Minutes of the Facilities Planning Committee
for June 22, 2001

Attendees: Bill Streeter, Chair; Don Cress, Ron Singer, Larry Duetsch, Steve Mclaughlin, Gene Goodman, and Richard Lott, Tom Peischl, and Tom Bitter, as Ex-officio members. Marwan Wafa, and Walter Feldt were excused. Esther Wilson and Kerry Connelly were guests.

The next meeting is scheduled for July 6th at 2 p.m. in WYLL 337.

Second Judicial District Request

Kerry Connelly, District Court Administrator for Kenosha-Racine-Walworth counties, met with the group to discuss possible rental of office space. His office provides a number of direct and indirect services to the circuit and municipal courts in three counties and also gets involved in technical assistance grants through the State Court Office and grants to the counties. Connelly feels that locating his office at the university will provide a more central location in the district and keep it and UW-Parkside in close contact with each other to explore additional opportunities to work together.

The Committee agreed that Streeter should follow up with Connelly regarding space in the RSDC.

International Studies Request for Space

Committee approved relocation of International Studies to the suite of offices in Tallent 180. The space has four offices and a reception area.

Computing Labs

Bittner said he and Jim Albers have gone as far as they can go in planning future classrooms until they know what is happening with computer labs. In the planning sessions held last April, there were multiple requests for more computing labs. (Streeter provided a working copy of the instructional microcomputer labs requested
during the space planning sessions with Albers/Bittner to the Committee.) Bittner feels it needs to be determined how many instructional computing labs and general access labs will be approved and their location. He isn't as concerned with square footage as the type of lab, the size, and the location for each lab. The amount of space required/dedicated for computing labs translates into space not available for other uses (classrooms, offices, etc.).

Singer questioned if the Technology group shouldn't become involved to assess what the campus's needs are. Peischl said space is secondary to having the funds available to proceed. He suggested a Master Plan for Academic Technology.

Discussion followed on whether or not labs could be shared. Access to the labs seems to be the problem.

Bittner said to complicate things more depends on what type of lab is established. Instructional lab space, where it is basically taught like a lecture course is in direct competition with space for a classroom.

Peischl said this might be an issue for the four faculty members who in the past have served on the Informational Resources Committee. Some members felt it may be time for a separate meeting.

Goodman suggested docking stations so students could use their own computers. Keeping the labs updated is a financial burden. Every student would need a laptop and those would have to be maintained.

Cress said there are two conflicting needs: one for classrooms that hold 55-70 and those are the ideal sizes to hold 25-30 computer stations. To serve both needs the classrooms would have to be retrofitted.

Peischl has requested that the Technology Advisory Committee be reconfigured and he is waiting for the list of members' names. He will confer with the two deans and four faculty members who will remain on the committee.

Departmental/Program Consolidation Proposals

The following proposals/recommendations/options/suggestions must have decisions made on them.

Consolidate Computer & Networking Services with Instructional Technology Services/Media Services

Bittner discussed a proposal to consolidate Computer & Networking Services with Instructional Technology Services/Media Services into a single office suite. Each of these departments has expressed an interest in exploring this issue based on potential operational and space efficiencies to be gained and improved.

Bittner is looking for approval or rejection of concept. It concept is approved, he will look for a logical location to incorporate this into a long-range plan. He's still working on quantity of space required to consolidate these departments into a single office suite. . Peischl does not feel this is a pressing need at the moment but if there were a future need for the space, he would agree to move ahead.

Consolidate the "Programs Without A Home" (Ethnic Studies, Interdisciplinary Studies/ACCESS, International Studies, Honors, Humanities, Teaching Excellence Center, Women's Studies)

Each of these programs is looking for essentially the same type of space, but are too small onto themselves to each have dedicated space. Consolidating these programs into shared office suite is more efficient and cost effective.

The programs all have rotating directorships so the director has an office but there's no departmental office where people can go to find out information. Should a "program center" be created with a reception area, one or two conference rooms, and offices for each of the directors? Another option would be to put Multi-Cultural Affairs, Ethnic Studies and International Studies in a "Cultural Center". Again, Bittner needs to know if the campus would support something like this or leave things as they area.

If concept is approved, options must be explored on how best to consolidate these programs, based on logical relationships/shared missions. Looking for the types of space to provide, "blocks" of space to accommodate in the long range plan, and where each "block" should be located. Bittner constructed a space tabulation form drafted independently for each program to illustrate the commonalities among units.

Another proposal during the April planning sessions was creation of an Enrollment & Visitor's Center which would include Admissions, Visitor's Center, satellite Financial Aid, Registrar, Cashier, Advising Center, and incorporate into the pending Student Union expansion project scope (GPR contribution to PR space). Concept is to provide convenient and efficient "one stop shopping" for the student and visitor at the "front door" of the campus.

Bittner needs approval or rejection. If approved, looking for input as to best configuration to accommodate in long-range plan.

Proposed also was consolidation of all University Police & Public Safety space into a contiguous office suite. Current space allocations are in the same building and adjacent, but not contiguous. Current space evolved over time, rather than being designed or planned for current operation. Concept is to gain operational and space efficiencies through planning a single office suite. Pending Tallent Hall renovation would be logical time to incorporate into long-range plan.

If this concept is approved, Bittner is looking for input regarding best location.

Proposal to relocate Student Services (Registrar, Financial Aid, Cashier, Advising, Educational Support Services) into main student traffic flow was discussed. Current operations have desirable adjacencies to each other, but are not well located to serve students. Concept is to relocate these operations into main traffic flow for greater visibility and improved student support.

If approved, needs input regarding best location.

Proposal to consolidate Central Receiving and Mail Services into a single office suite was rejected. Central Receiving point is fixed with limited space and flexibility.

Some committee members felt the priorities should be the Program Center and Enrollment & Visitor's Center. Others felt the Enrollment & Visitor's Center was not a priority since they are currently grouped together and students are aware of the location since they must use the services of the departments. (If the Union expansion takes place, it would free up the spaces currently occupied by the Bookstore, Ranger Newspaper, and PSGA.)

It seemed the Program Center had more appeal than the Cultural Center. For example, some felt there was no reason for the Multi-Cultural Affairs office to be near the International Studies. Bittner will draft a Program Center configuration for review at the next meeting.

Cress said Albers told him it would be hard to argue for additional space if we didn't take 128 funded operations out of 102 spaces. The only way to do that is to expand the Student Union. Once a timeframe is established for expansion, Bittner said we have to have a plan in place for utilizing the spaces that would be vacated.

By February, the campus has to have as much of an outline of the next 6-10 years as possible. The plan that will be submitted in February will be reviewed in two years for any revisions.

Definite needs for space in the expanded Union that could be identified are: Student Health, expanded Food Service, all student organizations including the Radio Station, Bookstore, and additional meeting rooms.

Last proposal discussed involved request for significant amount of space from Teacher Education. Depending on the program's direction, the space would most likely belong in or adjacent to the Library. If approved, Bittner needs input regarding best location.

Cress said an acceptable level of response to the DPI regulations is necessary. He has talked to several other campuses regarding what DPI is requiring. Green Bay doesn't have anything we don't already have except more signage. Other campuses provide stacks of printed material, media/video information, and software. There is no dedicated space with all the library material in one spot with a computer and librarian available. Cress feels with some signage we could meet the DPI requirements.

Bittner reviewed a few impressions he and Albers share. Some departments are located in buildings where they have no dedicated teaching space (sociology, teacher ed, etc.). He it would be better to try to locate those departments in the buildings where teaching takes place.