Ad Infinitum

I-House update
Following through on President Emeritus Hugo Sonnenschein's decision to keep the International House open (June/00), President Don Michael Randel has begun appointing an interim board of governors to oversee I-House operations during the next one to two years. The board will be chaired by Hank Webber, vice president for community affairs, and will include University faculty, officers, and students.

International House faced possible closure earlier this year when it found itself in need of physical and organizational improvements. At the recommendation of the Committee on the Future of International House, Sonnenschein decided to keep the building open while making changes to the facility and its governance. The installation of a $1.8 million fire alarm system is expected to begin this fall and continue into next summer, causing considerable disruption in the lives of its 250 residents.

"We have an unusual situation with International House in that, unlike other residence halls, we will continue to operate the building during the installation of a new fire alarm system," says Ed Turkington, dean of student services and the interim director of I-House. "There are going to be some genuine inconveniences living there."

Acting on another recommendation of the Committee on the Future of International House, Randel and University provost Geoffrey Stone, JD'71, have appointed Chris Faraone, chair of the Department of Classical Languages and Literatures, to lead a faculty committee examining the broader issues of international education and research at the University in the 21st century.

The committee will examine the University's interactions with foreign institutions, research efforts in the field of international studies, the impact of globalization and international studies on educational goals, methods, and curricula, the experience of foreign students at the University, and the experience of Chicago students when they study abroad.--C.S.

Argonne contact extended
One of the nation's oldest and largest science and engineering research laboratories has extended its relationship with the University of Chicago for an additional four years. The Department of Energy has agreed to continue the U of C's existing management and operation contract with Argonne National Laboratory, a 1946 development of the Metallurgical Laboratory, known for producing the world's first controlled, self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction. The new contract will expire on September 30, 2004.

Argonne is one of the nation's top research laboratories, with nearly 4,000 employees and an annual operating budget of $450 million. In addition to its normal research and development activities, the laboratory helps to train nearly 1,000 graduate students and postdoctoral researchers every year.

Soon after the contract was renewed, the University named Hermann A. Grunder the new laboratory director for the facility. Grunder, who will assume his post on November 1st, has been the direstor of the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility since 1985. --C.S.

A bus by any other name
While the familiar white buses that prowl Chicago's campus are far from extinct, there has been a thinning of the herd. The U of C has entered into a five-year, $2.5 million contract with the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) to replace three of the five systems that have been provided by Laidlaw Transit for the past seven years.

The city buses, which began running their new routes on September 18, are not restricted to U of C students and staff as the privately contracted buses were, a difference that CTA officials predict will add 85,000 riders a year.

Because the University shares the cost of operating the buses with the city, students are allowed to ride for free, with the exception of the Lakeview Express, which connects Hyde Park to downtown Chicago and the northside. To ensure a smooth transition, the CTA has positioned a permanent transportation coordinator on campus to manage the new CTA routes as well as the two systems that remain in the hands of Laidlaw Transit.
--C.S.