by Raechel Fittante
Staff Writer
The La Verne Art Department will be moving from its present location in the Student Center to the Central Services Building due to recent plans to expand the University.
Outlets of the University which are located presently in the Facilities Building, which include the mail room, Purchasing and ULV Graphics, are moving to the Baum Building, a large warehouse space to the east of the Oaks at “E” and First Streets.
“The move will be positive,” said Raffi Zinzalian, ULV Graphics manager. “The downside is we’ll be pretty far from campus, but at least we’ll be all on one floor.”
Zinzalian also said that the facility itself will be an improvement once the entrance is redone.
The operation will be a major physical move for ULV that will begin at the end of the spring semester and is scheduled to be completed by the start of fall classes.
Brian Worley, director of facilities management, is working with the Art Department on its needs.
“Purchasing will be able to move within six weeks,” said Worley. “The Art Department will take much longer.
“This summer will be a staged moving,” said Worley.
Ruth Trotter, chair of the Art Department and associate professor of art, is pleased with the plans to move.
“The Student Center is inadequate,” Trotter said. “It is chaotic at moments and makes for a very difficult teaching environment.”
The complaints of the Art Center personnel about being located in the Student Center are it is too small of an area, there is conflicting noise from the basketball court and radio station, there is no security and there is only one classroom. This allows only one class to be conducted at one time and leaves no space for art majors to do projects.
“The new space will elevate the standards of the Art Department,” said Trotter. “We will have security to lock it up and better lighting, which is the most important thing for artists.”
The present conditions of the Art Department “do a disservice to students,” she said. There are about 25 art majors working towards a degree at ULV.
“The space in the Student Center provides a terrible learning environment. The noise makes it hard for teachers to lecture, I am extremely excited and I hope the move is completed by the fall semester,” said Lance Boen, studio manager and technical director of the art studio.
Ernie Granillo, mail clerk in the mail room also expressed relief to be moving to the new site at the Baum Building.
“I am happy about the new plans because we are all getting more room and a much more modern setup.”
Maintenance will also move to the Baum building late in the summer.
Raechel Fittante
