It looks like the student government of Michigan State has picked up a few pointers from the federal government on wasteful spending.

Matthew Bedard of the MSU Review reports.

$60,000 for 40 Bikes? #WTFASMSU

As a representative for the College of Social Sciences in the ASMSU, it’s hard not to be saddened by the state of the organization, and the seemingly perpetual controversy that surrounds it. In a recent State News poll, “Does ASMSU Represent Your Voice?” 85% of students responded in the negative; not bad results, all things considered, and kudos to that other 15% for their wishful thinking. With ASMSU obviously in the hot seat, you would think its leaders would be hard-pressed to get some up-votes into this rock-bottom approval rating. Instead they have chosen to push ahead with the wasteful spending that lost them their financial autonomy in the first place.

ASMSU has contracted Zagster, a private company with the motto “Most Students Don’t Have Cars, Give Them Bikes” to put together a campus “bikeshare” system for the grand sum of $60,000.
I may have supported this idea if not for a few issues:

1. Your $60,000 dollars will buy you 40 bikes to be spread out across five different locations on campus.

2. The bikes will cost $5 a day to rent, despite the $60,000 price tag, and the fact that the MSU Bike Shop currently rents out bikes to faculty for 5 cents a day.

3. President Simon recently admitted in an interview with The State News that the University could no longer afford to expand and renovate the overcrowded and outdated bike paths on campus.

4. ASMSU would be required to pay the University for the land on which it intends to install the special designated bike-sharing racks across campus. So, essentially, one recipient of your tuition will be paying another recipient of your tuition with your tuition. Did you follow that?