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City College, we dub your hallowed building ...
A few weeks ago, I offered lunch to the reader who could find the best new name for the Old Administration Building at Fresno City College.
I figured that since the building is undergoing a $60 million restoration after decades in mothballs, it deserved a name that reflected the community's commitment to preservation -- and exasperation with construction overruns.
Cost of the renovation, originally estimated at $25 million, is a sore spot with a few readers.
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Colleges could go wireless with bill
WASHINGTON -- Dozens of California colleges serving large numbers of Hispanic students would get help going wireless under a bill approved Tuesday by the House.
Fresno State, Stanislaus State and Merced College, among others, could all get a piece of the $250 million-plus House package. Grants would pay for the equipment and training needed to bring wireless access to some schools, and expand it at others.
That fundamentally means fast laptop access to the Internet, which has rapidly evolved from coffeehouse luxury to campus necessity.
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Multiple investigations
In the diversion of donor funds at California State University, Fresno, from academics to athletics, in order to know how long the diversion has gone on, how much is involved and who is responsible, it would be helpful to have an independent audit. Then the academic community and the general community will know what should be done.
Traditionally, the administration at Fresno State holds that the books of the foundation, a private corporation, cannot be opened to the public. But funds were mishandled once before and the books were opened so that the academic community and public could know what had been done. The amount in this case is far greater, perhaps more than a million dollars.
When a state corporation mishandles funds, the State Bureau of Corporations has an interest to investigate. This mishandling admittedly damaged academic departments, so the University Academic Senate has a role to play. That a state corporation should mishandle funds should be a matter for the attorney general.
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Central Unified narrowly approves $152 million bond measure
Voters in Porterville put their trust in God on Tuesday, while in other Valley communities voters passed measures to build new schools.
The rapidly expanding Central Unified School District in northwest Fresno will construct four new schools, while tiny Stone Corral Elementary School on the outskirts of Visalia will have money for much-needed updating.
But the most unusual measure before central San Joaquin Valley voters was in Porterville, where community members approved a new official motto: "In God We Trust."
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Secondary purpose
California State University, Fresno is an educational institution. The primary mission of an educational institution is to provide education. Anything else is secondary. The interest of the "community" is secondary.
The development and building of the Campus Pointe project, no matter what spin you put on it, does not provide the maximum benefit to Fresno State students. A poll of the students might be in order. The "community" interests should not override the "students' " interests.
This project will line the pockets of the developers, contractors and occupants connected with this project. Few struggling students will be able to line their pockets with much-needed income to pay for tuition and books.
For many years, this community has been in the habit of tearing down our past, removing the artifacts that once defined Fresno and the Valley in favor of something -- anything -- that's new. 
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But at least one success story emerges from this catalogue of shortsightedness: the Old Administration Building on the Fresno City College campus. The building has been saved, but it still needs the community's help.
Construction began in 1915 and opened the next year. It was the first permanent structure on what was then the Fresno Normal School campus, the predecessor of California State University, Fresno. It served generations of students, faculty and staff.
But the building was shuttered in 1976 because it didn’t meet the state's standards for earthquake safety in school buildings. It languished for years, falling into disrepair and decay. Administrators sought to demolish it to make way for newer, more modern — and less attractive — buildings. Preservationists and other supporters of the building fought to save it.
After dodging the wrecking ball on several occasions, a reprieve finally came when voters passed Measure E in 2002. Among the provisions of that bond measure was $30 million in funds for restoration of the Old Administration Building.
The cost of restoring the building to full use — about 100,000 square feet of classroom, office, research and meeting space — is around $41 million. Some of the difference will come from state funds, but the funding will still fall short of what’s needed.
An internal fundraising campaign, in which faculty and staff at the campus are asked to donate one hour’s pay each month to the cause, seeks to raise $1 million. But the project still needs to raise about $4 million locally.
That's where the community comes in. A vigorous fundraising effort is under way. It’s a very worthy cause. The building is an important part of our history, and now stands poised to serve an equally important role in our future. It deserves support.
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