Dedication of the St. Lawrence University Student Center
February 21, 2004
M. L. Petty, Vice President and Dean of Student
Life and Co-Curricular Education
Walt Disney stole from Goethe, but basically the quote went “if
you can dream it, you can do it…” I bought that
thought as we began to build…but naturally worries abound.
Will it be a success? How will the building feel? It became more
a ‘field of dreams' question for me… “If we
build it will they come?” Many of you know I host Sunday
night ‘meet the dean' at my home called “That's Life.” Well,
in October I surprised them with a night visit to the student
center with just cement and iron. After a tour, 60 students took
off in 60 different directions. Their energy was absorbed by
the walls. I believe you can feel it now. The Student Center
has a life of its own.
While we are here this afternoon to dedicate a building, we
are really gathered together to affirm our commitment to building
community. The student center represents the ‘hearth-stone'
or the ‘living room' of campus, and indeed should be a
place that invites and welcomes all members of the campus community.
Although deliberately called ‘the student center', the
name means nothing more or less than students are at the very
core of all our teaching and learning and their intellectual,
physical and emotional growth and development are central to
our mission. In reality, this building, the programs that are
offered, and the energy that emanates is about community.
Today we stand in the middle of
this new student center…surely
a place that will complement the academic experience in a variety
of ways from educational, social and recreational programming,
to experiences in leadership development, exploration of social
values, and civic responsibility.
How will this happen? It will happen with active engagement
between trustees, faculty, staff, students, alumni, friends and
guests of the University.
President Sullivan has thanked
a good many people and all of those folks are on my list as well,
from the support of the trustees to the generosity of many donors,
for the countless number of students, faculty and staff who have
worked tirelessly for this building over a decade – a special thanks to Anne Townsend,
to the folks in Facilities Operations, especially Claude Banker,
and last but not least, the Architects and construction crew.
Kate McCaffrey and I are writing an article “hard heads
and hard hats: the building of a student center.” I'll
let you decide who the hard hats are.
If you like the colors in this building, Ann Sullivan, Kate
McCaffrey and I were privileged to put it all together (of course,
the Interior Designer who advised us is now on a heavy dose of
Prozac). If you don't like the colors, Albert Filoni made us
do it!
In closing, I've taken the liberty
of crafting our piece about “Building
Community in the new Student Center” inspired by the Syracuse
Cultural Workers – copies of this piece are available on
tables around the building. It goes like this:
How to Build Community
Leave your comfort zone
Imagine something grand
Be positive
Live in the present,
Face toward the future
Hold a door for someone
Sit by the fire
Nap
Pick up something even if you didn't drop it
Play together
Share a pub cookie
Study
Help someone with their mailbox combo
Hold a rally
Rock away by the windows
Stand on the third floor and whistle at someone in Career Services
Play the piano for everyone
Visit a Thelmo meeting
Cash a check
Pick up an application for Senior Townhouses
Uh… Oh, go meet with Rance
On second thought…sign up for an organization
Check out the movie schedule
Meet your friends for Caribou II coffee at 1:00 a.m.
Plan a play in the Laurentian Room
Watch the snow fall
Anticipate outdoor spring dining…someday!
Visit the dean (I'd really like that!)
Eat lunch in a different spot
Daydream
Imagine the Clothesline project on the balconies
Turn up the TV's
Turn down the TV's
Relax
Ask for help
Offer help
Share spaces
Give suggestions
Be Proactive
Participate
Claim the Student Center as Your Own!
