Extra halls not needed

One of the many characteristics of a thriving and respected university is its ability to adapt with the times and meet the demands of bright students. IU is one of those universities. But in light of the overwhelming state fiscal crisis, a constant fight for money from the state legislature and the recent increase in tuition, one of the ideas being proposed by the All University Student Association needs to be put on hold. The AUSA, which represents students from all the IU campuses, is pushing for the construction of residence halls on IU's satellite campuses. It cites convenience for students who hunt for apartments near the campuses and the need to set IU satellite schools apart from the growing Ivy Tech system. It also argues that because there is little-to-no housing on these campuses, the appeal to international students is not reaching its potential, and the amount of diversity is not growing as quickly as possible. It is important to focus on recruiting people of varying descent and experiences, but with last year's 7.5 percent increase in tuition, it is also important to make sure we are not alienating students who choose other schools based on the tuition costs. The board of trustees has attempted to keep the increases in tuition low and constant throughout recent years, according to an IDS story published in July. President Myles Brand said the 7.5 percent increase was the result of an economic downturn that the state legislature could not make up for. "While Indiana state leaders did their best to fund education adequately at all levels in the face of a difficult economic situation, the budgeted increases for existing programs at IU and Purdue will fall well short of the inflation rate. Meanwhile, the costs of energy and health care benefits -- significant expenses for universities -- are rising much faster than inflation," Brand said. Why increase those costs even further? When IU is scraping for the bare essentials, like energy costs and employee salaries, it is important to conserve and recover from such a crisis. Once the downturn is complete, it is absolutely necessary to expand and build new residence hall facilities. But the University must heal before any new construction can take place. Staff vote: 7 - 3 - 0
yes - no - abstain