Reflection
Students absolutely should honor the memory of peers who have died.
There is little that is more heartbreaking than the death of a young person.
Why it matters
The proposed student memorial is noble, but not practical
Remembering, reflecting and reminiscing all are important parts of the grieving process for those left behind.
But a $78,000 check from the Board of Trustees is not necessary to do that.
The Student Government Association has $11,000 of the more than $88,000 needed to construct a student memorial.
The tri-fold granite structure will not contain names of deceased students, but will include the university seal, alma mater and quotes from several philosophers.
There also will be benches constructed to give students a place to reflect.
Our university does not have the means to spend money to foster student reflection.
If students want to reflect, they will find a bench, light a candle and do it.
They don’t need $78,000 to do so.
This project undoubtedly will be rubber stamped by the board at its December meeting.
The board’s vice chair, Jeff Caponigro, already has endorsed the idea.
“We absolutely think this a great idea,” Caponigro said in an April 24 Central Michigan Life story. “Any time a student passes away it’s a terrible tragedy and anything we can do to honor their memory is a good idea.”
This memorial will be good PR for the board and the university, something they would never turn down — no matter the price.
The memorial likely will not face student opposition either — who can argue against honoring the deceased?
In this tough economic climate, tough stances must be taken.
Allocating the $78,000 from the Campus Improvement budget needed for the student memorial is something the Board of Trustees would be wise not to do.
The Campus Improvement budget is fed by the now-hidden fees that derive from the CMU Promise. It’s impossible to argue the money should be spent on under-funded programs such as the Speaker Series. The money cannot be spent beyond campus improvement.
However, surely SGA and the board can do better than a piece of nameless granite and some benches.
