President Contreras speaking in the courtyard of the Liberal Arts Building

 

Ahead of its scheduled demolition in August, the SBVC campus paid tribute to the Liberal Arts Building on March 26, celebrating its 55 years as a hub of learning, community and creativity.

The building has served generations of students since opening in 1970, and during his remarks, SBVC President Dr. Gilbert Contreras shared that visitors can "really feel a sense of the 1970s with the courtyard and in areas where the offices are located. It's so important to understand the psychology of space: how space creates community, how space can advance learning, and how space can help advance what we stand for at SBVC."

Students, alumni, and current and former professors came out in force to bid farewell to the building, with many using markers to write messages and sign their names on the walls. They also had a chance to take a sneak peek at the new Liberal Arts Building, putting on headsets and taking a virtual reality walkthrough developed by SBVC's Marketing Department.

The Liberal Arts Building was not just for academics. For 11 years, it was also home to the Dreamers Resource Center (DRC) and its iconic butterfly mural. "This center and the L.A. building has very much been the home for all undocumented students," DRC Counselor Evelyn Ruiz said to IE Community News. "It's a space that has become a hope, an opportunity, a place where students have found not just resources but community, empowerment, and resilience."