Science building not that important

In his State of the University address, IU President Myles Brand announced a new multidisciplinary science building as IU's first "capital priority," estimated to cost $60 million. This comes on the heels of approval for the new Kelley School of Business Corporate and Graduate Center, which will cost $30 million. \n In light of IU's academic standing and the quality of life on the Bloomington campus, Brand's priorities are askew.\n U.S. News and World Report placed IU in the second tier of national universities. We no longer rank in the top 50 in academics, and we rank in the second half of the Big Ten academically. In an IDS column disputing the rankings, Brand wrote, "Any set of rankings must be taken with a grain of salt." It's hard to imagine Brand would say the same if IU were again ranked in the first tier, or No. 1 in the Big Ten. \n On a campus that pays professors the second worst of 11 Big Ten schools, Brand wants to build buildings instead of attracting better faculty, balancing the College of Arts and Sciences budget or pulling the School of Music out of the red.\n If prioritizing a new building is prudent, it should be a dorm. This year, 130 students were forced to live in dorm lounges until proper lodgings could be found. What's worse, dining halls have cut back on service hours, yet charge more. While the price of a meal plan remains the same, the cost of the actual food continues to increase … much like tuition. Buying less for more has become standard at IU, but Brand wants to embark on costly expansion projects.\nIf the basic quality of life in the dorms is sub-standard, IU's safety record is questionable as well. Every year, more raped and battered IU students speak out at Take Back the Night, and hundreds more keep silent. A spokesperson from the Office of Women's Affairs doesn't think it's unreasonable to assume 400 IU students are raped every year. \nBrand needs to put expansion on the back burner and upgrade existing facilities. He needs to improve the quality of IU education, not by building, but by paying the faculty a better wage, improving the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Music's financial situations and improving our existing academic resources. He needs to improve the standard of living at IU and provide a safe learning environment. Brand needs to put students -- not a building -- first.