2008 Woodie Awards
Clear signposts would make De Anza campus more welcoming, safe
Issue date: 3/10/08 Section: Editorial
Has this ever happened to you: You're on your way to class one evening, minding your own business, when all of the sudden, you're accosted by some bewildered-looking pedestrian asking for directions to the Admissions and Records office.
"Fool!" you exclaim. "Isn't it obvious? Just walk past the site of the new Mediated Learning Building, turn left at the A. Robert De Hart Learning Center, then keep heading north until you get to the Student and Community Services Building. It's in there. If you pass the construction for the new Visual and Performing Arts Center, you've gone too far."
Uhhh … right. Where's the admissions office, again?
Despite the beautiful architecture, uncluttered design and readily comprehensible layout of the De Anza College campus, explaining to a visitor or new student how to navigate from point A to point B on campus requires the mastery of more jargon than reading a baseball game recap.
The Learning Center? That's the library. The Visual and Performing Arts Center? That's the art museum and performance theater. And - by far the uncontested heavyweight champion of obfuscation - the Student and Community Services Building? What we meant to say was admissions and records, bookstore, counseling and testing office. Got all that?
At least it's obvious what's going to be in the planned Mediated Learning Building. Right?
Luckily, this problem isn't nearly as intractable as the troubling squirrel infestation on campus (we have it from reliable sources that the squirrels hate our way of life, and are planning a major attack on our coveted acorn supply).
All the administration needs to do is put up a few clearly marked signposts. Nothing fancy - we're talking a pole with a few wooden boards attached just pointing out how to get where.
And hey, for those of us not in the know, why not put short blurbs on these boards explaining what each building name means?
For instance: "Mediated Learning Building (Anthropology, Sociology, World Language classrooms, Distance Learning offices)."
"Fool!" you exclaim. "Isn't it obvious? Just walk past the site of the new Mediated Learning Building, turn left at the A. Robert De Hart Learning Center, then keep heading north until you get to the Student and Community Services Building. It's in there. If you pass the construction for the new Visual and Performing Arts Center, you've gone too far."
Uhhh … right. Where's the admissions office, again?
Despite the beautiful architecture, uncluttered design and readily comprehensible layout of the De Anza College campus, explaining to a visitor or new student how to navigate from point A to point B on campus requires the mastery of more jargon than reading a baseball game recap.
The Learning Center? That's the library. The Visual and Performing Arts Center? That's the art museum and performance theater. And - by far the uncontested heavyweight champion of obfuscation - the Student and Community Services Building? What we meant to say was admissions and records, bookstore, counseling and testing office. Got all that?
At least it's obvious what's going to be in the planned Mediated Learning Building. Right?
Luckily, this problem isn't nearly as intractable as the troubling squirrel infestation on campus (we have it from reliable sources that the squirrels hate our way of life, and are planning a major attack on our coveted acorn supply).
All the administration needs to do is put up a few clearly marked signposts. Nothing fancy - we're talking a pole with a few wooden boards attached just pointing out how to get where.
And hey, for those of us not in the know, why not put short blurbs on these boards explaining what each building name means?
For instance: "Mediated Learning Building (Anthropology, Sociology, World Language classrooms, Distance Learning offices)."
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