By Obersy Robles Valdez
The Scene staff
Changes in building names and room numbers on the Forest Park campus just before the start of fall semester caused confusion among students, faculty and staff.
For the first few weeks, old locations were posted on Banner Self Service, where students get their class schedules. Yet signs next to doors reflected new building names and room numbers.
In addition, campus maps at major entrances were still showing former building names, as well as outlines of the A and B towers, which were demolished two years ago.
“I was confused,” said Gabriel Montilla, 19, a general studies student who plans to major in interior design. “When I was heading to my Public Speaking class, the classroom lights were completely off, and nobody was inside.
“I asked another student who was walking down the hallway, and he told me that the class was in the theater. Luckily, I wasn’t late to my class.”
Students such as Shanel Banks, 21, a culinary arts major, were less impacted by the changes. All classes in that department are held in the same area of the Hospitality Studies building, rather than being scattered across campus.
“It’s cool,” Banks said. “Nothing has changed for me. I didn’t even notice that the room numbers changed.”
For decades, the Forest Park campus of St. Louis Community College had two major classroom building wings with seven towers: A, B, C, D, E, F and G. Each tower had five floors, leading to room numbers such as B-202 or F-418.
The college demolished A and B towers in 2020 to make way for the new Center for Nursing and Health Sciences. In June of this year, officials decided to rename the two classroom building wings “East” and “West” with towers identified by numerals and room numbers such as E-322 or W-113.
“This is a very large project, and it is more than just changing signs,” said Forest Park President Julie Fickas. “We have to change all the systems. Our focus is to help students navigate through the school a bit easier.”
New signs are being installed outside every classroom, office, elevator, bathroom and closet throughout the new East and West wings. Hallway signs will point in the directions of rooms on each floor of each wing.The project is called “Internal Interior Wayfinding.” All the new signs are blue and gray, the districtwide colors of STLCC.