Editorial:

Classroom of the future not worth the hefty price

Published March 9, 2010

The classroom of the future — it has a nice ring to it. It will probably be good for advertising and a great show room for MU tours, but what is it really?

Put simply, it is a classroom with swivel chairs positioned in an oval shape with numerous projectors and a soundproof area, so a teacher can privately talk to a student after class.

Although there isn't necessarily anything wrong with this setup, it certainly isn't worth the $100,000 price tag it will cost to be built in Arvarh E. Strickland Hall.

In the economic climate, $100,000 for an advanced classroom is a gross misuse of funds. There are a lot of other things MU could advertise, build or expand upon.

There are also bigger problems than students needing to move desks in order to see each other more easily during class discussions or the projector not being immediately visible.

For instance, $100,000 could go toward improving the overcapacity problem or faculty salaries.

The issues the classroom would fix are real, but there are better, more economic ways to do so then spending such a large sum of money.

One classroom for $100,000 isn't practical. It isn't a good enough selling point on tours, and it isn't going to benefit enough of the student body.