MARK R. Warner has been in office for less than six weeks and University students already have deemed him the Antichrist. Amid a recession without an end in sight, shrinking budgets and the prospect of tuition hikes loom over all aspects of public higher education. When times are bad, people blame the man in charge and Warner has the dubious honor of being the top man in the Commonwealth during the recession. The truth is that he has come in after the budget shortfalls and economic problems of the previous administration. Tough times require tough decisions and the targeting of higher education for downsizing is an entirely reasonable action. Nobody at the University should feel the obligation to tell him what a great job he's doing, but he should not be criticized for budget cuts and tuition hikes when his detractors fail to propose practicable solutions.
While everybody is busy calling for Warner's head, nobody is noticing that state tax collections were $300 million short of expectations in January alone. With each passing month, the state falls further into the financial oblivion begun under former Gov. James S. Gilmore III. Warner ran for office aware of the situation, and his attempts to solve the problem have been met with nothing but resistance and acrimony. He was selected by the people because he proposed change and fiscal responsibility after Gilmore's failures. His fiscally responsible proposals certainly are hard to swallow for a student at the University or other public schools, but not unfair or unreasonable. Yes, barely 10 percent of the revenue generated from the "tax" of increased tuition will be returned to the University, but sacrifices need to be made across the state.
Every student knows that there are buildings in disrepair, the economic department has been economized, faculty are underpaid and in demand, but no one seems to notice the rest of the state also is in dire straits and expecting budget cutbacks. The University may desperately be in need of funding and the prospect of further cuts may seem appalling, but the rest of the state is suffering as well. Warner just announced that 2,100 jobs will need to be shaved from the government. Other state agencies also are mandated to pare their budgets by three percent this year and even further in years there after.
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When times are hard financially, there is a hypocrisy in demanding more funding and at the same time contemptuously refusing to contribute. People have been complaining that the state's contribution to the University has been lacking in recent years and thus, we should not have to help the state dig out of its financial hole. This logic is not only selfish, but dangerous as the University relies upon the state and cannot afford to allow the government to have financial problems. After a generous tuition roll back in 1999 and legislation in 1996 limiting tuition hikes, University students have not been subject to exorbitant hikes in tuition. People complain that the University relies too heavily on private funding and if they want to ignore the state's plight, the University is declaring that it wants to be more self-sufficient. Students should remember that your mother helps to pay your bills and you can't ignore your mother when she needs a favor and still expect her to keep helping you in the future.
The cost of tuition in Virginia for residents is significantly lower than what out-of-state students pay and more importantly, far less than what is paid for other comparable schools. Certainly it is hard to raise tuition when there are Virginia residents who pay their taxes and deserve to get an education at a reasonable cost. However, a cost-benefit analysis finds that going to school in Virginia still is an incredibly good deal for anyone. A rise in tuition is due and students should pay it, even if it goes to Richmond.
Warner has been criticized for his decision to speak at commencement, but what is missing from these personal attacks is a solution. We can whine all day about a problem, but unless a practicable solution is proposed, the argument is about as valuable as a gold medal in pairs figure skating. Modifications to the Commonwealth's tax structure have been proposed as other means of raising revenue and perhaps Warner should pay attention to this plan. What nobody wants to realize is that the Commonwealth needs to be stabilized if the University expects big-time state funding in the future.
The state has been controlled for too long by fiscally irresponsible leaders who went to the MC Hammer School of Economics and now students at the University are paying for it. As an out-of-state student, the idea of adding to the $25,000 plus bill that I pay each year doesn't make Warner my friend neither. But the fact is that the money for public schools just is not there. Taxing the schools via tuition hikes does little to add to the University, but budget gaps must be closed before funding can be expected to aid schools. Warner has inherited a dirty diaper from Gilmore and he can't simply throw it out. There's some cleaning to do before a return to normalcy and the funding to flow.
Everybody wants something for nothing, but that's just not possible at this time, so give Warner a break. If you want to complain about the "tuition taxes" being levied at you, go to King George III and tell him how unfair it is. But don't expect to get anything until you suggest an alternative -- or you could just secede and leave.
(Brad Cohen's column appears Thursdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at bcohen@cavalierdaily.com.)
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