ACCREDITATION '98

Saddleback College is a campus which provides facilities for instruction, student services, a learning resource center, physical education and athletics programs, community education, and for administration and staff. According to the 1997 Space Inventory Report (Ref. 8.1), the campus comprises a total of 608,641 gross square feet with an assignable area of 434,855 square feet. In addition, over 50 off-campus locations, including Leisure World, are utilized for instructional and community education programs.

Saddleback College uses a variety of methods to provide adequate physical resources to support its educational program offerings. These range from temporary facility rentals for required classroom space to redesignating existing facility space for higher priority usage. The College recently acquired an additional 1500 square feet of instructional space to meet critical needs of the Health Services Programs.

The campus grounds of over 200 acres include the outdoor amphitheater at the Technology and Applied Science building and are used as outdoor laboratories or classrooms by several classes, such as Environmental Studies and Horticulture. In addition, several athletic and practice fields are used by the athletic and physical education programs.

In spite of the facilities presently available, there is a shortage of classroom space during the peak hours of 9:00 am to 1:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday. This situation is reflected in the responses to the Institutional Effectiveness Survey (IES). Only 38 percent of the staff surveyed agreed that adequate office, conference and storage space is available on the campus (Ref. 8.2). However, over 60 percent of the staff responding to the survey believed that parking for students and staff is adequate. In addition, over 54 percent of the students surveyed felt that Saddleback College solicits and considers student input when making decisions regarding facilities changes (Ref. 8.3). The IES also indicated that the vast majority of the staff who are familiar with off-campus facilities agreed that these facilities are adequate (Ref. 8.4).

Saddleback College uses a computerized maintenance management system for scheduling all work requests and preventive maintenance work orders. The preventive maintenance program at the College, which is continually monitored and reviewed, has been greatly expanded since the last self study and now covers most of the equipment that supports the operation of the College (Ref. 8.5). In addition, Maintenance and Operations and Support Services (MOSS) generates monthly workload study reports regarding the maintenance staff (Ref. 8.6).

Maintenance functions were decentralized in 1993 from the District Offices and reassigned to the College level. Each college is responsible for all its own maintenance, operations and support services. To address the specific needs of Saddleback College, MOSS was reorganized to increase organizational flexibility and accountability. A Facilities and Physical Plant Committee comprised of faculty and staff has been established to identify and prioritize capital improvements and maintenance projects.

Saddleback College supports an aggressive energy conservation program. Since the last self study, the College has implemented several energy conservation projects, including the installation of energy-efficient lighting, irrigation, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. The College also implemented an alternate utility rate structure to reduce its energy costs. These efforts have resulted in annual savings of $300,000.

The Community College Student Experience Questionnaire (CCSEQ) indicated that 85 percent of the students responding believed that the College provides a safe and secure environment (Ref. 8.7). In addition, over 67 percent of the respondents believed that the College provides equipment and facilities that are in satisfactory condition (Ref. 8.8).

From the Institutional Effectiveness Survey (IES), over 56 percent of those responding agreed that the operations of College support services are adequate (Ref. 8.9). The survey indicated that 41 percent of the respondents agreed that the College provided an efficient work and study environment (Ref. 8.10).

Some of the facilities were poorly designed and have construction flaws. Many of the facilities are over 25 years old and have deteriorated. MOSS staffing levels have been reduced and equipment replacement for MOSS has been lacking.

Organizational constraints have compounded this situation by separating the responsibilities for new construction and for maintenance of facilities. This situation creates demands from areas that have different priorities. At times, decisions are made without considering the life-cycle costs of the facilities. To address this, the Board of Trustees has approved the issuance of Certificates of Participation funds which include $3,500,000 for several maintenance projects. In addition, the state has approved more of the College's deferred maintenance projects resulting in increased funding. Many of these projects have been completed or are in the process of being completed. Scheduling these projects and minimizing the impact on the College's programs presents an ongoing challenge.

MOSS is responsible for addressing access and healthful environment issues. MOSS works closely with the District Office of Risk Management whenever health concerns or issues are brought to its attention. On several occasions the College has performed air and water sampling to ensure a healthful environment in its facilities.

MOSS also works closely with the Office of Special Services in addressing access issues for the College community. The Office of Special Services assists in establishing and prioritizing projects for the removal of architectural barriers to provide easier access for students with disabilities. In addition, MOSS consults with the Office of Special Services on facilities modifications to ensure that needs for special access are met.

Saddleback College places a very high priority on public safety, occupational health and safety, risk management, and disaster preparedness planning. The College explains its public safety policies and procedures in a brochure that is widely distributed throughout the College community (Ref. 8.11). Topics covered include controlling facility access, implementing crime prevention and awareness programs, and informing the campus community with timely and relevant information whenever a potential public threat exists. In a continuing public safety effort, Campus Safety and Security works closely with other state and municipal law enforcement agencies to provide the campus community with high quality preventive and protective services. Campus Safety and Security also elicits the cooperation and participation of all members of the College community in working together to make the campus a safe environment.

The College Safety Committee meets on a monthly basis to examine existing safety and occupational health policies and procedures and to make recommendations to the President for change. The Safety Committee works closely with the District's insurance carrier, risk manager, and with MOSS to identify and correct potential occupational health and safety problems. In 1996-1997, nearly $220,000 was allocated to upgrade laboratory exhaust fans and climate control equipment. Over $80,000 was expended to improve campus walkway and parking lot lighting, and over $45,000 was expended to improve classroom lighting. For the fiscal year 1997-1998 over $125,000 was budgeted for improvements to the emergency lighting systems. In addition, funding was approved and a contract awarded to upgrade campus walkways, door hardware and automated doors to meet ADA guidelines at a cost of over $325,000. In the continuing efforts to manage risks, another $1,500,000 is budgeted to correct known and foreseeable hazards, which also reduces the College's exposure to civil liability.

College disaster-preparedness plans have been reviewed and revised to comply with the state's implementation of the Standard Emergency Management Systems (SEMS). The College has conducted five disaster drills over the past two years, and plans to continue this effort in future years. The College Emergency Action Procedure flip chart, located in every room on campus, was revised and distributed during Spring semester, 1998 (Ref. 8.12).

In association with both the District's insurance carrier and risk manager, comprehensive annual safety inspections of the campus are conducted. Insurance carrier inspectors conduct these inspections and supply detailed descriptions of every potential hazard and its level of risk. The insurance carrier is in the process of completing a Business Plan for the College which identifies location, type, and quantity of hazardous material throughout the campus. The District has also completed an Illness and Injury Prevention Plan.

Over 69 percent of the students surveyed indicated that the College provides for a safe, secure and healthful environment (Ref. 8.7). In addition, over 67 percent indicated that the condition of the College's facilities is satisfactory (Ref. 8.8).

The IES addressed many health and safety issues, including adequate light levels at night for access paths and parking lots, sufficient campus directional signs, adequate provisions for the handling and storage of hazardous materials, and the location and number of emergency call boxes. In all cases the vast majority of the staff who responded and felt they had adequate knowledge indicated that these health and safety issues were addressed adequately by the College. Respondents to the IES also exhibited a belief that the instructional labs and studios adequately provided for the health and safety of the students, faculty, and staff. Over 60 percent of the staff responding were aware that programs dealing with safety, security, and disaster planning were active at the College, and over 61 percent of the staff believed that adequate provisions are made for the health and safety of their work environment (Ref. 8.13).

The College Equipment Committee prioritizes the selection and replacement of equipment. The majority of the College's equipment expenditures are categorically funded and by definition exclude non-instructional equipment. Acquisitions and upgrades of equipment for both Maintenance and Grounds and Safety and Security are considered at the beginning of each fiscal year.

The District and Saddleback College have undertaken the task of upgrading and improving technological resources for the classroom, faculty, and staff. This project involved the installation of a campus-wide computer network, workstations, network servers, software, and technical support for the hardware and software. The District Technology Initiative budget was established at $6 million, with just over $1.5 million allocated exclusively for Saddleback College for hardware.

The Innovation and Technology Center maintains an inventory of audio visual and computer technology equipment. The District conducts a comprehensive annual inventory of existing equipment valued over $500.

Student response to the CCSEQ indicated that 67 percent believed that the condition of the College's equipment is satisfactory (Ref. 8.7). Faculty and staff response to the IES, however, indicated that security of equipment and replacement of equipment is a problem. Almost 50 percent of the staff responding to the survey felt that valuable equipment is not sufficiently secured (Ref. 8.14).

The IES also revealed that over 54 percent of the staff did not believe that there is a systematic process to replace equipment that supports the educational programs and services of the College (Ref. 8.15). The College employs a systematic process for equipment replacement, however, it is obvious from responses to the IES that faculty and staff were not aware of this process.

Because the College purchases most of its equipment with state instructional equipment funds restricted to instructional and limited student service use, the needs for non-instructional equipment have not been adequately addressed for several years. The District's inventory system is inaccurate, unwieldy, and is not a useful resource tool because of its limited reporting capabilities.

The District's Education and Facilities Master Planning process supports the institutional goals of Saddleback College. The original Educational and Facilities Master Plan was adopted by the SOCCCD Board of Trustees in May, 1996. A revised plan was the result of nine months of work by this District-wide committee. The Steering Committee solicited and received input from all shared governance units of both colleges. The Educational and Facilities Master Plan undergoes annual review by the Board of Trustees.

The Facilities Master Plan for Saddleback College is designed as a physical interpretation of the Educational Master Plan and guides future development. The identification of projected weekly student contact hours (WSCH) for a build-out of 28,000 students at Saddleback College was translated into space requirements, and through a series of steps, the Facilities Master Plan was developed. The final plan presents a campus model that will meet the needs of the maximum enrollment at the College.

Responses to the IES indicated that only 37 percent of the faculty and staff polled were aware that the District has undertaken and completed the task of developing an Educational and Facilities Master Plan which ensures that the College's present and future facilities needs are addressed (Ref. 8.16). The process and the updated plan need to be explained and more widely disseminated to the staff. The Educational and Facilities Master Plan itself is a valuable and necessary tool for making facility decisions.

The physical resource planning process would be improved by including more emphasis on safety and security issues.

A formalized and scheduled review of the plan should be established.

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