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2 TheRecord MARCH 20, 2006 Columbians Taking Initiative Architecture School Renews Effort to Keep New Orleans on Policymakers’ Radar Major symposium held in conjunction with Princeton on ways to “reground” the devastated city By Fred A. Bernstein in 10 years what the Corps was thinking of doing in 50” a great school of architecture,but this is not about design. to save the city from additional hurricane damage. It’s about race and class,”Manning noted. ndrei Codrescu, the Romanian-born poet and Reed Kroloff, dean of the architecture school at Participants didn’t shy from controversy. Codrescu novelist transplanted to New Orleans, labeled Tulane University, and Wm. Raymond Manning, a New said that the Bush administration “has put the matter of that city’s political culture a “snake gumbo” Orleans architect, said they’d made progress in devising Katrina behind them,”noting that the president did not A and said that, after Hurricane Katrina, “when strategies for involving urban planners and other mention New Orleans even once in his State of the the people left, they took New Orleans with them.” experts—as well as community residents—in recreating Union address. Codrescu, a regular contributor to National Public the city’s neighborhoods. In Codrescu’s view,to get the dispersed New Orleans Radio, was a participant in a March symposium at population to return, politicians must produce better Columbia on the future sustainability of New Orleans. jobs, better schools, better housing—but so far, they are The symposium was sponsored by the Temple Hoyne showing no signs of taking any of these initiatives. Buell Center for the Study of American Architecture, an “Without the people, New Orleans will not be back, but affiliate of the Graduate School of Architecture, Policy New Orleans in quotes—otherwise known as Miami or and Planning (GSAPP).The event was held in conjunc- Las Vegas—will be,”he said. tion with a meeting the next day at Princeton University, S. Frederick Starr, who is both a research professor at where students and professors from architecture the Paul H.Nitze School of Advanced International Studies schools around the country presented ideas for recon- at Johns Hopkins University and a professional clarinetist structing the city. with the Louisiana Repertory Jazz Ensemble, questioned But the words spoken at the Columbia gathering— the need for planners to make decisions on behalf of the beginning with Cordrescu’s “snake gumbo”—turned out citizens of New Orleans.“Help them, back them up, but to be every bit as vivid as the drawings shown at Mark Bearak don’t condescend to them,” he told the architects and Princeton the following day. Two of the environmental The panel GROUND FOR CHANGE: dialogue on the future planners in the audience. Asked by a student how he experts in attendance—Craig Colten, a professor of included (from left): Casey Nelson Blake, professor of his- thought the city could begin to recover, Starr said,“The geography at Louisiana State University,and James Tripp, tory, Columbia; Andrei Codrescu, poet, novelist and radio first three steps are education, education and education.” general counsel of Environmental Defense, a New York- columnist; Frederick Starr, author and professor, Johns The conference’s most controversial speaker was based group—were less poetic than Cordrescu but Hopkins University; and Michael Sorkin, director, Graduate Michael Sorkin, director of the Graduate Urban Design equally graphic. Urban Design Program, City University of New York. program at the City University of New York, who said he Colten provided an account of the city’s tenuous rela- saw nothing wrong with subsidizing tionship to the Mississippi River delta, while Tripp Yet speaker after speaker described the futility of try- housing costs if that’s what it takes decried the loss, over the 20th century, of the wetlands ing to rebuild before the Corps of Engineers decides the to get residents back. that had buffered New Orleans.“New Orleans is 20 miles fate of the city’s critical levees. Others brought up the “We’ll solve the problem either closer to the Gulf of Mexico than it was 100 years ago,” deep social problems they say complicate by eliminating the poor or by help- he said, adding that, even though the Army of Corps of the challenges facing New Orleans.“We’re in ing the poor,”he declared. Engineers has plans to restore the wetlands,“we must do Jakob Rosenzweig & Anne Schmidt Rosenzweig Jakob TheRecord Awards&Honors Comings&Goings COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK The Graduate School of DAVID STONE (pictured,right) will be USPS 090-710 ISSN 0747-4504 Journalism has awarded its Dean’s joining Columbia on March 20 as the Vol. 31, No. 11, March 20, 2006 Medal for Public Service to new executive vice president for com- MADELEINE MAY KUNIN, JRN’57, munications. Most recently, he worked as Published by the in recognition of her accomplish- an adviser to Princeton University’s Office of Public Affairs ments as the first woman governor Policy Research Institute for the Region t: 212-854-5573 of Vermont and as a leading official at the Woodrow Wilson School for Public f: 212-678-4817 in the Clinton administration, and International Affairs, and as a con- Columbia Record Staff where she served as deputy secre- sultant on strategic and community out- tary of education and as ambassa- reach communications for the University Susan Brown dor to her native Switzerland. of Pennsylvania. He previously served in Assistant Vice President of Public Affairs and Executive Editor Kunin is only the second person state and federal government as commu- to receive the medal, which was nications director for Pennsylvania Editor: Mary-Lea Cox Calendar Editor: Ulises Velasco created last year to honor journal- Governor Robert P. Casey and for U.S. Graphic Designer: Scott Hug ism school graduates who have had Senator Harris Wofford. distinguished careers, including in Over the past decade, Stone has been Contact The Record: t: 212-854-3282 fields outside of journalism. Last a writer, producer and consultant for a f: 212-678-4817 year’s recipient was Daniel J. variety of media, education, government e: [email protected] Edelman, JRN’41, founder of Daniel and mission-driven organizations, includ- Contact the Calendar: J. Edelman, Inc. ing PBS and the Corporation for Public t: 212-854-6546 A Swiss-born Jewish refugee to Broadcasting,the New York City Board of Eileen Barroso e: [email protected] this country, Kunin graduated from Education, Pew Charitable Trusts, the The Record is published biweekly during the Columbia’s journalism school in John F. Kennedy Center for the Human Resources project implementa- academic year, except for holiday and vacation 1957 and worked for a decade as a Performing Arts and the Peace Corps. He tion for the University; University periods, by the Office of Public Affairs. Permission is given to use Record material in reporter before entering politcs. was also a writer of historical documen- Systems,to be led by CAROL ALBERTUS, other media. Kunin will be honored at a cere- taries for CBS News Productions, as well who joined the University from Estée mony in the Low Rotunda, to be as a consulting producer for the Lauder in September; and Technology University Photographer Eileen Barroso held on Saturday, April 22, during Sundance award-winning HBO documen- Infrastructure, to be headed by VACE t: 212-854-6527 the J-school’s alumni weekend. tary Blue Vinyl. KUNDAKCI, who formerly led Academic His articles on media and politics Information Systems (AcIS). Correspondence/Subscriptions MICHELLE H. BROWN-NEVERS,a Anyone may subscribe to The Record for $27 have appeared in the New York Times, per year. The amount is payable in advance to the Philadelphia Inquirer and major Columbia administrator for nearly 15 Columbia University, at the address below. political journals. years—serving most recently as assistant Allow 6 to 8 weeks for address changes. vice president for Student Financial Postmaster/Address Changes Columbia University Information Services—has taken Lenzi’s place as Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and Technology (CUIT) chief Candace University Registrar. additional mailing offices. 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