The bottom line: expansion is a go.
Rutgers is going to finance the entire $102m by bond now, which is a fairly risky proposition. This expansion will largely be paid for by the fans, as it should be. I understand the arguments about tax giveaways to the Meadowlands, Xanadu, the Prudential Center, etc..., but two wrongs don't make a right.
Looks like the seating capacity will come in at 2,000 below what was initially proposed. That's disappointing, but the fans have to buy season tickets now. Filling a stadium of 54,000 will do wonders.
You can read about the specifics of what happened in the usual places. A poster at Scout linked this collection of pictures from the meeting.
For a bonus dose of schadenfreude, the Rutgers 10 blog, which had earlier this week gloated about sipping champagne, has announced that it's going out of business.
I despised the Rutgers 10. It's fine to argue about the merits for expansion (as many foes often did), but that group in particular frequently crossed the line with vile personal attacks, and they had no qualms about outright lying.
Richard McCormick has not handled the events surrounding Robert Mulcahy's dismissal very well. The reason that I have not been more critical is that I recognize that he is in a extremely difficult spot. Furthermore, I agree with his long term vision of reinvigorating Rutgers as a well-rounded university that exceeds in all fields. The biggest question is whether or not Rutgers will have the financial resources to make his plans a reality.
What the Rutgers 10 failed to realize is that the there are not merely two diametrically opposed options in being a Patriot League school or a factory that doesn't emphasize academics. That false dichotomy is emphatically wrong. The football team should not be above the university. It ought to be a cog in a well-oiled machine, bringing pride to Rutgers and New Jersey on and off the field.
Supporters of Rutgers football want what they think is in the best interests of Rutgers University, as do its critics. Now that the battle is over, it's time to put any differences aside and try to work for what is in everyone's common interest.