Parking for athletes only

1/1/2010: The rumors were true, Phil Knight was able to take general university parking and convert it to special reserved slots for athletes only. Lot 34F was originally student basketball courts, very popular for pickup games from the nearby dorms. It was converted to parking a few months ago, to replace slots taken by construction of Knight’s new Jacqua Athletes Only Study Center, and was used by professors at the law school. (And before you complain too much, remember Uncle Phil paid for that new law school too.) Obviously Herb is just following orders here, in this case from Dave Frohnmayer. Frohnmayer’s ties to Knight are complicated: Knight’s donations to the UO Foundation paid for some, and perhaps all, of his $349,360 salary supplement last year for example. Say, what are the chances he reported that conflict of interest? Go Ducks.

MEMORANDUM December 30, 2009
TO: University of Oregon Students, Faculty, and Staff
FROM: Captain Herb Horner, Department of Public Safety
RE: Parking Lots

The beginning of the winter term will bring changes to how several of our parking lots are used. With the opening of the new John E. Jaqua Academic Learning Center for Student Athletes at the corner of East 13th Ave. and Agate St., a new parking lot will open. The spaces in this lot, Lot 15 (located just east of the Learning Center off East 13th Ave.), will be reserved for users of the learning center only. There will also be 10 spaces with a 30-minute limit controlled by a multi-space meter for visitors to the coffee shop, which is housed inside the center.

Lot 34F, site of the old basketball courts on East 15th Ave. just east of the Museum of Cultural and Natural History, and Lot 45, the lot at the corner of Walnut St. and Franklin Blvd., will also be reserved for users of the Jaqua Learning Center. New lot entry signs will be put up on December 31, 2009, to be in effect beginning winter term 2010. The signs will read “Jaqua Center Permit Only, At All Times, 90 Minute Limit.” …

Here is Phil’s contract on this with UO. It’s pretty amazing stuff. Our Uncle drives a tough bargain – or perhaps Frohnmayer just drives a lousy one has his own reserved spot and doesn’t give a shit.

Update: I’ve had a few questions about how I got this contract. Let’s just say that someone with pretty good access to official documents is “… fed up with what has been happening here at UO and I have had it with Melinda Grier and her …” However, it is a public record and it is perfectly legal to redistribute it.

You can request public records by sending an email to UO Assistant Counsel Doug Park, at [email protected] and telling him what you are looking for. Under Oregon law Doug has a statutory obligation to help you. More info on getting public records is available at the excellent website OpenUpOregon.com.