A $260 million athletics center. A shiny student center estimated to cost about $150 million to be built right where the current one stands. A $110 million renovation of the Welsh-Ryan basketball arena. Northwestern seems to be in a building craze. Many will inevitably celebrate the edification of these projects, mindlessly assuming that they will enhance our national reputation. Regardless of this simple faith in the benefits of these new buildings, the funds dedicated to such projects would be better used in an effort to defray the rising costs of attending the university.

Administrators sing the praises of this new effort to reshape Northwestern. For instance, University President Morton Schapiro has gushed about the “welcoming, dynamic” new student center of more than 200,000 square feet and predicted that it will drastically improve the quality of student life. Despite these displays of enthusiasm on the part of Northwestern’s leaders, the fact remains that construction projects like the new student center are completely unnecessary. Norris University Center adequately provides for all of our student needs. It provides luxuries such as a variety of dining options (including Dunkin’, Subway, and the beloved Norbucks), numerous meeting spaces, amenities such as the Game Room and the Dittmar Gallery, and the regrettably overpriced bookstore. Based on this superficial examination, an attentive student can’t help but ask: Why do we need a new student center? Administrators point to an increase in usable space and a more student-friendly environment. However, I can’t help but feel that these arguments act as an ex-post-facto justification of spending for the sake of spending. We don’t need a new student center, just as we don’t need a costly athletic center by the lake or a renovation of a perfectly functional basketball arena.

The total estimated financial aid given for the 2017-18 academic year is $174 million, nearly $90 million less than the cost of building the new athletic center. I hope that, going forward, more gifts will be directed and funds allotted to tuition assistance programs and fewer to funding construction projects. What Northwestern students really need is relief from ever-increasing tuition and room and board costs. Deep down, many students don’t want or need a brand-new building to sip pumpkin spice lattes with friends or to grab a quick lunch. We need to stop the yearly increases in the cost of attending the university, such as the 3.6 percent increase in prices that Schapiro announced earlier this year. Per College Factual, the average Northwestern student owes more than $23,000 after spending four years in Evanston.

Limiting the funds dedicated to the aforementioned projects and instead directing donations to increase tuition assistance might prevent students from hanging out at a marginally cooler student center or keep student athletes from overlooking the lake while they exercise. However, it would help students lighten their loan burdens and expand their career possibilities beyond the typical fields of consulting and finance, leading to more fulfilling and care-free lives.

Dominic Bayer is a Weinberg sophomore. He can be contacted at [email protected]. If you would like to respond publicly to this op-ed, send a Letter to the Editor to [email protected]. The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of all staff members of The Daily Northwestern.