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The Dartmouth
April 23, 2024 | Latest Issue
The Dartmouth
Jake Elberg
The Setonian
News

Trustees will make Berry statement early this week

By Jake Elberg | November 17, 1997

After discussing the plans for Berry Library over the weekend, the Board of Trustees will release a statement early this week stating its position on the controversial designs, according to an informed source close to the Board. Construction is currently scheduled to begin in April on the $50 million library despite a wave of recent protests from students and faculty -- including a majority of the Design Review Committee. College Provost James Wright told The Dartmouth last week that the Berry Library would not be on the Board's agenda, but the source said the Trustees did in fact discuss Berry while in Hanover for their quarterly meeting this past weekend. Three members of the Board -- including Committee on Educational Affairs and Facilities Chair Kate Stith-Cabranes -- met Thursday with three professors who expressed their concerns with architect Robert Venturi's design for the exterior of the library. Art History Professor Joy Kenseth -- the woman leading the faculty movement demanding change in the design -- met with the three Board members along with Classics Professor Edward Bradley and Art History Professor Robert McGrath, who is a member of the Design Review Committee. Bradley said he was not optimistic that the Board would vote to change the building design. "I think they want to carry on regardless of what the faculty and large numbers of students may think," Bradley said. Two petitions -- one from the faculty and one from the Student Assembly -- asking the Trustees to halt action towards the construction of the library were presented to the Board last week. The Student Assembly presented a petition Saturday morning to Chairman of the Board Stephen Bosworth.

The Setonian
News

Berry Library meeting draws 150 professors

By Jake Elberg | November 13, 1997

Professors criticized the administration for ignoring the opinion of the Design Review Committee at a crowded meeting yesterday in which architects defended the plans for the proposed $50 million Berry Library. More than 150 people attended the presentation by College Provost James Wright and three architects involved with the design of the building, but the debate did not begin until after the presentation was finished.

The Setonian
News

Petition demands Berry Changes

By Jake Elberg | November 12, 1997

Joy Kenseth, the art history professor leading the movement to have the current plans for Berry Library modified, formally initiated a faculty petition yesterday, asking the College's Board of Trustees to halt action towards the construction of the library, which is currently scheduled to begin this spring. Kenseth, along with other members of the Art History Department, sent an electronic-mail message to all academic departments asking professors to sign a petition -- which asks that the exterior design of the building be more closely considered before construction begins. The exact language of the petition reads, "We the undersigned request the Board of Trustees to delay actions on the present plans for the Berry Library/Academic Center, especially its exterior design.

The Setonian
Sports

Water polo wins club nationals

By Jake Elberg | November 12, 1997

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.--The Dartmouth Water Polo team emerged from relative obscurity this past weekend, surprising not only themselves but the entire Water Polo community by winning the National Club Championships at Williams College. In a sport where many Division I schools compete at the club level, the Dartmouth team achieved its most historic honor with wins over the University of Michigan, Iowa State, Williams College and the University of Colorado. For Coach Jim Wilson, who has headed the team for the last four years, it was an enormous accomplishment. "It's tremendous for us, for our alumni, for all our guys.

The Setonian
News

Kenseth to petition for Berry construction halt

By Jake Elberg | November 10, 1997

Art History Professor Joy Kenseth, who is leading the movement to have the current plans for Berry Library modified, said she will initiate a petition today to halt action towards the construction of the library until the design can be discussed further. Kenseth -- a member of the executive committee of the friends of Dartmouth Library -- said the petition will ask "that no further action be taken on the library until we can properly assess the impact this exterior design will have on campus as a whole and possible concrete solutions that could minimize what are now seen as troublesome aspects of the building." She said she will start the petition today by sending a BlitzMail message to the entire faculty. Dissension has arisen recently regarding architect Robert Venturi's proposed design for the 125,000-square-foot Berry addition to the Baker Library, with many faculty members saying the plan is not consistent with the character of the campus. In the meantime, Kenseth -- in what she called a setback for both her and the members of the Design Review Committee who oppose the current Berry plans -- was told Friday by College Provost James Wright she will be granted a meeting with just one of the members of the College's Board of Trustees later this week. Kenseth had been hoping to address the entire Board in an attempt to convince them to modify the Berry plans. The Trustees meet in Hanover this weekend, and Wright said the Board's weekend agenda has been set for several weeks -- and that the library is "not a part of any Board action at this time." He said he never suggested to Kenseth that she would be given a forum with the full Board of Trustees. College Trustee Kate Stith-Cabranes -- the chair of the Trustee Committee on Educational Affairs and Facilities -- will meet with Kenseth later this week, and Wright said he encouraged Stith-Cabranes to invite other members of the Board to the meeting.

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