Page 4 - coc1973yearbook

1973 The Year of

This was a year of great expectations and comparable realizations for
College of the Canyons. It was a fateful year of decision. COC was a wanted
baby m 1967 when residents of this area voted overwhelmmgly for their
own commumty college. This college was launched so speedily m 1970 that
1t was called an "mstant campus"

But the college stopped growmg at adolescence, one might say It
remamed immature, architecturally speakmg, with a motif students
described as ''early Stalag 13" (brown, relocatable, one-story structures as
classrooms) COC also suffered from academic frustration for lack of grow
mg room

What this young mstltution sorely needed was a permanent home large
enough to provide for a steadily mcreasmg enrollment and to serve as a
cultural and recreational center for the entire commumty In November,
1972, state voters authorized a $160 million commumty college construc-
tion act with $11.2 million as COC's share - provided this district came
up with about $2.5 million m matchmg funds As Dr Robert C. Rockwell,
supermtendent-pres1dent, put 1t, ''It's a tremendous bargam."

The Board of. Trustees authorized an $8 million bond issue (to meet
matchmg funds and pay for other construction the state could not pay for)
and COC and the commumty galvamzed mto action. The bond election,
wluch reqmred a formidable two-thirds maJority, was set for Feb. 6, 1973

Elisha AgaJaman, Santa Clarita National Bank board chairman, and
Blake V Blakey, Newhall manager of the Anawalt Lumber & Materials Co.,
headed a group of 40 commumty leaders who orgamzed a Citizens' Com-
mittee to Complete College of the Canyons Staff and faculty members con
ducted numerous neighborhood meetmgs and spoke (on their own off These statistics so defied the
school time) at many rallies A student committee registered voters not only trend and were so newsworthy that
on this campus but at other schools as well, and on election day provided the Los Angeles Times was moved
transportation to the polls. Campus rallies also were held. to write a special feature on the
campaign. In addition, Dr Rock
The student newspaper, THE CANYON CALL, published a special elec- well received numerous calls from
tion edition that was distributed to more than 18,000 residents as well as to other college admm1strators facmg
the student body Robert Berson, assistant superintendent, busmess ser- similar elections. The question all
vices, coordmated the various efforts. asked was, ''How did you do 1t ?"

The result of this extraordmary activity was extraordmary victory Almost In assessmg the election, Dr
80 per cent of the voters marked '\YES" on the ballot. The final tally was Rockwell said. "It represents com-
3,618 to 922, with all 28 precmcts approvmg. mumty endorsement of our college

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