An Aesthetic Addition: Rebuild the Memorial Hall tower, but fund student concerns as well

Memorial Hall, which many of us know as the looming architectural centerpiece between Kirkland and Cambridge Streets, may soon cast a shadow 70 feet taller. Recently, to cap off a five-year $2.1 billion capital campaign, the University announced that $4 million will be used to reconstruct the war memorial's tower, which burned down in 1956.

Admittedly, there are a few of us who have recoiled at the thought of augmenting this Gothic Goliath. But for many of us, the idea of restoring our venerable building to the glory and stature it once knew is a welcome one. The missing tower was a sign that Mem Hall was somehow unfinished; the rebuilding project is a nice symbolic and aesthetic move to complete the structure.

What is ironic, however, is that the University is heralding a project with little practical significance (other than aesthetic grandeur) while numerous areas with more immediate student impact could certainly use the extra dollars. All of us could benefit from the hiring of more Faculty. Student athletic facilities are in abysmal condition. And a new student center would be a structure which we could do more than just gaze at.

This is not to say the money which will be used to fund the Memorial Hall tower, which came from a restricted fund and alumni donations, should have gone elsewhere. Rather, we are urging the administration to place a similar fundraising emphasis on other, issues more tangibly significant to students than the mere sight of a Gothic tower.

Though it may not be as easy to encourage generous donors to give to less obvious causes as increasing the Faculty-student ratio or starting a permanent fund to build a student center, such funding would have tremendous impact on the lives of students on this campus for years to come.

The Memorial Hall tower is, by all means, a commendable project. But, as always, the question of priorities rears its ugly head. We hope the University realizes that there is a lot more to improving campus life than architectural splendor.