February 20, 2003 Student
News
Regents
Weigh Impact of Additional Cuts
From the Utah Statesman
(2/19/03)
Oh, regents, one more order of cuts.
That -- in summary -- was the legislative mandate members of
the Utah Board of Regents wrestled with in an hour-long conference
call Monday.
Charged with recommending how a proposed additional budget
cut of 2 percent -- or $11.4 million -- should be allocated
if passed, the board reluctantly approved a 2.06 percent cutback
for all institutions except Utah State University and the University
of Utah. Both research universities will get away with a reduction
of about 1.9 percent.
The difference -- $200,000 for USU and $300,000 for the U of
U -- will be targeted at university missions "that directly
impact the state's economic development," according to
a news release.
Still, the cut may or may not take effect.
Numbers contained in the state's revenue report, released over
the weekend, show a $42 million increase in revenue for the
current budget year, according to Associated Students of USU
President Celestial Bybee.
"We're hoping, now, that they won't need to make cuts.
But I have to use the word hope because things change like the
weather at the Legislature," Bybee said.
If the additional cut is implemented, the total cut absorbed
by higher education will be in excess of 7 percent. That figure
jumps to a stunning 13.75 percent if the cost of new students
who have entered the system without state funding is included.
All in all, higher education has sustained an actual cut of
about $71.5 million, or nearly 12 percent thus far.
And that's plenty, regents say. Further cuts would be difficult
to deal with.
"This issue of an additional cut is getting to the point
of being ridiculous," Regent Charles Johnson said. "We
need to resist these cuts. We need to spend time with the governor
and the executive [appropriations] committee and get our allies
together."
One of those allies is the so-called "Fraser Bullock group,"
headed by Salt Lake Organizing Committee Chief Operating Officer
Fraser Bullock, who is promoting an emphasis on research institutions
as a way to help workforce development.
But lawmakers in the Bullock group are among a scarce few who
seem to understand the regents' point of view. Legislators and
board members don't see eye to eye on the most basic of issues
-- whether or not there is still fat left to trim.
"The Legislature is telling us we'd better not cut out
students. They say, 'cut waste.' Well, waste is in the eyes
of the beholder," Chairman Nolan Karras pointed out. "I'm
ready to dig in my heels a little bit and say we've tried to
cooperate, but with this additional 2 percent, we're starting
to come unraveled."
Moreover, such recommendations cannot be made overnight.
"We need more time," Regent David Grant said. "We
can't make a recommendation so soon."
However, time is in short supply when the chips are down.
"Some in the Legislature say they, with their fiscal analysts,
should tell schools where the cuts are. We have to make a recommendation,"
one regent pointed out.
Board members hemmed and hawed over the language of the submission.
"I think if we give them something other than an across-the-board
cut -- if we say, cut here and here -- we empower the cuts psychologically,"
Regent David Jordan explained. "The Legislature believes
there is fat and waste in the system. They're thinking that
if they squeeze us just this hard, we will identify the fat.
We should tell them it's all muscle and bone at this point."
Combat is the best analogy to explain the cut.
"This 2 percent is just a skirmish in a great big war,"
regents concluded.
By Leon D’Souza; leon@cc.usu.edu
utah
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