Trusted trustees

Here at the IDS editorial board, we have been known to scrutinize just about every decision made on the IU campus. And over the years, the board of trustees has taken a lot of guff from us. But now hell might be freezing over as we applaud the trustees' recent decision to make $9 million of additional financial aid available to the freshman class of 2007. By allocating these funds for incoming students, the trustees have won our undying love and affection. We feel their plan is (dare we say it?) worthy of a gold star. Here's why:\nIn case you haven't noticed, money doesn't grow on trees. Don't try rifling through all the foliage in the Arboretum for deciduous money-makers because sadly, you will find none. Higher education is expensive, and those who don't have a spare $100,000 hanging around their houses often find themselves excluded from the learning opportunities that might have given them a leg up in the world. \nIU aims to spread knowledge, whether it be in the field of science, music or underwater archaeology (check the individualized major program for that one). If education is not highly accessible, it will serve only to preserve an economically biased class system. Commendably, though, much of the new aid money will go to traditionally underrepresented minority students, who, financially speaking, often find themselves at a disadvantage. \nAs it stands, those who cannot afford to bear the whole brunt of funding a college education often juggle a full work schedule and classes, a situation which, if not delicately balanced, can lead to unbearable amounts of stress. Anything that the University can do to lessen that burden should be a priority. Obviously, $9 million won't be able to pay for the educations of the entire freshman class, but if it can prevent students from still having to pay off student loans when they are 75 years old, it's all right by us. \nIn the past, the University has distributed funds to causes and organizations that have raised a few eyebrows, to say the very least. (We seem to recall a little $55 million check to IU Athletics raising a few eyebrows around campus.) Yet this $9 million budget allocation is indisputably good for IU and prospective students. By reducing monetary limitations on its student body, IU will ideally be able to recruit the best and the brightest, and money will play less of a factor in determining who is able to enroll. \nKudos to the fine folks of the administration for keeping our best interests in mind. We know we're rough on you sometimes, so enjoy your moment in the sun. Take your gold star, give yourselves a pat on the back and put a copy of your A+ proposal up on your refrigerator. There is no better way to show you're looking out for us.