2008 Woodie Awards
Yet another "dark side" of the GMC
Issue date: 10/4/06 Section: Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor,
Recently, the president and the chief financial officer of the university proposed a $12.9 million bond to cover funding for additional costs for the Green Music Center (GMC). The CSU Board of Trustees approved this bond on Sept. 22. The $800,000 per year (for 30 years) to pay off this bond is to come from two primary sources: Extended Education and a series of public concerts similar to the Eagles concert last year. What some may not realize are the hidden costs of this proposal to SSU.
First, not everyone is aware that the Eagles concert resulted in a great deal of damage to the playing fields, irrigation pipes, and other structures nearby. These fields are used by men's and women's soccer and lacrosse, as well as by kinesiology classes and community sports camps. Apparently, no allowance was made to cover proper repair of any damages from the concert. As it turns out, the cost of a proper repair job-reported to be $50-60,000-would probably have exceeded the profits from the concert! Instead, SSU facilities staff repaired the damage as best they could, taking time away from other maintenance work on campus.
The administration has proposed that the series of concerts to fund the repayment of the $12.9 million bond will be held in the stadium on the southeast corner of the campus, where the SSU women's track and field team currently trains. The track facility is already in very poor condition. It is conceivable that further damage-which would undoubtedly result from a series of large public concerts-might make it impossible for the track team to train safely. Are we prepared to risk elimination of one of our women's sports?
Second, because of the initiation of Year Round Operations, Extended Education's funding will already be severely limited. How will this shortfall be made up? Not to mention, how will Extended Education be able to afford an extra $400,000 per year to fund the bond? Are we prepared to raise student fees or cut staff?
This $12.9 million bond is only one of several recent initiatives that have diverted funds and resources away from what is needed to maintain educational quality at SSU as enrollment grows and resources shrink. One example is that SSU used to be known for its small classes and low student-faculty ratio. We now have the second highest ratio in the whole CSU system.
So, while all of us would like to see a state-of-the-art performing arts center on our campus, the question is … at what cost? Are we willing to sacrifice the current and future quality of SSU education?
~Elaine McHugh
~Ellen Carlton
~Wanda Boda
SSU Professors
Recently, the president and the chief financial officer of the university proposed a $12.9 million bond to cover funding for additional costs for the Green Music Center (GMC). The CSU Board of Trustees approved this bond on Sept. 22. The $800,000 per year (for 30 years) to pay off this bond is to come from two primary sources: Extended Education and a series of public concerts similar to the Eagles concert last year. What some may not realize are the hidden costs of this proposal to SSU.
First, not everyone is aware that the Eagles concert resulted in a great deal of damage to the playing fields, irrigation pipes, and other structures nearby. These fields are used by men's and women's soccer and lacrosse, as well as by kinesiology classes and community sports camps. Apparently, no allowance was made to cover proper repair of any damages from the concert. As it turns out, the cost of a proper repair job-reported to be $50-60,000-would probably have exceeded the profits from the concert! Instead, SSU facilities staff repaired the damage as best they could, taking time away from other maintenance work on campus.
The administration has proposed that the series of concerts to fund the repayment of the $12.9 million bond will be held in the stadium on the southeast corner of the campus, where the SSU women's track and field team currently trains. The track facility is already in very poor condition. It is conceivable that further damage-which would undoubtedly result from a series of large public concerts-might make it impossible for the track team to train safely. Are we prepared to risk elimination of one of our women's sports?
Second, because of the initiation of Year Round Operations, Extended Education's funding will already be severely limited. How will this shortfall be made up? Not to mention, how will Extended Education be able to afford an extra $400,000 per year to fund the bond? Are we prepared to raise student fees or cut staff?
This $12.9 million bond is only one of several recent initiatives that have diverted funds and resources away from what is needed to maintain educational quality at SSU as enrollment grows and resources shrink. One example is that SSU used to be known for its small classes and low student-faculty ratio. We now have the second highest ratio in the whole CSU system.
So, while all of us would like to see a state-of-the-art performing arts center on our campus, the question is … at what cost? Are we willing to sacrifice the current and future quality of SSU education?
~Elaine McHugh
~Ellen Carlton
~Wanda Boda
SSU Professors