Rock or refuge?
The Board of Trustees has approved a waste of university money.
At its meeting last Thursday, board members approved funding for the University Memorial, the enigmatic Student Government Association project that has been in talks since 2004. The money - $79,068 - will come from CMU's campus improvement fund.
It just doesn't make sense to spend university money on a glorified piece of marble, that, in the end, is just going to be something else on campus with the CMU seal.
We are not chastising SGA and the university for their intentions. There's nothing worse than losing a loved one, and it is extremely commendable students want to honor people who have died in the CMU family.
But approving almost $80,000 to construct a nameless piece of stone is not the answer.
If students, faculty or staff members lose a loved one, they are not going to want to walk by the Charles V. Park Library and seek comfort from a chunk of red marble. They're going to want to go to church, be with family members or just be alone during their times of reflection.
It's almost silly to think someone would be so heartbroken over the loss of a loved one that he or she would choose to reflect right next to one of the busiest walkways on this campus.
The stone not containing names of those who have died, or those who unfortunately may in the future, is the biggest reason why this is a waste of money.
We've asked before, and we'll ask again: What's the point of a memorial if names of the deceased aren't on it?
The Vietnam War Memorial isn't so famous because its sleek, glossy black design looks cool. It's so well traveled and revered because of the thousands of names on it. People wouldn't travel from across the world it see it if it simply read, "Vietnam War Memorial," and then had some quotes from Richard Nixon and Ho Chi Minh and a drawing of Vietnam on it.
Another thing that had this editorial board scratching its collective head is where the money is coming from.
The campus improvement fund is designed to fund projects that "improve" landscaping and structural damage, among other things.
How does the construction of a student memorial with the CMU seal improve campus?
It doesn't, but you can bet all student-led tours will go right past the memorial in the future, to show off to prospective students and their parents. And parents will eat it up.
This decision wasn't made to appease three years of work by SGA.
It was made to make the university look good, which is exactly why its approval was unanimous at Thursday's meeting.
The decision was the definition of the term "rubber stamp." Everyone knew it would be approved well before it ever got on the board's agenda. And the money that could be spent on something more worthwhile will instead go to a lame attempt at image-building.
But maybe there is one good thing to come out of this.
At least the money won't be wasted on another fruitless national search for a vacant administrator post.
