About a week ago the university announced that Camp Randall stadium renovations were going to be \back on track"" after a $10 million donation from two brothers. Of the $10 million, $6 million will go to funding the renovations while the remaining $4 million will go to still-to-be-determined academic funds.
As a student I feel in the minority when I voice dissent in the face of this farce of a donation. Not only can the Camp Randall renovation project remain on the back burner of UW's fund-stove, but the planned renovations won't even be adding much to the structural integrity or aesthetic appeal of the stadium. Officially, the renovations are claiming ""to address safety concerns, failing infrastructure, a need for improved customer service and accessibility issues."" Unofficially, the renovation funds will be for luxury suites, club seats and premium seats. The announced cutbacks on the scope of the renovations even include a part on how hopes of renovating the ramps will be scrapped due to budget cuts.
But wait a minute'aren't the renovations officially going to be for improving accessibility? Well, yes, if you are a very wealthy individual or in a group of somewhat wealthy individuals, you will in fact have improved access to the luxury suites, club seats and premium seats which will be going for between $1,500-$49,000.
Glaring hypocrisies aside, the $10 million renovation will cause more problems than it will solve. The UW athletic department is already planning for budget cuts so it can have a reserve amount of cash lying around when the luxury suites do not sell out. By the way, the luxury suites will not sell out. Let's face it'if you have the kind of money to be shelling out for a luxury suite, would you want to watch a mediocre, at best, football team lose at home?
The planned renovations are aimed at improving Camp Randall so that at least in the eyes of big money alum, UW is on par with schools like the University of Michigan, UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke. All have incredible academics as well as superior athletic facilities. For UW to truly compare with these schools the money needs to be spent on academic facilities, not stadium renovations designed to turn the eyes of wealth away from the decrepit football squad on the field.
The original hopes of the stadium being renovated were to make the game atmosphere a more enjoyable experience for families, students and everyone in between. Instead, what UW officials are going ahead with is a quick-fix solution designed to glamorize UW's public image. People that do not go to this school see one aspect of it. Once or twice a year, Camp Randall is on national television when teams like Penn State comes to town and people watch us lose. What people watching their televisions will get is a false image of how ""new and shiny"" Camp Randall looks. What the students will get is a bitter taste in their mouths when they realize $6 million in donations do not a football team make.
