Plans for the second phase of the long-awaited Bryan Center renovations have come to a standstill; Executive Vice President Tallman Trask has decided to wait for the Upperclass Residential Planning Committee to submit its initial report at the beginning of December before proceeding with the blueprints for allocating student organization space in the Bryan Center.
With so many student groups requesting meeting and office space, a significant amount of coordination is necessary to accommodate all the demands.
Trask said the decisions he will make about allocating meeting space will be contingent upon the report issued by the residential planning committee, which is also expected to include plans for the use of dormitories' commons rooms.
"I don't want there to be any overlap in our recommendations," Trask said. "If we're working on it at the same time, that's a definite possibility."
Trinity senior Emmy Andrews, president of the Duke University Union-the organization whose responsibilities include overseeing student use of the Bryan Center-supported Trask's decision to put the formulation of the plans on hold.
Although space allocation and renovation recommendations may now have to wait until the fall of 1998, Andrews recognized that residential life is an area that demands immediate attention. She said student organizations have now begun to lobby the administration individually requesting additional space.
"It's going to be incredibly complicated once they do decide to touch student organization space, but it's too late to really start anything this year," Andrews explained. "If there were going to be anything soon, it would be something small this summer."
The Panhellenic Association, one of the groups seeking space, has been particularly vocal in past years about its lack of meeting room. The organization issued a report in March of 1996 outlining its request and ongoing "struggle" for adequate campus space. Panhel has targeted space in "an existing and visible structure on West Campus," focusing primarily on the Bryan Center. Trinity senior Kirsten Marsh, Panhel president, could not be reached for comment.
Last February then-Union President Brian Daniels, Trinity '97, and then-Duke Student Government President Takcus Nesbit, Trinity '97, submitted a student proposal for renovations to the Bryan Center and West Union building that was approved by the Bryan Center task force.
The proposal outlined plans for the creation of cultural center space, student group meeting space and additional food space for both franchise and cafeteria-style restaurants.
These requests, Trask said, are still being considered.
In addition to the student proposal, Jim Wulforst, director of dining services, has discussed his vision for a food court on the main level of the Bryan Center that would create an ambiance comparable to that of New York City's Greenwich Village.
Although that particular idea remains at least one year away from realization, phase one of the Bryan Center renovations are already complete: The new Cafe-which would have been renovated regardless of the residential committee's recommendations-offers a variety of food and drink options unique to that eatery.
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