"David Beyer's commentary was a welcome change from the pro-construction view for a university in Snohomish County, but I remain disappointed that the Herald has not done more to seek out alternative viewpoints or challenged prevailing assumptions.
The university has been portrayed as a gift to residents who can't leave home for college. Pro-constructionists have characterized the problem as a lack of space even as we have seen enrollment downturns at many local community colleges. College presidents and others like Senator McAuliffe who are concerned about the effect on existing programs have been dismissed as having a monetary interest in the status quo, even though pro-construction legislators have a significantly larger monetary interest in pouring concrete. Let's face it; the gift at stake is not access to education, but money for infrastructure development.
Our tax dollars currently support college campuses in all three counties and regional universities offering degrees at one or more of those sites. WSU offers bachelor degrees online, making geography irrelevant. Equally important, schools are offering innovative course delivery methods, pairing online and classroom instruction in the evenings and on weekends, to meet demand without the construction costs. For those who are motivated, the opportunity to earn a degree already exists.
Visions of a new university stir fond memories of college life, but the reality is that it distracts us from the real problems of improving access to higher education. A Department of Education study titled "A Test of Leadership" outlines a range of problems with affordability the most pressing. It's unlikely that spending ten years and hundreds of millions of dollars on roads, sewers and stadiums is the best way to make college affordable. Perhaps the Herald's reporters can share with us information and alternatives that will foster a meaningful debate of the issues."
