Emerald
Vol 83, No 62
Eugene, Oregon 97403
Wednesday, December 2, 1981
-1
Forecast: rain, increasing tuition
Board probes ways
to stand up to cuts
By ANN PORTAL
Of the Emerald
Chancellor Roy Lieuallen's suggested
higher education cuts skimmed through
a two-hour committee meeting Tuesday,
the first stop of their trip to a special
legislative session in January
The finance committee made no
changes in the composition or order of
the four cuts proposed Monday by
Lieuallen, although members added
several resolutions for the full state
board's consideration later this month
The cuts proposed in four packages
of five percent each, include another $8
million reduction in institution budgets,
the foregoing of 1982-83 scheduled pay
increases for state system employees,
and the elimination of about 425
academic members. 85-90 classified
staff and 5,000 students in each of the
last two packages
The finance committee's discussion
also outlined additional consequences
that could result from the cuts, including
a state system declaration of financial
exigency, a three to five-day all-fur
lough and selective tuition increases for
' career-oriented schools and summer
session students, possibly on top of a
tuition surcharge
The whole thing is so obscene, and
the necessity for doing it is so obviously
not there, said Oregon State University
Pres Robert MacVicar
"This state is not bankrupt, if it
decides to avoid bankruptcy "
Institution presidents indicated this
week that they would support a $20
tuition surcharge beginning winter term,
Lieuallen said The surcharge, neces
sary to make up tuition lost because of
fewer out-of-state students, is not even
part of the 20-percent cut requested last
week by Gov Vic Atiyeh
Presidents also endorsed the pos
sibility of another $20 tuition increase at
selected institutions, including the
University. OSU and the Oregon Institute
of Technology in Klamath Falls, he said
Board member Marion Weatherford
said he thought students won't be af
fected by a $20 increase,' although they
will be concerned about where tuition
increases will end
Rich Wilkins
Photo by Bob Baker
'You're raising tuition and the
students are getting less,'' said board
member Alvin Batiste
One resolution called for by board
member Robert Ingalls was in response
to board member Jane Carpenter's con
cern about the "destructive' potential of
another $47 million cut in the higher
education budget
The resolution, to be presented at the
Dec 10 and 11 meetings of the board,
will offer state legislators alternative
ways of dealing with the state deficit
I think some innovative legislation
could solve this problem," Lieuallen
said, refering specifically to the pos
sibility of decreasing everyone's salaries
instead of just freezing the salaries of
state system personnel
Board members indicated their reluc
tance to approve the cuts, but Lieuallen
told the members there is a strong feeling
among institution presidents that no
more funds can be obtained through
program cuts, leaving few alternatives
except tuition increases and salary cuts
The possibility of adopting the cuts
outlined in the third and fourth packages,
which would require the closing of pro
grams and possibly even institutions, are
"almost impossible to discuss," Univer
sity Pres Paul Olum said
Consider closures,
says ASUO pres.
By BRIAN BUBAK
Of #*• Emarstd
The state's higher education budget
crisis shouldn't be solved by raising
tuition and cutting programs, but by
eliminating waste and duplication within
the entire system, says ASUO Pres Rich
Wilkins
“I seriously think that if they took a
good, hard look at duplication, things
could be a little better," Wilkins says
Waste and duplication of programs
abound in the state system even though
efforts have been made to curb excess
spending, Wilkins says. Serious
consideration of plans to eliminate such
excess is crucial, he says
Oregon could look to the state of Wa
shington for an example to follow, Wil
kins says Washington has twice
Oregon's population, but only two state
universities compared to Oregon's three
There has been "no substantial
proposal to eliminate a college yet,”
Wilkins says, but "this is the kind of thing
we may need to look at."
Proposed methods of coping with the
problem — such as the usual tuition
increases and faculty cuts - are just not
the answer, Wilkins contends
"I understand things have to be
done," he says, but adds that he disa
grees with the State Board of Higher
Education's proposal yesterday for a
series of four budget cuts in their attempt
to comply with Gov Vic Atiyeh’s man
date for a 20 percent budget reduction
The cuts are in the wrong places, Wil
kins says and suggested tuition in
creases are also not the answer.
Wilkins says he concurs with a
statement made by the Oregon Student
Lobby that “if you raise tuition too high,
students will drop out "
And increases in tuition would be even
less justified if proposed faculty cuts are
made, he says
"You don't raise the price of some
thing when the quality goes down "
Wilkins admits, however, that tuition
increases are probably inevitable, but
vows that "we (the Oregon Student
Lobby) are going to lobby extensively to
ensure all options are looked at before
the final decision is made ."
ASUO forced to cut programs 2 percent
By DANE CLAUSSEN
Of ttM EimrM
ASUO officials asked student-funded programs
Tuesday to propose 2 percent cuts in their own 1981 -82
budgets by January 11 and to consider the limited funds
available when making 1982-83 budget requests
Groups who do not plan for the cuts in their
budgets will be cut nonetheless
Due to decreasing income from dropping Univer
sity enrollment, the ASUO projects a $65,000-$100,000
revenue shortfall in 1981-82 The 2 percent reduction is
designed to reduce ASUO program expenditures by
$43,000
"We re probably $28,000 down now," said Jim
Edmunson, ASUO vice president of program adminis
tration "This is an extraordinary situation "
The incidental fee shortfall, coupled with an es
timated $125,000 under realization in athletic ticket
sales could theoretically be offset by the Incidental Fee
Committee’s approximately fee over realizations cur
rently controlled by the University administration, and
the $43,000 saved from programs
An increase in incidental fees has not been ruled
out to help alleviate the problem, Contreras said
"If enrollment goes up, the cut may not be neces
sary,” Edmunson said Enrollment above or at project
ed figures is not expected however, he added
The question for budget hearings for 1982-83
budgets is not how much more money or groups, but
how much less, and which groups to allocate less to,
IFC chairer Karsten Rasmussen said
ASUO officials have also decided on three other
actions to deal with current and projected future fiscal
problems, according to Edmunson
Those actions will include using the 2 percent cut
as a "benchmark" for future budgets, and recom
mending that University Pres Paul Olum cut EMU and
athletic department budgets by 2 percent and allow
those surplus "over realization" funds from previous
years to go toward uses recommended by the ASUO
"There is one incidental fee,” Edmunson said,
criticizing the idea of a separate athletic fee that would
be outside the ASUO’s jurisdiction The ASUO will resist
any such plan, he said
A key question for the ASUO's financial picture is
"the extent of our obligation” on athletic tickets,
Edmunson said
The ASUO did recommend cuts in the athletic
department last year, but "that’s as far as it got,”
Edmunson said
The ASUO will continue to "fight to the state board
(of higher education) and legislature, " Olum's rejection
of uses of student funds recommended by students,
said Wilkins
"We will lobby the legislature to get control over
our own money," Edmunson had said before the
meeting
"If the state board controls incidental fees, call it
tuition Why waste our time if our recommendations are
meaningless," he said