Politics from the Palouse to Puget Sound

Friday, April 06, 2007

Here's Your Outrage

Ami Veneziano of the WSU Young Democrats wrote earlier this week in the Daily Evergreen::
As I look across the nation, as I see people going about their business, students cramming for exams, seasons changing and life happening, I keep wondering where our outrage is...Students on this very campus complain about the skyrocketing costs of tuition and increasing fees for various campus amenities.
Guess what, Ami? I have found some outrage for you in yesterday's Moscow-Pullman Daily News. Somehow, this story did not make it into the Evergreen (gee, I wonder why):
The main concern is that the Senate budget is about $10 million lower than WSU officials say they need. The $10 million is spread throughout the budget, Ganders said, and the result will be that WSU will have to pay for salary increases for WSU faculty and staff out of tuition revenues.

"Historically, the state has paid for salaries," Ganders said. "What has happened for many years is that the amount of funding a student pays stays with the institution and what the institution does with that funding is invest in the students' education.

"What the Senate budget does is spends that money on salaries."

The Senate budget authorizes tuition increases of 7 percent per year, but assumes the revenue will fund state-mandated salary increases of 3.2 percent in the first year of the budget and 2 percent the following year.

"The Senate budget is of great concern to us because it would limit our flexibility to meet other needs," Boehmke said. "It would be a big drain on the university's budget."
Oh yeah, by the way, Democrats hold a whopping 65.3% majority (32-17) in the State Senate.

I'm expecting to see Veneziano act on her advice and lead a protest against the Democrats. But she did also write back in November:
The time has finally come.

After 12 years of Republican control, after enormous amounts of time spent by volunteers across the country with no greater desire than escorting Republicans to the door, it’s finally open.

Next Tuesday is the day. The revolution will begin.
Careful what you wish for.

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