One measure to come before the Government of the Student Body Senate this week was a bill to give Parks Library $12,000 to help purchase new chairs for the lobby. The idea originated from students; a small group of them approached the library dean and asked whether it would be possible for students to assist in improving the scenery of the library lobby.

The result is a plan to buy chairs like those in the Carver Hall lobby; 23 of them will replace the now-shabby chairs that grace the library entry.

While the issue may seem like one of mere aesthetics and image, and GSB historically does not fund capital improvements apart from the Memorial Union, students have a stake in all aspects of the library, including its appearance. While the library is funded in part by computer fees and tuition paid by students, students give no funding directly to the library.

The library is where students go to carry out the socializing and studying business of being students. Professors teach in classrooms that students may never hear of, see or visit. But nearly every student walks through Parks Library, if only to take Library 160. If students don’t, they should. If they don’t do so often, they should: Success in academics requires research, and the library is a reservoir of a great deal of the world’s knowledge.

The library exists so that students can educate themselves. Part of creating a home for studying is providing comfortable workspace. Some rumors circulated for a while were that the chairs are decades old. In fact, they have acquired their battered appearance in the past decade.

With over 29,000 student enrolled at Iowa State, the library is asking us each for less than 42 cents. That seems like a manageable sum of money, especially considering that you’ve already paid it through your student fees, and that the money will be rolled over into next year’s fund if it remains unspent. It’s not as if the university or GSB will return unspent fees to students.

The competition among universities to attract students and entice them to go to their school is increasingly fierce. Most campus tours include stops in the library. The lobby is there for all our prospective students and their parents to see. If we want Iowa State to attract students for the future, we should invest in first-rate furniture that reflects the first-rate quality of our education. What’s the harm in that, especially if the investment will benefit us too?

After an hour of debating the issue, GSB voted to table the bill and take it up again next week after sounding out you, their constituents. Give them your opinions. Write letters to the editor. Or show up at the meeting — gallery members are allowed to speak.