College Alters Hilles Space Plans

In response to students’ concerns about privacy and security, the original plans for student group space in Hilles have been altered significantly to include doors on group offices and extra storage spaces.

Assistant Dean of the College Paul J. McLoughlin has also outlined the timeline and process by which student groups will be granted space in Hilles or the Yard for the next fall term.

McLoughlin told representatives from organizations with offices in Canaday, Thayer, and Holworthy at a meeting on Dec. 4 that most of them would need to relocate to Hilles. And, he said, because of Cambridge zoning guidelines, the new offices would be separated by bookshelves and curtains.

Since the meeting, Dean of the College Benedict H. Gross ’71 and McLoughlin met with groups to review their suggestions regarding the original design. According to Gross, these suggestions were presented to the architects, who altered the design accordingly.

The new design includes the installation of sprinklers throughout the building, which permits the architects to “create corridors” and add doors to student offices without violating fire code restrictions, McLoughlin said.

Since zoning guidelines prevent the construction of floor-to-ceiling walls, the doors will be embedded into wall panels separating the offices.

“I think that they’ve made a good change,” Alka R. Tandon ’07, co-president of the South Asian Association, said. “But the heart of the problem really hasn’t been addressed.”

Tandon added that many groups’ original concern was being overheard during meetings and that the changes still do not adequately address the issue. For example, the Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Transgender, and Supporters Alliance told The Crimson after the Dec. 4 meeting that the confidentiality of some of its members could be breached if the group’s conversations were not private.

Tandon also suggested that the administration should have consulted more students before the original designs were drawn up.

Aside from the addition of doors, other changes to the design include further refinement of “collaborative zones,” such as shared conference rooms and social spaces, soundproof carpeting in groups’ offices, and more storage area.

Todd VanStolk-Riley ’06, who was present at the Dec. 4 meeting, said about 30 student groups that have offices in Yard basements would have to relocate.

The subcommittee of the Committee on College Life (CCL), which is composed of administrators and various student group leaders, “will be establishing criteria for who receives space, who moves from their existing location, and who stays,” McLoughlin said.

Once applications for space have been submitted, the subcommittee will make decisions based on factors such as the groups’ contribution to the College, size, history, and yearly events, according to McLoughlin.

He added that the Harvard Foundation, an administration-affiliated group which provides financial and organizational support for various ethnic groups on campus, and the peer counseling groups are candidates who will likely keep their offices in the Yard.

Organizations such as the Prefect Program and the First-Year Outdoor Program will not lose their offices in Matthews basement since it will not undergo renovation, McLoughlin said.

The determinations made by the subcommittee regarding which groups will receive space in Hilles and which will remain in the Yard will be compiled in a report to be submitted to Gross for approval in early April. Final announcements will be made by mid-April.

“We are still in the discussion stage of the process,” Gross wrote in an e-mail. “I think everyone has been both open and helpful.”

The subcommittee will meet with all student groups interested in requesting space in Hilles on Jan. 13 to discuss the refined plans and solicit feedback. Input collected during the meeting will be used to develop an application for requesting space in Hilles, which will be available to student groups in late January.

—Staff writer Ying Wang can be reached at yingwang@fas.harvard.edu.