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NORTH CAMPUS
Continued from page 9B
Monorail, Monorail
here are always new ideas spring-
ing up as to how to avoid the iso-
lation that North Campus can
exude. In 1998, Kelbaugh and Bob
Beckley, his predecessor as dean,
co-taught a studio to explore pos-
sibilities for constructing, of all
things, a monorail connecting Central Campus
or the Medical Campus to North. At first, con-
sidering that the development of Central Campus
is all but completed and well-established roads
have been around for years, the mere idea seems
ludicrous. However, Kelbaugh, pointing at vari-
ous spots on the maps in his office, showed me
several options. Track could be installed along
Fuller Road - the only major thoroughfare to
North Campus - or along Huron by the railroad
tracks, or even cut into Nichols Arboretum.
The beauty of Kelbaugh and Beckley's idea, even
though it has never gotten past the discussion stage,
was that the monorail could go above ground, at
the grade (on the ground) or below grade (under-
ground). At the time, the consensus was that it was
._ -
- but the monorail would allow for a smaller fleet.
Kelbaugh estimates that it would take about two
miles of track to build the system he envisioned and
he sees potential for future construction.
"Over time, as congestion becomes worse,
.;'
'
R Over time, as congestion
becomes worse, a monorail
would become cost-effective.
- Doug Kelbaugh
Dean of Architecture
and Urban Planning
importance of a parking structure. One of the
main reasons for this is because the Walgreen
Drama Center, despite its great location, elimi-
nated about half the parking spots near Pierpont
Commons. Currently, there are only about 125
parking spaces for the Walgreen Drama Center,
but plans are already in the works to expand on
that lot when the center opens and to build a
new parking structure near the new Computer
Science and Engineering Building by 2009.
Whether the addition is a restaurant near the
campus - an establishment such as TGI Friday's,
for example - a dorm or even, as Fletcher sug-
gests, a shuttle that travels around North Campus
and hits the hot spots - North Campus is still con-
tinuing its evolution. There's more to it than the
Maya Lin-designed wave field and the impressive,
state-of-the art Duderstadt Center. Between one-
fourth and one-third of the University community
live and work on North Campus. It won't be the
most exciting place on campus, but for those who
venture up Fuller Road to 800 acres there will be
something to do. Perhaps Swanigan said it best:
"North Campus is growing."
premature to have a monorail at the University and
there wasn't enough density to support the high cost.
Buses would still be widely used - because of the
flexibility in their routes, according to Kelbaugh
a monorail would become cost-effective," he
said.
What's next for North Campus? Many ideas
are being tossed around. Kelbaugh stresses the
PONT 0OUNT lERINT
The stars and beyond
The G.I Joes and Ninja Turtles debate the validity of outer space
By: The Real
American Heroes
By: Heroes
In A Half Shell
Once again, our reptilian, communist
friends are trying to discredit another one of
the United States's greatest accomplishments:
outer space. We all know that America dis-
covered the final frontier.
They're jealous that they didn't get to outer
space first to claim it, so they are trying to
spread rumors that it doesn't exist. Finders
keepers, bitches.
Space has to exist. There have been way too
many movies and television shows about it for it
not to. "Star Trek" was based on real events. Not
sure if you knew that or not, but now you do.
Also, you can't just make photos. Those shots
had to be taken somewhere, and last time we
checked, there aren't many places on Earth with
stars and dark matter.
Besides, what's past the atmosphere if it's not
outer space? As much as we hope that the sky is just
a big projection screen and that we all live on the set
of "The Truman Show," it's just not possible.
Plus, whenever America finally takes over the
world like we've been trying to, there's got to be
something else to dominate.
Outer space is the biggest fraud ever, as
long as that "DiVinci Code" shit isn't real
anyway. All we really have to do is ask one
question: Have y'all ever been there? Yeah,
neither have we.
So they pretend to send some washed-
.up boy-band member into space. Does
anyone really trust Lance Bass? And
sometimes, they'll say that some crazy
Russian bazillionaire wants to go to the
"final frontier." Last time we checked,
California was the final frontier.
The moon? Who thought of that thing
anyway. It's an optica1 illusion. The sun
is just a bright spot on our retina that is
lit by the gases in the atmosphere during
daytime hours.
Euclid had it right with geometry and phys-
ics way back in the day: Ptolemy had it right
too - Geocentric universe bitches - only
he forgot one small detail: The Earth is the
center, but there's nothing else besides it.
Next you're going to tell us the Earth
isn't flat.
12B - The Michigan Daly - Thursday, March 9, 2006