Is DePaul’s New Arena A Win For The Students?

Saturday’s column from CBS Chicago

(CBS) So, DePaul’s proposed new basketball arena – barring overruns – won’t actually cost the $300 million that was reported earlier this week.

That’s good to hear.

However, the 10,000-seat venue located near McCormick Place still will cost about $173 million – barring overruns – and public taxpayer money will indeed be used to help pay for much of a facility that will largely benefit a private university.

That’s not as good to hear. Especially when we don’t know who will pay for overruns.

Or, rather, that we do.

In any case, however, the question of who ultimately foots the bill isn’t the one I’m interested in delving into today. Rather, it’s this: Is DePaul’s new arena actually a good thing for its students?

On one hand, in terms of proximity, it certainly isn’t a worse thing for them than the Blue Demons men’s basketball team playing its games in Rosemont, which is 15 miles of snarling traffic away from the school’s Lincoln Park campus.

Continue reading at CBSChicago.com

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