With the hindsight of its being trounced by hurricane Katrina — and foresight of weather experts who predict a consecutive stormy summer season this year for the Gulf Coast — a New Orleans law firm has since spent over $100,000 to purchase new hardware, implement high availability (HA) and disaster recovery (DR) software and set up a secondary, out-of-state data center.

Instead of using tape, Stone Pigman Walther Wittmann LLC is now using software by Neverfail Group Ltd. for Exchange, SQL and File Server, beating out XOsoft and Double-Take Software to synchronize data to the firm’s new backup site 40 miles north of Houston.

The firm is mending its armor after Katrina blasted its downtown offices last August, knocking out operations for five days before employees could organize a makeshift headquarters and rebuild servers so that mail, documents and databases could be accessed, according to Janine Sylvas, IT director for the firm.

While the office on Carondelet Street sustained blown out windows and heavy wind damage, it avoided direct injuries from the massive flooding in the area. Its hardware remained there largely unharmed, but the local state of affairs — both natural and governmental — disabled the ability to gain access to the building. With rivers for streets and the National Guard regulating access, Stone Pigman scrambled to get back online.

“We’d already started rebuilding,” Sylvas said. “But we still really wanted our accounting server. One of our partners had military training, and, well, we were able to get it.”

Founded in 1929 with a history in the realms of securities, real estate, insurance, intellectual property, healthcare and employment, Sylvas estimated Stone Pigman’s loss at tens of thousands of dollars in lost client income during the lapse between the storm striking and the firm gaining its footing.

“Fortunately, we were able to get the information, but this really made me sit down and say, ‘you know we have to have something better in place,’ ” Sylvas said. “I basically took the number of attorneys [52 lawyers, about 100 employees total], estimated an hourly rate and pretty much multiplied by the amount of time we would be down. I didn’t have to justify it through some sort of business impact analysis, considering. There are times I wonder whether or not I would have been able to implement something like this had we not had this hurricane. When it comes to really spending the money, no one wants to think about it. It’s kind of like insurance, you feel like you’re throwing your money away, but you’re glad you have it when it happens … If we weren’t able to get information from tape, we would not be in a very good position.”

Stone Pigman chose Neverfail through the advice of its longtime consultant, Lee Hovermale, senior management consultant and senior vice president at IT consulting firm Project Leadership Associates.

Hovermale said XOsoft worked, but, for his purposes, enabled too manual a failover and had consistency problems that several of his other clients also acknowledged.

“They didn’t failover according to every setting of our OS,” Hovermale said. “It wasn’t a true hot-standby, because we had to manually cut it over in a certain way, and it wouldn’t fail over consistently. I have clients in Phoenix that use it and both said it would work, but the way it failed over wasn’t always copasetic.”

Hovermale said he found XOsoft and Double-Take to be an almost identical product, only XOsoft has a better interface.

“With Double-Take, their failover required a lot of scripting in its older version and sometimes that would break,” Hovermale said. “Though that’s since changed in a newer version that wasn’t available then [last Fall].”

Consistency and custom coding were winning points for Neverfail.

” In comparison, the thing we liked with Neverfail, there were little quirks, but the quirks were less intrusive. When you’re replicating 60 to 100 gigs of email, you can’t have little quirks,” Hovermale said, adding Stone Pigman stores about 1 terabyte of SQL, document and email data on an EMC Corp. Clariion 300 storage area network. “Plus, versus the others, was their [Neverfail's] ability to write custom apps. We had an Omega client and they were willing to write a failover module and it was very inexpensive. Something like $2,000.”

Neverfail for Exchange, SQL and File Server and all related expenses totaled about $35,000. New hardware, HP (Hewlett-Packard Co.) DL360s to support Blackberry and Internet Information Services and DL380s for Exchange and SQL, as well as Dell Inc. 1800, 2800 and 6400 cost about $50,000.

Hovermale said the difference between before and after the storm, in terms of preparedness, is night and day. That sentiment Sylvas echoed, but said the human element was more difficult.

“The whole time everyone wasn’t able to function on the same level. ‘Do I have a home to go to?’ Some found out. ‘No. I’ve lost everything except the car and this clothing,” ‘ Sylvas said. “Still, I think everybody thought, ‘we’re going back, we can’t wait to go back as soon as we get the green light, we’re ready.’ I was ready — but I wanted to go back under controlled circumstances.”

Joe Clabby, president of Clabby Analytics, said the human element can often be forgotten by companies whose specialty is recovery.

“People are also processes to help rebuild your business,” Clabby said. “Beyond DR, what is a company doing to put the people and processes back in place? Software can only take you so far.”

All Rights Reserved, Copyright 2005 - 2007, TechTarget

Dow Jones Indexes has switched to IBM pSeries from Sun Microsystems Inc. servers to calculate its global market indexes and averages — the core port of which IBM performed for free in exchange for commitment to its platform.

Dow Jones, one of the largest sources for live business information and investment indexes, migrated from 12 Sun servers to three p5570 boxes. The new systems run AIX with 64-bit Power5 processors that employ dynamic logical partitioning and simultaneous multithreading — mainframe-inspired efficiency methods that basically aim to help assign tasks to where resources are most available.

“Over the past couple of years we looked at Sun, HP [Hewlett-Packard Co.] and other Unix players,” said Jim Sloane, application technology director for Dow Jones. “But the numbers told the story. We converted to IBM primarily on benchmark performance.”

Sloane said Dow Jones updates about 400 million times per day, averaging 65,000 calculations per second, and named vertical scaling and fall-behind as primary metrics when trying to gauge vendor value. Vertical scaling is the growth of processors within one operating environment. Fall-behind software essentially allows data to safely stockpile during spikes.

Both Dow Jones and IBM were tight-lipped about previous systems, as well as dollar amounts for the deal. But sources confirm the company is migrating off Sun servers. Sun’s footing since its Unix dominance throughout the 1990s has significantly slipped, from leading the market by over 10 points four years ago to now trailing both IBM and HP, according to IDC.

Sloane said since its implementation last fall, the new system has lived up to its hopes.

“People pay us to calculate indexes for them, but every time we add an index it consumes more resources — and we don’t want to say no,” Sloane said. “We expect to be on this platform for a good while — I’d say a good decade.”

That’s a long time in IT years, but IBM shows all the signs of keeping a grip on the market, according to Charles King, principal analyst for Hayward, Calif.,-based Pund-IT Research.

“IBM has vaulted to [Unix] leadership for a few reasons,” King said. “The power platform is an extremely flexible and high-performing system and they’ve consistently been able to wind up more performance out of the pSeries. And then you’ve got Sun, whose processor development has hit some serious snags. HP is in the process of abandoning PA-RISC and transition its customers to Itanium, which, not to downgrade it, but is a completely different architecture. So if you’re contemplating staying, you’re looking at sticky migration issues. So there’s pretty clear technical leadership. It’s great to have a good product and bumbling competitors.”

All Rights Reserved, Copyright 2005 - 2007, TechTarget

Simon & Schuster Inc. plans to save $1 million a year on hardware costs and licensing fees as a result of migrating off its old IBM mainframes.

The New York City-based publishing house is in the middle of a three-part changeover from its Cobol-crunching IBM 9672-RB5 to an Intel-based Unisys ES7000 running Microsoft SQL Server.

The decision to switch came about two years ago when officials, already cognizant of high mainframe costs, began to realize the growth of their company was beginning to conflict with the size of its shoes, so to speak. But with stability a concern and the looming task of converting five million lines of code, the pressure was on to make the right move.

“The challenge of rewriting everything — it was a daunting task,” said Mike Grant, Simon & Schuster vice president of application development. “But we needed to do something. We are running flat out on our machine right now. We’re almost 90% to 100% capacity all the time.”

Mainframes have been around forever and know how to get things done their own way, but, especially for smaller companies, the elegance that makes them useful can also be unwieldy to upkeep.

Advantages of the data center’s elder statesman — stability, the ability to scale and flex in the face of server sprawl and new workloads — can be offset by premium hardware costs. Complicated architecture that goes back 20 years, combined with a skills base in decline, also means potentially high labor expenses.

Grant said he was surfing for answers when he stumbled across Tokyo-headquartered Fujitsu Software Corp., a specialist in assisting migrations like CICS applications to .NET and mainframe batch applications to Windows.

The latter was a crucial difference when proofs of concept were drawn and discussed with both Fujitsu and U.K.-based Micro Focus Ltd., a similar migration outfit, Grant said.

“We were very impressed with both, but the problem we saw with Micro Focus — which may have since changed — was a lot of emulation software,” Grant said. “We wanted to standardize our .NET environment, and the Fujitsu model more closely aligned with our vision, in terms of running Visual Studio and having it play well with VB [Visual Basic] and C#.”

After recently transferring over its royalty system — and working with India-based Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. to convert its DB2 to SQL server — the final hulking shift comes soon for Simon & Schuster — moving its main order processing system. But the true test will come late summer, a traditional season of frenzy that will test both nerves and networks as publishers push to move product in time for schools reopening.

“Until then, we’ll still be kind of nervous — last year our mainframe was so backed up that often systems weren’t coming up until 10 the next morning,” Grant said. “But right now we’re seeing jobs perform so much better. We are really seeing some performance gains, we’ve been pleased, and all the vendors are very confident.”

Indeed, Andrew Mackenzie, strategic alliance manager for Fujitsu Software, sees no gray in the environment.

“The thing about migrations is you’re either a hero or a goat,” Mackenzie said. “With mission-critical apps, it can be very scary to turn off the mainframe. But five years ago there was a lot more risk. There’s been relentless performance gains in microprocessors. It comes down to if I’m the CIO who’s got this thing that’s sucking up 60% of my budget — you’re either going to migrate or drown.”

IT research firm Gartner Inc. recently predicted 80% of today’s smaller mainframe environments will move away by 2010. And though the sentiment of that forecast is nothing new (bashing mainframes is practically a pastime in some circles), detractors today predict doom in the face of the system’s recent resurgence, exemplified by double-digit revenue gains since 2003 of the IBM’s zSeries.

“If someone hasn’t looked at a mainframe in a while, they should look again,” said zSeries product director Collette Martin. “There’s an awful lot of flexibility. And for the customers who are very small, with older mainframes, those who are struggling in that respect but looking for a value proposition to move forward, it is considerably less expensive to run today’s mainframes.”

All Rights Reserved, Copyright 2005 - 2007, TechTarget

By Joe Spurr, Globe Correspondent | Page: B1

Like every other year, the Piers Park Sailing Center in East Boston is closed for the winter. Its frosted docks anchor three sailboats, bobbing gently with the water. Skyscrapers across the harbor sparkle in the early dusk.

Vince D’Addieco and Shannon Murphy still visit the dock, not just to sail the harbor, but to remember. To them - and hundreds of other local youngsters who bonded through its teamwork-oriented summer programs - Piers Park isn’t just where they learned to sail, or earned some extra money taking care of the boats - it is where they grew up.

But when spring returns, Massport’s $220,000 in annual funding will not, even though nearly everyone agrees the program has been a success since it began in 1995.

“By my second summer sailing, I was a new person,” said Murphy, 17. “I can still remember the first time I ever sailed a boat alone, and that is what gave me the confidence I still have today.”

For residents of East Boston, the program was a salve for years of wrangling with Massport, the agency that oversees Logan Airport, over everything from airplane noise to the size of parking lots. Now, after Massport decided to make the sailing center one of its first budget cuts, there is anger.

“Massport — with all of its good intentions — is looking for a quick fix, to look like they’re doing something,” said Peter Sullivan, an East Boston native and parent of two young sailors. “We don’t have the political might of South Boston and Charlestown.”

News of the cut came in late October, around the same time as the announcement of outgoing Massport executive director Virginia Buckingham’s six-figure severance package. The agency also cut some of its most highly publicized patronage jobs, and laid off workers to compensate for airline cutbacks following Sept. 11.

But, still, many in the community believe plenty of fat remains in the Massport budget — a point supported by a commission appointed by Acting Governor Jane Swift, which criticized Massport for filling jobs with patronage appointments rather than the most qualified applicants.

Massport isn’t promising any of its own money, but hopes to find a way to continue the program with other funding. The agency’s contribution had amounted to about two-thirds of the budget. Corporate sponsors made up the rest.

“Our goal is to retain the program,” Massport spokeswoman Georgeane Tacelli said.

But for the youth of East Boston, the prospect of losing the program is more than a political issue. It’s a lost opportunity, a chance to attend a combination summer camp and Outward Bound-like proving ground.

“Before I started, I was petrified of boats,” said D`Addieco, 17, an East Boston native. That was five years ago. He recently applied and was accepted into the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

Two years ago, he met his girlfriend on the harbor.

“We co-instructed together,” he said, attributing the initial connection to the cooperation necessary when out on the harbor. “You need to build a bond between your crew members. I’d say my best friends are from Piers Park.”

Most of the approximately 300 youth members of Piers Park live with their families in East Boston or other neighborhoods abutting the airport.

“Living in East Boston, many of us can’t afford to take extended vacations,” said Christine Ohman, mother of two young sailors.

The program “really helped inner-city families in an activity we would never, ever get the opportunity to do,” she said. “There’s no way we could replace this for our children.”

Following the cut, Massport donated the 10 sailboats and two powerboats that were previously leased to the program. But without Massport funds no one is sure how many boats will be sailed.

Jeff Kuller, director of the program, said he is considering charging youths for the program - which has been free in the past. He is also considering cuts in staffing, hours of operation, and the number of boats in service.

“Affordable recreation is our goal,” he said. “That’s why we’re a sailing center and not a yacht club.”

In an effort to persuade Massport to restore funding, many instructors and students sent e-mails to the agency.

“My daughter, Krystina, and her friends do not have the luxury of the choice to sail if the program at Piers Park was not there,” Denise Buckley wrote. “I have witnessed my daughter and her friends grow into responsible young adults who want to give back to the community.”

Instructor Anne Wallace pleaded with officials:

“I have watched underprivileged children with low self-esteem blossom into confident savvy young sailors,” Wallace wrote. “This program has made a serious impact on the lives of hundreds.”

With a wheelchair-accessible facility and a specially equipped sailboat, the program also provides for the disabled.

Joseph Del Vecchio is a paralyzed veteran and sailing center pass holder. He also e-mailed on behalf of the program.

“Piers Park is one of two sites . . . that I frequent on the Eastern Seaboard that have the physical amenities and offer their boats for charter to qualified adaptive sailors,” Del Vecchio wrote. “With much hard work . . . I was awarded my US Sailing Keelboat Certification and passed the exam to skipper boats for racing. Much of this was made possible because of their excellent instruction and keen sensitivity to my needs.”

Aside from being able to afford an enjoyable after-school activity, parents say the program teaches valuable lessons.

Peter Sullivan’s two daughters are both in the program.

“My children see nothing but a person, from handicapped kids to every race on the planet,” Sullivan said. “They just don’t see any of that. They are also learning to work in teams and all of these great things . . . until some shortsighted bureaucrat with a broken calculator does this.”
All content herein is © Globe Newspaper Company and may not be republished without permission.

Ralph Nader’s criticisms of the federal government during last year’s presidential race haven’t shrunk. They’ve grown.

Calling the US war in Afghanistan “a riverboat gamble,” Nader said President Bush is “basically in the process of burning down the haystack to find the needle.” In an interview yesterday with the Globe before speaking at a peace rally in Boston, Nader argued that a blend of “bribes, spies, and limited military action, coupled with a big humanitarian effort by the UN” would be more effective and minimize the costs to innocent civilians.

“You have to ask yourself: `What happens after you catch the backers of the attackers and you leave . . . behind an extremely devastated society bitter?’” Nader said.

He addressed a near-capacity crowd at the 2,700-seat Orpheum Theatre during the “Democracy Rising” tour, a series of rallies to bring local and national groups together on such issues as universal health care and clean elections.

The crowd clapped as they watched excerpts from an independent documentary on peace rallies in Washington and New York after the Sept. 11 attacks.

“I think that Americans do feel an impulse to support their government at this time,” said John Brett, a senior at Dartmouth College. But “even though the polls show that the majority of Americans support some sort of action, they may not support the actual measures put in place by the government.”

Sitting in the lobby of the Omni Parker House hotel before the rally, Nader said that not only would thousands of Afghan civilians suffer as a result of the US military campaign, but the strikes may foster deeper resentment toward the United States.

“If we reconstruct Afghanistan, we could come out ahead with the people because the Taliban is very repressive,” Nader said. “But we’ve never done that since the Marshall Plan in Europe. Every time we get involved - Somalia, Grenada, Panama - we back out like the Wild West tavern guys backing out with their six-guns flaming.”

History has shown that once the pressure is off, Congress is less likely to appropriate money for reconstruction, Nader said.

“Now, maybe it’ll be different this time, because they need Afghanistan for a pipeline and other interests,” Nader said. “Suddenly, Afghanistan becomes strategic.”

He accused the Bush administration of capitalizing on the “thought conformity” in Capitol Hill and creating a climate where dissent is viewed as being unpatriotic, un-American.

Howard Zinn, historian, author, Boston University professor emeritus, and antiwar activist, recently received the Lannan Foundation Literary Award for Nonfiction and the Eugene V. Debs award for his writing and political activism. He has authored “A People’s History of the United States,” and his autobiography “You Can’t Be Neutral On A Moving Train,” and contributed to a new book, “Three Strikes: The Fighting Spirit of Labor’s Last Century,” as well as many others. Zinn, 79, grew up in Brooklyn. He was chair of the history department at Spelman College in Atlanta and taught at BU for about 25 years. He lives with his wife, Roslyn, in Cambridge.

Q. Do you consider yourself a pacifist?

A. I don’t use the term. I’m against war. Period. . . . I believe in action - and direct action. I simply say I’m antiwar. [Pacifism] is an ambiguous term. It can be absolute, and I don’t believe in absolutes.

Q. What specifically sparked your current attitude toward war?

A. I was a bombardier in the Air Force during World War II. I enlisted. I volunteered. I was enthusiastic. But very shortly after the war, I rethought the whole issue of whether it really solves anything. I came to the conclustion that it doesn’t. War doesn’t solve any problems. WWII was very complex, but my experience led me to question the value of war. As I began to read the history of war, it seemed to me that war could very rarely be justified.

Q. How can students sustain an antiwar movement when there isn’t actual war going on?

A. The talk of war is in the air. When you turn on the TV, they’re talking about how they will conduct the war. They talk about how they’re going to wage it. . . . We’re in a war position. The time for a movement is now - before the war is launched.

Q. Do students listen when you talk about this?

A. Students are open, and if they hear ideas that make sense, they will respond. I think, for instance, that if students who are today in support of military action were introduced to an opposing view, they would rethink their opinion. . . . I’m not saying I never come across opposition - I do - but in the main, my audiences have been very receptive.

Q. How radical does one have to get in order to be heard?

A. I think the president would only pay attention if there were large demonstrations throughout the country. That’s how it was during Vietnam. We should keep organizing protests, educating, keep informing each other, keep using the Internet, keep organizing teach-ins, sending letters to the editor, call-in shows.

Q. What advice would you give to parents of college-age students when talking about what occurred on Sept. 11th?

A. I would tell them that this is a horrible thing. There are people who are angry - fanatically angry - at the United States, and we need to find out about how to prevent that in the future. To simply use the military to kill . . . it won’t solve the problem. There will be inevitable civilian deaths. We need to think how to not only be a military superpower, but a moral superpower. To think in constructive ways. To emphasize that violence brings more violence.

Q. How would you teach about this in a college classroom?

A. I would open it up for discussion. I would say, “Look. Here’s what happened. Here’s what the administration is saying. Here’s what the antiwar people are saying.” I would have my ideas; I wouldn’t pretend to be neutral, and I would insist that people are tolerant of each other’s opinions. We need to let people exchange ideas and inform each other so that they can come to an informed conclusion.

Q. How should college students handle the threat of being drafted?

A. Of course, that’s an individual decision. The draft resistance is a very important form of antiwar resistance. Huge numbers of people, without publicizing, simply didn’t register during Vietnam. Many others didn’t show up. Sure, I think resistance to the draft is a legitimate way of expressing your opinion. I would never counsel a person [to avoid the draft]. I also wouldn’t say: you mustn’t. I would point to the history of draft resistance and let them decide.

Q. How would you make war real to war advocates?

A. It’s hard of course. Very hard. I would bring in Vietnam veterans. I would show them movies. I would show them “All Quiet on the Western Front,” “Hearts and Minds,” “Unfinished Symphony,” which is about Vietnam Veterans against the war, and other powerful documentaries. I wouldn’t hesitate . . . to get as close to the horrors of war as possible - without of course being in one.

Q. Did you see any similar attitudes on college campuses during the Persian Gulf War? Or any differences?

A. There was resistance. There were teach-ins. There was a great demonstration in Washington in January of 1991. I think the emotion around this is more intense because of how close this tragedy hits. The Gulf War was sort of a remote thing. There was no draft.
© Copyright 2003 New York Times Company

A federal appeals court ruled yesterday that the Massachusetts law that creates a buffer zone around abortion clinics does not violate the free speech rights of protesters.

The law, passed a year ago and upheld yesterday by the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston, bans protesters from coming within 6 feet of clinic workers or patients inside an 18-foot buffer around the entrance of any clinic that performs abortions.

Lawmakers pushed for the law after gunman John Salvi killed two female workers at two Brookline abortion clinics in 1994.

Three antiabortion protesters sued to block the law, claiming it violated their First Amendment rights. They claimed it could not be “content neutral” because, among other reasons, it exempted clinic employees, who are allowed to escort women into clinics.

Last November, US District Court Judge Edward F. Harrington agreed, declaring the law unconstitutional. But a month later, the appeals court reinstated the law while it considered the case.

A similar Colorado law was challenged by antiabortion protesters but was upheld last year by the US Supreme Court.

“I’m not surprised by this ruling, but I’m very gratified by it,” said Dianne Luby, president of Planned Parenthood of Massachusetts. “To have a personal safety zone is absolutely critical to people seeking health care without being intimidated.. . . The Colorado ruling established a clear distinction between free speech and harassment.”

“This is a common sense measure that’s designed to protect women,” said state Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly. “It’s a proper balance between free speech and women’s rights.”

Dwight Duncan, a professor at Southern New England College of Law, who helped argue the case for the plaintiffs, said he expected the ruling after the appeals court’s preliminary decision in December.

“We weren’t that surprised about the result,” he said. “I think we’re disappointed because we were hoping for better - more vigilance as far as the First Amendment is concerned from the First Circuit.”

Duncan said he and other lawyers would study the ruling before deciding whether to pursue an appeal to the US Supreme Court. Another option would be to bring a new case arguing that the law, while constitutional, is being applied unconstitutionally.

The court acknowledged that the law affects antiabortion protesters more than others, but said what matters for the First Amendment is that the law “serves a legitimate purpose unrelated to expressive content.”

The plaintiffs argued that the exemption for clinic employees proved discrimination against antiabortion protesters.

“The abortion clinic escorts can swoop down on people and hustle them into the clinics, while the pro-life supporters have to stand back,” Duncan said. “That is obviously a one-sided, unfair regulation of speech in the public forum.”

But the court disagreed, claiming the plaintiffs had not met their burden of proof.

All content herein is © Globe Newspaper Company and may not be republished without permission.

The pile driver fired without relent, piercing the air like shotgun blasts echoing against the surrounding structures of West Village and the John D. O’Bryant African-American Institute.

Amid construction of the new Behrakis center, the machine’s rhythmic recoil was not unlike the tick-tock of a clock, serving its reminder to those within earshot the dwindling number of days remaining until May 10 — the deadline for an administrative decision regarding the future whereabouts of the Institute.

An open forum held Monday in the Raytheon Amphitheater allowed public input to be heard regarding the Institute’s future, and the majority in attendance made their point loud and clear: students are not alone when the say they want the O’Bryant building to remain.

“I stand with the students wholeheartedly,” said Leonard Alkins, president of Boston’s chapter of the NAACP. “Reasonable people can make reasonable decisions. I think how this situation is handled will determine this university’s relationship to people of color.”

Provost David Hall played mediator at the event, and after a summary of past meetings, offered on behalf of the administration some alternatives for the Institute.

Options included relocation to the first floor of the Forsyth Building, a third floor addition to the Forsyth Building, first floor of Dockser Hall, the sixth floor of 716 Columbus Place, or renovation or new construction of its current Leon Street location.

Advisory Committee-member Ibiere Seck spoke for the advisory board.

“This building holds the souls of those who fought for civil rights and stands on the shoulders of our ancestors,” Seck said. “We feel that this committee is a front, that the decision to relocate was not a collaborative process, and that alternative sites [for the Institute] are incompatible and inadequate. Three floors cannot fit on one floor of another building. We are concerned our programs will be phased out, and we will not take that.”

She used the words of the building’s namesake: “If you’re not there to serve the students, you’re in the wrong place.”

Lively debate was also heard from those outside the official Northeastern community.

“You can build around the Institute, you can preserve the history of the Institute,” said Dr. Jack Porter, an urban sociologist. “Northeastern seems to be tearing things down before they can build a history.”

“Change needn’t always be viewed negatively,” said George Thrush, associate professor of art and architecture. “It shouldn’t and I hope [the debate] isn’t perceived as ‘us versus them.’ It shouldn’t be defensive, but rather, progressive.”

Provost Hall responded in closing to earlier claims that a decision had already been made, assuring Institute supporters that what they have said “is taken very seriously.”

Richard O’Bryant, son of the institute’s namesake, spoke regarding the dangers of separation.

“We cannot allow these divisions to occur,” he said. “We need to bridge this gap as a community.”

Alkins, president of Boston’s chapter of the NAACP, agreed.

“The time for calling names is over,” he said.

David Lee, architect of the 1970 construction of the O’Bryant Institute, also helped design Renaissance Garage, Renaissance Place, and Ruggles Station.

He gave his take on the situation when interviewed by The News.

“In terms of ‘the best option,’ it’s very complicated,” he said. “Some of it has to do with timing, disruptions of the existing program, long-term objectives, and sentimental value. That site holds special significance for the students and that’s not something you can take lightly,” Lee said.

“Of course I’d love to design a new Afro center, and am prepared to design the very best facility to serve this program,” Lee said. “John O’Bryant was a good friend of mine, I would certainly do it in a way that would make everyone proud.”