A3 • THE METROPOLITAN • October 29, 2009

NEWS
“By allowing student groups to wither on
the vine, the SGA is promoting insular and
dysfunctional communities on campus”
- Colin Seger on A8

CAITLIN GIBBONS • NEWS EDITOR • cgibbon4@mscd.edu

THIS WEEK
EVENTS
10.29
Haunted Harvest at
Auraria
Games, costume
contests and trick-
or-treating
3 p.m. - 6 p.m.
9th Street Park

11.02
Priority
registration for
Spring 2010
semester begins

11.02
African Drumming
Ensemble
Performance
This event is free
and open to the
public. Free parking
in the Tivoli or PTC
lots with voucher
available at the
performance.
7:30 p.m.
Metro sophomore April Young waits for her train Oct. 27 at the Colfax at Auraria light rail station on the east side of campus. Young says she King Center
takes the train to and from campus four days a week. Metro’s student population contributes more than $1 million per regular semester to Concert Hall
the Denver economy through transportation sticker fees. Photo by Drew Jaynes • ajaynes1@mscd.edu

Auraria boosts local economy INDEX

Campus spending that higher education brings a huge
amount into the Colorado economy,”
buoys Colorado Faculty President Lynn Kaersvang
bottom line said.
The study found that for every dol-
INSIGHT ... A8
study anytime of day … but especially
at night, there’s a lot of students in
would have expected.”
Kirchheimer, who also sits on the
METROSPECTIVE ... B1
AUDIOFILES ... B6
here.” Lower Downtown District Board and SPORTS ... A11
Marmie said she wasn’t sure how a
drastic cut in student numbers would
the Mayor’s Workforce Investment
Board, said the DDP had not conduct-
TIMEOUT ... A14

By Andrew Flohr-Spence
spencand@mscd.edu
If money talks, Colorado needs to
listen to Auraria, according to Metro
faculty and administration.
Contrary to conversations in the
state legislature surrounding cutting
higher education funding, college of-
ficials cite a recent study estimating
Auraria brings more than $1 billion
annually into the state as evidence of
the campus’s importance to the health
of the economy.
The fiscal impact study, conducted
by the Downtown Denver Business
Partnership and the Auraria founda-
tion, factored in direct dollars spent
by the more than 40,000 students,
faculty and staff, as well as visitors to
the campus, on such things as tuition,
food, entertainment and housing. The
study also took into account so-called
indirect dollars, or money spent in the
city and state by the more than 7,000
workers that the three schools and Au-
raria employ.
“It is so clear from this study
lar of funding invested by the state in
Auraria, the campus brought $11
into the Colorado economy. Evidence,
Kaersvang said, that demonstrates the
“good deal” the state gets with each
dollar spent, and a reason against cut-
ting higher-education funding.
“Legislators need to take into ac-
count what they are getting for their
money,” Kaersvang said. “The state
gets a huge return on its tax dollars
here … we contribute so much back
into the Colorado economy.”
On the receiving end, Adriana
Marmie, who works the day shift at
Leela European Café on 15th Street,
a 24-hour establishment catering to a
young crowd, said students make up a
large part of Leela customer base. The
study estimated that taken together
Auraria students spend more than
$90 million on retail items like food,
school supplies and clothing.
“I don’t know exactly, but it has to
be at least one-third of our business,”
Marmie said. “I think because we are
always open and are a great place for
people to get coffee, get online and
hurt the café’s business, “but it would ed impact studies on any other similar
definitely hurt us.” entities, because no other single group WEATHER
Jim Kirchheimer, director of eco- in Colorado was as large as the cam-
nomic development for the DDP, said pus. 10.29 • Snow
the idea behind commissioning the “The study is really unique in Den- High: 31/Low: 22
study came several years ago when ver … because there is really nothing 10.30 • Mostly Sunny
funding for the Science Building was comparable to Auraria in the local and High: 43/Low: 18
in danger of being cut. state economy,” he said. 10.31 • Mostly Sunny
“At the time, everyone knew how The DDP does not advocate for spe- High: 48/Low: 27
important it is to have institutions of cific policy, and would not speculate on 11.1 • Partly Cloudy
higher education in the downtown effects of the state possibly cutting the High: 55/Low: 29
area, but no one had put a number on higher education budget, Kirchheimer 11.2 • Mostly Sunny
it … it hadn’t really been quantified,” said, but that “the study speaks for it- High: 59/Low: 31
Kirchheimer said. He said he expected self … higher education gives an excel- 11.3 • Mostly Sunny
the study to show a large number, but lent return on the state’s investment … High: 63/Low: 33
the $1 billion was “well beyond what I the impact of the campus is huge.” 11.4 • Partly Cloudy
High: 65/Low: 34
Breakdown of the $1 billion impact By Kendell LaRoche
$3.4 million $309 million
Visitor spending Auraria campus
operations: CORRECTIONS
Payroll,materials and
facilities
$577 million To notify The Metropolitan of
Indirect impact: an error in any of our reports,
Spending from $162 million please contact Editor-in-Chief
campus-earned dollars Student spending: Dominic Graziano at
Tuition, lodging, medical,
retail and transport dgrazia1@mscd.edu