After all the planning and fundraising, AU has one more hurdle to leap before gaining approval from the D.C. Zoning Commission to complete any construction on campus - the Advisory Neighborhood Commission.
University officials must petition the ANC for its endorsement of any construction projects, according to David Taylor, chief of staff for President Neil Kerwin.
The Zoning Commission gives "great weight" to whether the council endorses the project but may still grant approval even if the ANC does not endorse the project, Taylor said.
Recently, ANC3d endorsed renovation projects of the Kogod School of Business and renovation of the McKinley building to house the School of Communication, but has not endorsed the plan for construction of a new School of International Service building, according to Taylor.
"We nonetheless were able to convince the zoning commission that we thought the project indeed was appropriate and we would handle it well," he said.
In the past, the university has also won approval from the Zoning Commission for its Year 2000 plan, which included renovations to the Ward Circle Building, Battelle-Tompkins building and several other university buildings, as well as plans for expanding enrollment despite not getting an endorsement from the ANC, according to Taylor.
Most of AU's main campus falls under the jurisdiction of ANC3d. Because the Katzen Arts Center and Nebraska Hall are on the other side of Massachusetts Avenue, the boundary between jurisdictions, they are under the jurisdiction of ANC3e. University properties on the Tenley campus are also under the jurisdiction of 3e. The Greenberg Theater is under the jurisdiction of Council 3f.
ANC3d is divided into nine Single Member Districts, each represented by one commissioner.
Main campus is split into two Single Member Districts at New Mexico Avenue. The north side of campus is part of Single Member District 2 and is represented by Thomas Smith. The south side of campus is part of Single Member District 7. Currently, no one holds the position of Single Member District 7 commissioner.
Single Member District 7 is bounded by New Mexico Avenue, Nebraska Avenue, Glenbrook Road and University Avenue and contains few residences other than the south side dorms.
Because the ANC makes so many decisions that impact students, the university should be represented in some way on the council, said Student Government President Joe Vidulich.
"The fact that student voices aren't represented but are a majority [of residents in the area] is ridiculous," he said.
The SG was notified of the open seat two days before the election, according to Vidulich. They scrambled to find someone to run for the seat but were unable to do so, largely because the person who holds the seat must be a D.C. resident, he said.
A potential candidate must get 25 D.C. residents to sign a petition in support of his or her candidacy, according to D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics regulations.
A candidate who submitted a successful petition and got on the ballot would most likely win because there would be no competition, Vidulich said.
The commission meets the first Wednesday of every month except August at 7:30 p.m. in Ernst Auditorium at Sibley Hospital.
