You can't get much for $1 any more. Fast food seems to be getting more expensive by the minute. Pop from the vending machines costs $1.25. You can't even get an hour of parking on campus for a dollar. But that dollar could go - with 14,000 others - to keep Channel 12, a movie channel that students know and love.
The Residence Halls Association voted Wednesday to raise its tax from $21 to $22 per semester.
This tax increase would be required only of those students living in residence halls and will go to cover increasing contract costs with Channel 12. The raise would bring in about $14,000 per semester. Funds left over after paying the $2,000 annual increase that Channel 12 contractually requires of RHA each year would be applied toward other programs.
ASMSU, MSU's undergraduate student government, the campus radio station WDBM (88.9-FM) The Impact, and The State News require a tax of all students. RHA's tax is the largest of the four, but what RHA brings to campus is invaluable - the sponsorship of bands, speakers such as Michael Moore and the Campus Center Cinemas.
A dollar is not a lot of money to begin with, so the tax increase will not pinch students' pockets any tighter than they already are. Plus, if the approximately 14,000 dorm residents all contribute just one Washington - increasing RHA's income by $14,000 - RHA will have enough money to cover the contract fees, keep up with inflation and provide the services that students enjoy.
How many times have students turned the TV to Channel 12 during the early morning hours, watching movies that we probably wouldn't have seen otherwise while cramming for finals? How many of us have relied on Channel 12 to get us through an all-nighter to finish that English paper?
It can be argued that students already pay enough for their education at MSU and that an added tax for a service that not everyone takes advantage of is unfair and unnecessary. But in the short-term, it's only $1. It's not going to matter that much when it comes time to pay for next year.
In the long run, the benefits will outweigh the added costs.
