EDITORIAL: A Bold Step

University President JudithUniversity President JudithRodin and Provost StanleyUniversity President JudithRodin and Provost StanleyChodorow have demonstratedUniversity President JudithRodin and Provost StanleyChodorow have demonstratedremarkable leadership andUniversity President JudithRodin and Provost StanleyChodorow have demonstratedremarkable leadership andvision in their decision to scrapUniversity President JudithRodin and Provost StanleyChodorow have demonstratedremarkable leadership andvision in their decision to scrapRevlon and replace it with theUniversity President JudithRodin and Provost StanleyChodorow have demonstratedremarkable leadership andvision in their decision to scrapRevlon and replace it with thePerelman Quadrangle.University President JudithRodin and Provost StanleyChodorow have demonstratedremarkable leadership andvision in their decision to scrapRevlon and replace it with thePerelman Quadrangle._________________________________ With nearly as much space as the original plans for Revlon, the Perelman Quad is an architectural masterpiece drawn up by the designers responsible for the restoration of the Furness Building. Admittedly, the Perelman Quad is hard to visualize, but its benefits are immeasurable. In addition to Williams Hall, the Perelman Quad makes use of three of the most historic buildings on campus -- Houston Hall, Logan Hall and Irvine Auditorium -- to provide expanded meeting rooms, performing arts space, study lounges, eating areas and game rooms for students. The plan promises to restore buildings which, as of now, are either underutilized or in states of disrepair. It will be accessible to students, cost-effective, and most important, safe. In discussing the project, Judith Rodin made the daring admission that the top priority in facility planning must remain focused on central campus. She put into action her vision for the 21st Century education initiative, and in doing so gave undergraduates a hub for their intellectual and social activities. In essence, she took it upon herself to make sure the idea of a student center would become reality. Rodin's admission also makes painfully clear that the University's plans to move northward were misguided. What former President Sheldon Hackney envisioned as a new campus center at 36th and Walnut streets, she sees as a logistical disaster in the making. The center of campus is Locust Walk, not Walnut Street, and the Perelman Quadrangle plans prove Rodin recognizes this. Rodin's acknowledgment that the University can't spread itself too thin shows clear and logical thinking necessary in a president leading our school. This incident also highlights the ineptitude of Hackney, former Trustee's Chairperson Alvin Shoemaker and those who served as cheerleaders for the original Revlon plan. The Revlon plan was not simply delayed, but mismanaged beyond repair. With so much money on the line, the poor leadership displayed under Hackney no doubt will raise questions and skepticism over the Perelman Quad plans. We understand the student body's frustration. We too will not see the completion of the new student center in our days at the University. But that is no reason to belittle the tremendous potential this new project holds in store for incoming classes. We fully support Rodin and Chodorow's decision in this endeavor.