What the hall

During a lecture this week, my professor described the many memorials and homages to notable faculty and Hoosiers around IU.

Almost every campus building is named for an influential professor, including professors Daniel Kirkwood, Carl Eigenmann and Elisha Ballantine. When my professor reached the end of the list, he quipped, “That was back when they named buildings after professors instead of donors.”

Certainly his comment was not made with malice or bitterness, just as an offhand joke. But many Hoosiers have not been shy about trumpeting their disapproval of  the use of Cindy Simon Skjodt’s (pronounced “Scott”) astoundingly generous $40 million donation, and frankly, it’s ridiculous.

An IU alum herself, Simon Skjot gave the following statement at the Assembly Hall renovation project’s announcement Dec. 19: “It brings me great pride to be able to offer this gift to IU for the next generation — not just for my children, but for future children, too. I strongly believe that if you love this University, you should give back to this University.”

Sports authorities throughout Indiana and around the country agree that Assembly Hall is in desperate need of repair, and Simon Skjodt’s unprecedented donation — the largest ever made to the University — is saving Hoosier Nation’s headquarters from total demolition and reconstruction that would leave the Hoosiers without a home court for three or more years.

And the title “Assembly Hall” didn’t go anywhere. Eleven letters high on a facade is more than a fair compromise for $40 million and the revitalization our cream and crimson capitol deserves.  

Personally, I would not have had a problem if Simon Skjodt had in fact wanted to rename Assembly Hall “Simon Skjodt Hall.”

In exchange, we get to keep our home court intact for the next few generations of Hoosiers, and when renovations end, it’ll be fortified into a historic landmark to host Hoosier Hysteria for decades to come.

Simon Skjodt’s family has an incredibly generous charitable history, both within the state of Indiana and around the country.

Through countless philanthropic foundations, initiatives and donations — many to IU — it is high time we recognize them as members of the Bloomington tribe who love Indiana basketball and want to ensure that Assembly Hall is always here for Hoosiers young and old to gather and celebrate our favorite tradition.

The perfect home court is the best gift anyone could give a school, a community, a nation that loves basketball the way we do.

Say thank you, IU. Go, Hoosiers.

­— sbkissel@indiana.edu