Campus artifacts uncovered

By Grant Hughes

Before Don Lucas' $15 million can be put to work in building the new business school, the university and the City of Santa Clara will consider the environmental impact of the project. The designated site on the north end of campus overlaps an area that contains a large number of artifact groups dating from the school's mission period.

Already, the Archaeology Department, with the hired aid of a professional archaeological firm and a construction firm, have tested the site. The testing began last July and continued for six weeks, resulting in the discovery of some 33 groups of artifacts.

"We've found fire pits, bone and ash, and some domestic debris," Assistant Campus Archaeologist Linda Hylkema said. "Physically, we have gone through and plotted everything we've found, but our testing was by no means exhaustive. We only looked at a sample area, and there is almost certainly more to be found. We took a proactive approach in hiring these firms to help because we knew the area was archaeologically sensitive."

While the interests of archaeology and construction are often at odds, Hylkema believes this process should go smoothly.

"With this project, both [sides] are working together," Hylkema said. "This is a case that shows it can work."

The Archaeology Department suspects there is much more to be uncovered, and has planned a more complete excavation this spring before construction is slated to begin. Based on the items already discovered, Hylkema indicated that there will likely be a combination of artifacts from the Mission and American periods, with the oldest potentially dating back to the 18th century.

The department is excited about the possibilities of the site because of the multitude of other artifacts they have found on campus in the past. Horses, cows, dogs, and many other animals are just the beginning. They have also uncovered tools, innumerable roof tiles, and many unidentified objects devoted to student study.

Hylkema has documented the findings already discovered at the site and has submitted them as part of the required Environmental Impact Report (EIR). The City of Santa Clara will consider Hylkema's findings, along with various other factors relating to the environmental effects of the construction before furnishing a report.

Based on the results of the EIR, a planning committee, the university, and the city will then organize the construction of the building. The EIR does not determine whether or not the construction takes place, but allows those that make the decision to be as informed as possible. With that information, confrontation between the involved parties is, ideally, mitigated.

"Once the go-ahead is issued, the project will take 24 months to complete," said Joe Sugg, assistant vice president of univerisity operations. "We are working with the archaeology department and they're participating in the EIR."