International building plans in the works

An international house could be coming to IU, but it would not specialize in pancakes.

IU President Michael McRobbie and the IU board of trustees hammered out a proposal for a new International Studies Building in recent meetings.

The proposed building would unite the University’s many international programs and serve as campus headquarters for foreign students as well as students pusuing an international studies major or a study abroad program.

Trustee Sue Talbot said the location and design for the new building are still pending.
“It’s definitely still in an early planning stage,” Talbot said. “But it is an important building to have on campus because we have a large international student population here. It’s good to have a facility where all types of students can interact with one another.“

Talbot said an important goal for the board of trustees is to establish learning communities. For example, she said there are science and technology precincts throughout campus facilitating shared student educational interests.

Bob Meadows, assistant vice president for the University Architect Services Building, is on the committee of architects responsible for the construction of the building.
Meadows said the building, which is an important prospect for McRobbie, would be beneficial for connecting all students needing the international resources that will be available within it.

He said McRobbie outlined a goal of the new building during a planning meeting, saying a new building encompassing international studies would serve a need for the alignment of humanities in the academic community.

“Everyone would readily admit there is a hole in that part of the campus,” he said. “The new building would connect the (Wells) library to the rest of campus, since it’s kind of out there by itself. Besides, there aren’t many spaces available to put it.”

But the proposed locations for where the International Studies Building – between the Radio and Television Building and the Herman B Wells Library – would alter parking space availability.

IU Parking Operations manager Doug Porter said to help amend this situation, the proposal will also include the construction of a parking garage in the 10th Street lot across from Teter Quad. 

The garage, and the remainder of the lot, he said, will likely have mixed parking for residence hall students, other students and faculty, with certain floors specified for certain parking permits. Porter said payment options for parking permits have yet to be configured.

“The drawings for the international building show that a large chunk of the west parking lot for the library will be taken up, so we may have to also allocate mixed parking there as well,” Porter said. “Parking spaces are going to get shuffled around.”

Porter said the most disruptive part of the whole proposed process likely will be the construction period.

“We don’t know what goes up first, the building or the parking garage,” he said. “Either way, there’s definitely going to be some shifting around when spaces aren’t available, especially when there is traffic, noise and confusion. You have to break the eggs before you make the omelet, I guess.”