Student Center?

To the Editors of The Crimson:

An article on the front page of The Crimson on January 16 suggests that a plan is in place to create an undergraduate student center for the College. Those who were present at the Committee on College Life where this concept was discussed will know that the Committee received a student proposal expressing the need for such a facility but that the plans have gone no further than that.

The Faculty of Arts and Sciences, which includes the College under its administrative umbrella, has embarked on an extended study of the long-term physical space requirements of the Faculty. While the concept of a student activities center will be considered in the context of the Faculty's overall needs, it will be a long time before there is any indication of whether such a facility is an appropriate adjunct to the house system, or how high it might rank on the long list of priorities for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and the College.

Lowell Lecture Hall is mentioned in The Crimson article as a possible site for a student center. The building, which became redundant as a lecture hall when the Science Center was completed, has been empty for some years pending a decision on the most appropriate use. There are numerous competing claims on the site, and no assessment of their relative merits will begin until there is a complete understanding of the Faculty's space needs.

A theater group has asked for permission to explore the possibility of using Lowell Lecture Hall for rehearsal and performance speace pending a decision on the permanent use of the site. At this point, the condition of the building is such that there are major obstacles to obtaining an occupancy permit from the City of Cambridge for this use. No other temporary uses of the building, which is currently used for storage, are now being explored.

Phillip Parsons, associate dean for physical resources, will be coordinating all planning about the future uses of Lowell Lecture Hall. L. Fred Jewett '57   Dean of the College