Central Michigan University needs to spend the budget for all its students, not just a lucky few

When someone spends their hard-earned money on something, it shows what they value.

Central Michigan University is no exception to this rule, spending money on what they feel is most important. But the university hasn’t been spending that money in a balanced way.

It needs to start better funding areas of the school that benefit a larger amount of students.

CMU is constantly trying to enhance its reputation through expansion and athletic teams. The medical school CMU is shelling out millions for will hold 100 students in its first year, with four classes.

Each class will have 100 students, totaling 400 at its peak.

The medical school will be ran by one head dean and four associate deans. All together, the deans will cost the school $1.5 million a year.

In such tough economic times, students are having trouble funding college.

Parents and family members are constantly losing jobs in Michigan’s tough economy.

How can CMU justify raising tuition for thousands during such hardships, then tack on an unneeded $1.5 million to benefit just 400 students?

The athletic department is given nearly $22 million this year for a projected budget. The computer labs around campus have only $350,000 for a projected budget this year to operate. While it is understood the athletic department is a bigger operation than the computer labs are, it does not stand that the labs are less important than the sports teams on campus.

Lab hours are being slashed in order to save $80,000 a year. The new FieldTurf for the Indoor Athletic Complex is going to cost CMU $400,000 to $500,000 — for CMU sports teams to practice.

The wants of a few are now outweighing the needs of the many.

Less than one percent of the student body is involved with sports, yet more money is being spent on them.

The computer labs can be accessed by any student and money is disappearing for them.

It is as if the university is telling students studying is not as important as playing sports.

What the university needs to do is find well qualified professors that will enlighten students.

Computer labs should be open longer and programs that allow for more students need to be created on campus.

These few changes would show the university is committed to including everyone on their campus, not just a lucky few.

These expansions and activities are by no means bad. They are part of a university no matter where you go.

But they should be on the back burner of a university’s priorities.

Let’s focus on what really matters; Educating our students. Everything else that follows should be secondary.