I commend the Daily Emerald editorial board for its Nov. 13 editorial, “Backward building vs. forward thinking.”
This editorial described the importance of delaying the Riverfront Research Park Development until students are included in the planning decision making process. The south bank of the Willamette River is a pristine piece of property, and the Riverfront Research Park’s development should include the campus community.
This can be done by incorporating the Campus Planning Committee on the development process. Instead of utilizing the community in a participatory manner, the current development proposal came solely out of Johnson Hall. The editorial board accurately expressed the importance of protecting this greenway: “The idea of keeping an open passage to the river and having a responsibly built civic space is as appealing as this opaque process is distressing.”
However, the editorial mischaracterized the Campus Planning Committee by claiming it only consisted of two students. There are five ASUO Executive-appointed students on the committee, and these students have full voting rights. The Campus Planning Committee, like all ASUO-appointed Student Facility Committees, provides an excellent opportunity for students to participate with facility, classified staff, administrators and community members in making decisions affecting our University. They serve an integral part of the campus governance process.
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Riverfront Research Park development needs student input
Daily Emerald
November 15, 2009
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