Sports Complex on Schedule

[orumom]

For pictures, go to:

http://alumniweb.oru.edu/oru%20alumni/right186.html

ALUMNI NEWS STORIES

ORU Sports Complex on Schedule

to Open in Spring '06

By Ginger Shepher

Construction on the new Golden Eagle Sports Complex and baseball offices is moving along nicely as construction crews have already erected the outer walls.

Oral Roberts University is constructing a sports complex next to its baseball facilities. The complex will feature a strength and conditioning facility, new baseball offices, the Jim Brewer Champions Room, and eventually, an indoor practice field.

Construction of the sports complex is broken into two phases. The first phase is the new strength and conditioning building, the offices, and the Champions Room.

The strength and conditioning center will be approximately 2,400 square feet and will feature a state-of-the-art weight room for all ORU athletes. The baseball office will house four new offices, a receptions-secretarial area, work room, locker room, and a lounge; it will be 1,800 square feet.

As for the Jim Brewer Champions Room, it will be about 1,450 square feet, featuring a hospitality room for press conferences, meetings, and other game-day functions. It will also feature an exterior observation deck.

Work on the first phase is slated to be completed in early spring 2006, said Cris Belvin, director of Athletic Media Relations. Constructing the indoor practice facility is phase two and will begin when funding is completed.

Phase two will be completed "realistically, not until sometime in the 2007-08 academic year," Belvin said. The total sports complex is estimated to cost about $1.6 million.

The planned indoor practice facility will be 35,000 square feet with artificial turf and a baseball infield, and will have enough room for soccer and track and field teams to practice.

Unlike other universities in Oklahoma, ORU does not have to acquire any property for the sports complex. The facility is being built on university land--along the right field foul line of J.L. Johnson Stadium.

As Mike Carter, director of Athletics at ORU, points out, "The Golden Eagles' record-setting accomplishments in the Mid-Continent Conference have been achieved without the benefit of a varsity weight room or an indoor practice facility. In today's highly competitive environment of NCAA athletics, these new facilities are critical for recruiting quality student athletes and improving our program."

The new complex will also provide student-athletes with a better place to conduct weight training than the space they currently share with the general student body and classes at the Aerobics Center.

Carter said, "These facilities are being made possible through the generosity of private donors whose gifts are specifically restricted to this project. We are excited about this capital campaign because we believe it will create energy to open doors for funding other projects at ORU."

[ORU Eli]

Thank God that's still on target...still waiting for that projected August '03 completion of the student center.

[orumom]

Eli

Me too. But, being on the Alumni Board, I can assure you that the money that was donated for it is in a special account and can only be used for a student center.

[MadAdder]

I hope it's there by the time I have kids that are old enough to go to ORU...

[ORU Eli]

Glad to hear that mom - it was disheartening when the one time I gave money to ORU that wasn't in the form of tuition or books seemed like it might not go to the use that i intended it for. Every time I return to campus I hope to see something changed on that ugly lot for the sake of the students and lack of on-campus student life there.

[MadAdder]

Remember when they tried to blow up the old one? A huge BOOOOOOOOOOM and nothing happened. Maybe it was a sign?

[ORU Eli]

I brought out popcorn, Jones Soda, AND a lawn chair to watch the big show....it was so disappointing

[ttowncount]

I had my video camera and videoed nothing happening!

[GoldenEagleAg]

Wow, that looks like it's going to be one ugly building. I don't like what it does to the view of stadium. Color me disappointed.

[orumom]

nm

[ttowncount]

nm

[orumom]

nm

[orumom]

ttown,

Thanks for the sanity check

[GoldenEagleAg]

Am I missing something? I haven't seen any kind of artists rendering for the building.

orumom, i didn't see what you posted, but i'd be happy to hear any opinion that diverges from mine, or receive any additional information that I don't have.

[orumom]

I tried to go back in archives for the architectural drawings, but it doesn't go back that far. My comments were that this is the beginning of construction and we need to wait until it is finished to judge how it looks. The drawings blend well with Johnson stadium.

Since I feel the same way 2 days later I will repeat what I said originally but in softer terms.

I find it amazing that the first people to criticize are normaly the ones who haven't done anything to help raise the money for a project. I don't know if you have donated toward the $1.6 million dollars to provide our athletes with their own weight training facility or not, but at this time they have to get up before 5AM and workout before the students start using the Aerobics Center at 8 AM. This way the athletes can be more focused on their weight & conditioning.

This is the first actual construction on campus since Oral stepped down as President and nearly all funds were raised from non traditional sources, since as foundation contributions. These donors are people who would not have supported ORU or the ministry, but will support athletics.

[GoldenEagleAg]

I just spent $105K getting an education at ORU and am in grad school now, so my gift was perhaps a little smaller than others but I did give, and I support the school in a number of other ways as well. However, it's my opinion that anyone who has a stake in the school (i.e. a degree) has a right to comment on something that is happening on campus.

I'm aware of the problems that athletes had conditioning - I had a number of friends on the track and soccer teams and it was a struggle for them. I'm glad that a facility is being built, and I think it will be a huge factor in building the athletic program. My concern was over the shape of the building. Like I said, I haven't seen the drawings and so my initial reaction was unwarranted and I apologize for that.

[orumom]

I do understand how you feel up to a point. I graduated from ORU & my son is a senior. As student we are customers.

GOLDEN EAGLE AG - YOU ARE A DONOR, THEREFORE YOUR INPUT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED.

Up Until that point I thought that with the reasoning of your having paid tuition you thought it was the same as being a donor - therefore, because I spend money at Applebee's I should be able to tell them how to remodel. Because I watch COX cable I can tell them what days off they can give their employees ? It isn't so unless I am an investor. I am only a customer.

After you graduate if you don't contribute money to ORU for maintenance & upgrades, who will? Many of us on the board are both donors and fund raisers for athletics and/or the university(like you are). The reason the University isn't in better shape (buildings & grounds) is because only a little over 500 of our alumni made a donation to the university last year.

If these people and others like them didn't make donations you would have paid more than $105K for a private university education.

If we want to grow the program and the University it requires sacrificial giving. When you pay the price you have the right to give input. Until then you are only a fan and/or a customer.

[GoldenEagleAg]

I agree with almost all of your points, especially concerning giving after graduation. That is very important - and I'm very discouraged that the number of people who donate is that low. I guess that is due to a number of factors that are worth discussing but probably not in this forum. Suffice to say that if a student feels that he/she is merely a customer, as opposed to a member of the family, once the product has been purchased, there is no reason to continue the association. Customers don't send donations in to Applebee's or Cox, either.

Insofar as students are customers, howevever, they certainly have an interest in maintaining the value of what they purchased. If ORU, God forbid, were to act in such a way as to degrade the value of a diploma, then alumni can and should speak up.

I can't say that any of this relates to the new athletic facility - an improved athletic program means increased visibility and respect for the institution as a whole. Everyone who cares about ORU should be thrilled, and I am very happy that it is being done and that I could play a small part in it. My observation was based solely on the aesthetic affect that the structure will have on my favorite place on campus - J.L Johnson stadium. Anyway, sorry to ramble.