(01-16-2018 09:46 PM)ODUDrunkard13 Wrote: (01-16-2018 08:31 PM)RoanokeMonarch Wrote: My company works alot at Virginia Tech. It's amazing, like night and day difference, with the leadership between VT and ODU. Based on what I see, on a daily basis, VT knows exactly where they are going and where and what they want to be. On everything they do. From simple things to things on a huge scale. Leadership. Vision. Then, I look at my university, and think hmmm. How can we seem to screw up again and again on everything we touch and do? From athletic coaching hires, to game day atmospheres, to capital expenditures for a football stadium, on and on. There is such a lack of vision, it is really really sad. I just don't see why ODU Admin can't figure things out. When President Runte was there, she knew how to get things done and had a vision on what ODU should be. Since she left, I think we have lost our way.... Wow, I miss her. Her vision, her high energy, her hard work....
I know money talks, but leadership doesn't have to cost a lot of money. Just a clear vision and hard work.
Okay, I will get off my soapbox....
Even if you ignore the resource gap between the two schools (which is a huge part of it), you have to take into account the competition and politics we have to deal with here.
For example, do you think we'd have any trouble buying land to build a grocery store if we were located in a college town? Of course not.
When VT wants to expand or build anything, let alone the football stadium, do you think they care how some civic league reacts? Of course not.
Without VT, Blacksburg is just another town. They are Blacksburg and they can do pretty much whatever they want while we have to worry about not pissing off a whole bunch of groups.
Your line of sight gets a lot clearer without all those obstacles in your way.
Campus expansion gets me worked up so bear with me. I think the surrounding neighborhood is the number one problem facing ODU's future. JMU, VT, UVA and W&M can expand with impunity. We can't due to the "historical" neighborhood blocking us in.
Housing that was bottom of the barrel quality when it was built in the 1940s, has never been significantly renovated and today straddles the public health hazard line is not historical. It is however an example of graft. The city government preys on people's fears of being kicked out of their homes in order to receive votes and backing from the property management companies. In return the city funnels low income residents into the neighborhood for the property managers to feed on.
Any rise in property values, while bringing in more taxes, enhancing the neighborhood and bringing other benefits would topple the whole game and thus it cannot be allowed. This is why the city sabotages all proposed development. A supermarket? Nah, better to make the residents travel further to shop than any other residents in the whole city than risk toppling the house of cards.
It's a criminally inefficient use of land. But shame on us for setting up shop where we did.
If I won the lottery I wouldn't finance a stadium. I would buy up all the properties or management companies in that neighborhood I could and donate the land to ODU. Then I would fund ODU's eminent domain litigation/ settlement for the rest.
Neighborhoods change. It is unreasonable for pension aged residents, many of whom don't even own the properties to demand their neighborhood forever remain the way it has always been. A historical marker can suffice.
Maybe this problem will fix itself in 25 years.
Ps good news for NSU that Norfolk has plans to demolish the projects surrounding it. Any ideas where those displaced residents might end up?
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