Community involvement

Last week, the University decided to donate some $25,000 toward the construction of a new skate park in Princeton Township. While the University's efforts at community outreach should be encouraged, we believe that this decision merits some degree of further scrutiny.

The first and most significant concern this project presents is that of transparency. It often seems as though the process through which the University decides which community initiatives to fund is arbitrary and inconsistent. When the University commits resources to the community it should do so in a way that includes student input, either through a new board or through other existing means, such as the Office of Community and Regional Affairs or the Campus and Community Affairs Committee. As important stakeholders in the greater Princeton community, the student body should have a voice in deciding how their resources ought to be applied when the University engages in outreach.

On that point, it intuitively seems that in light of programs like community soup kitchens and tutoring initiatives, the allocation of funding to a somewhat peripheral recreational facility is somewhat ill-judged. Of course, it is entirely possible that this decision is a worthwhile one, especially if it reduces the number of skates on campus.

But since this decision has been made largely behind closed doors, the student body has no way of assessing the costs and benefits of this initiative when compared to other possibilities. We applaud community outreach, but believe it must operate in a more open and effective environment than it does today.