While the uproar over the fate of the Chancellor Green Cafe is almost as loud as the cafe itself, the administration's disregard for student input in matters regarding space allocation at the University is especially disturbing — as disturbing as the potential cafe conversion.
The University's proposal to convert the cafe into a humanities library beginning in 2001 is premature given Frist's unknown future as a social space on campus and the cafe's well-known success. The proposal, and the preceding closed-door deliberations, met strong opposition from students at Monday's U-Council meeting. Over 744 students, including several members of the 'Prince' Editorial Board, signed a petition to maintain Chancellor Green as a social space.
In a forum specifically designed for the exchange of ideas among administration, faculty and students, Associate Provost Allen Sinisgalli's response that "most people would sign anything," is neither constructive nor appropriate.
While the Chancellor Green decision will ultimately be in the hands of the administration, the Chancellor Green discussion should have included students. Unfortunately, it did not.
The space in Chancellor Green serves different functions at different times. For some, it is a two-tiered pastry stand. For others, it is a late-night study crash site. But the current atmosphere of the rotunda draws all kinds of people from the University community. It is one of the few places on campus where graduate and undergraduate students coexist, and its close proximity to Firestone library ensures a steady stream of students from varied backgrounds. The cafe also hosts many of the University's multicultural events and attracts independent and minority students on a nightly basis.
The cafe serves a unique blend of social functions, and while the Frist Campus Center may someday make it obsolete, the University's proposal to house a library in the rotunda next year comes too early and without student input or approval. The decision to concentrate alternative eating options in Frist is a bit premature, considering that it may take years before the new campus center fulfills it potential.
The University is entering a period of growth and expansion, and is likely to encounter many difficult space allocation decisions in the future. The tension between students and administrators over the fate of the Chancellor Green Cafe sets a disappointing precedent. It could have been avoided with a more student-inclusive deliberation process.
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