Over the past few months the college has been abuzz with talk of a new Student Center. However, the proposed demolition and rebuilding of the Campus Center will have to wait, due to a lack of funding.

“We don’t have the resources for it,” said Iris Ingram, vice president of Business Services. “It can even be approved, but if there’s no resources and funding it won’t happen.”

At a meeting on April 16, architects for Gensler, a design firm, presented their update to the Facilities Master Plan, which suggests how the college will build and update its structures. A prediction of future student enrollment was laid out. Gensler wants to separate the campus into three zones: a wellness center at the bottom of the hill, a new Campus Center on the hill to centralize the campus and an academic section on top of the hill near Fountain Hall.

“These are all just ideas of what the campus can do, not what the campus is going to do,” Ingram said.

The Associated Students has been saving money for approximately 14 years, to use on a new student center. They currently have $2.6 million saved up through the A.S. fee. According to Iris Ingram, there are laws about how that money can be used, and that the law doesn’t say the money can be used to build a new Campus Center.

A new Campus Center could cost around $30 million, which, according to Ingram, is money the college currently doesn’t have.

According to Ingram, the state only funds instructional buildings such as classrooms and labs. Buildings like the Campus Center have to find funding elsewhere, such as donations or bonds.

Bonds are issued by the state of California and approved by voters. However, due to the recession and water shortage, the governor of California has stopped issuing bonds, with the exception of bonds for water projects, according to Ingram.

Furthermore, if bonds are issued, voters have to be approve and pay them back through increased property tax, which makes Ingram believe it’s unlikely that citizens will approve such a bond.

Despite these setbacks, Ingram believes there is much that can be done. Instead, she said the A.S. should be used to remodel and fix up the current Campus Center.

“There is a lot [the A.S.] can do to make the current student experience better,” Ingram said.

The $2.6 million A.S. fund can be used to renovate the exterior of the Campus Center including lighting, vending machines, painting, equipment, etc.. There is a new A.S. optional fee that can be used for student activities like field trips and club events.

The proposed Campus Center is a place for students to gather and will form a community, said Farshid Orak, President of the Associated Students.

“It will provide a safe space for students to meet, for clubs to practice their skills, and a place for hot food, real food,” Orak said.

There will be space for a Veterans Center, Foster Youth Center, a Health Center and a place for all the clubs.

According to Orak, the current Campus Center is not adequate for students, both in the lack of gathering space and food. The proposed new building will resolve those issues.

“The Campus Center is the home for every single student,” Orak said. “We need to change that home.”

President Sanchez supports the proposed renovation of the Campus Center.

“It’s important for a college to offer a place for students to meet and hang out,” Sanchez said. “I think it’s healthy and necessary for a college to have.”

However, he agrees that funding is an issue. He believes it will take time and work, close to ten years, even, to see a new Student Center. In the meantime, he wants to focus on starting points such as getting hot food back on campus.

“I would love to see hot food here by fall,” Sanchez said.