U. administration responds to IAST concerns

The University is continuing with plans to develop and build the Institute of Advanced Science and Technology, despite concerns from students and alumni who feel numerous campus buildings are at risk. Although plans only call for the destruction of Smith Hall, some feel that other buildings -- including ones with historical value -- could be affected. But according to Vice Provost for Research Barry Cooperman, such concerns are unfounded. Some students have also suggested that the historical and environmental problems involved with the construction of the IAST may be more serious than administrators have admitted. The Environmental Impact Statement released last month advocates the destruction of Smith Hall to make room for the IAST, a project that has been discussed by the University and the U.S. Air Force for over four years. But 1993 College graduate Jonathan Goldstein said because no blueprints have been released for the renovation of the Music and Morgan buildings, as well as Hayden Hall, they could be adversely affected by the move. In the long run, Goldstein added, those buildings could be demolished as well. Cooperman denied this claim, saying the "only building scheduled for demolition is Smith Hall." But according to Goldstein, even if Smith Hall is the only building destroyed, the entire campus area is still affected. "If you destroy Smith, you are changing everything," Goldstein said, adding that other buildings, such as Irvine Auditorium, the Fisher Fine Arts Library, College Hall and Meyerson Hall, would be "encroached on" by tearing down Smith Hall. "My concern is that once again the University is running roughshod over its historic heritage," he said. "You don't go blowing up a bunch of old buildings because you need the space." Other students voiced similar sentiments, saying that the University's distinctive architectural style would not be preserved with the IAST's construction. "The new administration, in its plans for reforming undergraduate education, has been touting the institutional distinctiveness of Penn," College senior John Leibovitz said. "I think it would be a shame to ignore the architectural distinctiveness of Penn by going through with that plan." Cooperman said only the Morgan and Music buildings, along with Hayden Hall, are slated for renovations. And even with these changes to Smith Walk, the area will maintain its historical integrity, he added. "Every attempt is going to be made to preserve the area," he said. "Building a new building does change things but we will make the new building harmonize with what's there." Cooperman said the IAST construction will create a juxtaposition of new styles with old. "A new building today will one day become an old building," he said. "It'll be an example of late-20th century architecture." Another concern involves the new building's focus on research which may create even more hazardous waste, Goldstein said. But Cooperman said the IAST will house activities and research similar to those done in the other science buildings on campus. And he added that the University has a system to ensure proper waste removal. Goldstein and Leibovitz both said they wished the administrators involved in the decision had looked more carefully into other possible IAST sites, such as the parking lot of the Laboratory for Research on the Structure of Matter located at 33rd and Walnut Streets. In addition, Goldstein said the parking lot at 36th and Walnut streets -- the former Revlon Center site -- provides another option worth considering. But Cooperman said such alternatives were discussed thoroughly and abandoned for a variety of reasons.