Top administrators to hold info session on Smith Hall

The Undergraduate Assembly and the Graduate and Professional Students Assembly will co-sponsor a presentation by top University administrators on the future of Smith Hall and the proposed Institute for Advanced Science and Technology today. The forum, according to organizers, will provide an opportunity for students to discuss the University's plans for demolishing Smith Hall and the process through which administrators went to reach the decision with several prominent administrators. "This is an attempt to provide an understanding of the project and how open the process was that led to the decisions," Provost Michael Aiken said yesterday. He explained that the program was a direct result of student interest in the Smith Hall issue and will be a purely informational one. "There have been requests from students to have a better understanding of it," Aiken said. "We would like to provide that." In December, the UA passed a resolution which condemned the administration's handling of the issue. The resolution admonished the administration for failing in their "obligation to . . . preserve the beauty and living history contained in the architecture" on the campus. It also stated that the University must recognize the importance of all departments and the opinions of all members of the community. The UA claims that these concerns were ignored during the administration's decision making process. UA Chairperson Duchess Harris said that her organization was interested in hosting the event because of student interest. "People want to know what the status of Smith Hall is and whether it's going to be torn down and why," she said yesterday. "They want to know what is going to be put there in place of it." The forum, which starts at 7:00 p.m. at the Annenberg School's room 110, will feature presentations and a question-and-answer period with Provost Michael Aiken, Vice Provost for Research Barry Cooperman, Senior Vice President Marna Whittington, Vice President for Facilities Management Arthur Gravina, Engineering Dean Gregory Farrington, and outgoing School of Arts and Sciences Dean Hugo Sonnenschein. History and Sociology of Science Professor Robert Kohler will present an opposing view to the proposed demolition. In addition, several architects on the design team for the proposed institute will also be present for the discussion.

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