"I just won't do it to them anymore," said Rep. Tom Rukavina, DFL-Virginia, of Gov. Tim Pawlenty's proposed higher education budget cuts falling on the backs of students.
by T.W. Budig
ECM Capitol reporter
It gets to the point where you don't want to do someone else's dirty work, said the House Higher Education, Workforce Development Committee chairman on Wednesday (March 12).
"I just won't do it to them anymore," said Rep. Tom Rukavina, DFL-Virginia, of Gov. Tim Pawlenty's proposed higher education budget cuts falling on the backs of students.
Pawlenty has proposed cutting about $50 million from the University of Minnesota and Minnesota State Universities and Colleges (MnSCU), the cut split between the two systems.
But university and MnSCU officials warned of possible tuition increases and that the proposed cuts undermine long-term strategic plans.
University of Minnesota President Robert Bruininks indicated that while the university understood it needed to absorb some budget cuts, the proposed cuts went "too deep."
University of Minnesota President Robert Bruininks and Vice Chancellor for Finance for Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Laura King testified before the House Higher Education, Workforce Development Committee on Wednesday (March 12) about the impact of proposed budget cuts on their higher education systems. (Photo by T.W. Budig, ECM Capitol Reporter)
He frankly thinks it would be a dereliction of his duties, Bruininks explained, if tuition increases were not part of budget cut considerations.
"I'm hoping we won't have to go there," Bruininks told the committee.
Tuition fees account for about 20 percent of the university budget, he explained.
State funding accounts for about a quarter - and about a quarter of that is earmarked, said Bruininks..
Covering the cost of the proposed budget cut through tuition increases alone would mean about a four percent hike, Bruininks explained.
Laura King, Vice Chancellor for Finance for MnSCU, told the committee that had system officials known the budget cut was coming, they would not have followed the tuition and strategic planning paths that they took.
"This came as quite a blow to us," she said.
MnSCU student association representatives expressed frustration that higher education is again looking at budget cuts.
Kara Brockett, chairwoman of the Minnesota State University Student Association (MSUSA), felt no real fear that MnSCU would try to absorb the proposes cuts through tuition increases alone, she explained.
But Brockett spoke of other ominous results.
"It's really sad to see us back here doing this again," said J.J. Jouppi, MSUSA executive director, of dealing with proposed budget cuts.
Rep, Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, explained whether the committee liked it or not, it would have address cutting higher education budgets.
If lawmakers did not, the governor would then need to unallot.
And unallotment could hurt much worse, she opined.
The administration has argued that higher education received significant budget increases and that in terms of overall budgets, the proposed cuts are relatively small.
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