Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1950 [PAGE 92]

EXTRACTED TEXT FROM PAGE:

1948]

U N I V E R S I T Y OF

ILLINOIS

89

House. Soda fountain service has been provided because of a demand for this type of service at meal hours and also to permit the efficient use of the labor between meal periods. 3. In order to provide additional space in the Illini Union Building for social and recreational programs, it has been decided to close the Ballroom Cafeteria. 1 This was done with the concurrence of Dean Turner, Dean Shelden, Dean Stafford, the Illini Union Board, and student representatives. Therefore, during the current fiscal year the University will offer less food service to students and staff than it did during the past year. We hope this will be offset through additional commercial restaurant service. We plan to reopen the Ballroom Cafeteria if and when it is evident that a need for additional food service exists that can not otherwise be met. 4. In view of the volume of soda fountain business after the evening meal at the Coffee House, we have concluded that we should not continue this feature of the service, but should reopen the Illini Union soda fountain which has been closed during the evenings since the war due to the shortage of labor. This service is desirable because of the many student and faculty activities held in the building in the evening. 5. The fundamental question involved in this case is whether a need for such service exists and not the reaction of the local operators. The Coffee House was started because of such a need. The need still exists. We are not interested in running restaurants, as such, although food service is regularly maintained in hundreds of American colleges, both public and private. In some, the college dining service, following the old tradition at Oxford University, is compulsory, being regarded as a part of the educational plan. In food service, as in housing, the University authorities will applaud all efforts to improve matters through local private initiative.

On motion of Dr. Meyer, this communication was referred to the President of the University for reply.

AWARD OF CONTRACT FOR ARCHITECTURAL SERVICES IN CHICAGO (29) The Physical Plant Department does not have an architectural staff in Chicago to do the architectural and engineering work (mostly preparation of working drawings and specifications) on the building improvement projects at the Chicago Professional Colleges and the Chicago Undergraduate Division. The architectural firm of Holabird and Root and Burgee proposes to provide the necessary architectural and engineering services, including superintendence of construction work, for a fee of 10 per cent of the first $50,000 of the cost of a project, 8 per cent of the next $50,000, and 6 per cent of any cost over $100,000, plus travel expenses. The Director of the Physical Plant Department recommends award of a contract on this basis. The Comptroller concurs with the understanding that this firm will be employed on any given project only on notice initiated by the Physical Plant Department and subject to further approval. The Director of the Physical Plant Department and the Comptroller further recommend that the firm of Holabird and Root and Burgee be authorized under the terms of the foregoing proposal to provide the architectural and engineering services for the Physical Medicine addition at a fee estimated not to exceed $10,000. I recommend: (1) approval of this procedure, provided that any commission involving a fee of $5,000 or less will be subject to authorization by the President of the University, and that if the fee is estimated to exceed $5,000 it will be subject also to approval by the Board of T r u s t e e s ; (2) that the Comptroller and the Secretary of the Board be authorized to execute a contract with Holabird and Root and Burgee for the architectural and engineering work on minor improvement projects in Chicago in accordance with the terms heretofore specified for the balance of the current fiscal biennium ending June 30, 1949, provided further that the contract may be terminated on thirty days' notice; and

3 From May, 1942, to April, 1946, the Illini Union Ballroom was used as a mess hall for Army and Navy trainees. After the war the Illini Union Building continued operating it as a cafeteria which operation will be discontinued.