Community Center (2011 Strategic Plan)

A common gathering space with the capacity to host a wide variety of functions would improve the link between the academic program and student life. By building a community center of modest scale, we would facilitate interactions among faculty, staff, and students. The upper Robert Crown Center (RCC) would be renovated, as would the gallery level of the Harold F. Johnson Library. An addition to the RCC would be constructed, creating a community center and linking the RCC with the library. This space could include an expanded Bridge Café, office space for student organizations, student life offices, group study and social spaces, a relocated and expanded bookstore, a green roof over the addition, and other functional areas to be determined. “Greening” the RCC would be a special focus of this project, transforming an older energy-inefficient building with aging infrastructure and mechanical systems into a state-of-the-art facility. The Community Center would be physically linked with the Library creating one unified structure for community living and learning. (See Library initiative above)

Comments
Please include your thoughts on the importance of the initiative, how to frame the issue, things that may be missing, and any additional comments here (you can do so by logging into Hampedia and clicking edit):


 * Matthew Gonzalez (F09): How would the construction of a unified building affect the history and community view on what is known as The Bridge and the areas immedietlely adjacent, including the path the Greenwich House, the Div Free bell, etc?
 * Carolyn Earnest (F07): The Bridge Café, as it is now, does not embody the values projected by Hampshire College in the areas of health and sustainabylity. Before investing in expanding the Bridge Café the college should look into alternatives that could provide healthier food choices, more vegan or vegetarian options, or support for local food systems. Perhaps a new café could be modeled on the two student run food businesses at Umass: The People's Market and Earth Foods. It would also be nice to make a space in the new student center where the existing student group Mixed Nuts could operate, as their current location has the effect of limiting the benefit of a student run food store to the residents of Enfield.
 * Gaines Blasdel (F10): I would like to see a space for community dances and concerts that is larger than the Red Barn and more acoustically/aesthetically pleasing than SAGA as part of a community center. Additionally, the QCA is currently in a space that is not accessible to students using wheelchairs and with other disabilities, and it would better serve students if it were both accessible and a 24-hour space.
 * I'd like to hold up Smith's campus center as a model--well beyond our means, I know, but I would really like something that had that kind of beauty and functionality on the Hampshire campus. Ellen Green
 * Despite being in two separate sections of the Strategic Plan, this initiative must be considered together with the ideas for improving the library. The college absolutely needs some kind of social/academic gathering spaces, for which this idea -- with lots of input from all constituencies -- could provide. I have to agree with Ellen Green that in my dreams some place like Smith's campus center would be wonderful, but in a manner that fits with Hampshire. Given finances, revamping the library/RCC makes the most sense. Sue Darlington (Professor of Anthropology and Asian Studies, CSI).