2008 Woodie Awards
Arena needs Rose-y fix
Facility inadequate compared to comparable events centers
By: David Harris
Issue date: 11/12/07 Section: Voices
- Page 1 of 1
The CMU Board of Trustees will face a no-win situation at its meeting Dec. 6.
At the meeting, the trustees will have to decide the fate of Rose Arena.
They will vote whether to approve expansive renovations to Rose.
No matter how they vote, there will be controversy.
If they approve the renovations, all of academia will be up in arms because the CMU Athletic Department is spending $20 million while tuition keeps going up. If it is rejected, Athletics would feel at a disadvantage because of the current Rose Arena's problems.
But a renovation needs to be completed. Rose Arena, simply put, is ugly.
It's dark, you have to go out of the arena to go to the bathroom and it doesn't look like a college facility.
Go to Eastern Michigan or Northern Illinois and their convocation centers and you will see right away how inadequate Rose Arena is. They look like big-time college facilities.
Any recruit going in is going to laugh at Rose Arena, especially if he or she is being recruited by EMU or NIU.
CMU has great facilities such as the Indoor Athletic Complex. A renovated Rose would be another recruiting tool.
Rose Arena is second-rate. But that doesn't mean it can't be improved.
Athletics Director Dave Heeke's eyes light up when he talks about it. He wants it to be the best college basketball facility in Michigan.
He envisions an all-glass entrance with concessions and bathrooms inside the arena. There also would be a practice court.
A renovated Rose could not only be a benefit to Athletics, but a benefit to the whole campus as well.
It could be a major attraction for concerts and the like.
But most importantly, it would be a great place to watch a college basketball game.
It could have the right on top of the game atmosphere Rose Arena has now. Renovations could add class to the arena.
It would be a point of pride on campus.
CMU doesn't need a huge convocation center. That idea was tossed around a couple of years back.
The facility would have been in a separate location. It would have cost about $60 million. But that wouldn't be feasible.
A renovated Rose is the right thing to do, and Athletics officials are pursuing that route.
Either way, it will be interesting to see what happens on Dec. 6.
Athletics will argue the renovation is needed. Opponents will argue nothing in athletics is "needed," especially in today's society.
As much as people hate to admit it, the successes or failures of a school's major athletic programs has a lot to do with its notoriety.
And a first-class facility would help CMU's image quite a bit.
At the meeting, the trustees will have to decide the fate of Rose Arena.
They will vote whether to approve expansive renovations to Rose.
No matter how they vote, there will be controversy.
If they approve the renovations, all of academia will be up in arms because the CMU Athletic Department is spending $20 million while tuition keeps going up. If it is rejected, Athletics would feel at a disadvantage because of the current Rose Arena's problems.
But a renovation needs to be completed. Rose Arena, simply put, is ugly.
It's dark, you have to go out of the arena to go to the bathroom and it doesn't look like a college facility.
Go to Eastern Michigan or Northern Illinois and their convocation centers and you will see right away how inadequate Rose Arena is. They look like big-time college facilities.
Any recruit going in is going to laugh at Rose Arena, especially if he or she is being recruited by EMU or NIU.
CMU has great facilities such as the Indoor Athletic Complex. A renovated Rose would be another recruiting tool.
Rose Arena is second-rate. But that doesn't mean it can't be improved.
Athletics Director Dave Heeke's eyes light up when he talks about it. He wants it to be the best college basketball facility in Michigan.
He envisions an all-glass entrance with concessions and bathrooms inside the arena. There also would be a practice court.
A renovated Rose could not only be a benefit to Athletics, but a benefit to the whole campus as well.
It could be a major attraction for concerts and the like.
But most importantly, it would be a great place to watch a college basketball game.
It could have the right on top of the game atmosphere Rose Arena has now. Renovations could add class to the arena.
It would be a point of pride on campus.
CMU doesn't need a huge convocation center. That idea was tossed around a couple of years back.
The facility would have been in a separate location. It would have cost about $60 million. But that wouldn't be feasible.
A renovated Rose is the right thing to do, and Athletics officials are pursuing that route.
Either way, it will be interesting to see what happens on Dec. 6.
Athletics will argue the renovation is needed. Opponents will argue nothing in athletics is "needed," especially in today's society.
As much as people hate to admit it, the successes or failures of a school's major athletic programs has a lot to do with its notoriety.
And a first-class facility would help CMU's image quite a bit.
Be the first to comment on this story