That juxtaposition of course being Nick Sprayregen’s impassioned argument against eminent domain abuse, and the best Spec staff edit of the semester (and possibly of the year. And possibly of my two or so years at Columbia). And it’s interesting because they relate to the various consequences of the University’s historic recalcitrance on fair expansion practices. One such consequence was the mayhem that broke out 40 years ago this weekend; the other could be a protracted legal battle over eminent domain.
In the former, the besieged Tuck-it-Away owner requests a one-on-one meeting with PrezBo, and raises the mildly terrifying spectre of Kelo vs. New London, a decision that no responsible expansion plan should bring to mind. Granted, Sprayregen’s alternatives to eminent domain use are just short of unworkable–how an institution as terminally short on space as Columbia could negotiate a “property swap” with a self-storage company is something of a mystery, although “negotiate” seems to be the operative word here. Then again, the apparent lack of alternatives probably means that this will go to the courts before it goes to the bargaining table, even though one traditionally leads to the other.
In the former, the Spec e-board approaches ‘68 with significantly more nunace than the 1968 commemoration organizers apparently did. I expect little in the way of institutional self-reckoning this weekend, although the ethics and protest panel on Saturday should offer a provocative theoretical read on the events of ‘68. And of course, tune into the Commentariat for reports on various 1968-related panels, speeches and events.