WGBH Radio; The Callie Crossley Show

I'm Cally Crossley This is the Calla Crossley Show. The YMCA s mission is to improve the health of mind body and spirit of individuals and families in the community. But will they cash this in to the tune of ninety five million dollars. Northeastern University is poised to purchase two wings of the central wide on Huntington avenues. The objective is to create more dorms. The objection. Close to 3000 members will be displaced. This is the oldest Y in the nation. If this deal goes through it could bring an end to a long tradition of community service from shelter for those on hard times to afterschool programs for city kids. Who are the winners and losers. If northeastern signs on the dotted line. From there it's local made good with Dr. Allen counter. He's diversifying Harvard by adding people of color to the university's walls. Up next extreme makeovers from the historic walk to Harvard's hallowed hall. First the news. From NPR News in Washington I'm Lakshmi saying President Obama is

trying to make peace with business leaders who have long been critical of the administration's approach to tax cuts and the economy in general. Speaking to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce this morning Mr. Obama said it is time to reorganize and streamline. So in the coming months my administration will develop a proposal to merge consolidate and reorganize the federal government in a way that best serves the goal of a more competitive America. And we want to start with the 12 different agencies that deal with America's exports. President Obama is trying to convince big business to hire more people that he says will then help spur economic growth. There are some signs of normal life returning to parts of the Egyptian capital but a massive two week old protest is still gripping central Cairo. NPR's Corey Flintoff is on the scene where thousands are pledging to stay put until Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak resigns. The square itself is really closed by the military here. You know people were able to get out. In and out of the access points it's really

become isolated from the rest of the city. So we do see shops opening we do see a lot of traffic on the streets. You know some people do seem to be getting back to normal in the in the rest of the city. There's still a lot of army presence though on the streets and very little police presence that I've been able to see. I don't think that the Egyptian police have regrouped themselves and are ready to come back. NPR's Corey Flintoff reporting. The Internet giant AOE Well plans to shell out three hundred fifteen million dollars to acquire the Huffington Post news and opinion website. NPR's David Folkenflik reports. It is the boldest stroke in AOL's effort to redefine itself at the moment and this is true. AOL's biggest single revenue source arrives each month from people who still pay for its dial up internet service and related subscription products like email that's imperiled in a

broadband era. AOL's CEO Tim Armstrong has bet big instead on content hiring a small cadre of established journalists and creating a new family of sites called patch to cover hyper local news. So far it hasn't paid off the highly trafficked Huffington Post with a blend of unpaid blogs and original reporting is expected to bring in waves of new visitors advertisers and AOL hopes new profits. Arianna Huffington the liberal website's co-founder will become editor in chief over all AOL content. One cautionary note about synergy. Eleven years ago AOL bought Time Warner. It is not just the largest But one of the worst mergers in American corporate history. David Folkenflik NPR News New York. Dow's up more than half a percentage twelve thousand one hundred seventy. This is NPR. The president of Sudan is congratulating the south where voters from last month's referendum have chosen independence apparently. Today Omar al-Bashir said Sudan

would offer the new state any aid possible. The final results of the vote are expected to be released later today. In 2005 Sudan's northern and southern regions ended more than 20 years of civil war that had claimed about two million lives. Officials in South Korea are questioning a group of 31 North Koreans who crossed the border between the two countries on a wooden fishing boat over the weekend. As Michael Rhee tells us from Seoul it's not yet clear why the passengers crossed into South Korean waters. According to military officials in the south the boat was seized Saturday morning near the tense western sea border with North Korea. The ship contains 20 women and 11 men. Groups of North Koreans in the past have used boats to cross over and defect to the south. But that doesn't seem to be the case here. News is quoting an unnamed official who says the North Koreans have not expressed the wish to defect. There reportedly is a possibility the boat drifted into South Korean waters as a result of mistaken coordinates or a loss of power. The incident comes as the two Koreas prepare to meet tomorrow morning. It would be the first

direct talks between the two sides since North Korea's bombing of a South Korean island last November. For NPR News I'm Michael Ray in Seoul. Communities in the path of two major fires in Western Australia remain evacuated while crews try to contain the blazes one of which destroyed more than 40 homes and into firefighter. The two combined have charred about 4000 acres to the north and southeast in the region. I'm Lakshmi Singh NPR News Washington. Support for NPR comes from sit for less. Selling all colors of the Herman Miller Aeron chair online including sit for a last true black online at CIT for last dot com. Good afternoon I'm Kelly Crossley This is the Calla Crossley Show the central YMCA on Huntington Avenue the oldest one in the nation could be undergoing an extreme makeover. Last fall Northeastern University announced that they had reached an agreement with

the YMCA and Phoenix property company to buy two wings of the Y. The plans are to convert them into student housing. This could relieve the burden the students are putting on residential housing. It could also mean that close to 3000 of the YMCA members will be displaced and if parts of the wire are taken over it could bring in to its long tradition of community service. Joining me to talk about what's at stake for the community are city councilor Mike Ross. He represents District 8 Back Bay Beacon Hill Finn away and Mission Hill. Calvin Arry he's been a member of the YMCA for 14 years. He's also organizing a petition against these proposed plans. And Todd feathers a reporter for the Huntington news is also with us. Welcome to you all. Thank you. Now listeners we want your take on this Are you effin way residents whose And who is in favor of this renovation. Would you be glad to see hundreds of students move out of residential apartments. Why members what does this mean to you. We are at 8 7 7 3 0 1 89 70 that's 8 7 7 3 0 1 89 70. Now I really mean

it when I greeted all three of you. I thank you for coming. You cannot believe the number of people who would not touch this subject. So I want to put that on the table first. We learned about the story because one of my producers uses the facilities and she saw one sign but no discussion about what's happening. Talk to other people discovered that many of them Calvin this won't be a surprise you had no idea about these plans. So we reached out to the Y itself. No they would not speak to us we reached out to board members of the. No they would not speak to us we reached out to Northeastern. No they would not speak to us. And let me say listeners that we reached out to the national wide to ask the local what to speak to us and they still would not speak to us. I actually did not think this was this big a deal but apparently it is. So let's start with you city councilor Mike Ross. You were in favor of these proposed plans you said it was a great collaboration and a way to offer some student housing. And I'll speak to anyone go and I thank you. Let's hear your position.

Yeah I mean well first of all you know there's a process in place and perhaps one of the reasons why the why I was reluctant to speak northeastern Iraq is because because that process is just getting started and I don't think they want to presume that there's a finished product here yet. And that's what happens with development in the city of Boston. These things get proposed and then they get vetted and then they get built or not. In 2008 we were here prior. This is the second time at in this in this movie here there was a proposal to take the YMCA to reuse it and purpose it for student housing which would be good it would get students out of the neighborhood which has some of the highest number of students you know occupancy is and by the way you know it was blocking I think graduate students from moving into our city when they graduate from these college from these colleges and. And that was in the end did not get built and in the end the vetting community and as well as the city basically said Your proposal won't work for us. So now the proposal is back it's back in a different form at a significantly different format and

we're going to consider it again. I think there's a way to do this successfully. Notwithstanding that I think there might have been some bad communication issues you think on the Y.M.C.A. side to some of its members I think they need to get out in front of it a little bit earlier but you know there's plenty of time. You know we met with the YMCA at this public meeting the other day and you know at Wendy's and was talking about this building it's old it's got spaces that aren't being utilized well. There is a way to repurpose the entire YMCA so it continues to be the resource of the community knows it it as. And to allow some students to move in by developing and building on top of it. And that's really what the proposal is here. I always believe that we that these are false choices out there and that instead we can actually do both successfully. But it requires us to collaborate and talk to each other. OK. Kelvin ary you have been a member for 14 years as we've as we have said and you instituted up as a petition and within seconds after it went up it seems you've got 40 to one hundred twenty members to sign. I probably

more about this time because people were not communicated with and they don't see the how. The gymnasium can be repurposed in these current plans to to really deal with the needs of the people who use the gym right now. Well I certainly agree Cali that the members feel that they haven't had good communications with their management or why at this point we're up to nine hundred twenty three signatures all for members that feel very disconnected in a strange from the way I managed it. We're deeply concerned and worried that these plans as they've been presented to us and as they appear to be going forward with entail the demolition of much of our current facility before any new facility is built. We feel that we feel that's backward and that at the very least if it's necessary to sell and demolish the present fitness facility that this area in the front of the

building that they intend for the future facility would be to have architects and even structural engineers in now before discos any further to take a look at that that space and to see what it really is possible to do with it. We'd like to see that done in the form of a design where were a number of different architectural firms would compete amongst one another to come up with a good design based on. The deficit fitness facility that the members want. So if you also like there's a conclusion right now and there has not been participation from the voice that councilor Ross says needs to be included in it. We feel that this this whole process is being driven absolutely driven by Northeastern University's need to get this storm authority up and running by a certain date that date appears to be what's driving us.

And just to get to that day a lot of corners are being cut and people are being left out. And in the members the members a very aggrieved about this. OK. The number is 8 7 7 3 0 1 89 70 8 7 7 3 0 1 89 70 Cullin if you use the gym if you know about this or if this is the first time you're hearing about this and you wonder I'm out turning to time Featherstone you work for the Huntington news and I want to say a couple things first of all in the current plan seven hundred twenty dormitory beds would be provided for Northeastern. We all at this table know that they're under pressure to provide some bedding for their student population they need that in the community. And that would as a city council process it in other ways relieve the pressure on the rents that are too high all of that in the community. That's a that's a good thing. But Todd let's speak to what the building means and the activities that go in that building mean to the community beyond is not just a building. Something else is going on there.

Well I mean northeastern started and that why a building in 1898 the first northeastern class was held in that building. I've spoken to a lot of students who you know live in that building now. The why building houses I believe 88 rooms for Northeastern students and students there are mixed feelings around campus. Some students like the why they feel the North-Eastern over something to the why other students say you know if northeastern can buy it everything's fair you know. Whatever have yeah. Let me read the last paragraph of the wise mission which I think brings in one paragraph let's you know all the things that are going on in this way I can say it's it's a place it's not like I'm your typical was this is as we've said the oldest one in the nation. And we get all kinds of programs going on there for seniors for young people for folks after school and you just mentioned Todd the kids that are living there now. Here's the last paragraph of the wise mission. The why is the largest provider of afterschool programs and child care in the Commonwealth of

Massachusetts offers the state's largest summer youth employment program involves more than 10000 children and summer camps and leverage is resources to provide over ten point three million dollars in critical services at no cost to low income participants. As financial demographic and social forces continue to create a new Boston that's in quotes once again the YMCA continues to provide centers of community life for children families and all others in the neighborhoods and towns of the region. Yes Kellin you want to add to that a wife's story. One of the one of the signers of the petition and one of the 900 23 is a young black man 27 years old that was brought to the Y when he was 10 for swimming lessons. And over the years he's he to hear him describe it he said many mentors and role models that have helped him along this path. Recently he graduated from Tufts Medical School. He's now a doctor. The other night he was talking to another young kid from the

hood an 18 year old only now the tables are turned in sort of a generational thing. He's just the role model and the mentor to this to this young person. And one of the things that we'd like to see here is we would not like to see them dispersed out to other wise for some transitional period of a year and a half or two years while the new Y is built because that special something that's passed on. This was a gift that was given to this 27 year old. And now he's passed again on to somebody else. This is one of the important things about the wife of so many you know the councilor Ross. It's not my job to make the case for development this but that's their job. And Northeastern as well but you know there's a there's a few things that's important for listeners now first of all the YMCA is going to be bulldozed OK. They're talking about removing the back portion of the building which is only a few stories tall anyway and could arguably be used in a much better way in that it's a you know higher and taller and bigger

than the pool Calvin you were just talking about the proposal is not to remove the pool. You're saying that I mean he was actually in the building just being retained right so that although the pool remains right so that kid coming to that YMCA for years on you know will continue to be able to come in and swim and do all those things. There will still be programs for the community there will still be programs for summer youth there will still be programs like the cardinal Center which is a homeless center for men. That was in the city of Boston and the community insisted that in 2008 that that be retained in the building. And I imagine will do the same for this new building in 2011. So there will be a disruption when you add to a building and there may be even a temporary shutdown of the program in order to allow for construction and certain things to happen. And we want to mitigate that make that a small as humanly possible on the city side. But to say that this is going to be rushed through or jammed through which is the area

that I am concerned about the process itself is what I helped to run in government. Well I think that's true. Why haven't the members a lot of members that they didn't know anything about it. Well that's on YMCA. You know they have a duty to let their members know what's going on. But from our perspective the city of Boston we could go for months and months in this process and give people including yourself and your colleagues at the Y. Plenty of time to participate interact with this advisory group who is vetting this process before a single nail before a single demolition occurs. And I think that will happen as really it happens in most construction in the city. I have to ask you city council Why are people so weirded out about talking about it. This is bizarre to me. I don't know I mean I think like I said earlier I think it's because it's in flux and it's just getting out of the gates you know. And there's a lot of question marks here. I mean from this conversation you can tell there's a lot of question marks here. I think people are reluctant to have the conversation. Also this is the keep in mind this is the second time that this this project's been proposed for the same site which should tell you that it didn't

work the first time and I think they're concerned about you know killing in the crib before and then run to here. I think we can get there I think Calvin's current concerns of his members concerns can be can be mitigated. But you know it's not for the city of Boston to tell a private owner of a building no matter how historic and no matter how important the building is that they can't look for new ways to use their building. I mean that's not what we're about in the city or about including the community in that process and being fair. But in the end this is a private entity that's seeking to do something with their building that in the end will also have value to the larger community by housing students. It's the why is a private entity but it's also you know this is been a critical part of the community for a century. It's been at locations as 1912 and not to disagree with what Mike said but what we're talking about here is the demolition of virtually all the fitness facility except for the pool which is a different building in a small Nautilus room. All

the rest is slated to be destroyed before any replacement facility is built. That's that's unacceptable to the members twenty seven hundred of them. Whose lifes are going to be truly disrupted by this. We feel that's backwards that that to proceed properly. At the very least the space up front where they intend to put a new facility in the parts of it that they want to put up there is really just a wish list that no architects look at the space and say what's possible. We'd like to see that done in a charrette form which is the variety of designs the members would like to vote on which design you liked about us and then have it built first before the present facility and we're confident that the financing of that could be accomplished with with little or no problem at all. All right we've got some callers I need to go to line to. Go ahead please you're ninety nine point seven WGBH.

Moon. Oh hi. Hi go ahead please. I said Hi Matthew how are you. I can't I mean I'm. Nobody wants to talk about him the harder you fall as I'm having a technical problem here I believe this is Matthew Brooks and he's from the fen phen away Civic Association Please go ahead. OK high calorie high. Very good. Hello I'm. Yes go ahead. Did you have a particular question I gave you just want to I want to know what your take is on this man through your in the fyn way Civic Association and you're very much a part of the community that we're talking about a lot of discussion about this. This why and because of the services that it provides being more than a building being really kind of the heart of the community. Is that your take. You're a part of the community or do you see this the proposed plans as something that can still bring the heart of the community or allow for the heart of the community

to be there. Well I believe the long term effects the plan would be beneficial to all the parties that are involved. It's just that the YMCA they've known for a long time that they are going to be making modifications to their complex on how to can have. And I really disappointed that they haven't been very effective at communicating to both their membership and to the neighborhood about the proposed. I am outside of very limited meetings about the institutional masterplan with Northeastern and what I find most that is that they know for a long time that something was going to happen with that particular complex and yet they have not had any interim plans in order to accommodate the facilities that were going to be disrupted by any of the work that they be doing there. Do you think are you disappointed in this particular plan or do you think

any plan would not be good or just. Are you just not feeling comfortable with this one as well as proposed has all come down to the mitigation. Because this plan the current iteration is actually much better than the previous one which would have seen a larger portion of the YMCA complex being demolished for a private dormitory where this is specifically for and tuition that's already in the neighbor. And where a larger portion of the YMCA complex has actually gone to be preserved by the plant and actually provide Bonnie to that branch of the YMCA to actually renovate and reconfigure their existing facilities to actually be more beneficial to their membership. I'm actually more in favor of discount adoration of the plant. It's just that they really haven't thought ahead as far as how it's going to affect the neighborhood and how it's going to affect their membership. Got it how they can mitigate the impacts of construction. They've known for a long time

that there are going to be doing something with this facility and they should have had a game playing a game plan to set up such that when they started construction. OK it wouldn't be a disruption. All right thank you very much that's Matthew Brooks. He is on the board of the Finn way Civic Association one of the groups that be impacted by this. We're talking about the YMCA and the push to turn part of the site into student housing. I'm joined by city councilor Mike Ross veteran member of the Y. Calvin ary and reporter Tod feathers of the Huntington news. Listeners we want to hear from you. Fenway residents is this much ado about a few stair masters or is this a community that could be undone by this construction. Do you agree with what Matthew Brooks said. What does the YMCA mean to you. We're 8 7 7 3 0 1 89 70 that's 8 7 7 3 0 1 89 70. We'll be back after this break stay with us. Support for WGBH comes from you and from the New England mobile book fair in

Newton. Now through Sunday February 13th presenting beat the winter doldrums extra value days at the book fair. More details are available online at an e-book fair dot com. And from the law firm of wolf Greenfield specializing in intellectual property law Wolf Greenfield provides clients with solutions on patents trademarks licensing and litigation. Wolf Greenfield dot com. And from the members of the WGBH leadership circle who support the news with a gift of a dollar a day to learn more about the benefits of joining the leadership circle. Visit WGBH dot org. On the next FRESH AIR a car crashing plane jumping bone breaking death defying Hollywood life stunt man hell Needham tells us how he almost died during one risky scene. The next thing I knew I was upside down going backwards across a desert floor about 30 feet in the air and I said Boy there's going to be so. I'm coming back here any moment. Hal Needham's new memoir is called stunt man.

Joining us this afternoon at two on eighty nine point seven heavy GBH. Celebrate 40 years of masterful performances with WGBH in the critically acclaimed PBS series masterpiece. Saturday evening April 9th at the WGBH studios. Enjoy a night of good food fun drinks and a look back at this series remarkable history. Share a toast with masterpiece producers and take in a cabaret performance by the host of Masterpiece Mystery Alan Cumming and I don't have a mic that's about to get started. $50 called 6 1 7 3 0 0 fifty four hundred WGBH wants to ensure a diverse pool of candidates for any of its employment opportunities. If your community organization which is to receive emails about job openings please send a request to human underscore resources at WGBH dot org. I'm callin crossly this is a calla Crossley Show if you're just tuning in we're talking about the central branch YMCA on Huntington Avenue.

The why along with Northeastern University and the Phoenix property company have reached an agreement to build a residence hall for northeastern undergrads. This could relieve the burden that students are putting on residential housing. It could also mean that close to 3000 of the YMCA members will be displaced. And if. Parts of the wire taken over it could bring an end to its long tradition of community service. Joining me to talk about this are city councilor Mike Ross he represents District 8 Back Bay Beacon Hill Finn way and Mission Hill. Calvin Arry he's been a member of the YMCA for 14 years. He's also organizing a petition against these proposed plans 900 some people have signed that position. Todd feathers a reporter for the Huntington news is also with us he has a story coming up on this whole story the whole proposal. And joining us now is David Lee he's a partner at the Boston architecture firm stolen Lee incorporated the firm has been commissioned by Northeastern to lead its master plan. David Lee welcome. Eric how are you. You know Mike and all the rest of the panel. But I do have it. Listeners How do you feel about this is this the reality of living in a college town are

you frustrated with universities buying up and developing properties can universities and communities peacefully co-exist. We're 8 7 7 3 0 1 89 70 that's 8 7 7 3 0 1 a 970. Now David Lee you've heard the conversation. Your firm is all about community. So how can a proposed plan seem to undermine what that why and particularly the gymnasium has been all about. Well Kelly let me just say first in full disclosure that we have been working with the university over several years and with a community advisory group that Mike Ross was part of as well to try and find a way to address couplets. You know enduring kinds of problems I guess with growing universities and the communities that surround them now. I think the first thing we've got to understand is that the Y and the university have been there since the last century and in fact the university got started out of that wise so it wasn't as though they weren't a

force and a factor there for many many years. But the community rightfully I think has been upset about students coming into the private marketplace and getting piled up and paying rent far beyond one a family to pay. So but notion of universities and colleges trying to house as many of their students on campus as possible I think is a good one and I think it. Good experience for freshman and so forth to live in a dormitory environment. Northeastern has been pretty much landlocked and but they've been growing. They have you know grand ambitions. And so we were bought with the local community trying to figure out ways for the university to relieve its burden in terms of housing its students and generally it was agreed that if a state somewhere between the tracks ideally that being the Orange Line and the green line is Huntington that was a good

solution. I happen to think that this is a part of the city that could take some height and some density and it would be just fine. And I think frankly that these are issues it is probably harder to find a place to build for 700 students than it is to find a place to come up with adequate recreational facilities and other things to offset some of those that have been displaced by this work. So I don't know to what extent northeastern can make available of its own recreational facilities at least on an interim basis for some of the people who are going to be displaced doing as can. Destruction and then find a more permanent solution later on. It's going to be impossible to build in the city without some disruption it's just part of being in the city. So I think generally is a pretty good resolution. I don't think that you know everybody is upset as even as Matthew Brooks said the current proposal doesn't offend him he of the Finn way Civic Association he thinks the

communication with the neighborhood has been poor and also in the general in the overall final plan or proposal as it is now to not consider the community aspect of the coming together of people and all of those programs there. It's not so much about I think people saying hey we don't want to be built any higher or any wider as you speak to the density but we want to have this same space so we can have the kind of community interaction that we've had here that's what we're talking about. And that doesn't seem to be a part of the plan. Well that's that's a legitimate concern and I think the notion of pausing long enough to figure out how that can be addressed might be a reasonable thing to do. To the extent that there may be other facilities available nearby that could service those needs or that the current design can be manipulated such that some of these issues are addressed. What that may mean is another trade off it may have to get a little higher. I'm not certain you know architecturally how how to accommodate all of that but I'm sure there's an answer there somewhere.

All right Calvin how diverse is the population of folks who attend that I've heard that people drive in from Dorchester that you know there are students there there's elderly there. There's many. This proposal as it's being presented is going to impact some of the neighboring institutions for example doing a conservatory and Berkeley School of Music for two. I understand have somewhere between six and seven hundred. There are students that use the Y facility right now and if its facility is done mode where are they going to go. It was brought up at the last northeastern taskforce meeting the fact that Berkeley is going to have some fitness facility in 2014 but it was there were some giggles in the room at the time because it's realized that this point is already too small for a growing school. Regarding students coming out of the neighborhood I feel as a realtor I want to say a word about that. There's

many institutions whose headquarters are in the Fenway area besides northeastern Berkeley and UC because serve a Tory Wentworth and many others there maybe 15 of them all together. But if one institution builds a dorm and seven hundred twenty of its freshman and southwards move into that dorm I could tell you as a realtor it's going to have virtually no effect on the vacancy rate in the fund. And he is finally able to be a very what do you the burden for Eastern we've got to give a student to students who presently live further out. No they can't get in because there are no vacancies. We'll just backfill all of those. Those they can seize and coupled with that is the fact that these institutions in Roman figures are not static there was an article in The Boston Globe just a week or so ago. Their burgeoning. I mean is more and more stupid the NE is limited to 15000 and people like City Councillor Mike Ross are holding them to that. So we got to put that on the table as well. I mean they may be over

now but they're not allowed to be I want to take this call Bruce from Mission Hill Go ahead please you're an eighty nine point seven WGBH. Yes I will tell you it's a bruise Biggerstaff. I used to sit next to you when you get your hair cut. Hi how are you. I'm fine thank you. I won't be your last. The last person who made the comment that was really on point. I don't think we. Right into the elephant in the room and that the institutional expansion by the institution being northeast of there was having privy to the last master plan that northeastern just expired with North Eastern. There was a proposed cap if you will or a limit to student enrollment and as the gentleman just spoke to. If there is no control of the population as it relates to Northeastern institutions ultimately Mission Hill Fenway Roxbury will

all be absorbed by student housing. The conundrum of buying the baby pig It's nice when nice and cute when you bring it home but it grows and grows. Cause I want to get city council Ross to respond to that. Yeah I mean we need to look at some numbers here what Bruce is saying is that there are these schools are growing as they're building. And I think that is has been the problem in the past in our city I don't think the city of Boston being a college town you know prior to say the last 10 years really spent a lot of stock or time or capital in being the college town it is and so let me give you these numbers. In the last 10 years in Rollman has increased of undergrads in grads in our city by 46000 students that's a lot of people. So 46000 new heads on beds in our city in that same time. We only permeated 10000 units of housing for undergrads and grads. So a net loss of actually 36000 if you look at just the graduates. Maybe that net loss

is 20000. So what's happening with these schools is they're making commitments around keeping their romance to a certain number and building against those enrollments. And you know I would just Calvin to your point I mean you know we have to build units. The only way that we're going to get out of the situation is and this is a good problem to have I mean we are the envy of the world to have this problem I mean cities across America would love to have this problem. But that being said the only way we're going to be able to get to this is to build more housing on campus and you know I have a soul graph as I understand where in radio. Yeah if you look at Northeastern you know versus these other schools you see this giant spike of Northeastern students living in this just the Mission Hill neighborhood but it could look the same for Fenway if you see a thousand living off campus from Northeastern. We only see you know hundred from mass are you see you know a couple hundred for mass College of Pharmacy 200 from Wentworth and only about 50 to 100 of Berkeley that's Mission Hill.

The problem is Northeastern. They need to deal to do more housing and once they build this building and again it will go through a process. Right now it's only seven and twenty though. But once they build these 700 or even prior prior to that and some in some cases they will now be requiring all freshman sophomore to live on campus. Up to date to this date they've never done that. So we are no longer going to have freshman and sophomores you know living and renting in the neighborhoods. Their very first house their very first experience in living with their friends which has caused some of the commotion the issue so you know I think on the whole we need to we need to understand the bigger picture. But you're not ever going to be able to walk that step of a thousand steps without taking you know steps 1 2 and 3. I want to get Todd who writes for the Huntington news and that's the student viewpoint what does students feel about this. Well I can say for certainty students do not agree with the university's policy requiring freshmen and sophomores to live on campus starting with next year's class. Students feel like they are part of the community. And to say that you know we don't want students in our community I understand you know their

issues with partying but. That needs to be dealt with on an individual basis and it's not a problem for the student body as a whole. I think it's also important that we look at International Village which was a dormitory built by Northeastern 2009 that houses twelve hundred students. And to say you know what has been the effect on students living in you know Roxbury in Mission Hill because of that have we gotten more complaints or we've gotten fewer complaints you know regarding students out in the community. And what's your answer. I would say that it's stayed the same that you know the students living in International Village really haven't affected how the community feels about you know students living off campus because the students are still living off campus. And what do you say to Bruce who called in who said I'm concerned about students like UPS taken over the whole neighborhood. I do. What I can say to Bruce I mean it's unfortunate you know that people in the community had problems with students their benefits living next to university. There are also disadvantages. I can't speak to what the university will do about that I'm a student there

I'm not an administrator but from your vantage point. That's what it is and I don't know what we can do both. We can have you know excellent schools with kids living on campus and some living in the neighborhood and still retain families and professionals in our communities. We have decided not to and that is the problem so to get back there it's going to require the development of some dormitories. The International Village was only part one of a three legged stool and. And what happened in northeastern is they were in the egg and their commitment to build that second dormitory. And it's only been this now. So they've been basically in a very bad spot they've now come back to tables and you're right. We committed to it. We're going to do it and that's where the second one came from. This is the speaking as a y member now back to Iraq. You know it's you know we're not anti door and we don't want to be seen as obstructionists here. We're certainly not anti student but we're talking about the health and well-being of twenty seven hundred members of the Y. And it's their facility that's going to get destroyed to

build this door. And these are people who are low income a lot of them too as well. That's right. Right. Right now we have nine hundred and twenty three signatures on this petition opposing this play and as it's moving forward we think it needs to be modified seriously at the very least a pause that needs to be taken right now to take another look at this jump in here and I gave him the go ahead of style in the room an architectural standpoint from design standpoint. You know at some point we just can't have it both ways. I mean the university has made a commitment to cap its own role. When we were talking about I mean everybody agrees we've got a billboard student housing. To the extent that it's built all on campus seems to be the best of both worlds for most people. I think that the issue of a twenty seven hundred patrons is an important one. I don't see however why that can't get resolved either through the use of some of the existing North-Eastern facilities and or modifying the design

to incorporate those facilities that are being displaced by this and maybe it's a two prong strategy where initially they use noise that you know to all those people get vouchers to use northeastern unit university facilities because everybody needs to give up something. So you know maybe that's it. That's one of the things that northeastern gives up in that it finds some way to accommodate the displaced. People who are using the facilities right now and at the same time embark on a way to find a permanent solution to it. I think we all agree we need the housing for the students the students are an economic boost for the community as a whole. I do think it's a problem with freshman coming here for the first time and getting out in the community and raising now and then to the extent that the university can at least put some kind of reins on them because they're in university sponsored housing. I think it is important and most of the sameway residents have said that's what they want to have happen. So it seems to me we've got several issues. One is we

have to think creatively as a college town how to better integrate the community and the college so that both benefit and at the same time I think in some cases the university has to be the parent if necessary. And so. Look as a freshman you want to come to the school he was and here's the deal. If you want to you know live someplace else out and do whatever you want then you got to go to another school. OK. I think that one of our Facebook members would like to take a part of what you said Jeannie says I think the YMCA members should now have reciprocal membership to Northeastern gym so maybe that will do it. Well you guys I'd love to continue this conversation but I got to bring it to an end I appreciate everybody's coming here today. We've been talking about the central branch YMCA and the Finn way and the plans afoot to convert parts of this is storage building to a residence hall for Northeastern students. I've been joined by city councilor Mike Ross somebody's who will speak about this subject. Calvin Arry he's been organizing a petition against these proposed plans. Todd feathers a reporter for the Huntington news and

David Lee the partner at the Alcoa Textor firm Stull and Lee incorporated. Thank you all. I'm sure this is not the end of it. I urge Councillor Ross to get these people to let community folks speak out. Thank you so much for coming in. Up next we mark Black History Month with local made good. We talk to Dr. Alan Connor about his push to bring diversity to Harvard by way of portraits. Stay with us. The. Support for WGBH comes from you and from teen life a resource for families with teens. Host of the upcoming February 13th community service fair where middle and high school students can meet with local nonprofits to learn about volunteer opportunities. Teen Life dot com. And from the New England mobile book fair in Newton. Now through Sunday February 13th presenting beat the winter doldrums extra value days at the

book fair. More details are available online at an e-book fair dot com. I'm Marco Werman For NPR as the world upheaval in Egypt brings uncertainty. Other Arab governments fear uprisings. Israel worries about stability in the region and Western leaders are not sure how to respond. Reporters for the world and the BBC are in Cairo and across the Middle East to bring you the news and a context for understanding it. Join us and listen to the world coming up at 3 o'clock here at eighty nine point seven WGBH. Where soul meets jazz and where African folk meets rock n roll. That's where you'll find Angelica. The singer songwriter is coming to the WGBH studios here in Brighton to record her national special on Tuesday March 1st at 7pm. And when you support eighty nine point seven with a gift of one hundred twenty dollars or more will say thanks with a pair of tickets to an evening with Angelica Jo and her Grammy award winning friends Seating is limited.

Secure your seats online at WGBH dot org. I'm Michele Norris from NPR News and you're listening to eighty nine point seven. WGBH when you. Say with us for the bigger picture behind the day's news on ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. Coming up at 4:00 here on Boston's NPR stations for news and culture. I'm Cally Crossley and this is the Calla Crossley Show. It's time for our regular Monday feature local made good where we celebrate people who bring honor to New England. Today in honor of Black History Month I'm joined by Dr. Allan counter. He's a professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School. But what brings him here today is his work as a director of the Harvard foundation for intercultural and race relations. For years Dr. Kanner has been commissioning portraits of distinguished minorities and women to hang in Harvard's hallowed halls. Dr. Cantor welcome. Thank you very much thank you for having me. So tell us how the portraiture project got started. Well. For years many of us around the Harvard campus

have examined the magnificent portraits of the founders and the contributors to Harvard over the years faculty administrators mostly distinguished white males who deserve to have themselves represented in portraiture. But as the demographic of Harvard changed our students began to ask questions such as you know have we contributed anything to Harvard Are we sure we haven't. Why aren't we represented in portraiture here. And I took that very seriously. I had noticed this and I can recall as a student studying myself with Professor John Dowling down at Woods Hole I would look up in the library there was a picture of this handsome distinguished black man Ernest Just doctor it is just. And as I studied I always felt he was looking at me telling you just so these portraits are important. But in any case I decided to initiate a project called the Harvard foundation portraiture project. I had the support of students and faculty and I took the initiative to the office of the president and I said I've spent time with my students researching

the portraits of Harvard. There well over a thousand on the walls of Harvard. We've gone from house to house room to room building to building and. We're delighted to see these distinguished handsome white males in portraiture But would you consider also permitting us to place women in portraiture minorities who are represented here today. Well to make a long story short I did get support eventually from the office of the president to initiate a combined Harvard Foundation office of the president project to diversify the portraits here at Harvard. And I must say I've had tremendous support from President Drew Faust to give an example. Our most recent portrait and one that means a great deal to me is that of Caleb. She shot him look he was a student Harvard and the 600 She graduated in 16th 65. Caleb was a fantastic student. Imagine coming from a Native American community

that want to know our community to Harvard at that time. And we wanted to represent him in portraiture. So with our distinguished artist Mr. Steve quite a graduate of Harvard College in 1971. We began to research and study the images together of types faces of wampum dogs and the traditional clothing. We went back to the original Native American or Indian college at Harvard. We recreated much of this in portraiture and we came up with a magnificent portrait of Caleb took. And it turns out that now that portrait hangs in Annenberg hall the freshman dining hall along with other magnificent portraits of again largely white males but portraits that represent Harvard's past. And now all students coming to Harvard having dinner in the freshman union will see this magnificent portrait of the first Native American graduate from Harvard and President Fox was there at its unveiling and took

part in the ceremony which meant a great deal to us that we have her support and continuing to diversify the portraiture at Harvard. Now what's the criteria for being selected to have one's portrait done and who makes that decision I mean this is Harvard so there are many distinguished alum many distinguished faculty who have done some fantastic things. I mean you could be hanging on the wall. Well no no no. I don't want anything or go after I'm gone but I will say that we have a wonderful committee and that committee is shared by the Reverend Professor Peter J golems and other faculty co chaired by Professor John Elliot Dowling graduate of Harvard College and his doctorate from Harvard is taught there are now close to 40 years. We have as Dr. Sandra made off who is the secretary to the committee and a number of distinguished faculty and alarms we wanted everyone represented we have a biographer Dr. Kenneth Manning he specializes in biography so he can study and come up with the information that we present to the committee for possible portraiture. One of the two criteria are first of all

you must have served Harvard for at least 25 years or more with distinction or you may have served for fewer years with particular distinction and are now deceased. So that second criterion covers people who came to Harvard as minorities or women and worked very hard and were recognized. But. The system the one that we use the most of course is the first criterion which says you must have server at least 25 years or more with distinction. Now do the students notice and when they notice what do they say. The students love this project. We make them a part of it for example. It was such an honor for me. Just recently a few months ago to lead a group to unveil the portrait of Professor Dr. Chester Pierce who graduate of modern 1948 he went on to Harvard Medical School was a member of the football team one of the first minority members of the football team. And in fact he somewhat legendary because schools wouldn't play Harvard because they had a black team member and Harvard.

I'm proud to say told the schools of that time well if you want to play us he will play for the team. A very distinguished psychiatrist a man of many letters. Scientists and we unveil the portrait his some of his teammates came back. The water boy from the football team was so proud of him came back and it just made a great deal and the students helped me to unveil it. It meant so much to the young people to connect the generations. We did one of Dr. Eileen southern the first African-American woman tenure at Harvard. Here's a woman who had a Ph.D. She had done a dissertation I'm told and I think baroque music or something at Columbia and she overheard a professor say there was no such thing as black music. And so concerned and upset her she went back into the second dissertation and African-American and we were so honored to unveil the portrait of Dr. Eileen Jackson southern in Adam's house on the wall there so when students come into the lobby area they'll see this African-American woman

sitting with these other distinguished Harvard professors and students the Association of Black Harvard women helped to unveil that portrait. And they said it meant a lot to them to now feel that they are a part of Harvard's history as well. Are there any other universities some like Harvard undertaking a project like this it seems to me to be quite unique. Well in many ways it is we did not initially we focused on Harvard but since that time and particularly since the article in November 7th in the Boston Globe 2010 I received calls from people who have an interest in this. I've talked to other colleges and so forth about trying to now look at their portraits. Someone said to me that people as far away as Washington even at the level of Congress begin to think about portraits of minorities who serve there. They're not on walls and I think people often forget that portraiture represent such a

significant part of our lives we see people who've made outstanding contributions we emulate them. We want our younger people to know about them. It's important to symbolize the contributions and excellence in portraiture and to recognise all ethnic groups in addition to African-Americans. We have looked to other ethnic groups at the Harvard foundation with a portrait of Dr. Kilmer Moto Japanese-American World War 2 hero who served as head of the bureau's study council at Harvard the advising office for a number of years. But here's a man with a fantastic American background from the west coast ended up in the military family camps and he went on to serve with World War Two it was an honor to place his portrait at Dunster House. Dr. real NPRM the first Asian-American person to serve as house master I happen to serve in that house with her wonderful person that it was an honor to be associate it with. We have a

beautiful portrait of her up now in that particular house which is now kava house. So we've tried to make sure that students could see a plaque by each portrait that explains what the person did in terms of their profession their contributions to Harvard their significance to our community and in so doing enlighten our students about this project. You know lots of people have an idea of Harvard being what the Social Network the movie portrays a sort of young white guys in private clubs and that's it. And they don't have a sense of the larger community of Harvard. So this is really this should be mind expanding for a lot of people not just for people who are enrolled there for people who visit there. Well thank you so correct in that I think people should realize that Harvard has a significant number of students of minority background African-American Asian-American Native American who are all making contributions as are European American students. The Harvard foundation includes everyone we have over 70 student organizations ranging from the Bulgarian society to the French

club to the German students association African American students association Native American Armenian students we do programs for the Armenian students annually to recognize their history and their contributions so we bring everyone together. Our next portraits you know will include a number of people we're reaching out to do a portrait of a professor at Harvard. A doctor Schimmel who was very active in her scholarly work with the Islamic community with the Muslim community. And we want to honor her contributions she was widely respected and recognized in the Islamic community so our committee selected Dr. reshuffle for the next quarter. We're also doing one of a slave woman and our research and working with others at other colleges and other places we've learned more about the slaves who served universities they served also. And here was a woman her name was Venus. She later adopted the name with him or not long after she was baptized by a Samuel Whittemore at Christ Church. But she

served Harvard from the time she was purchased by the president of Harvard. Dr. Benjamin Wadsworth he purchased her from Mr. Aquino Bullfinch a rich Bostonian who made sales and he put in his diary that he had purchased a quote Negro witch and we believe she was around 20 years old at the time he bought her in 1726. She served however for at least 40 years. And it seems to me that she served obviously with great distinction. Here she was being captured and from Africa and made to serve here. So we feel that she deserves support. A portrait so we presently. Now with our fantastic artist and one working Steve quite working on the portrait of Venus Williams. Well thank you count this is fantastic work and certainly part of the education of Harvard students and the rest of us who visit there. Thank you so much for this amazing project and thank you for being our Monday feature local made good. You're very kind thank you for having me. We've been talking to Dr. Allen counter about bringing diversity to Harvard talent

halls. Dr. Connor as a professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School. He is also the director of the Harvard foundation for intercultural and race relations. You can keep on top of the Calla Crossley Show at WGBH dot org slash Calla Crossley follow us on Twitter and become a fan of the Kalak Ross Lee show on Facebook. This is the Calla Crossley Show where production of WGBH radio Boston's NPR station for news and culture.