velasco and quite a few student ambassadors were handling about 1,400 high school students and their parents, who had come to check out UCSD’s campus. They were all gathered in the courtyard of the Student Services Center. Student ambassadors divided them into smaller groups, then led them away for a campus tour.
“This is probably the largest group I’ve ever seen,” Velasco said. “I think UCSD is become the first choice for a lot of students.” |
