NEWS ANALYSIS: Seeing double: Facilities plans may overlap

Rodin offered her vision before the consultant firm she hired had made its recommendations. When University President Judith Rodin announced a series of proposals for campus facilities Wednesday, she offered her vision of the direction campus planning should take. But this summer, the administration hired independent consultants to recommend future residential changes. Since some of Rodin's announcements covered residences, administrators may end up with two designs for campus redevelopment by the end of the year -- possibly forcing them to make another series of decisions at that time. The consulting firm of Biddison Hier has been working to survey campus residential facilities this fall. All changes in the newly formed Department of Housing and Residence Life have been put on hold until the firm releases its final report in April. When the firm's preliminary report comes out in January, administrators say they hope to use it to re-envision the current dorm system. "Our recommendations will deal both with physical problems of facilities on campus and the modernization of those facilities, so they will be attractive for the next 20 years," consultant Gail Hier said. But Rodin's outline for a campus master plan already includes sweeping changes to residential facilities. Among these changes are potential plans to build new dormitories on the north edge of campus. Renovations may target the graduate towers, the Quadrangle and Stouffer residences, Rodin said. And the demolition of current residences like the high rises is a further possibility, she added on Wednesday. Rodin also included a residential evaluation in her presentation, labeling Stouffer "a mess" and Superblock "a real missed opportunity for this University." She called many of the facilities outdated, since they weren't built to support modern technology. And she added that the organization of residential programs needs to be revised, to shift away from an in loco parentis structure where the University keeps a close eye on student life. Despite the apparent inconsistencies, one University official speculated that Rodin's comments do not necessarily conflict with the Biddison Hier survey. He said the survey will take into account everything the president mentioned. "I believe [Rodin] was just throwing out ideas to peak community interest," he said. "She was merely showcasing the range of thinking that is going on." There are currently no concrete plans for residential restructuring, no matter what Rodin may have alluded to in Wednesday's University Council meeting, he said. No such plans will be released until after the Biddison Hier report is finished, the official explained. Rodin said that the University also needs a further assessment of its facilities' physical condition. Additionally, she said the administration must determine whether renovation or demolition and reconstruction would be most suitable for each structure.

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