MiddBrief 51 Main open until Dec.

Author: Jaime Fuller

President of the College Ronald D.
Liebowitz announced in an e-mail to
the College community that the Budget
Oversight Committee (BOC) has recommended to continue operations at 51 Main at the Bridge until December 2009. Liebowitz has agreed to the committee's recommendations, but also laid stringent qualifications that if not achieved, would result in 51 Main's closure at the end of the year.

Although many other auxiliary operations around campus were closed due to the College's financial difficulties, 51 Main
is being given additional time to prove itself, mainly because of a donor who provided funds explicitly for expanding social opportunities for the College community.

"51 Main has proven itself to be a
valuable social alternative for a mix of
students, faculty, staff and townspeople,"
wrote Liebowitz in his e-mail. "It is funded by a donor who specifically wishes to support social life at Middlebury, and with this support, giving the project more time to prove itself seems worthwhile."

According to Liebowitz's e-mail, for
51 Main to continuing operating beyond
December, it must record two consecutive
months of profitability between now and
the end of the year. However, this goal may
be hard to achieve with national consumer
spending projected to decline by 1.3 percent this year in an recession that has deteriorated employment numbers as well as
public confidence in the economy.