Kean table

A custom-made, high-tech conference table in Kean University's Green Hall Building is drawing criticism from students and lawmakers who question its $219,000 price tag.

(Kean University)

UNION — A high-tech, $219,000 conference table purchased by Kean University raised eyebrows on the school's campus, where some students questioned whether the expense was warranted.

The 22-foot oak table was specially manufactured by a company in China, where Kean recently opened a campus, and serves as the centerpiece of a new conference center.

While school officials have reportedly dismissed criticism of the purchase, students on Monday said they were surprised the public university would pay so much.

"That's ridiculous," freshman Melrose Johnson said. "It's a table. You're just sitting around it."

"I mean, does it talk to you or something?" added Johnson's friend, sophomore Sydney Espada.

The custom-designed, multimedia table comes close to possessing the power of speech: included in its $219,000 price tag is an array of audio equipment and other electronics to be used during conferences, accommodating speakers from up to 25 international locations, according to university officials.

The conference system features a meeting-recording interface with multi-channel audio ports; one microphone for each of the table's 23 seats, plus two wireless microphones and four Bose speakers; five power outlet panels, one of which hooks up to projecting equipment synched with screens inside and outside the conference room and an equalizer, amplifier and feedback suppressor, which are housed in a separate cabinet.

Last week, the table and its corresponding equipment were used for a roundtable discussion on the heroin abuse epidemic.

The meeting room will be available for event rental to offset the cost of the furnishings, according to the school.

School officials have said the conference center — and the new Green Lane Academic Building, where it is located — is a strategic investment in the school's development as a world-class institution.

Some students, however, said they didn't see how a high-tech conference table would affect their educational experiences.

"It doesn't really benefit us," freshman Nellie Marrira said. "They could have gotten any table."

Edson Mendez, a sophomore and commuter student, said there are probably other places on campus that could have used the money.

"I'm kind of at a loss for words," he said. "It's a table. How much do you really need to spend?"

On social media, students and alumni weighed the cost of the table against services they found lacking — like parking and classroom supplies — as well as against the cost of their tuition.

Kean University is getting a $219,000 table and I'm over here like helpp 😚 #postgradproblems #indebt — Juann Pava (@JuannPava) November 24, 2014

Full-time Kean University tuition and fees currently adds up to about $5,621.75 per semester or $11,243.50 annually for New Jersey students, and $8,826 per semester or $17,652.25 annually for out-of-state-students.

Freshman Raewkon Culver said he thinks the tuition is reasonable overall but that the $219,000 spent for the conference center should have been put toward financial aid.

"They should help some of these kids with their tuition, instead of buying a table," he said. "There's some people that are struggling, taking out a lot of loans."

One recent alumnus has written a letter to Kean's student government, urging the body to organize a demonstration against the purchase.

The writer, Michael Clark, graduated earlier this year. He said that expenditures like this one jeopardize Kean's status as an affordable school for students who are first in their family to attend college or who come from disadvantaged backgrounds.

"This is an opportunity to stand for thousands of students that attend our state's most affordable, four-year institution knowing full well that while they will still struggle to pay its tuition, it is their best opportunity to make something of themselves," Clark wrote. "To see this sum of tax- and tuition-funded money be used for such an absurd expense is outrageous beyond words."

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Katie Lannan may be reached at klannan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @katielannan. Find NJ.com on Facebook.