Dear Editors,

The opinions of students vary in regards to parts of the plan featured by Victoria Ungvarsky last week (“Unveiling a new campus Master Plan,” Nov. 13). Installing an elevator in Ascension in order to increase accessibility, for instance, is an essential change that deserves praise and has received it. But many are critical of the effort to homogenize the appearance of downtown Gambier on the model of the new Health Center among other changes.

The remodeling of downtown as well as other parts of the plan that have drawn criticism show a disconnect between the Board of Trustees and the larger Gambier community. A coalition should be created representing various constituencies of the College and village to further discuss and ultimately determine the physical character of Gambier. This coalition would be different from the 2020 Committee or Master Plan Steering Committee in its membership, powers and responsibilities.

According to the Kenyon 2020 website, “Meetings to discuss how best to carry out the goals identified in the first phase of Kenyon 2020 will take place in the coming months.” We applaud this effort, but, as one professor noted, any discussions should focus on partnership, not consultation.

To this end, we’ve recently distributed a “Response to the Kenyon College Master Plan 2014” that details our dissatisfaction with the document. Your readers can find this document in Peirce, as well as in many academic buildings, and is the fullest explanation of our views.

Sincerely,

Timothy Broderick ’16 and Jacob Griffith-Rosenberger ’16