Students voice opinions on major dorm renovations

Brian Farkas News Editor

The architectural firm S/L/A/M Consortium was set to come to campus on Wednesday, April 4 to discuss the renovation of Davison House with students and administrators. This meeting marked the first opportunity for students to ask questions and voice concerns about prospective campus renovations directly to the architects.

In an effort to streamline student input, the Vassar Student Association (VSA) Council created the Special Committee on Dorm Renovations in February to look at every aspect of the renovations, ranging from sustainability to the temporary housing that might accommodate students displaced by construction.

About 190 students currently live in Davison House. Although administrators have noted that Vassar can accommodate these students by filling other dormitories and placing nearly all freshmen and sophomores in doubles, the Special Committee has expressed concern.

“The impact of squeezing students into existing housing would be enormously detrimental to students and to the renovations process,” said Special Committee Chair Andrew Bennett ’09. Special Committee members worry that roommate conflicts would be difficult to fix, since extra rooms would not be available. Unforeseen circumstances, like the fire damage in Lathrop House this fall, might also prove problematic.

Special Committee members are also concerned that dorm renovations will create environments identical to Jewett House, which was revamped in 2002. “I think the character of each dorm is something that makes Vassar so unique,” said Special Committee member Shannon Wilton ’10 at a March 30 meeting. “I would hate for these renovations to make cookie-cutter dorm rooms, like many other colleges have constructed.”

Finally, students have questions about how construction will affect sustainability. “We have to find a reasonable balance between environmental concerns and practicality,” said Bennett. Special Committee set aside time in Wednesday’s meeting with S/L/A/M for environmental issues, as well as practical plans for Davison’s windows and basement.

Vice President for Finance and Administration Elizabeth Eismeier lauded the VSA’s efforts at streamlining student input, but cautioned that students should remember that this is part of a much larger plan for renovation. “They can’t forget the work–good work–that was done by students who sat on committees before they came to office,” said Eismeier.

Discussion of dormitory renovations began in the 1990s when former president Frances Fergusson placed emphasis on the matter. During her tenure, Jewett House was fully renovated and now holds about 195 students.

Eismeier explained that at any given moment, the College has a three year plan for all capital projects. “Each year, we roll the plan forward, trying to match the functional needs of the space, such as programming, to the physical needs of the space, such as roofing and electricity,” she said. “All the while, careful attention must be paid to costs.” While the president has the final say in major construction decisions, Eismeier noted that a wide variety of committees and individuals give input before ground is broken.

One such group is the Master Planning Committee (MPC), which, according to committee member and Chair of the Mathematics Department Benjamin Lotto, is now debating the issues involved with the Davison renovation. Although the MPC “does not allocate resources or decide on construction issues,” according to Lotto, it advises on issues of long-term planning.

The Special Committee hopes to add a student perspective to that input. “The goal of the Special Committee is to set out student priorities so that Vassar can maximize its limited funding to best serve student housing needs and desires,” Bennett said. The Special Committee intends to present the College with a guiding document for dorm renovations by the end of the semester, which will delineate specific student needs and concerns.

“Considering that students live and work in the dormitories every hour of the day and every day of the week, I hope that the administration will take our concerns and ideas seriously,” said Bennett. “We have a unique opportunity in this process to affect residential life at Vassar for decades to come.”