Rodin 'chats' with students over coffee

Chats was packed with students sipping steaming cups of coffee and nibbling on pizza Monday night, as University President Judith Rodin gave students the opportunity to learn more about where she stands on crucial University issues. Upon her arrival, Rodin quickly strode to the middle of the room, where she picked up a microphone and paused briefly before greeting the overflowing crowd of roughly 200. "Tonight I'll answer what I think I can, and deflect what I don't want to deal with," Rodin told the crowd, setting the tone for her "town meeting" before addressing participants for several minutes. In a prepared statement, she commented on the 21st century plan for undergraduate education and the Perelman Quadrangle. Rodin also addressed an issue of particular concern to many students in attendance. "We are concerned with you about the recent rash of crime on campus -- actually off campus," she said. "We're hoping we can put our finger on this very quickly." Rodin also expressed her excitement about the University's rising national reputation. "I think we're hot," she said, citing the record number of applications received this year. "I think we're on a roll." Ending her prepared comments on a high note, Rodin invited students to ask her questions and searched the room for several moments before a student posed the first question. Rodin spent the next hour responding to student queries on a variety of broad issues ranging from security and minority affairs to more specific questions testing her knowledge of the University's inner workings. Undergraduate Assembly Treasurer Steve Schorr, a College sophomore, questioned the administration's decision to renovate four buildings in order to create a new student center, when Columbia University is planning to rebuild its own student union for a comparable cost. "[Columbia's] Ferris-Booth Hall is about the ugliest building in the world," Rodin said, surprising the crowd with her response. "I think you'll like ours better." Another student asked Rodin about her position on the University's Reserved Officer Training Corps policy. She refused to give her opinion on the issue, blaming the administration's inaction on the government's bureaucracy "which is even worse than a university's," she quipped. Students also grilled Rodin about security issues. At one point, she responded by listing a number of steps she said University Police have recently taken to improve their performance. She said the University was considering improving lighting levels around campus as well as placing electronic security features in University buildings. Rodin also professed her trust in Tom Seamon, managing director of Public Safety, explaining that she brought him to the University to develop long-range methods to improve security. In response to a question about campus social life, Rodin said she was not an opponent of the Greek system. "There is absolutely no intent of this administration to kill Greek life," she said. "You're not looking at an enemy base." Most students in attendance said they were happy that Rodin held the meeting, adding that they hoped she would meet with students more in the future. "I don't think the sessions get a great deal done," College junior Tim Durkin said. "But they let students know she's definitely out there listening to what we have to say."