The Board of Trustees recently approved a long-term debt of $25 million that will finance a major campus infrastructure renewal project. The suggested repairs and improvements aim to centralize campus and are another step in realizing recommendations set out in the 2001 Campus Master Plan. The implementation process has been "piecemeal," Prof. Steven Burg (POL) said. Burg, chair of the politics department, has taught a Brandeis for 25 years and was a member of the Master Plan steering committee three years ago. The planning process also involved faculty, staff, administrators, students and outside contractors - notably Chan Krieger & Associates.

But this steering committee now "has fulfilled its purpose" and is no longer active, said Peter French, Brandeis executive vice president and chief operating officer. As a "follow-up step," he said, a new committee will work with the University to "develop landscape and site design standards." French added that students, faculty and staff will serve on the committee and will incorporate community input along the way.

Meanwhile, French outlined, as a result of extensive studies and much "brainstorming of ideas," Chan Krieger & Associates published the Brandeis University Campus Master Plan Interim Report. This 114-page document, released in fall of 2001, established overarching recommendations for the campus' eventual appearance.

"Most elements of the Infrastructure Renewal Project are included in the first recommendation of the Master Plan," said French, "which says that you have to take care of what you have first."

While Burg said that "we don't make the best use of what we have," French said he is optimistic that "this $25 million debt is really going to help us put a dent in the (maintenance) backlog, improve safety and improve classrooms. The debt service for the bond will be funded by savings, French said, that will include "energy savings and reduced costs for emergency repairs of, for example, steam lines."

Thus, it is a top priority to reduce previously deferred maintenance. To this end, the University intends to spend $4.2 million of the $25 million loan on a major overhaul of the steam network. $5.7 million will be spent on fire safety upgrades, $4.85 million on improvements to the electric network, $4 million on roofing repairs, $1.35 million on upgrades to the water loop, and $1.9 million on roadway and sidewalk additions - including better signage - according to a preliminary analysis provided by the Office of the Executive Vice President/Chief Operating Officer (EVP/COO).

Additionally, the report designates $2.5 million to improving the "overall functionality and aesthetics" of classrooms and academic technology. "Over the last three years, we've spent each year between $200,000 and $300,000 on making functional and aesthetic improvements to classrooms . . . We're going to substantially accelerate that," said Daniel Feldman, Associate Vice President for Planning, Design, and Construction.

The North Academic Quadrangle, which includes Rabb, is in particularly bad shape, according to an analysis by Chan Krieger & Associates. The Master Plan proposes a comprehensive design to renovate and restructure the entire North Academic Quad. The proposal suggests connecting all five buildings - Olin-Sang, Golding, Lown, Shiffman, and Rabb - through indoor walkways and tunnels.

"Delivery trucks are constantly driving up into the middle here," Burg said, even though "this quad should be a quiet, visually pleasing, and interconnected academic setting." The Master Plan creates one main point of access.

If these buildings are to be renovated, however, its occupants must first be moved to a temporary reserve location, known as "overflow space." Brandeis currently lacks space to move occupants," Burg said, which is why instead of completely overhauling existing buildings, the university has often resorted to "retrofitting" them with "new technology to meet current codes."

Burg cited the large lecture hall in Golding as an example of a retrofitted classroom that looks aesthetically bad because of insufficient maintenance. "My personal opinion is that our academic facilities in the North Quad area are an embarrassment," he said. "Parents and visitors would be appalled."

"There's a visual experience," Burg said. "(Every campus) projects a certain image, and (Brandeis) projects an image which, in my view and in the view of the plan, needs to be improved."

French said that as far as finances will allow, the University hopes to keep the campus attractive.

Functionality is also an important priority. Along these lines, there is a plan to consolidate many of the offices currently located in Kutz, Usdan and other buildings. Students will be able to stop by what Feldman called a "one-stop service center" in Usdan "to get help with a broad range of administrative issues."

However, much of the Master Plan will remain on hold for some time, since the University will most likely not be able to muster the hundreds of millions of dollars needed to realize all of the near-term and additional recommendations. "(These improvements) demand lots of resources, which (to) my understanding, this university does not have right now," Burg said. He continued, "It is very hard to convince donors to contribute to the renovation of old buildings. This is a fundamental challenge for any university, and that is why I'm not optimistic about the Master Plan. You can't achieve these goals in one comprehensive bite, you have to do things piecemeal."

The administration has had to balance the budget very carefully in recent years. "We are not in a position to take financial risks," Reinharz said in an interview with the Justice interview three weeks ago. "As part of the plan to close its budget gap, it has been the university's priority to avoid (budgetary) reductions in academic and student areas," James Hurley, associate vice president for budget and planning, said. According to Hurley, budgetary reductions thus affect non-academic sectors most - Facilities Management, for example.

Hurley acknowledged that this year's tuition increase (6.1 percent) was higher than in previous years, but added that the University is trying to keep future increases below four percent. Although Brandeis ranked 10th most expensive university according to CNN Money's "Most Expensive Colleges" list and the Chronicle of Higher Education, Hurley said that this school actually ranks 13th in overall price, including room and board.

Hurley said that despite "a shortfall in endowment income, (Brandeis) has weathered the downturn in financial markets."

Similarly, according to French, "The University is financially stable after the reductions and assuming that the economy and financial markets perform positively."

Hurley explained that while the working assumption has been a negative five percent year-end budget, this figure is currently up by seven percent. Hurley said he expects the maintenance reductions to incur savings on energy usage and maintenance. The $25 million debt has an interest rate of five percent over 30 years, which leaves the annual cost of the debt at $1,610,465. With $8,000 in projected energy savings from the water system repairs alone, this debt "will pay for itself," said Feldman.

Students will witness extensive work on campus in the near future. French speculates construction and repairs could begin as soon as in two weeks. "We want to create a better sense of place (for students)," he added.

"This committee was one of the most enjoyable I've ever been on," Burg concluded. "You could really let your creativity run wild, and I can't say enough about just how good Larry Chan (of Chan Krieger & Associates) is at this business.