IIF Building - myth versus fact

In the course of this semester I have noticed

that students have been misinformed about the Integrated Instructional Facility (IIF) that the university wants to build on campus. There are certain myths about this facility that I want to clear up.

MYTH #1.

This facility will only benefit freshman.

FACT. The IIF Building will provide an integrated approach to education for all students. Students will fulfill their general education requirements, see an instructor or an academic advisor, access a computer, receive assistance from a tutor, and seek other support services in the same space.

As the student director of the Advising Center for Exploratory Students (ACES), I see the need for this building because it will personalize and provide one-on-one attention to all students.

Students will no longer feel like a number at the university. All future students will have a place where they can get the academic help they need.

As a senior who has worked with students for three years, I am able to agree with the consensus that academic and student services are difficult to access due to scattered locations across campus.

The IIF Building will eliminate this unnecessary inconvenience and eradicate confusion and frustration that students face at times during their college careers.

The Integrated Instructional Facility will serve students by providing a one-stop shop.If students have a question they need answered, they will know where to go to find that answer.

The Integrated Instructional Facility will be known on campus as the central information service building. Students who are trying to find a major will come to this building; those who need that extra help in their classes will find tutors at the IIF to a ssist them; and students who are worried about class scheduling problems or are unsure of specific general education requirements will come to this building for advising.

The IIF's large computer center will provide the ability to access a computer without the current frustrations of waiting lists and reserved hours. The IIF will help freshmen with college transitions while helping non-traditional students get back into th e college mode.

It is also important to note that this building will provide jobs and experience to student tutors and student peer advisors. In short, the IIF is a building that consolidates a variety of services that are paramount to the educational development of all students.

MYTH #2.

Construction of the IIF Building will interfere with the renovation process of the Student Union.

FACT. On May 30 the Arizona Board of Regents will come to the U of A and tour the Student Union. They will also discuss renovation plans for the Union.

Remodeling of the Student Union and construction of the IIF Building are two separate issues; they should not be confused or intertwined.

The main objective of the IIF Building is to promote student success. The Student Union is a food service building. While Student Union renovation efforts continue to be slow and costly, these efforts should not prohibit the IIF from being built.

If the University of Arizona wants to maintain its status as an "ivy league opportunity at a public university price tag: a state institution which offers research experience, exposure to top-ranked professors, over 100 majors, and a full range of support services," (University of Arizona Guide 1996, p. 3) it must include integrated service programs that contribute to student development. The IIF Building will be beneficial to present students and will attract prospective students to the U of A.

MYTH #3.

Present students do not support the construction of the IIF Building.

FACT. Students have signed a petition, written letters, and voiced their opinions to the Arizona Board of Regents in favor of the building.

I question the Associated Students of the University of Arizona study that was presented in the Daily Wildcat on April 25, which stated that 88 percent of the student body is not in support of the IIF Building. I question how this research was conducted. How large was the sample size? What students were targeted? How were these students selected? What questions were asked when conducting the study? What were the researchers trying to get at? What was their hypothesis? Were the research questions manipulat ed to get the results that ASUA wanted (experimenter bias)? Students need to know the answers to these questions before they can believe that this study is accurate. Speaking to those who were surveyed, I believe this study to be flawed and to contain an experimenter bias.

In conclusion, I believe there are students who support the construction of the Integrated Instructional Facility. Due to my varied interaction at the U of A, I strongly support such a facility. I believe this building will become the heart and soul of th e future of the University of Arizona.

I urge other students and alumni to support this student service.

Please write to the Arizona Board of Regents: 2020 N. Central, Phoenix, AZ 85004 or call (602)229-2500 or(520)621-4833.

Melanie Freedman is a family studies senior and the student director of the Advising Center for Exploratory Students.