Introduction:
“71% of [college] students had an increase in stress and anxiety [amidst the pandemic]” (Salimi et al.). COVID-19 has undoubtedly affected everyone’s lives to a degree. In a time where students are meant to meet and make connections with others, they are instead at home, taking a class without knowing any of their peers. As schools adjust to bringing students back onto campus, one important aspect of the college experience seems to be left out here at City College: student engagement. It’s no secret that college students are amongst the highest in terms of stress level in the population. Between balancing classes, stress, and mental health issues caused by the workload and tests, students face many and strong tests to their motivation and ability. It is vital for students to be able to have a safe open community of peers to support one another. When students are lacking safety and community in their college, they are discouraged. When specialized areas for socialization, group activity, and communal collection are missing, especially on a campus that is already designed for students to commute from rather than stay in, the students will often opt to leave the campus and thus, limit the support and belonging they would receive through social gathering.
After years of online classes, it is vital for schools to encourage student communities to grow on campus. City College faces this exact problem of limited student life on campus. Without a space dedicated specially for passing time with friends, many often turn to the library. However, their degree of freedom is limited; from having to keep their voices down to being forbidden to eat. Having a student center in The City College of New York will allow students to stay in and be more engaged with their school environment. They will be more immersed with the community and academic life, and they will have higher performance and retention as they recognize their value in the focused scholarly community. Once the Wingate building is converted to a student center, students will have a space to engage with peers to increase academic motivation as well as creating a safety net for students during vulnerable times.
How do students, who spent their entire college life in a place without a student center, know what they would want in one? While other college students who attend schools with student centers are able to enjoy amenities in their student center as part of their experience at their school, students at City College are only allowed to dream about such amenities being provided to them. In our survey sent out to 100 students in City College, many respondents who suggested what to place in a student center wanted simple things such as a lounge area, a simple cafe or just an open furnished area. From figure 1, we were able to gather that 43% of respondents wanted a more comfortable resting area. While such spaces are in City College, space is often limited and shared for other purposes. The lobby area of The Grove School is sometimes used as a space to gather and talk but it is also used for people who are simply stopping by before their next class, hence creating large traffic in the space. The students here at City College, according to our survey, want a space to be able to socialize and gather with their friends for free time in between classes.
Fig. 1: Popular amenities gathered from student survey
Fig. 2: Results of most popular game/gaming room amenities
Fig. 3: Results of most popular food service option
Student Centers should not be viewed as just an extra cost for the school but rather, an essential part of students’ college experience. Student centers provide for colleges a means to improve student communities by keeping students engaged on campus, therefore enhancing retention rate. Many Accredited articles on human behavior and academic success, belonging is understood to be a major driver of students’ motivation, and in turn success and retention. Human beings, including students, thrive when they hold a sense of belonging. People are more motivated, and are likewise able to better perform and finish commitments, when they feel connected to a group or identity. Along with belonging, a feeling of safety is also highlighted as a high level prerequisite to human motivation. It is vital for students to be able to have a safe open community of peers to support one another. When students are lacking safety and community in their college, they are discouraged. In this proposal, an outlined model of a student center is layed out to maximize both student needs and also taking into consideration the spaces that will benefit students most in terms of mental health and academic success.
Action Plan:
The plan for our Student Center consists of a total of three floors in the Wingate building, located in the heart of City College’s campus. Each room is carefully selected to meet student needs and wants determined by the student survey conducted as well as preliminary research conducted to determine vital components of a university Student Center. Additionally, new security measurements will be implemented to ensure the cleanliness of the facility will be maintained. Security cameras in the private rooms will be installed and each of the rooms will require a reservation to have access to the room through the new website built specifically for the new Wingate Center.
First Floor: The first floor of the renovated Wingate building has private study rooms, a cafeteria, a game room, a student lounge, and club office rooms. According to figure 1, many students requested for a quiet place to study. The survey also indicated a need for a student lounge to increase community interactions among peers. Over to the right of the lounge, is the game room. The game room includes activities such as ping pong tables, pool tables, vending machines, charging stations, and board games. Below the game room are the club rooms. Here, clubs are able to reserve a space to carry out their activities on a weekly basis. Underfunded clubs now have a chance to request materials along with equipment they will need. Unlike the current Wingate building, the renovation includes a cafe where students can enjoy beverages and sandwiches in Wingate.
Fig. 4: Floor plan for first floor.
Second Floor: Many students reported that they wanted a place to rest and to use electronics for entertainment purposes. The upper studio, wrestling room, weightlifting room, and womens and mens locker that were already on the second floor of Wingate are kept in the renovation. Many students showed interest in having such amenities so our design includes improving the space with better equipment. Taking the suggestions of figure 1 and 10, the second floor has movie rooms, gaming rooms, and a virtual reality room. The movie rooms include a projector, bean bags, couches, pillows, and a small table. This room can also be reserved to take a quick rest rather than just watching a movie. Another highly requested room was implemented on the second floor. In figure 10, many students expressed that they wanted to play video games on console and PC. To accommodate that, gaming computers, virtual reality stations, and consoles are now available on the south-east corridor.
Fig. 5: Floor plan for second floor.
Third Floor: The Wingate Fitness Center is located on the third floor of the Wingate Hall. There you are able to work on your body through the many equipment and machines available; such as a dip station, yoga mats, leg press, cable crossover machine, treadmill, weights, stationary bike, an indoor track and many more. You are also able to observe your form while exercising by the many mirrors surrounding the gym.
Construction Timeline: There are numerous steps in order to achieve the renovation of the Wingate building. In figure 7, the estimated project time for the student center is laid out according to each of the steps. We estimated that it will take a year to finish renovations including steps such as receiving permission on the project, land and building inspection, budget analysis, and more.
Cost and benefits:
Costs: In figure 8 below, a total generalized bill of the cost of renovating Wingate is layed out to give a rough estimate of the cost of this project. Further calculations can be found in the appendix in figure 11 and figure 12.
| Items | Cost (in USD) |
| Renovation | $4,875,356 |
| Furnishing Costs | $1,125,000 |
| Technology | $60,000 |
| Café | $336,000 |
| Game amenities | $3,500 |
| Total Cost: | $6,399,856 |
Fig. 8: Overall cost of Student Center Renovation Project
Benefits: It is vital for students to be able to feel a sense of belonging in their college which student centers play a vital role to achieve. As John Miller, a graduate of University of Southern Mississippi, describes in his research, “ sense of belonging as a fundamental human motivation in which individuals possess a strong desire to remain with a group.” To achieve a level of belonging, especially in an academic setting, one must be able to relate to peers outside the classroom. Being able to connect with students other than academic work allows chances for bonding. As described by Samura, however, such an addition like a student center must be carefully crafted so that it does not end up causing the opposite effect. Educators must be able to “see how different students are experiencing spaces.” Thus, in order to avoid causing an hindering space, direct research was applied within this proposal to take into account the opinions of the student at City College. In order to maximize the effectiveness of our student unions, we must take into consideration the research done by Brooks in that “campus of particular groups of students was also believed to have a direct impact on the activities pursued by the students’ union.” By bringing out a student union that would largely impact commuter students, we must factor in ways to get these students to utilize the space. As many benefits the student center would be able to bring, having to keep in mind the busy lives of commuter students means having a space easily accessible. Locating the student center right in the heart of campus will allow students to simply stop by in between classes. Bringing a student center in the school will greatly benefit students in keeping higher levels of motivation for the students but precaution must be taken to ensure such student unions would be catered specifically for the students at City College.
Meet the Team – SCITY
SCITY is a student-lead engineering team whose goal is to improve the quality of student life at The City College of New York. The team consists of four members, with different expertise that is used to design this comprehensive Action Plan.
Judy Liu is a freshman undergraduate at City College of New York majoring in computer science. She attended New Utrecht High School where she spent most of her time participating in extracurriculars such as a teachers assistant, volunteer for the lion dance community, and the captain of the girls varsity handballs team from 2018 to 2022. These experiences taught her leadership and teamwork. She is also creative and expresses it through her hobby as an artist. In City College she fuels her passion for computer science through coursework. Judy hopes for a future where she can apply her knowledge of art and design, and computer science to design user interfaces for websites that the masses can use.
Richard Nasser is a full time undergrad freshman at The City College of New York. He is currently a Biomedical Engineering Major and is interested in pursuing law school in order to practice law around medicine or the biomedical engineering industry. He is proficient in research and acquiring and comprehending information relevant to a concern. He is able to select, process, and rationalize information in order to solve problems and better visualize solutions; and he will use that ability as he considers the potential need, feasibility, and gain surrounding the project at hand.
Kim Harvy Abdon is a first-year computer engineering undergraduate at The City College of New York. Harvy became an experienced digital artist/graphic designer at New York Digital Copier Solutions; with great communication skills, adept at working independently and in a team to develop creative solutions for clients. Here at City College, he is learning about designing and manufacturing through the CiPass Apprenticeship Program. Harvy hopes to utilize his skills to construct a better Student Center at The City College Of New York.
Sarah Liu is a first-year mechanical engineering student at The City College of New York. Her professional experience started at an internship with Trees New York, developing skills and knowledge in ecology and the environmental sciences. Shortly after entering college, she found a position at the CUNY crest institute, working with website building and journalism to highlight the engineering and ecological achievements of professors and researchers at City College. In her studies, she acquired experience in CAD programs, including Solidworks and Fusion360. She also has experience working with manufacturing through an apprenticeship with Cipass. Sarah hopes to put her experience in engineering and the emerging interest of environmental studies to design eco-friendly infrastructures.
Conclusion:
Student centers bring into a campus more than just another resource for students. Student centers are about cultivating a sense of community so that busy students can handle the demands of school, recognize the value of an educated community, and most of all, receive a more viable and helpful academic experience. Providing CCNY with a student center is not just a way to make money or appease stressed students, it is a necessary service that allows students to function at a school which was made to serve opportunity to New Yorkers who need it most. The CCNY population deserves a strong academic community where they would not be able to afford anywhere else. Building this student also means more than just making this school more appealing but rather it also makes a statement about the purpose of college: to bring together the people here whether that be through shared nap times at the movie lounge or playing checkers on the floor with someone they met just a few minutes ago. By building a student center, it most of all, sends a message to students that the college is a community in which bonding over something other than academics is just as important as the next exam they’ll take.
Work Cited:
Brooks, Rachel, et al. “The Spaces of UK Students’ Unions: Extending the Critical Geographies
of the University Campus.” Social & Cultural Geography, vol. 17, no. 4, June 2016, pp. 471–90. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/10.1080/14649365.2015.1089585.
Boyarsky, K. (2023). How Much Does it Cost to Open a Coffee Shop? Toast Tab. https://pos.toasttab.com/blog/on-the-line/how-much-does-it-cost-to-open-a-coffee-shop.
Miller, John J., and J. Chris Croft. “The Influence of University Recreation Centers on Student
Return and Retention during COVID-19.” Recreational Sports Journal, SAGE Publications, 27 Apr. 2022, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9047664/.
Salimi, N., Gere, B., Talley, W., & Irioogbe, B. (2023). College Students Mental Health Challenges: Concerns and Considerations in the COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of College Student Psychotherapy. https://doi-org.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/10.1080/87568225.2021.1890298.
Samura, Michelle. “Understanding Campus Spaces to Improve Student Belonging.” About
Campus, vol. 23, no. 2, May 2018, pp. 19–23. EBSCOhost,
https://doi-org.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/10.1177/1086482218785887.
University of North Texas. (2020). THECB Typical Building Type Price Per Square Foot.
https://facilities.unt.edu/thecb-typical-building-type-price-square-foot.
Ripcord Design. “How Long Does It Take to Build a Website?”
Appendix:
Fig. 9: Survey response for food services to be provided in Student Center
Fig. 10: Student survey results for game/gaming room amenities
| Type of remodeling | Cost adjusted to inflation (per sqft) | floors | Total space (sqft) | Total Cost(in USD) |
| Renovation | $269 | 2 | 18,124.18 | $4,875,356 |
| Rebuilding | $650.76 | 2 | 18,124.18 | $11,790,000 |
Fig. 11: Cost of renovating versus rebuilding Wingate as Student Center
| Café Operational Costs | Cost (in USD) |
| Renovating space | $60,000 |
| Cooking equipment | $17,500 |
| Refrigeration equipment | $15,000 |
| Beverage equipments | $7,500 |
| Furnishing costs (dining space) | $15,000 |
| One-year staffing cost ($15/hr) | $546,000 |
| One-year food supplies cost | $75,000 |
| Total cost | $736,00 |
| Cost after revenue factored ($400,000) | $336,000 |
Fig. 12: Cost of adding café factoring one-year operation.
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