New chemistry building sparks campus debate

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) _ A campus debate has emerged over planned construction of a chemistry building for the University of Oklahoma. <br/><br/>The plan, which calls for a building about two miles south of

Sunday, November 13th 2005, 1:10 pm

By: News On 6

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) _ A campus debate has emerged over planned construction of a chemistry building for the University of Oklahoma.

The plan, which calls for a building about two miles south of the main campus, drew negative responses in an online survey on a website for OU students. The building's proposed location will be the topic of a Nov. 30 forum sponsored by the Academic Affairs Committee of OU's Undergraduate Student Congress.

The university is just trying to make room for a growing department, said Nick Hathaway, OU's vice president for administrative and executive affairs.

Plans are set for construction to start in November 2006, with completion in 30 months.

Most classes are held in a ``very busy and filled part of campus,'' Hathaway said. ``There is not any vacant space that we could utilize.''

Hathaway said the university would make provisions for more bus service and bicycle paths to help students get to class on time. The university also might increase the amount of time between classes to allow for the commute, he said.

Professor Roger Harrison, who says he has been discussing the plans with the administration since spring and has spoken before the Faculty Senate in opposition to the plan, said he would rather keep OU ``a walking campus.''

He acknowledges the need for newer and larger quarters for the chemistry department, noting that 5,000 students in many different majors have to take undergraduate chemistry courses each year. Because of a lack of lab space, some students have to go to Rose State College in Midwest City to do their lab work, he said.

Yet, he fears that putting the chemistry department on the south campus would ``diminish OU as a place for students who are majoring in science and technology.''

Administrators are placing too much emphasis on retaining ``green space'' on campus, Harrison said. .

The Faculty Senate rejected a resolution Oct. 10 stating that ``the OU Faculty Senate is in favor of all future OU undergraduate chemistry classes continuing to be taught on OU's main campus and none of them being taught in the south campus.''

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