Did anyone at the university stop to consider the optics of this?

The College Fix reports:

Amid budget cuts and employee layoffs, George Washington U. spends $500K on new president’s welcome ceremonies

George Washington University recently spent half a million dollars inaugurating its new president over a three-day period, a price tag that comes after recent budget cuts and employee layoffs.

When university president Thomas LeBlanc was sworn into office in November, the school spent about $500,000 on a three-day series of events, according to The GW Hatchet, the campus newspaper.

The schedule of events, according to the university’s website, included a student brunch, a ninety-minute inauguration ceremony, an “inaugural celebration,” an invitation-only dinner at the Library of Congress, and a faculty-only reception at the president’s home.

The university student government passed a resolution condemning the amount spent on the inauguration, The Hatchet reported. In the resolution, the student senate demanded that the university “release a complete annual fiscal budget and spending report, refocus funds toward programs that have recently been hurt by budget cuts in recent years…and increase student involvement in the inaugural steering committee.”

Officials at George Washington University did not respond to requests seeking comment.