Chancellor Discusses University Plans with Dorchester Civic Associations
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By Anne-Marie Kent
The new 331,000-square-foot Campus Center is fast taking shape for a December 2003 opening. With plans for student housing moving ahead and fundraising for a new Environmental Science and Technology Center in the planning stages, UMass Boston is in the process of transforming the Dorchester waterfront. Chancellor Jo Ann Gora vows that this will not take place without community input.
At a breakfast held at The Phillips Old Colony House on February 8, Chancellor Gora offered members of Dorchester civic associations and local political leaders a seat at the table. “UMass Boston is of the community and for the community,” said Gora. “It is crucial that we involve the community at the outset to share information about our plans for the campus and listen to their concerns.”
One concern, voiced by Representative Maureen Feeney, had to do with the cost of these projects. Gora said that the Environmental Science and Technology Center would rely on outside funding and that dorms would not be built with state or tuition monies, but rather with revenue bonds, the debt service on which would be paid by students living in them.
Asking whether the creation of dorms would change university’s mission, Representative Jack Hart said, “UMass Boston has served the City of Boston like no other university has. The fear is that building dormitories makes it a place that people can’t access anymore.”
“There’s no way that can happen,” responded Gora, stressing that the plans are for only 2,000 units, a small fraction of the 13,000 total enrollment. “We’re trying to offer this type of campus experience to any student who wants it at an affordable price,” Gora said. Others wondered about student demand for nightlife. Gora said the university would try to meet the challenge in the new Campus Center. It was also noted that downtown Boston is a 15-minute train ride away and that hundreds of UMass Boston students already live in the immediate area.
The meeting ended with an agreement to continue the discussion and to investigate the ways UMass Boston can further serve the community through its research efforts and outreach.