I worked on a case where politics was involved in a U of Maryland case in 1981 that involved hiring and tenure. The board of regents at the U of Colorado (system, 4 campuses) is elected, and they run as democrats or republicans. The legislature sets the budgets for most public universities.
Politics is and has always been involved. Sometimes the departments can’t police their own, so it gets kicked up to the chancellor or higher level, and even they can’t make unbiased decisions.
Well, at least Ben Sasse will be hydrated while he navigates the waters of this issue.
I’m trying to figure out how a pool can cost $300k.
And failing.
This is Gainesville, after all.
I thought the same thing, but maybe the pool comes with a pool house? Some really fancy imported large rocks, landscaping, hardscape? And since Sasse is a big believer in climate change, maybe solar heating?
Still!!! THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS???
I bet the house isn’t worth that much.
Well, maybe it is.
But jeez, this ain’t LA
Trust me, if someone were to give me their checkbook with a bottomless pit of money, then I could throw $300,000 at a pool, hot tub, sauna, etc. and all its surroundings.
Heck, I could open up the Pottery Barn catalog, or whatever retailer you prefer, and buy about $100,000+ in outdoor patio furniture.
The pool at CU cost $1M (but it does look like a buffalo!)
The pool at my kids’ high school cost a lot. I don’t remember how much but parts of it came from Italy. It was outside (southern California) and was used almost constantly. They rented it out to swim teams and adult leagues to make money, as well as using it for swim teams and water polo. The school also had a really expensive chipping and putting area that some parent donated.
Oh and don’t forget the outdoor movie theater and digital surround system. I could spend another $100,000 on that too. 
I’m not seeing buffalo.
I have been known to be creatively challenged.
just read this in the story - and yeah, that jibes with what I know about Florida pools:
It wasn’t immediately clear why the new pool for Sasse was so expensive, or how much it will cost the university to maintain. The average cost for an in-ground residential pool in Florida is just under $60,000, although features such as tanning ledges, beach entries, hot tubs, lighting, gas-fired heating systems and more can increase design and installation costs.
I’m not seeing it either. Spatial skills are not in my repertoire though.
Note that not everything that talks about racism (systemic or otherwise) is “critical race theory”, although opponents may label anything that they do not like as “critical race theory”.
Deleting. Don’t want to stay off topic.
Wouldn’t anything in Florida come with solar heating without having to add anything to it?
Floridians are strange about water temperature - their blood thins or something. They will heat the pool if it’s below 70 degrees. And, to be fair, when I was at UF, we actually had snow flurries that winter.
We heat our pool well into the 80°’s. Yes, in May we turn on the heat so that we can start swimming.
We are in Gainesville. Got to have heated pool if you want to swim a fair amount during the year.
From the article:
university spokesman, Steve Orlando, said Sasse did not ask for the pool to be built and provided no input over its design…
The university decided last year, shortly after Kent Fuchs announced he was retiring as UF’s president and before Sasse emerged as the finalist to succeed him, to add the pool to the residence, Orlando said. The university’s original, smaller president’s house also had a pool.
And it doesn’t appear UF is paying for the installation.
“Orlando said the estimated $300,000 to cover its cost came from the mansion’s donors, John and Mary Lou Dasburg of Key Biscayne, and other private sources he did not identify.”
Don’t the numerous 'gators at UF swim in outdoor water with only natural solar heating at all times of the year?
