MATC students raise questions
about the feasibility of a dormatory
from The Times Editorial "Dormitory idea needs research"

MATC President Darnell Cole has asked the board of
directors to explore the need for student housing and how it
would fit into MATC's future, according to recent articles in
the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

The articles and today's Times also said that the board was
reviewing a specific proposal from a developer, but was not
yet ready to comment publicly or release details of the
proposal.

The fact that the board appears to be taking a studied
approach to evaluating residence halls for MATC is good. On
the one hand, making student housing available could be a
great benefit to long-distance commuters, or students who
would like to attend college here but cannot due to their
distant location from MATC's campuses.

On the other hand, the impact on county taxpayers, MATC's
finances, and student tuition and fees should all be carefully
weighed before any decision to pursue student housing is
made. More than that, the criteria that are used to make the
decision should be crafted with input from students and
members of the community.

One critical consideration is how much money
prospective or current students would be willing to pay for
student housing. If that amount is not enough to cover the
cost of offering it, then where would the additional funding
come from to bridge the gap?

While this may make student housing difficult or impossible
to pursue, the alternative is to hit up already-stretched college
budgets or the taxpayers, neither of which would gain much
popular support.

As a result we at The Times feel that student housing should
only be pursued if it can be offered and run in a self-funded
fashion. That criteria should be included in evaluating any
decision to pursue it.