Tufts owes a great deal to P.T. Barnum, whose stewardship helped kick off the university. The building that bears his name also holds much Tufts history, including a scorched tail, all that remains of the original stuffed Jumbo after the building burned down in 1974. But beloved as Barnum Hall may be, it makes a poor home for Tufts' biology department.
We stress that a new biology building is imperative to the university's reputation and academic competitiveness.
If Tufts is serious about competing with the nation's top research universities, it needs to get serious about its biology facilities. And the sooner, the better.
Tufts students and visitors see the imposing Pearson Chemistry Laboratory, which practically looks ready to blast off into space from the downhill side of campus. And students participating in psychology research find themselves looking at criminal lineups in gleaming new experimental rooms.
So, the equipment may still work, but does Tufts really want its biology department, the gateway for undergraduate science students, exemplified by a dark, labyrinthine building best known for housing the charred remains of a century-old piece of taxidermy?
Tufts is certainly to be commended for trying to manage its funds conservatively and "make do" with existing space as long as it remains functional. Indeed, it has invested in this space, with $500,000 going towards laboratories in the west wing of Barnum in order to accommodate new hires.
But if Barnum's time has come, then rather than pouring future funds into repairs made more costly by the retrofitted building, the University should do its department proud with a new home.
The problem begins with the building's general unattractiveness; Jumbo is not the only grey behemoth sitting atop the quad. How is the cave-like hall supposed to entice new students interested in studying something as cutting-edge as biology?
Of all the buildings on the academic quad, one would expect the biology building to evoke a sense of modernity, looking at the up-to-date and well-equipped laboratories inside.
Yet Barnum's problems are not strictly external. According to John Roberto, Vice President of Operations, one could hardly infer that the university has "state-of-the-art facilities" in Barnum.
Furthermore, limited lab space runs the risk of stifling the department's ability to expand. This problem has already presented itself as new faculty hires are cramped into existing spaces.
According to those who need these facilities most, however, this is simply insufficient and only addresses one aspect of the building's shortcomings.
Spaces which could at one time accommodate necessary lab work are now understandably inadequate.
Just as the face of life science has changed remarkably in the last century, so must the facilities in which biologists are expected to work. Larger lab space means more room for different equipment. Cramped lab space may also eventually come at the expense of lab safety.
A true improvement plan will likely mean abandoning Barnum as a locus for the biology department. Leah McIntosh's claim in yesterday's Daily that a new biology building is "definitely" a part of the university's upcoming campaign is encouraging.
The renovated lab space should not have to accommodate to the retrofitted and awkward interior of a building that is more than a century old.
Barnum certainly has a role in campus life and can provide valuable classroom space, but despite its role as an iconic part of Tufts' history, a new building is crucial to the biology department's future.
