Strong opinions brew over Pavilion's opening

By Catherine Bratic     5/15/08 7:00pm

Students walking around Robert R. Herring Hall and the Rice Memorial Center may have been surprised when the construction fences cawme down to reveal a glass building containing a coffee bar and lounge furniture. The new Raymond and Susan Brochstein Pavilion officially opened to campus with a dedication ceremony April 24. To kick off the pavilion's opening, the Dirk's Coffee bar inside remained open 24 hours a day during finals, from April 27 to May 2, to provide students moral and caffeinated support for the inevitable all-nighters.The pavilion officially opened to the public April 26. One day later, at the President's Study Break hosted by the offices of President David Leebron and Dean of Undergraduates Robin Forman, the pavilion introduced itself to students by giving away free coffee to study break attendees.

The 6,000 square-foot pavilion is surrounded by a 10,700 square-foot plaza, which is covered by an overhang. The surrounding area has been landscaped with two fountains, crushed granite and 70 elm and live oak trees.

Inside the pavilion, Dirk's Coffee, a franchise of Diedrich's Coffee, operates a coffee shop which also sells cookies, cakes and yogurt. The pavilion holds plasma TVs to display current Rice news and alerts as well as regular broadcasting.

---

---

At the pavilion's dedication ceremony, Leebron said the pavilion is a great contribution to the campus.

"This building lies at the very heart of our campus, and although it has no books, no classrooms, it is at the same time a building that is at the very core of what we are about," Leebron said. "What makes a university in my view an extraordinary place are the opportunities we have every day, not just in classes, to interact with each other, to exchange ideas, to constitute with ourselves a sense of community."

Leebron thanked the pavilion's architect, Tom Phifer, and Associate Vice President for Facilities, Engineering and Planning Barbara White Bryson for their contributions to the project. He also thanked Raymond ('55) and Susan Brochstein for their contributions to Rice.

"We all owe you a great debt of thanks for what you have contributed to life on our campus," Leebron said.

Mark Ditman, Associate Vice President for Housing and Dining and pavilion committee leader, then introduced his committee. The pavilion committee plans to work to sponsor events there, such as a World Cup party, and host speakers in the pavilion, FE&P Project Manager Larry Vossler said.

Ditman said the pavilion could be very successful given the right amount of support.

"With the right kind of care and nurturing, it will grow up to be something fabulous," Ditman said.

Ditman thanked Linbeck Construction contractor Ed Durham for his work on the project, calling him one of his heroes.

Student Association President Matt Youn spoke next. He said the pavilion was a significant step for campus construction.

"The completion of this pavilion means there's one less construction site on campus," Youn, a Brown College junior, said.

He thanked Leebron for driving the project.

Youn was followed by Graduate Student Association President Michael Contreras, who said the pavilion would contribute to the graduate student community culture.

"Traditionally, graduate students at Rice, as well as in other institutions, have had a somewhat-tarnished reputation of staying in their labs and never interacting with the outside world," Contreras, a civil engineering student, said. "Compared to other populations, graduate students do face unique challenges in creating this community that we desire across departmental, cultural and spatial barriers."

He said the pavilion and central quadrangle have become an answer to their prayers.

Faculty Senate Speaker Deborah Harter spoke next. Harter, who is also a French studies professor, likened the pavilion to the longstanding French tradition of cafés and their tradition of collaboration.

"This is really a place where graduate students can write their dissertations, where faculty can meet with students without the baggage of stuffy offices, where students who don't live on campus can find a home," Harter said.

All those in attendance offered their thanks to the Brochsteins, who funded the project. Raymond Brochstein, a graduate of the School of Architecture, and his wife Susan, have two children: Benjamin, who is working on his PhD in religious studies at Rice; and Deborah, who is a 2000 graduate of the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management. The Brochsteins served on the Board of Trustees and are frequent donors to the university.

"Raymond and I feel privileged to be able to be a part of this wonderful addition to the Rice campus," said Susan Brochstein. "We hope the sharing and communicating of new and old ideas with others over a good cup of coffee in this delightful venue will be among the fond memories Rice students will take with them for the rest of their lives."

Student response to the pavilion has been mixed. While many feel the pavilion is a valuable new resource for the campus, others feel the pavilion encroaches on other student locations, such as Rice Coffeehouse and the RMC.

"It's a place we can hang out besides the RMC, because the RMC's getting kind of boring," Will Rice College sophomore Jodi Levy said. "I've been here for two years, so I'm looking forward to having a new spot."

Martel College sophomore James Bookhout said the pavilion might have been considered by the university as a classier alternative to Coffeehouse but that Dirk's is unnecessary. He said a late-night food option would have been more practical and suited to student needs.

"The university paid to put a coffee shop in there, but they already have one [Coffeehouse] that I consider to be pretty good," Bookhout said. "I have no idea what possessed anyone to believe that was a good idea.

---