October 1, 2021 | NEWS | By Will Funk | Photo courtesy of Colorado College
Last week, the Colorado College and Colorado Springs community came together to cut the ribbon in front of the new Ed Robson Arena, officially marking the near-completion of the college’s 3,400-seat hockey venue, worth an estimated $52 million.
The arena takes its name from one of the project’s most gracious benefactors, Ed Robson ‘54. Robson played hockey at CC before founding his own business, Robson Communities Inc., which has designed retirement communities in Arizona and Texas since the early ‘70s.
Standing alongside Robson at the ceremony was President L. Song Richardson, Board of Trustees Chair Jeff Keller ‘91, and Barbara Neely Yalich ‘53, whose name is displayed on the other side of the facility. Collectively known as the Mike and Barbara Yalich Student Services Center, the part of the facility houses the new mailroom, Health and Wellness Resource Center, and bookstore.
Barbara and the late Mike Yalich ’50 have both been active alumni in the Colorado College community. Barbara Yalich is best known for having devoted her life to service, as the first executive director of the Health Association of the Pikes Peak Region and later, as the executive director of the El Paso County Mental Health Association.
The Catalyst reached out to faculty members at the facilities in the Yalich Student Services Center to get an idea of what the move has entailed for staff members and what’s in store for students looking to access these new facilities.
Anna Thompson, M.P.H., the Sexual Response Coordinator who is currently working in the new Health and Wellness Resource Center, spoke to some of the benefits and drawbacks of the new space.
“I’d say the positives are that my office is in a more private and confidential location,” Thompson said. “It was in Worner before, which has a lot of hustle and bustle going on so I’m hoping this new location makes it a little more comfortable for people to come who are seeking support. Being the new nice space, I’m hoping people will come and enjoy what’s here.”
The new Wellness Resource Center is accessible from Tejon between the bookstore and the mailroom, not through the main doors of the arena.
“The main drawback is that people think this is far away compared to Worner,” Thompson said. Although the entrance might be far, Thompson hopes that this more concealed entrance will allow students to feel comfortable, even on hockey game nights.
April Scriven, the Mail Services Supervisor, spoke about some of the new features that the mailroom will contain and what students should do to gain access to them.
“We have package lockers now. [Students] have 24 hours to access their package lockers. After that 24 hours, the packages will be moved to the mailroom,” Scriven said. “The lobby (where the lockers are located) will be accessible from 8am to 8:30 p.m., seven days a week. Once the package arrives at the locker, the locker can be accessed through a touchscreen at the front of the lockers.”
Jessica Kolke, the Bookstore Manager, spoke to some of the exciting features of the new location.
“We’re super excited about having a storefront location and having more visibility to the students and to the public instead of the basement,” Kolke said. “It’s a little bit smaller so we’re going to encourage students to use the online option for ordering and picking up books but we’re really excited and have received a lot of great feedback from students so far.”
With the 2021-2022 hockey season underway, CC will host the Air Force Academy for an exhibition game on Oct. 2 at 6 p.m.