Speak out against the Institute

We're glad to see the debate on campus about the Bush Library complex.

Frankly, it should have happened a long time ago. But better late than never.

There are important issues that need to be addressed before all of the details get set in stone.

We support the library and museum coming to campus, but we still have reservations about the institute's role on and whether it should be here.

President Turner said Wednesday that the complex is an all-or-nothing deal.

We find that hard to believe.

SMU has the upper hand in this debate, and should act accordingly. No one wants to go to Waco or Baylor - especially Bush and his library. We all know that his ranch in Crawford is one big act for TV to show that he's an average guy who likes clearing brush in his spare time.

SMU has been the frontrunner since day one, and now is the time to use that to our advantage.

Certain guarantees must be demanded by the SMU administration for the good of the school.

The most troubling aspect about the institute is the apparent lack of control the university will have. The idea of a having a complex affiliated with SMU without the school having any control over it is ridiculous at best and an insult at worse.

There must be oversight from SMU on the board that runs the institute. At least half of the controlling body should have current SMU faculty or administrators so the school's interests can be represented.

The appointment of staff or fellows to the institute should follow the same procedures schools at SMU do; they shouldn't just be hired directly by whomever is in charge of the institute. These people will represent SMU and the university should be part of the hiring process.

Those are two simple items.

Yet apparently, neither of them are going to happen if nothing changes.

This is a huge problem.

And we aren't alone in these concerns.

Some of the faculty have done a good job in forcing the administration to be more forthcoming with specifics. However, there is still more to do.

It seems as if the faculty as a whole are willing to leave the situation as it is right now.

If a two-hour meeting with President Turner is all it takes to lessen the desire to seek answers or question what could be a threat to SMU's academic integrity, then the faculty will have let the entire SMU community down.

Now is not the time to back off.

Our reputation is at stake, and we shouldn't let it go without a fight.