UMASS Boston Committee
The Columbia-Savin Hill Civic Association UMASS Committee
The Mission of the Committee:
To engage the University and others as needed, to develop an understanding of the
many changes at UMB and their effects on the community. To make recommendations on
what actions the CSHCA can take to ensure that UMB remains "an asset for its'
immediate neighbors" as was the written intent of the UMB Board of Trustees
in 1973.
The Committee meets on the third Wednesday of each month at 7 P.M. at the McLaughlin
Center on Dorchester Avenue. You are welcome and encouraged to attend. To be included
on the committee e-mail list contact
Bill Cotter.
- Review the Request for Proposal (PDF format)
of the Impact Study from the MAPC web site.
- Browse UMass Boston FAQs and answers
about Residential Housing from their website.
UMass Committee,
We were very pleased to receive a copy of a letter that Mayor Menino wrote to UMass
Boston Chancellor Jo Ann Gora on April 8, 2003. In his letter, the Mayor supported
the concerns of the many Dorchester residents and Civic Associations when he spoke
about how the UMass dorm proposal strays from the "crucial" mission of
UMass Boston. Mayor Menino also described UMass' current public process as
"futile" and said that "It is inappropriate for UMass to have thrust
a project of this magnitude on to the community without suitable interaction with
its neighbors. Residents expect, need and rightfully deserve a more respectful
attitude from the university."
We were again very pleased to receive a copy of another letter to Chancellor Jo Ann
Gora from Congressman Steve Lynch, Senator Jack Hart, Representatives Marty Walsh
and Brian Wallace, City Councillors Maureen Feeney, Mike Flaherty, Steve Murphy, and
Maura Hennigan on April 15, 2003. The second letter calls for "an immediate halt
to the dormitory planning efforts" and describes UMass' decision to build dorms
for 2,000 students as "the first step in the transformation of a commuter college
to a residential college". Our elected officials also went on to say that UMass'
"attitude towards it neighbors and elected officials has been questionable and
suspect."
The letters are in this newsletter and our web page. Read the letters and share them
with your neighbors and friends. Also, I encourage you to call or e-mail those elected
officials who have stood up to defend your issues and concerns. UMass has not listened
to us. Lets hope that they will listen to our elected officials.
Also, I have been informed by UMass that they will not participate in the meeting we
had planned for them to explain their project and the true mission of the university.
They have decided to do a "community wide meeting" at a "neutral
location" with an "impartial moderator." We will be notified of the
meeting when it is arranged.
~For the committee, Bill Cotter
Next Scheduled UMass Committee Meeting:
To Be Announced.
