Karl Galinsky, Guest Columnist
Daily Texan
January 26, 1996

"Naming a building after Jim Bob Moffett cheapens the University." These are the words not of the chancellor's favorite bugaboo these days, a "vocal faculty member," but of a member of the President's Associates and the Chancellor's Council, a group of major donors to the University.

It is a sentiment that is widely shared by people who are truly dedicated to the University.

The issue is not the demonization of Moffett, let alone UT System Chancellor William Cunningham. Rather, it comes down to a matter of respect and credibility, which are important assets of a public university, and to some bad judgment. To review the salient points:

1. One aspect of "cheap" is the sweetheart nature of the deal. The Moffetts' donation amounts to $2 million out of a total building cost of $26 million. Of that total cost, $9 million comes from student fees alone.

   This is not to minimize the contribution by Freeport (another $1 million) and the Moffetts. A 12 percent cost share, however, does not normally get your name on the entire building. On part of it, sure -- witness the Freeport Hall at the New Orleans Aquarium.

   Moffett has stated that he did not ask for this. Who, then, took the initiative and why?

   This is a bad precedent in purely practical and fiscal terms. For various reasons, the University will increasingly have to rely on private donors for new buildings. We are talking about needing money for 50 percent or more of new buildings rather than 15 percent. After the Moffett deal, it may be difficult to find such donors.

2. It is a disgrace for "a university of the first class" to name a building after the CEO of a company that has threatened to sue three of its professors for exercising their right of free speech. Even a source friendly to Freeport, the Far Eastern Economic Review, concluded that "we are not suggesting that there no serious abuses in Irian Jaya (West Papua) or that Freeport does not have an obligation to make things better."

   All sides to an issue are entitled to be heard without intimidation, especially at a university. True benefactors to a university act accordingly. Instead of being crass, they show class.

3. Highhanded nonresponses, while having a venerable tradition at the University, won't cut it any more. Coverage of this issue and others is becoming more thorough, especially in the various Austin papers. Chancellor Cunningham's refusal to sit down with an editorial board sends out the wrong message about the accountability of a public university. Similarly, President Berdahl's well-intentioned campaign to create a civilized sense of community on this campus will be impaired by a memorial to cronyism.
4. It is important that guidelines be drawn up for the naming of buildings. The president should appoint a task force to do so. The rule on the books (no such naming until at least five year's after the honoree's death) is obviously obsolete. Departures from it need to be guided by more than ad-hocing.

Galinsky is the Cailloux Centennial professor of classics. He is a former chairman of the Faculty Senate and currently is a member of the Faculty Building Advisory Committee.