Civic's future in question

Photo by Colin Conces

The Women’s Basketball Team plays against South Dakota on Nov. 5 in the Civic Auditorium. The 59-year-old auditorium hosts Creighton women’s basketball and volleyball games. The city of Omaha will study it to determine the expense of maintaining the arena compared to the cost of tearing it down.

By BRIANNA HERNANDEZ
Assistant News Editor

Female athletes at Creighton may have to leave home sooner than expected.

The Omaha Civic Auditorium, currently home to CU women’s basketball and volleyball teams, may exist for only a few more years if Mayor Mike Fahey decides to tear it down. The 59-year-old auditorium will be studied to determine the expense of maintaining the Civic compared to the cost of tearing it down.

Creighton University Athletic Director Bruce Rasmussen said the city is not planning to replace the Civic with another auditorium if it is demolished.

The Civic hosts Creighton women’s basketball and volleyball teams, the Ak-Sar-Ben Knights hockey team and the Omaha Beef football team. Rasmussen said Creighton athletics will not be inconvenienced if the Civic is destroyed because Creighton has been planning the construction of an additional arena on campus.

“The need for a new arena at Creighton has already been identified,” he said. “Creighton will plan on building a new arena with or without the Civic.”

Although the new arena would primarily provide a space for Creighton women’s volleyball and basketball teams to play, Rasmussen said the new arena would also serve as a venue for the community, the Creighton administration and other Creighton athletic programs.

“Creighton’s master plan is to build an on-campus gym, not an arena specifically for Creighton women’s athletics,” he said. “The university could hold fall graduation there. The community could use it for events like high school graduations, and Creighton students could use it for concerts and other programs.”

Rasmussen said he doubts the Civic will be destroyed.

“I honestly think that the chances of the Civic being torn down are slim,” Rasmussen said. “I would be very surprised if they decide to go through with it.”

If the Civic is torn down, Creighton will have enough time to decide where the women’s volleyball and basketball teams will play, Rasmussen said.

He said that if Fahey decides to destroy the auditorium, the Civic will still exist for a few more years before any action is taken.

“This decision is not going to be made overnight. If Fahey announces that the Civic will be destroyed, we will have two or three years before the Civic is actually torn down,” Rasmussen said.

To tear down the Civic any sooner would be a violation of the city’s contract.

“The Ak-Sar-Ben Knights have a five-year contract with the Civic,” he said. “They have only been playing there for two years, so their contract is still good for three more years.”

Some Creighton student athletes say they are eager to see a new arena built in the near future. Sophomore Amanda Cvejdlik has spent the past two years playing as a mid-blocker on the Creighton women’s volleyball team. She said she considers the Civic a home for Creighton women’s athletics.

“I think that it would be sad for the Civic to be torn down, but I also think a brand-new facility would be great for women’s sports,” she said.

Michelle Kaus, sophomore guard on the Creighton women’s basketball team, said she thinks a new arena for women’s sports is a great idea.

“It might be nice for the girls to have an arena like the guys and not have to share with the hockey team,” she said.

Joe Gudenrath, spokesman for Fahey, said that Fahey will not rush to decide the fate of the Civic Auditorium.

“He will likely make his decision by April, but that is not certain,” he said.