New statue would be a waste of student fees

Staff Report

Between the budget impasse and the past few years, where fall enrollment has been getting lower, the last thing the university needs is to waste money at any level.

In article from Thursday’s edition of The Daily Eastern News, the Student Senate discussed a proposed bill which calls for the spending of $5,950 on a bronze panther statue.

According to the bill, this statue is meant to “increase school spirit, provide a mascot on campus and offer a photo destination for prospective students, current students and alumni.”Though we agree that the campus could use a little extra “school spirit,” The Daily Eastern News editorial board wants the student government to find ways to fix the problems on campus before we can focus on fixing everyone’s “morale.”

We cannot help but notice that perhaps the student government’s priorities are out of whack. Maybe student senators and the student government’s executive board are not aware of the current fiscal insecurity that is affecting our campus.

This statue will be paid for by money that was left over from the student government budget. This budget is composed of student fees and was a hefty $50,000 this year. Once again: these are student fees. In other words, the money that is tacked onto the bill everyone receives at the start of the year that many students are afraid to open.

There are several students on The Daily Eastern News’ staff who have to work more than one job to pay for school, and we know they are not the only ones. Everywhere you look there are stories about students who struggle on a daily basis to make sure they have a degree, because it seems as though that is the only way anyone can have a better future. The last thing any of us want is knowing that our student fees are going to pay for a statue that’s only real purpose is to make the front of the library “pretty.”

Not to mention, the effects of the budget impasse still linger across campus. Buildings and classrooms are still in disrepair, not because people do not want to fix them, but because the money to do so is not there. What we want to know is whether or not student government could use the funds and excess money they would have used for the panther statue on something more useful, which will leave more of a lasting impact on campus.

Of course, we realize that there are some constraints on where student fee money can go and what it can be used for. However, looking into these constraints and ways they could fix problems on campus despite them would be a much better use of the Student Senate’s time. In reality, what benefit could having the statue really be, besides a place for people to maybe take pictures once in a while? Prospective students are not declining to go to Eastern because we do not have a nice, bronze panther. Alumni come back to see old professors and the places they remember from when they were students — they will not flock back just to take a selfie with a statue.

One thing the student government is doing right in this case is asking for feedback, according to Thursday’s article. So, if you think this bronze statue is a bad idea, let them know.

Tell the Student Senate what should be done with the student fees that you pay for. Go to their office hours in the Student Activities Center of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union, or email them to let them know. Now is the time to make your voice heard.