VISION & PROGRAM STATEMENT

 

Aztec Center opened in 1968 as the first permanent student union facility on a California State University campus. In the late 1960's, Aztec Center's purpose was to represent all of the college community so that the Student Union could adequately serve the interests of the entire college. Today, Aztec Center continues to serve the interests of San Diego State University and foremost, the students. Aztec Center's mission is based on The Role of the College Union statement adopted by the Association of College Unions International (ACUI).

ACUI was born in 1914 as the National Association of Student Unions. In its early decades, ACUI provided the only source of information for improving college union operations. After World War II, ACUI provided resources to union professionals dealing with the unprecedented numbers of students enrolling in colleges and universities. It was then that the college union building boom began. (ACUI)

ACUI is a knowledge-based association and has four Education Councils to address competency areas in Administration, Finance, and Management; Campus Life and Programming Management; Auxiliary Services; and Facilities and Operations.

The Associated Students/Aztec Center is an active institutional member of ACUI. Staff and students participate in regional and national conferences. The Associated Students also supports volunteer involvement at the regional and national levels.

In 1956, ACUI adopted the first mission statement for college unions. In 1996, The Role of the College Union statement was revised and adopted by the Association's general membership and reads:

The union is the community center of the college, serving students, faculty, staff, alumni and guests. By whatever form or name, a college union is an organization offering a variety of programs, activities, services and facilities that, when taken together, represent a well-considered plan for the community life of the college.

The union is an integral part of the educational mission of the college.

The union's goal is the development of persons as well as intellects.

Traditionally considered the "hearthstone" or "living room" of the campus, today's union is the gathering place of the college. The union provides services and conveniences that members of the college community need in their daily lives and creates an environment for getting to know and understand others through formal and informal associations.

The union serves as a unifying force that honors each individual and values diversity. The union fosters a sense of community that cultivates enduring loyalty to the college. (ACUI)

The Role of the College Union is the foundation of Aztec Center's mission and the impetus behind the necessity to renovate and expand the current 38 year old facility to meet the growing population and needs of the campus and to provide quality facilities and services for 21st Century students.

When Aztec Center was built it was intended to serve a student population of approximately 10,000 students. Its current size is approximately 3.5 square feet per student while the national average is 10.5 square feet per student.

Although Aztec Center has gone through several remodels, the size has remained relatively the same and the building has been at capacity for several years. It is currently undersized to serve the current student population of 25,000 full time equivalents (FTES) and the Campus Master plan proposes to increase enrollment capacity to 35,000 (FTES) by 2024/2025.

In 2001, the Associated Students enlisted the help of Brailsford & Dunlavey (B&D), a facility planning and program management firm that serves major educational institutions, public agencies and non-profit organizations, and the architectural firm of Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates (HHPA), to conduct feasibility studies and market assessments to plan for an expansion and renovation of Aztec Center.

B&D's study and assessment processes involved developing a strategic analysis of the existing Aztec Center in order to establish a set of project objectives to reflect the Associated Students and San Diego State University's vision for the future. A market analysis was conducted to study existing Aztec Center conditions that revealed acute deficiencies in the quality and organization of the space and amenities available to the campus community. The study also reported that Aztec Center had significant aesthetic, functional, operational and technical deficiencies in comparison to contemporary student unions. (Brailsford & Dunlavey, 2001)

Focus groups were conducted to engage a variety of individuals in discussions about student life, student services, entertainment and food service needs and preferences. The focus groups were comprised of undergraduate students living in campus residence halls, undergraduate students commuting to campus (3 miles or more), graduate students, student leaders, college council presidents and members, a cross-section of students involved in Greek, cultural and gender-based student organizations, SDSU faculty and staff and Associated Students staff.(Brailsford & Dunlavey, 2001)

HHPA designed a new Aztec Center that included all the facility and program elements based on the various studies and assessments. In 2002, a student advisory fee referendum was presented to the students to build a new Aztec Center. The proposed $95 fee increase (graduated over 3 years) failed.

The 2005-2006 AS Executive Officers made it one of their key priority goals to once again move forward with a plan to renovate and expand Aztec Center after visiting several California campus student unions. They were very considerate of the amount of the fee increase that would be proposed to the students after the disappointing failure of the 2002 referendum and also students' feelings towards additional fees.

In September 2005, B&D was asked again to help with the study and market analysis. The 2001 studies and assessments conducted by B&D and HHPA were reviewed and a series of focus groups were conducted. The discussions evolved around the 2001 findings to determine if the results were still relevant to current students and to determine what additional facilities and services needed to be considered.

A cross-section of students, SDSU faculty and staff and Associated Students staff were once again invited and participated in the focus group discussions. The feedback from the September 2005 focus group discussions, in conjunction with the 2001 B&D and HHPA studies, were critical factors in developing recommendations for a revised expansion and renovation program.

In October 2005, Associated Students commissioned the SDSU Social Science Research Laboratory (SSRL) to conduct a survey of 700 currently enrolled SDSU students. Simultaneously, a broadcast email from AS President, Chris Manigault, was sent to all currently enrolled SDSU students advising them of the possibility of a new and expanded Aztec Center. The email advised that a survey would be conducted to ask for their input and also included a link to a web site that showed images of various program elements that could be included in an expansion and renovation. Students were encouraged to visit the web site and reply with feedback. We received nearly 150 favorable written responses.

The goal of the SSRL survey was to assess students' predispositions towards a fee referendum to support the expansion and renovation of Aztec Center. The questions presented to the students were formulated based on B&D's September 2005 assessment.

The SSRL survey was completed in late November 2005 and at the last AS Council meeting on December 7, 2005, the AS Council voted in favor of proceeding with a student advisory fee referendum in spring 2006. The AS Council also voted to allow the AS Executive Committee to determine the amount of the fee increase during the winter break.

On January 12, 2006, the AS Executive Committee voted on a fee increase of $11 starting fall 2006 and an additional $45 starting spring 2010. The amount was based on the results of the SSRL survey and the amounts students indicated they would be willing to pay for new and improved facilities and services.

The student advisory fee referendum took place on March 8 & 9, 2006. The results were 75.2% in favor and 24.8% opposed. The fee increase provides for project of about $44 million. The project is significantly smaller than the 2002 HHPA design and the rising cost of construction has nearly doubled since 2002.

In April 2006, SDSU Facilities Planning, Design & Construction (FPD&C) conducted a series of "charrettes" (programming sessions) with SDSU students to gather additional information on the expansion and renovation program elements. Additional programming sessions were conducted throughout May and June 2006 with various University stakeholders.

FPD&C will summarize the results of the programming sessions and factor the facilities and services needs from the various studies and assessments in order to formulate a final program that will meet both the student and campus community needs and also what is financially feasible within the program budget.

To garner additional input from students and to help in developing the final program, a WebPortal survey was administered to all currently enrolled SDSU students in September 2006.

REFERENCES

Association of College Unions International (ACUI). (2006).

History of ACUI. Retrieved July 7, 2006 from http://www.acui.org/Acui/About/history.cfm.

Role of the College Union. Retrieved July 7, 2006 from http://www.acui.org/Acui/About/role.cfm.

Brailsford & Dunlavey. (Fall 2001). Aztec Center Feasibility Study.