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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (June 22, 1981)
Higher ed budget struggles in Salem oy ANN KURT AL Of the EmaraM To understand what’s happening to the higher educa tion budget, remember one thing — what you see is not necessarily what you get Although the state Ways and Means Committee approved a $1 billion 1981-83 higher education budget June 12, it has not forwarded the budget to the House And until the budget is sent on, Ways and Means still can cut, add to or amend its proposal The $1 billion budget is a pessimistic estimate, including the 10-percent reduction that would be necessary if Gov Atiyen s revenue package does not pass The budget includes $381.5 million in state general fund support — a $25 3 million increase over the 1979-81 bud get — $173.7 million in federal support and $460 9 million in other support, such as fees The committee recommenda tion should not be considered a final decision on the level of funding for the next two years, says Paul Civin, vice provost in charge of fiscal affairs Instead, onlookers should realize that the Ways and Means budget is just part of a "very different from normal" political process that the Legislature has adopted this session, he says The main intent of the Ways and Means budget is to identify the priority of 22 cuts proposed by the committee, Civin says. All 22 items would be eliminated from the higher education sys tem budget if the governor s revenue package is defeated However, Ways and Means isn’t saying where the dividing line should fall on the list of 22 cuts — that's largely up to the Revenue Committee, which is expected to discuss at meetings this week how much of the 10-percent cut in the governor’s budget it is willing to restore Ways and Means has listed the 22 cuts in ascending order of priority. Cut number one would eliminate a $434,332 revenue increase for Continu Tuition due to rise this fall Two things in life are certain — death and taxes Students now can count on a third certainty — tuition increases To offset the higner education budget crisis, the state Ways and Means Committee has recommended an 18-percent tuition hike each of the next two years for resident undergraduate students Tuition tor the 1981-82 school year would increase from $693 to $819, not including building, health center and incidental fees Allowing a 15 percent inflationary increase in the cost of room and board, books and personal items, the total undergraduate cost-of-education would increase from $3939 to $4510 Costs would rise again during the 1982-83 school year to $520£ However, the Ways and Means Committee ca-not raise tuition, it only can advise the state higher education board, which has the legal authority to set tuition But the higher education budget approved by Ways and Means is based on an 18-percent tuition increase, and a footnote at*ached to the Ways and Means Education suDCommittee's report clearly states the committee expects an increase Ways and Means also recommended other tuition increases, including a resident graduate tuition increase of 18 percent each of the next two years, a nonresident undergraduate tuition in crease of 17 percent for 1981-82 and 7 percent for 1982-83, and medical, dental and veterinary tuition increases of 25 percent Graphic by Max DeRungs Keith Jackson, higher education board assistant budget director, says the board is wait ing for the Legislature to make the budget final, but tuition levels may be set by the end of the month [7 n^^Vrp) c« E5l*^D [fsjsnf r 1 ^ tointTrrim^g&ni n ■'««. ImkI ■***4h'^*» •V -I.;-' " IWl: llfllft *7^vjrolljr-pSr^ 11 ^ r.- J __ FntfiT^WSr ^pgs I ip ||7jp*| ^X*t' ... " j 1 WAtA/a v (mV*': n 174 East Broadway 111 Eugene # ing Education overhead, while cut number 22 would lop a whopping $5 million from program expenditures. Civin says he doubts Ways and Means will change the order of priorities In effect, he says, the committee is telling Revenue, “Here it is, we won't pass it out, but we would like it in this order ” The priority list clearly iden tifies the amount of revenue measures that must be approved in order to save each item. Civin says that there is a "high likelihood" that at least items number one through number 14 will be eliminated, meaning an additional 3-percent cut of $109,000 will be added on to the 3.5 percent previously eliminated from the budget by the University Provost Richard Hill said at a special faculty meeting on June 10 that the University “can re spond to this additional three percent with pain, but without a serious reduction in programs." The 3-percent cut could be met "with careful planning and not filling some positions,” University Pres. Paul Olum said at the same meeting But beyond that level, "we’re in real trouble ’’ Olum said that if the Legisla ture doesn’t fund items number 21 — $2.5 million for staff and enrollment support — and number 22, there would be "nothing normal we could do to make it” and that he would recommend the closure of departments and schools rather than a weakening of all areas Civin says he only can guess when the verdict will be in for higher education. After the Legislature ends in late July or early August, the state higher education board still must meet to decide how it will cope with the final budget, which may take until late August or early Sep tember, he says. "We may not know the full details of fall operation until school is starting,” Civin says. HOW TO BUY MONEY COME TO THE SMITH FAMILY BOOKSTORE. FIRST. Chances are you will find most of your books at half price. BRING THE TITLE AND AUTHOR’S NAME. It might take some time to find your books, but we will be glad to help you look, and the savings are worth the wait. RETURN BOOKS YOU DO NOT NEED. If you buy the wrong books or drop a class, you can return the books for a full refund. SELL YOUR OLD TEXTBOOKS. After you buy your textbooks, bring in your old books and the Smith Family Bookstore will buy them for a very fair price. SMITH FAMILY bookstore 768 East 13th-Upstalrs in the Smith Building, Next to the Excelsior. Eugene, Oregon 97401 345-1651.
