Issue date: 11/30/05 Section: editor's picks

Versus Magazine Online [Image based format]

The Student Life Center. The mere mention of the name crafts an image of a nexus of lively interaction among collegians and an area for campus organizations to host their functions. However, the Student Life Center at Vanderbilt has been a source of frustration for administrators and students alike since its opening in the spring of 2005. Why is this the case? What problems are there and what is being done about it? These questions beg to be asked, and the answers reveal a picture of poor planning and miscommunication.



Creating the SLC

The planning for the Student Life Center (SLC) began in the late 1990's, during the final years of Chancellor Joe Wyatt's administration, a period of change for Vanderbilt. The $10.5 million dollar expansion of Sarratt Student Center was about to begin with the goal of providing additional space for student organizations. Judsen Newbern, Associate Vice Chancellor of Campus Planning and Construction, stated to Versus that the 17,000 square foot expansion of Sarratt would not be sufficient to provide space for large events and soon thereafter a master plan for the SLC was created in 1999. The advent of Chancellor Gee's arrival on campus brought a new fervor to transform Vanderbilt and work toward the new center began with vigor. Nick Zeppos, the Associate Provost for Academic Affairs, announced in the Vanderbilt Hustler in February 2001 "In the new center, student spaces would be used for large social events, such as dinners or parties. The space would also provide more study areas for students, an updated career center and a lounge for graduate students." Zeppos also acknowledged that the lack of space for student organizations in Sarratt Student Center was pinpointed as a major reason for building a new facility.

The plans for the building went through seven different incarnations before groundbreaking occurred in October 2003 as the needs of students became apparent. During the course of interviewing administrators for this article, Versus found that the original plans for the SLC included a third floor that would have been used as meeting and office space for student organizations. The third floor was then scratched from the final plans due to the fiscal demands caused by various sources, including rapidly escalating steel prices according to Mona Hicks, Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Life. Hicks explained that the building was co-financed by the Office of Student Life and the Provost's Office without outside funding from donors, helping to lead to the limited resources available to withstand the rising costs of construction. Robert Early, Executive Associate Chancellor of Development and Alumni Relations, reported to Versus that no one has contacted his office about raising money for the SLC, but that he would be open to doing so if asked.

Continued...

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