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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 20, 2005)
Housing: Officials dispute fairness and relevance of University policies Continued from page la housing money and have been managed by the housing depart ment for decades. Rich Linton, group chair and Uni versity vice president for research and graduate studies, said the group has many tasks, most of which center around issues pertaining to financial management and obeying planning guidelines set out in the east campus development plan, a collaborative plan on which the University and the area’s Administration Dan Williams said con tributes to his view that some of the re port’s characterizations were “tremen dously unfair and quite biased.” “The implication is that somehow we put the housing department in an (unfair) financial situation by do ing things that were irresponsible, and I don’t believe that,” Williams said. “Painting the picture somehow that the housing department has been victimized over the years by University policy is simply not fair — Danifi le Hickey | Photo editor Carson Hall was hailed as an innovative approach to student housing when constructed in 1949. University officials have put renovating the residence halls on its fundraising list. neighborhood association agreed. Linton said after the east campus plan was drafted, it became appar ent the properties in the neighbor hood would be used for purposes other than just student housing. “A logical next step, at least one component of it, is to work on the particular issues with regard to prop erties in that east campus neighbor hood environment and to work to ward some recommended policies with the governance and mainte nance and so on of the properties in that neighborhood,” Linton said. University Housing Director and Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Mike Eyster serves on the group and said the spirit of col laboration that’s evident in the group’s work is a sign they will reach polices that are fair to everyone involved. Eyster said his biggest concern hinges on modernizing the residence halls. He said such projects may re quire financial compensation for prop erties purchased with student housing money because of a need for fairness when funding projects and because of land acquisitions meant to benefit the entire University. Vice President for Student Affairs Anne Leavitt oversees the housing department and said the past and present financial problems are not totally relevant to the issue of mod ernizing the residence halls. “Housing is trying to get the insti tution’s attention about a real im perative — the need to improve our housing stock,” Leavitt said. Professional suggestions The financial problems and admin istrative policies that past and present University Housing officials say have plagued housing and hindered the res idence halls’ improvement were dis cussed extensively in an assessment from a private firm in 2000. Greg Strickler and Linda Ander son, financial consultants from Maryland, produced a “Vision As sessment for Student Housing,” a detailed report on the current state of University Housing and its out look for the future. The report admonished the Univer sity for using housing as its “real-estate acquisition arm,” some thing University Vice President for Oregon Daily Emerald. A campus tradition - over 100 years of publication, or accurate.” The report detailed the array of non-housing related projects stu dent housing money has been used for over the years, such as the construction of tennis courts and the purchase of land that the Riverfront Research Park now occu pies. It stressed the need for mone tary compensation if the land pur chased with housing funds is used for other purposes. “There is little dispute that the OUS can, at the request of the Uni versity of Oregon, rededicate land to another use,” the report reads. “The more important issue is that this rededication has been done without reimbursement to Housing for the purchase price plus a reasonable rate of return.” Leavitt and Williams said the as sessment seemed to base its observa tions on erroneous assumptions in volving land repayment requirements within the Oregon University System. Williams said he does not want to Danielle Hickey | Photo editor Construction of the Living Learning Center, on property not purchased by University Housing, began in August 2004. The center is expected to open in fall 2006. dismiss the report off-hand but stressed that one must keep in mind that University Housing hired Strickler and Anderson to write the assessment. “I can understand why they would write a report like that; some Leavitt said. Leavitt and Linton both pointed out that the new Living Learning Center is being constructed on property that University Housing did not purchase. financial problems with University Housing are a question of resources that involves the University helping housing improve the conditions of residence halls. “The question is, ‘How can the of it is very valuable,” Williams said. “On the other hand, the hous ing department is their client; they were trying to make the best case for their client, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But... I don’t sub scribe to everything that’s in that re port from my point of view. ” Former University Housing Direc tor Marge Ramey defended the re port, as did Eyster, who said he has worked as a consultant before and knows it’s difficult to report thai something exists if it in fact does not “If somebody wants me to write something that doesn’t seem right to me, I don’t do it,” Eyster said “And I don’t think these people dc it. Their reputation is too importani to them.” Calls to Strickler and Andersor were not returned. Working for fairness The University’s legal counsel has since ruled that the monetary compen sation suggested in the report is not c legal obligation, and the East Campu: Task Group is looking at the best wa\ to determine if compensation is neces sary for certain properties. The group is comprised of nin< University officials charged with tht task of smoothing the transition o property management in the eas campus neighborhood from Univer sity Housing to a to-be-determined area of the University. Linton said the committee com prises representatives from differen areas on campus because the dutie with which they are charged involv< a plethora of things to consider. “No particular vice president’: role encompasses all of thos< things, so we’re just trying to pu together a group that reflects th« diversity of operations and, if yoi will, University stake-holders, Linton said. Leavitt, who serves on the tasl group, said issues regarding thi need to update the residence hall are more a question of resource: than of fairness. She said adminis trative policies toward the housinj department are not something tha should be scrutinized when lookinj at ways to fund renovations. “(University Housing) needfs help from the University in financia management of (renovations), jus like the University needs help fron housing when they need property,’ Eyster said resources are a major part of the questions surrounding policies but said fairness and priori ties also play a big part. He said he considers himself a steward of stu dent housing money and said he feels it’s part of his job to point to incidents in which the money could be put to better use. “(Students living in the residence halls) think they’re paying for room and board, but really, they’re paying for something that doesn’t have anything to do with their housing,” Eyster said. Eyster said the collaborative effort evident in the task group’s work is a signal that fair agreements will be reached, adding that updating the residence halls was recently placed on the projects list for Campaign Oregon, the University of Oregon’s $600 million fundraising campaign, i Eyster said the administration seems very attuned to the need for i updated residence halls and is tak ! ing the preliminary steps to ensure enterprise help housing with what needs to happen?’” Leavitt said. “That’s much more important than what dollar paid for what land pur chased 20 years ago.” Linton said the group is faced with a big task in determining the future of property in the east cam pus neighborhood because it is im possible to determine the Universi ty’s exact needs. “It’s very much a guessing game in some respects,” Linton said. The group is “just trying to be as careful as we can about good stewardship for the neighborhood and building on housing’s commitments to that over the years and in this transition al time trying to make sure we move ahead appropriately.” He expects the group to have a series of recommendations to give to University President Dave Frohn mayer by the end of the term. Leavitt said worrying about monetary compensation for proper ties purchased with student housing fees is not something the group is - I Danielle Hickey | Photo editor The University Housing office is located in the Walton complex on 15th Avenue. University " officials disagree over the fairness of policy toward the housing department. such updates are prioritized; he said he just wants to make sure the spirit of fairness and good steward ship of student housing money is preserved. Eyster said the financial problems plaguing both the housing depart ment and the University may mean compensation for past land pur chases is necessary. Leavitt reiterated that the overly concerned with because the University’s legal counsel has al ready established criteria for when compensation is needed. She said talk of policies’ fairness and the 2000 financial assessment spawned from misconceptions surrounding the legality of land rededication and repayment plans. “Housing is not some private business located in the Eugene Springfield area doing business with the University — housing is the Uni versity,” Leavitt said. Former University Housing Direc tor H.P. Barnhart, who worked in housing from 1949-1979, said the internal workings of the University have changed drastically since he left. He said compensation for land purchased with student housing money then converted to other uses seems fair, but it all depends on what the University’s hierarchy of power feels the need do. “If the hierarchy in the University decided they’re going to do some thing else, then (housing will) be stuck,” Barnhart said. University Planning Director and Architect Chris Ramey serves on the East Campus Task Group and said his job is to make sure the plans for management in the east campus neighborhood coincide with the University’s east campus development plan. He said “whether or not housing is getting screwed financially” is really not any of the planning department’s business, but he added that his mother, the former housing director, would probably be “the cheerleader for that group.” meghanncaniff@dailyemerald.com
