Confusion over the names of buildings is common for students and even faculty at the Liberal Arts Campus of Long Beach City College.
Buildings on campus are each given letters from A to Z, but their layout on campus does not follow alphabetical order.
There needs to be some improvement. Not only is it an issue to have to look up a map anytime you want to go anywhere, but in case of emergencies, students and especially faculty need to be able to identify buildings quickly.
The first way to improve this would be to change the way they are named as a whole. Letters are generally very forgettable and don’t stand out in people’s minds.
This change has issues however, since there are many buildings at the Liberal Arts Campus and coming up with names for all of those could be difficult.
Another way to improve the names could be to name them very literal names such as the “English Building,” or “Student Services Building.”
Another solution could be to show off the buildings’ names more prominently by locating them in significant spots inside the buildings as well.
A solution to the issue that would not require any name change at all would be to individualize buildings by adding art or painting them different colors to better differentiate between buildings.
Long Beach City College also has to take in consideration people with visual impairment as well since they could very easily mistake a letter they thought they saw with a different building on the opposite side of campus.
The only reliable way to know where everything on campus is would be the digital map on their website, however this could prove an issue for someone with bad service or a dead phone.
While these are afflictions and situations that may not apply to the majority of students, Long Beach City College should be a place that is accessible for everyone and considers the needs of its students.
By changing the names of buildings or at least installing more prominent signage, Long Beach City College can not only make their campus more safe in an emergency, but also more accessible for visually impaired or otherwise disabled students.