Fullerton College held a groundbreaking event Thursday morning to celebrate the start of construction towards a new Humanities building placed between the 1400 and 1200 buildings. The amount of 54 million dollars was spent towards the building and it’s expected to be completed by next fall.

President Greg Schulz hosted the event, leading off with many thank-yous to staff, tax-payers and collaborators. He pointed out the importance of tending to Humanities, which includes English, ESL, Foreign languages, Reading and Communication Studies.

The people of BNBuilders talked about their challenges with cost control and working with new standards of construction. They especially had a tough time designing the courtyard which is meant to draw in students with open areas and seating.

The upcoming building itself will feature new offices for staff, three conference rooms, a division office, a “squad room” and a central courtyard. Safety manager Bobby Hoffman of BNBuilders said that the design of the building would mimic what students are already used to. “I think the old style and trying to preserve that look is great. So we’re trying to keep the look the same like it belongs here.”

Many guest speakers and attendees talked about looking forward to how this building will bring students and faculty together. Dean of Humanities Dan Willoughby, who has been at the forefront of this project since day one, stated, “The new humanities building will bring all of us together. It will allow us to be more collaborative, build a sense of community, and it’ll just be a really great place for students to learn, teachers to teach, and all of us to support that process.”

The students attending the event were especially relieved with the promise of shorter commute times. French club president Kennedy Devries is a French and English major, “I travel all around campus to go to different activities, which is a pain. I think that it’s gonna be really cool.”