Four years ago when we took our tours at Simpson, we walked past Pfeiffer dining hall as our guides explained the plans for the elaborate new student center that would soon be sitting there. We’re still waiting.

As the Student Government Association and administrators begin to discuss what to do with the student fee there are a lot of factors to consider.

Potential donors obviously aren’t the only ones hurt by the financial downturn. Students are strapped for cash too. Shelling out that $100 dollars is more difficult now. Not only that, but if the fee is re-instated, it will increase to $115. That’s not a major increase, but what about the students at Simpson 15 years from now who will be paying $200 a year?

We have the possibility of not only building upon a legacy but contributing to a financial burden for students.

It’s clear that thoughtful discussions need to be had by all before any decisions are made.

We applaud President Byrd and all of the administrators for their decision not to push Simpson into debt to build a new student center. We’ve seen it go wrong at a number of schools, and we’d rather wait a couple extra years than pay an extra grand in tuition to cover the debt.

Still, a fee would be a lot easier to swallow if we had some time line of when construction would begin. Four years? Five? Ten? It’s hard to contribute to a project with an endless deadline. How do we know that it will in fact be finished at all?

It’s true that we can’t blame the economic recession on anyone, at least not anyone here at Simpson. It’s extremely unfortunate that the financial downturn came at a crucial time in fundraising for the student center.

But it’s also hard to be told over and over that plans are coming soon. Countless groups heard last year that there’d be a hole next to the theater when we returned to campus this fall. Last we checked, all that ground is still in tact.

Underclassmen should take particular care. Seniors are probably the most familiar with the project, but we’re finished paying after this year. It’s up to students to inform themselves about his issue.

If one think is certain, this isn’t a decision that should be made solely by a group of administrators in the towers of Hillman. We don’t want that, and we’re pretty certain that they don’t want that either. When input is requested over the coming months, students should come forward and speak up.

Faculty need to be open to student input too.

It’s kind of like voting, if you don’t participate in the discussion, you can’t complain about the outcome.