It's not that the razing of Ogg Hall will be a great architectural loss, and the demolition of the First Wisconsin Bank Building probably won't face much protest, but that there might be both student and organization housing issues before they're replaced. The East Campus Plan seems to be moving forward, though not in the right order.
On Friday the Board of Regents decided to add funding for two portions of the projects to its budget request from the Legislature: the expansion of Grainger Hall and the construction of the Dayton Street Housing Development Project. The total costs of the projects are estimated to total in the neighborhood of $74.9 million, but for once, the issue isn't only money. It's also about the practical concerns involved in a massive facilities move which is supposed to be completed within only four years, as well as a potential campus housing shortage.
The Grainger?? Hall expansion will require the destruction of the bank building (the one with the Bucky Badger clock on the corner of Park Street and University Avenue) which currently houses several important services, including UHS Counseling and Consultation, the Rape Crisis Center the McBurney Center, and the L&S Career Center. These programs are to be displaced to various locations, though probably to new facilities located where University Square currently stands. But funding to build those new facilities has yet to be requested, and a new project on that location has periodically been proposed and the put on a back burner for years. There is only so much temporary space on campus to house these groups, and an expanded University Square project will have to be approved and completed fairly quickly in order to move these services with minimal interruption. The expansion of Grainger Hall is scheduled for completion in 2007, only three years from now, so there isn't much time to deal with the University Square issue. It probably will be an issue if reconstruction means the loss of the current businesses, including the cinema, which cater to the student population.
??The redevelopment of University Square is also supposed to include new student housing, and the eventual total number of beds as the Southeast area is largely rebuilt will be 1,550, but once Ogg is razed, the total number of beds will only increase by 600. Facilities can't help but be improved, considering Ogg is the worst dorm on campus, but will there be enough new beds to replace the building before it's turned down? The Dayton Street Housing Development Project which the Regents have slated for approval is only 600 beds, meaning that if other facilities aren't opened before Ogg falls, there will be a 400-bed shortfall.
Off campus there is an overabundance of high priced housing and a fair amount in the reasonable rent range. But while off campus faces a housing glut (if a renter's willing to pay a lot of money), on campus housing has been at a premium in the last few years. The university guarantees housing to all incoming freshmen who send in a housing contract by a certain cut off date, which has recently translated into students being housed in dens and other non-standard rooming facilities within the dorms. A 400 bed shortfall is not something that University Housing can deal with under current policies, so one has to hope that the regents have a plan to ensure it doesn't happen.
Now, onto the price tag. Grainger's cost is $40 million, $30 million of which is coming from private donors ($20 million of that from one unnamed individual) and $10 million from the state. The new housing project will be $34.9 million, which is to come from project money-how much is donated and how much comes from the State or tuition is unclear. At first glance, it's easy to think taxpayers' money is being tossed around, or ask why the Board of Regents is so willing to spend money they don't have. Ten million dollars may be minor in contrast to the total university budget, but it's hardly pocket change. In the first six years, about one-third of project costs will come out of taxpayer money. If Wiley's telling the truth, and a majority of project funding comes from sources other than the state, it becomes a far more palatable proposition. If all funding could come from outside sources, however, it would be preferred. The skyrocketing tuition rates of the last decade cannot be ignored while \sprucing up campus"" and even if the money taken from the taxpayers is minimal, it is still $10 million that could otherwise go to scholarships and financial aid. As seen by Grainger and the Pyle center, as well as the $20 million individual donation towards the proposed expansion, the generosity of business graduates cannot be doubted. Perhaps another $10 million can be found from them, rather than the state.
The university will need to be watched as more of the East Campus Plan is implemented and costs mount and construction overtakes the area. Cost overruns on these projects must be monitored to ensure minimal impact on tuition, and the construction schedules must be coordinated to guarantee there is no housing shortfall for students or services.
Jessica Rane Gartner is a senior majoring in political science. She can be reached at opinion@dailycardinal.com.
