At first glance, moving the University at Buffalo’s Law School into the Statler Towers is a win-win. New life downtown, aspiring lawyers just steps from the action — it’s pretty easy to see how such a thought could inspire a chorus of supporters including Rep. Brian Higgins and The News’ Donn Esmonde. It’s too bad neither of them looked before they leapt.

That isn’t to say that it’s a bad concept. But planning the future of a university — and a region — should be given more consideration than the time it takes to assemble a news conference. Higgins, like his fellow local elected officials from both sides of the aisle, has been supportive of UB 2020, UB’s plan for growth, which calls for moving the Law School to the university’s South Campus. Yet, with the future of the ill-fated Statler Towers in question, Higgins has shouted a cure-all from the aging, decaying rooftops.

But before doing so, did he take the time to evaluate why the university’s plan put the Law School on its University Heights campus?

Had Higgins dug a little deeper, he would have recognized that moving the Law School into the Statler would be no simple fix. Major developers — even ones dedicated to renovating the Queen City — have steered clear of taking on the once-glorious hotel. To them, it’s not a cost-effective venture. And yet Higgins believes the answer is to have UB, a state school, shoulder the effort?

With thinking like that, it’s no wonder the state’s finances are in shambles. Perhaps, upon further investigation, Higgins would also have realized there are myriad methodical reasons for putting the Law School in University Heights, a neighborhood that sure could use an economic shot in the arm. Also, that South Campus is a hub for public transit, making Law School resources accessible to those who may need them most. Oh, and that having a Law School on the same grounds as other disciplines and easily accessible by undergraduate students helps encourage a stronger academic community for all.

In fact, Esmonde mentions in his recent column on the topic that UB’s planners have dozens of good reasons for their plan — he just doesn’t bother to include any of them in the article. It is ironic that a commentator so vocal about his disgust with urban blight could so easily dismiss benefits to one neighborhood in need because of his focus on another.

This kind of tunnel vision is exactly what the process undertaken in the development of UB 2020 was specifically designed to avoid. In the end, it’s possible the Statler could be perfect for housing the Law School, and that the Law School could be perfect for saving the Statler. But before calling news conferences and sending papers to press, try doing a little more homework first. Higgins and Esmonde may think they’re killing two birds with one stone, but really they’re just shooting from the hip.

Robert Pape of Buffalo is a former student representative on the UB Council.