Grad student center opens on Locust Walk

The yellow, blue and red ribbons tied in a neat bow wrapped up what some call a generous gift to graduate students at Penn.

To much fanfare, the Graduate Student Center officially opened Friday afternoon as a small crowd gathered on Locust Walk. University President Judith Rodin, accompanied by other administrators and representatives from graduate student groups, cut the ribbon to celebrate the center's opening at 3615 Locust Walk.

Plans for a graduate student center began two years ago, when former Graduate and Professional Student Association Chairman Kyle Farley and former Graduate Student Activities Council Chairman Eric Eisenstein proposed the idea to administrators after extensive research and polling of Penn's graduate community. At the time, Penn was the only school in the Ivy League without such a center.

Friday afternoon's ribbon-cutting ceremony kicked off a week of grand opening celebrations for the center, with evenings such as "Philadelphia Night," "Sports Night" and a haunted house planned for this week.

Though the grand opening celebrations are getting under way this week, the center's doors have been open to graduate and professional students since the start of the school year. The center has seen numerous student meetings, programs, the creation of an advisory board and the hiring of seven graduate fellows who will both staff the center and create programming.

"If the number of cups of coffee you've been serving each week is any indication, it is already a success," University President Judith Rodin joked during her remarks on Friday. "This is a place for continuing to develop and further make a community with the graduate and professional students."

GAPSA Chairman Christopher Leahy praised the center as a part of the University's commitment to graduate and professional students.

"Graduate students --ÿand we are all students first -- now have a true home of their own," said Leahy, a Law student.

It was originally hoped that such a home would open a year ago, but unforeseen structural problems at the former Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity house delayed construction. Renovations to the house cost the University around $1 million, according to Deputy Provost Peter Conn, who was also present at Friday's ceremony.

Those renovations resulted in a center equipped with e-mail terminals, conference space and comfortable couches and armchairs, which were delivered earlier Friday morning -- just in time for the ceremony.

After the speeches and ribbon-cutting, students, administrators and staff members were able to go inside and enjoy the center's facilities. The smell of coffee drifted through the air as students gathered around tables, deep in conversations.

As the year continues, the center's director, Anita Mastroieni, said it will continue to adapt to fit the needs of graduate and professional students, with input from its advisory board and its seven fellows.

She said she would continue working to encourage students from across Penn's 12 graduate programs to drop in for some of the center's programs and activities.

"We hope to really strive to meet our mission statement goals and provide community for the graduate and professional students that they've never had before," Assistant Director DeAnna Cheung said, adding, "this is just the beginning."

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