April 1, 2013|By Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel
Florida Atlantic University’s
football stadium will no longer be named after GEO Group, after the Boca Raton prison company announced Monday it was withdrawing its $6 million donation.
The deal, which critics dubbed “Owlkatraz,” had been subject to numerous protests from student and outside civil rights groups since it was announced Feb. 19.
“What was originally intended as a gesture of GEO’s goodwill…has surprisingly evolved into an ongoing distraction to both of our organizations,” said George Zoley, chairman of the GEO group and a former chairman of the FAU Board of Trustees.
GEO Group has faced allegations of poor treatment of inmates and employees.
The gift was a 12-year commitment with annual payments of $500,000. GEO said that as “a symbol of our continuing admiration for FAU,” it will still donate $500,000 toward this year’s academic scholarship program.
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