MSU should show a little more faith in students

---

Tweet

These past summer sessions at MSU have been somewhat eventful compared to the slow pace of those in years past. With changes happening across campus, ranging from road construction and residence hall renovations to the elimination of undergraduate programs at MSU Dubai and the assault on student savings to pay for increased tuition and possible parking tickets, MSU is not the same campus it was in early May.

Taking in the last few breaths of summer before the craze of fall begins, here’s a trip down summer’s memory lane and the events that left the green and white smeared.

MSU Dubai closed immediately and unexpectedly, leaving the 85 undergraduates and 50 incoming students without a campus. The Dubai campus was low — the expected 400 to 800 enrollment turned out to be significantly less. It was a smart decision to get off of a sinking ship before Dubai was a complete financial collapse, but what about the well-being of the students? Sure, MSU tried to make amends, but how could students trust the same institution that just burned them?

Classes were offered at the East Lansing campus, but how many students would be willing to uproot their lives, leave their families and locate to the other side of the world because the university they trusted left them with no educational future? The next time MSU tries a stunt like this, planning ahead — that is, for the student’s sake — should be the No. 1 priority.

News of this year’s tuition increases were not unexpected, but still were hard to swallow. With an increase of 2.5 percent from the 2009-10 academic year, MSU’s estimated tuition for an undergraduate student taking 15 credits during the 2010-11 school year is about $11,204. Not terribly expensive, especially for a quality education. Although it is somewhat bittersweet, MSU’s tuition increase was, by enrollment, the fourth-lowest in the state.

Parking on campus is a nightmare. If you park at MSU, plan on receiving a ticket. If legislation is passed that allows MSU to match East Lansing parking ticket prices, expect those fines to rise.
What we have learned this summer is that although MSU is a leader in many facets, it’s still learning and it still makes mistakes. Communication between administrators and the students is a key factor to success. Students are a lot more perceptive than we are given credit for; hiding the problems that face the campus like parents hiding a defective marriage is a waste of time.

MSU authorities should be schooled as well. They should be taught to guide their students through the tough times instead of trying to hide the issues from them.

We bleed green and white. Some of us, if given a choice between not being a Spartan and being nothing, would choose nothing. But that same spirit, that same faith, needs to instilled in the authority and not just the student body.

Trust us to trust you, prepare us for the changes instead of dropping them on our head. Have a little faith in us and we’ll do the same for you.

---