Desired Outcomes for the John E Jaqua Academic Center for Student Athletes

Caitlin H.

January 12, 2010 - 8:30 AM

I have already voiced my disappointment in the outcomes from the development of the John Jaqua Center. In summary, I find the following points most troubling:

1. The development of this east campus area is not an accessible space for the majority of students and faculty at the University of Oregon. In an effort to maintain the strong sense of community and small campus feel, I wish the location could have been used to serve the entire University population daily for academic or student life purposes. Simply stated, I wish the new John E Jaqua Center (and the new Matthew Knight Arena) could have been located somewhere else.

2. Due to the building's location near the main ‘entrance' to campus, (Agate street is the most common entrance to campus for visitors to the University) I wish it were designed with a look and feel that captures the rest of campus. I'm pro innovative change within the University, and I don't wish to disrespect the architect or design team. But when I look at that building, I see nothing that ties it to the rest of the University community. It feels distant and unattainable. Too me the building speaks of segregating student athletes from the rest of the University community.

That said, I think it is unfair of me to voice disapproval without also voicing some desired solutions, outcomes, or alternatives. While I don't expect my opinions to be easily attainable options that were clear "right" answers all along, I hope my thoughts can be platforms to launch discussion and debate about the issue. I hope the community, alumni, donors, students, and faculty can openly talk more about this topic and the future of the University of Oregon.

So what do I wish would have happened? In an ideal world, the property where the Matthew Knight Arena and the new student athlete academic center would have been located somewhere else. Both buildings service such a small percentage of the student population on a regular basis, it seems strange to locate them in an area so close to the heart of campus. Certainly, lots of students will attend basketball games in the new arena, or volleyball games, but the number of hours or even months out of the year that the majority of students use the facilities are so few. Because of the location to the rest of campus, I wish the area were developed with facilities that were used more frequently by a higher percentage of the student population. At the risk of sounding like I want to segregate student athletes and distance them from the rest of campus, I strongly wish the new academic center and arena were farther away. Since student athletes receive preferential parking close to the new academic center anyway, it seems reasonable to allow them to drive a longer distance from the heart of campus. I love watching my Ducks compete in athletics, and I love and respect my friends who are student athletes; I don't wish to send them away and separate them from the main campus area. However, I have a stronger desire for the University to develop in ways that is most beneficial to the entire community. If we put academic buildings and residence halls farther and farther away from the heart of campus, we lose something more valuable than we can put a price tag on from donors. We lose a sense of place and community around campus. We become a commuter campus area with students driving to and from their classes. As a student I would be willing to travel a significant distance to a basketball arena to watch games a few times throughout the year. If I were living in a university community that was distant, disconnected, and didn't have a strong sense of community, I would transfer to another school. In fact, I have already done that. The very reasons I came to the University of Oregon are the very things the University threatens to lose throughout future development.

Now I can't change it. The John E Jaqua Academic Center is already here and the Matthew Knight arena is on its way. There is no turning back the clock. So what can be done to move forward?

At present, the first floor of the new student athlete academic center is open to the public. I understand there may be a lecture hall located on the first floor as well that will host lectures for the campus community. A great start to be sure! But...it is not enough yet. When one considers the area in terms of square footage under scrutiny here and then considers the number of students who will use that area on a daily basis, we find that just a few students are taking up a rather large area. To be equitable, it is my belief that the density of students using campus facilities should be more evenly dispersed. I'm looking for ways to make this area more usable to a higher percentage of the student population.

Have we considered moving other offices over to this east campus area? Perhaps the career center or some student organizations. Have we considered moving Academic Learning Services into the new student athlete academic center? With the development of the Matthew Knight Arena have there been discussions about additional ways the community could use this space? Will it regularly host campus speakers, presentations for students, etc? Or will activities in addition to athletic events be far and few between? These new facilities came at such a generous contribution from donors I'm hesitant to suggest changes. I am unsure of the ability to adjust the use of the facilities under the terms of the gifts. But I hope people out there have thoughts.

If you have additional thoughts on how this area of campus could be used or should be used, please, leave some comments here. Feel free to agree or disagree with my own thoughts.