The strangely peaceful WestCo Café is about to be restored to its usual loud, smoky and raucous atmosphere.
The popular venue for music and comedy shows, which was originally built as a cafeteria for the dorm, has been closed since October due to vandalism. Following months of discussion, members of WestCo, the Undergraduate Residential Life Committee (URLC), and Physical Plant have agreed to open the café during the first weekend of March.
“I’m exited [for WestCo Café’s reopening] because we live right next to it and we get to hear people rehearse all day,” Claire Trissel ’10 said. “I think WestCo is a very musical community, and it’s a place where we can get together and play and listen.”
The vandalism occurred at the beginning of last semester but did not occur during a scheduled event. According to Director of Physical Plant Cliff Ashton, sprinkler pipes were torn from the ceiling, electrical conduit was ripped from the wall, and many light fixtures were either painted or vandalized.
Physical Plant closed the café and demanded that the perpetrators come forward and pay for the repairs. Although one student came forward, that person only paid for the damage to the sprinkler pipes. Physical Plant took care of the light fixtures, but still refused to reopen the space until the repairs were completely paid for.
“Since this damage [to the light fixtures] could have occurred at various times, we have generously decided not to charge anyone,” Ashton said.
This left only the vandalized electrical conduit charge unresolved. Frustrated with the lack of progress, WestCo residents raised the remaining $250 themselves and brought it to a URLC meeting. Although the money was initially rejected, the two sides eventually reached an agreement to reopen the café and use the money to cover the remaining costs. The new agreement will place more responsibility on groups who hold events in the café by requiring them to sign a new liability contract.
“After it became clear that we were not going to find all of the individuals responsible, the residents worked with Physical Plant and ResLife on a plan to improve accountable use of the space in order to reopen the café,” said WestCo Area Coordinator Brandon Buehring.
There are also plans to install card readers to monitor traffic in and out of the café. If more vandalism occurs, the card readers may be used to determine who has been in the café at any given time.
“[The money was] to sort of get the ball rolling and to show the administration that we were serious about getting our space back,” WestCo President Shira Knishkowy ’10 said.
Many WestCo residents did not expect the measure to work.
“I’m not sure anyone expected the administration to just take the money and open it back up,” said Greg Storch ’10.
The café has often been referred to as an integral part of WestCo’s community and a space where all students can come to play music.
“[WestCo Café] is an important tool in fostering a creative, active community,” Knishkowy said.
Students felt that they demonstrated their dedication to their dorm through their efforts.
“Pooling our money together definitely showed them how badly WestCo wanted the café reopened,” added Ryan Maguire ’10.
However, many students were unsatisfied with the process.
“It took way too long,” Maguire said. “The administration wasn’t very active, and there was a disconnect between the administration and the students. Most people wanted it reopened, but it seemed like the administration didn’t care.”
Former WestCo president and WSA member Benedict Bernstein ’09 agreed.
“The fact is the café was fixed within a week,” he said.
An event to celebrate the re-opening of the café is in the works, but specifics are not known as of now.
Leave a Reply