Humanities Quad Plans Nearing Completion

Seferis Professor of Modern Greek Studies Margaret Alexiou is listed in last year's course guide as a member of the Classics, Folklore and Mythology, Comparative Study of Religion and Women's Studies departments.

If Alexiou wanted offices in each of those departments, she would have offices at Classics Boylston Hall area, Folklore and Mythology's Dunster St. residence and Women's Studies Kirkland St. home.

That's a lot of walking.

But this example illustrates a general problem for the humanities at Harvard, according to administrators and professors--respective departments are so spread out that little interaction occurs.

But such problems of physical and intellectual proximity are expected to be greatly alleviated two years from this month, when departments start moving into the University's new Humanities Quad in July, 1996.

The quad is still in its planning stages, but details are starting to emerge as the remodeling dates approach.

Recent Changes: Boylston

Just last month, according to Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Christoph Wolff, the planning committee began contemplating a significant change in the spacing arrangements of the quad.

The committee, as of last month, is seriously considering inclusion of Boylston Hall in the humanities arc, to join Burr Hall, the Freshman Union and Warren House.

Under the revised arrangement, 6 and 8 Prescott St. would retain their present offices and not be included in the quad, as was originally planned.

The quad would thus keep all its buildings on the Yard side of Prescott Street which, coupled with Boylston, creates "a pillar on either side of Widener," accord ing to Wolff.

Had it not been included in the quad, Boylstonwould have been used to house various studentorganizations, as well as the Freshman Dean'sOffice and perhaps the Expository Writing program.Wolff says.

Wolff, who is chair of the quad's planningcommittee, says the change was made to accommodatethe space needs of the faculty, requirements hesays could not have been met under the originalarrangement.

"It will result in a net loss for thedepartments if everything were squeezed into theHumanities Quad," Wolff says.

The guiding principle of the quad, Wolff says,is that every faculty member should have an officein his or her department. Additionally, thecommittee wanted to ensure that Teaching Fellowsand tutorials had sufficient space and thatdepartments had room for administrative duties.

With the added space, Wolff says, those idealswill be realized.

Another goal that can be achieved usingBoylston, Wolff says, is to allow all facultymembers to have offices in both Widener Libraryand their home departments.

"We [originally] said people would have aoption--an office in Widener or in the HumanitiesQuad," Wolff says. "The committee wanted to [get]some reaction of the faculty. What became clearfrom that is that nobody wanted that choice."

So now, Wolff says, "every faculty member canhave a library study and every faculty member canhave an office in the [quad]."

Offices in their own departments are anabsolute necessity for faculty members, Wolffsays.

Sharing offices "would really rob people offlexibility, and that is really the driving force"behind the movement to give every faculty memberhis or her won office.

"We don't want to give them that excuse" fornot being in the office for students, Wolff says.

TFs would also have been "squeezed" under theold plan, Wolff says.

Faculty members seem happy about the aspect ofoffices in their departments and the library.

Weary Professor of German and ComparativeLiterature Judith Ryan, chair of the department ofGermanic languages and literatures, says the newplan would alleviate one of the few misgivingsraised by members of her department regarding theHumanities Quad.

"At one point, the question was whether facultymight have to give up their studies." Ryan says,asked about to identify negative aspects to thequad. "But that's more or less irrelevant now."

Plan and History

The plan for the Humanities Quad, in the worksnow for approximately six years, has beencarefully packaged as part of an effort that willlargely transform life in the Yard.

Closely tied to the quad plans is a proposal,already under implementation, to move thefirst-year dining hall to Memorial Hall. The newfirst-year dining hall is slated to open inSeptember, 1995.

The soon-to-be-vacant Union was the logicalchoice for a new center for the humanities.

Aside from the space, the Union is also inclose proximity to the libraries and art museums.

The Union, which will undergo extensiverenovations beginning next June, is designed tofacilitate the transition from dining hall intohumanities center.

Philip J. Parsons, director of planning andsenior development officer in the Faculty of Artsand Sciences, says the remodeling effort willwitness the "total transformation" of thebuilding.

Builders will construct new floor levels on topof the space that presently serves as the dininghall. There are also plans to add more naturallight to the building. The volumes of space willbe divided into offices.

Parsons also says there will be a number of"public spaces," including, perhaps, a cafeteria.

There will also be several classrooms,primarily for seminars and tutorials, Parsonssays.

The total price tag for the effort will be inexcess of $20 million, Wolff says.

But the new humanities center is badly needed,the administration claims.

Many humanities departments are fragmented,isolated or cramped, Wolff says.

Ranging from Folklore and Mythology on DunsterStreet to Women's Studies on Kirkland Street, the"humanities landscape is a hodge-podge," Wolffsays.

But by bringing a number of the departmentstogether, Wolff says, the administration is hopingto reduce division.

The English Department, for example, is splitinto several fragments geographically, withsegments in Warren House, on Kirkland Street, onPrescott St. and on Somerville Road, but will bereunited under the plan.

The Humanities Quad will also enable theUniversity to dramatically reduce its reliance oncommercial rental property for departments such asAfro-American Studies, Wolff says.

He adds that the Humanities Quad is intended toencourage an interdepartmental exchange of ideasthrough physical juxtaposition, the so-calledprinciple of intellectual proximity.

A packet developed by the Humanities QuadPlanning Committee elaborates on the officialadministrative position on intellectual proximity.

"The Humanities Quad is intended to foster asense of community in a stimulating and attractiveenvironment, and encourage intellectual and socialexchange," the packet reads.

And this is "absolutely crucial," according toRyan, the Germanic Languages and Literature chair.

"One of the things about being at Harvard isthat you see your colleagues at [meetings], andthen you only talk about administrative things,"Ryan says. "When do you get the chance to talkabout something substantive? When you run intothem in the corridor, maybe, but how often doesthat happen?"

The quad, including Boylston, will ultimatelybring together more than dozen departments,committees, centers and institutes. (seegraphic, this page).

The departments of Afro-American Studies,Celtic Language and Literature, Classics,Comparative Literature, English and AmericanLanguage and Literature, Linguistics, RomanceLanguages and Literature and Slavic Language andLiterature will all take up residence in the quad.

The department of Sanskrit and Indian Studieswill also be included in the quad. This departmentwas added only after the decision to includeBoylston, Wolff says.

Committees that will also be represented in theHumanities Quad include Folklore and Mythology,History and Literature, Literature, theComparative Study of Religion and Women's Studies,as well as the Expository Writing program.

The exact arrangement of the departments hasnot yet been finalized, Wolff says, and manypossible permutations are being discussed.

Presently, Boylston houses part of the RomanceLanguages Departments, as well as the entireGermanic, Slavic and Classics Departments.

But Wolff says that a proposal to keep all theBoylston departments at their present sites wasquickly rejected thanks to a lack of space.

Since the administration wants to house theentire department of Romance Languages andLiterature, which is currently divided, under oneroof, "it's not possible to really leave them allthere" while still fitting in all the wings ofthat department, Wolff says.

But simply moving one or two of the departmentsout of Boylston isn't an option for the planningcommittee either, says Wolff.

"We really should consider the intellectualmerits of adjacement before moving," Wolff says.

Parson agrees, noting that in deciding theultimate arrangement, the committee takes "a lotof interest in intellectual adjacencies."

The most likely combination of candidates forBoylston is one department and one large specialundergraduate concentration, Wolff says, althoughhe refuses to be more specific.

What the Departments Think

Most professors in the various departments wereout of town and could not be reached for comment.

Several departments did not have any tenuredprofessors around last week or this week, whilemany professors did not return phone calls.

But the consensus among professors, accordingto Wolff and to professors interviewed last week,is that the quad is a good step to take.

The Afro-American Studies Department isparticularly pleased with the move, Wolff says,since it will move from a cramped commerciallocation into spacious new quarters.

Reunited departments, such as Romance Languagesand English, are also happy with the new quad,Wolff says.

But not everyone is perfectly happy with themove. Wolff acknowledges.

The Department of Literature, for one, washesitant at first because it was happy with itscurrent quarters atop Emerson Hall, Wolff says.

Still, "they will have to move and we are aboutto offer them very attractive space," Wolff says.

Women's Studies was also unhappy about themove, Wolff says, because they feel they are asmuch a social science as a part of the humanities.

But Wolff says Women's Studies' isolated homeon Kirkland Street results in its "ghettoization."

And the only other options, inclusion in alarge social science building, are not feasiblebecause of a lack of space.

Wolff says many of the social sciences havedeep connections to the humanities and thatWomen's Studies will thrive in the new HumanitiesQuad.

Besides, he says the moniker Humanities Quad isa "categorization for the sake of convenience, notideology."Crimson GraphicEmmeline F. HouHUMANITIES QUAD PRELIMINARY SCHEDULE

Had it not been included in the quad, Boylstonwould have been used to house various studentorganizations, as well as the Freshman Dean'sOffice and perhaps the Expository Writing program.Wolff says.

Wolff, who is chair of the quad's planningcommittee, says the change was made to accommodatethe space needs of the faculty, requirements hesays could not have been met under the originalarrangement.

"It will result in a net loss for thedepartments if everything were squeezed into theHumanities Quad," Wolff says.

The guiding principle of the quad, Wolff says,is that every faculty member should have an officein his or her department. Additionally, thecommittee wanted to ensure that Teaching Fellowsand tutorials had sufficient space and thatdepartments had room for administrative duties.

With the added space, Wolff says, those idealswill be realized.

Another goal that can be achieved usingBoylston, Wolff says, is to allow all facultymembers to have offices in both Widener Libraryand their home departments.

"We [originally] said people would have aoption--an office in Widener or in the HumanitiesQuad," Wolff says. "The committee wanted to [get]some reaction of the faculty. What became clearfrom that is that nobody wanted that choice."

So now, Wolff says, "every faculty member canhave a library study and every faculty member canhave an office in the [quad]."

Offices in their own departments are anabsolute necessity for faculty members, Wolffsays.

Sharing offices "would really rob people offlexibility, and that is really the driving force"behind the movement to give every faculty memberhis or her won office.

"We don't want to give them that excuse" fornot being in the office for students, Wolff says.

TFs would also have been "squeezed" under theold plan, Wolff says.

Faculty members seem happy about the aspect ofoffices in their departments and the library.

Weary Professor of German and ComparativeLiterature Judith Ryan, chair of the department ofGermanic languages and literatures, says the newplan would alleviate one of the few misgivingsraised by members of her department regarding theHumanities Quad.

"At one point, the question was whether facultymight have to give up their studies." Ryan says,asked about to identify negative aspects to thequad. "But that's more or less irrelevant now."

Plan and History

The plan for the Humanities Quad, in the worksnow for approximately six years, has beencarefully packaged as part of an effort that willlargely transform life in the Yard.

Closely tied to the quad plans is a proposal,already under implementation, to move thefirst-year dining hall to Memorial Hall. The newfirst-year dining hall is slated to open inSeptember, 1995.

The soon-to-be-vacant Union was the logicalchoice for a new center for the humanities.

Aside from the space, the Union is also inclose proximity to the libraries and art museums.

The Union, which will undergo extensiverenovations beginning next June, is designed tofacilitate the transition from dining hall intohumanities center.

Philip J. Parsons, director of planning andsenior development officer in the Faculty of Artsand Sciences, says the remodeling effort willwitness the "total transformation" of thebuilding.

Builders will construct new floor levels on topof the space that presently serves as the dininghall. There are also plans to add more naturallight to the building. The volumes of space willbe divided into offices.

Parsons also says there will be a number of"public spaces," including, perhaps, a cafeteria.

There will also be several classrooms,primarily for seminars and tutorials, Parsonssays.

The total price tag for the effort will be inexcess of $20 million, Wolff says.

But the new humanities center is badly needed,the administration claims.

Many humanities departments are fragmented,isolated or cramped, Wolff says.

Ranging from Folklore and Mythology on DunsterStreet to Women's Studies on Kirkland Street, the"humanities landscape is a hodge-podge," Wolffsays.

But by bringing a number of the departmentstogether, Wolff says, the administration is hopingto reduce division.

The English Department, for example, is splitinto several fragments geographically, withsegments in Warren House, on Kirkland Street, onPrescott St. and on Somerville Road, but will bereunited under the plan.

The Humanities Quad will also enable theUniversity to dramatically reduce its reliance oncommercial rental property for departments such asAfro-American Studies, Wolff says.

He adds that the Humanities Quad is intended toencourage an interdepartmental exchange of ideasthrough physical juxtaposition, the so-calledprinciple of intellectual proximity.

A packet developed by the Humanities QuadPlanning Committee elaborates on the officialadministrative position on intellectual proximity.

"The Humanities Quad is intended to foster asense of community in a stimulating and attractiveenvironment, and encourage intellectual and socialexchange," the packet reads.

And this is "absolutely crucial," according toRyan, the Germanic Languages and Literature chair.

"One of the things about being at Harvard isthat you see your colleagues at [meetings], andthen you only talk about administrative things,"Ryan says. "When do you get the chance to talkabout something substantive? When you run intothem in the corridor, maybe, but how often doesthat happen?"

The quad, including Boylston, will ultimatelybring together more than dozen departments,committees, centers and institutes. (seegraphic, this page).

The departments of Afro-American Studies,Celtic Language and Literature, Classics,Comparative Literature, English and AmericanLanguage and Literature, Linguistics, RomanceLanguages and Literature and Slavic Language andLiterature will all take up residence in the quad.

The department of Sanskrit and Indian Studieswill also be included in the quad. This departmentwas added only after the decision to includeBoylston, Wolff says.

Committees that will also be represented in theHumanities Quad include Folklore and Mythology,History and Literature, Literature, theComparative Study of Religion and Women's Studies,as well as the Expository Writing program.

The exact arrangement of the departments hasnot yet been finalized, Wolff says, and manypossible permutations are being discussed.

Presently, Boylston houses part of the RomanceLanguages Departments, as well as the entireGermanic, Slavic and Classics Departments.

But Wolff says that a proposal to keep all theBoylston departments at their present sites wasquickly rejected thanks to a lack of space.

Since the administration wants to house theentire department of Romance Languages andLiterature, which is currently divided, under oneroof, "it's not possible to really leave them allthere" while still fitting in all the wings ofthat department, Wolff says.

But simply moving one or two of the departmentsout of Boylston isn't an option for the planningcommittee either, says Wolff.

"We really should consider the intellectualmerits of adjacement before moving," Wolff says.

Parson agrees, noting that in deciding theultimate arrangement, the committee takes "a lotof interest in intellectual adjacencies."

The most likely combination of candidates forBoylston is one department and one large specialundergraduate concentration, Wolff says, althoughhe refuses to be more specific.

What the Departments Think

Most professors in the various departments wereout of town and could not be reached for comment.

Several departments did not have any tenuredprofessors around last week or this week, whilemany professors did not return phone calls.

But the consensus among professors, accordingto Wolff and to professors interviewed last week,is that the quad is a good step to take.

The Afro-American Studies Department isparticularly pleased with the move, Wolff says,since it will move from a cramped commerciallocation into spacious new quarters.

Reunited departments, such as Romance Languagesand English, are also happy with the new quad,Wolff says.

But not everyone is perfectly happy with themove. Wolff acknowledges.

The Department of Literature, for one, washesitant at first because it was happy with itscurrent quarters atop Emerson Hall, Wolff says.

Still, "they will have to move and we are aboutto offer them very attractive space," Wolff says.

Women's Studies was also unhappy about themove, Wolff says, because they feel they are asmuch a social science as a part of the humanities.

But Wolff says Women's Studies' isolated homeon Kirkland Street results in its "ghettoization."

And the only other options, inclusion in alarge social science building, are not feasiblebecause of a lack of space.

Wolff says many of the social sciences havedeep connections to the humanities and thatWomen's Studies will thrive in the new HumanitiesQuad.

Besides, he says the moniker Humanities Quad isa "categorization for the sake of convenience, notideology."Crimson GraphicEmmeline F. HouHUMANITIES QUAD PRELIMINARY SCHEDULE