As the hectic fall semester winds down, many students and staff have put spring plans in the back of their minds. However, the Associated Students of Diablo Valley College and the DVC Council have plans for potentially big changes in the spring semester.

Since the Basement Cafe in the Student Union Building has closed down, the popular eatery has remained vacant. Last Tuesday a proposal to renovate the empty space into a multicultural center, or MCC, was announced by Diversity Affairs Officer Lily Yi. According to the committee’s mission statement, the goal of the MCC is to, “promote core values, with an emphasis on social justice and cross cultural empathy and solidarity.”

The MCC would feature a small library, a student art gallery and a movable stage to serve as a platform for speakers, open mic time and other events. The MCC would also serve as a venue for clubs and students to mingle and study.

Additionally, provisions for a gender neutral bathroom would be included to create a more inclusive environment. The unisex bathrooms, which were originally proposed by ASDVC equity committee member Crystal Bedford, have been long awaited for those in the LGBT community.

“The addition of a unisex bathroom in the MCC has garnered a lot of support in the LGBT community from groups that represent minority voices like the Spectrum Caucus,” Bedford explained. “It’s something that a lot of the students have wanted for a while.”

No dates have been set for approval of the project yet, but the the MCC could potentially open as early as the beginning of the spring semester.

In addition to the proposals made by the ASDVC, the DVC Council is looking to improve campus facilities as well. As part of the Actionable Improvement Plan of the DVC Strategic Plan, provision III.C.1, will relook at the way in which devices like computers and projectors are replaced and upgraded in classrooms. Ted Wieden, the Senior Dean of Curriculum and Instruction at DVC, talked about the ongoing need to streamline the process of technology replacement on campus.

“We have some projectors as old as 1997 that are looking at being upgraded,” he explained. “Currently we’ve been taking requests for infrastructure upgrades and computer replacements in program reviews. But with our new strategy plan, we would no longer need that requirement.”

Students like geology major Bradley Silva, 22, were surprised to hear that there would be additional upgrades. “I heard that the Advanced Technology Center’s computers had recently upgraded. But I didn’t realize there would be more upgrades.”

The plan is scheduled for review in January by DVC President Peter Garcia. If approved, students and staff can expect to see an increase in campus technology upgrades throughout the next semester. For more information on the Actionable Improvement Plans, visit DVC’s accreditation and governance page at www.dvc.edu.