Inuvik (Sep 29/03) - The new $12 million Aurora College campus building is well on its way to completion.

Aurora College Inuvik campus director Miki O'Kane is thrilled to see the steel structure rising out of the old Grollier Hall site in Inuvik.

"It's designed to be a college first instead of a left-over from the army," said O'Kane.

"It's a good thing for staff and a great thing for the student body," said Anne Marie Picek, who has been the Aurora campus registrar since 1993.

Right now the campus' administrative services, classrooms and single student residences are located in the former army barracks. The rooms are small and cramped, said O'Kane.

"The other building is so old. It is way past its life."

The new building is all about looking to the future. The outer walls are designed for future expansion and the site still has plenty of room around it for more buildings.

The 2,000 square metres of space is spread over two floors. There will be four large classrooms or six small classrooms divided by folding doors, a science room, two fully-equipped computer labs, new administrative offices and a bright entry way. Right now the school operates out of two classrooms and two "cubby" holes, said O'Kane.

"There's no comparison," she said. "The present facility was designed for army barracks and every room has a bathroom."

Picek agrees, although the office she'll be moving into is smaller than the one she now has.

"I'm disappointed it's not the original plan but it will be fresh and new," said Picek.

There will be lots of new furnishings, big windows and an in-house library. Right now the only library available to students is at the Aurora Research Institute.

"It's designed for future expansion and it will be aesthetically pleasing," said O'Kane.

There's also a large traditional arts room with folding doors that open out into the main reception area for large gatherings.

The Inuvik campus serves more than 100 students from all over the NWT, Nunavut and Canada. Some courses, like the Recreational Leaders program are only offered at the Inuvik campus, said O'Kane.

Although the campus will still be spread around town, O'Kane hopes to have everything on one campus in the future.

The original sod-turning was in June 2002 and the facility was supposed to open this month. Funding and contract problems delayed the construction, putting the new opening date at next August. A few things were also cut out of the original plans including the adjacent single student residences.

After the main campus building is completed, O'Kane hopes to start the plans for the student residence.

The more than 30 students presently living in the single student residence rooms at the old campus building will be loosing their homes with the demolition of the old building.

So the school will be renovating a few of the 28 family housing units presently located off campus to accommodate the single students.

It was too early for students to make a comment about a building they haven't seen the blueprints for.

But residents are being encouraged to get to know one another so they can pick two other roommates to live with in the renovated homes next year, said Emsley Nasogaluak, a student who lives in the single accommodations.

Nasogaluak, originally from Tuktoyaktuk, is upgrading this year before taking the helicopter engineering course offered through the college.

He doesn't have any complaints about the present building.

For him the teachers are what make the school.

"The teachers are great. I like how we get treated as an adult," he said comparing his post-secondary experiences with this high school ones.

O'Kane hopes the shared accommodations will be a temporary solution.

"I see this as phase one of many future plans," she said.

Plans for a new student residence complex beside the new main building is in the works. All that is needed is some extra funding -- between $2 and $3 million.