Sean Collins’ article last week could not have been more timely, although it should have been longer and included quotes from both supporters and detractors of EMPAC.

The speculation that tuition money has been potentially frittered away is a very good assumption: Being fairly close to the EMPAC situation since its inception, I can say for sure that originally the project was proposed and budgeted at $140 million. By this time two years ago, I was told by a very reliable source, that the budget had already been breached, $20 million more had been spent at that time, and the overall cost of the project, in the end, would top $180 million for sure, and possibly go as high as $200 million by the time EMPAC opens. Mind you this does not include salaries for EMPAC and other support staff, and EMPAC employs more people than many departments within the Institute do. This also does not cover continued maintenance and building depreciation. Those glass windows will entice many a middle-schooler to throw rocks and cause much financial damage.

Another item worth mentioning will also clear up one more assumption on the part of Sean Collins ’11, the writer. He speculates that the people protesting have not thought about the benefits of their being able to use the new facility. Actually many of them have probably looked into it, and the truth is EMPAC:

A) Has no stated or written Academic agenda, as the departments do. [Editor’s note: EMPAC does, in fact, have a stated academic agenda. As noted in President Shirley Ann Jackson’s “State of the Institute” address in June 2008, it will serve as both a research facility in its own right and a venue for the focus of interdisciplinary and academic programs.]

B) Will be mutually exclusive for all undergraduates regarding the ability to work inside the building, and/or with its resources on a regular basis. You read me correctly—EMPAC will not be a facility open to just any undergrad who feels like they want to participate. Only a select few will end up being able to participate on any level. [Editor’s note: This has been an oft-cited concern since the construction of EMPAC began. It is worth noting that the Institute administration has responded to this issue, and corrective measures have been applied to the original plans.]

EMPAC’s focus will not be towards the mainstream, rather it will be a specific focus on experimental media and performance art, meaning that most of the programs, workshops, and exhibits embarked upon will be geared towards a slim minority of people, most of whom are not college-age.

That in a nutshell is why so many people dislike EMPAC. It is just another bureaucratic entity within a multitude of bureaucracies that ignores the fundamental principles of community participation, and takes whatever resources it deems necessary with flagrant disregard for the established departments surrounding it. In 2 years, when the true depth of the money pit created by that monstrosity is realized, your tuition will go up again, because President Shirley Ann Jackson is not going to take a salary cut to make up the difference.

Rob Ecuyer

Technical Supervisor