Tax cuts could slice USU funding
The future of further financial burdens placed on Utah State University will be determined in a matter of days.
As Utah legislators debate the allocation of the state’s largest budget surplus ever, USU President Stan Albrecht is putting the worst case scenario on the table.
“The next four days are going to be critical for higher education,” he said to members of the ASUSU Executive Council Tuesday. “If [legislators] don’t put money toward compensation, then we have to do something and I’m not sure what that is.”
Because of the large surplus, legislators are considering putting that money towards tax cuts for residents across the state, ultimately eliminating any additional compensation for Utah universities and colleges, Albrecht said.
“It’s an ugly scene down there quite honestly,” Provost Ray Coward said. “It’s a very uncertain.”
Currently, USU is experiencing challenges it its budget, specifically in enrollment decreases, rises in fuel and power costs and a tuition shortfall, equalling $14,300,000.
If the university does not receive any help from the state, a modest increase in Tier II tuition would be an option to help reduce the deficit, Albrecht said.
“It would be an incredible tragedy in the state if we don’t invest in the future of higher education,” he said.
During the last five years, 70 percent of the money that higher education has received in Utah has come from rises in tuition, Coward said.
“The burden is being shifted to students like yourself,” he said to the council.
Albrecht encouraged members of the council to send e-mails to local legislators emphasizing the consequences to not funding institutions of higher education.
In other business, the council tabled legislation that would provide $5,777 for the USU Electric Snowmobile Team to attend the SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge in Michigan and put the electrical design of its snowmobile on the market.
Because funding comes directly from ASUSU’s Capital and Support Fund, a separate committee is required to review the application and put forth a recommendation to the council.
Timothy Peterson, ASUSU Science Senator as presented a project to establish a university radio station that is not a subsidiary of NPR radio, which the university currently has.
“I’m interested in what ability we have at USU to do that,” Peterson said.
An independent university radio station would attract more students, inform current students of USU activities and provide opportunities for broadcast journalism students.
-mmackay@cc.usu.edu