 | The Cavalier daily Tuesday, October 26, 1971 |  |
Student Council Declares Opposition
To Planned Birdwood Development
By PHIL KIMBALL
A View of the Birdwood Land Tract, Site of the Proposed Residential Colleges, Looking South Over US Route 250 West
Council report says Birdwood is too far from the main grounds of the University and proposes the nearby Duke land as the site
In a 14 page report released yesterday,
the sub-committee on Birdwood
Development of the Student Council
Growth Committee advocates the
construction of residential colleges but
questions the proposed location of these
colleges on the University's Birdwood
tract.
"Birdwood is...in the opinion of the
Committee, a very dangerous area to
develop," the report states. "It must rely
on a tenuous link to the University. It lies at a
physical and psychological distance from the University."
The report continues, "It may not be able
to withstand the pressure to grow beyond that
size which is originally determined and which
may therefore result in the negation of the
entire concept on which it is based.
Desirability
The committee stresses the desirability of
the Duke property, already the site of the
proposed law and business complex, for the
location of the residential colleges. The report
concludes that, "The Duke property ...answers
acceptably most of the objections proposed
against Birdwood along with several additional
benefits."
"First, it is not so distant; it is part of a full
length of University property, it will be part of
the main University transit system, and it
cannot be expanded beyond approximately
3,000 students. What is more, it lies in a
direction which will not overload existing
intersections, and it could serve as a means of
binding both the residential college and the
already splintered Law and Graduate Business
Schools to the University," the report states.
In arriving at its conclusion that the
Birdwood tract is not the optimum site for the
residential colleges the Committee examined
several major questions. Geography,
transportation and size were among issues dealt
with by the committee.
Psychological Problem
The committee concludes that, although
inconveniences caused by the distance of the
Birdwood tract from the University can be
dealt with, it seriously questions whether the
psychological problem of identification with
the other parts of the University can be
overcome.
"Birdwood has the potential of becoming a
splinter of the total University-a junior college,
a branch institution, or a distinct but integral
element of the University community," the
report warns.
Identification
The committee continues to state, "The
identification with the University is a
significant element of education at the
University; an element which is being stretched
by the fact that 70 per cent of the students
now reside off-Grounds, and which may be lost
still further by the development of Birdwood."
Referring to transportation services between
the Grounds and the tract, the report states,
"The connecting link will be one of the crucial
factors in the success of the residential college
and will be used to a greater extent than is
generally recognized."
Success Not Ensured
"The type of road link and busing system
which is feasible for Birdwood and envisioned
by the University is insufficient to ensure the
success of the residential college at Birdwood,"
the committee continues to warn.
The committee hopes that the residential
colleges can be kept to the lowest number
(Continued on page 4)
| The Cavalier daily Tuesday, October 26, 1971 | |