Deborah Stanley has been president at SUNY Oswego since she took office in 1997, holding that position for a total of 26 years. She announced in May that she will be retiring at the end of 2021.
Over $2.4 million has been raised by donors led by the Oswego College Foundation Board to name the hockey rink in Marano Campus Center the Deborah F. Stanley Arena and Convocation Hall. According to an article on the SUNY Oswego website, the large gift of money will also be used as a fund to keep the hockey rink and convocation hall up to date.
$2.4 million is a lot of money to raise and to provide for this. Giving it towards something such as keeping up with updating things in the building is a good idea. Using money to put towards something like that will benefit the community of students here on campus. It is more than just a sign on a building.
Adding Stanley’s name after all she has done for the SUNY Oswego campus is not a bad idea. It is a great way to honor someone who has done a lot to benefit the SUNY Oswego campus. At first glance though of hearing this news, it seems like a lot of money for such a small thing such as a sign.
When I first heard about this, I assumed that all of the money was only going to be used to put a sign and lettering up on the building to say Stanley’s name. As students, we might not know much about what Stanley has done for the school as we go to classes, take part in extracurriculars and hang with friends and do not see her on a day to day basis but she has had quite an impact on SUNY Oswego. Someone’s knowledge of Stanley could affect their thoughts on whether or not this arena should be named after her and whether it is worth the $2.4 million.
The naming of the arena had just been approved earlier last week and signs indicating the new name were put up on the side of the building outside of Marano and on the inside of the building outside the hockey rink naming it after Stanley.
Overall raising $2.4 million just to name a building after Stanley does not seem like it is worth the money. It is just a building and adding a name to it for that much money seems like a lot. That being said, if the money is in fact going towards bettering the hockey rink and convocation hall like the articles say, then it seems like it is worth it because it is bettering something for the SUNY Oswego campus and community. We know Deborah Stanley as the president of this school but future students will not, so adding her name to something is a way to show her legacy and what she has done for this school for the past 26 years.
William Rogers | The Oswegonian
