Speech - Story # 2

WSU does not have the power to decide tuition cost unless the Senate Bill 6562 is passed, WSU President Elson S. Floyd said Feb. 3 during the budget forum briefing.

The 6562 Bill would allow WSU, UW and WWU to set their own tuition. Floyd predicts that there is about a 50/50 chance the bill will pass.

“There are some that believe that if the institutions have the authority to set their own tuition they will have the unbridled use of raising tuition at astronomical levels,” Floyd said.

Floyd assured students that this would not be the case at WSU if the bill is passed.

“We know our students, we know our demographics, we know what our priorities are,” Floyd said. “We know what the capacity is and this institution has always prided itself on those core values.”

Floyd said if the Board of Regents were to set its own tuition then it would be held more accountable.

Provost Warwick M. Bayly shared the stage with Floyd to address issues concerning the budget cuts and furloughs for WSU staff and faculty.

Bayly gave the audience an overview of the budget crisis we may face in the future if the governor's $13.5 million reduction is passed. The 6-7% biennium budget reduction on top of last years 12% reduction has lead to furloughs becoming a hot topic right now in anticipating the solutions for the proposed cuts, Bayly said.

Furloughs are an alternative to permanently laying off staff and faculty. They are essentially leave without pay.

Bayly reminded the audience that sooner or later a permanent budget reduction has to be made.

“Taking a furlough doesn’t represent a permanent budget reduction,” Bayly said. “In many respects it simply delays or compounds the problem.”

Bayly assured that no decisions are being made yet because they can not be with out knowing the exact budget reduction that will be made.

Questions were addressed by Floyd and Bayly from the audience of students, staff, faculty and community members.

A student questioned the priorities of the WSU funds. She asked why millions of dollars are being spent on construction around campus for projects such as Martin Stadium and re-turffing playfields all while tuition was increasing.

Floyd explained that WSU has three sources of funds: construction funds, operational funds and Student and Activity Fees. The three separate sources of funding cannot be co-mingled, Floyd said.

Construction funds come from the state, operational funds are sourced from state money and tuition, and Student and Activity Fees are controlled by the WSU students.
If the funds are spent on what they are not specified for then the funding will be lost.

President Floyd closed his speech with a final comment. Leaning in towards the audience he specified he was talking to his students.

“There is no way possible that this administration can balance this budget on the backs of you through the form of tuition,” Floyd said. “The state has an obligation and responsibility to make sure that they provide their fair share in the education cost. That’s why you decided to come to a public institution.”


Story Outline
What will happen?
-If the Bill 6562 is passed then WSU, UW and WWU will be able to set their own tuition.
-If the Governors’ proposed budget reductions are approved then WSU may have to consider ways to make cut backs (furloughs, layoffs, tuition increase, etc.)

Why is this happening?
-The national economic crisis is making it necessary to make budget cuts.
- If Bill 6562 is passed then the Board of Regents can be held accountable for tuition increases.
-The speech took place to somewhat calm students, staff and faculty members by letting them know all of the plans for the WSU budget will be transparent.

What is the extent?
- President Floyd and Provost Warwick M. Bayly are not sure of the course of action to take yet because there isn’t any concrete information about the actual budget cuts.
- The budget cuts may drastically decrease the quality of WSU.

What is the response?
- Students, staff and faculty are confused about the varying claims of tuition increase (14% - 40%)
- After the briefing there was some relief in knowing that nothing final has been declared and the WSU community will be frequently updated as decisions are made.




Sources

President Elson S. Floyd Office of the president : (509) 335-4200
Sam Shadoxx Email : samuelhap@hotmail.com
Jenny Almgren jenniferalmgren@hotmail.com
Provost Warwick M. Bayly (509)-335-5581


Questions

1. What is your response to the fliers going around campus that are encouraging students to have an all-day strike on April 7th?
2. There is speculation that the tuition increase next year will be up to 40%. What is your best guess the percentage increase will be?
3. When will students know the actual tuition cost for next year? Will it be enough time for students to seek out an education elsewhere?