MOSES LAKE — Big Bend Community College students now have a remodeled – and more welcoming – space when they have questions about financial aid, registration and counseling.

The remodeled and revamped financial aid, registrar and counseling offices opened to employees during the winter break, and were ready when students returned for winter quarter.

Total project cost was about $650,000, said Linda Schoonmaker, BBCC vice president for finance and administration. The project was funded through the state capital fund for community colleges.

Construction took about six months, said registrar Ruth Coffin.

About 78 percent of BBCC students are the first generation in their family to attend college, said MariAnne Zavala-Lopez, head of BBCC’s counseling department. In light of that, it’s important to make the experience of registering, financial aid – and just getting questions answered – as simple and stress-free as possible, Zavala-Lopez said.

There was “a real effort to make it so that it’s welcoming,” Zavala-Lopez said. A wall was removed to open up the reception area and services were rearranged to make it more convenient for students.

Big Bend gets a lot of inquiries from prospective students who aren't familiar with the registration and financial aid process, Coffin said. The goal was to make it easier for students and prospective students to get all their questions answered in one place. “Our intention is to capture those students that otherwise might not even ask," Zavala-Lopez said.

The registrar and financial aid offices are now in one location, Coffin said. The academic counselors are on the other side of the hall, in their own office. Previously the counseling office shared space with financial aid officials.

“We spend a lot less time saying, ‘OK, fill out this form and take it across the hall,’” Coffin said.

“If students linger with questions, time is lost,” Zavala-Lopez said, and possibly motivation too.

Employees will receive some additional training so that they can answer a lot of the questions, or it they can’t, can direct students (or prospective students) to the right place. Students also can make appointments at the reception desk for most of the services offered. In addition, the reception area will have three information monitors with answers to some of the most frequently asked questions.