Administration Backs Out of Campus Center Basement Deal
By Lori DesRochers
News Associate

To current Pomona students, the Smith Campus Center is nothing more than a place to pick up mail, catch a quick bite to eat, or attend the occasional meeting. But to students who helped plan its construction, it was supposed to be much more. Instead of disconnected spaces on the first two levels and a basement filled with faculty offices, the entire basement was meant to be an inviting social space for students to hang out, go bowling, and spend long hours relaxing over a cold drink.

These plans were set in writing when Dean of Students Ann Quinley signed a document in February 2001 stating that “The College fully desires and intends to return the lower level of the Smith Campus Center to student programming space after the offices have been removed in the summer of 2005.” The current movement to continue using the basement for faculty offices until 2007 directly violates this statement.

These plans were set in writing when Dean of Students Ann Quinley signed a document in February 2001 stating that "The College fully desires and intends to return the lower level of the Smith Campus Center to student programming space after the offices have been removed in the summer of 2005."

Jake Oken-Berg ‘02, former ASPC President, was appalled to discover that these statements could possibly be revoked.

"Instead of going back on a written agreement, Dean Quinley and President Oxtoby should commit, by the end of this semester, to a timetable and funding for the original basement plan—a vibrant, interconnected student activity area encompassing the entire basement shell,” he said.

Current ASPC President Ari Greenberg ‘04 agrees that the potential for the college to back out of this agreement would be dangerous. “It would be a serious breach of integrity, and most of the trust that the students have in the administration would be lost,” he said.

When Greenberg was elected last spring, it was clear that making the Smith Campus Center a more student-friendly space was a top priority. To that end, he has engaged in numerous conversations with Quinley and Oxtoby regarding the matter, and vows to continue fighting.

“I totally believe President Oxtoby when he says that he’s exploring all the options, and he’s promised me that no decision would be made without student’s input,” said Greenberg. “For him not to honor an agreement that is so important to student life would be very surprising.”

The Smith Campus Center currently contains a café, a game room, study spaces like the Fireside Lounge, and a party room in the basement, but when the building was opened in 2000, students were tremendously disappointed with the fact that the layout seemed fragmented and sterile.

“That basement space is so awful, and it really could be great if they did the right things with it, which they’re not,” said Adam Boardman ‘01, who helped to draft the original plans for the Campus Center. “The pub is exactly what Pomona needs—the kind of place where you can make a lot of connections and have a lot of discussions. It’s directly in line with the mission of the college.” Boardman admitted that the administration needed to deal with the immediate problem of placing the faculty offices, but still found it frustrating that the larger goal of giving students a place to call their own was pushed aside.

“Academics are extremely important, but that’s not why people come to Pomona. It’s just striking that they wouldn’t make it their priority to create a nonsterile space in the campus center,” said Oken-Berg. "No amount of cosmetic changes will cause a student to spend several hours in a small room that has only one use and is separated by stairs or walls from other activities, much like the first and second floor rooms in Smith."

Current students seem completely unaware of the potential that the Smith Campus Center holds.

“It’s sneaky how they don’t tell you these things so they can get away with not doing it,” said Liz Groothuis ’06. “If nobody knows about these plans, they’re not going to expect any changes.”

Boardman agreed, and suggested that students find ways to get involved. “I think the students need to get educated and go to the Trustees, and really understand that it can be a lot better than it is right now,” suggested Boardman.