TO THE uninformed eye, a comparison of the construction on both sides of Alderman road looks horrible for the University. The stadium on the left is gorgeous and almost complete, waiting for its all-star debut this weekend. The other is besieged by construction delays and will remain empty until November 15 -- three months behind schedule -- pushing first-years into more crowded housing.
The truth is that it's not the University's fault. The problem lies in the lowest bidder requirement.
When a state agency plans to build, they must open the contractor selection process to public bidding. There are no preferences for the University; they must accept the lowest reasonable bid. This means that if there are no apparent flaws in the builder's design and his bid is the lowest, he wins the contract.
This process was applied to both Scott Stadium and Woody House. According to Jo Lawson, the Capital Program Division Manager from Facilities Management, the contractor building Woody House had never worked for the University before, but he put forth the lowest bid. Though there was no indication when the contract was awarded that there would be problems, soon it became obvious that the contractor "didn't get himself in gear," said Lawson. As a result, the project was hopelessly delayed, and 134 first years are moving into cramped triple rooms. Apparently you get what you pay for.
So how did a project 12 times as expensive as Woody House and just across the road manage not only to be completed on time but as beautifully as it was? Luck. Apparently the lowest bidder was simply more capable than the Woody House contractor. Of course more people were paying attention to the stadium and may have encouraged the builder to stay on task, but for the most part the University can't be blamed.
Despite the fact that Alderman Road is a cacophony of hammering, Cabell Hall is strangely silent. This also looks horrible for the University: We have an $86 million dollar football complex, but one of our main classroom buildings is falling apart. Members of the faculty have tiny offices with plaster falling off the walls, but the ticket office has a new glassed-in space. Classrooms have broken overhead projectors and collapsing desks, but the 'Hoo Vision at the stadium can be heard from miles away. Many classrooms are still not air-conditioned, but Scott Stadium's luxury boxes are heated in the winter, cooled in the summer, and have catering too.
If this was entirely the University's fault, it easily could be fixed with a change of priorities. Once again, it's not that simple. Money for the new dorm came from "non-general funds," according to Ken Smith from Facilities Management, meaning that the state did not sponsor the construction. David Harrison donated the funds for the stadium renovation and the clock tower that will soon chime over the AFC. Apparently he and many other contributors do not feel the same attachment to the College.
The most obvious donor for Cabell Hall is the state -- this is, after all, a state university. Our main competitor for the number one ranking, the University of California -- Berkeley, gets more than twice as much of their total budget from the state -- 35 percent compared to 13 percent.
To fix the classrooms, the state would have to appropriate funds earmarked for construction -- a project that might be wonderfully popular with students and faculty, but it isn't a high-profile issue like health care that can be so helpful during an election year.
The new stadium is wonderful, and the plans for Woody House look amazing, even if 134 first years will have a rather unsettling first semester here. Still, the academics shouldn't necessarily be jealous of the luxury on the other side of Grounds. They were never really competing for those funds. Instead, someone in the administration should take a hard look at where this University is heading: up in the football rankings, but down in the scholarly ones. We may be able to recruit new players and rake in ticket sales, but if we can't recruit amazing new faculty and keep the wonderful ones we have now, there won't be a school to go with the team. Horror of horrors -- we'd be like Tech.
Enjoy the games this fall, and to first years who will eventually have central air and a new dorm, enjoy that too. But next time you're sitting in Cabell Hall and you realize the only chair left has half a seat and a desk clinging precariously to one rusted bolt, think about your vote and write a letter to your state representative. In the meantime, don't blame the University.
(Emily Harding's column appears Wednesdays in The Cavalier Daily.)
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