A federal appropriations bill that will provide more than $4 million for various research programs and other projects on the University of Massachusetts campus was recently signed into law by President Obama, according to a statement released by the UMass Amherst Office of News & Media Relations.
The statement said the appropriations, sponsored by the Commonwealth’s ten U.S. congressmen and two senators, include $1.9 million for the construction of the Integrated Science Building, and funding for research in global climate change and the impact of roadways on wildlife.
‘These are funds coming from the federal government’hellip;and we’re very pleased that we’re going to be able to put the money to use,’ said UMass spokesman Ed Blaguszewski.
Chancellor Robert C. Holub praised members of Massachusetts’ congressional delegation for their support of the UMass campus.
‘We are extremely grateful to our representatives in Congress for their support for all of these projects,’ he said in a statement. ‘These projects are all worthy in their own right, but the funding is particularly welcome during this time of constrained resources.’
According to the statement, the bill also includes funding for the Pioneer Valley Life Sciences Institute (PVLSI), a research collaboration between campus and Baystate Health Systems, based in Springfield, Mass.
Though excited to receive more federal funding, there are some who think the money could be spent to more directly help students.
Chrissy Calabrese, a junior majoring in mathematics, said her biggest qualm is with the $1.9 million that UMass plans to spend on the Integrated Science Building.
‘That’s almost half of what we’re getting, and putting it into one building seems kind of ridiculous,’ she said. ‘It’s helping the kids that are in the science field, but I am more in the math field. If we could find a way so that we could kind of help out all the people [at UMass], that’d probably be better.’
Evan Cuce, a sophomore majoring in environmental science, said he is glad UMass is committed to researching climate change and wildlife.‘
‘I think those are important issues to do research on,’ he said. ‘But, also, I think there are other ways the campus could use the money as well.’
He mentioned that the funding could be used to lower students’ mandatory fees.
Some say that more government spending will only worsen the current economic situation, but Cuce said he isn’t worried.
‘I think $4 million is kind of a drop in the bucket and I think some good could come out of this,’ he said.
An appropriations bill funding the U.S. Department of Defense that passed last fall included an extra $1.2 million for hydrogen fuel cell research on campus. With the federal stimulus bill passed earlier this month, the total federal funding sponsored by members of Congress for UMass campus projects is more than $5.2 million in this fiscal year.
Domenic Poli can be reached at dpoli@student.umass.edu.
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