"The there that's not there"--that's how University Architect John Pearce describes the notorious abyss otherwise known as Central Campus.
Since 2000, administrators have offered lofty visions of the "there" that will someday fill this void, but delays in the project and a lack of information about construction has left the Central-to-be a mystery.
As students prepare to return to campus, the question remains--will the elusive "academic village" begin to become a reality in the upcoming year?
Physically, the answer is no.
Despite rumors of a summertime ground-breaking, the current architectural plans must meet the approval of the Board of Trustees-who will convene in September and December--before construction can get underway.
Administrators say once the Board approves of plans, it will still be some time before students see the outward signs of the future Central Campus. There are local and state zoning ordinances to consider, and after the bureaucratic hurdles, the first year will mostly involve site work, including roadwork, digging trenches and installing pipes and wires.
"You'll see progress, we'll have discussions, but I don't think you'll see, physically, a whole lot," Executive Vice President Tallman Trask says of the coming months. "Even if we start moving dirt, you won't see anything except foundations for well over a year."
Trask says Central will remain a mystery to students until it has become a physical reality, but Vice President of Student Affairs Larry Moneta has a plan to clarify students' visions of the campus. He says students may be able to walk through models of the proposed loft apartments as early as this year-possibly even before groundwork starts.
The model apartments are part of this year's primary theme regarding Central-discussion.
"It's very hard for everyone to track the Central project. It's a moving target-it's enormous. It's like trying to design a mini city. Unless you're really engaged almost full-time in understanding it, you'll only pick up bits and pieces.. We've got to use this year to tell the story," Moneta says.
Emphasizing the enormity of the project-the new Central Campus will open as a finished entity, whereas most college campuses are built in segments, Pearce says--administrators say they hope students will become involved in these discussions and will not be frustrated by delays.
"Central will get done," Pearce says. "The 'there' wants to be there."
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