The Nevada Sagebrush

Governor may make decision by Jan. 1

A potential $32.7 million cut to the University of Nevada, Reno’s operating budget could come as soon as Jan. 1, Nevada System of Higher Education Chancellor Jim Rogers said in a letter to Gov. Jim Gibbons Monday.

Rogers met with Gibbons last week to discuss the potential statewide cuts, which are currently estimated to be about $285 million. NSHE would absorb about $102 million of the cut as of Monday, Rogers said.

Breaking it down

Gov. Jim Gibbons’ request for an 8 percent budget cut would mean fewer classes, the firing of part-time faculty and graduate students, and the construction of the Davidson Math and Science Building being put off.

By the numbers

$32.7 million is the potential budget cut for UNR

$102 million is the potential budget cut for the Nevada System of Higher Education

$285 million is the potential budget cut for the state of Nevada

The potential cuts would come because of low figures for tax and gaming revenue. The initial cut Gibbons asked for was 5 percent on Oct. 15, but he upped the cut to 8 percent Nov. 20. K-12 and public safety programs are excluded from the cut.

Rogers said last week that Gibbons “understood”why the system would be hurt by the cut and would take that into account when making his final decision. But according to Rogers’ letter, Gibbons’ staff said Thursday he would decide on the cuts “with or without (NSHE’s) input.”

“The ‘spigot would be turned off January 1, 2008,’ “Rogers said in his letter.

According to a memo Rogers sent out Friday, UNR would have fewer classes and fewer faculty. Graduate assistants would be fired for the spring semester and the Davidson Math and Science Center’s construction would have to be put off.

University officials said they will spend winter break preparing for the potential cut.

Each of the colleges and departments would lose money from their operating budgets, university officials said.

Steven Rock, faculty senate chair, said the faculty will decide how to deal with the potential cut at their Wednesday meeting.

“At this point, the faculty senate hasn’t discussed it yet,”Rock said. “There is no clear plan at this point. We need to see what the impacts are going to be.”

Rock said the departments will cut from budgets in a way that would have the least effect on students.

UNR President Milton Glick said he anticipates a decision from the governor by early January, which should allow the university to adjust to the cuts before the spring semester starts.

While he will prepare for the cuts, Glick said he hopes Gibbons will look to other sources before cutting from higher education.

Regent Ron Knecht made a proposal that suggests the governor first take from the state’s Rainy Day Fund, which currently has more than $270 million in it. The state puts about $36 million into the fund each year.

Also in the plan, Knecht suggests using money from the $170 million Capital Improvement Program, which is used for projects like roadwork.

These measures would help reduce the across-the-board cuts to about 1 or 2 percent, Knecht said.

Knecht said he thinks all programs need to take the cut, and the sooner the governor makes his decision, the sooner the system can prepare for it.

Knecht said he believes the system needs to take the cut because of the potential budget shortfall that could come over the next few months.

“$285 million is optimistic,”he said. “I’ve spoken to some colleagues who believe that the shortfall could end up being $400 million. The programs who don’t take cuts now would have to take cuts later, if it came down to it.”

Though Rogers’ letter indicated that Gibbons would make his decision by Jan. 1, Associated Students of the University of Nevada officials began planning a campaign against the cuts Monday.

At the public affairs committee meeting, senators drafted a bill that says ASUN and the student body do not support the cuts and encourage the governor to find alternatives to cutting higher education budgets. The senate will vote on the bill at Wednesday’s meeting.

ASUN President Sarah Ragsdale held an additional meeting Monday, where eight students discussed how they could protest the budget cuts.

Sen. Carmen Gilbert said ASUN will approach higher education advocates and former ASUN officials over winter break to get them to contact the governor.

When classes start in the spring semester, ASUN will hold a postcard-writing campaign. Inkblot will print postcards that students can sign to show they do not support the cuts, Gilbert said. Those postcards will then be delivered to Gibbons in Carson City.

They will also consider holding rallies and demonstrations, Gilbert said.

Gilbert said though the governor may make his decision by Jan. 1, she still thinks students can make a difference.

“It’s unfortunate that we didn’t get started earlier, but we also need to show we care,”she said. “It would be much worse if we just didn’t say anything.”

Karissa Loper, a student ambassador who attended Ragsdale’s meeting, said she didn’t hear about the budget cuts until she saw a MySpace bulletin and was not aware of how the cuts would affect the system.

“Students need to know that it affects everything here,”said Loper, a 21-year-old international business major. “The faculty, the staff, the students, the classes – everything and everyone.”

Also on Monday, the Republican Youth Majority, the College Republicans and the College Libertarians gathered in front of the Joe Crowley Student Union and around campus to chalk their stance on the budget cuts.

But unlike the meeting earlier Monday, these students said they support the cuts.

“Every other program in the state is taking a cut, so we as a university and as a system also need to take a cut too,”said Bryan Bedera, state chairman of the Republican Youth Majority.

Bedera estimated that about 40 students would help chalk Monday night, including one message in front of The Joe – “Students support the governor’s cuts.”

Bedera said he believed the cuts are not as drastic as others are making it out to be.

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