With several renovations to Missouri Southern’s campus, one renovation in particular should be done cautiously.

The Biology Pond is a beautiful place, and providing students with a good walking path and better clearing is a noble idea. It cannot be forgotten the pond is foremost there for biology students.

It is home to several native species, some of which are rare. Also, the pond provides a natural and untouched home for experiments which some students will do several times over the course of their studies at Southern.

It is something which sets Southern apart from other institutions and the danger of interrupting the environment must not be taken lightly.

If an oriental garden is in the works, it must be a change which complies to aesthetics nature and education.

The students and their work must be put first, not a garden.

This is an educational institution, and if it prevents the students from learning in an ideal environment, then it fails at its core.

The recent changes to the Biology Pond were done in a manner which the student body did not fully understand.

Student Senate showed a concern during its last weekly meeting and students in the biology department have been concerned about this project as well. In an effort to bring the two sides of this issue together, perhaps a meeting between the administration, faculty and students is in order.

This would bring out the concerns of the students as well as the reasoning behind the project. And, though The Chart will continue to cover the project, there is no substitute for a face-to-face meeting.

The students should know.