The new Talbot School of Theology complex will be a great addition to Biola, but we as students wish to be kept abreast of the administration’s priorities for Biola’s money and building projects. Without transparency, it is easy for us to misunderstand the priorities and motives of decision makers.

Although the new Talbot project plans to comfortably accommodate the seminary’s population, which has grown from 46 to 1,000 students in the past 50 years, there are currently more than 3,500 undergraduate students who continue to wait for improvements on Biola’s main campus. Will the Talbot complex be committed exclusively to the use of seminary students, or will it also be widely enjoyed by undergrad students?

It is hard to see Biola spend so much money and commit to such a large project when it is a struggle for individuals to afford Biola tuition. While we understand the reasoning behind the need for a new Talbot facility, we are concerned with the priorities of the university. Therefore we would like to see transparency from Biola’s financial and facilities planners, in order to understand what the priorities are and why they have been ordered in this way.

Currently, Talbot has said that it has raised 60 to 70 percent of the funding for phase one, which is $9.2 million. The total project will cost $55.4 million, which means that Talbot has only raised 16 percent of the total cost. On the other hand, by continuing with the construction plan now, and the rough economy, contractors are willing to work for less, and Biola will be save $2 million. It does seem wise to make money-saving decisions.

We charge the Biola administration to not lose sight of other needs while the Talbot project is underway, and to keep the Biola community informed of progress being made on Talbot and undergrad pursuits.