CAFA floods SGA meeting

Students from the Contingent for an Alternatively Funded Arena filled the room at the Student Government Association’s general body meeting last Thursday night. The students came to ask questions about the new arena to DePaul University’s Treasurer Jeffrey Bethke.

Bethke was invited to speak about the arena and address the concerns some students have about TIF funds being used for the arena. While Bethke maintained that DePaul only had a role in the arena, which is no longer directly receiving TIF funds from the city, students from CAFA argued that the school was still tied to the TIF funds through arena connection to the Marriott project.

After a short question and answer session with Bethke, SGA and CAFA members discussed the arena. While the majority of SGA members showed support of the arena plan, some did have speculations about the arena and the ability of the school to make money back through ticket sales and naming rights. Bethke asserted that while some risk was involved, the school expects the arena project to pay for itstelf if not create a profit for the school.

The discussion also brought into question the necessity or ability of a new arena to help bring new recruits for the school’s floundering men’s basketball team. While some students felt the team should earn the new stadium, others maintained that the new arena is instrumental in attracting the recruits that DePaul needs to become a winning team.

Administrator leaving to become president of Seton Hill

Mary Finger, the senior vice president for advancement, is leaving DePaul to become the president at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, Pa. Finger has been at DePaul for nine years. She will assume her new role on July 1, 2014.

While at DePaul, Finger integrated alumni relations, alumni communication and fundraising operations into a single comprehensive advancement program. Under her leadership the university was able to triple the amount of gifts received and the total number of alumni donors.

“Mary has participated in nearly every major decision of these past nine years as a member of the cabinet, and has always done so with humor, wisdom and genuine passion for the mission,” DePaul President Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider, C.M. said in an email to staff and faculty. Finger is the third DePaul administrator to leave this school year, following the provost and dean of the law school. She will be replaced temporarily by Erin Moran, the associate vice president for advancement, while the school searches for a permanent replacement.

Theatre School building gets LEED Gold certification

The United States Green Building Council awarded the new Theatre School building the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold designation. The decision makes the Theatre School the first performing arts building to receive a Gold certification.

“DePaul’s new Theatre School underscores the fact that Chicago is a great theatre city and a great architectural city,” Brian Imus, the executive director for the U.S. Green Building Council Illinois, said. “Our city now boasts a performing arts center that is a role model for sustainability and that deserves a thunderous applause.”

In order to be certified the building was constructed and designed to be as efficient as possible. The project included water efficient landscaping, green roofing, use of low emitting materials and innovations such as development and use of new insulating materials in the exterior walls.

The Theatre School building is the fourth DePaul building to receive the gold LEED certification following the Arts & Letters Hall, Monsignor Andrew J. McGowan Science Building and the DePaul Art Museum.