Rangeview Remains in Need of Name

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Author: Sam Slesinger

Three months shy of its first birthday, Occidental’s newest residence hall, Rangeview, has yet to secure a name-worthy donation. According to Director of Communications Jim Tranquada, the effort to get a naming gift is, by nature, a lengthy process.

“Obviously we are talking about a large gift – a multi-million dollar gift,” Tranquada said. “This takes a lot of consideration for most people.”

To rename a structure, the Board of Trustees’ policy suggests that an individual donate half the cost of the project, according to Vice President for Institutional Advancement, John Tomlinson. In Rangeview’s case, this would amount to a $19 million donation. Tomlinson points out that there are other naming opportunities in Rangeview. The courtyard, the lounges and the fitness center are all available candidates.

This past January, just days after Rangeview’s grand opening, the College held a dinner to solicit donors for the project. As reported in the Jan. 30 edition of the Occidental Weekly, Tranquada said the dinner would be a “wonderful opportunity to raise money. […] Hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars [could be raised].”

According to Vice President for Administration and Finance Michael Groener, “There have been no material gifts for Rangeview.”

“The January 18 event was successful in terms of what the pros call ‘donor cultivation,'” Tranquada said. “The solicitation process is long – you don’t just throw a dinner and watch the money roll in.”

Donors are “sophisticated enough” to know that residence halls are net revenue producing projects, Groener said. Because of this, they are more likely to donate to academic buildings.Rangeview was financed by revenue bonds that the college issued in 2005, according to Groener. The money that students pay in room and board fees was used to pay off the bonds. In effect, Rangeview was funded by students.

“This is an illustration of sound fiscal management by the board and administration,” Tranquada said.”Virtually nothing was donated to Rangeview,” Groener said.Occidental’s official Web site states that room and board costs for 2008-2009 are $10, 270.

The College does not have a discriminatory donor selection policy. “We evaluate every prospective donor on their own merits,” Tomlinson said.

This policy includes donations from businesses and corporate foundations. “If we were to receive a donation from corporate foundation X, for the right amount, it would be a naming opportunity,” Tomlinson said.

Tomlinson cited the example of the University of Southern California’s Galen Center, funded by the CEO of Golden West Financial Corporation, Louis Galen. In 2002, he donated $50 million to the center and an adjoining practice facility.Rangeview residents expressed mixed views on the name of their residence hall.

“[I] guess it’s always a nice thing to have something be named purposefully,” Angelica Gamboa (junior) said.”I don’t really care,” Andrew Shang (senior) said. “It’s just a name associated with a building.”

The donor search and solicitation process is ongoing. In times of economic volatility, it may be some time before Rangeview bears a new name.

“The fundamental problem is that credit has dried up. Banks aren’t lending money to other banks, so credit is hard to come by,” Tranquada said. “I think everyone is waiting to see what happens.”

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