Campus Construction Continues
By Logan Steiner
Staff Writer

In a few years, both sides of Sixth Street on the west end of Pomona’s campus will look significantly different than they do today. Crookshank Hall, which sits on the south side of Sixth Street and houses Pomona’s English and Classics departments, is currently being remodeled. On the north side of the street, the new Richard C. Seaver Biology Building is currently under construction, and Seaver South will be renovated between 2006 and 2007.

Architects are also in the process of designing two connected buildings scheduled to be completed between 2005 and 2006, on the parking lot site at Sixth Street and College Way.

Associate Dean of the College Patricia Smiley is in charge of overseeing the Crookshank and Seaver South renovations as well as the construction of the new buildings. Smiley said she is confident that the renovation of Crookshank will be complete by the beginning of next summer.

Construction workers are currently attempting to finish the roof on the building so that it will be water-tight. Next, they will begin to frame the rooms in the interior of the building and install an elevator. According to. Smiley, “One nice feature of the renovation is that two windows on the east and west ends of the building that were blocked up will be opened up, letting in a lot more light.”

Faculty in Crookshank have been greatly affected by the construction, moving their offices into the basement of Smith Campus Center for the year. They are also being forced to hold classes in other buildings.

Associate Dean of the College and Professor of English Professor Rena Fraden claimed that “much of the renovation in Crookshank has to do with making sure it is up to codeÖputting in more efficient lights, central air, things like that.” No drastic changes to the inside of the building will be made. However, Fraden said she hopes for “a more beautiful building inside.” The English department office will be rearranged and the library will be slightly expanded, but classroom locations should remain the same.

Crookshank is second in a series of renovations to the buildings in Pomona’s Academic Quadrangle. The remodeling of Pearsons Hall was completed last year, and the south side of Mason Hall is being temporarily renovated this fall, with a complete remodeling scheduled to occur in 2006-7. At that time the building will be gutted, and all offices, classrooms and research facilities will be remodeled. Unfortunately, as a result of this construction, access to the buildings in the Academic Quad will remain obstructed throughout the next few years.

The new Richard C. Seaver biology building is scheduled to be completed this year. It will house the Biology department faculty offices as well as some of their teaching laboratories. It will also provide them with a new space in which to conduct research. The current Biology and Geology building, Seaver South, is scheduled to be fully renovated later, in the†‘06-†’07†school year. It will contain the remainder of the classrooms as well as some space for neuroscience.

Professor of Biology Laura Hoopes siad she was “very excited about the new building.” She claimed that Seaver South no longer fulfills the needs of students or professors. “It was designed with ‘sit down, shut up’ science in mind and that’s not how we teach any more. For example, we like to use discussions, but it’s hard when the seats in the lecture rooms are bolted down to risers. We do lots of research with our students as collaborators, but the research labs are tiny and have almost no bench space,” said Hoops. The new buildings will be designed’to facilitate faculty-student interaction, and should also be more conducive to laboratory studies.

The renovation and construction of Pomona’s academic buildings will continue well into the next few years. Before Mason Hall is renovated, two connected and currently unnamed buildings will be constructed over the parking lot on the corner of Sixth Street and College Way. These buildings will house the†Intercollegiate Department of Black Studies, the Intercollegiate Department of Chicano Studies, the Intercollegiate Department of Asian American Studies, Psychology, Neuroscience, Linguistics and Cognitive Science, Computer Science, Geology and Environmental Analysis.† According to Smiley, these departments and programs were grouped together because of “natural affinities between them.”

The new buildings are scheduled to be completed before fall of 2006. Currently, the architecture firm DMJM is consulting faculty and students at Pomona to determine what sizes and types of rooms and laboratories would be most conducive to Pomona’s style of teaching.

Architects are also currently in the process of discussing the outside design of the buildings, including height, shape, and position. According to Smiley, the administration hopes “to have the interior and exterior design complete by June 2004 and then do drawings for construction over the summer of 2004.” If everything proceeds according to schedule, construction will begin in June 2005, and the buildings will be occupied in the fall of the following year.