The letter in the Friday, Feb. 22 Post, OU 'outwitted' when it comes to HDL Center
warrants a response in order to clarify the university's history and present situation with that building. During my service as an associate provost in the 1990s, I coordinated negotiation of our original lease agreement with HDL, so I have some first-hand knowledge of these matters.
Yes, the university owned this building and sold it to Harold Laughlin, but that transaction occurred many years ago in the wake of a mid-1970s budget crisis when enrollment on the Athens campus plummeted. The university suddenly had a great deal of surplus space, much of it in residence halls, and dollars were still flowing out the door to pay off the debt for constructing those facilities. We had to do something with the space, i.e., use it or get rid of it.- 17
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