Liz Berger

As part of their attempt to ensure Deerfield's continued success and to bring about the alleviation of a strained residential program, the trustees have approved the construction of a new dormitory. This approval has raised questions for many students who are troubled by the thought of destroying part of a quad that has been the center of such activities as frisbee and stickball games.

Dependent upon the completion of architectural drawings and other particulars, construction is scheduled to begin by the end of the school year. The dorm will take one year to build, allowing for twenty student rooms and two additional faculty apartments. Business manager Michael Sheridan said, "The rooms will generally resemble those in John Louis and Louis Marx." As of now, there are no specifics on who will be housed in this dorm.

The main argument coming from the Deerfield Environmental Action Group addresses the location of the dorm and how it will affect the open spaces of Deerfield Academy. Headmaster Eric Widmer acknowledged that the community does value the quad and believes a dorm "tucked in behind John Williams" will not depreciate its worth. According to Mr. Widmer, the dorm will be located along Albany Road pushed as far south as possible to preserve the space.

"The placement of the dorm is essentially a current parking lot, and also the place where old Boyden Hall [a dorm that has since been torn down] used to exist," said Mr. Sheridan.

Alumnus and trustee Winthrop Smith, along with his wife and her family, provided the necessary funding for the completion of this project. The actual dorm, however, will be named Harold Smith.

As space and privacy become more precious each day, the strength of the arguments against the dorm are growing. Last Wednesday at press time, the Deerfield Environmental Action Group had collected over three-hundred signatures in an effort to prevent the construction of the new dorm. The group is also organizing a contest, in which students suggest alternative locations for the dorm. The winning entry will be submitted to the headmaster. Mr. Sheridan, however, views the successful completion of the dorm as a "step forward in the residential process that began with the construction of John Louis and Louis Marx."

The administration feels the overcrowded residential living at Deerfield can be quickly ruled out with the expansion of this new dorm, which will lower the ratio between faculty and students on each hall.

Despite student protests, the administration and trustees feel the students will also benefit from the construction of Harold Smith as it will allow the opening of more common rooms in existence.

Additionally, it is believed that faculty will receive the benefit of more apartment living on campus and a more evenly distributed involvement in most dorms. As well as certain rooms being replaced from the Health Center, other affected dorms will likely include Barton, Ashley, and Denunzio.

"It [the building of Harold Smith] will allow Deerfield to keep competitive against other residential life programs at various other boarding schools," added Mr. Widmer.