Let’s talk money.
San Diego State recently reached its fundraising goal of $500 million and has extended its new goal to $750 million. This money is said to go toward research facilities and endowments, scholarships and professorships, funds for the Honors College and the creation/renovation of science buildings, according to Coleen L. Geraghty, writer and editor for The Campaign for SDSU.
All this money and planning is going toward efforts of creating, in Geraghty’s words, a “lasting legacy” for SDSU.
However, there are buildings on campus with no air conditioning, classrooms with broken or nonfunctional projectors and dorms that are practically falling apart by a breeze. How can we expect to achieve great things when the campus is falling to shambles each day?
SDSU has so much money, yet its continually disproportionately administered and the quality in everyday student life and education suffers as a result.
The money is not trickling down.
Millions of donor dollars go to sports and science programs, while other majors and programs receive less money. Is that to say some groups or majors are more important than others? Or only the groups and majors racking in big bucks and media attention for the school deserve more money?
I understand why money is allocated to certain areas of school. SDSU can’t change where this money goes since donors can choose exactly how and where their generous sum of money is allocated, but this system is clearly biased.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful these donors provide so many opportunities and make our school great, but the money is still distributed unevenly throughout the university and its various programs.
Let’s evaluate the SDSU basketball team, not because I hate basketball, but because its where the biggest discrepancies can be observed.
According to The Campaign, the basketball team received $2 million earlier this year to go toward their $14.5 million Basketball Performance Center from the Manna Foundation. The weird thing is the Manna Foundation homepage is dedicated to “providing health and aid to poor and hungry children.” This is a bit confusing. How many countless poor and hungry children are in need of full-length basketball courts, multiple locker rooms, film, teams and training rooms at SDSU?
If that’s not superfluous and obnoxious, I don’t know what is.
On one hand, there’s an overabundance of money being concentrated in one area. On the other, there are broke college students being squeezed even harder for money through student success fees. That money goes toward bettering the school from its current state, getting more teachers and classrooms to educate, and to help increase graduation rates.
All this money will come out of the pockets of students, and federal and state funding in order to pay for the bare essentials at school. Students are left struggling, fighting tooth and nail to afford a quality education. Meanwhile, the basketball team builds a multi-million-dollar enterprise and lives in luxury.
There are some serious inconsistencies and injustices in regard to funding for different spheres on campus. Potentially doing the school more harm than good. Priorities need to change, and money needs to be allocated equally.
