Fast Feedback: WMU Spends $120,000 on Parking Plaza

KALAMAZOO (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - Numbers are being crunched by accounting majors, football team statisticians, and a couple of students try to prove a point.

Students at WMU are angry at what the university has paid for one of their projects.

Two students requested the records and got all the details on how renovating one campus parking lot cost the university almost $120,000.

From the papers to the pavement, price tags have been put out for everyone to see. “I kind of thought it was pretty ridiculous the $240 planters and the $2,000 umbrellas thats kind of crazy,” said Jon Anderson a WMU grad student.

The total cost of turning a parking lot into this outdoor plaza almost $120,000.

“We couldn't really believe it, we wanted actual confirmation. When we got the actual cost and how much the actual items cost, we were really amazed,” said Anderson.

So amazed that roommates Dustin Spicuzza and Jon Anderson decided to share the information which most students can't believe.

Jason Phillips a WMU junior said, “if all this stuff is true about how much they spent on it, I think it's a big waste of money. Well, makes sense why tuition prices are going up.”

Dustin and Jon hope that message and this public display gets through to the university's administration.

“This is just a great public example to use to get people's attention on how bad the spending is sometimes,” said Phillips.

WMU paid $120,000 for what the university says is a temporary fix.

We want to know is it a good idea to spend this kind of money on beautification when raising the tuition by 5.8 % this fall?