BACK TO SCHOOL : MISSION VIEJO : Saddleback College Has Student Center--at Last

For 22 years, Saddleback College was a school without a center. Students went to one building to eat, to another to lounge and up to a far corner of the campus to see the school doctor or obtain financial aid.

But when classes started last Monday, the $8.2-million student services center was finally open for business after two years of construction.

The modern, two-story edifice is a welcome relief from the portable buildings and hidden, makeshift offices that had housed the college’s student services system, said Vern Hodge, acting dean of student services.

Even the cafeteria is a luxury because Saddleback has never had a permanent food center.

“Our first cafeteria was meant to be a library. We’ve never had a facility meant for food services before this,” said Hodge. “We tried to design everything with the students in mind.”

The center includes the 400-seat cafeteria, a student lounge with a large-screen projector, a game room, a music listening room, a counseling center, a health center, a career center, a financial aid office and new facilities for the Lariat newspaper and KSBR, the campus radio station.

Students using the center for the first time last week agreed that it was a long-overdue addition to the campus.

“It’s a lot nicer than what we had before,” said sophomore Baylor Corely as she finished lunch in the carpeted, air-conditioned cafeteria. “The other cafeteria was totally gross; it was like a trailer.”

The game room received similar accolades from young men waiting to play pool, Ping-Pong and video games.

“It’s more comfortable. It makes it so you don’t want to leave campus between classes,” said Dean Daniel, 26.

And with the burgeoning enrollment at the college expected to reach 23,000 this semester, the center has made the hectic first week of registration easier. Students now can register for last-minute classes, buy books, talk to their counselor and grab a sandwich without trudging up or down a hill.

“It’s about time the students of Saddleback College received a building of their own,” said Don Mineo, game-room supervisor and one of the students who helped lobby for about $5 million of state funds for the project.

“I’m sure it will create a greater sense of belonging and stop the motto of Saddleback being just a commuter school.”