Stouffer residents confront admins.

Students living in the building, likely to be demolishes in 2001, want University officials to reconsider their plans. "We live here, and we love it." Not only did Stouffer College House residents duct-tape that message to the side of their building last week, but last night they tried to convey that same sentiment to University administrators involved in planning the massive renovation project that may include Stouffer's demolition. David Brownlee, director of College Houses and Academic Services and Doug Berger, director of housing services, met with about 25 of Stouffer's 130 residents in the house's seminar room to answer questions about the way Penn's $300 million, 10-year plan to build new dormitories and renovate existing residences and dining halls would affect Stouffer. In response to the proposal to demolish the Stouffer Triangle in 2001 -- which came as a surprise to most Stouffer residents -- students in the house submitted a resolution to the officials stating their opposition to moving the house to another location and expressing their devotion to a house that is "thriving as a unique and successful community." While the original plan called for the University to likely demolish the entire Stouffer building, Brownlee and Berger said all proposed plans and dates are subject to change. Stouffer's demise is likely because renovating the building so that it is in compliance with federal disabilities regulations would be "almost impossible," Berger said. Administrators also want to put a more-transparent dining hall with a better view of the Quadrangle in Stouffer's place. Under the current plan, the new building is scheduled to be finished in 2003. Brownlee explained that because officials eventually need to obtain the University Board of Trustees' approval for the project, the planners had to present the group recently with a concrete and organized plan, although in reality the project is still in the "preliminary" stages. Berger said that the current plan -- based on analysis of the building -- is to demolish it, although he could not say for sure when that would take place. He added that it is possible the plan for demolition could change, but he did not say under what circumstances those plans could change. But despite the reassurances that the fate of their house was far from sealed, Stouffer residents expressed fears that if they moved to another building, the unique sense of community they say the house provides will be lost. College sophomore Eric Lomazoff said that even though he would not be there to see Stouffer's likely destruction, any location change would hurt the house. "Stouffer has provided such a framework for my life on campus," he said. "It would be an absolute tragedy to deprive any students of this kind of community." Brownlee said that consultation for all phases of the project will involve Stouffer residents. He added that campus-wide committees composed of students, faculty and staff will be announced in about a week. Stouffer residents stressed that preserving the unique character of their house should steer planning for the house's now-uncertain future. While students in other houses often change residences from year to year, residents explained, Stouffer students commonly remain in the house. Some students said that if the small population of the house was not preserved in a new site -- one or more yet-to-be-constructed dormitories in Hamilton Village, according to the proposal -- it would cease to be as close-knit a community. The officials explained that although the size of each new dormitory -- which will all together hold an estimated 1,000 beds -- has yet to be determined, the buildings could hold as few as 150 students each, preserving small communities. Others expressed fear that interest in the house would decline as prospective students learned of the building's imminent destruction. "There's a very real fear that it will be less appealing to freshmen," Anne Nickle, Stouffer's house dean said. And Wharton freshman Adrian Jones said he was considering living in Stouffer after this year, but probably won't now that the building's days may be numbered. Lomazoff said, though, that he will live in Stouffer for all four years at Penn. Nickle added that she thought the meeting was helpful but that students didn't leave completely satisfied. "It seemed they were circumventing a lot of the questions," said Ian Kelley, a fifth-year College senior. The current proposal also leaves unclear the fate of the various retail establishments on the 3700 block of Spruce Street, including Wawa and Salad Works Cafe.

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