2008 Woodie Awards
Cracks in the system
Kansas universities should steer private dollars to practical needs
Jeremy Johnson/Guest Columnist
Issue date: 2/28/08 Section: Opinion
Additionally, funding for fixing existing buildings isn't even something that's talked about with donors, though, in theory, if someone wanted to give money to fix the buildings that are falling apart, the university would take it. But the number of people who have offered to do that so far is zero.
But even if we put fixing crumbling buildings aside and look at the expansions to campus, the playing field is still tilted. For anyone wondering why we've had two sets of skyboxes, turf, and soon a jumbo-tron added to the football stadium in less than a decade, but can't get funding for a desperately needed new student health center or a much-needed performing arts center, look no further than the policy listed above. We aren't going to press them for it, even if it does us more damage in the long run.
The universities' stance on private funding has hurt the students long enough. We need to step up and take responsibility for our problems, and quit blaming the Legislature for our woes. True, we might lose the interest of a few donors interested in putting a dome over the football stadium, but we might also get some of the problems fixed that need to be addressed before superficial extras come into play. We are a university, so we should probably start acting like one.
Jeremy Johnson is president of the Student Government Association.
But even if we put fixing crumbling buildings aside and look at the expansions to campus, the playing field is still tilted. For anyone wondering why we've had two sets of skyboxes, turf, and soon a jumbo-tron added to the football stadium in less than a decade, but can't get funding for a desperately needed new student health center or a much-needed performing arts center, look no further than the policy listed above. We aren't going to press them for it, even if it does us more damage in the long run.
The universities' stance on private funding has hurt the students long enough. We need to step up and take responsibility for our problems, and quit blaming the Legislature for our woes. True, we might lose the interest of a few donors interested in putting a dome over the football stadium, but we might also get some of the problems fixed that need to be addressed before superficial extras come into play. We are a university, so we should probably start acting like one.
Jeremy Johnson is president of the Student Government Association.
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