Students at Hillsdale College don’t have to travel to Washington, D.C., to experience wasteful government spending firsthand.
Last semester, the Student Federation voted to spend $4,500 on a ceremonial mace. In the abstract, maces are impressive and symbolize the importance and stature of a governmental body. In the case of Student Fed, however, the body has a very specific purpose and an expenditure of this kind is wasteful at best, and disrespectful of the students it represents at worst.
The first line of the federation’s mission statement reads, “The organization, known as the Hillsdale College Student Federation, shall exist to allocate student fees for the purpose of improving campus life; to approve of and regulate student clubs, organizations, and honoraries.” The decision to spend almost $5,000 on a ceremonial item that will in no way affect any other student on campus flies in the face of the founding documents of the Student Federation.
In 2018, a Hillsdale Daily News article estimated that there are 100-130 homeless people In Hillsdale County at any given time. If the federation wants to abdicate its duty to the campus clubs and groups that rely on it for funding, it should at least attempt to make a positive impact on the community that supports Hillsdale College. The several warming centers in Hillsdale County and organizations like the Salvation Army and St. Anthony’s Family Center offer the Student Federation a host of options to make a positive impact on their community.
I am not the only student who feels this way. In an informal poll I conducted in the Grewcock Student Union during lunch hours on Feb. 9, I spoke to 75 students, 74.7% of whom said they are not in favor of Student Federation spending $4,500 on a ceremonial mace.
In an article published by The Collegian about the mace, Student Federation President Brant Siegfried was quoted saying, “We wanted a gift with long-term impact and institutional value, and that’s where the idea of the mace was conceived.” While this a fine goal in general, a mace in no way fills this charge. Instead of purchasing an expensive piece of wood and metal that only a few students will ever see, why not contribute to fund a statue or piece of art to display where all students can appreciate it?
In today’s culture, putting up statues instead of tearing them down is a powerful message that would certainly make a long-term impact for all students rather than just the federation. Hillsdale students have walked past statues and monuments on campus since the early years of the college. The stone bench to the southwest of Central Hall is gorgeous, and a unique piece of campus. With its excess funds, Student Federation had a chance to continue improving Hillsdale’s campus for all students present and future. Instead, it chose to spend money on a symbolic item most students will never use or know exists.
This piece is not a dig at the character of the members of the Hillsdale College Student Federation. In writing this piece, I have met a few of them and have been impressed with the seriousness with which they take their positions, and am sure they are good people. But that doesn’t change the fact that they made a wasteful decision and should have more thoughtfully allocated their budget surplus.
Cal McNellie is senior studying finance and politics.
