News
Chris Parker / The Dartmouth Senior Staff
Chris Parker / The Dartmouth Senior Staff
Public conceptions of the construction costs of the Class of 1978 Life Sciences Center suffer from "misunderstandings and misinformation," professor Thomas Jack, chair of the department of biological sciences, said in a statement to The Dartmouth.
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.
