Faculty Senate Meets with Pres. Hall, Legislators

President Kermit L. Hall and a panel of four state legislators discussed their vision for Utah State University during the Faculty Senate meeting Monday.

With the most recent cut of $572,500 in December, Hall presented immediate plans for spring semester to compensate for a shrinking budget. Funding will be taken from money set aside for vacant positions at the university.

As for the 2003-04 fiscal year, Hall expects the Legislature to cut at least $2.3 million from the USU budget.

"There is no reason to think we will not receive additional pressure [from the Legislature]. What's saving us at the moment are the students. The money from the students needs to be put toward getting new faculty members and the banner system, [a new information technology system]," Hall said.

John DeVilbiss, executive director of Public Relations and Marketing, said a Selective Investment and Advisory Committee is being formed to address the realities facing higher-education institutions and examine the university structure to see what programs might need to be cut.

The committee, headed by Christine Hult, an English professor, will begin meeting in February and will consist of eight faculty members, two staff members and one student.

The committee will evaluate the president's 10 university goals and make a new list of initiatives, based on budget restructuring, Hult said.

"I'm glad we're going ahead with planning, and we are just trying to get our ducks in a row before any budget process happens," she said.

During the meeting, Hall stressed to senate members that faculty positions and salaries will not be jeopardized because of budget restructuring.

"We are underfunded, and the last thing we are going to do is throw out faculty members," Hall said.

The Legislature begins session Jan. 20. The budget cuts in the 2003-04 fiscal year are not expected to be quite as severe as the $9.5 million lost in the 2002-03 fiscal year.

Reps. Craig Buttars, Loraine Pace, Brent Parker and Lyle Hillyard answered questions regarding Utah's vulnerability in a volatile budget.

Hillyard identified several facets of Utah's economy that are being examined to provide additional funding for higher education. A bill is being proposed that will allow Utah residents to claim only one to two dependents on their tax returns. This is projected to raise $106 million.

Another potential bill is aimed at collecting unpaid sales taxes from Utah residents -- on Internet purchases, for example.

Hillyard said young adults in Utah are encouraged to go to college, but there are too many of them. Some people think the solution to that problem is to raise tuition.

Pace said since USU lost money from House Bill 331, which raised credit requirements for out-of-state students, the Legislature is taking measures to correct some of those problems. Based on suggestions from Hall, the 60 credit hours required for residency is proposed to be lowered to 45 hours for undergraduate students and 30 hours for graduate students.

The Legislature has lost many of its greatest advocates for higher education, she said.

"There are those in the Legislature who believe college students are adults and should pay their way through college. There are very few of us left who will stand up in [USU's] defense," Pace said.

Some legislators have stressed the need for the students to allow their voices to be heard.

Parker said, "You know students are struggling to pay for their education on minimum wage, and it's not easy."

Celestial Bybee, president of the Associated Students of USU, explained that many students are very concerned with their education and may not have the time to be highly involved with the political processes of higher education. However, many of the faculty can put forth an effort to talk to the students about what is going on, because they know more than the students.

Pace also stressed the importance of USU being organized and giving input to the legislators in a tactful and respectful manner. With various institutions throughout the state working toward more quality programs, the Board of Regents is struggling to make everyone happy, she said.

"A few of us are focusing on saying that we can't have every program in every institution," Pace said.

Hillyard said, "If you want quality programs, you have to pay for it. Not every school can have that. They have to build on each other. The Board of Regents needs to catch this statewide vision."

By Marie MacKay; mmackay@cc.usu.edu