OCR Text |
Show • • , ? - • • Opinions • . ' < - ' $$ky c ai... . ' ' ' i l l Student government 1 counters:'We do care , , Monday • March 9,2009 A5 Letter to the Editor To the Editor: to see if they would be interested in supplementing Wee Cares grantfunds. For a variety of reasons, UVUs student government decided not to increase student fees to supplement Wee Care services at this time. It may be inaccurate to suggest that student • government does not care about this issue and the Wee Care Center. Wee Care will continue to move forward and make adjustments as necessary to provide the best possible care to the 316 children and 226 UVU student parents it serves. Wee Care intends to develop a strategic plan for UVU child care for the comingyears. David Newlins March 2 editorial came to student govern- quest stands in stark contrast all options such as minimiz- regarding a funding David Smith ment four weeks ago to ask to all other student fee pro- ing labor, mild rate' increases, request by the Wee UVUSAVP of Academics for a one-dollar increase per grams that every student has or a partnership with our edu-' Care Center to student Guest Op-Ed student, per semester (two- direct access to. For example, cation program to maximize dollar each year). Their re- each student has access to volunteer hours. It is clear government contains Ordinarily I would not quest was in response to a the multiple computer labs Wee Care has not conducted information that respond to an article where pending cessation of a three- throughout the school. Each a cost analysis, worked to I wish to clarify in someone disagreed with a year government grant that can attend an athletic event, minimize their expenses, or student government decision. would leave the center with and if they opt not to, each reported their "program end- order to avoid any However, David Newlin's a temporary $40,000 budget student is still branded by ing" budget deficit to their di- misunderstanding. March 2 Guest Op-Editorial deficit prior to applying for a their athletics program for the rect supervisor. In Mr. Newlins entitled "UVU sends mes- new grant. This budget deficit life of their degree. I'm sure UVUSA's denial of Wee sage: 'We don't care'" has has been looming for a year every UVU alum that.heard of Care's funding request was opening statement, he some inaccurate information and several pertinent steps Ryan Toolson's unbelievable also motivated by a desire to indicated that there and failed to examine the were skipped before the stu- performance against Chicago avoid setting a precedent. This was a "problem with broader scope of the issue. dents were asked to fund this State was proud of their alma is easy to understand when I am writing this so the shortfall. For example, Wee mater. Dances, speakers, de- you have stewardship over the grant" that funds bates, and other funding for a specific purpose. UVU Review readership is Care should first Wee Care. As the * fully informed on why stu- have requested —"•••^™ ^ ^ ^ • • • f events are open Student fees are dedicated for to every student. macro-student programming administrator who dent government has elected support from the" By granting a Also, no student across the country. No other supervises the grant,, to not fund $40,000 for the administration Wee Care Center. in the annual one-dollar per is exempt from college in the State of Utah and without going into semester inasks their students to fund PBA budgeting Before arbitrarily throwthe benefits of detaiU the problem ing out a lot of information process. Further, crease we make our student cen- day care through student fees. By granting a one-dollar per was an accounting to the reader, allow me to why was this a statement to all ter. first explain how student fees funding request departments that When • it semester increase we make a error that was made a not taken to their work. comes to paying statement to all departments year ago which carried student fee funds direct supervisor You are undoubtedly fafor educational that student fee funds are inare interpreWayne Manglemiliar with student fees as you opportunities, terpretive in purpose, which over to the current currently pay $288 each se- son or Vice- tive in purpose, the flip side of would undoubtedly bring a year. The error was mester. At one time or anoth- President Cory which would un- this concept can slew of other worthy funding er you have probably asked, Duckworth? Did doubtedly bring be further il- requests to the wrong place. not on the-part of the Wee Care make "Where does this money even lustrated by ex- In short, one-dollar may seem university, nor was it a slew of other any effort to go?" Every year a gamut of amining the ex- like a small number, until the the responsibility of worthy funding raise this money administrators, departments, ample of student precedent restructures the requests to the and programs come before through private tuition. Each student fee methodology and student government student government to state donors? Again, wrong place. student has the students are paying $600 a to correct the error A their case for funding. • — — — — same exact 'ac- semester for University pro- presentation was made —Carol Verbecky, the students were Our University is extreme- the first stop, and Senior Director,. cess to the same grams designed for just a to student government Turning Point ly unique in that all student like all other requests we classes. However, the stu- few. fee increase proposals must be ^approved, by the student government before going to the Presidents Council, Board of 'Trustees, and the State Board of Regents for final approval. All 28 council members deliberate on what fee requests should be approved and denied followed by a vote according to parliamentary procedure. There has been an open invitation in student fee hearings to all students for 30 years. It is rare that funding is re-, quested for anything not used to finance a macro-student program. These fees specifically fund services such as computer labs, the student center, athletics, student activities, speakers, bond payments, and a range of other services that ALL students have access to. Wee' Care was one of these many departments that should have been dead last. UVUSA President Joseph Watkins and Vice-President Trevor Tooke have .stated several reasons for UVUSA's decision not to fund Wee Care, including the fact that Wee Care does not benefit all students. The Wee Care center supports 216 families. We have over 27,000 students attending this institution. UVU has an enormous population of students without children. UVU also has a population of financially struggling parents who may not be "impoverished," but struggle nonetheless, and are also unable to use the services because of the limited capacity of the center. Thus, those students without children, and those with children that could not "make the cut" -are being asked to pay for the .008% of families that do. This particular funding re- dents in the nursing, aviation, Our $288 has grown yes, or dental hygiene programs • but grows slowly and only in pay much more for their edu- accprdance with the needs of cation due to the cost of the the entire student body. equipment required. Should Every funding source at we raise the cost of tuition this University has its place. to support these students? Lab fees pay for specialized Should everyone have to bear labs and print credits. Tuition the cost burden for those who and state taJc dollars fund have chosen a separate path? classes. State appropriations In explaining UVUSA's are used for expansion. Pridecision, Tooke has also stat- vate student money finances ed on record that it was un- club dues. Student fees pay clear how exactly Wee Care for anything that can be utiwould be spending funds po- lized by each and every stutentially granted to them from dent. I personally don't have student fees. When Wee Care anything against the center. In came before student govern- fact, I am more than willing ment several weeks ago they to part with my dollar. What were repeatedly asked about I, and my peers are not ready' their income and operating to do is force an expenditure budgets. It took two presenta- (and future expenditures) on tions, several phone calls, and students (who aren't too far finally a visit from a director from impoverished themto demystify the Wee Care selves) for the sake of a few. budget. Even after that was Keep student fees where they made clear it was obvious that belong, with all the students. Wee Care had not exhausted eWiioir • Letters must be turned in on Wednesday by ' -•! noon in order to be printed in the next edition. ;, i • We make no guarantee that lettejs will be -'• \ printed. • Letters 300 words or less have a greater ;. chance of being published - anything longer j will be edited for content." .( • Please provide an electronic copy regardless \ of whether or not you wish tg; submit a hapl , ,.j copy. : ."• -'rh-^^MPM^^^^^^ • All letters become the property of UVU Re- We are all in this together Opposing Obama's stimulus package, counter productive to economy BENN10N SPENCER UVU Adjunct Instructor Guest Op-Ed America: states, and cities, across the country, we all share in our country's vision of recovery. Countries all over the world, even in (the wealthy country of) Dubai, are feeling the pain. President Obama needs our help and support. He needs partners: the American people, members of congress, governors, mayors, citizens, the rich and the poor. He needs all of America's support. It's that serious. If America can pull its economy together, the impact will be felt all over the world. Here in Utah, Senators • r J - i * - Hatch and Bennett are not being truthful with thenopposition to President Obama's financial rescue plan. Senator Bennett has no idea if the plan will work. If he knew that (a little vague, the "that") then he would have spent the last eight years trying to keep the Bush administration from driving the car into the ditch. As the Republican Party looks at redefining itself for the future, they seem to have found Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity (as their unelectedchairmen).RushLimbaugh has openly stated that he wants President Obama to fail. No American, Republican or Democrat, should want President Obama, (or any president of the United States) to fail. Hundreds welfare state in thirty years of thousand of hardwork- (e.g., prescription drugs for ing families are losing jobs, the elderly). Senators Hatch homes, health in- ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ and Bennett surance, and faith ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ™ seem to have in government. each forgotten Why would any- No American, that President one want failure Republican George Bush under these cir- or Democrat, laid the foundacumstances? tion of this ecoshould want nomic rescue Where were President pattern when .he the fiscal conser- Obama, (or spent 700 billion vatives like Hatch dollars to rescue and Bennett when any president the financial secPresident Bush, of the United tor for making in the fall of States) to fail. 2008, effectively [ ±^ 'bad loans on his nationalized the • : ^watch. banking and mortgage indusWhat if Hatch and Bentries? It was Senators Hatch nett, just for a little while, and Bennett, and the conser- considered . that being an vative Bush administration, American is more imporwho enabled the enacting of tant than being a Republithe largest expansion of the can? What if they compared notes with Governor Huntsman and looked at the state . through his eyes and could see the value of building things in Utah that would provide jobs for Utah, and money for Utah roads and other infrastructure projects. We have an economy that can no longer be understood. While the world watches and waits, Senator Bennett sticks 40 million dollars in a bill to help his friends in the nuclear power industry. Remember, this is a bill he is going to vote against, but he knows it will pass. Senator Hatch is busy making sure entertainers are fairly compensated with music royalties. But the grand prize in our financial crisis, like nothing ever seen, goes to State Repre- hensive, Carl Wimmer, who is focused on making sure people who may have a sex change operation make the necessary adjustment on their driver's license. Now who would think of something like that at a time like this? Is it just me, or do others see the problem, here? Help President Obama help us millions of ordinary citizens succeed. Bennion Spencer secured" * • the Democratic Party's nomination for U.S. •'. Congress in Utah \$ 3rd -p-. district in 2008. w v- i- ? :3. |