[Update: Jared and Dave over at Addicted to Quack tackle this column in a more abbreviated fashion. Here's the link.]

Jay, here.

There’s an ongoing debate in my family: can an opinion be wrong?

I say, “Yes. It can.”

As an example, I point to Steve Duin’s column in today’s The Oregonian, “At UO, arena seats trump freshman beds”.

Because it’s just plain wrong.

If you haven’t read it, now might be a good time. Although, the manner in which I am going to approach this may not necessitate the reading of the column. Actually, it might discourage you from reading it, or any of Mr. Duin’s columns in the future.

In case you chose not to read the column, here’s the bottom-line: Mr. Duin asserts that the construction of a new basketball arena at the University of Oregon will leave 800 incoming freshman homeless.

Typically, I try to avoid writing entries like a rebuttal in a round of debate. But in some cases, and I think this is one of them, a point-by-point approach is a no-brainer.

Before we dive right in to Mr. Duin’s column, I want it to be very clear that I’m not defending the University of Oregon on this particular issue with a knee-jerk reaction. Instead, all I want to do is look at Mr. Duin’s column in light of the facts stated in several recent articles reporting on Oregon’s housing situation, and see how his opinion matches up against the facts.

That’s all.

So, here we go.

Steve Duin:

At the same time the University of Oregon is plowing $245 million into a new basketball arena and its underground parking garage, the university has informed 800 incoming freshmen that it can’t find or afford housing for them on campus.

Jay:

Right from the get-go, Mr. Duin has it wrong. Let’s take a look at The Register-Guard’s “UO makes more room for new arrivals” from May 23, 2008:

Incoming University of Oregon freshmen desperate for on-campus housing won’t have to crash in dormitory closets or laundry rooms this fall.

Mr. Duin is doing something more here than just getting it wrong, he’s setting up a choice between two options that are not in competition with each other. Did officials at the UO sit down and have to choose between either building a new basketball arena or more dorms? I don’t think so. And as we’ll see, the UO is actually doing both.

Mr. Duin:

Does anyone else find that painfully ironic . . . I mean, other than the freshmen who’ve been told there’s no room at the residence hall?

Jay:

Actually, it’s not ironic. Not even painfully ironic. Because the situation Mr. Duin asserts doesn’t exist. Does a student housing shortage exist on campus? Yes.

But UO officials have been forced to get creative in trying to accommodate a record number of new students in search of suitable living quarters. - The Register-Guard, May 23, 2008

And UO officials aren’t the only ones getting creative around campus. In this morning’s The Register-Guard, Diane Dietz writes about this very issue in “UO students fuel rental boom”.

While the pace of residential construction is generally sluggish this spring, the neighborhood on the University of Oregon’s west flank is undergoing rapid gentrification block by block by block. - The Register-Guard, May 27, 2008

And the construction sector is not the only private sector to respond to this situation:

But UO housing officials believe they may have solved that problem by taking the unprecedented step of brokering a deal with an Autzen Stadium-area apartment complex to guarantee rooms for incoming students. - The Register-Guard, May 23, 2008

Where Mr. Duin sees a problem, I see a need, and an opportunity. And the private sector has responded. And I would much rather see money headed in the direction of private hands than the public coffers. What would housing look like on campus if it were privatized? My guess, a lot better.

But if part of Mr. Duin’s solution to the housing shortage on campus is to build more units on campus, that actually could have a negative impact on that very same private sector, as noted in The Register-Guard’s “UO aspires to modernize most on-campus housing” from 2007.

Corey Dingman, a commercial real estate appraiser with Duncan & Brown, said a boost in attractive on-campus housing could dampen that renovation.

“It could definitely have an impact,” he said. “If the university were to build new units and take people out of that market, it would probably slow down the redevelopment of private units near campus.”

The UO also could be criticized for using public resources to compete unfairly with the private sector. But when the university sold Westmoreland, it put 404 units back into the private sector rent pool, and enrollment growth will offset some of the lost renters.

Mr. Duin:

University President Dave Frohnmayer has long argued that the spirited campaign for new athletic facilities will not jeopardize the university’s ability to “meet the needs of students in the twenty-first century.”

And that, 800 freshmen just discovered, is patently ridiculous.

Jay:

Again, Mr. Duin has it wrong. And that’s kind of ridiculous. The UO is taking steps to meet those needs.

Part of the university’s plan calls for packing 3,800 students into campus residence halls. That’s about 200 more than lived in the dorms at the start of the 2007-08 school year. Officials will accomplish this feat by putting two people into rooms that were previously singles.

Hundreds of additional beds are also needed for other incoming students. - The Register-Guard, May 23, 2008

Are these ideal solutions to this problem? No. But is the UO abdicating their responsibility to meet students’ needs? I don’t think so.

“We feel that it is our responsibility to help (new students) as much as we can,” said Robin Holmes, university student affairs vice president.

“It’s a good problem to have, but it is a challenge,” she said.

- The Register-Guard, May 23, 2008

As Holmes notes, this is a good problem to have. This means there will be more incoming freshman next year, and more of them want to live on campus. But UO officials anticipated this problem.

UO officials figured they would have to hunt for additional space after receiving 5,200 applications from students who applied for on-campus housing by March 31 — a priority deadline that guaranteed them a room.

Holmes said about 1,400 of those would-be newcomers later canceled their reservation, which led university officials to conclude that they could probably stuff all early-bird applicants into campus residence halls.

Their focus then shifted to finding rooms for about 700 students who filed housing applications after March 31.- The Register-Guard, May 23, 2008

All of this also means more money.

Mr. Duin:

Frohnmayer and his money man, Nike’s Phil Knight, consider the need for the new arena so urgent that they bulldogged the Legislature into authorizing $200 million in state bonds to finance the project, which is due to replace Mac Court in 2010.

UO has not been similarly motivated to borrow $200 million for new dorms, even though the freshmen’s need for on-campus housing is demonstrably more dramatic than that of the Duck basketball team.

Look, I’m not going to get into the basketball financing issue here. Phil Knight’s gift was contingent on legislative approval of state bonds. No bonds, no gift. No arena. But I would like to point out the fact that Phil Knight’s money was not intended for new dorms. It was meant for a new basketball arena, to replace an arena that is much older than any dorm on campus.

While the UO may not have moved on borrowing money for new dorms up until this point, that is actually a part of a 10-year plan.

An ambitious student housing plan for the University of Oregon would replace two-thirds of the existing on-campus residence halls and renovate most of the rest in an effort to modernize an out-of-date housing stock and persuade more students to live on campus.

The plan would be phased in over 10 years and would result in a net increase of more than 1,500 beds. Financing options still are under consideration, but much of the work probably would be funded with state bonds repaid from the rent charged to students; the first phase is expected to cost between $40 million and $60 million.

I’m not trying to defend the housing at the UO. Between sports and academic camps, I’ve spent many a night in UO dorm rooms (my last being Boys State). And they are not great. Actually, they’re pretty bad. Unfortunately, though, most on-campus housing at colleges and universities isn’t great. But at least there is a plan to modernize the facilities at the UO. While it may not $200 million, it’s probably going to be close.

Mr. Duin:

Thus, 21 percent of next year’s 3,800 incoming freshmen have been put on a waiting list or flat out told to start looking for off-campus apartments. “No doubt,” Robin Holmes, vice president for student affairs said in an e-mail to those students, this has “created some anxiety.”

Jay:

I’m sure this has created some anxiety. But it’s a situation the UO seems to be responding to.

Holmes said UO officials were able to strike a deal with Stadium Park — an apartment complex located more than one mile from campus off Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard — to basically turn it into an off-campus residence hall for freshmen this fall. About 500 beds should be available there. - The Register-Guard, May 23, 2008

Again, not ideal (except for football and baseball games). But it will be a residence hall. And I’m sure it will be run like a residence hall.

Mr. Duin:

You think? “We’ve been a wreck about this,” said Tamara Mackie, whose son, Adam, has been left high and dry. “As parents, we have no idea what we’re going to do. He’s too young for this. They should be on campus. They should be in a dorm.”

Most universities require freshmen to live in dorms on campus because those arrangements facilitate the community building process.

Many of these kids are living on their own for the first time. When they’re in the residence halls, it’s easier to meet people and get emotional and logistical support. Because it’s a shorter walk to class, especially in Oregon’s monsoon season, transportation is much less of a hassle.

Jay:

Even though an apartment situation will not be a traditional dorm, the UO will be involved.

“It’s not a better alternative to (living) on-campus,” Holmes said. “But what’s good about it is that we will be involved.”

The university’s conduct code will apply at Stadium Park, and UO staff members will live on-site and make roommate assignments. - The Register-Guard, May 23, 2008

I understand parents’ concerns. For my Freshman year, I lived in a closet. By myself. In a residence hall full of single rooms for juniors and seniors. Not a good experience. Although, I was on campus.

But these students are going to be in the same situation with 500 other students. And I’m sure they are not going to be spending all of their time on their own, in their room. If I remember college correctly, I spent a fair amount of time studying in places other than my room, and hanging out with friends at their places.

Mr. Duin:

Bill Harbaugh, an economics professor at UO and a vocal critic of its budget priorities, notes, “The dorms at Oregon are incredibly bad. It’s frightening how small the rooms are.” Last year, the school announced a plan to replace two-thirds of those units with a net increase of 1,500 on-campus beds, but that transformation will take 10 years.

The spanking new basketball arena opens in 29 months.

Jay:

Yes. We know the dorm rooms are bad. Are Professor Harbaugh and Professor Earle the only go-to guys for criticizing the UO? Seems that way. Anyway…

Again, Mr. Duin has juxtaposed two options that are not in competition with each other.

Let’s say Mr. Duin is right. And the UO should get new dorms, more dorms in 29 months to match the construction of the new basketball arena.

What are you going to do with the displaced students, Mr. Duin? For the basketball arena, no one is getting displaced. And if you’ve ever been through a remodel or renovation of your home, you know what I’m talking about: it’s a pain and displaces you from your home and daily routine. What would it do to students?

Sure, the UO could build more dorms. But will there be a long term need for those dorms? That’s in doubt.

University officials expect the housing crunch to continue for one more year, before a projected decrease in high school graduates nationwide results in a declining number of incoming freshmen. - The Register-Guard, May 23, 2008

While building a whole bunch of new dorms right now might seem like a good idea, those very same dorms might be empty in a few years.

Mr. Duin:

Although Oregon houses a relatively low percentage of its undergrads on campus, it admitted an extra 400 freshmen in the fall. “It’s funny that they would accept so many kids and not have housing for them,” said Steve Beyrle, whose son, Spencer, is on the waiting list. “My wife had to go down and look for apartments. She has to go back down again in another week. I don’t know how kids do it from out of state.”

Had he been warned he would not be able to live on campus, Adam Mackie said, “It would have played a big role in whether I would have gone there or not.”

Jay:

No, the UO had housing for the incoming freshmen who applied for housing before the priority deadline that guaranteed them a spot. What they didn’t have covered, and are working on a solution for, are those students who applied after the deadline for housing.

UO officials figured they would have to hunt for additional space after receiving 5,200 applications from students who applied for on-campus housing by March 31 — a priority deadline that guaranteed them a room.

Holmes said about 1,400 of those would-be newcomers later canceled their reservation, which led university officials to conclude that they could probably stuff all early-bird applicants into campus residence halls.

Their focus then shifted to finding rooms for about 700 students who filed housing applications after March 31. - The Register-Guard, May 23, 2008

While a difficult situation, there is a possible upside to this situation.

The high number of freshmen entering the UO this fall will also impact the classroom.

Holmes said university officials plan to add first-year courses commonly taken by freshmen, which could lead to the hiring of additional instructors. - The Register-Guard, May 23, 2008

Here we go. Now we get to the heart of the matter.

Mr. Duin:

But right now UO isn’t into full disclosure. In a January letter to the Legislature, Frohnmayer insisted “academic buildings, not athletic facilities, have been our major priority for the last decade.” Of the $480 million in completed or developing projects, he wrote, “more than 75 percent has been for facilities that enhance the academic mission.”

But Frohnmayer playfully didn’t include the new arena, which may open before a few of those academic marvels. Toss in that $245 million and Oregon will soon be devoting half of its construction budget to its pampered athletes and boosters . . . and adding another 800 freshman to the ranks of the homeless in Eugene.

Jay:

Here’s what’s bothering Mr. Duin: he believes the University of Oregon has a complete disdain for public records law.

For the purposes of this blog entry, I don’t know and I don’t care.

So, here’s what’s bothering me: Mr. Duin’s complete disdain for the facts as they present themselves.

800 homeless freshman?

Obviously, Mr. Duin wouldn’t let a few pesky little facts get in the way good hit opinion piece targeted at the UO.

A housing shortage at the UO is actually a good thing for the local economy. More, better accommodations are going up off-campus. And privately-owned units will be rented to accommodate new students. Those are not bad things.

But as I have stated on several previous occasions, I am not a journalist. I only play one on the internet.

So, Mr. Duin, where do you play one?

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