FYI: The town of Kennesaw, Georgia, has required its citizens to own a firearm and ammunition since 1982.
• THE METROPOLITAN • APRIL 16, 2009 • METRO • A7
$LA$HED • THE BUDGET CRISIS
Experts weigh in on budget crisis
Seeking to educate students on the scope and solutions to the budget crisis facing higher education, a panel met April 13
in Tivoli Room 320.
An economist, policy analyst, political science professor and former legislator gave their opinions of the crisis and what
can be done in the long-term to prevent it from happening again.
Lance Denning
Assistant professor of political science at
Metro
Denning said that the current tax laws in
Colorado emphasize the individual’s choice
and because of that services that are necessary
are not getting the funding they require.
“We don’t invest in higher education be-
cause we live in a world that emphasizes in-
dividual choice. Tough times call for tough
decisions. You have to fund…things that you
consider essential goods. Education needs to
draw a line in the sand.”
Faculty in for a bumpy ride with budget cuts
Staff, salary reductions
possible options to
weather financial storm
By Andrew Flohr-Spence
spencand@mscd.edu
The uncertainty about next year’s budget
has many Metro professors worrying about
their jobs.
Metro President Stephen Jordan updated
the Faculty Senate April 8 on several scenarios
his staff was looking at to manage the drop in
funding, but said his office was unable to say
anything for certain until the state had final-
ized the budget.
“We are dealing with lots of uncertainty
and we are having to plan for two different
worlds,” Jordan said.
His staff is working on nine different op-
tions for the school to deal with whatever this
year’s cuts end up being, and at the same time,
the president has to keep the pre-financial-cri-
sis plans, such as future construction and the
growth of the college, alive.
“It’s a bit like being the captain on the ti-
tanic,” Jordan said, adding, “At least as far as
navigating through the financial icebergs.”
Depending on what the state comes up
Alexandre Padilla
Professor of economics at Metro
Padilla said that while he doesn’t claim to
be an expert on education, he does understand
economics and changing the tax laws to fund
higher education could be damaging to Colo-
rado. He said institutions also must seriously
consider raising tuition, increasing class sizes
and finding private funding as options.
“You have to make a tradeoff. The ques-
tion isn’t how do we get out of this trouble, the
question is how do we get out and prevent it.”
“It is irresponsible for a
professor to not talk about
the budget situation with
their classes. So few students
know about it even now,
and it affects their futures
so much. And that’s our job:
we’re teachers.”
- Lunden MacDonald, Spanish
professor
with, all of the plans for fall include downsizing
staff and students.
Losing more than 60 percent of its state
funding, or more than 35 percent of Metro’s to-
tal operating money — the cuts as the Colora-
do’s Joint Budget Committee had them — will
force the college to make big changes.
One change the college is looking into is re-
ducing enrollment by 700 students in the best-
case scenario and 7,000 students in the worst
case.
Jordan said the college is working on draft-
ing new standards for admissions.
Among the other solutions Jordan’s staff is
Robert Reichardt
Research associate at UCD
Saying that Colorado “imports” talent from
other states, Reichardt said the budget issue
stems from choices Colorado voters made on
structuring tax laws, which reflect the state’s
values. He said there needs to be a push to
educate people on the importance of funding
higher ed. — both in terms of the economics
of keeping educated people here and in terms
of the morals of providing an education for stu-
dents.
“We have handed the power for controlling
our revenues to voters. Good luck.”
looking at is a large reduction in staff.
Juan Dempere from the finance depart-
ment asked Jordan about the possibility of
faculty losing their jobs. Dempere added to his
question that it would only be fair to give the
faculty adequate notice, so in a tough job mar-
ket, they would have time to search for new op-
portunities.
Jordan said tenured faculty would be last to
lose their jobs. He added in the last economic
recession, the college did not cut any full-time
faculty from the staff. However, any faculty that
left the college were not replaced.
“The faculty is freaking out,” said Lunden
MacDonald, a tenured Spanish professor and
active member in the Metro community.
MacDonald said the pay freeze would hurt
her and other professors, especially following
so closely the past pay freeze from 2003 to
2005, the last time the state cut funding, but
said those faculty who are close to retirement
would be hurt the most because the money re-
ceived in retirement is based on a percentage of
the salary last received.
And taking a pay cut is for the lucky ones.
“A lot of part-time faculty have to consider
going elsewhere,” MacDonald said. “If you
can’t depend on your job being there next year
and you don’t know if you will be able to sup-
port your family — no matter how much you
Andrew Romanoff
Former Speaker of the Colorado House of
Representatives
Romanoff suggested that instead of offer-
ing rebates to citizens when there is excess in
the budget during good times, Colorado needs
to start a “rainy-day” fund.
“The immediate problem, the shortfall in
this budget year, there aren’t any good answers
now. You just have to cut expenses in higher ed.
and elsewhere. Over the long-run, I think we
need to save money when times are good so we
have it when times are bad.”
love this institution — you have to think of the
future.”
MacDonald said while professors are pro-
hibited from advocating for specific political
causes as state employees, in her opinion it is
a professor’s job to inform the students about
the situation.
“It is irresponsible for a professor to not talk
about the budget situation with their classes,”
she said. “So few students know about it even
now, and it affects their futures so much. And
that’s our job: we’re teachers.”
MacDonald said beyond informing the
students, all professors could do was call their
Colorado House and Senate members and hope
for the best.
And many of the professors she knows are
calling neighbors, friends and family informing
them about the situation and urging them to
contact their representatives.
“I think it’s outrageous that the state would
contemplate balancing the budget on the backs
of higher education,” assistant professor Kip
Wotkyns said, standing in the crowd on April
14 at the Capitol. He was glad to see students
getting involved in the political process and de-
cided to cancel class for the day and have his
students cover the rally as a class assignment.
“It was only fair that I come along, too,”
Wotkyns said.