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Smith administrators recently presented a proposal for
reducing the college’s use of space by 5 percent or 150,000 square feet, as
included in the $22 million budget reduction plan adopted last year in the wake of
the global financial crisis. At an April 1 forum for students, faculty and staff,
Vice President for Finance and Administration Ruth Constantine described the recommendations
of the planning firm Bruner/Cott of Cambridge, Mass., for buildings that Smith could
consider releasing either by selling, renting, leasing or demolishing, and answered
questions from attendees. This Q & A addresses questions brought forward since
that forum.
Why is Smith discontinuing use of some buildings?
In response to the global economic downturn, the college adopted a $22 million budget
reduction plan in 2009 that included reductions in positions, compensation, programs,
and space. We specified in the plan a reduction of 5 percent of space amounting
to a savings of about $1 million per year. This year we have worked with a planner
to evaluate our use of buildings and consider how we would accomplish the 5 percent
reduction in space called for in the budget reduction plan.
How did the college choose which buildings would
be affected?
Our primary focus has been on buildings near the periphery of campus, considering
building location first and then its condition and potential cost of renovation.
Student residential houses were included. Houses make up 40 percent of Smith’s
111 buildings and several are located on the periphery of campus. The review also
included academic buildings, administrative buildings and college-owned rental buildings
(offered to faculty and staff) in the areas under review. In the fall, the college
engaged the planning firm Bruner/Cott to assist in the evaluation and advise on which
buildings should be released.
If we value Smith’s housing system, how
can we close houses like Parsons and Dawes?
The college’s residence house system is a unique and deeply valued aspect of
every student’s experience at Smith. We make the decision to close a house
with great regret and only after a careful consideration of all of the options. Dawes
and the Parsons complex have been cherished for decades by students who have made
them home, and the apartments on Bedford Terrace have afforded an important option
for Ada Comstock Scholars. Very occasionally, however, we must make the decision
to close a house, based on the considerations mentioned above. Our Residence Life
staff will work closely with students living in Dawes and Parsons to ensure that
the legacy of these houses is recorded in the college archives and that transition
and effect on house community for students remaining in the houses is supported fully.
Additionally, the college is planning to offer residential language-learning opportunities,
for a number of languages and in a range of settings.
What will happen to housing for Ada Comstock
Scholars?
Ada Comstock Scholars have a number of on-campus housing options, including traditional
student housing, the 150 Elm co-op, and on-campus apartments. About 45 percent of
Adas take advantage of on-campus housing, including the recently opened Conway House
apartments for Adas with children. Fifteen Adas currently live in the two apartment
buildings that are proposed for release. While those will not be replaced, the other
housing options will continue to be available to Adas. As we contemplate replacing
the Friedman apartments, we will consider whether to provide options for Adas in
the new complex.
Will dining be affected?
House dining is not affected by the space reduction planning. For dining services
on campus, the primary effect of the budget reductions was closure of the Smith
College Club lunch service for employees. The building is still used for scheduled
events and the college is planning for a conference center at that location. The
modest changes in house dining have already been implemented, with all dining locations
continuing in operation. The savings achieved in dining services in the current
budget reduction plan totaled about $480,000 per year with the largest single share
being the aforementioned closure of the College Club. This compares to more than
$1.1 million saved in dining in Smith’s 2004 financial equilibrium plan,
which was achieved primarily through reducing the number of dining locations while
adding many new menu options and keeping dining rooms open for longer hours.
Why hasn’t Smith kept up with building
renovation needs over the years?
As was the case at most colleges and universities, for decades Smith’s investment
in facilities was inadequate to keep aging campus buildings in uniformly good condition.
The college began setting aside operating funds for facilities renovations just over
20 years ago, beginning with a $1 million budget that grew slowly over the next
decade. In addition, proceeds from bond issues were used to address renovation needs.
Several years ago the college committed to increase its annual investment to an amount
equal to 2 percent of the replacement value of our facilities. Next year’s
operating budget funding for renovations will reach nearly $15 million, and we expect
to achieve our 2 percent funding goal three years from now. Since deferred maintenance
grows each year until we reach our target, we are supplementing this investment with
funding from gifts and any operating surplus.
Because we have not had sufficient funding for the past
20 years to cover all of our maintenance needs, we have had to make choices every
year about which projects will receive attention and which will have to wait. Many
buildings on campus await major overhauls, including John M. Greene, faculty office
buildings, Wright Hall, Sabin-Reed, and some student houses. We have invested millions
of dollars in the past 10 years to renovate Baldwin, Haven, Wesley, Hopkins, King,
Scales, Emerson, Morrow, Wilson, Comstock, Wilder, Talbot, Chapin, Park, Lamont,
Parsons House, Parsons Annex, Albright, Washburn, the Freidman apartments, Park Annex,
Sessions Annex, Tenney and others. In the coming years, we are committed to addressing
the renovation needs of the remaining houses as we keep up maintenance on the houses
that have been recently renovated. This summer, renovation work is scheduled for
Lawrence and Morris Houses, which have long needed attention, and work will begin
in Northrop and Gillett Houses.
What will happen to buildings that the college
releases?
The next stage of planning will be to relocate services that would be displaced by
releasing recommended buildings, including departments such as public safety, public
affairs and health services. We will determine the appropriate release of buildings
area by area. For example, the planners recommend that the college take down buildings
located on property that the college should retain, including Belmont Avenue and
Paradise Road locations. We will consider selling or leasing a number of properties
that are not in strategic locations for the college.
When will the student houses close?
This space reduction plan will likely take place over at least five years. Residence
Life staff have worked with each affected house to let them know the timeline for
closing. No student house is slated for closing in the next two years. All students
currently living in Dawes and Parsons will be able to remain there until graduation
if they choose to do so, assuming the first-year students who are placed in Parsons
this fall graduate in four years. Students in Parsons Annex who wish to remain
in the complex may be asked to move to Parsons House beginning after 2010-11. Likewise,
Adas currently living on Bedford Terrace will have the option of staying there
until they graduate, although it is possible that we will consolidate into one
of the two apartment buildings as the number of Adas living there becomes smaller. |
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