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I commend Ben Wileman and Kevin Anderson for taking the time to respond to Beth Mendenhall's article. I'm pleased that somebody stepped up and did something instead of just complaining on Facebook.com about it.
Far too often people moan and complain about something and do nothing to fix the problem. Don't like the way things are run in the Collegian? Or in the government? Then do something about it or shut up.
That's why I didn't stop at complaining about how the college spends our money; I sat down and brainstormed a few ideas that I think could help K-State. Here's what I came up with:
1.) Replace all light bulbs on campus with energy-efficient ones. They pay for themselves in the long run. Sell the old ones at a discounted price to another institution that uses a lot of light bulbs, like another school. That'll save the other school some money and help K-State recoup some. I have been using energy-efficient bulbs for years and nobody has noticed unless they happened to see the bare bulb. Light fixtures can be used to change the color.
2.) Ask the Division of Facilities for advice on what projects need to be done and take their advice seriously. They hold this place together; therefore, they know more about what the univerisity needs than others. Have them compile a list of things that badly need repair and separate it into categories based on price tag and priority: serious and expensive problems, serious but cheaper problems, expensive minor problems, cheaper minor problems and miscellaneous. Prioritize based on that list.
3.) Construction has been done by students before and should be done again. We have a legion of students who could help. Make the architecture, construction science and other similar majors build and fix things around campus. Landscaping students could mow grass, trim tree limbs and drain areas with standing water. Make it worth their while by offering extra credit for their classes. This will save money, give students experience and give the Division of Facilities the time to work on other projects.
4.) Any project is bound to have leftovers. Rather than throw it away, it should be recycled. Ask around and find someone who can come up with a reasonable, cost-effective plan. For example, use the old carpet from Hale Library to build kitty condos and scratching posts, then sell them in local pet stores and online. Recycled products whose profits go toward supporting a school are a guaranteed seller, especially if the price is reasonable. Money could be made on this project, especially if free wood from pallets at the Manhattan Mercury is used and students volunteer to build them (more extra credit points).
5.) If you speak with people who want to donate money to K-State, ask them nicely to donate it to something that we actually need, like repairing Seaton Hall. (Refer to the priorities list from No. 2, above.) If they hesitate, give them incentives like a plaque on the building they saved, a glowing press release from the media relations office proclaiming them to be "hometown heroes" or put them in a convertible and drive them around Snyder Family Stadium during halftime so they can wave to the crowd while the "before" and "after" pictures of the repairs they funded are displayed on the Jumbotron. People love to feel useful. If you make them feel like a million bucks, they will give it to you.
6.) Here's another fun project that will save the university gas money and make treehuggers smile: Convert some university vehicles to run on recycled grease. The Derby Dining Center alone could probably fuel every car on campus.
I truly believe that some of my ideas would help K-State, but I'm also sure there are people out there with better ideas than mine. I encourage you to speak up. If we do nothing, things won't change, but if we do something, things might just get better. Wouldn't that be nice?
-Karen Ingram is a sophomore in English. Please send comments to opinion@spub.ksu.edu.
