Pass: SA starting fast with bus changes

I am impressed by the speed in which the Student Association is getting the Huskie Line revamp underway.

The SA will hold focus groups to get student input on the changes to the Huskie Line. The first focus group, which met Feb. 11, discussed students’ concerns about distance and lack of transportation between buildings on the east side of campus — like Barsema Hall — and residence halls.

The next focus group is 6 p.m. March 24 in the Campus Life Building, Room 180.

The SA’s plans are refreshing and the speed in which it’s implementing these plans is even better. I’m glad it is getting things started and asking for student input in the process.

Many students will appreciate a bus that takes them to the buildings on the east side of campus — like Barsema — and the SA’s quick delivery of bus changes should make for a happier campus.

Fail: NIU spending on Holmes revamp

NIU is asking its community to participate in a survey about the future of the Holmes Student Center. This isn’t something NIU should focus on in light of Gov. Bruce Rauner’s proposed budget.

The goal of NIU’s Campus RE:ENVISIONED study is revitalizing the central core of NIU’s campus. A team of three design firms is working on what the Holmes Student Center may feature and be used for in the future.

Rauner’s budget proposal, which would cut state funding to NIU by $29 million, could put the university in a bad place: cutting money from higher education could result in employee layoffs and college being more expensive for students.

It doesn’t seem smart for NIU to go ahead with the plans to revamp the Holmes Student Center — or any building on campus, for that matter — and spending money when it should be saving it.