NEWS

Committee Considers Extension of Wilder Hall

by Elizabeth Heron

Picture Wilder Hall: the fluorescent atmosphere of the DeCafe, the questionable food at the Rat, and the perpetually booked Wilder Main. Now imagine Oberlin students and faculty meeting and eating in a spacious new campus "living room" while somewhere in the building a theatre or dance production rehearses using new speakers and large sets. Could this utopic vision be in Wilder's future?

The administration hopes so. Dean of Students Peter Goldsmith and Associate Dean of Students Bill Stackman have been appointed co-chairs of a committee to renovate and extend Wilder Hall. With the cooperation and input of the Student Union Board, they hope to make Wilder a more effective campus crossroads by reevaluating the current use of space.

Photo of Wilder Hall

"Many conversations about this have occurred over the years. People might ask what is different about this time? The difference is we're in the middle of a capital campaign, and the renovation of Wilder is specifically mentioned as something for which we might want to raise money," said Goldsmith.

"My particular hope is that the basement space could be better configured to enable the campus to gather naturally over food. In a more inviting place, people could gather to collect their mail and linger over coffee," said Goldsmith.

"I really see a student union or a campus center playing a central role in the campus and in the lives of students, faculty and staff. And I think right now we're falling short of our mission," said Stackman.

The deans' main problem with Wilder is inefficient use of space. By expanding the building, they hope to create more options for comfortable meeting space.

"The space we have right now, the Snack Bar or the Rat, is very small. It's not the place where a lot of people will converge. Also our lounge space is very limited. We don't have a large hang-out space. We've tried to create that over the years but we're using whatever space we have," said Stackman.

"My assumption is that the basement space is not tremendously attractive or inviting," said Goldsmith.

The committee will also be addressing the lack of performing arts space on campus, and has tentative plans to build a black-box theatre in Wilder. Wilder Main has been traditionally used for theatre and dance but many students feel that it is not an effective area for performances.

"Wilder Main is a challenging place to work with in terms of equipment, sets and acoustics," said Goldsmith.

If a black-box theatre were to be added, Wilder Main would be free for other multi-purpose activities, such as films, speaking engagements, parties and dances.

"The largest room that we have right now is Wilder Main. A lot of times it's booked, and it's booked weeks and months in advance by the theatre and dance organizations. We certainly support that community, but because it's booked for theatre and dance for a week at a time, it's therefore not available for other activities which would require a large space," said Stackman.

Whether it will be possible to add a theatre to Wilder is a question the committee intends to answer, but Goldsmith is dedicated to finding badly needed new performing arts space on campus somewhere.

"Although the charge of the committee is to focus on Wilder, we want to talk about the best places in which to carry out these functions, even if not in Wilder. There are even those who have said Crane Pool would be an intriguing place [for a new theatre]," said Goldsmith.

The committee will draw on recommendations made in "Board Directions for Oberlin's Future", a 1997 document that tried to rethink Wilder's space. Goldsmith hazards that by Fall 2000 the committee will have preliminary plans to show to students and alumni, but the Oberlin community will not see material results for another four or five years.


Photo:
The old face of Wilder: Wilder waits for possible renovation. (photo by Brian Hodgkin)

 

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Copyright © 2000, The Oberlin Review.
Volume 128, Number 14, February 18, 2000

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