Pricey messages

The Benson Center unveiled eight new flashy television monitors in what's been dubbed an "information service" to students. But the type of technology chosen for the project -- flat, LCD display screens -- is costly and seems contradictory amid budget cuts across the university.

Nancy Cutler, who worked on the committee that requested the grant to pay for the screens, said that the total cost of those eight screens (which includes installation, software and the devices themselves) was $65,000. That's $8,125 per unit.

The university, as reported by The Santa Clara last spring, must make $1.8 million in cuts over the next two years. And some students, who can't rely on their parents to pay for school, are working to make ends meet because they were gapped in scholarships and loans. This is an even more troubling prospect considering the price of a Santa Clara education was slated to rise to $27,135, $1,700 higher from the previous year.

Since their inception, the screens have served much like PowerPoint, with slides cycling for upwards of 18 hours a day. They show information on various announcements including student elections and upcoming sports events.

We don't disagree with finding clever ways to advance school spirit or activities, but the timing of such a lavish purchase just seems excessive.

Future plans are to air video and audio, specifically through the campus TV station. They could also display emergency announcements, if need be. But Benson Center Director Matt Cameron says concrete decisions on how to best use the screens are still in the works.

The LCD screens are no doubt high quality. Cameron says each one should last 10 years, whereas the wear and tear on a basic TV monitor would result in a hole being burnt into such a screen.

We expect complaints accusing our argument of being misguided -- that the project came from a different budget specifically reserved for such requests. But semantics aside, the screens appear irrational during times of cost cuts.