Steve Prefontaine was a legendary track star and University student, but now he’s more than that. At the new John E. Jaqua Academic Center for Student-athletes, he’s also a chicken caesar wrap.
The three-story glass cube that sits on the corner of East 13th Avenue and Agate Street near Oregon Hall and the Hamilton Complex is home to the cafe, called Camp 13, which serves sandwiches, mini pizzas and wraps named after the most legendary student-athletes at the University.
Stephen Stolp, the executive director of support services for student-athletes at the University, recommends the Aaron Brooks, a ham, swiss and spinach croissant.
In what Stolp calls the “Taj Mahal of academic facilities,” classroom walls double as dry erase writing surfaces, student-athletes can adjust the lighting in study rooms so that the hallway view is obscured for maximum privacy, and a huge screen in the lobby lets the athletes know where, what time and with which tutor they are studying when they come in for scheduled study hall.
It’s certainly a step up from the old student-athlete facility near Autzen Stadium, according to University student and football team tight end Sam Doman, who is now an athlete tutor.
At the old building, “we’d have to share a cubicle with another tutor and student,” Doman said. “And the printers didn’t work. It wasn’t accommodating.”
Now, students will be able to study with tutors in separate rooms with no noise distractions and plenty of natural light streaming in. Doman said that even when students aren’t scheduled for tutoring and study hall, he suspects they’ll want to spend all their free
time here.
Doman said students will love the “new feel” of the modern technology and furniture, and they’ll grow to appreciate the “privacy, open air and light.”
Student-athletes may also find inspiration in the many reminders of students who balanced athletics and academics and came out on top in both: names are engraved and painted on the walls, the floors and even the mirrors.
“There’s a lot of umbrage to the past,” Stolp said.
Eugene Sandoval, a design partner at the Portland-based architecture firm Zimmer Gunsul Frasca, headed the design team for the center. Before he and his partners began designing, he traveled to universities all over the country to draw inspiration. He found that “the more astute the university, as far as academic prowess and achievement, the more their buildings are a representation of our culture.”
The buildings he drew the most inspiration from, including Yale University’s main library, were the buildings that were most conducive to American students’ study habits. The result? “The most advanced learning center in Oregon, if not the whole country.”
Despite the fact that the building is one of the most accommodating on campus, in Stolp’s opinion, he admitted that it can only do so much to encourage good academic performance among athletes. A mirrored surface at the center’s entrance reads, “This building is not hallowed ground. It is a challenge.”
Stolp agreed.
“The building by itself is not going to graduate student-athletes,” Stolp said. “They have to find outside interests to keep them motivated. It’s part of their job.”
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