Robert Purcell Maintenance Continues

By wpengine | October 7, 2003

Robert Purcell Community Center (RPCC) has been under construction since the beginning of the fall semester. The repair project, which began in mid-August and is expected to continue through July 2004, is designed to fix the cracking concrete on the building’s exterior walls.

The project will not add to or change the building’s current programmed use. According to General Manager of Facilities Dale Walter, “The RPCC concrete repair project will undertake corrective actions to fix concrete cracking that is occurring in the exterior beams.”

The budget estimate for the RPCC repair project is $1.5 million; the budget projection has already been met.

Work on the community center will cease over the winter months and commence again during early spring. The construction has created a moderate inconvenience for students, faculty members and employees. Darren Schlissel ’07, a frequent user of the facility, said, “I have a writing seminar in RPCC and the construction can be quite distracting.”

Coordinators of the project, however, feel that this past summer was an ideal time to start. According to Walter, there is currently sufficient funding available for the construction, as well as a schedule that will allow good access to the building.

The administration has found it difficult to avoid disruptions, but feels these disruptions are worth the benefit of a safer and well-maintained structure. When the work is complete next fall, differences in the building’s appearance may not even be noticeable. The project, according to Walter, was initiated for practical rather than aesthetic purposes.

“As with many planned maintenance projects, the work being performed will not be a noticeable one to the users, but it will insure that the RPCC building structure will be sound and a useable building for many years in the future,” he said.

The repair project is running smoothly so far, according to Project Manager Peter Paradise. Paradise, who has been overseeing the construction, expressed his satisfaction with the work’s progress. He said, “The weather has been cooperative and we’ve made good progress. Everything is going as planned.”

Archived article by Missy Kurzweil

Architects Offer Milstein Design

By wpengine October 8, 2003

If Frank Barkow, Arthur Gensler ’57 Visiting Critic and architect of Milstein Hall, ever needs a reminder of how cramped for space the College of Architecture, Art and Planning is, he need only glance at his office address: “Trailer #1, Office #1,” situated at the edge of the parking lot behind Sibley Hall. Barkow and Regine Leibinger’s design for the architecture department’s new home is near completion, and, according to Barkow, promises to alleviate the space crunch by more than doubling the space available to the department. The Barkow Leibinger Architects design is a long, narrow building that starts where Rand Hall currently stands, and slides in behind Sibley Hall. Instead of a simple long rectangular shape, the third floor is staggered to overhang towards Sibley for one third of the building’s length, and towards the adjacent gorge for the remaining length. The slender 48-foot structure will also shield Sibley’s hodge-podge brick backside from passersby on University Ave. Barkow emphasized that the new building will be a “workhorse behind Sibley,” and will house classrooms, exhibition areas, an auditorium and studios on the upper floors. One of the driving ideas behind the design is to mediate between two landscapes, “on the one side, Sibley, on the other, the gorge,” Barkow said. Barkow Leibinger Architects have been working on the design since last November, a duration that Barkow characterized as “probably average for a university project.” Come November, all remaining design issues should be resolved, Barkow said. Recently, Barkow spent an afternoon in Sibley by the building model, fielding student comments and explaining his design: “I was working the crowd, [explaining] the kinds of spaces the students will have,” he said. Issues still to be resolved include how much parking will be under the building, how the building will connect to Sibley, what materials will make up the building’s exterior cladding and whether the building will be moved slightly west. According to Barkow, Milstein Hall will have an underground corridor to Sibley, as well as some sort of above ground connection to the Fine Arts Library’s checkout desk, with possibilities ranging from a simple covered bridge to an atrium. “A bridge is a very minimal connection,” Barkow said. “There’s been some discussion about whether [the connection] can be more substantial.” To compliment Milstein Hall’s core structure of “exposed steel, painted dark,” Barkow said his office is looking to use materials similar to other Arts Quad buildings, including wooden windows and bluestone. The exterior of West Sibley is a local variety of bluestone, known as Llenroc, according to Joni Carroll, project manager, Office of Planning, Design and Construction. Barkow Leibinger worked with Turner Construction to examine the possibility of building Milstein in two phases. “[A two-phased construction schedule] is expensive — you’ve got to bring out all the trades involved in the building twice,” Barkow said, adding, “[the department’s] instinct is to use the money on space they can use,” instead of a timetable with shorter displacement of architecture students and faculty. Similarly, skylights may be too expensive to be included the Milstein design, Barkow said. With a reletively small area upon which to build, one popular student concern may be whether the corridor between Milstein and Sibley will be an inviting, well-lit public space. Barkow pointed out that, as Americans, “we’re very used to broad avenues,” but the building’s height and design should allow for plenty of sunlight. “You’re not going to get a suntan in December, but I think it’ll be nice,” Barkow quipped. Barkow Leibinger Architects are known for their various industrial buildings in Germany and Switzerland. Milstein Hall will be their second project in the United States. “We’ve cut our teeth on industrial architecture,” Barkow noted, “and that experience is what made us attractive — we’re used to doing less hierarchical, [more] flexible workspaces. [But] it’s not just an industrial building that found its way to Cornell.” Barkow cited the elegant simplicity of the Milstein’s design as an especially important element. “Not to get too didactic, but I think it’s important for architecture students to understand the space they’re working in, [for] there to be a directness about it and not the feeling that you’re walking around in a K-mart,” Barkow said.Archived article by Dan Galindo
Female Student Reports Lake Sexual Assault

By wpengine October 8, 2003

A female student reported she was sexually assaulted in the early morning hours of Sept. 29, while walking alone on the footpath around Beebe Lake. The Cornell News Service (CNS) responded with a university-wide crime alert on Friday reporting that the assailant approached the victim from behind some trees, punched her in the face and sexually assaulted her. When the incident was reported to the Cornell Police on Sept. 30, the victim described her attacker as a white male of college age, between 5’8″ and 5’9″ with a muscular build. CNS cannot release any further details yet because the incident is still under investigation by Cornell Police, according to Linda Grace-Kobas, director of CNS. Grace-Kobas said the e-mail on Friday was sent out to alert the community. “It was important to get the word out, especially to those who walk alone late at night or early in the morning. If they have to do so, they should stay in well-lit areas and use the blue light phones if an emergency arises,” Grace-Kobas said. The CUPD asked to be contacted immediately by anyone with knowledge of this incident. Sharon Dittman, associate director of community relations at Gannett: Cornell University Health Services, said that the report did not represent a common occurrence on campus. “It is very unusual to have a stranger attack in our community. Most assaults are perpetrated by someone known to the victim and most assaults are never reported,” Dittman said. The incident has drawn attention to the various resources available to victims of sexual assault. Kelly Connison, director of the Women’s Resource Center, said, “I hope the person that that’s happened to gets support from the Cornell Community. There are several avenues on campus for someone who was victimized to go to.” The main resources available to victims of sexual assault are Gannett, Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), the Victim Advocacy Program and the Women’s Resource Center, which are on campus, and Cayuga Medical Center and the Center for Crime Victims and Sexual Assault, which are located off-campus. “[At Gannett] we can provide medical care for someone who has been assaulted. We can make sure they’re OK and test for STDs and pregnancy,” Dittman said. If the victim has any thoughts of taking legal action against an assailant, however, Dittman urged him or her to go to the Cayuga Medical Center. “They have an excellent staff that is trained to use the rape kit, which can be used to collect evidence.” When a victim is seeking counseling, one resource to which they can gain access is CAPS. It is a group of clinical counselors that is a component of medical services at Gannett. Another resource geared specifically at such victims is the Victim Advocacy Program. The victim advocate can not only refer the victim to various resources, but it can provide support to the victim, accompany the victim to services and act as a liaison between the victim and faculty and staff members. The victim advocate provides these services to members of the Cornell Community, regardless of where the incident occurred. “Most sexual assaults go unreported,” Dittman said. “Often, victims don’t know what they want to do after an attack. But sometimes, that feeling will change with help and support.” “The most important thing [for a victim] is to have someone who knows them well and can help them by listening without judging and giving them space to figure things out without telling them what to do, but rather what options there are. People always want to know what offices can help, but the most immediate help and contact to most victims is a friend,” Dittman explained. The 24-hour CVSA crisis line is one resource that is available to victims at all times. Trained volunteers offer support to victims of any type of sexual assault. They can also provide guidance to appropriate centers that can further help a victim. Dittman encouraged people who were affected by the assault incident either directly or not to contact someone in CAPS, a counselor or the victim advocate for support. Archived article by Tony Apuzzo