February 13, 2008 Master Planning Session Review

As I entered the Unity Center for the Performing Arts on the evening of Wednesday, February, 13, 2008 I could feel the enthusiasm that flowed throughout the room. After a very successful and productive meeting the week before, it appeared as though the participants were ready for round two. As I got ready to record the night’s events, I sat down at the table and observed the crowd. Administrators consulted with Architects, Faculty conversed amongst each other while others talked with students. Community members were greeted by students, faculty and staff and a few new participants chatted amongst each other, attempting to figure out what the protocol was. A few minutes late, the voice of President Mitch Thomashow interrupted the chatter, announcing that dinner was ready and immediately following, we would begin our work.

After fulfilling their hunger, the participants were very attentive as Mitch announced the plan for the night. The plan was to:

• Establish 5 new groups that each had at least one representative from each group from the week before.

• Each group was to establish 5 top criteria that should be included in the final master plan.

• Each group was to take the “streams and bridges” plan and modify it in order to best fit their established criteria.

• Each group was to report out to the entire group starting at approximately 7:30.

When 7:30 arrived, all five groups returned to the meeting area with papers and graphics in hand. One by one, the groups presented their top five criteria and shared their revised plans. The plans were not extremely detailed, however they gave an overview of what the group thought the campus should look like in order to best conform to their selected criteria. After hearing the five presentations, the following criteria appeared to be the most important to the groups:

• Efficiency-All buildings should be energy efficient and be designed to further the sustainable practices of the college.

• Community-All buildings and spaces should be designed in order to foster a safe community in every part of the college and establish a connection with the town.

• Flow-All buildings, parking lots, roadways and walkways should be designed to conform to the day to day flow of the college in an effort to reduce pedestrian/vehicular conflicts.

• Learning-All buildings and places should be built and designed in order to foster learning and be conducive to student’s growth.

• Distance-Buildings should be designed so that there is appropriate distance between learning and living spaces so that residential students feel as though they have a living area and a work area on campus.

While this list does not include every single criteria that was mentioned, I feel as though those left out are represented through the ones that I have chosen to bring forth. It is readily apparent that all buildings must be built in order to conserve resources and be as sustainable as possible. In addition, as a residential college, we must continue to foster community, both through the design of buildings, as well as the placement, ensuring that students have an appropriate buffer between where they live and where they do a majority of their school work.

As we wrapped up the session for the night, Mitch thanked everyone for attending and laid out the game plan for the following meeting. The plan was to:

• Divide into 5 groups

• Develop a timeline for the next 12 years including
-New Construction
-Building Removal
-Refurbishing of Buildings
-Small scale projects

• Develop a new drawing/plan including any buildings that would be kept, as well as factoring in any buildings that would be torn down and new construction. The plans should include roadways and pathways as well as any other change to the campus.

• Present these timelines and plans to the group.

After Mitch finished and the meeting concluded, I briefly spoke with some of the attendees before returning to my residence hall. As I unpacked my materials and computer from the meeting, I compiled my thoughts from the night. Ultimately, I once again decided that it was an extremely productive session. Everyone seemed eager to participate and lend a voice. There were minor disagreements on some things and major agreements on others. It was truly great to see such a large constituency working together on a master plan. It is even greater to think that this particular format may be unprecedented and makes me look forward to the next meeting where we will ultimately decide which the first step is in working towards Unity 2020.