The College has unveiled plans for renovations for 30 College St. The building, which currently has nine residential units, will provide a new home in the 2007-2008 academic year for the student multicultural organizations that currently use Boody-Johnson House
On February 2, Senior Associate Dean of Student Affairs Margaret Hazlett shared the plans, drafted by a local architect, for the renovation of 30 College St. with the student groups that will no longer have access to Boody-Johnson House.
"I had a meeting with them to put my designs on the table to get their feedback. I gave the plans to Hillel and offered other club leaders the plans to take back to their groups," Hazlett said.
According to Hazlett, the plans for 30 College St. strongly reflect the input of students.
"We got a sense of what the needs were," said Hazlett. "Then we sort of prioritized those needs."
President of the African-American Society Dudney Sylla '08, who attended the meeting with Hazlett, believes that with the renovations, 30 College St. can accommodate the needs of Bowdoin's muliticultural groups.
"Progress has been made," Sylla said. "They tossed out some plans. I got the impression that students were okay with it. The dean's office indicated that it was a more a temporary solution until we can get to a more advanced cultural center."
Despite the efforts of the College to include students from multicultural groups in discussions regarding the renovation plans for 30 College St., not everyone is enthusiastic about the administration's plans.
Chris Lew '09, the Asian Student Association (ASA) Boody-Johnson House representative, believes that the administration failed to adequately inform students of the meeting to present the architect's proposal.
"I hardly know at all what is happening. I am really disappointed that no one has taken the time to tell us what is going on," Lew said.
Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) President DeRay Mckesson '07 also voiced his concern regarding the changes to 30 College St.
"The people who were considered the appropriate students to be met with was limited," Mckesson said.
"The cultural groups were involved to some extent, but this is clearly an issue which affects the campus. In the move, 30 College St. will be off the [housing lottery] and that affects the whole campus. I don't think the people who represent the campus were there," he said.
The plans for 30 College St. include a communal kitchen and dining area downstairs, as well as a large common space that could accommodate group functions. In particular, Hazlett cited a need for study and prayer space for students.
"The proposal is to bump out the house [toward] the garage, move the kitchen to the larger, brighter social room of the house. We want to make a large programming space that could seat 30 people," Hazlett said.
She also the noted the possibility of a second design that would include turning the garage into a dining area so that the building could accommodate two separate social spaces.
The other floors of 30 College St. would not undergo significant renovations. The upstairs would be used as office space for various multicultural organizations. There would also be a few residential spaces.
The building will also comply with Americans with Disabilities Act.
"Upstairs there wouldn't be any physical or structural changes, but there would be offices," Hazlett said.
For Hazlett, the question is not whether the renovations will take place, but when.
"The cost is the next phase," she said. "We wanted to know what we could do with the space. Now that we have plans, we can price it out and see how much it costs."
While BSG Vice President of Facilities Will Donahoe '08 supports the College's renovation plans, he believes it is important that they are shared with the entire Bowdoin community.
"Per what they were talking about, it sounds like they have a pretty amazing plan. Now I think they should have a formal announcement to campus," he said.
While Hazlett recognizes that not all student groups are eager to move their headquarters to 30 College St., it can serve as an interim solution.
"I think there is an underlying agreement that neither Johnson-Boody House or this space [30 College St.] is ideal, but as an interim space?there is an opportunity to bring more groups together," she said.