A cash-strapped university has paid out more than £20m....

Ouch!

"A cash-strapped university has paid out more than £20m to sponsor sports clubs and a ballet company"


"The scale of the spending, revealed in disclosures under the Freedom of Information Act, has been blamed for a crisis at the former polytechnic, which already has one of the worst staff-to-student ratios of any British university."


"The biggest item has been the pavilion at Headingley, home of Yorkshire county cricket club. It is designed by Will Alsop, the architect..."


"...£14m on a new green and purple pavilion.."


Rumor has it the conversation between LMU and Will Alsop went something like this:


WA: Hi, so you want me to design something that will bring attention to Leeds Metropolitan University?
LMU: Yes thats exactly right. We have a large amounts of monies to spend so feel free to design anything you likes. Two things we ask are that you design it at Headingley Stadium and put a bit of purple in there.. we likes purples. 
WA: Why don't you ask your Architecture school, students and staff, to produce designs? It could be, I don't know.. some sort of competition? You know, something that will catch the media attention and perhaps raise the profile of Architecture at Leeds Met?.. I think students in postgrad or even third year would love to get involved.
LMU: OUR architecture school?
WA: Yes, your architecture school.
LMU: *rolls eyes* Erm... yeah.. sure we'll do that.. but in the mean time hows about you design us a little somethin' somethin' to whet our appetites? 
WA: Well if you insist. But it'll cost you.
LMU: Donchu worry about it Willy. We'll just increase tuition fees :)

Allegedly that is exactly how the conversation went.

Click the link below to read more about it if you haven't already.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/article6982278.ece