<p>A bit buried in an article in today’s Maroon on planning issues at Pierce Tower was the following:</p>
<p>“In a smaller meeting with an interim student working group on Wednesday, University Executive Vice President David Greene presented plans for a new $200 million residential complex, likely to be located on the current Pierce lot.”</p>
<p>I have heard some talk that the University wants eventually to be able to accommodate all undergraduates in housing for 4 years. So I don’t know whether this new dorm would replace a couple of the outlying dorms or if it would be in addition to them (though obviously Pierce’s days seem to be numbered.)</p>
<p>Of course, this would be several year away since it’s still in the planning stages. But I like the idea of putting more of the dorms close to the center of campus instead of spread out far around the neighborhood.</p>
<p>Well, the article says: “In a smaller meeting with an interim student working group on Wednesday, University Executive Vice President David Greene presented plans for a new $200 million residential complex, likely to be located on the current Pierce lot.”</p>
<p>So I assume that the new dorm will be replacing Pierce, which is an excellent idea since, you know, Pierce is kind of an eyesore (both inside and out). Also, I agree that it is a wise decision to put more dorms near campus. We have enough dorms (Broadview, Blackstone, Stony Island, Maclean, etc.) off campus already, for those who want the dorm experience but prefer the off-campus feel.</p>
<p>The question is, where do you put the Pierce students while this construction is taking place?</p>
<p>phuriku, more than being an eyesore Pierce has recently become unsafe to live it. Toilets explode. Elevators open before even getting to a floor, or just don’t work at all. It’s gotten pretty serious… I think there’s been talk about building the new one on the field next to Pierce, but there are problems as that field was apparently donated expressly to be a sports field and nothing else. They don’t have the room in other dorms to close down Pierce for a few years as they destroy it and build a new one – housing already has a horrible time trying to fit people in every year and they may not be able to guarantee housing for all 4 years anymore if it continues this way.</p>
<p>I was at a lunch with Dean Boyer back in 2005 where he said that he was striving to have Pierce replaced. Looks like he is getting his wish. He is largely responsible for the changes over the past several years, but is rarely mentioned.</p>