The Central Michigan University Board of Trustees was right to delay giving President Michael Rao the authority to negotiate with land developers during Friday's special session.

The proposed project would place a six-story Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites and three to five office buildings in the Center for Applied Research and Technology (CART), located along the south end of West Campus Drive.

However, with just 23 days to examine the proposal, what other course of action was possible?

Vice President of Finance and Administrative Services David Burdette proposed this project and has dealt the most with the developers.

Yet he did not educate the trustees enough for them to make a responsible decision for the next 100 years of the CART. The developers approached CMU in November, but the trustees were not given details until late April. It was puzzling that the trustees were asked to make a decision Friday.

There are several issues that Board Chairman Jeffrey Caponigro and others raised that need to be examined closer.

The amount of money CMU would lease the 12 acres of land for per year - $2,000 per acre - seems hardly fair when looking at the land's estimated $100,000-$200,000 market value.

While it is unlikely developers Lodgco Management, LLC, and Alpine Holdings, LLC, are pulling the wool over the board's eyes, Burdette was unable to explain the discrepancy when asked and said it should be revisited.

Why was the land value not looked at more closely before the proposal went before the board?

There is more than enough room for economic development in the park, and space could be filled by offering a less-than-adequate leasing price. The CART has sat largely dormant for some time.

But there is no need to rush into a project that could affect the university more than 50 years down the road.

Sure, it seems like a good idea. It may allow more students to learn outside the classroom in close vicinity to campus. The 140-room hotel may give more internship opportunities to students in the hospitality program. The office park may give students a chance to learn from professionals in technological fields. The meeting rooms would be a wonderful addition for faculty.

The hotel would approach the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort in overall quality and be a real draw to out-of-towners.

But what is the real benefit to all CMU students and faculty?

A majority of students and faculty must find this addition to campus vital to the university's academic experience.

The trustees must make sure first and foremost that the university is being compensated fairly for the land. Then, make sure the addition to CART would meet the direct mission statement set forth - the SmartZone mission statement set by the state.

That it focuses on "attracting and stimulating high-tech businesses involved in business intelligence, nano-scale sciences and biotechnology," as stated on its Web site.

That there are no other alternatives for the CART that would bring in more money and educational value.

Then, and only then, should it be approved. Because CART does need development. And CMU needs money. The revenue it could capture from this project and a boost in the local economy would be beneficial.

Just don't rush into it. But also don't take too much time, otherwise the developers will place this state-of-the-art hotel elsewhere.