Students hastily going from class to class may not realize they are witnessing the evolution of Contra Costa College, but despite ignorance are no less guilty of stressing the change.

Without students, why spend $52 million to build the Campus Center the first step in the campus modernization project?

Or why schedule weekly meetings to discuss the second phase of the project? Which will renovate the Gym Annex/ Pool Complex.

These efforts are to provide future CCC students a better opportunity to succeed in their educational goals.

In the meantime, we have been fortunate enough to have educators and leaders at CCC from all disciplines and walks of life, community members who are aware of the concerns of the student body and have responded to their needs in a time when resources are limited.

CCC’s Dean of Student Service Office was gutted and transformed into a fully operational Welcome/Transfer Center. It’s been packed since it opened.

The newly installed Gym Annex lift provides safe and easy access to the second floor for students and community members with mobility issues, simultaneously bringing the building into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

The addition of English courses provide a wider array of transfer options.

The overarching theme is to make the campus a more up-to-date and inviting environment with a breadth of curriculum that will attract a wider range of students from beyond its local K-12.

On the list of accommodations, a student lounge is being installed in the old CCC television station, on the bottom floor of the Applied Arts Building because the fireside room in the now demolished Student Activities Building no longer exists.

The campus looks to provide a space for Middle College High School and college students to find an escape from the hustle and bustle of college life while ongoing construction has limited hang out spots.

Even the campus club scene has experienced a resurgence of life.

The Associated Student Union is bolstering its presence and gave CCC students free gift bags and water bottles, while also donating funds to the Athletic Department to hire a third party to stream select Comet home athletic events for students, their families to view online.

For students who are concerned with the college’s carbon footprint, a new designated carpool parking lot is available to curb some of the costs associated with commuting to the college, courtesy of the Sustainability Committee.

All of these components finally coming into fruition are needs, renovations and services that make the college a better place for its students.

We, the students, get what we ask for, so let’s keep asking.