Stay Tuned...

Hi all,

There was an A3C Committee meeting on Wednesday, 11/19, after Kent Hubbell returned from his trip to China.

There were only small updates:

• Kent announced the approximate costs of the Center--if it were to stay in Willard Straight Hall, which is still uncertain at this point. There were two estimates, both of which were under $2 million. The numbers include air conditioning installment, the elevator/LULA construction, furniture, and asbestos treatment.
  
• President Skorton wants to meet with the Committee right after Thanksgiving break, in between his two international trips. There is no indication of what kind of discussion might be happening, or whether the entire A3C project would go ahead at all.
  
• If architect plans are approved by December 1st, the project may be completed by August 21, 2009. The plans will not be approved by then because the administration is not providing the Committee with anything solid, whether through finalizing the A3C's location or assigning a fundraiser to the A3C project.
  

We are disappointed with the administration's inaction. Please keep sending your comments to David Skorton, Susan Murphy, and Kent Hubbell. Even one paragraph expressing your desire for the Center makes all the difference.

The Center cannot happen without your support.

Forums

If you've read your email recently, you've seen Pres. Skorton's general/slightly vague plans about how to deal with the current (and in most cases deepening) recession.

The A3C is a project that has waited for decades to recieve a pittance of cash. One of the biggest reasons is to institutionalize the ridiculous efforts of generations of students who try to make the campus a place where Asian and Asian Americans want to be.

The "hiring pause" and halting of construction projects will most definitely negatively affect the A3C's progress unless you attend the forums noted below

Wednesday, November 5 at noon in Bailey Hall

Thursday, November 6 at 4 P.M. in the Statler Auditorium

and leave a comment at: http://assembly.cornell.edu/Suggestions/2008FallFinancialSavings#toc38

Drop Skorton and the administration a line. Let them know that a million or two in the face of Cornell's current (and possibly also paused) 4 billion dollar campaign is an incredibly small cost to serve nearly 20% of the student population with something they've been requesting for a decade or more.

As Kent Hubbell would put it, it should be a "no-brainer" to establish this Center immediately!

This center is not my center, or your center or even the A3C committee's center. It's ours and it takes us to make it a reality.

Go Comment on the Cornell Website

Hi all,

If you have checked your Cornell webmail lately, you should have received an email from Pres. Skorton (click here to view) stating that construction projects, especially those not under a contract, will be stalled due to the "current economic crisis." It shouldn't apply to the A3C effort, since many Asian/Asian American alumni are vocally and financially supportive of the Center--if only Cornell's administrators were willing to set aside a fundraiser/promotions person for this specific project, which they haven't. Think also of how much this tiny, 1,400 sq. ft. of space should cost--less than $2 million. As Kent Hubbell would put it, it should be a "no-brainer" to establish this Center immediately!

Yet, the administration keeps on delaying this tiny, much-needed project, and the Asian/Asian American Center Committee is frustrated. I briefly voiced our frustrations here: http://assembly.cornell.edu/Suggestions/2008FallFinancialSavings#toc38

. Please also put in your two cents on the "suggestions box" I just linked you to. It is important to let the administration know what other students and alumni are concerned about.

If you have any questions about this email or what I wrote on the Cornell website, do not hesitate to ask me.

Thanks,
Caroline