Safety, noise and the administration’s priorities were the hottest issues at a forum Tuesday night in which students had their first major opportunity to weigh in on the basketball arena project.
Even though only three of about 100 students explicitly said they were against the project and many who spoke said they like the idea of a new arena, dozens of others said they were seriously concerned about the 350,000 square foot building being erected roughly 30 yards east of the Hamilton residence hall.

“I think its great they’re out here,” University student and Residence Hall Assistant Derek Schmidt said. “But I think they’re still going to move on with their project, it’s going to be built and there’s not much we the students can really do about it … Especially in terms of security, I personally don’t feel satisfied with what he said.”
“I’m honestly worried about the University’s priorities in terms of being in this environment and working very strongly on a $200 million project (for athletics),” said Emma Kallaway, University student and Residential FIG Assistant and member of the ASUO’s executive board.
The Residence Hall Association has been pushing for a public forum with the administration since June. At one of their summer meetings, they drafted a two-page letter highlighting their qualms with the project. Some of them include:
? Noise levels of spectators coming and going from the arena and during construction of the project.
? Increased foot traffic through residential common spaces, outdoor gathering areas and pathways. Part of the conceptual drawings for the arena show a walkway between Hamilton and Bean residence halls that begins in a re-landscaped – and flat – Humpy Lumpy Lawn.
? Displacement and increased use of parking and infrastructure systems, including garbage and bike paths.
? Decreased safety because of non-residents’ access to the residence halls.
? Increased crowding at residence hall dining facilities because they will be cheaper than arena concession stands.
“Even though most students really do want an arena, we want it done in a way that supports the residents at the same time,” RHA President Keith Bassett said.
Frohnmayer and Kilkenny at times seemed flustered at the brusqueness of some of the questions. Among their responses:
? The arena will be an insulated building that won’t leak noise like McArthur Court.
? There is already significant foot traffic throughout the University during sporting events at Mac Court and Autzen and this wouldn’t be much different. Also, entry into the arena will most likely be on the side facing away from campus.
? The University will have more security around the arena during events, and many types of overt crimes occur less often in more crowded areas.
? Two new parking lots near the arena could create as many as 650 additional spaces. Parking for the arena “will be something we’ll be continuously adjusting until we find the optimal solution,” Frohnmayer said.
? The University of Oregon is one of the few schools in the nation that has an athletic department that doesn’t receive money from the academic budget, and this project shouldn’t be a burden on academic endeavors.
“It’s clear that there’s a lot of curiosity,” Frohnmayer said, adding that he wasn’t surprised by students’ concerns.
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