Miami University says its potential new multi-purpose arena would ideally be located centrally on campus and within walking Uptown Oxford. Its current basketball arena, Millett Hall, opened in 1968, and according to the university, would require more than $80 million in renovations.
Funding for the arena would likely come from Miami's current fundraising campaign, which aims to raise a billion dollars. The university also is considering constructing a new on-campus hotel, but where these buildings could end up on campus has some students, faculty, and alumni concerned.
David Prytherch, an Oxford City Council member, professor of geology, and member of the University Senate Campus Planning Committee, which provides recommendations on facilities projects to university leaders, says some of the sites the administration is considering are of historic significance to the school.
"To be honest, the list of buildable sites, I think it's fair to say was pretty shocking to many people on the committee," Prytherch told WVXU.
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While some of the buildable sites listed by the university are parking lots and garages, other sites on the "preferred" list include the marching band's practice field, Cook Field (currently used for recreational sports) and historic buildings owned by the university like the Lottie Moon House, Old Manse, the Simpson-Shade Guest House, and Lewis Place, which has been the home of Miami University's presidents since 1903.
"Alarm bells went off," Prytherch said. "Some of the sites that we have all assumed to be off-limits to redevelopment were on the table and the site numbered '1' was also the site we had been told was the preferred current site by the administration."
A 'multigenerational connection'
That No. 1 site for the potential new arena is Slant Walk, a 200-year-old walkway and greenspace that dates back to the earliest days of Miami University. Once news about Slant Walk's placement on the list spread around campus, it sparked responses from students and alumni who didn't want to see the long-standing greenspace disappear.
In late November, the editorial board for Miami's student newspaper The Miami Student published an opinion piece stating its objection to the new arena landing on Slant Walk and a new hotel on Cook Field.
"Not only would our campus be blighted with years of construction, students would lose two of the largest greenspaces on campus," the piece read.
Alumni appear to agree with the students. Steve Wilson graduated from Miami in 1994 and currently works as the director of development and alumni relations at Penn State. As a New Jersey native, he says Miami wasn't on his radar when he was applying to colleges, until his mother suggested the Ohio school. Once he visited the campus, Wilson knew where he'd spend the next four years of his life.
"It was just as if the air fell into my lungs," he said. "I'd never seen a campus that beautiful."
One of those areas of beauty was Slant Walk, not only for its green grass and open space but also for its place in Miami's history.
"That part of campus is a connection between alumni from multiple generations," Wilson said. "Professors have come and gone, new buildings have come up, been torn down, or rebuilt. That's a connection for us that I think people want to preserve."
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Though neither the Slant Walk nor Cook Field sites have officially been named as the locations for Miami's potential construction projects, the university appears to be moving forward to develop solid plans for its arena and hotel.
What's next
The university recently issued requests for proposals seeking a team to design, build, finance, and run an on-campus hotel. The university says firms have expressed interest in the northwest corner of Cook Field, but it would likely expand the field's turf playing surface to the south to preserve "sufficient" recreation space for students.
The university posted a release Wednesday announcing the creation of a committee to review potential arena locations and consider the feasibility of each site. The committee plans to release a survey to gather input from the community about the potential sites before making a recommendation to President Gregory Crawford by early 2025.
On Friday, Miami's Board of Trustees will consider a resolution to form the committee and hire an architecture team for around $3.5 million to build cost estimates and renderings for the new arena before proceeding with the project.
Whether or not the university decides to move forward with a new arena and hotel, David Pryherch says he wants Miami's leadership to seriously consider the wants and needs of students, faculty, the Oxford community, and those who still feel a close connection to their university.
"Good planning that engages stakeholders in a robust process can yield consensus about making tough decisions, so we're all OK with the direction," he said.
Miami's Board of Trustees meeting starts at 9 a.m. Friday.
