Before moving ahead with a new dining Commons, scheduled for fall 2006 groundbreaking, Bates took a hard look at the strengths and weaknesses of Memorial Commons and the culture of Bates dining. "As Bates and our students become more open to and involved with a complex and fracture world, the need is even greater for a 'home base' that gives our students opportunities to reconnect with each other," says President Elaine Tuttle Hansen.