The communication disorders department has completed their move to Dorothy English Hall that began last fall because of the limited amount of space on campus for science facilities.
CLOSING THE DIVIDE
Along with the new Heritage Cafe and North Hall, the move to Dorothy English Hall is one of a few construction projects on campus. The change has helped communication disorders students and faculty in a big way, as the department is now together in a single location on campus, said Matt Rouse, professor and chair of the department of communication sciences and disorders.
“Part of our department was already here in this building [Dorothy English Hall], but there were two faculty members here, and then there were two in the Rood building, and then our clinic was over in Rood,” said Rouse. “So we were kind of divided between two buildings.”
The new facilities include five clinic rooms, classrooms, a speech lab, a clinic workroom and offices for communication disorders faculty members. Construction on the new facilities began over the summer and finished in the early fall of this school year, said Rouse.
INCREASED CONVENIENCE AND ACCESSIBILITY
For some time, the communication disorders department was spread out in two different buildings. The move has triggered a new sense of convenience and accessibility to have the department as a whole in the same location.
“I think the thing that we’re so happy about is to have everything brought together into one building. It’s really made a difference in terms of having all the faculty together,” Rouse said. “There’s just so many times when you have a question and you’re having a conversation with a colleague, and this [the new facilities] makes all that happen so much more easily.”
The alteration of the facilities and bringing everything into the Dorothy English Hall took some time and persuading of Biola administration, Rouse said. However, because communication disorders is such a fast growing major, the need for new facilities became crucial to meet the needs of students.
“It became apparent pretty quickly that communication disorders was growing too fast and we had preliminary plans for a masters program and we were going to need new facilities sooner,” said Walt Stangl, dean of sciences.
A RENEWED SENSE OF FELLOWSHIP
Along with the faculty, students feel pleased with the new facilities and the numerous opportunities it offers.
“It’s definitely a really unique resource because I know a lot of other communication disorders majors at other schools don’t offer clinic to undergrads,” said Mary Logan, junior communication disorders major.
Because the new location now houses all of the clinic rooms and professors’ offices, a new sense of fellowship has developed for the whole department.
“It really just builds community among students and professors, because say I’m an incoming student. If our department is everywhere that’s not very helpful. But to have our department together, it helps students and professors to bounce ideas off each other,” said Christina Huang, freshman communication disorders major.
Students are also pleased that the new facilities can better treat their patients.
“I think that it will benefit the community by having it just be clear on where you are supposed to be, and there’s a lot of helpful people in there and everybody dresses professionally and it’s just a really healthy and seemingly safe environment for clients regardless of their age,” said Zoe Lewis, freshman communication disorders major.
