New Stadium

Re “Neighbors See Little to Cheer About in CSUN Stadium Plan,” Oct. 26.

As longtime neighbors of Cal State Northridge, we would like to comment on the proposed building of the stadium. There’s a lot more at stake here than just a bunch of unhappy homeowners. While we have nothing against football as a sport, we feel that it is a mistake to bring CSUN into Big Sky Football and to build a massive multipurpose stadium.

It’s a well-known fact that CSUN is a commuter campus and students have an historic lack of interest in sports. A large percentage of students are from the middle and lower income levels and are struggling just to pay their tuition and remain in school, and would certainly resent being forced to pay for an oversized stadium. The maximum number of spectators attending games is 5,000, and a 15,000-seat stadium is proposed at a cost of approximately $15 million.

With rare exception, big time football is a drain on campus resources. The money spent to subsidize big time football is desperately needed for a variety of academic programs and services that would enrich the community and make a strong bond between the community and the university.

The issues here are much larger that just one university. Our state and country desperately need well-prepared professionals. If we don’t produce them in our universities, we will continue to have to import them from Asia, India and other countries that realize that football players are not a priority.

Universities should emphasize what they were created for, namely, higher education.

HANS and PAULA PHILLIPS

Northridge