Miami University is considering two locations for a new sports arena to replace Millett Hall. The arena will be moved to a closer site on campus which is still yet to be determined by the committee and Miami Board of Trustees (BOT)

University officials appointed a committee in December which will oversee the continuation of the plans for the new arena. This committee consists of co-chairs and former BOT trustees Don Crain and David Bodig, two current trustees, as well as an associate professor. It also includes the chair of the campus planning committee, three administrators, three athletic department representatives and an alumnae. The group ensures that they will “prioritize those projects that benefit students and the community and strengthen the local economy of its campuses.”

The new venue will consist of many new facilities such as a volleyball arena and basketball practice courts. The complete design details have not yet been confirmed, however the plans will allow for more than one event to occur at once. The building of the facility will cost around $200 million in comparison to the $80 million it would take to renovate Millett Hall. 

According to a university press release, the purpose of a new arena is to create a venue that is more centrally located to the Miami campus and to uptown Oxford. This allows for more student involvement and better event capacity for both student and city events. It also has the potential to hold university events such as graduation, concerts and lectures. 

A follower of the Miami Basketball team, student Zachary Darrin said the arena is in need of better facilities. 

“Whenever I go to the games the audience is never full,” he said. “Seats are always blocked off and the stadium is too big to make the game atmosphere that many people know and love. I think a new arena might get more people to games.”

Student attendance is one of the primary reasons to build a new facility closer to campus areas, according to the university press release.

The university considered nine different locations on campus for the arena. Some of those locations include places such as the slant walk and green areas in western campus. According to the university’s January press release, Miami is now considering two locations on campus, a Cook Field site and a southwest Quad site.

The Cook Field location, located on the corner of East High Street and South Patterson Street, would take the place of the current soccer field. This field is used by students for intramural teams and local soccer teams in the Oxford community. According to the latest press release, the committee said it is “confident that potential impacts to intramural spaces and parking availability in these locations can be mitigated or offset through concurrent campus planning initiatives.” 

The second location is the South Quad Location. It is located at the corner of East Spring Street and South Oak Street. The arena would take the location of Williams Hall, Wells Hall, Joyner House and Bonham House, the buildings to be demolished. This space is located close to the Campus Avenue Garage as well as Goggin Ice Center.

However, the university has received some pushback from people about these two locations. Professor of Architecture Gerardo Brown-Manrique attended the December meeting in order to talk about his disagreement with the locations. 

Brown-Manrique said the university is tearing down too much history. Brown-Manrique said he believes the arena should be kept with the rest of the athletics and stay where it is. 

“Tearing down buildings like the Bonham House is problematic as it destroys the character and heritage of the university,” Brown-Manrique said. “Before, we were about love and honor we were about tradition and moving the arena won’t keep tradition.” 

However even with pushback from some members of the Oxford and alumnae community, the committee  will go forward with one of these locations. 

In late January, the committee sent out a survey to the Oxford Community to decide which of the two locations they should continue construction plans with. The survey closed Feb. 3 and the final decision of the committee will be given to Miami President Gregory Crawford after the Feb. 27 and 28 board of trustees meetings.