At yesterday’s faculty meeting, Russell Carey ’91 MA’06 confirmed plans that Shake Shack will move into the first floor of the building currently under construction at 249 Thayer St., which will also house the Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship. The Shake Shack will move into the building at some point in 2019.
Continuing the update on construction on campus, Carey announced that the renovation of Friedman Hall, formerly known as Wilson Hall, will be completed by the end of the summer. “It will benefit more people than anything else we’re doing,” Carey said. The building will serve as a legacy of Dean of the College Maud Mandel, who envisioned the classroom set-up in the building though she will be leaving the University before she can teach in the newly renovated space, he added.
Stephen Porder, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, also announced the University’s goal to shift toward renewable energy, aiming for net zero carbon emissions by a soon-to-be-determined date. Currently, electricity and heating are the biggest contributors to the University’s emissions. President Christina Paxson P’19 hopes to “have a serious discussion about making a commitment for net zero” and establishing a deadline for this goal at some point in the future.
“The most systematic threat to humankind remains climate change,” Porder said at the meeting, citing United Nations Secretary General António Guterres. To reduce the University’s emissions, the University plans to shift toward renewable energy by using wind or solar energy.
Provost Richard Locke P’18 discussed the University’s plans to enhance support for lowest income students, The Herald previously reported. The proposed plan includes changes to food and textbook aid.
Paxson then took the podium to announce the results of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges report.
At the end of the meeting, faculty members voted to go into executive session, excluding The Herald from the room. The meeting’s agenda states that they planned to have a round table discussion about Title IX. Specifically, faculty planned to discuss whether or not the University should inquire about whether prospective faculty members have been found responsible for Title IX or academic code violations at previous institutions. The faculty also planned to discuss if the University should, at the point of hiring, conduct criminal background checks on prospective faculty.
