A new focus

Alex and I have been discussing the future of the Bunnell project. One thing we have noticed whenever we speak to UVU administrators about the Cafe aspect of our idea they immediately say, "Well, there is a cafe in the new library." At that point, for them at least, the discussion is over.

While it is true that the new library does indeed serve coffee and has places to sit, it is far from the atmosphere we are trying to create for the Bunnell. This dichotomy between what the administrators consider a cafe and what we think the Bunnell could be, has pointed out that the cafe aspect of our project is really secondary to our aim of saving the structure itself.

During this transitional time as a new president is chosen, and the school is getting used to its new status as a university, we think it is wise to focus on saving the Bunnell Pioneer Home and making it a part of student life.

Of course the cafe portion of the overall plan is still important to the process, but we think focusing on saving the structure itself has the best chance of getting the attention of administrators on campus.

Leave a comment below and tell us what you think of our new focus. We need your feedback in order to craft a plan that will work. Thanks!

VEG

A new school year dawns

With the fall semester just a few weeks away I thought I'd take the time to inform all of you Bunnell Buddies out there about the latest news. As I am sure you have heard Bill Sederburg is leaving his post as head of UVU to be the commissioner of higher ed for the state. Taking his place for the next year while the Board of Regents looks for a new president will be Liz Hitch. Chances are any interim president would be leery of making any huge commitments to groups such as us because any decision could be undone by the new president.

This puts the Bunnell Cafe Project in an interesting position for this upcoming year to say the least. Perhaps this will give us more time to build a wider coalition of support and to flesh out the operational framework.

Alex recently spoke to the person who most recently (about 7 years ago) did a survey of the Bunnell Home, in the hopes of having a new study done at a reduced price. Alex says the conversation went well, and now we just need the school to pony up the cash.

So during this transitional period we are going to continue to collect signatures, raise awareness, and formulate a business plan. Thank you all for your support.

–VEG

UVU needs The Bunnell more than ever

Earlier this week UVSC's Board of Trustees talked at considerable length about the school's need for a more complete "university experience".

UVSC to stress 'college life' (Deseret Morning News, June 12 2008)

Without on-campus housing UVSC has always faced the problem of trying to build a cohesive student experience. Val Hale, the school's VP for advancement, noted that half the student just goes to class and never participates in any other campus activity. He went on to say:

"We should give them a better university experience. We need to do some things to keep them here and get them involved — participate in college life."

So the Board approved a list of four guiding principles to implement in the next 10 years to hopefully reverse this trend of student apathy. They are: engaged academic culture; multidimensional university experience; sustainable institutional vitality; and dynamic university infrastructure.

Of course we think The Bunnell Cafe would go a long way in promoting a better "university experience" and would follow right along with these four guiding principles.. Listed below is the contact information of the Board of Trustees members. Send them a note saying The Bunnell Cafe would be a perfect way to increase student activity, retention, cultural involvement, and overall campus pride.

Beckham, Janette Hales - Chair*
1260 East Oakcrest Circle
Provo, UT 84604
E-mail: janette.beckham@uvsc.edu

Campbell, Dan**
ESNET
5255 N. Edgewood Dr., Suite 200
Provo, UT 84604
E-mail: dan.campbell@uvsc.edu

Chaffetz, Jason
Maxtera Utah, Inc.
315 Westfield Circle
Alpine, UT 84004
E-mail: jason.chaffetz@uvsc.edu

Clark, Timothy R. - Vice Chair***
TR Clark & Associates, LLC
215 North Matterhorn Drive
Alpine, UT 84004
E-mail: timothy.clark@uvsc.edu

Clyde, Paul B. (Foundation Chair, Non-voting)
Exec. Vice President/COO
Clyde Companies, Inc.
President, W.W. Clyde & Co.
P.O. Box 1955
Orem, UT 84059
E-mail: paul.clyde@uvsc.edu

Jenkins, J. Scott
EVP Manufacturing, Planning & Supply Chain
Twinlab Corporation
1745 Oakcrest Drive
Orem, UT 84097
E-mail: scott.jenkins@uvsc.edu


Lund, Steven J.
NuSkin Enterprises
75 West Center Street
Provo, UT 84601
E-mail: steven.lund@uvsc.edu

Merrill, Carolyn
Principal, American Fork High
510 North 600 East
American Fork, UT 84003
E-mail: carolyn.merrill@uvsc.edu

Mortimer, Doyle M. - Secretary*
VP of Operations
Alexander's Print Advantage
245 South 1060 West
Lindon, UT 84042
E-mail: doyle.mortimer@uvsc.edu

Shoemaker, Terry
Superintendant
Wasatch School District
101 East 200 North
Heber City, UT 84032
E-mail: terry.shoemaker@uvsc.edu

Watkins, Joseph
Student body President
Utah Valley State College - 189
800 West University Parkway
Orem, UT 84058-5999
E-mail: watkinjo@uvsc.edu

Current Status of The Bunnell Project

As many of you know Alex and I met with Student Government council members a few weeks ago to discuss the possibility of funding the Bunnell Cafe project. While we haven't heard anything official from the council we have heard from other sources that they are, for now at least, passing on the project.

While we are disappointed in their decision, we know that our project is ambitious and understand why some might be wary at this time. We hope the council changes its mind, if not now then perhaps next year with a new council.

In the meantime I had a fantastic conversation with Susan Thackeray that has reinvigorated me for this project. Susan is the director of Career and Technical Education and she is excited to use our project as a way for students to get hands-on experience. Construction management, culinary arts, business....all of these students could benefit from such an interdisciplinary project.

I am hoping that this minor setback will actually give us more time to come up with the best game plan. And I am confident that we can make this little dream a reality.

Presentation with student Government

Alex and I got a chance to lay out our proposal to the folks in student government this afternoon. I think it went really well. Click the link below and you can have your own version of the presentation we gave them:

Bunnell Presentation

We haven't heard back from them yet...but when we do we will keep you informed.

Our meeting with Bill

Alex and I got a chance to sit down with UVSC president Bill Sederburg this afternoon and talk to him about The Bunnell Cafe. He is a busy guy (what with the legislature in session and all) but he still managed to make time for a couple of dreamers.

And best of all he was very supportive of the idea and gave us some great advice for how to go about making it happen. Of course he also hit us with a heavy dose of reality. The project is going to be rather expensive, and there are some on the campus who really covet the land the house is sitting on. We don't blame them...the location is perfect. He wants to see some more concrete plans of how the Cafe will function, and he would like to see it get some more support from the VP level.

But basically Bill said anything is possible with the right funding. It was very encouraging. Next stop is a meeting with student government on February 7th.

Bunnell Petition

We will be setting up another Bunnell petition table on February 1st, this time in the Student Center near the Hall of Flags. Stop by and see us...and bring your friends!

Status of the petition

We had a good showing of support today for our first petition table. Big thanks to Joey for helping out. And Michael Morrow gets the big award for snagging the most signatures. We are still well short of our goal of 2400, so chances are you will see us out in the halls harassing folks for the rest of the month. If you are one of the brave few that have pages of signatures make sure and get them to Vegor, Alex, Travis, or Joey soon.

We have a presentation with the student fee committee scheduled tentatively for Feb. 7th. When we have more details we will let you know the particulars because we sure could use the support.

Our meeting with Bill Sederburg has been postponed till next Thursday. We will let you know how that goes.

Bunnell on Facebook

Bunnell Buddy Joey Mayes has created a Bunnell Cafe Facebook Group which you can find here:

http://uvsc.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8770279337

This week, I will be getting petitions signed for the project and meeting with UVSC president Bill Sederburg. We are also working on getting an account set up with the UVSC Foundation so that we can start the fund raising in earnest.

Bunnell article in the Deseret News

The Deseret News has published an article about the Bunnell restoration plans which you can find here:


Old house may become UVSC cafe
But not everyone is convinced of need or site's potential
(Deseret Morning News, Utah Valley Life, January 3 2008)

True...not everyone is convinced, but no one has told us no just yet. And if they did tell us no, we wouldn't believe them.

Salt Lake Tribune's article on The Bunnell

Don Meyers of the Salt Lake Tribune has written a fantastic article that not only chronicles our plans for renovating the Bunnell Pioneer Home but also digs into the history of the home. Check it out here:

UVSC staff, students seek $500K to make historic farmhouse a campus cafe
(Salt Lake Tribune, December 10 2007)

It appears on the front page of the Utah section in today's paper and is also featured prominently on the Trib's web page. I have included a link to this page in the comments section...feel free to leave a nice comment there yourself.

Back inside The Bunnell

Don Meyers from the Salt Lake Tribune came by UVSC today to interview Alex and myself about The Bunnell Cafe idea. Joining us was Helen Bunnell Weeks and her husband Clyde, as well as Travis and Dominic.

It was great to stand with Helen in her old house and hear stories of her childhood. We also talked about our plans for the restoration and revitalization of the home. Alex even got Helen to climb the spiral staircase and check out the attic space...an amazing feat considering that Helen has always detested the addition. Alex just may have convinced her that keeping it might not be such a bad thing. Helen also loved the idea of selling "Bunnell Bricks" to donors...and trust me...there are plenty of bricks in that place.

We are not sure yet when Don's story will be in the Trib, but as soon as we know more so shall you. At one point during our tour of the home Don leaned over to me and said that the enthusiasm for this project seemed contagious. He hit the nail on the head.

I also spoke with Rodger Hardy of the Deseret News last Friday and I believe he is also working on a story about The Bunnell.

Meeting with Kris Coles

Travis and I met with Kris Coles, UVSC student body president, this afternoon and he seems quite receptive to the idea of The Bunnell Cafe. We discussed some various funding issues. We are hoping to put together the money needed to pay for a comprehensive architectural/engineering survey. If we can get a solid figure on what the remodel will cost than we can decide how (or if) to move forward. Kris will be speaking with his executive council after the holiday weekend.

Article in the college times

Here is the link to story that appeared in today's edition of The College Times:

The Bunnell Café: UVSC's cup of joe

Because of the holiday weekend this issue will be on the stands for two weeks. Pick up a hard copy, and check out all the cool pictures (thanks again to Don LaVange and Mark Johnston).

I had some good discussions with various folks from around campus over the weekend. Everyone seems positive and supportive. I am meeting with Student Body President Kris Coles tomorrow...and I'll be sure to keep you guys posted on the latest developments.

New Bunnell Pics courtesy of The College Times

A story about the Bunnell project will be the on the front page of The College Times Life section this Monday, and photographer Mark Johnston has been kind enough to let us use the photos he shot for the spread. I just loaded them on to the flickr page, so enjoy.

And a big thanks to our friends over at The College Times for getting the word out. Thanks Jack, Mark, Luke, Eleanor...all you crazy kids!

Getting to know the history of the Bunnell

This afternoon Alex and I got a chance to visit with Helen Bunnell Weeks, who grew up in the Bunnell home, and let me tell you...you could not hope to meet a sweeter woman. She has done an extensive history of the home and the surrounding area, and is literally the resident expert when it comes to all things Bunnell. We know she will prove to be an invaluable resource throughout the process.

And best of all, she really likes the idea of The Bunnell Cafe! She is excited about the idea of having a place on campus for students that is open and inviting...and she thinks the Bunnell could be just the place.

Tour of the Bunnell

thebunnell-6859.jpg
Originally uploaded by thebunnell

Vegor, Alex, and Don got a chance to tour the Bunnell this morning thanks to VP of facilities Jim Michaelis. It is actually better than we imagined! Such a cool little space.

Of course right now it is filled with chairs and other assorted odds and ends...and it looks like some birds have had a good ol' time in the attic. But it just seems to ooze potential.

Head on over to our new flickr account to check out some photos, courtesy of Mr. LaVange:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thebunnell

We really got the feeling that our idea is possible (Caldiero would say inevitable). Jim Michaelis basically said that it is completely doable with the right funding. Of course money is the magic word, but we think when people catch on to the idea that the funding will follow.

In other Bunnell news, Alex and Vegor will be visiting with Helen Bunnell Weeks this Thursday, and The College Times will be writing up a story on the project for the next issue.

What's next?

We have been so overwhelmed with the response to our idea for The Bunnell Cafe. Thanks to everyone who has e-mailed, or commented (keep 'em coming....we need your feedback). Next week Alex, myself, and a few others are going to tour the Bunnell Home with Facilities VP Jim Michaelis. We will let you know how that goes, and of course we'll post plenty of pictures.

In the meantime, enjoy this picture of the Bunnell in it's former glory:

Building Campus Culture

UVSC has always had something of an identity crisis. So often we hear the complaint that our campus doesn't always feel like a typical college campus. It is hard to put a finger on it...but it almost feels like something is missing.

We think we might have found what is missing from UVSC. It needs a heart. A hearth. A home. A central location where students, faculty and staff can mingle freely without the demands of the classroom. A place where the fruits of our education can be given a forum. A place where conversation is king. And a place where you can get a decent cup of coffee.

A few of us folks who long for such a place think the Bunnell Pioneer Home could become the heart of the campus. Imagine fixing up that old farmhouse...one of the oldest homes still standing in all of Orem...and turning it into a first rate cafe. A little nook amid the bustle of this busy campus.

Let's use this resource, instead of just letting it rot away. The Bunnell is filled with a sense of history and tradition...it shouldn't be a warehouse for chairs and assorted junk. It should be a meeting place, a respite from a hectic day. Let's use the character of this building to help foster a sense of community and culture at UVSC.

Why isn't there one place on campus where music, poetry and art can all be enjoyed. A place to read the paper, get a coffee or a juice, and be exposed to to all kinds of ideas and influences.

Of course this venture will cost money...some estimates put the figure close to $250,000. The house is on the National Register of Historic Places and as such cannot be torn down. The school will eventually need to do something with the home...why not make it something special.

If this sounds like something you might be interested in, or maybe you would like to help our campaign, send an e-mail to thebunnell@gmail.com

Thanks!