Facilities officials: UA criticism unjustified

Administrators say that they are "shocked" that Undergraduate Assembly members have accused them of deliberately misleading students about construction projects on campus.

According to a UA resolution passed yesterday, Facilities and Real Estate officials misrepresented the extent of construction for a public-art project at 40th and Locust streets. The project intrudes on the field near the high-rise dormitories, UA members said, adding that the University should halt construction.

Facilities Services spokesman Tony Sorrentino said that the UA proposal was inaccurate and that his department has given students ample opportunity to learn about ongoing construction.

UA Chairwoman Rachel Fersh disagrees.

"The original problem was that we were not consulted in the first place," Fersh said. "I don't think they have malicious intent ... but it would be more logical to ask undergraduates [for] feedback if they want to improve student life."

But Andrew Zitcer, who oversees art projects on campus for the Facilities department, said his department has been working continuously to inform students about the public-art project, called "Plateau."

The blueprints for "Plateau" -- which have been on display in the department's office since last month -- state that when the project is completed, green space on the field will increase by 1,089 square feet.

While the majority of UA members said that the University withheld information, no UA member actually looked at the blueprints.

"They have been offered for students to view, they have been very open to showing them to students and talking about it," College sophomore and UA member Clara Bracke said.

Zitcer said that the extra green space will result from the removal of trees, ground cover and the brick-and-fence trellis that once bordered the field.

He added that the construction will move forward regardless of the UA's complaints.

The public art "is also recreational space. We believe this is of equal value to play space, and we're not even losing play space," Zitcer said. "We're not [continuing construction] just because it's paid for and almost finished, but because people will really like this."

Sorrentino said that the UA's resolution was misinformed due to communication flaws between UA members assigned to facilities issues.

"Maybe it's a question of the miscommunication between the Facilities Committee [of the UA] and the UA" as a whole, Sorrentino said.

Some members, however, believe that disagreement arises from different perceptions of green space.

"Our conception is that green space is open and clear of obstructions and pathways. Their conception of green space is not the same," UA member and College senior Spencer Scharff said.

He added that "Plateau" is not the UA's only concern.

"It was an issue for us because we felt that we were directly misguided. But also, as an aggregate, we will have ... numerous pathways and construction outside of the high rises that will split off the field. That is an overall decrease in green space."

Some UA members said that they are dissatisfied with the way Facilities Services publicized the construction.

Zitcer said that he has organized a Facilities and Real Estate Student Advisory Board that has made green-space initiatives and improving communication between Facilities and undergraduates two of its top priorities.

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