Selling a school, much like selling a hospital, can be risky business. Saint Louis University recently announced that it was in talks with friendly neighbor Washington University, about the possible sale of SLU’s School of Public Health. We can only plead for patience and consideration for the sake of students and the University’s reputation.

The sale of part of our University raises concerns for current students. Students do not want to feel as though they are being left out of the decision process. Despite a seemingly high level of support for the sale from the faculty of the school, the students must also be allowed to have a say.

Administration and faculty alike must remember that not only does the sale of one of the schools at the University affect those working for or enrolled in the school’s programs, but such a sale would likely impact many members of the University community. Students considering a degree offered by the School of Public Health would suddenly find their options non-existent. Where once there was a nationally ranked Public Health program, interested students would instead be forced to find a different university to attend.

The ultimate bait-and-switch situation should be avoided at all costs. Nothing is more dangerous to a University’s reputation than jaded students who transfer schools. All students involved in or affected by the sale of any school at SLU should be well informed by the administration and also play an active role in the decision making process.

Though the first reaction of many may be to see the negative side of selling a piece of SLU to a friendly rival, the benefits must also be reviewed. Certainly one benefit from Wash.U. acquiring an already highly ranked Public Health program is that it can make the school even better. With an endowment more than four times that of SLU, perhaps Wash.U. is more amenable to providing money and resources to the Public Health program.

Yet another benefit of the sale would be the freeing up of funds for use in improving the facilities SLU already possesses. By eliminating smaller programs or schools, SLU is allowed to focus its attention and resources on the other aspects of the overall University community.

The Law School has a new building being planned and, though the details of a sale-including financial information-have not yet been disclosed, it would be plausible to see some of the funds from the sale go toward the construction and upkeep of a new building for yet another nationally ranked school at SLU.

Perhaps the most important consideration for the sale the School of Public Health to Wash.U. is the financial aspect. If a student has applied and been accepted to SLU with a major in the Public Health program, it is reasonable to expect that the student will attend with the intention of having scholarships and tuition from SLU. Wash.U.’s tuition, room and board rates are higher than SLU’s by a significant amount, and students would certainly wish to have their scholarships transfer if they suddenly became Wash.U. students.

It is not unreasonable to expect students who began their college-level academic career at SLU to wish to end such a career with a degree from the school in which they have invested much of their time, money and effort. All we, as students, can do is offer our advice to the movers and shakers of the University.