A calm, focused but dynamic feeling has made the newly remodeled Cartwright Learning Resource Center the favorite place to study for many City College students.

The remodeling plan took place seven years ago but was delayed due to budget concerns. It took the center’s staff a full year to prepare and finish the upgrade before the fall semester began. The total cost for the remodel was $515,284, funded through the Measure V bond money from 2008.

“We’ve already seen the positive effect on students, faculty and staff, who are coming to the building,” said Nina Mahaffey, the center’s supervisor. “The environment can support students’ learning. The quality of the environment has been shown over and over again to actually affect our ability to learn.”

There were several aesthetic changes to the center, including: repainting throughout, the carpet was moved, the ceiling and lighting were refurbished and most of the furniture was replaced.

There is a new front counter and tutorial lab with more space than before. The staff also doubled the writing center’s space to accommodate more students’ appointments and drop-ins. The building is now healthier and more attractive.

“It’s funny because it feels both busier and calmer at the same time, and I think that’s in part due to just the color scheme,” the center’s director Jerry Pike said. “The lighting is much better than it was. It was kind of glooming before. It was kind of a depressing lighting. I think that helps people be in a better mood.”

The center previously stored thousands of Video Home System (VHS) tapes behind the front counter that took up a lot of space.

“Because we’ve moved to online streaming and DVD formats, we were able to remove the collection from shelving, open up that space and turn it into usable space for meetings and tutorial labs,” Mahaffey said.

This new area is called the multi-purpose room.

With the old tutorial lab, tutors did not have as many options and it was pretty noisy, Mahaffey added.

The staff also reduced the number of media television stations because new formats of most materials can now be watched on a computer.

The new space also allowed staffers to rearrange the furniture and space to serve students more flexibly.

“All in all, it needed to be remodeled in order to maximize the best use of space for student services,” Mahaffey said.

Pike said that students now use the writing center 20 percent more than they did last fall. The center also offers tutorial support for computers.

Although the upgrade is not yet finished, it is in good shape. Pike said Mahaffey worked very hard with the staff to get things done on time and carry out the plan successfully.

Mahaffey and Pike emphasized that the calm colors and the open spaciousness give students a relaxing, quiet and focused studio environment.

“The lighting is good. The chairs are supportive and comfortable,” Mahaffey said. “The equipment is clean and in good order and things are fresh. All of that help people feel calm and collected so they can study and do their work.”

Pike said some of the remodel did not turn out exactly the way the staff intended, such as the wiring, cabling and computer tables.

“There are always challenges with the construction job,” Pike said. “I don’t think we encountered any terrible challenges. I think the challenge was to try to get as much as we could for the money that we had available and I think we did that.”

The staff is now planning to restore the tutorial budget and share the ideas of the writing center with other two-year colleges, Pike said.

“It’s important to know that not only our jobs and resources are important but maintain a support and welcoming environment that contributes to learning is also important,” Mahaffey said. “I believe that our new President, Lori Gaskin, has made it clear that she values both types of development, and they do work together to support students’ learning.”