August
29, 2003
Campus
Celebrates Convocation and Blanchard Opening
| 
Photo:
Fred LeBlanc
Cheryl
Klufio ’05 (right) orders a latte from Barbara Lafleur,
manager of Uncommon Grounds, Blanchard’s new coffee
bar. Lafleur, a 20-year MHC veteran, called the new campus
center “bigger, better, and gorgeous.” |
Convocation,
scheduled for Wednesday, September 3, a prelude to the first day
of
classes, will mark the beginning of the College’s 167th
academic year in the time-honored way: with music; remarks by
faculty, staff, and students; and the first opportunity for seniors
to don their caps and gowns. This year, after the traditional
ceremony will come the celebration of something new, with a ribbon-cutting
marking the reopening of the renovated and expanded Blanchard
Campus Center. Convocation will begin at 11:30 am in Gettell Amphitheater,
or in Chapin Auditorium in the event of rain.
During the ceremony, President Joanne V. Creighton will welcome
students, faculty, and staff and give her thoughts on the upcoming
academic year. Other speakers include Andrea Ayvazian, dean of
religious life; Kate Mulligan ’04, representing the Student
Government Association; Patricia Serio, representing the Staff
Council; Lee Bowie, dean of the College and professor of philosophy;
and Rabbi Lisa Freitag-Keshet, chaplain to the College and adviser
to the Jewish community. Students will be led in the “Alma
Mater” by Ivy Tillman ’83, and the M & Cs, a student
a cappella group, will perform.
Dessert, both literally and figuratively, will come in the form
of a ribbon-cutting celebrating the reopening of Blanchard after
a 15-month reconstruction project. Joining the president in offering
remarks will be John Bryant, director of facilities management;
Rochelle Calhoun ’83, new executive director of the Alumnae
Association; and John Laprade, director of the student programs
office and manager of Blanchard. During the traditional community
picnic on Skinner Green, with dining services dishing up burgers
and hot dogs, spicy black bean salad, fresh garden salad, “heart
smart” potato salad, and several types of melon, members
of the MHC community will be invited into Blanchard’s dramatic
new Great Room for brownies with a view. The Great Room, with
its two-story, curved glass wall providing a panoramic view of
Lower Lake, is one of the most prominent new features of Blanchard;
others include its 60-foot skylight and grand staircase, which
open all three levels of the building to natural light; a coffee
shop, Uncommon Grounds, on the main level; and a gas-fired brick
oven for pizza in Blanchard Café. Others are old friends
in new places, including the campus store, the mailboxes, offices
for student organizations, and the art gallery. The overall effect?
It’s Blanchard, all right, but not as you knew it.
While beautiful to look at, Blanchard is beautiful for the environment
as well. Like the College’s new science center, the campus
center is a “green” building, built to comply with
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) criteria
established by the United States Green Building Council.
The
counter is
1,575
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