An OU professor explains why he feels people are upset about university President Roderick McDavis’ new home.
To the Editor,
Why has the purchase of a new residence for Ohio University President Roderick McDavis caused such an uproar? Why are students, faculty, and community members upset? Why has the story been picked up by newspapers like USA Today? Let me count the reasons:
First, the $1.2 million price tag is difficult to swallow, especially when one considers that the "old" mansion — a beautiful Italianate structure located at the very heart of this picturesque campus — is hardly ready to be retired from service. That the new house is to be paid for using foundation funds no doubt rubs many the wrong way. Is this how such funds were intended to be used? While it is a drop in the bucket compared to the amount needed to address our deferred maintenance problems, it is symbolic of the administration's priorities. For every student struggling to make a tuition payment, for every faculty member whose last annual raise did not keep pace with rising healthcare costs, and for the union member doing his or her best to make our campus presentable each and every day — despite layoffs and budget cuts — it was a kick in the teeth.
Second, the awkward retreat from 29 Park Place — and bungled explanation — invited only ridicule and anger. Bats? How many Athenians and students haven't had to deal with such uninvited guests? Over the past few weeks we have learned just how many survivors there are among us — brave souls who've lived to tell the tale of bats, mice, squirrels, birds, raccoons and even groundhogs, sheltering in our dormitories, basements and attics. Increased foot traffic? Surely this is a positive development, a sign of a healthy undergraduate enrollment! The president's longstanding desire to live elsewhere is well known. This was neither a new issue nor an emergency.
Third, the purchase of a lavish new home attracted unwanted attention and scrutiny from media outlets far and wide. Amazing things happen on our campus everyday — some big, some small, all of them incredibly important. When a story like this comes up, however, they are all shoved to the side. Did anyone take a moment to think about how such news might be received? Why give critics of higher education, misinformed as many of them are, the ammunition they crave? Clearly campus administrators did not consider these concerns.
But there is more to this story. The president's departure from 29 Park Place struck a nerve. For many of us, it flies in the face of our collective sense of history and tradition. Here at Ohio University the president is supposed to live on campus. But it is more than a contractual obligation at stake here. By vacating 29 Park Place, the president severs a centuries-old bond that ties him to the university community. Shouldn't we all take part in that discussion? In our rush to "modernize" we should be careful not to lose sight of who we are and what makes us unique.
If events play out as they have in the past the administration will ignore criticism and wait for the storm to blow over. As this episode proves, transparency and shared governance are still goals, not realities, here at Ohio University. Momentous decisions are made by those inside the president's bubble and no one else.
Geoffrey L. Buckley is a professor in the Department of Geography at Ohio University.
