Proposed Board Relocation to Clovis Meets Resistance

Many on the Fresno City College campus are critical of the proposed move of the board of trustees meeting venue from the district office on Herndon Avenue to the Herndon campus of the Clovis Community College beginning in  in spring 2017.

“Fresno City hosts the largest number of students,” Kou Xiong, Associated Student Government president, said. “This is where the voice of the students is. If they [the board of trustees] move it [the district office], I feel they are restricting our students opinion.”

The board of trustees of the State Center Community College District is planning a temporary move from its regular meeting place to the Herndon campus of Clovis Community College.

Previously, the board had used the district office conference room near the Fresno City College campus, but the board feels the site is inadequate for a growing campus.

“It is almost embarrassing that we have staff and visitors that fill up the seats, and then there’s standing room only,” Trustee John Leal said.

The size limitations of the district office affect the district’s ability to be hospitable toward the students and visitors. “It’s all about our students, and yet we have no room for them to sit,” Leal said.

The move comes at a time the district is considering expanding. The Herndon campus would provide a classroom large enough to convert into a conference room capable of accommodating all the visitors to the board’s monthly meetings until a new board room has been built.

Members of the board of trustees are still scouting for locations that could be expanded or to purchase property where the new facility could be built.

“One school of thought is that we should just bite the bullet and move all the way to the Herndon campus,” Leal said. “It would be very easy to acquire property across the street and make that the new district office.”

Those opposed to the news state that the board should stay close  to FCC, the flagship college of the district.

There are logistical complications for students wishing to attend the board meetings, such as bus routes. The city buses do not run directly by Clovis Community’s Herndon Campus, but they do run by FCC.

“I came here five years ago, and I didn’t start driving until last year,” Xiong said.

Many other students rely on public transportation for getting around, as well.

“A lot of our students don’t have access so that makes it difficult,” Kaura Lopez, student trustee, said.

Additionally, many students enjoy the proximity of the district office to FCC.

“I think I speak for the 23,000 students who haven’t voiced their opinion,” Xiong said. “I feel that if our students have an issue, and they want to take it up to the board, it’s a walk right over there.”

A larger room may be able to accommodate more students who want to attend the meetings. “I would think if we want to have more ASG representatives, we would need more room, so they could be part of the audience,” Leal said.

The problem for students, however, is getting there. The student trustee is required by law to attend the board meetings, but ASG holds its meetings on Tuesdays, every week.

“I would either have to leave [our meeting] earlier or not show up at all,” Lopez said. “I feel like I can’t be an adequate voice for my students if I have to miss those meetings as well.”

The district meets on the first Tuesday of every month.