By Cassie Craddock
Above is a wide view of our Arena Auditorium as it is today, at the end of the season we can say goodbye to this view.
Where’s the University’s money going? More importantly, where should it be going?
The renovations on the Arena Auditorium are beginning at the conclusion of this season. $20 million out of Wyoming’s budget has been allocated to this project and the athletics department couldn’t be happier. This is a huge purchase for a university that spent the last year reducing faculty and staff through attrition and getting rid of positions as faculty left the university. Is there a better way that the university could use this money?
The privately donated money is not as concerning since alumni and fans have been donating specifically to athletic causes for years. The matched $20 million in state funds is what should have been reconsidered for different use.
This different but vital use is something that has been overlooked by the state and private donors. The most important part of a university—its academic workers. This is what makes people commit to attending a university, which brings in revenue through tuition and other expenses. Not every student is an athlete or a fan of athletics, there are many who may never even attend a game, it’s important for the university to stop overlooking the faculty.
Last year the University of Wyoming eliminated 54 faculty positions in order to meet federal budget cuts. There was $20 million in Wyoming’s budget to invest in a basketball arena, but no money to save the disappearing faculty positions? That doesn’t make sense. The university, while popular for its athletic program, should always have a main priority of education.
To be fair, the beloved Arena Auditorium has not received any major renovations since 1982 when it was built. But does that mean that we have to give it a complete make-over all at once?
In professional sports, many teams threaten to leave cities if their stadiums are not renovated on a consistent basis. The UW athletics programs do not have the luxury of threatening relocation, so where is the bargaining power?
Oh right, it is pounded into our heads that the fan experience will be much better after renovations. I doubt many fans are allowed to step into the brand new locker rooms, go onto the lifted court, or work out in the new strength and conditioning facility. And while a 22-foot statue of Jenny Sailors may teach students some history about the university, I doubt it is helping anyone graduate.
Once again, the money gifted from Maury Brown and other donors is not the issue. It is the matched $20 million from the state that we, as an academic institution, need to focus on.
Why does the state need to be providing funds for this new arena?
The new Arena Auditorium will most likely never pay for itself. While it may increase profits due to its initial appeal to students and fans, it is doubtful that a new facility will increase the number of attendees of games after the first year. This means that revenues will plateau quickly and the initial increase will not be enough to pay for the new facility.
The athletic department, like many others across the country, does not have to disclose its balances as honestly as other establishments. Expenses, revenues and even profits can be altered due to the different ways to claim this money. They are able to keep their true bottom line a secret and get a new training facility without spending any of their own money. Advancing athletic excellence has never been smarter.
It would be smarter to use funds raised through donations from the Cowboys and Cowgirls fans to make smaller renovations on the facility over a longer period of time, and for the university to save the state money for more academic use, like supporting its faculty and staff. We can support the faculty and athletes at the same time; it just takes a little compromise.
Despite the goal of generating “support among the university’s alumni, friends, corporate partners, and foundation donors”, the main priority of any university should be maximizing its resources on the education side. We shouldn’t be building a new Arena Auditorium while we are laying off faculty and staff with jobs centered in education. After all, even student-athletes are students first.
Assets:
Maury Brown Court
22-foot statue of Kenny Sailors
Glass entryway
New ticket booths
New concession areas
Upgrades to pavilions
New tunnel for disabled to get to courtside seating
New seating
Upgrade locker rooms
Provide strength and conditioning center
HD video and ribbon boards
State-of-the-art lighting and sound systems
Capital: State and private funding
Balance of income and expenditure over the preceding period:
Revenue: $2,689,767
Expenses: $1,758,177
Profit: $931,590
Margin: 34.6%
