In a photo-heavy post, the local blog Berkeleyside calls it Cal's "newest, most discreet, building." But it's not a secret lab. The article showcases the athletic center underneath the Cal Stadium that will "cater to 400 student athletes" when it opens this fall.
The building is being paid for with privately raised funds. It comes at a time that Berkeley is in the middle of a fight about the future of several of its athletic teams.
The piece is also interesting in contrast to a story in last week's student paper -- the Daily Cal -- about the school's psychology building. That's in such seismic disrepair that they've moved the classes that are held there. Professors still have offices there.
After the Cal baseball team's truly inspired and inspiring year, it's hard to underestimate the value of a school's sports programs. But in light of all the economic bad news and potential for even more belt-tightening at the state's schools, the question about the fundraising power of academics v. sports is an interesting one.
And certainly not isolated to Cal. Here's an interesting post from the Chronicle of Higher Education with data from the Knight Center on Intercollegiate Athletics. It shows increasing spending on athletics while academic spending at the same universities stayed flat.