The future of the Usdan student center will be decided by a University steering committee, composed of administration members, staff and students. The new Usdan could include a recreation center and a "one-stop" site for many student service offices currently in Kutz Hall, administration representatives said Thursday. Dan Feldman, chief of staff to Executive Vice President Peter French, described the Usdan revamping process in two phases. The first involved removing the cottages and relocating Publications, Health Services, and other offices to upper Usdan. The second phase, he said, will involve the steering committee.

"The purpose of the committee is to solicit ideas," Feldman said. "Obviously in the end there's a trade-off -- (University President) Jehuda (Reinharz) will make a decision to do what is best for everybody based on the decisions of the steering committee."

While the committee's first meeting has yet to be announced, Feldman said he felt a proposal for the Usdan "reuse" project would be stamped out before the semester's end.

The proposal could possibly include a slew of changes to the current structure and layout, changes that, according to Dean of Student Life Rick Sawyer, would make Usdan and the Shapiro Campus Center more complementary.

"Shapiro represents the new era of campus center," Sawyer said. "Usdan will be a companion piece, but if Shapiro is unique, Usdan still needs to be unique."

Class of 2005 Senator Michael Corwin expressed some concern about the future of Usdan.

"I think that there are a lot of important and competing interests," Corwin said. "But, I feel very strongly that it should not completely be turned into a place where students could not use the building for clubs and activities."

Corwin argued that many clubs that need space, such as the Democrats, Republicans and Club Sports, don't have the necessary space in Shapiro. He did, however, laud the administration for its handling of the process.

"I'm really pleased that the administration is genuinely engaging us in a dialogue. I'm pleased with that and hope that we will make progress in the coming year," Corwin said.

The Usdan family donated the building in 1970, and, according to Senior Vice President of Institutional Advancement Nancy Winship, they are "in agreement with the University's plans."

"From the beginning, when the Shapiro Center was a dream, the Usdans knew that their gift's purpose is to augment and enhance student life -- that won't change," Winship said.