Cole Field House column graphic
After the university’s announced renovation of Cole Field House, there was an outpouring of excitement and anticipation for the future of Maryland’s football program. This energy was met with nostalgia and concern because one of the campus’s most historic buildings would undergo a 180-degree transformation. As student leaders, we are concerned for the many student groups, campus programs and vital resources housed inside Cole that face uncertain futures once renovation begins.
As it stands today, Cole is open to the entire university community. To the average student, Cole is home to some of the university’s largest events: Student Entertainment Events’ Homecoming Comedy Show, Greek Week, the crab feast, Terrapin Hackers’ Bitcamp and more. For large events on the campus, Cole is the place to go. Take, for example, SEE’s Nov. 1 comedy show starring Kevin Hart. There was no other campus venue that could accommodate the 5,000-person crowd while still falling within the organization’s budget.
The closest alternative campus venue for SEE’s comedy shows, as well as countless other large-scale student-hosted events, is Xfinity Center. Production costs in Xfinity Center are tens of thousands of dollars more than in Cole. Unfortunately, no student organizations have the funds necessary to put on events at such rates. Without Cole or a similar alternative, it will be impossible for any groups to host large-scale events.
In order for student groups to host the large-scale events the university is accustomed to, the campus community is faced with two options. The first is to ask students to agree to a sizable increase in their student activities fee. Student groups are primarily or, in many cases, entirely funded through this annual fee.
The second option, which is the more realistic of the two, is to urge the administration, the athletic department and other key stakeholders to grant student groups subsidized rates for Xfinity Center. Just because we are losing a venue doesn’t mean the university community has to lose decades-old traditions.
These large-scale events, however, are not the only programs being affected by the Cole renovation. What will happen to the 21 sports clubs that use Cole for practice space? Where will the Asian American Studies Program be housed in the future? Or Veteran Student Life and ROTC? What will become of The David C. Driskell Center? These questions, and many more, must be answered by the administration and the athletic department before any ground is broken on this project.
In their recommendation to advance the project, the Board of Regents Finance Committee stated: “UMCP shall work with the student leadership and make a good faith effort to ensure that the resultant space needs are met in a timely and cost effective manner.” We welcome that dialogue. We are proposing the creation of a Cole renovation task force as an official mechanism for administrators to work with the students to make that good-faith effort a reality.
If this university is willing to invest $155 million to enhance the college experience for 106 students, it should be willing to do whatever it can to protect and preserve programs and student groups that serve thousands. We are eager to work with the administration to make this project beneficial for the entire community.
Isha Aggarwal is a the president of SEE and a senior communication major. She can be reached at aggarwal@terpmail.umd.edu.
