The new on-campus study space at Fullerton College, which launched March 10, is seeing underutilization with only five students showing up to their reservation Friday, March 12.
“They’re getting reservations booked every day but not at full capacity. The number of reservations available in one day is forty-five,” said Kristine Nikkhoo, Director of Academic Support Programs.
Continuing the study space in the dining hall will depend on students’ demand for space, although there is no percentage of utilization the college is particularly looking for.
“We’re just seeing if there’s an interest for the space,” Nikkhoo explained.
The launch of the on-campus study space has been successful with minimal challenges. Two Fullerton College staff members check students in throughout the day, and one staff member sits inside the study space, ensuring that all safety guidelines are being followed at all times.
Office Coordinator for Academic Support, Janae Kiely, shared that the only exception was that a student showed up without a reservation due to confusion on how the process works.
Kiely explained that requesting the space does not necessarily mean it’s reserved. After a spot is confirmed, students will receive an email for confirmation as proof of the reservation which is required for entry. Walk-ins are not allowed.
Once the study space is reserved, students may show up anytime during the operating hours of 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Users can obtain the specifics on the student check-in process when entering campus—these details are found on the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information website.
Although there has been low traffic for the study space so far, there has already been a positive impact on those currently utilizing the new onsite resource.
“It helped me,” said Leslie Martinez, a Fullerton College student majoring in sociology.
Martinez doesn’t have a quiet place at home to study and fell behind on several assignments in one of her online classes. With the pin-drop silence of the study space, she caught up on most of her missing assignments in just one day.
Students such as Martinez benefit from using the space by having a quiet and distraction-free environment to work in. Others benefit from the change of scenery from the walls of their home. This was the case for Katherine Chen, a Fullerton College student majoring in computer science.
“I’m really tired of working from home, and it’s just nice to get out,” said Chen.
Chen and Martinez felt the campus check-in process through the Fullerton College app was easy and smooth. Both plan to use the onsite space for studying continuously.
“I already booked for next week!” said Martinez.
It is currently undetermined if the dining hall will be open to students to study during the summer.
The onsite study space is open on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. To make a reservation, visit the Fullerton College Academic Support Center website. For more information, follow the Academic Support Center on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
