My big, fat, obnoxious campus

President Daniel J. Bradley is still moving forward with his plans for community and university development.

In his annual fall address on Oct. 5, President Bradley touched on his goals for campus expansion, citing the Path for Success and its six initiatives for developing partnerships.

These initiatives include revitalizing downtown Terre Haute, sprucing up the neighborhoods surrounding ISU, improving student housing and creating a gateway to ISU, as a well as a bridge to the Wabash River.

And those efforts are best witnessed so far with the relocation of the Scott College of Business, the purchase of the Icon building, the opening of Barnes & Noble and the renovations of Pickerl and Sandison halls.

Further, the university is trying to buy the Terre Haute Farmer's Market, and Bryan Duncan, ISU director of capital planning and improvements, has recently stated that two warehouses near campus will be demolished in six months.

Diann McKee, vice president for business affairs, finance and university treasurer, has added that purchasing the Farmers Market is a part of ISU's 20-year masterplan, which aims to create more space for athletic venues such as a football stadium.

The bottom line is that ISU is growing, swallowing up small businesses and abandoned properties along the way.

To an extent, it's for the betterment of the university and its students. ISU has always been known for its small campus and class size and, therefore, isn't usually placed in the same category as, say, IU or Ball State.

By augmenting the campus, ISU is attempting to put itself on their level, to stand proudly among the big boys.

The issue with campuses like IU's or Ball State's is that for some students, it's too large.  When one travels to the city of Bloomington, one IS on IU's campus.

Although the school is prestigious because of it's education and beautiful campus, it is easy to become overwhelmed and lost.

As ISU continues to stretch across the downtown area and toward the Wabash River, it loses its accessibility to students.  Not to mention that it intrudes on the Terre Haute community and its residents.

Does ISU need to encompass Terre Haute? No. The city is already home to Rose Hulman, St. Mary-of- the-Woods and Ivy Tech. Each have their own corner of the city, so why can't ISU? When did being quaint go out of style?

Another point to consider is how much these developments will cost the university in the long run. 

With tuition on the rise and the state of the economy, is ISU's focus in the right direction?

Money is, perhaps, the most important tool to a student's education. Without proper funding and financial support, students are unable to afford their over-priced textbooks, their tuition, food, gas or room and board. And if they can't swing those expenses, they cannot attend classes or perform well academically.

How can ISU justify buying up properties like hot cakes when its students face financial adversity?