By Kristin Martin
Published on November 21, 2007
For the past few weeks the Biology Sciences Department and PJC Foundations, both located in building 17, have had a misunderstanding. A rumor that PJC Foundations was attempting to rid the Biology Sciences department of two classrooms to turn them into a conference room left the Science department upset and PJC Foundations confused.
Jeff Wooters, Professor in the Biology Sciences department, heard from a source he chose not to name that PJC Foundations was “secretly” planning to rid his department of two very important classrooms, rooms 1702 and 1704 – the only smart classrooms in that department. The classrooms are attached to the PJC Foundations offices.
“I heard that they were planning on knocking a hole in the wall and connecting [the classroom] to their offices and making that some kind of conference room,” says Wooters.
The rumor left everyone in the science building upset, especially Wooters.
“If they do turn it into a conference room, I would be displaced from the classroom that I normally teach in and put into a classroom that is not a smart classroom. So it would be adverse to my teaching and giving the best lectures that I can give to my students,” Wooters said.
Wooters started a petition, and received signatures from 179 students and 17 faculty members – basically the entire science building. Wooters turned the petition in to PJC Foundations last Monday, Nov. 26. The petition was left on PJC Provost, Jeff Canter’s desk who will be gone until next Monday, Dec. 3.
Executive Director of College Development, Patrice Whitten says, “That’s erroneous, that’s a rumor,” when speaking about PJC Foundations turning classrooms into a conference room. “That’s not true at all. We’re not doing anything secretly. We are here to raise funds and to encourage people to give to the college, and provide scholarships. We are not here to take over student space,” continues Whitten.
However, PJC Foundations is discussing the possibility of using the funds they have been given to create a larger space and to add more technology, such as screens and presentation materials, to the smart classrooms.
Whitten said, “There are no solid set plans, nothing has been approved. There have only been discussions about the possibility of some funds being used to upgrade the technology, and all of that is just in discussion phase.”
If PJC Foundations is approved for making these changes, the classrooms would be shared space for the use of the entire college.
“Shared joint-use kinds of facilities are important and also sufficient,” says Whitten.
The final decision on what to do with the classrooms will take around a year to be made.
“We are still in the planning stages of how those things can best fit the needs of our faculty and students,” Whitten said.