Chapter 13:

 University Facilities

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INTRODUCTION

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The Commission on University Strategic Planning focused limited attention on the physical campus, either accepting that the university had made, and continues to make, serious progress in addressing physical deficiencies, or placing other institutional needs and issues as higher priorities. This left lengthy discussion of needs and desired improvements to the physical campus to be addressed at another time and in another fashion. Most of the commission’s findings and recommendations, in fact, echo or restate projects the university had earlier undertaken (e.g., classroom renovations, improved campus signage, 24-hour computer labs, etc.), leaving the call for an International Center as the single significantly large planning item the university had not already addressed through its capital improvement programs. For purposes of clarity, this chapter refrains from discussing the university’s improvements to the physical campus since the last WASC review and instead restricts its discussion to those items raised in the strategic plan. A detailed discussion of the university’s progress in physical planning and implementation occurs in Part Three of the self-study.

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University facilities and the physical infrastructure must support and respond to a diverse and complex variety of needs. In this regard, the campus facilities planning and support services are dynamic in nature as they attempt to adapt to a growing and ever-changing university—a challenge often exacerbated by external constraints and an equally rapidly changing regulatory and litigious environment. This chapter addresses the planning initiatives put forth in the university’s strategic plan, which focus on providing facilities, infrastructure, and support services that are open, inviting, and user-friendly, and which enhance and support the instructional and programmatic mission of the university.

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STRATEGIC PLAN RECOMMENDATIONS

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The university’s strategic plan focused primarily on the support services necessary to make our facilities more appealing, accessible, and safer for the 30,000-strong members of the community using our campus on a daily basis. Concurrent with making our facilities more user-friendly, the strategic plan emphasized providing enhanced directional signage, as well as causing improvements to instructional space that enable the instructional programs to be effectively carried out with state-of-the-art technology. Additionally, enhancing cleanliness of all campus facilities was a quality cited as essential for facilities to be deemed user-friendly, as well as to be supportive of the instructional program.

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Several of the strategic plan recommendations relate to the design and management of facilities. The plan emphasized encouraging the cooperative use of facilities, leading to the development of an enhanced sense of campus community; it encouraged the design of classrooms to permit greater student interaction and, when possible, the convertibility of large rooms into smaller breakout rooms. The recommendations also called for the design of additional laboratory-type spaces where students and faculty can interact outside of class meeting times. High on its list of priorities, the commission recommended the provision of lounge rooms, study areas, and food service facilities in the academic buildings. Its recommendations also included the call for a review of space policies and procedures to be created/updated to meet community needs.

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While the strategic plan focused more on the support services needed to complement the instructional mission of the university rather than on a strategic capital improvement plan linked to the university’s academic master plan, CUSP did recommend the need for two new facilities: the first, a multi-function student services building to bring under one roof all of the Student Affairs functions and thus make student services more convenient and accessible; and the second, an international center building intended to place increased emphasis on international programs.

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THE STUDENT PERSPECTIVE

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Several university-wide surveys provide opportunities for student views on various university facilities. In the 1998 Student Pulse, about two-thirds (63%) of the respondents rated their classrooms as excellent or good and 59% rated overall campus facilities as excellent or good. Another third (32%) of the respondents rated overall campus facilities as fair. The Undergraduate and Graduate Exit Surveys also assess student satisfaction with the quality of facilities. Over half (55%) of the respondents to the Spring 1999 Undergraduate Exit Survey were very or somewhat satisfied with the quality of facilities and equipment; but in the 1999-2000 survey, this percentage dropped to 46.5%. Across the three administrations of the Graduate Exit Survey (1995-1997, 1997-1999, and 1999-2000), consistently about half of the respondents rated specialized facilities, such as laboratories or studios, and the overall adequacy of space and other facilities for classes and administration, as excellent or good.

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Facilities and Programs Which
Support the Campus Community

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As mentioned in the introduction, much of CUSP’s thinking reflected work in progress, emphasized priorities for the work in progress, or added to the set.

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Space Management

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In an attempt to optimize the efficient assignment of space utilization, the Office of Space Management was established in 1996, in the first year of the commission’s work. The focus of this position was first to inventory and begin to centrally manage the university’s space resources to meet community needs. It grew to include identification of space for programmatic growth, surge space during construction, joint-use space for enhanced communal work, and even the loss of space to others demonstrably more in need.

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A working group of campus administrators and staff was formed in 1997 to advise the director of space management in the creation of campus space philosophy, policies, and procedures. The Office of Space Management used the suggestions of the group to develop a general space philosophy and to clarify the authorizing chain of command for space assignment. The group also designed a space request procedure related to grant and sponsored-project space.

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This potentially politically difficult undertaking was completed in a collaborative manner and has produced excellent results. Until Fall 2000, the director of space management worked closely with Academic Resources on all space issues related to academic space and directly with deans, directors, and department heads on non-academic space issues. With the retirement of the incumbent, the functions of the Office of Space Management were transferred to the associate vice president for academic resources.

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Classroom Renovation

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In 1997, during the commission’s second year, Plant Operations (now Facilities and Service Enterprises) formed a Classroom Renovation Committee working with staff from Space Management, Academic Resources, and Audio-Visual/Instructional Television and Video. The group annually selects university lecture classrooms for renovation. The Classroom Renovation Program has been systematically renovating classrooms campuswide for three years and is currently structured to be an ongoing program. To date, 46 out of 143 university lecture rooms have been renovated. While actual future progress will be dependent on funding, the goal is to complete the renovation of all university lecture classrooms by 2005. At that time, the renovation cycle will be repeated.

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For our facilities to support cooperative interaction and the development of an enhanced sense of community among students, faculty, and staff, we have made provisions to allow for a variety of seating arrangements and furnishing options ranging from traditional instructional to seminar to small group settings. Lighting upgrades are made to complement the installation of improved technology media, and all classrooms are routinely fitted with class 5 wiring to allow full utilization of data and media.

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Computer Access

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Computer access for both faculty and students has been provided through the installation and maintenance of Sun servers which provide a flexible, reliable, distributed file system for access to campus and Internet information resources. Remote access includes both student and faculty modem pools. An extremely well received 24-hour lab has been functioning for four years, and a second 24-hour lab is currently being planned for the new Student Services Building in Centennial Village. (Please see www.sfsu. edu/~compsvcs/labs.htm for a list of computer labs.)

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The Center for the Enhancement of Teaching (CET) provides extensive technical support and training for faculty to enhance their teaching through technology. In CUSP’s first year, a 22-seat teaching and learning laboratory administered by CET was created in the newly renovated Burk Hall.

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Buildings

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To further our goal of designing physical facilities to be user-friendly and to support the cooperative interaction and sense of community, a new multi-function Student Services Building as recommended by CUSP has been constructed and is scheduled to open for the Spring 2001 semester. At the same time, the commission was calling for the construction of this new building, the university was in negotiation to secure funding to renovate an existing structure to house all of its Student Affairs units. Ultimately, the university decided to construct a new stand-alone facility which will accommodate all of Student Affairs, as well as other student-oriented services, and which will create a one-stop service available for all students. The 58,000 sq. ft. facility was constructed as a result of an entirely new capital venture, which also will provide 192 apartments (760 spaces) of student housing.

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In response to the strategic plan’s identified need for "international" floors in the residence halls for joint occupancy by international and domestic students, the campus Guest Center was converted to an International Living Community. This international community, which opened in FY 1998/99, provided a community living environment and a 90-bed residential program. Unfortunately, the Guest Center had to be closed in June 2000, due to construction defect problems and widespread mold infestation. At this time, the future of re-establishing the International Living Community is uncertain.

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Facilities and Services that are Safe and User-Friendly

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Campus Safety

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To increase campus safety, the Department of Public Safety (DPS) has implemented the following actions:

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• The department recently received a federal grant under the Clinton crime bill. The Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Grant permitted the hiring of three additional police officers. This brings the total number of sworn police officers in the Department of Public Safety to 27. There is a need for eight more positions, which would require additional funding. In addition, there are six officers who are trained for bicycle patrol. These officers patrol on bikes as staffing and time allow. The bike patrols have been positively received by the campus community and provide an excellent venue for the Community Oriented Policing Services program.

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• An Emergency Command Vehicle has been purchased and is currently being outfitted with the appropriate communications and command center equipment for use in the event of an emergency.

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• The 911-caller identification system equipment has been procured jointly with Telecommunications and is currently in use.

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• A campus alarm system plan was developed and has been implemented. Most of the alarm equipment has been replaced or upgraded with current technologies and remote access for diagnostic testing. Ten of the major campus buildings have been converted to card-key access. As time and funding permits, buildings are being converted to card-key access on a priority basis.

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• Efforts are being made to increase the number of Community Service Officers (Campus Guard Classification). The Department of Public Safety will pursue the funding to hire 15 CSO’s. While the program has the support of the campus community, the source for funding has yet to be identified. Alternate sources of funding for the program are being explored through grants and other on-campus funds.

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• The number and location of emergency phones has been reviewed, with the standard being to have a blue light phone visible from every location on campus. Upgraded phones of a distinctive design with a high visibility profile are being installed in the new Centennial Village. Future installations on campus will follow this motif to provide immediate, emergency recognition.

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• Improving campus exterior night lighting has been a priority for several years. Our campus is now consistently and comfortably lighted throughout. We are currently working with the San Francisco Department of Public Works to address street lighting deficiencies on perimeter city streets.

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University-wide surveys have assessed perceptions of campus safety. In the 1999 SNAPS Survey, 83% of the respondents strongly agreed, agreed, or were neutral when asked if they felt safe on the SFSU campus. About three-fourths (73%) of the respondents to the Faculty/Staff/Administrator Pulse felt that SFSU provides a safe environment for students. Additionally, 91% of SFSU respondents (students, faculty, staff, and administrators) to a 1999 CSU Customer Satisfaction Survey of University Police Services rated evening escorts as important or very important to them. Of those that used the escort program, 67% were satisfied or very satisfied with it. In this survey, 65% of respondents responded positively or neutrally to a question regarding whether they felt safe on campus at night.

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Transportation, Parking, and Traffic Safety

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The university is dedicated to providing safe, convenient and accessible parking and transportation resources. Due to constantly changing demographics, addressing and accommodating these needs is an ongoing enterprise which attempts to provide an equitable balance between making parking available and promoting the use of public transportation. Respondents to the 1999 SNAPS Survey rated parking the lowest in quality of all 29 services and resources assessed by the survey, with 77% rating it poor or very poor. When asked to choose the top five things from among a list of 12 that the campus might do to help them reach their educational goals, 60% of the respondents included "improve the parking situation" in their five choices, ranking it third in the list of 12.

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In response to the need to improve the quality of parking, the sale of semester student permits was eliminated in Fall 2000. Historically, the large oversell of student permits led to frustration on the part of students who purchased such permits but frequently could not find parking. Now students pay on a daily basis and only if they find parking.

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The university currently operates shuttles between the campus and Daly City BART, the campus and the Bay Bridge, and the campus and the Golden Gate Bridge. Demand has continued to grow, and additional mid-day service to the Bay Bridge was added in FY 1997-98. Service to the Presidio was added in 1998-99, and an additional shuttle was added to the Daly City BART route in 1999-00. This shuttle program, operated to supplement public transportation, is provided to the university community at no charge. To augment alternative modes of traveling to and from the campus, the Transportation Department is exploring additional shuttle routes as demand and funding permit. To assure that the university’s shuttle fleet operates cleanly, the use of natural gas-powered shuttles is being evaluated for future shuttle acquisitions.

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An initiative to establish a discounted or prepaid student pass program funded through a student assessment was proposed and discussed with MUNI officials. Due to the high cost (approximately $60 per student/semester) the program was not considered viable by the Associated Students.

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In order to make public and alternate transportation as attractive and convenient as possible, the university has improved the main campus transit stop by adding weather protection, seating, and café service. Additionally, the "Bike Barn" which offers covered and secure bicycle parking was enlarged in FY 1997-98 to accommodate up to 300 bicycles. This free service is provided from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. M-F during the Fall and Spring semesters.

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Traffic safety has been significantly improved by the installation of a traffic signal at the intersection of South State Drive and Lake Merced Blvd. This signal enables vehicles to safely enter and depart the main vehicular entrance to the campus.

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Cleanliness of Campus Facilities

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The attractiveness of our instructional facilities has been enhanced through increased attention to the cleanliness of both instructional areas and common spaces. This has been accomplished using existing resources through the reassignment of staff to areas most intensely used. While this provides a higher level of service to instructional space and common areas (restrooms, corridors, stairwells, etc.), it is at the expense of service to the remainder of the campus. Additional staff have been added to extend weekday service to 9:00 p.m. and to provide Saturday and Sunday service for heavily used areas. This additional emphasis has still not provided the desired level of custodial care in these or other areas throughout the campus.

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An increased level of cleanliness will require additional staffing. Past benchmark studies conducted under the NACUBO benchmarking program have identified the SFSU custodial department as being responsible for cleaning the largest amount of square footage per custodian FTE of any CSU campus. Currently, a single custodian is responsible for cleaning an average of 37,425 sq. ft. These staffing to square footage ratios will produce a level of cleanliness defined by the Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers as "moderate dinginess." In order to produce the appropriate level of cleaning, defined by the association as "ordinary tidiness," the staffing to square footage ratios need to be reduced to 18,000 sq. ft. per custodian. This will require an augmentation of 56.0 FTE custodians to the current staffing of 62.5 FTE. This funding/staffing augmentation request was made in the FY 2000-01 budget submission.

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In order to determine future program priorities and to support additional funding requests, the SFSU Public Research Institute was commissioned to survey the university community during the Spring 2000 semester as to their opinion of campus cleanliness. The study results will be incorporated into future staffing and operations plans.

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Service and Comfort Amenities

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There has been major progress in making the campus more inviting and user-friendly by providing significantly more spaces to stop, socialize, and rest. Concurrent with adding to the amount and availability of outdoor seating, the campus has increased the number and availability of food services by opening additional cafes and providing vending sites. It is now easier to obtain food service and refreshments on any part of campus and to find available outdoor seating. Opportunities to provide study areas are still being explored, and future efforts will be made to create study lounges and communal space in the academic buildings. About two-thirds (64%) of the respondents to the 2000 Student Pulse Survey rated the campus environment as excellent or good for individual study and reflection, and about one-half of the respondents rated the campus environment as excellent or good for making new friends (49%) and for relaxing or taking a break (51%).

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An active program by Facilities to increase the amount of outdoor seating has resulted in the addition of 48 benches between FY 1997-98 and 1999-00. The program of adding benches continues in concert with campus landscape development. The campus also provides opportunities for donor recognition in the form of outdoor seating. In addition, the Sculpture on Campus Committee actively solicits and provides grants for artist-inspired outdoor seating, which brings imaginative outdoor seating to the campus.

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The recent artist commission for outdoor seating in the form of an outcropping of stratified rock was added to the campus landscape in FY 1997-98. This addition to our collection of artist-inspired seating lends special interest in the form of a geological interpretation of local Franciscan sandstone. Science and art are juxtaposed to please and stimulate the public that enter this busy gateway to the university’s science complex area from 19th Avenue. Artist-inspired seating at the entry to the Gym is an integral part of the modern sculpture installation on the lawn in front of the building. Additional pieces are sited at the entrance to the Bike Barn and the Fine Arts Building. Another recent addition to the campus inventory of outdoor seating are several installations at Housing and Residential Services which provide an area for residents to relax and socialize in a garden setting.

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During FY 1998-99, the university constructed two outdoor cafes. The 19th Station Café is located at the 19th Avenue entry to the campus and conveys a sense of welcome to people arriving at this busy intersection. Mi Jardin is located between Burk Hall and the Village at Centennial Square. Both cafés created additional outdoor seating as well as the provision of additional food services.

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During the same period, two indoor cafés were developed, one each at the eastern and western ends of the campus. The addition of food service in these areas was an instant success, and vendors have been very cooperative in providing extended operating hours to serve the campus community.

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Three vending machine rooms were opened during FY 1998-99 and FY 1999-01. For FY 2000-01, expanded food service venues are planned for the plaza between Fine Arts/Burk Hall and the Humanities Building/Centennial Village development. Food service will also be provided in Centennial Village. Another small café is currently under design for the plaza by the Creative Arts Building. Future sites will be developed as demand and markets warrant.

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Planning continues to identify space for student lounges in academic buildings. However, space constraints and the economics of moving and consolidating offices and other non-instructional space must be carefully weighed and considered. While no significant progress has been made in this area, the need for student lounges remains a priority for the university. Development of this recommendation is ongoing, and future study-lounge areas may be provided as appropriate space is identified.

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Campus Signage

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Given the strategic plan’s recommendations and the university’s commitment to provide access to all facilities, a comprehensive signage and wayfinding program is currently underway. This campuswide program consists of the following:

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• Prominent identification of the university from all points of approach.
• Easily identifiable exterior signage indicating points of pedestrian and vehicular entry to the university.
• Directions to parking lots and structures.
• A network of exterior directional maps providing locations, paths of travel, and accessible entrances to all facilities.
• Prominent identification of all university buildings.
• Building lobby kiosks which provide locations of offices and functions, personnel directories, and other key information.
• Room numbers and function identification of all building spaces.

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This campuswide program will ensure that all signage is consistent in color and design. The system assures that full and open access to all university facilities is provided to meet the needs of people with disabilities. Through a comprehensive program of wayfinding, the university will become more user-friendly to the large and diverse community that visits, works, and studies on a daily basis.

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Interior signage for all campus buildings has been completed. The second phase will address outdoor signage for buildings and campus directories and is expected to be completed in Spring 2001.

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FUTURE DIRECTIONS

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The work of the Commission on University Strategic Planning provided a framework and foundation to continue the development of facilities support services. The classroom renovation program is now established and ongoing, with the goal of completing all classrooms by 2005. At that time the renovation cycle will begin again to assure that positive gains to the classrooms are maintained. Although the closing of the Residence Apartment Building has left the university without an International Living Community, renewed efforts will be made to recreate an international community living environment within available housing assets.

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Campus safety remains a top priority, and nighttime lighting improvements continue to be made. Parking quality has significantly improved with a revised rate structure. The new rate structure has also resulted in less parking demand and increased use of the shuttles. Food service venues will continue to be expanded when conditions and demands warrant.

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Improving the cleanliness of campus facilities was a major goal specified by CUSP. In this regard significant progress has been made. Despite the campus having approximately 37,000 sq. ft per FTE custodian vs. the industry standard of 18,000 per FTE, campus custodians scored a high level of customer satisfaction in the Spring 2000 survey conducted by the Public Research Institute. Custodial services received a very favorable response in all but two of the campus buildings. This level of satisfaction is attributed to recently implemented team cleaning methodologies and departmental teamwork. Training is currently underway to bring the two buildings up to the standard for the remainder of the campus.

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Overall, the directions outlined by CUSP have been followed and implemented. The results have been well received by the campus community and have enabled university facilities to meet the challenges of a variety of diverse and complex needs.

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