Excessive spending should be cut
As our debate wraps up, there is one obvious challenge for Rick and I to address: Where do we find the money to pay for USU’s operating costs? I have argued that our selfish lobbying effort should never have taken place, not “to encourage students to idly sit by and then deal with whatever budget cuts are allotted them,” as has been written. My position is that we must find it within ourselves. Lobbying is not the type of action that shows a commitment to save our community. Lobbying is an attempt to make others sacrifice for us.
Rick argues that the State Legislature “must” act in one of four ways to save higher education. For Rick, “the best solution” is raising funds by issuing bonds. “By bonding education, we can meet the interests of all people involved.” Ahh, utopia. No wait, that’s the same generational problem we dealing with now: i.e. let’s make our kids pay for our current lifestyles. With a ten trillion dollar debt and an economy in the tank, the policy of financing operations through credit seems to be working for the Federal Government: Let’s follow their example. Lest we forget, USU has already obligated some future generation to pay more than $192 million through things like bonds. The interest on those bonds decreases the ability of USU to finance what we need now. It will do the same in the future.
Sometimes that “best solution” is to trim the fat. Rick, however, bases his whole argument and solution on the assumption that USU is running on pick efficiency. USU, even as strapped for cash as Rich seems to believe and an operating budget of $460 million, still managed to increase its assets last year by $87 million. If we had another year like that (which we might have if we had acted like an institution worth financing), with the decreased funds from the Legislature we would have only increased our assets by $70 – $75 million. Waa! Cry me a river. With $865 million in total assets, I think we can afford to dip into those assets.
Allow me to present a few possible ways, in line with my ideas on the lobbying effort and sense of community that can secure the finances necessary to maintain the quality of education here. How about ASUSU, which coordinated the lobbying effort? In a public forum discussing the lobbying effort, the Executive Council was asked how much they would sacrifice to save jobs here at USU. One of them responded by saying they are not paid for what they do. No? I guess their tuition reimbursement and monthly stipends don’t count as pay. Since our tuition goes to pay for faculty, their not paying tuition means the finances will not be there to save those jobs. Great leadership. Compared with other similar Universities, USU’s tuition is quite cheap. Students can pay for more than 15 percent of their education. Yeah 15 percent: Is that a free-market?
ASUSU receives $828,000 a year from our student fees. They spend it by throwing wonderful soirees with punch and cookies, renting expensive buses to transport students down to the capital to lobby for more money, going on retreats, buying pizza for themselves, and one of my favorites, by buying us doughnuts and scantrons during finals week. I admit doughnuts are great, but if we can reallocate those funds in order to save jobs I think I can do without the goodies.
Another group that could lose some of the excess is the administration. Over the last few years USU has experienced a proliferation of vice president’s and their staff: decentralization works. Departments can help out. The business and education departments received $51 million in donations last year. If USU is a community, why do these departments not help their community?
There are hundreds of other ways to find it within ourselves to weather this storm with dignity and without burdening anyone more than is necessary. One thing is certain: Throwing money at irresponsible institutions will not solve the economic crisis.
This editorial is the last installment of a four-part series and was written by Micah N. Strait, a graduate student studying political science. Comments can be sent to m.n.strait@aggiemail.usu.edu.