Walk committee begins its work

The committee examining ways to diversify Locust Walk got down to nuts and bolts for the first time at yesterday's meeting, discussing an architect's suggestions on changing the campus's main artery. The meeting, which members said was a "give and take" of ideas, included suggestions ranging from moving students into College Hall to changing the University Chaplain's house into a student residence. The report of the architectural firm of Venturi, Scott, Brown and Associates -- which came to campus this summer at the request of President Sheldon Hackney -- was the springboard for discussion. The firm's report details how to best use Walk space and buildings and how to broaden the center of campus beyond Locust Walk. The report, entitled "Preliminary Thoughts of Locust Walk," is confidential and has been released to only Walk committee members. At last night's two-hour meeting, the committee's third, two representatives of the architectural firm met with the group to discuss in detail the proposals laid out in the report. Members' reviews of the archictects' report were mixed. They said last night that in the preliminary discussions, they addressed the proposals' strengths and weaknesses and threw out some of their own ideas as well. Several members would not discuss the report's specific details, citing its confidentiality. "Some suggestions were seen as good ideas and some were seen as bad ideas," said committee member Susan Garfinkel, chairperson of the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly. Undergraduate Assembly Chairperson Duchess Harris said last night that the entire focus of the report was faulty, saying that by trying to broaden the "heart of campus," the report skirts the issue of Locust Walk itself. "It addressed a certain point of making another area of campus desirable so that Locust Walk would not be the focus [of campus] anymore," Harris said. "It evaded the whole issue at hand." She added that many of the architects' proposals and committee discussion -- including that of using College Hall and the University's Chaplain's home -- also skirted the issue of Locust Walk. "They [those involved in diversifying the Walk] are doing their best not to deal with the 'real' Walk," the College senior said. "If we're not going to move fraternities, let's at least not move the University Chaplain." But other committee members praised the broadening of the scope, saying the report opened more options to be considered. "The area beyond the [38th Street] bridge is still the center of campus," Interfraternity Council President Bret Kinsella said last night. "It's within the charge of the committee." "[The report] opened one's mind and took away some limits on what you could do," Black InterGreek Council Chairperson Kathryn Williams said after the meeting. "Maybe we need to change the entire University plan so the Walk is not the center of campus." She added that the clearing of Houston Hall for the planned Revlon Center and new buildings north of Walnut Street will provide opportunities for the campus to turn its focus from the Walk. Many members said the report enabled the committee to look at the Walk from a different perspective, saying that an outsider's views were very helpful. "They [the architects] were much more creative and open-minded than I would have been," Walk committee Co-chairperson David Pope said last night. Pope said a subcommittee of five members was established at the meeting to "brainstorm ideas of what would be an ideal pluralistic community." The material science and engineering professor added that the next committee meeting will be held on November 29.

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