By Diego Olivares
The E3 building officially opened Jan. 5 for winter classes. Students attending classes this semester will be introduced to resources now offered.
It’s been a long process in the making of E3. Work on the E3 building dates back to the early 2010s.
The original E3 building was demolished back in 2012 along with the E5 building. These buildings were built after World War II.
Construction on the E3 building took place from 2014-2016.
The general contractor Pinner Construction Company is also responsible for the hiring of the sub-contractors who aided in the building’s construction.
While the building is open, final construction work is still taking place.
One major facility that is still under work is the air conditioning. Since air conditioning isn’t available, classroom doors remain opened.
In all five floors there are plenty of tables where students can study or relax while waiting for their class to start.
Having these tables benefits student because in other buildings students usually have to sit on the floor until their next class starts.
Pathways around the building were blocked for months due to construction. This made it difficult for students and teachers to get around.
Part of the reason for the on-going construction work is due to new adjustments.
While the building is near-completion, there are still problems occurring. “There are still kinks in the building,” office assistant Heather Lam said. “The elevator gets stuck sometimes.”
E3 houses classes and offices for departments such as language arts and communication.
One of the many additions to the building, as well as to ELAC, is the Modern Language Lab.
The Modern Language Lab offers aid to students who are part of the English as a Second Language program.
The lab includes tutoring and free workshops for students on the first floor in room 170.
“I like the building. It gives us more places to study,” tutor Brenda Salazar said. “More space for students. A lot of students don’t know about the resources.”
With the new space, many learning centers are being moved to the E3 building. This includes the Learning Center that was formerly in the E7 Technology building.
Other classes now located in E3 including Communication and Chicano Studies. Honors is also located at E3 as well.
There are also other classes offered in this building such as mathamatics classes.
The Writing Center has also moved from its original location in K-5 to the E3 building.
There are more computers at this new location, which benefit students.
In addition to E3, several other buildings are in the process of being completed.
The Campus Student Center, located next to the library and northeast of the E3 building, is also under construction.