Getting Allstoned

In its recently released progress report, the Task Force for Undergraduate Life in Allston made it clear that undergraduate Houses will be in Allston. And, though we still maintain some skepticism about the prospect of Houses across the river, we are glad to see that the task force seems to have seriously taken student concerns into account in its recommendations.

We are particularly pleased that the task force recommended that Houses remain close to the river, that adequate transportation to and from Allston be provided, that a student center be built, that each House have more space per bed than each does now and that grassy spaces be left open.

More importantly, though, we hope that University Hall’s task forces will continue to respond to student concerns as more concrete proposals get fleshed out. Harvard’s development of Allston is still far off, and many of the most important decisions regarding undergraduate life there are yet to be made. The options outlined in the report leave room for anything from two to eight upperclass Houses in Allston as well as the addition of anywhere from 104,000 to 365,000 gross square feet of student center, athletic and art space. Continued sensitivity to student input must be a top priority for Harvard’s Allston planners as the University moves past the conceptual phase of the project.

As more real decisions on Allston start to get made, University Hall must also be careful not to rush the job or let the bottom line dictate the kind of campus undergraduates get across the river. Throughout the report on undergraduate life, the task force offers a range of options on spending for everything from sports facilities to arts space. We urge Allston planners to seriously consider the most expensive options in the report. Harvard will have many opportunities for capital campaigns to recoup Allston expenses, but it will only have one chance to create this new campus from scratch.

When all is said and done, taking the time and devoting the resources necessary to creating a truly splendid Allston campus will pay off. As long as the University continues to take student concerns into consideration and manages to put vision ahead of the bottom line, undergraduates might very well get a vibrant, happy, healthy center for student activity and student life across the river—and future first-years might not cringe at the thought of being exiled across the Charles. By deciding to build Houses in Allston, Harvard takes on the responsibility of making students want to live in them. We hope its Allston planners follow through.