The 35th Legislature has been asked to “do more” than just rename the tennis courts at the UVI’s Orville E. Kean Campus on St. Thomas in honor of Fenella Cooper if they want to keep her legacy alive. The call came from David Hall, outgoing president of the University of the Virgin Islands, as he testified before members of the Senate Committee on Government Operations,Veteran Affairs and Consumer Protection
Going into more detail on how the Legislature could ensure Dr. Cooper’s impact is felt even after her passing in 2021, Dr. Hall encouraged lawmakers to make a “greater commitment to make sure that those facilities are cared for and enhanced for years to come.” He explained that when private individuals seek naming rights, “they provide endowment funds” that go toward upkeep. He called on the government to do the same.
To make an even greater impact though, Dr. Hall encouraged lawmakers to appropriate funding to reestablish the tennis program at the UVI. “The university where these courts exist cannot afford to have a tennis program that trains the next generations of Fenella Coopers,” Dr. Hall lamented. UVI currently boasts active track and field and basketball programs but does not have the funding to hire a tennis coach or field a team to allow interested students to train and compete.
An annual allocation of $69,000 would be sufficient to hire a coach, purchase uniforms and allow both men’s and women’s teams to compete, Dr. Hall explained. “I would like for us to have a tennis program where we are also not only competing locally but competing nationally,” he said. Dr. Hall told legislators that he does not recall the existence of a tennis program in his fifteen-year tenure at the UVI.
For Senator Milton Potter, the request is “something that we can achieve.” He remarked that he was relieved at the $69,000 figure and “expected it to be a lot more.” However, Gerald Walters, a former UVI tennis coach, warned legislators that the sum quoted by Dr. Hall would not be adequate for a UVI tennis team to reach its true potential.
“Our biggest obstacle [was] that we traveled for every tennis match. We weren't able to host teams. Travel is expensive,” he lamented. Mr. Walters explained that additional courts too may have to be built. He made it clear to Senator Potter that “that [$69,000] was very conservative.”
Nonetheless, Dr. Hall hopes that even as he prepares to leave UVI later this year, his dream of a vibrant tennis program at the university can be realized. Efforts to reinstate the program, he said, would allow “Virgin Islanders to continue to excel in the footsteps of those individuals” like Fenella Cooper.
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