News

Nikalas Kryzanowski, News Editor and Monica Carino, Associate News Editor

news @theotherpress.ca

 

 

Premier Campbell inaugurates new health
sciences centre at Coquitlam campus

Nikalas
Kryzanowski

news editor

 

 

A bit of rain couldn’t dampen the
spirits of onlookers and well wishers as
the new Douglas College Health Science
Centre was officially inaugurated in
a ceremony attended by BC Premier
Gordon Campbell, Coquitlam Mayor
Maxine Wilson and College president
Susan Witter.

Premier Campbell suggested that
the 9720 square metre facility is a step
forward for British Columbians.

“It is not just the government but the
taxpayers who make projects like this
possible. Today we celebrate a new tool
to deal with the challenges of the future,”

equivalent of 1,500 full-time students
to the campus. The facility will be used
mainly for health sciences but Campbell
suggested that some of the high-tech
classrooms will be open to students of
other faculties as well.

Coquitlam mayor Maxine
Wilson emphasized the importance of
partnerships between government and the
community and Andrew Taylor, current
Chair of the Douglas College Board, said
that residents of the Lower Mainland
and Coquitlam especially, “now have
greater access to education in their own
backyard.”

The speeches concluded with a
procession from the campus atrium to the
Health Science Centre, complete with
traditional Scottish bag-piping. Dressed
in full tartan apparel, the march was led
by Douglas College facilities director
Terry Leonard, a man who played a
major role in overseeing the construction
of the new building. At the facility there
was a demonstration of a Human Patient
Simulator and refreshments.

 

 

\ Douglas
College

 

he said. The new $40 million facility is touted
The construction and renovations as one of the most advanced health care
have created enough space to add the _ training centres in the country.

New building seeks to attract
students with state-of-the-art technology

By Matthew Steinbach, Associate News Editor

 

  

 

numbers as the college administration struggles to various new programs, and prominent community
Dg formal conclusion of a multi-million recruit more students. The college has also been seeking events such as open houses help drive up interest.
expansion of the Coquitlam-based David Lam anincrease in long-term government funding to support
campus saw Douglas College hold an open house on
May 1. Almost all of the David Lam programs, from
the accounting to youth justice, were showcased.
It was the campus’ new Health Sciences Building
that was the most prominently displayed, however.
The new building is state of the art and
houses some of the best technology in all of Canada
for health science. What grabbed the most attention
were the program’s expensive new _ simulation
robots that are able to talk, breathe, and bleed, as
well as a variety of other human-like behaviors.
The machines will prove invaluable in teaching
real life situations to health science students.
Other programs were also keen to show what
they had to offer. A large “education fair” dominated the
campus, offering a wide variety of interactive activities
for guests. The represented an effort by the college
to showcase recent innovations and improvements
to the college’s programs, as well as highlighting
the school’s commitment to providing appropriate,
modern equipment and aid to help students succeed.
This event was moderately well attended by
students, prospective students, and community partners.
Other highlights included music by Douglas College
music students in the atrium, tours of the new and
current facilities, and presentations by faculty members.
In a time of lower enrollments, the open house
was an obvious attempt to help curtail falling enrollment

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