Provost wants Revlon Center re-evaluated

Cuts, delays may result Interim Provost Marvin Lazerson said Friday that costs for the proposed Revlon Center are too high and need to be re-evaluated. In a meeting with student leaders, Lazerson said the center's $60 million price tag, combined with the $5 million per year operating costs, is too much for the University to spend at this point. The University's earliest estimates suggested the center would open by 1994, and the latest ones have called for opening by 1996. Now the center may not even open its doors by then, and most current University students may never see the elaborate plans become reality. But Lazerson reassured students that although construction will be delayed, the center "will be built" after necessary cuts have been made. He told the students he wanted them to be the first to know because the Revlon Center is for students. "How can we preach values of free speech if we keep secrets like these from the students," he said. Although student leaders were happy to have received the information first, they were unhappy with the news. "I certainly feel that the student body has been jerked around on this," said Student Committee on Undergraduate Education Chairperson Jon Pitt. "The Revlon Center is something that has taken on mythic proportions among many students." And Undergraduate Assembly chair Seth Hamalian believes the difficulty in financing such a large project should have been recognized sooner. "It seems as though this is something that should have been apparent a long time ago," Hamalian said. Lazerson, who could not be reached for comment last night, said Friday that one of the main reasons for the constant delays is a lack of sufficient leadership for the project. He added that no one at the University really wanted to point out that the project is too expensive. "When [Lazerson and Interim President Claire Fagin] looked at the latest projections they realized that this was just going to be too much," said Linda Koons, executive assistant to the provost. The University's schools would have to cover the astronomical operating costs for the building, and it is impossible to "go along with the plans as currently outlined," she said. Lazerson said he and Fagin are reluctant to spend such a large sum in light of recent cuts throughout the University. The most recent proposed cuts are in the School of Arts and Sciences, which may close three departments. "I'm glad they've realized at this point that they can't go ahead with [the plans]," said Graduate and Professional Student Assembly Chairperson Patricia Khuly. "They've got to consider all 12 schools, and what every school stands to lose if we build a $65 million structure that we can't afford." Both Fagin and Project Chairperson and Vice Provost for University Life Kim Morrisson could not be reached for comment last night.

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