Nearly finished: Diana to open in January

After years of waiting, Barnard students will finally have their own center.

The Diana Center, born as the Nexus, is slated to fill a three-year-old campus gap when it opens to the student body on Jan. 18, 2010.

On Tuesday, Barnard’s Student Government Association held a town hall called, “The Diana and Our Community,” an event spurred by excitement for the building’s opening and leading up to the Feb. 3, 2010 ribbon-cutting ceremony, which will kick off a semester full of celebrations.

This unveiling comes almost three years after Barnard demolished its long-standing McIntosh student center—which stood on what is now the construction site—forcing the school to make do with limited space. The lack of student space forced groups to adapt to temporary homes, including dorm basements and makeshift offices in Brooks Hall.

When former Barnard President Judith Shapiro announced plans for the building, it was scheduled to open in fall 2009. But in a 2008 e-mail to students, Shapiro wrote that the opening would be delayed to January 2010 because of “difficulties with a subcontractor.”

After that, construction began in earnest, with a visible orange glass-enshrined building rising over a pit that once boasted the sign, “Imagine the Nexus.”

According to Joan Snitzer, director of the Barnard Visual Arts Program, invitations to the ribbon-cutting have been sent to a number of ”politicians along with community museums and art organizations in the Upper West Side,” though she added most have yet to RSVP.

Barnard President Debora Spar will be present, as well as Judith Shapiro and Diana Vagelos, BC ’55 and Barnard Trustee. Vagelos, the primary donor and the building’s namesake, will speak, Snitzer said.

The event will consist mainly of student-group fundraising via activities such as T-shirt making and raffles. Giselle Leon, BC ‘10, vice president of communications added that students who attend will receive Diana memorabilia. Following the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the Board of Trustees hopes to hold a meeting and party in the building for the first time, Snitzer added.

Once the ribbon is cut, administrators plan on hosting student events in the building—these plans include Black History Month and a women’s history celebration in March. The building will house programming by the Athena Center for Leadership Studies beginning Feb. 8, as well as a Seven Sisters schools conference shortly after, Leon said.

In addition to these events, the Diana presents opportunities for community outreach. There are plans for middle school students from the area to tour the building to learn about the green roof and sustainability efforts, Vivian Taylor, chief of staff and vice president for community development, said at the town hall.

Still, for some, the opening of a building long in the making seems almost too good to be true.

“I have my doubts given the financial crunch we’re in. And if it opened on time, I would question the integrity of its construction,” Lan Li, BC ’10, said. "But I don't think that Barnard would ever endanger its students," she added.

Despite student skepticism, Vice President for Administration and Capital Planning Lisa Gamsu reassured them at the meeting that, as of now, the building’s opening is proceeding completely on schedule. “If not 100%, we are close to it. The only thing that would cause a delay would be a reality out of our control, such as the Buildings Department or Fire Department not giving us inspections [in time].”

Because of unpleasant February weather, the ribbon-cutting event will be smaller in scale than the next main Diana celebration—Diana Spectacular on May 4th. “The Diana Spectacular will be a large, all-day event that will have many performances by theater, dance, and musical groups,” Leon explained.

As Barnard makes do with its decreased endowment, administrators say they will try to keep the festivities on the cheap. While the exact figure has yet to be finalized, Assistant Dean for Student Development, Diversity, and Activities Jessica Nunez said that “it will not cost a lot. We are trying to be responsible and make all the events for the Diana student-based.”