Since March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic started, many aspects related to the facility and education services have changed at American River College. 

Returning students who have not been able to walk on campus since the shutdown will find many changes—including more people.

“I hear from folks that when they are walking around campus, they see a bigger crowd,” said Scott Crow, ARC’s public information officer. “It definitely shows the energy that maybe wasn’t noticed [as much] in the past.”

At the same time, ARC’s administration is trying to find the right middle ground between in-person and online classes, so the students can have a good compromise.

For those who were enrolled in classes that were defined as ‘impossible to convert’ this aspect didn’t change much.   

Students at ARC can find more services in the Welcome and Support Center. 

“We really want to try to make that building a one-stop shop if you will for a variety of different student services and needs,” Crow said. 

A student can go to the center not just for their financial aid, but they can also find the admission records, business services, Transfer Center and Beaver Cares, all in one building.

According to Crow, there is another important change regarding the Native American Resource Center. 

“It used to be located on the second floor of Davies Hall and that’s now in the Student Center, inside the Unite Center,” Crow said.

Returning students will also notice the new Diane Bryant STEM Innovation Center, a state-of-the-art facility which replaced the Liberal Arts building from the 1960s. Prior to March 2020, the building was still under construction and was encased in fencing.

“This is going to be the biggest change for students,” Crow said. “We have been offering classes there for a couple of semesters now.”

According to Patricia Wood, Kaneko Gallery director, students will soon see pieces from the Kaneko Art Gallery art collection hung on the walls inside the STEM building.

“We have prints from the Museum Art Project [donated] by nationally known photographers,” Wood said. “A lot of them…will be up in the STEM building. Just ones related to science.” 

Students will continue seeing construction fencing on campus, this time in the Technical Education area. Fencing will be followed by demolition to make way for a new technical education facility, Crow said.

According to Crow, the automotive, welding and horticulture classes are still ongoing, as the process for this will be happening later in the construction process.

As more students begin lining the halls and filling the classroom, on-campus food access has become a concern. With the Subway gone and Starbucks soon to be replaced with 5 Sips, another option students have is the Oak Cafe Bakery, which will be opening up soon.

“For those of us who have a sweet tooth,” Crow said. “There’s nothing like going to the Oak Cafe Bakery in the morning and getting something unhealthy and calorie-full.”