If You Build It...

"If you build it, they will come--and all will be right with the world." So sayeth the Undergraduate Council regarding the construction of a new student center. In the past week, the council has mobilized with heightened intensity behind this perennial student cause, and while there is no reason to believe that this latest push will necessarily result in any greater success then past efforts, we are heartened by the zeal with which the council's new leadership has taken up the crusade. It goes without saying that this campus sorely needs a student center. Only 72 of 241 student groups have offices, and most of those "offices" might more accurately be described as cramped cubicles. They are too small to host meetings and the decentralized nature of classroom scheduling makes it difficult to make alternative arrangements.

Further, while we all love the food court atmosphere of Loker Commons-all it lacks is an Orange Julius-it doesn't quite cut it as spot for students to congregate and relax. We need a lounge with TV's, pool tables, foosball, perhaps even a few video game machines.

Finally, a properly designed student center would help alleviate the severe shortage of performance space. Classrooms are often inappropriate for special events and the Dean of Students Office can offer only meager options to those seeking something other than a square room full of desks. A student center could include theaters of various sizes for groups hosting special speakers or staging presentations.

Of course, the circumstances that necessitate the construction of a student center have been around for a long time and the Administration has consistently refused to budge. So, what's so special about this latest drive? Most importantly, it's better organized than past efforts. Last Thursday a sparsely-attended planning meeting was held during which a four-point list of objectives was announced. This list includes the demands that the College submit a student center as one of its priorities for the next capital campaign, that a time-table be established, a planning committee formed, and an architect be hired sometime in the near future.

Whether any of these objectives will be met remains to be seen. The council's approach is certainly not without flaws-they should probably propose a location for the building-but they seem off to a decent start. We encourage student group leaders to rally behind the council and arrange meetings with Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis '68 and Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III to lobby for the cause. Of the objectives outlined, the first, concerning the capital campaign, is the most important. Without a tangible scheme to raise money for this endeavor, it will forever remain a pipe dream. Activists should concentrate their efforts on that demand. All the planning committees in the world won't mean anything without a solid financial foundation.

Although Katherine B. Loker gave us $2.5 million for a student center, it's time for the University to realize that Loker Commons isn't an adequate solution. In the last push of this Capital Campaign, Harvard would do well to make a real student center a top priority.

Those of us currently at the College will probably never enjoy a student center. Even if this latest push is successful, construction simply will not be done in time. But, we can think of no better legacy to leave upcoming classes than prospects of a victory in the continuing battle to improve student life on this campus.