Community members debate effects of bookstore move at open forum

At the Open Meeting on the Bookstore on the evening of Sept. 17, students, faculty and community members engaged in a detailed—and often emotional—dialogue on the Bookstore's move to the Juliet building. Among the topics discussed were the potential ramifications of the move on the Arlington community, the processes that were involved in making the decision to move the location, and improvements that could be made to the preliminary plans.

The forum was attended by about 50 people, and the discussion was led by President Catharine Bond Hill. Although most aspects of the Bookstore move had already been decided, the meeting was meant to be an open discussion on the decisions that have already taken place, as well as a forum where community members could offer suggestions for the more flexible aspects of the move.

Hill began with a brief summary of progress on the store so far, as well as a review of the September update e-mailed to the Vassar community. The move of the Bookstore itself had been firmly decided and endorsed by the Board of Trustees. And although the College has not yet signed a contract with Barnes & Noble, Hill noted that Vassar had sent a "letter of intent" to the company that they intended to move ahead. The College will also be working with an architect for the space to solidify plans for the store's interior.

Much of the meeting was spent discussing the degree to which student and faculty opinions was considered in the decision to move the Bookstore.This summer, about 60 faculty members signed a letter raising concerns over the Bookstore's move. Several members of the faculty had been under the impression that the decision was still in flux, and they were shocked to learn at a faculty meeting in July that the move had been confirmed.

Students attending the meeting questioned the methods that were used to elicit their views on the bookstore, especially an e-mail survey given in Spring 2006. The survey indicated that about one-third of the students who participated were in favor of moving the bookstore, one-third opposed and one-third was undecided. One student questioned whether it was fair to use this survey as a representation of current student opinions on the move. While several faculty and students felt that there were too few outlets for providing input, others noted that many venues such as suggestion boards were largely unused.

Many of the people in attendance were concerned about the division of control between Barnes & Noble and the College in decisions about the bookstore's operations. Although some worried about bringing in an outside corporation, but Hill cautioned this view by reminding the audience that Vassar's current bookstore is run by Barnes & Noble and that about one-third of Vassar's operating budget comes from investments in large, American corporations.

There was a general concern over who would decide how public the planned community space would be, and whether the the art displayed in the bookstore would be censored. Professor of Art Harry Roseman noted, "Public space in a mall is not really public space."

Attendees hoped that Vassar would continue in the spirit of making the bookstore a gathering place for the greater community. One idea to bring in community members was to include a cyber café where people could use computers provided by the store. This would mirror public libraries, where people who do not necessarily have access to a computer or the Internet at home could use the bookstore machines. Here the concern was over who would control the space, as Barnes & Noble might not necessarily wish to provide non-revenue-producing space to people who would not likely make significant purchases.  

As the College intends to move the store outside of the immediate Vassar community, a large topic of discussion was the effect that the new Bookstore will have on the retail area of Arlington. The owner of the Krafted Kup attended the meeting and urged the College to either eliminate the plans for the café space or to at least to opt for the smaller kiosk option of the café.

One faculty member brought up the Three Arts bookstore, expressing his fear that the communication between the College and the store was not as amicable as last week's bookstore update would have it seem. Hill made it clear that both students and faculty have a role in the Three Arts' long-term success by visiting the store and ordering text books there, and also explained that one of the most important goals of the new bookstore is to bring business into the Arlington community, not to shut any businesses out of it.