Wiess explores ways to save, rebuild college

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by George Hatoun

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Wiess College held an open meeting Wednesday evening to discuss renovation plans and strategies for saving the college.

Photos showing cracked walls and floors and drawings showing that some parts of the building had sunk by several inches were displayed.

Wiess Renovations Committee Chair Chris Letourneau said that the recent findings may mean that it may not be feasible to renovate the college.

The two other options being considered are rebuilding Wiess in its present location or building a ninth college by Brown College and Jones College and later rebuilding a college in Wiess' present location.

No reliable cost estimates have been released since the cracks were discovered, and no time frame is available for a decision to be made.

Letourneau said that originally Vice President for Finance and Administartion Dean Currie would have presented a second report to the Board of Governors at their March 11 and 12 meetings, but the new information has forced Currie to delay the report.

Currie is out of the country and could not be reached for comment.

In the meantime, Wiess members are trying to increase awareness of the renovations situation. So far, letters have been sent out to parents encouraging them to write to the administration about the renovations problem. Approximately two dozen parents wrote letters in response.

A renovations homepage has also been established to inform college members.

Future plans include:

* information displays for Wiess alumni at Hello Hamlet (the college's spring musical) and Beer-Bike;

* a questionaire and subsequent report on member's opinions about the renovations; and

* fliers distributed to college members about future plans.

Wiess College junior Maryana Iskander said that one problem with the renovations process is that there are "a lot of gaps in communications" between the renovations committee and the administration.

She said that the administration had security concerns about the college's doors facing outside, while students were more concerned about what would happen to the college's social atmosphere if it were restructured.

She cited the importance of Wiess' Acabowl and Bacabowl areas.

Iskander also said that letter writing campaigns generally served to anger people and that the campaign of letters to parents was not a highlight of the renovations committee's efforts.

This item appeared in the News section of the March 1, 1996 issue.

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