A recent letter to the editor published in the Valley News questioned the necessity of the expenses of the ongoing construction of the LSC in light of recent budget cuts, according to biology professor Mark McPeek.
Jack, who is away from Hanover and was not immediately available for comment, submitted the statement to clarify the project's costs, as well as its goal of incorporating sustainable building practices and providing a learning space for students.
The LSC has been a public point of contention since February, when College President Jim Yong Kim discussed proposed budget cuts that included staff layoffs to a meeting of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
Faculty members at the meeting questioned sacrificing staff while continuing construction of the Life Sciences Center and Visual Arts Center.
The letter published in the Valley News exaggerated the costs of the construction, McPeek said.
The costs are estimated at approximately $90 million, Jack wrote in the letter.
The Class of 1978 contributed $40 million toward the construction of the LSC, The Dartmouth previously reported.
The $9 million yearly cost to the College that has been publicly discussed "refers primarily to debt service associated with financing of the LSC, which must be paid whether or not we complete and occupy the LSC" Jack said in the letter.
The College issued over $400 million in bonds in May 2008 in order to help pay for several construction projects, including the LSC, The Dartmouth previously reported.
In addition to being energy efficient, the new space will "fill a serious need for classroom space on campus" and provide the lab space that will enable "the education of the next generation of scientists," Jack wrote.
McPeek echoed Jack's assertions that the LSC is a worthwhile investment, even as cuts are being made in other departments of the College.
While ceasing other construction projects "makes financial sense," leaving the LSC project unfinished does not, he said.
"The College would lose an exorbitant amount of money if they stopped now," he added.
McPeek also emphasized the long-term savings the College would gain from construction of the Life Sciences Center. The building is expected to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design gold-level standards for efficiency, if not platinum-level standards, according to McPeek. This would significantly decrease utility costs relative to the current building, he said.
Jack said in his letter that the Life Sciences Center will be the "most energy-efficient large laboratory building in the United States" when the project is completed.
If the College terminated the project, which has been ongoing since September 2008, Dartmouth would lose the investment made in the construction process, according to history professor Walter Simons.
Simons is one of the 75 faculty members who signed an open letter to the Dartmouth community in January proposing cost-saving alternatives to laying off College employees.
"We knew about that for a while now we could not break those contracts without incurring all sorts of fines," Simons said.
