Radcliffe for Radcliffe

To the Editors of the Crimson:

After reading the editorial on the "Club Quad" (Oct. 30), we realized that there are a number of misconceptions concerning the new Radcliffe Recreational Center. First of all, this complex will not be run by the Dept. of Athletics. Rather it is the recreational facility for North, South, and Currier Houses, to be used by the House members and their guests. This was the original intent of the planners, and donors contributed money with this purpose in mind. In this respect, the facility will serve the same function for residents of these Houses as the Adams House pool does for Adams residents or the Dunster squash courts do for Dunster residents. The sole difference is that, instead of building a basketball court in South House, squash courts in North, and a tennis court in Currier, the separate facilities have been consolidated and placed in a separate building.

Secondly we fail to see what the authors mean when the argue that the facility will end up "further isolating the Quad." No one argues that the Lowell squash courts isolate Lowell residents from the rest of the University. Anyway, River residents will have access to the facility provided that they come as guests of a Quad resident. Forcing River and Quad people to interact will decrease, not increase, the isolation of the Quad. So, if a number of River residents feel isolated from the new recreational center, it must be because they know not one of the 1000 or so Quad residents well enough to be considered guests, much less friends. Steve Aitken '81   Bill Titus '81

The Crimson responds:

Though the new gym is not a counterpart to the Indoor Athletic Building, Radcliffe should not have raised funds for and constructed a gym for Quad residents only. The new gym offers the University's only raquetball, standard-sized handball and doubles squash courts, and should be open to the entire University community. In addition, River House residents will only have access to the gym if they are guests of Quad residents, making the gym a place for taking those you already know, and not a place for meeting new people.