Anvil Office Tower officially hosts Douglas College classes
By Katie Czenczek, News Editor
Finally, the Anvil Office Tower expansion is here for Douglas College students studying accounting, business, and finance.
The Anvil Office Tower was expected to open during the first week of classes this semester but was pushed to September 10 due to construction. Only two blocks away from Douglas College’s New Westminster campus, students have four floors dedicated to their studies. Each floor features an open-concept seating area and classrooms, amounting to 21 classrooms total. The newly-opened location is expected to accommodate over 1,600 more students, which according to a press release is much-needed for the College, whose growth has increased by 17 percent over the past 10 years.
In the same press release Melanie Mark, Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Training, said that “almost 80 percent of job openings in the next 10 years will require post-secondary education, and we expect over half a million openings in the mainland and southwest region of BC alone. This space increases access to post-secondary education and helps students get the quality education needed to graduate and thrive in our growing economy.”
As it currently stands, 24,000 students are educated at Douglas College yearly. These students are able to have the most choice in their education compared to other BC colleges because the school has the largest number of degree and post-degree programs.
The lease agreement for the Anvil Office Tower will cost Douglas College $8.9 million over 10 years. According to the same press release, “The cost of the lease is being covered by the College’s budget surplus and from revenue generated by its programs.”
The floors dedicated to the College are levels six to nine and feature wide windows overlooking the Fraser River. In an interview with the Other Press, Jasmine Jennens, a second-year Criminology student at Douglas College, said that she loved the expansion but wished that it wasn’t just finance and business courses offered at the new facility.
“I really like it. It’s a much nicer environment with the water and the windows,” she said. “The other campuses are so closed-in and outdated. My only suggestion is to add classes from other programs in here—like Criminology.”
Another student at Douglas College who’s currently studying Business Administration, Jeffrey Banggayan, said in the press release that what he particularly enjoys about the new campus space are the sitting areas.
“The Douglas College Anvil Office Tower has added a lot of student-focused study and collaboration space, which is great,” Banggayan said. “I really appreciate having such accessible and modern facilities at my fingertips for the remainder of my program.”
