A committee comprised of supporters from both the Women’s Center and the African American Cultural Center met this past Wednesday to discuss recent rumors that the University is planning to demolish the buildings to make way for a new parking garage and bookstore complex.
The “Dialogue Teams,” which include faculty, staff, students and community members of the respective organizations, met to discuss the fate of the two centers and talk about possibly expanding the facilities.
According to the University’s Equity, Diversity, and Community Outreach Web site, “neither center is being demolished nor discontinued” and “[the] team will continue to work towards a plan that will be in the best interest of both centers,” the Web site said.
Katrice Albert, Vice Provost for Equity, Diversity, and Community Outreach, could not be reached for comment by press time Monday.
Jessica Ketchum Weber, president of the women and gender studies graduate organization, said the committee discussed three specific options for the future of the two buildings.
One option was to make no changes to the existing facilities and have the new complex built without integrating the existing structures.
One poorly received prospect, Weber said, was to have the two centers move to new space in the Union.
Because the new parking development is not just a simple parking garage, another option was to have representatives from the centers sit down with architects and come up with a design for a new space incorporated within the structure, Weber said.
The new development will be similar to the Main Street Market development downtown, Weber said.
Weber said she thinks the University is working openly to try and find a solution that represents everyone’s interests.
Weber will host a meeting with the three other student representatives on the committee in a town hall style meeting to gather feedback and suggestions from students. The meeting will be held on Thursday at 7 p.m. in the African American Cultural Center.
Westley Bayas, AACC advocate and committee member, said he thought a plan to integrate the two centers with the new complex is “something that needs to be considered.”
But Bayas also said he thinks his constituents are concerned about not receiving promises made by the University.
“The University needs to give us the plans, and show us how it’s integrated,” Bayas said.
The committee will assemble again Aug. 9.
—Contact Mark Macmurdo at [email protected]