With the Downtown Center set to open its doors this August, some students and faculty are distressed by impending transportation issues and scheduling conflicts ‘ while local businesses next to the center look forward to the future influx of students.
The Downtown Center will host the new College of Community and Public Affairs, which will include a master of public administration program and the human development and social work departments. In addition, Binghamton University administrators plans to move all three-hour classes, meeting once a week and beginning before 3:30 p.m., to the center.
The University is looking to take full advantage of the 11 state-of-the-art classrooms in the new $29 million facility, which is still under construction.
COMMUTING TO CAMPUS
Despite the administration’s shift of time slots in the hopes of maximizing students’ opportunities to enroll in classes both at the Downtown and Vestal campuses (see side bar), students worry that the commute between two locations will complicate their daily schedules.
‘As it is now, it’s hard to get from class to class in the 10 minutes that they give you,’ said Chanelle Cotton, a sophomore individualized program major. ‘Now people are going to have to take into consideration traffic time.’
Other people expressed similar sentiment in a poll of 20 students conducted by Pipe Dream. Most participants agreed that creating a schedule would be difficult because of the dual-campus system.
‘It would be a real hassle to have to drive Downtown because it can take anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes to get there,’ said Jessica Gochman, a junior political science major. ‘If the seminar I wanted was Downtown it would affect my decision to take it because that would translate into more gas money.’
While some students anticipate increased travel expenses, the transportation concern varied based on whether students lived on campus and owned a car.
Several students surveyed were happy with the change because they live in the Downtown area, within walking distance from the center. Others were concerned about the efficiency of the shuttle system, which is still in the works.
‘I live off-campus and I don’t have a car,’ said Teresa Yue, a junior accounting major. ‘I have no idea how I’d get there ‘ the bus, I guess.’
Some students, however, welcomed the change in the hopes of taking seminars in a more suitable learning environment.
The new center is equipped with movable furniture on wheels designed to facilitate group activity. Each classroom holds 20 to 100 seats, with the ability to transform the room from a lecture to a group work setting.
The center is helping to solve the University’s space shortage by adding additional classrooms to its inventory. Some professors recognize this need, but the transportation conflict remains.
‘I understand that there is a huge demand for space and so I sort of see the reasons for doing it,’ said professor John Chaffee of the history department. ‘My guess is that if this policy stays in effect, I will probably schedule my seminars a little later so that they could still be on campus, more for students.’
Graduate student Geoffrey McGovern, who teaches seminars in the political science department, felt that it would be beneficial to appoint non-student administrative offices to the Downtown building, rather than making students travel to a separate campus for seminars.
‘My office is on the Vestal campus, the faculty are on the Vestal campus, the students are on the Vestal campus, the library is on the Vestal campus ‘ can you see where I am going with this?’ McGovern said in a written statement. ‘So long as there is nothing but seminar classroom space Downtown, the shuttling arrangement will seem silly.’
‘A CLOSE RELATIONSHIP’
Professor Jane Connor from the department of human development, which will be permanently moved to the center next fall, is looking forward to the new location.
‘I think there are some very exciting possibilities that can emerge from having a close relationship with the community since so many of our students are interested in community service,’ she said. ‘It would bring new dimensions to the ways we teach.’
While professors see both advantages and disadvantages to the new building, businesses in the surrounding area look forward to reaping the benefits of the growing population.
‘The closer you can get someone to your front door, no matter what your business is, the better chance you have of selling things,’ said James Sherrick, manager of Berger’s, a ski and snowboard shop down the block from the center.
Ty Fish, who owns On The Roxx Bar and Grill (also located on Washington Street), hopes that the flood of students will help his lunch business.
‘Everyone knew this [the Downtown Center] was coming in and jumped on it right away,’ he said. ‘That’s kind of the reason why I took this place.’