I was quite disappointed by the half page of misinformation and inflammatory rhetoric in columnist Stephen McGarvey’s column, “Occupy the Millennium Lab,” which ran Tuesday. I have spent most of the last four years of my life fighting for the student voice within McCombs, and I certainly share the concerns raised by my peers about the possible closing of the Millennium Lab. To truly have robust and productive conversations between students and administrators, though we as students must get our facts straight. Contrary to what McGarvey suggests, the Mill Lab isn’t closing because McCombs thought it would make a great “cost-cutting” measure or because the school wants to allocate more money to those oh-so-delicious Business Honors Program brownies. Nor is it closing because Dean Thomas Gilligan fails to see the great value it provides to our students. Rather, our school’s leadership is considering utilizing the space for new state-of-the-art facilities that will serve all BBA students more effectively. The suggestion that this decision is the result of the administration’s ignorance or the business school’s “greed” is absolutely ludicrous. Have a little faith, Stephen. This isn’t a step backwards — it’s a step into the future. Let’s work with our school’s leadership — not against them — to collaborate on issues like this one and to collectively make McCombs the best business school in the world.

Michael Daehne
President, Undergraduate Business Council
Business honors, finance and mathematics senior