EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — The University of Oregon is turning to the famous designer of its Many Nations Longhouse to help resolve a conflict that could literally cast a shadow on that culturally important structure.

Plans for a $75 million student residence hall recently stalled when Native Americans pointed out that the new dorm would block the rising sun’s light from reaching the longhouse. The morning light is important in many Native American cultures.

The conflict led the campus planning committee to table a vote on the schematic and open space plans for the dorm. Unless the matter is resolved quickly, the delay could prevent the university from opening the new dorm in fall 2012 as it had planned.

Staff members in the university president’s office are seeking a solution and are bringing nationally known architect John Paul Jones to campus to help.

Jones, a Native American and a university graduate, designed the Many Nations Longhouse as well as the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian and other signature buildings.

Gregg Lobisser, student activities director and chairman of the planning committee, said he hopes for a solution that allows the dorm project to proceed. Jones will bring his knowledge of architecture as well as Native American tradition to the discussion, Lobisser said.

“He has shared with us that it’s not uncommon that sometime after a longhouse is placed on a campus to discover that continued development raises challenges,” Lobisser said. “Almost always, a solution is at hand that meets both institutional needs and honors those traditions.”

The 455-bed residence hall is billed as the first dorm at the university designed for older students. Plans call for a combination of traditional, two-person rooms and shared suites.

The structure is to be built on what is now a parking lot at East 15th Avenue and Moss Street. Plans call for one five-story building and two four-story buildings, connected by a common ground floor. The bonds used to fund the project would be paid off using rental revenue.

Lobisser said the project is too far along for a major redesign that could address the sunrise impact.

Lowering the height of the three rectangular, bar-shaped structures and reducing the number of dwelling units would make them uneconomical, he said.

“You can’t reduce the number of people in that building by that much and still be able to pay off the bonds to build the building,” Lobisser said. “It isn’t a financially viable project at some point.”

The dispute has implications for other future university projects as well, because much of the area east of the longhouse has been designated for years for new development.

But Lobisser said the university doesn’t want to tread on Native American traditions, either.

“I certainly don’t think it’s a show stopper,” he said. “But equally important to the campus being able to continue to grow is recognition of the values and traditions that are represented in the longhouse.”

Gordon Bettles, the longhouse steward and a Klamath tribal member, said he didn’t want to discuss the dispute while internal discussions over a resolution are going on. He said he hopes a solution will be found.

“Anybody who’s not an optimist I think is looking for issues and not looking at the problem,” he said.

Lobisser said he, too, is optimistic.

“I can imagine some form of recognition of Native American tradition that is created on campus, and likely this part of campus, that might serve both as honoring traditions but also advance the educational function that the longhouse plays on campus for all of us,” he said. “There seems to me to be some wonderful opportunities to do something of real value and significance here.”

The 3,000-square-foot longhouse opened in 2005 after years of planning. It incorporates elements from traditional longhouses of the Kalapuya tribe and others, including soaring old growth fir timbers donated by the Coquille tribe and harvested from their lands.

The longhouse serves as an events and cultural center and is meant to represent the UO’s connection to the nine federally recognized tribes in Oregon and dozens of other Indian tribes that once lived in the region.