Reluctance to accept EWU Foundation's red turf donation could hamper future fundraising efforts
By JOHN McCALLUM
Editor
Word has it there is a back-story to Eastern Washington University's proposal to rename Woodward Field in honor of Michael Roos. The former Eagles and current Pro Bowl lineman for the Tennessee Titans donated $500,000 in January to help get the university's project to install new, red artificial turf off the ground, with his money buying the turf and the non-profit EWU Foundation raising installation funding through private donations.
Part of the back-story is the Foundation has been successful in raising that amount – very successful. The other part is there may be some reluctance on the part of some of the members of the university's board of trustees to accept the donation. This reluctance varies from concerns about the perception such a gift makes in times of financial cutbacks, to wanting to use some of the money to help academics, to other issues.
I think there is more truth to this than can be discovered right now. At last Thursday's meeting the board, while agreeing to the name change, tabled consideration of a memorandum of understanding with the Foundation to accept the money they raised. The board has until June 2 to resolve whatever issues led to the postponement, some of which apparently revolved around language in the document.
I understand the language thing, but frankly that could have been discussed and dealt with openly at the meeting, and that didn't happen. That I don't understand, and it leads me to believe there is credence to the claims of reluctance.
I do understand, however, their squeamishness. Higher education in this state took a big hit last year with funding cuts made by the Legislature to help make up a gap between spending and revenues, a gap that required more cuts this year.
A good chunk of those cuts by Eastern came in academics - it is after all the biggest part of any university - with faculty and staff let go and unfilled positions terminated. Then there are the tuition increases, 14 percent to resident undergraduates, passed by the board to prevent those cuts from being deeper.
With all that and then having the Foundation asking to donate private money raised to help pay for red turf on the football field, yeah, I can understand how some of the board feels. Faculty, staff and community members are already up in arms about the choices made, in some instances wanting the football program, and even all athletics, shut down instead of cutting academics, so I can see why you might not want to crank the burner back up to boil with this red turf project.
For the record, athletics, including football, also took cuts.
But let's think about some things. First, it's private money. It's individuals, many of who are EWU alumni, feeling pride and excitement about their university and being willing to donate in tough economic times.
I am one of those, and while I didn't donate to the red turf project, I have given to KEWU in their pledge drives, and to the College of Arts and Letters via the Foundation. I'll likely re-up my membership to the Eagle Athletic Association too. It's not cheap, and I'm not the richest editor around.
I'm also told it's unprecedented in EWU's history to have raised almost $1 million in so short a time. That's excitement, even if it is for red turf.
There's no reason why that same kind of excitement can't be used in the future to help Eastern in other areas, unless the university throws cold water on the donors' enthusiasm by declining the Foundation's gift. After all, why would a donor want to give to another Eastern request if their original gift was turned down because people were afraid of how it might be perceived, or felt it should be used for another purpose?
Roos obviously feels pride in his university. Besides the $500,000, he and his wife also set up the Michael Roos Foundation in 2005 to help raise money for the university and local children's charities.
Others feel the same pride about Eastern. In February an anonymous donor gave $300,000 for scholarship support of students in the College of Health, Science and Engineering.
There's more to the red turf project than just a new playing surface. Eastern's board would be wise to accept the donation, even if some don't like its looks, and use it as a springboard to future support.
In other words, look at the bigger picture and keep the ball rolling.
John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].
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