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Oak Room faces new ownership As students begin to think about the April 15 referendum about privatizing the campus mainstay, they raise questions about whether the Oak Room needs replacing. >
By ELIZABETH CANTER The Chronicle
Key: E—Entertainment, H—Hotel,
e, P-Parking, R-RetailJCOURTESY OF CAPITOL BROADCAS'
IF ALL OFTHE POSSIBLE RENOVATIONS HAPPEN, the center of the Bull City, could eventually look like this.
Duke plans to rent in new complex
Developers seek corporate, government support for downtown project By The dePartments most likely to move into the new R^e H Chronid^BIN space would be administrative offices that are alat T-k Seventy-five years after James B. Duke s death, the university he endowed may inhabit the old factory e commanded . r.
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Executive Vice President Tallman Trask said Wednesday that the University has committed to lease about 100,000 square feet if the downtown American obacco complex is renovated. “Like a lot of people, weve been concerned about the future of downtown Durham and that s a very big piece of it," Trask said, We wouldn t do this just to fill an office building.”
ready off campus. The number of affected employees would depend on which offices are moved, Trask said, The $2OO million-plus renovation project, proposed by Capitol Broadcasting Company President and CEO Jim Goodmon, would transform the vacant factory complex into an office park that would eventually inelude entertainment, restaurants and apartments, “It is virtually impossible to imagine a project of this scope happening in Durham without Duke’s leadSee AMERICAN TOBACCO on page 9
>
Since 1946, the Oak Room has served as an upscale dining option for students, but the next chapter in its history may be its last. Last week, Duke Student Government voted to hold a student referendum April 15 to gauge whether Dining Services should look into privatizing the eatery and transforming it into a franchise unit of a larger restaurant. Currently, the Oak Room employs 80 students and 15 full-time Dining Services employees. In past privatization efforts, those employed by Dining Services have been reshuffled into the system and placed in vacant positions at other on-campus restaurants. Jim Wulforst, director of Dining Services, explained that DSG’s dining advisory committee began investigating this option partly because of the Oak Room’s limited hours. “The students are saying that a namebrand restaurant and extended hours, something open Saturday nights or for Sunday brunches, would be really great,” he said. Wulforst added that the decision to explore privatization has nothing to do with the restaurant’s food quality or financial status. “Losing money isn’t always the driving force,” he said. “We only target the place to break even...” he said. “If a bunch of students say that they want Papas Grill or Taverna Nikos then we’ll seriously pursue it.” But many students are wholeheartedly against privatization. “We come here every day for lunch, for the atmosphere and for the people who work here,” TriniSee
OAK ROOM on page 8 �
mbassadors to Mexico, Canada discuss U.S. trade ByANYASOSTEK The Chronicle
As Jeffrey Davidow, U.S. am-
bassador to Mexico, recounted last night in the Sanford Insti-
tute, opponents of NAFTA
feared that the free trade agreement
would result in a as U.S. jobs crossed borders. Davidow and Gordon Giffin, U.S. ambassador to Canada, stressed in their talks that the 1995 North American Free Trade Agreement has instead brought unparalleled prosperity to all three countries involved. To hear the extent of the t L.S.-Canada-Mexico relationship, about 50 people packed last night’s forum, “The Future of North America,” featuring the two ambassadors. Griffin, Trinity ’7l, focused his speech on the growing North American economic partnerships. Davidow talked mainly about how public policy research can help to improve relations between the three countries.
peat “sucking sound”
Fritz Mayer, associate professor of public policy and director of the North American Studies Program, introduced the two ambassadors and painted a picture of the North American continent. “It has been said about nations that geography is destiny,” said Mayer, who was one of NAFTA’s architects. “In that regard, the U.S. is most fortunate. We’re blessed with two great neighbors.” Giffin cited many numbers in his speech, all documenting the massive trade relationship between North American countries, and the significant boost that NAFTA added to that relationship. For example, Giffin said there is more than $1 billion in trade every day between the United States and Canada, an amount that surpasses the daily trading sum between the United States and 15 European countries. See AMBASSADORS on page 7 �
MATT KLEIN/THE CHRONICLE
JEFFREY DAVIDOW, U.S. ambassador to Mexico, speaks in the Sanford Institute about the progress of NAFTA He argued that the agreement has -brought prosperity to the United States, Mexico and Canada.
DoubleTake Film Festival, Recess � Patient’s family sues Duke for malpractice, page 4