CIF
-
Upload
rosemary-peters -
Category
Documents
-
view
212 -
download
0
description
Transcript of CIF
!
ASUP’s top !ve: Capital disappointments
!"#$%&#'()*%(#+,The editorial reflects the majority view of The Beacon Editorial Board. The editorial does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the collective staff or the Administration of the University of Portland. Other submissions in this section are signed commentaries that reflect the opinion of the individual writer. The Student Media Committee, providing recommendation to the publisher, oversees the general operation of the newspaper. Policy set by the committee and publisher dictates that the responsibility for the newspaper’s editorial and advertising content lies solely in the hands of its student employees.
Every year ASUP spends part
of our student government fees,
amounting to almost $20,000,
on capital improvements for the
university. This week a list of
nine projects was whittled down
to five, as ASUP senators voiced
student preferences.
In considering the final five
projects, it is important to think
about which projects will im!
prove the lives of the most stu!
dents.
The four projects taken off the
list included: library improve!
ments, replacing the chalkboards
with white boards in Buckley
Center, a large-scale composting
tumbler and improvements to the
crosswalk between the baseball
field and Fields and Shoenfeldt
halls.
The five remaining projects
include: adding air blade dryers
in bathrooms, adding more wa!
ter refilling stations to buildings,
sound equipment for CPB and
KDUP, new ventilation in The
Cove and adding more seating in
the East Side Quad.
The addition of air blade hand
dryers would be a step toward
increasing the sustainability of
the campus; however, what is the
point of installing dryers if the
paper towel dispensers remain?
When the new dryers were in!
stalled in Shiley Hall during its
renovation, paper towel dispens!
ers were also installed. Many
students still use the paper towels
instead of the air dryer. There!
fore, it is unlikely that installing
more dryers would help conserve
paper towels.
Adding more water bottle re!
filling stations would be helpful
to students and faculty. These
new refilling stations make it
easier to fill water bottles. With
the ban on bottled water enacted
last year, these refilling stations
provide an alternative to buying
bottled water elsewhere. Howev!
er, since there are already several
refilling stations, The Beacon
believes this would be a futile
capital improvements project.
Sound system improvements
for KDUP and CPB could be
valuable to students for listening
to the campus radio station and
attending CPB events. However,
these improvements would not
have as great an impact as other
possible improvements would
because they would have occa!
sional benefits instead of benefits
that students could access every
day. Moreover, CPB already re!
ceives nearly $60,000 from the
ASUP budget.
Ventilation for The Cove
would benefit students who smell
like food hours after they leave.
This improvement would benefit
a large amount of students who
frequent The Cove as a main stu!
dent social and eating area.
Finally, the addition of more
seating in the East Side Quad
area would benefit a limited
number of students, mostly ones
who reside on the east side of
campus. This project also would
seem to have less impact than the
other projects being considered,
and would be used infrequently
because of weather.
The list of capital improve!
ments includes five projects, that
would to an extent, benefit stu!
dents. Students should make sure
to make their top choices known
to the executive board which
makes the final decisions on cap!
ital improvement spending.
Although some of these proj!
ects have merit, The Beacon
feels that this is not an adequate
top five list of possible improve!
ments to campus. We feel that
more ideas should be consid!
ered, such as installing more
outlets around campus, improv!
ing drainage on campus, creat!
ing another safe crosswalk for
students across Willamette Bou!
levard near Shipstad Hall and
reinstalling the soda fountains in
The Cove.
The capital improvements
fund is a large amount of money
and The Beacon feels that none
of these projects are worth it.
" "
Samantha Heathcote| THE BEACON
OPINIONSThe Beacon — www.upbeacon.net ! 11
Rank the capital improvement projectsWhat is important to YOU?
!"Sound improvements-"!"Cove ventilation:!"Seating improvements-"!"Hand dryers-"!"water refill stations-"
equipment for KDUP and CPB
buy new windows or investigate other ventilation options
seating options for East Side Quad, addition of picnic tables
added to more buildings
added and improved for easy water bottle !lling
Want to have your voice heard? Cut this out, rank these choices and turn it into your Senator