4A
Opinion
Editorial
State budget may be too thin for six universities
Tax cuts should stop for now, and a new dialogue should begin
B because of a state budget shortfall, Gov. Bill Graves has requested a 1 percent across-the-board cut in current year spending. While 1 percent may not sound like much, in real numbers this translates to $4.3 million. The cut means a $6.5 million spending reduction for the Board of Recents, with $2
spending and a bad year for agribusiness in Kansas.
Taxpayers in Kansas are at a crossroads. We cannot have it both ways when it comes to yearly tax cuts and yearly increases in spending for education. In light of the recent state budget shortfall, Kansas voters must tighten their belts along with education and quit asking for yearly tax cuts until the state's budget stabilizes.
When that happens, an honest, innovative public discussion should begin to determine the direction of higher education in this state.
Although the governor's critics will be calling for his head on a platter for daring to cut education funding, one fact must be noted. Nearly 70 percent of the state's yearly budget is spent educating students in Kansas. The state would be hard-pressed to increase that percentage even in a good year.
By and large, we get what we pay for in Kansas when it comes to education. The cost of in-state tuition at the University in relation to the quality of instruction is exceptional. The University's
liberal admission policy assures virtually anyone with the required academic skills a place at the table of educational opportunity.
However, we as citizens and voters must remember the flip side of this coin. Although we get what we pay for, we also must pay for what we get. The large percentage of state revenue that pays for education has to come from somewhere. That somewhere is every taxpayer in Kansas.
Both tax cuts and increased state spending for education may be popular with voters, but they have to be paid for. Voters who object to this method of remeding revenue shortfalls should educate themselves as much as possible about the issue and then vote their con-
Educators and legislators who are
Educators and legislators who are anxious about the proposed cuts ought to begin considering alternatives. The Regents control six universities and dozens of public community colleges, and all are funded primarily by the state. This is a tall order when voters call for yearly tax cuts. Perhaps it is time to re-evaluate
Perhaps it is time to re-evaluate the need for all of the state
Fort Hays St
University geographically makes sense because of its western Kansas location.
Wichita State University serves
the state's largest city. This University and Kansas State University are the state's flagship research institutions, with the capability to handle a large influx of students.
That leaves Emporia State University and Pittsburgh State University as the most likely
If educators, legislators and voters work together with open minds, the quality of education Kansans have come to expect can be preserved. And it can be done without yearly partisan bickering about who shall pay the piper and how.
Perspective
Jennifer Roush for the editorial board
It's time to make the tough choices.
Money not the only factor to quality education in Kansas
Kansans love their schools. We hold education up as one of our prized institutions. We cherish it and have made it a top state priority. And we do a pretty good job at it.
This is how it should be. A solid education prepares children for the future and opens a whole world of possibilities for them. This is important to the state in many ways.
But too often today, people equate money spent with quality education. We need to debunk the myth that spending more money on education ensures that students will perform better in the classroom.
Take the recent quasi-hysteria that has erupted since the state announced that it was experiencing budget shortfalls. All government entities — including education — have been asked to trim 1 percent from their budgets. Frantic cries have been heard from the education community at all levels. Highly paid education executives predict dire consequences and threaten that things will get much worse if the state doesn't come back with big funding increases next year.
It's never easy to make budget cuts. It's certainly not fun. But education in Kansas is not good just because of the money we spend on it. Education is more complex than that.
Let's review the case of the Kansas City, Mo., School District. More than 20 years ago, a district judge ordered all citizens of Missouri to begin funding the Kansas City district because it was segregated. The theory was that by pouring money into the district, education would improve and students of all races would want to attend Kansas City schools.
In 1999, this great experiment in
education has been proven a failure. After $2 billion in state spending, the district now has some amazing facilities but is still pretty segregated and offers a disgraceful education.
The newest occupant of the revolving-door superintendent's office, Benjamin Demps, has been forced to take the revolutionary step of actually requiring students to attend class. This year, if high school students miss more than 13 days of classes per semester, they will not
earn class credit. If the new attendance policy were in place last year, 10,000 of the district's 36,000 students would have been held back.
Money couldn't solve some of the deeper problems of education in Missouri. Corruption, some bad teachers, lack of
Chad
Bettes
opinion editor
engineer@kasan.com
parental involvement and political fighting have all contributed to the quagmire. Finding the best way to educate students has not been the priority, and those students who could benefit most from education are the losers in the money grab.
The problem is that Kansas already funds education at a high level in proportion to other state spending. In recent years, nearly 70 percent of the entire state budget has been devoted to education. The six Board of Regents universities alone spend more than $1.2 billion a year, and while they don't get everything they
While the situation in Kansas is quite different, the lesson about money can be applied here.
want, they do receive annual budget increases in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
We are not in the catastrophic situation that some have described. We are in the midst of a $45 million facilities-improvement project. We have a University of Kansas airplane and our own campus police department. We have a plethora of centers, councils, institutes and programs based here. We offer a wide range of academic majors. And tuition is low compared to other states' universities.
These things are not necessarily bad, and, indeed, we as a state may decide they are entirely appropriate. We may even dedicate a higher percentage of the budget to education in the future. But this should be done by setting our priorities rationally rather than trying to make people think education will collapse without huge increases.
Now is a good time to put things in proper perspective rather than respond in the typical knee-jerk fashion. Instead of automatically being outraged at even the mention of a potential education budget cut, let's admit that there's more to education than money.
With earnest students, dedicated professors, committed administration and a reasonable Legislature, we'll get through this temporary belt-tightening. Kansas has a proven track record of supporting its students and a history of reasonable, practical solutions to problems.
Now is not the time for emotional rhetoric or tired scared tactics all in the name of the children. We can do better than that.
Bettes is a Shawnee graduate student in journalism.
I came to the University of Kansas in the Fall of 1997 as a wide-eyed and nervous freshman. I was struggling through the freshman classes — math, English, Spanish, psychology — and I was, at times, homesick. But I had a home away from home: I had my fraternity.
I decided to look around at fraternities during the summer before my freshman year. I met the guys from a few chapters, went to several events during the summer and when asked to join my fraternity, I did.
It has been the best decision I have made in the 20 years of my life.
The fraternity experience has helped me
grow in many ways. Academically, I was supported by a group of men, my brothers, who are committed to high academic standards. When I was looking at fraternities, they told me that the fraternity grade point average is higher than the all-men's average.
I couldn't believe it, but
it was true. And that fact
has remained true since I
have been here.
Socially, I was constantly surrounded by people.
Brian Cooper guest columnist www.pearson.com
True, any communal living experience will force you to relate to people, but a fraternity is different. We aren't just there to live together. We are all members of an organization that stands for high scholarship, service to the community and the campus and personal development. The KU fraternity community has a great reputation around the nation, and I am glad to be a part of it.
The leadership experience that I have gained by being a member of a fraternity has been incredible. How many opportunities does one have to voice concern and discuss issues facing an organization? It's different in a fraternity because every member has a vested interest in the improvement of the organization. Otherwise, they wouldn't be there.
I know fraternities have reputations or stereotypes from several populations around campus. One rumor may be that fraternities haze their new members. This is not the case. I was never forced to do any activity that I didn't want to do. The Animal House image is definitely not true in Lawrence.
Later in life I will appreciate the fraternity experience that I have here at the University. I will be able to network and associate with fraternity alumni in whatever city I live in after graduation.
However, life in a fraternity is more than meetings, community service events and parties. It's those times when you're having a rough day and you just need someone to talk to you. It's staying up until 4 a.m. playing pool talking about what's going on. It's weekend road trips to chapters of your fraternity on different campuses. The intangible things are the ones that I will remember the most about my fraternity experience.
I feel very fortunate to have two years left of my undergraduate fraternity experience. As a freshman, it helped me so much to be a member of a fraternity. There is an incredible opportunity for students to look at fraternities coming up next week. Fraternity recruitment is from Oct. 3 to 8.
During this time, you will have the opportunity to look at 18 excellent KU fraternities. By the end of the week, through a mutual selection process, you will be matched to a fraternity. Don't worry guys; it's not like the women's recruitment system. I guarantee you that the fraternity men will not stand on their porch and sing to you. If they do, we have some problems.
Recruitment books are available at all of the University residence halls, Naismith Hall, and the Interfraternity Council office at 424 Kansas Union. Give us a call at 864-3559 or look for us on Wescoce Beach all this week.
There are more than 1,600 men currently active in KU's fraternity community. Since our beginnings in 1873, many men have passed through the experience that we are having right now. We want more men to share in our fraternity experience, so sign up for recruitment today.
Cooper is an Overland Park junior in business communications. He is the Interfraternity Council vice president for recruitment.
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I don't fault Bob Hustwit or Mike McMaster for their enthusiasm for Iceland. I spent six weeks studying there this summer and liked it very much. However, neither Mr. Hustwit nor Mr. McMaster have ever actually been. Mr. Hustwit has "been to Iceland in (his) imagination," and though he has had forty years to jump on an Icelandair flight, he never has. McMaster's misinformed reasons for liking Iceland are interesting.
Visit Iceland, then talk about it
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Iceland does have the oldest legislative assembly, the Althing. It consists of a nice view, a flag of Iceland and some wooden bleachers. Nearby is a small waterfall where wayward women were
tied up and drowned contemporary to these legislative proceedings. It is as if the capital had gallows in front of it.
Icelanders look very little like Bjork. They look like Cameron Diaz and Courtney Cox — which is a very good thing. By the way, Bjork lives in London and rarely visits home. Perhaps she doesn't visit because Iceland is one of the most expensive and isolated places on the planet: $9 for a snack at McDonalds and $7 for a pint of Guinness. I found Iceland much more expensive than Paris. Also on an island you can't visit surrounding countries by rail like you can on the continent. What would you rather see: "inexpensive" Paris or costly Reykjavik?
Americans are often accused abroad of making sweeping generalizations about things they have never experienced. Mr. Hustwit should charge for access to his site so he can actually see if his imagination lives up to the real thing. If not, we should stick to speaking about places we have actually visited — like downtown Lawrence.
Lee Taylor Omaha, Neb., senior
Iceland's name isn't a "trick." It was named by an early explorer who was looking at the ice packs on the Westfjords — the antlers to the reindeer Iceland resembles. Iceland is a beautiful, volcanic island, but at almost 50 degrees north of Hawaii, a bitterly cold one. Winter clothes in July were the rule.
How to submit letters and guest columns
Letter: Should be double-spaced typed and fewer than 200 words. Letters must include the author's signature, name, address and telephone number plus class and hometown if a University student. Faculty or staff must identify their positions.
Guest columns: Should be double-spaced typed with fewer than 700 words. The writer must be willing to be photographed for the column to run.
All letters and guest columns should be submitted to the Kansas newsroom, 111 Stauffer-Flint Hall. The Kansas reserves the right to edit, cut to length or reject all submissions. For any questions, call Chad Bettes or Seth Hoffman at 864-4924.