As an interested individual living in the Girard Park area, I was astonished to read in your paper that President Ray Authement is still interested in buying the Davidson property in Girard Park. I was under the impression that the university was pressed for funds, which has resulted in letting go many adjunct professors in certain academics. How pressed for funds can the university be if Dr. Authement is still plotting to buy the Davidson property?
The property consists of two large homes, each having approximately two acres. These homes are very well built, and it would be extremely inappropriate to tear down these two homes just for the property when other pieces of property closer to the university have been for sale and turned down by Authement. Thus the conclusion, he plans to house someone or something in them.
It occurred to me that these two homes do certainly have a use for the university. The university could buy the two lovely homes and give them to the primate center at the New Iberia Research Center. This center is one of only two in the country that are working on cognitive behavior. Since I am an anthropologist, I could contemplate a group of chimpanzees romping around the four acres. It would solve the university's problem of trying to raise $5 million for the primate center ' one of the best in the United States and certainly worth keeping ' and satisfy Authement's craving to have the two houses on Girard Park.
He could even save the university money by participating in the raising of the chimps, living in one of the houses, and helping with the chimps. He is nearing retirement age, and this would solve many problems because not only could we study the chimps' cognitive ability but Mr. Authement could invite several of his buddies over to the house and they could be studied for their cognitive abilities. This would be a great use of assets for the university, and many graduate students could obtain their master's degrees with the cognitive results from the roaming apes and humans.