STUDENT HUB TO BE ONE-STOP-SHOP FOR REGISTRATION

An ambitious undertaking is happening at the main Gresham campus to help students register, get financial aid, and accomplish all the tasks required from individuals when they want to become students at Mt. Hood Community College.

The goal: Streamline and simplify the often-confusing process.

Currently, the first stop for prospective students is the Orientation Center. Staff in the center assist students with the steps needed to become a student at the college. Then, the individual is usually directed to the Business Office.

Depending on what the student is hoping to study at the college, staff there may send the individual to Advising or to another area of the college in order for that individual to get all the documents to be fully registered as a student.

Plenty of lines in various departments and a proverbial treasure hunt for documents and financial records can wear a student down well into the first few weeks of the term, when courses are well under way.

To change that, various MHCC advisers, financial aid staff, faculty members, and other employees have explored this problem and are working on a solution to smooth out the registration process.

A proposed student hub is a popular solution, most likely to be centered in the Business Office location.

“It’s kind of symbolic in a way because it’s physical, it involves moving parts,” said Matthew Farina, Title III director of retention for MHCC. “We’re getting students and staff to collaborate and to really get buy-in as we go.”

Currently, the team involved with putting together the student hub is working on a prototype, based on various models. “It doesn’t need to be perfect, at the get-go,” said Farina.

The purpose is to have a single, clearly identified area where potential students can get all information required in order to take classes at MHCC. “From a student’s standpoint, all they need to know is, ‘You get to the hub, we’re going to take care of you.’ That’s the goal behind it,” said Farina.

In order for the project to work, the group needs to be mindful of its budget, which is not huge.

“We don’t have the money right now to knock down walls, we really can’t do any major upgrades,” said Farina. “We could move furniture, we could really change the flow of things – there’s a lot you can do with some basic stuff.”

Before agreeing that the Business Office is the best place for the hub, the group evaluated multiple options. The Bookstore and the Sol Center underneath the Student Union were a couple of them.

The Bookstore was dismissed because the cost involved with making that change “was just astronomical; plus, where would the Bookstore go?” said Farina. The Sol Center didn’t work out mainly because of ADA compliance, and the fact that it sits in the basement. “It’s like, why are we putting students in the basement? That’s not what we’re trying to do here,” he said.

The Business Office is already the first place students usually go to when looking to apply to MHCC. “Most of the services are already there anyway,” said Farina. “All the infrastructure’s there: wiring, computer ports, electricity, all the signage is already there.” And, the area is easily accessible for those who need ADA accommodation.

Farina and other leaders are working through organizational and logistics hurdles. If all goes well, students can expect to see the hub taking shape when they arrive on campus at the end of this summer.