Trustees
When the Board of Trustees meets Thursday for the final time this semester, it will vote on several important issues, including the College of Extended Learning tuition increase and a possible 4 percent room and board increase for students living on campus.
While we do hope they use the suggestions and ideas produced by students, committees and professors during the past months to make wise decisions on these matters, it seems remiss that the trustees are avoiding decisions on two important and waning issues: the one-time athletics fee for incoming students and the women’s field hockey complex.
The season of college applications and acceptances are upon us.
Unsuspecting high school seniors throughout the state and the Midwest wait-out their excitement anticipating a letter to show up in the mail, when their immediate future will be cemented in one simple rip of an envelope. All this without the knowledge that in a few months the trustees will probably charge them an extra $300 to come to CMU to bail out the Athletics Department.
It seems prudent to share with incoming students that the school is likely to enact the fee. While the fee will probably not be the determining factor in a student’s decision of which school they go to, making a decision on the fee now, instead of July 8, the next scheduled board meeting, could make the students believe they are coming into an institution that is open and honest with its students.
Putting off a decision on the women’s field hockey issue is also foolish.
The team will begin practice in early August. On Sept. 24 the team will play its first home game. But unless the board calls a special meeting, or Athletics Director Herb Deromedi takes things into his own hands — which doesn’t seem likely — the team will not know its fate until July 8.
That leaves just a few weeks before the first practice and a few more until the first home game.
Not deciding on these issues Thursday is a mistake. The board does not need more time. Hundreds of hours have already been lost in discussions, suggestions and meetings determining the best for the university.
Throughout the semester, the administration has sought the input of students and faculty through numerous open forums. It seems now that it will make these important decisions during the summer, when it can no longer fully benefit from those opinions.
The time for decisions is now.
