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Editorial: Sudden closing of Foust Pharmacy shows university's opinion of campus needs

(02/11/16 12:59am)

Late last month, Central Michigan University students received an e-mail announcing our on-campus pharmacy is closing. The pharmacy closes its doors for good on Thursday, Feb. 25. This decision does a major disservice to the students, faculty and staff that used the pharmacy. It is also another indication of how out of touch university decision makers can be when it comes to student needs. The pharmacy filled 20,251 prescriptions and served 4,232 patients within the last year. Apparently, serving students and staff wasn’t a substantial enough reason to keep the important service open. Now, those customers will have to go off campus to get their medications. Some people have said the pharmacy closing is no big deal; A CVS and a Walgreens are close by. This is more than a matter of convenience. Students who can’t afford prescription costs were able to put charges from the pharmacy on their CMU accounts. That won’t be an option at the local chain pharmacies.  The pharmacy also provided a delivery service to faculty offices and other on-campus locations. For example, many female students picked up birth control pills there. It provided a necessary service within walking distance from each residence hall. Located in Foust Hall, the pharmacy was a short walk from the on-campus health clinic. Students could get a visit to the doctor and a trip to the pharmacy accomplished in one building. CMU gives plenty of resources to other student services such as the Student Activity Center and the Charles V. Park Library. Why make these auxiliary arms a financial priority and not one directly related to student health?Making a decision about a service important to so many people without the student and staff perspective in mind is becoming a trend at this university. Chuck Mahone, CMU’s Student Government president said the closing of the pharmacy was news to him, too. He is supposed to be our voice to campus decision makers. That's typical. That is what is at the root of this closure: CMU’s glaring disregard for student concerns. If CMU officials want students to feel connected to the university, we have a simple prescription for how that can be achieved. Talk to us before you make a decision that directly affects us. CMU missed another opportunity to do so here. The closing of our schools pharmacy makes it uneasy to think about which student service might be next.

https://www.cm-life.com/article/2016/02/staff-edit-closing-pharm-2-11-16