Theta Xi may become coffee house

Imagine walking down Locust Walk and suddenly finding yourself craving the intellectual atmosphere of Border's Book Shop, complete with cappuccino and Shakespeare. To satisfy the itch, you stroll into the renovated Theta Xi fraternity house. Sound like a far-fetched idea? Not if the Bookstore Committee has its way. Today, Bookstore Committee Chairperson Stephen Gale will present the committee's annual report – which includes the suggestion to make the empty Theta Xi house an extension of the Bookstore – before University Council. "Look, we need something on campus before the Revlon Center is built," the associate regional science professor said. "We need somewhere to have a mixture of students, faculty and other members of campus – something that promotes the intellectual community." Gale said "the bookstore/coffee house" was originally planned for the Revlon Center. But since the center's construction has been delayed indefinitely, he said, the Bookstore Committee thinks something should be done now. "Imagine something like a Borders in that facility," he said. "Instead of more of a trade section, we would actively capitalize on the mixture of people and books. [The house] is big enough to handle it and that kind of locations would be perfect." In a written report, the Bookstore Committee recommends that Council "undertake a deliberation of this matter as soon as possible." Gale said he does not know exactly where he will take the bookstore/coffee house proposal after Council. "I really think it would be useful to have a [central] campus planning office to take [proposals] like this," he said. "No one really knows the specific procedures for this." In other Council business today the Student Task Force on Academic Integrity will make its report and updated suggestions. Its recommendations will be open to discussion during the meeting. Faculty Senate Chairperson Gerald Porter said he also expects Interim President Claire Fagin to update the Council on her present position on whether or not to suspend Part II of the University's racial harassment policy. "I imagine that during the president's report, [Fagin] will be asked some questions about racial harassment policy," Porter said. The meeting will be held from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in McClelland Lounge in the Quadrangle today. It is open to the public.

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