Professor Weighs In On Arena Debate
UO Architecture Professor Richard Sundt has a commentary piece in the Register-Guard today, in which he voices his opposition to plans for the new basketball arena. Sundts thesis is that existing plans are overly grandiose, and that their realization is a forgone conclusion that has already cost Bill Moos his job, and put Pat Kilkenny into power. Furthermore, Sundt alleges that funds from the Westmoreland sale will be going toward purchasing property for the arena, indicating that the University has skewed its priorities unnecessarily towards athletics. Sundt writes:
“The earmarking of Westmoreland money for possible use on the arena makes everyone stakeholders in the project. This arena venture should not, therefore, be allowed to stay in the hands of two or three UO administrators and a couple of donors.”
The piece brings up a number of serious concerns with the Athletic Departments clout, and its fixation on lavish goals which would well hurt the Universities academic mission. These issues cut to the heart of one of the biggest debates on campus, and should be more extensively discussed across the campus community.
