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Hodgins Retreat, originally expected to open in August to house students for the
fall, will not begin contstruction until the end of 2008 at the earliest.
Hodgins Retreat delays opening
By Landry Haarmann
Staff Writer
The controversial Hodgin's
Retreat development, scheduled to
be move-in ready this past August,
is still not complete. However,
construction will get underway at
the end of 2008 and beginning of
2009.
Set to open in August 2008,
Hodgin's Retreat planned to ease
Guilford's housing congestion.
However, the grand August 2008
opening has yet to happen.
Last year students signed
up to live in the affordable and
campus accessible housing unit;
however, residents of the George
White Road neighborhood were
displeased with the city's choice
to move forward with building the
complex.
Without all the pecessary
approval from the Greensboro
Zoning Commission to proceed
with construction, the apartment
building remains incomplete.
"If everything wasn't approved
by April 1, I did not want to take
the chance, due to ... approval, for
it to not be ready for school," said
Hodgin's Retreat contractor Randy
Dixon.
"It's like 'welcome to Guilford
College, here's your hotel,"' said
Dixon. "There's no reason to have
that hassle for the students, parents,
and everyone involved."
Jonathan Varnell, associate
vice president of operations and
facilities, said the college planned
around the possibility of the
complex not being ready for the
start of school.
"Their delay didn't have a
big impact on the college," said
Varnell.
The college's preparation meant
there were few housing problems.
Dean of Students Aaron Fetrow
said that the college was able to find
housing for students who signed
up to live in apartment complex.
"We helped move many people
to Legacy, Westborough (formerly
known as Friendly Hills), and
back to campus. It wasn't a big
problem," said Fetrow.
Presently, Dixon is preparing the
site for construction. He brought in
dirt to even the land's topography
and placed orange nets to mark
where to cut trees.
"Our plan is to start construction
site work at the end of this year,
either late November or early
December, and construction on the
building in February," said Dixon.
"To make sure they're ready prior
to school."
Hodgin's will consist of 36 units.
Each apartment will include fully
furnished rooms, new appliances,
cable with HBO, and high-speed
Internet.
"We tried to plan this for
students," said Dixon. "Everyone
has a bathroom, a walk-in closet,
big kitchen and living area."
Guilford offered land to connect
the apartments to campus.
"We want to be good neighbors
and certainly don't oppose having
a housing complex for students
next door," said John Varnell. "The
college is coordinating sewer lines,
storm water run-off, the pathway
connection to campus and the
George White road connection."
Dixon also thinks the new
apartment complex has many
perks.
"Students will be able to walk
across the parking lot, get on a
concrete pathway that goes around
the football field and to campus,"
said Dixon.
"We think it'll be a benefit for
students to be this close to campus
but still with the benefits of being
off campus," Dixon said.
NEWS
Capital budget reduced
By Maxwell Reitman
Staff Writer
Ever wonder how academic departments go about
getting those snazzy pieces of equipment - the pianos,
the labs, the scales, the lighting rigs?
They all go under the category of capital budget
requests, which individual departments have to
submit proposals for. This year the overall budget
shortfall is causing a bit of a snag in that process.
"The budget this year was made on certain
expectations - and all those expectations came in
under," said Jack Zerbe, professor of theatre studies.
Low enrollment, overrawarding of scholarships,
students graduating on time, and the school's recent
financial history added u|? to a million dollar shortfall,
according to Zerbe.
As a result, the school might not be seeing as many
of those larger items for the institution as in previous
years. Departments are being asked to cut down
on asking for big items this year. Tim Lindeman,
professor of music, said that the requests to cut down
"came right from the top office."
The music department withdrew its proposal for
this year. Similarly, other departments have withdrawn
dr delayed proposals or asked for relatively little.
"The music department has a list a mile long (of
things they'd like to do, but) college-wide needs
supersede departmental needs in a situation like
this," said Lindeman.
Academic departments have to compete with
requests from IT&S as well as the physical plant, these
two being the largest annual consumers of capital
request funds. This means that when things get a little
tighter, the choice can be between new computers or
complicated upkeep costs, and lighting systems or
lab equipment.
Geology Department Chair Angie Moore has been
buying second-hand scientific equipment for a couple
of years now, but that is not to say the reduced budget
will be any easier on them than anyone else.
"(We) may need to pay for things that we weren't
expecting to pay for," said Moore. "We really are
trying to stretch the money as far as it can go," she said
as she set up a surveying tool, which they purchased
from eBay with a capital request a few years ago.
Rob Whitnell, chemistry department chair, reported
that instead of buying a new flourimeter, they are
trying to get the current one updated to modem
technology.
The general faculty seems to be coping with the
situation remarkably well. "Tm much more worried
about the national financial situation," said Adele
Wayman, Hege professor of art, despite the fact
that her department is one of those going without a
proposal this year.
Even though this means that some of the larger
propositions will have to be put on hold, it does not
mean that there will not be. any projects approved in
the meantime. Because of the unexpected changes
in budget the deadline to turn in proposals this year
has been pushed back until November, after the
final attendance figures for the fall come in during
October.
Some departments have not been noticeably
inconvenienced. The philosophy department, for
example, rarely asks for anything. When asked about
the subject, Nancy Daukas, department chair, said
that as opposed to big purchases "what we need is
time."
Sarah Malino, history department chair, noted
that she was more concerned about the department's
course-load than capital budget requests.
A few faculty voices noted that it is good to
remember that the administration is not trying to
make people's lives hard. "There is a tendency in
students and faculty to sense some devilish conspiracy
in the works," said Zerbe. "(But) we're going to invest
where we hope we can make the biggest difference
(for the college)."
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