Soka Site

Soka University appreciates the recognition of The Times that a “deal” between the university and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy “may make sense” (“Change in Calabasas Tug of War,” editorial, Aug. 21). However, we wish to clarify that such a compromise is the only option because the university, despite its approved 2,500-student campus in Orange County, chooses not, under any circumstances, to abandon or willingly sell its Calabasas campus.

The “recreational public” has been, and will continue to be, a big winner by the university’s retention of its Calabasas site, because only a private institution such as ours has the necessary funds to maintain the fine quality of upkeep that this unique site requires. Our campus is open to visitors, hikers and recreational users every day of the week, and, unlike a public park, the parking is free.

A compromise--which the university has sought for the past five years--may preserve a majority of this campus as permanent open space and may result in a lower student population than the university had originally envisioned. Such a “deal,” however, must include the university’s desire to retain its presence on its property, which is the least of many basic constitutional freedoms that ought to be due a property owner.

JEFF OURVAN

Director of Public Affairs

Soka University, Calabasas