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April 20, 2007 > News > Future constructions, projects discussed at SA retreat

Future constructions, projects discussed at SA retreat

By Paul Tucker | Thresher staff

The Student Association hosted an informal retreat in the R Room at Rice Stadium Tuesday night to speak with university administrators and brainstorm projects for the coming year. Turnout was low for the event. Twenty-two students attended, only two of whom did not have an official position within the SA Senate.

Associate Vice President of Housing and Dining Mark Ditman began the event by briefly over-viewing Housing and Dining’s efforts to combat rising energy costs in the colleges. He presented a counter-plan to one the SA Environmental Committee had proposed, which suggested the purchase of renewable wind energy at a 20 percent higher cost, with a variety of measures to cover the cost, including increases in student fees and conservation. Ditman said Rice should purchase the more expensive energy but then encourage the colleges to recover the cost via conservation alone.

In an energy conservation competition between Wiess and Martel Colleges last semester, reductions amounted to only about five and ten percent, respectively, outgoing Environmental Affairs Committee Chair Lauren Laustsen, a Sid Rich College junior, said. Ditman said creating a moral imperative to the average student and creating awareness of rapidly growing energy costs is important. Rice spent 40 percent more on energy this year over last, Ditman said.

Ditman also outlined the history of the meal plan at Rice in anticipation of plans to augment or adjust it to better fit the needs of undergraduates. The current plan was designed to complement the residential college system by reducing time spent in line and increasing time spent at the table during lunch and dinner.

The current distribution of meal plan costs are modeled after commercial restaurants, and a student on the full meal plan can be fed on about $12 a day, Ditman said. Plate waste and use of disposable plates and cups are among the largest concerns for dining, he said.

Ditman also raised the issue of late-night dining on campus. He said no late-night plan has emerged yet because no college has stepped up to fund such a project.

Faculty Senate Speaker Deborah Harter addressed the group next, praising the recent collaboration between SA and Faculty Senate for course evaluations. She said she is optimistic about future collaboration and would like to attend at least one SA meeting per month to continue fostering a relationship between SA and Faculty Senate.

Harter also spoke on the immediacy of the minors. A decision will be made to approve or deny business minors at the upcoming Faculty Senate meeting April 27, and Faculty Senate will discuss other minors including the proposed sociology departmental minor at its May 2 meeting.

Vice President for Administration Kevin Kirby talked about 14 upcoming construction and renovation projects on campus. The plans include a building to house the physics department and its research labs, McMurtry College and the eleventh college, a power plant located behind Wiess College, the Collaborative Research Center, the new recreation center, renovation of Autry, the Fondren Library Pavilion, expanded graduate housing, and a renovation of the grove between Hanzsen and Will Rice Colleges.

Rice has launched a billion-dollar capital campaign to help finance these projects. About $200 million from that campaign will be dedicated to construction, and the current construction estimate stands around $850 million total.

Kirby outlined the construction that will be occurring on the new “spine” of campus running from Dell Butcher Hall and the new recreation center along alumni road to the Collaborative Research Center. Jones College President Teddy Bucher said the proliferation of buildings along the spine will adversely affect students, especially since over half of them will be living on the north side of campus in the next ten years. Kirby said these concerns were taken into consideration, but space limitations offered no viable alternatives.

All new buildings will be LEED certified to at least the lowest level. Most audience questions to Kirby focused on aspects of the LEED certification and possibilities for renovation of the oldest sections of colleges on the south side of campus. Kirby said efforts were being pushed in the direction of new construction rather than renovation of the old buildings because there is a ready donor for the newest colleges. There has not been a timeline set for any renovation of existing colleges, but Kirby said renovations will likely begin near the end of this round of construction in 2010.

Director of the Student and Recreation Centers Boyd Beckwith spoke briefly about issues concerning those buildings. He said the SA should support the ongoing survey of the Student Center, as it has already provided valuable feedback.

Beckwith also addressed the new 100,000-square-foot recreation center to be constructed in summer 2008. He talked about the improvements of the new facility over Autry, including tripled weight room capacity and more than doubled cardiovascular machine space. Beckwith said the new facility will commit itself to student employment and student-led operations.

The new facility will reduce the number of available intramural fields, but plans are being made to light others to offset the loss. There will be a competition-level outdoor pool with a recreation section.

Director of Student Activities Heather Madsen also spoke.

Hanszen College junior Eric Max, one of the non-affiliated attendees, said he was disappointed by the turnout but that a lot of good ideas came out of the presentations. Max said he was surprised at the number of projects beginning construction in the next year and was amazed by the small amount of communication between the administration and the student body on a variety of issues. He also said the SA’s effort to inform the student body was a well-intended one but that other methods would be necessary to educate everyone.

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