Being a transfer student to the University of Illinois from the University of Cincinnati, I often look for reasons that further legitimize transferring to this school. Sometimes it is easy to see that I made a good decision in coming here, but once in a while I come across something that really makes me question the integrity of this school.

One of the most striking things that I recently saw was that the president of the University of Cincinnati, Santa Ono, just requested to the Board of Trustees that they sell the president’s residence and use the money from the sale to support a new student scholarship. The house is valued at more than $2.7 million, which is more than enough to help out dozens of students with their education costs.

I have seldom heard of something like this being done at any other university, much less the University of Illinois. This really goes to show that the atmosphere of the University of Cincinnati is intently focused on the students, something that I really could not say the same about Illinois. Don’t get me wrong, Illinois gives me a great education, and I have many professors who care very much that I am learning. But is it really necessary for Robert Easter to live in, according to a 2010 News-Gazette article, a $3.8 million house in addition to a pay of $400,000 per year?

I have a hunch that the answer is no, and I also know that the money could very easily be spent on something to help at least one of the school’s 40,000 students pay for their time here.

Chris Keckler, sophomore in Engineering