By Editorial Board of The Beacon
ASUP deserves congratulations for reaching a compromise on the issue of how to spend the Capital Improvements Fund.
For the next three years, monies from CIF each fall semester will go to the RISE campaign to build a new campus recreation center. The spring semester CIF will go toward more immediate campus improvements, as per tradition.
The proposition to contribute CIF monies to a new recreational center was born out of strong student sentiment. However, the proposition was also strongly opposed, as it is probable most current UP students will not get to enjoy their investment.
Both sides defended their views in the public forum, and in the end both sides had to sacrifice a little.
The debate over CIF allowed the student body to truly witness competitive democracy in progress. In fact, this outcome may very well be a good example for the Congress in Washington D.C., which often comes to a screeching halt when faced with staunch disagreement over important issues.
Our student government did not shy away from controversy and fall back on business as usual. They met the issue head on.
Of course, there is no way this compromise will please everyone. That is not the point of any compromise. The important outcome is that each side gave a little and took a little. Ultimately, compromise is about good faith in the student government system.
Even though not everyone got everything he or she wanted, the student body as a whole benefits from the teamwork ASUP demonstrated.
