The referendum the Student Government attempted to pass last week sure did spark a good bit of talk among students and the community. Not all talk was positive; it just depended on who you talked to.
After reading countless Facebook posts, statuses and comments left on websites where a story was posted about the referendum, it is apparent that not everyone was as gung ho about a fee increase as the SGA was.
Now, we know there is not just one factor for it getting rejected. It just seems like the money was going to be unfairly divided.
Yes, athletics are the face of every university, and it is true that our Warhawks pull in more money then any other group on campus.
It goes without saying that The Hawkeye staff does understand what the SGA wanted to accomplish by proposing this referendum. It’s admirable that they are, as the president said, “It’s obvious now that the state isn’t going to invest in our university, so we are asking our students to.”
But the $1.8 million that the athletic department would have received is a huge difference than the measly $20,000 for VAPA.
I f the SGA wants to try the referendum again, things should be more fairly divided among groups. ULM doesn’t just need people to be recruited here to play a sport; we also need theater majors, artists, painters, sculptors, singers, dancers and designers.
Just think of how beautiful campus would be with student-produced art.