Barrows reluctantly donates its body to science

Science Center targets the 2002 fall semester for its grand opening

When students escaped Oberlin for a much-needed vacation last May, many expected to find a slightly smaller version of Barrows upon their return. At that time, it was common knowledge that the dormitory, which has provided a home for several past generations of jubilant first-years, would be partially demolished during the summer to make room for the College's new Science Center, eliminating 52 student beds in the process. But something funny happened on the way to the remodeling of Barrows - or, to be more precise, nothing happened. Nothing at all, in fact.

Still, Facilities Manager Sal Filardi, who is supervising the project, insists that nothing is rotten in the state of Oberlin. Despite rumors that the destruction of the south end of Barrows was delayed throughout the summer by miscommunication between College administrators and employees of Payette Associates, the architectural firm hired to design the new facilities, Filardi maintains that the project is moving along nicely. "There has been speculation that we're over-budget and behind schedule, but we're definitely moving forward with the project," he said. "Preliminary planning identified the renovation of Barrows as a summertime project, but that was never set in stone. In fact, none of that was even approved by the Trustees, who preferred that we plan our construction to accommodate their fundraising schedule.

"At this point, the project consists of two parts. The actual project will soon get the official approval of the Board of Trustees, who will meet later this month and set a target date for the completion of all renovations to Barrows. That date will be sometime around the first of November. But several other things need to happen before work can begin on the Science Center. We need a new parking lot on Woodland Avenue between Barrows and Kettering, which has already been done. We also need to relocate the functions in the greenhouse, so we have built a temporary greenhouse in front of Kettering. And we're losing a loading dock, so we've relocated some mechanical equipment in front of Wright Hall," said Filardi.

Though Filardi acknowledges that some administrators were disappointed that the renovation of Barrows was not completed during this past summer, he added that the last three months have been productive and that the extra time afforded to himself and his team of architects was spent scrutinizing and perfecting all plans for the Science Center. But the benefits of the delayed construction have not stopped there.

Because construction did not begin until early August, the Office of Residential Life and Services had time to obtain new mattresses and dressers for the unscathed sections of Barrows and nearby dormitories like Langston and Noah. Meanwhile, the third floor apartments in Asia House were made available for student use, providing much-needed housing for incoming first-years and returning students alike. Finally, the interior of Barrows was subjected to a $100,000 upgrade intended to placate the remaining inhabitants of the first-year dorm during this tumultuous time. "Every student seems to be reacting positively [to the changes]," said Yeworkwha Belachew, the dean of residential life and services.

But now that construction at Barrows is underway and scheduled to be finished by early November, one obvious question remains: when will the new $65 million dollar Science Center be ready for the impatient armies of biology and chemistry majors that roam the Oberlin campus? "The whole complex will be safe for occupation by the fall semester of the year 2002," Filardi said. "The project will be complete in just under two years, and by May of 2001, the building should be complete and the chemistry department can begin moving into the west wing of the new building. Afterward, the biology department can move from the west wing of Kettering into the east wing of the new facilities. So there's no reason to worry. We're on-schedule and well within our budget."