A $556 olive jar is causing controversy at Akron
The University of Akron has been having a tough time financially of late, leading to the cutting of 215 jobs and the elimination of the baseball program last month. The university is facing continued backlash over those decisions, with the latest wrinkle being an expensive ... olive jar.
Akron president Scott Scarborough bought a $556 olive jar for the master bedroom in his university home, part of a $951,000 renovation to the residence, according to the Akron Beacon Journal (ABJ). It's the olive jar that is apparently angering people the most, a symbol of perceived frivolous spending in the wake of how the school's academic and athletic departments have been financially hit.
The university's vice president for finance told the ABJ that the money for the renovations “predominantly came from an endowment set aside specifically for the house, fundraisers and some university money—including $167,000 in university labor.”
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That information isn't comforting to everyone though, as according to the ABJ a protest is planned among students, faculty and alumni that involves—what else?—leaving olive jars in front of a campus building.
Meanwhile the expensive olive jar has taken on a personality of its own, as it now has its own Facebook and Twitter pages.
