TO CLIPS INDEX Clips
for January 29, 2009
State GOP lawmakers slash $141M from NAU, ASU, UA
Capitol Media Services/Arizona Daily Sun
1/29/09
PHOENIX — Republican legislative leaders crafted
a deal late Wednesday that will cut more than $600
million in state spending. The package, worked out
largely behind closed doors, includes taking more
than $141 million from the state’s three universities.
While that is more than the $100 million the schools
offered in immediate cuts, it is far less than the more
than $240 million in spending reductions and fund
sweeps suggested just this past week as options
by the chairmen of the House and Senate
Appropriations committees.
Editorial: Legislature needs to cut carefully, not
harm future
The Arizona Republic
1/29/09
Whichever way they slice it, lawmakers will make
excruciating cuts to balance this year's budget.
That's inevitable when revenues are falling $1.6
billion short in a $9.9 billion general-fund budget.
But there are ways to slice that reduce long-term
damage. We should minimize the impact on the
most vulnerable members of society. We have to
be sure that, when the economic turnaround
comes, Arizona still has the strength to move
forward and compete. And we need to take full
advantage of federal resources. The Republican
appropriations chairmen, Sen. Russell Pearce
and Rep. John Kavanagh, set some parameters
for the debate with a list of options for budget cuts.
Proposal reached by lawmakers to erase $1.6
bil Arizona deficit
The Arizona Republic
1/29/09
Republican lawmakers reached a deal late
Wednesday to erase the state's $1.6 billion
budget deficit, capping a day of closed-door
negotiations and setting the stage for final
action by Friday. The plan is built on more
than $600 million in cuts, $582 million in
collections of unused monies in various
state coffers, and $500 million in anticipated
aid from a federal stimulus bill. I
Peoria to have ASU design project models
The Arizona Republic
1/28/09 8:42 AM
Peoria will pay Arizona State University Decision
Theater $135,000 to create 3-D models for three
projects: the Central Peoria Revitalization Plan,
the Sports Complex Urban Design Study, and
the Loop 303 Corridor Study. The Peoria City
Council approved an agreement to work with
the ASU Decision Theater Jan. 20.
ASU orders unpaid furloughs
The Arizona Republic
1/28/09 4:33 PM
All 12,000 Arizona State University employees
will be required to take 10 to 15 days off with-
out pay before July to meet budget cuts required
by the state Legislature, the university announced
Wednesday. The mandate includes top
administrators, varsity coaches, faculty, office
and maintenance workers, but the unpaid leave,
or furloughs, will be staggered. ASU will remain
open and classes will meet. "I want to assure
all of you that ASU is committed to continuing
to deliver all our academic programs to our
students, to not reducing academic quality
and to maintaining our university student
financial aid programs," Crow said.
1,000 Ariz. students protest budget cuts
The Arizona Republic
1/28/09 3:21 PM
More than 1,000 students from Arizona state
universities staged a protest at the Capitol on
Wednesday, calling for lawmakers to spare
higher education from draconian budget cuts.
"I've got one question - WTF?" said Tommy
Bruce, University of Arizona's student body
president. "Where's the funding?" Students
reacted loudly to a legislative budget report
released earlier this month that laid out $243
million in optional cuts to university funding.
Hundreds of students from UA, Arizona State
University and Northern Arizona University
swarmed Wesley Bolin Plaza to protest the
proposed cuts.
Fulton assures
homeowners after bankruptcy
East Valley Tribune
1/28/09 5:36PM
Tempe-based Fulton Homes Wednesday assured
its customers and others it's business as usual
despite its filing a day earlier for Chapter 11
bankruptcy. Fulton Homes Corp. filed the petition
Tuesday in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of Arizona.
In Chapter 11 proceedings, the filer proposes a
plan for reorganization to stay in business and
pay creditors over time. Fulton Homes files for
bankruptcy - Doug Fulton, company CEO, has
not been available for comment but did issue
a statement Wednesday saying Fulton Homes
Corp., which handles land and acquisition duties
for the home builder, filed Chapter 11, and not
Fulton Home Sales Corp., which sells and
provides warranties on all of its homes. "We
filed Chapter 11 reorganization in order to
continue operating without tremendous
bank interference," he said in the statement.
"Financially, we are in better shape now than
before the filing."
ASU orders unpaid
furloughs
Capitol Media Services/East Valley Tribune
1/28/09 4:36PM
Arizona State University is forcing all of its 12,000
workers to take at least 10 days off, without pay,
between now and June 30 to cut expenses. The
move, announced late Wednesday by ASU
President Michael Crow, will cut expenses by
$24 million. Crow, who is included in the man-
date, said that will go a long way toward dealing
with what could be up to a $60 million mid-year
reduction in state funding for his school. Crow,
along with his counterparts at the other two state
universities, got permission to order furloughs
Tuesday from the Arizona Board of Regents.
University presidents
decry funding cuts
Capitol Media Services/East Valley Tribune
1/28/09 2:28PM
The presidents of the three state universities
want lawmakers to raise more money - including
possibly asking voters for a tax hike - instead of
further cuts in their budgets. But the idea was
immediately rejected by several Republican law-
makers. At a press conference at the Capitol
Wednesday, Michael Crow of Arizona State
University said he and his colleagues recognize
the $1.6 billion deficit this year and a potential
$3 billion shortfall for the next one.
University presidents float tax hike for higher ed
Capitol Media Services/Arizona Daily Sun
1/ 29/09
PHOENIX -- The presidents of the three state
universities want lawmakers to raise more money
-- including possibly asking voters for a tax hike --
instead of further cuts in their budgets. But the idea
was immediately rejected by several Republican
lawmakers. At a press conference at the Capitol
Wednesday, Michael Crow of Arizona State
University said he and his colleagues recognize
the $1.6 billion deficit this year and a potential $3
billion shortfall for the next one. What is alarming,
he said, was that the initial list of budget "options,"
which proposed taking more than $240 million
from the three schools this year alone, a move
that would have cut state support back to 1989
levels.
Haeger: No decision on furloughs
Arizona Daily Sun
1/29/09
NAU President John Haeger again discussed the
university's budget situation Wednesday afternoon
with hundreds of employees and students, saying
every university department would likely be affected.
He raised the possibility of cuts in health care
benefits, petitioning the Legislature to increase
taxes for education, cuts in new academic programs,
employee buyouts and requiring unpaid time off.
But he gave few specifics and said nothing was
decided. A firm hiring freeze was also likely, he said,
with some departments being less able to carry out
their missions due to attrition.
Forces uniting around NAU forest study
Rim Country Gazette
1/2909 10:21
The Arizona Board of Supervisors approved a plan earlier
this month to thin more than 2 million acres of forest land
by harvesting small trees for use by the timber industry.
Their decision was based on a study released nearly a
year ago by Northern Arizona University that involved a
group of 20 stakeholders representing wood-product
businesses, local government, environmental groups
and public land and resource management agencies
who worked with the university’s scientists. Gila County
Supervisor Tommie Martin said the decision by the
Board of Supervisors was just the tip of the iceberg.
“But it’s a really good start,” she said. It took a year for
the board to address the issue following release of the
study in February 2008, but meetings and discussions
have been going on for 25 to 30 years. “It took going
out on the ground together,” Martin said.
Editorial Opinion:
Legislature has no theorem for
balancing budget
Arizona Daily Star
1/29/09
Tucson, Arizona - Our view: Process for cuts must be
transparent, not secretive, and principled . The problem
before the Arizona Legislature: Given: The state's bud-
get for fiscal '09 is hemorrhaging. Red ink is splattered
everywhere. If the state continues spending at its
present rate without any new or increased incoming
revenues, Arizona will be about $1.3 billion short in the
current $9.9 billion budget. The Arizona Constitution
mandates the state not function in the red. Solve for:
Reductions and budget balancing processes that do
not devastate our state. Theorem: Here lies the
problem — there is no clear solution proved or
supported by rigorous reasoning.
Thousands of
Arizona college students protest
proposed cuts
Arizona Daily Star
1/28/09
PHOENIX — Thousands of college students rallied in
front of the state Capitol Wednesday on the same day
their three university presidents urged lawmakers to
borrow or even raise taxes to minimize budget cuts.
But, at least initially, the cries for help didn’t seem to
do much to sway to opinions of lawmakers, who are
figuring out how to balance a $1.3 billion budget
deficit this year. All three presidents, including the
University of Arizona’s Robert Shelton, said law-
makers need to look at options other than cutting,
like borrowing and “revenue enhancement.”
Brewer's decision not to propose
budget irks Dems
Arizona Daily Star
1/29/09
PHOENIX — As lawmakers sit down to create a 2010
state budget, they will not have what is often a critical
component: a proposal from the governor. Given her
entry into office after the start of this year's legislative
session, Gov. Jan Brewer does not plan to release a
2010 budget proposal. However, she may eventually
make public a "blueprint," says gubernatorial spokes-
man Paul Senseman. Brewer, a Republican who took
office last week after Democrat Janet Napolitano's
resignation, "has been engaged with legislative
leadership regarding budget specifics," Senseman
said.
UA study says its
tech park has $63.9 million tax
impact
Arizona Daily Star
1/29/09
Tucson, Arizona - The University of Arizona Science
and Technology Park, founded in 1995, generated
$63.9 million in tax revenue in 2007, the university
reported Thursday. The Southeast side park sits on
1,345 acres and contains 13 buildings with 32
tenants that employ 6,175 workers. According to
an economic impact report, wages at the tech park
are almost double the Pima County average.
Editorial: Our
Opinion: Don't rush into cuts to budget
Tucson Citizen
1/29/09
Republican legislative leaders suddenly want to race
to slash the state budget before learning what federal
emergency funds will be coming Arizona's way. These
are the same legislators who wouldn't bother to convene
last fall to get a head start on addressing the state's dire
deficit situation. Now they want the budget cuts to be set
in stone by Feb. 1, although the size of the federal funds
infusion should be known by mid-February. Such haste
would have been sensible before, when lawmakers had
all available information. Now that they're missing a
critical piece of the puzzle, they want to sally forth.
UA looks at worker
furloughs, cuts in aid
Arizona Daily Star
1/28/09
Tucson, Arizona - UA officials could furlough workers,
curtail financial aid to high-achieving students and
raise tuition again this year as they look for ways to
cut $40 million in state tax money under plans being
considered by the Arizona Board of Regents. Declaring
a financial emergency during a special meeting Tues-
day, the regents approved a plan that gives the
presidents of each of the state's three universities
the power to force faculty members, staffers and
administrators to take unpaid days off.
Thousands of
students protest proposed university
budget cuts
Tucson Citizen
1/29/09
Where is the funding? A not-so-polite acronym with the
same first letters as those words - WTF - was used by
a University of Arizona student leader at a protest
Wednesday. Tommy Bruce, president of the Associated
Students of the University of Arizona, was among 2,000
students who attended a rally at the state Capitol. Their
hope: To influence state legislators who are considering
large funding cuts to the state's three universities in an
effort to balance a state budget that is hundreds of
millions of dollars in the red.
UA prof has new
explanation for stones in Mars craters
Tucson Citizen
1/29/09
Golfers might want to move to Mars. Imagine your ball a
few inches from the hole, and then falling in. The concept
is not that far-fetched on Mars. Jon Pelletier, a University
of Arizona associate professor of geo-science, said winds
on Mars create small craters near softball-shaped stones
due to soil erosion - and then the stones are pushed into
the craters. That's a change from the old school of thought,
which was that winds of 200 to 300 mph picked up the
rocks and blew them into the craters.
Chief justice to
speak at UA law school Wednesday
Tucson Citizen
1/29/09
U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts
will be at the University of Arizona Wednesday as the
third speaker in the Rehnquist Center Lecture series.
The lecture is from 11 a.m. to noon in Room 164 of
the James E. Rogers College of Law Ares Auditorium.
Priority seating will be given to UA students and
guests with confirmed reservations.
NAU offers degree programs for working people,
business owners
WMICentral.com
1/27/09
Northern Arizona University featured program for
January "AI.S./B.S.I.S. Enterprise in Society" is an
online program perfect for business professionals
who wish to earn their bachelor's degree while
continuing to work. If you are currently working in
the business world or a local business owner who
wishes to further your knowledge and under-
standing of accounting, marketing, finance and
economics, this degree could be for you. Whether
you already have an associate's degree from a
community college, or are just launching your
academic career, they provide personalized
advisement and enrollment assistance.
Universities favor increased revenues over cuts
Capitol Media Services/Yuma Sun
1/28/09 6:18 PM
The presidents of the three state universities want law-
makers to raise more money - including possibly asking
voters for a tax hike - instead of further cuts in their bud-
gets. But the idea was immediately rejected by several
Republican lawmakers who say they are unwilling to
seek more taxes for the universities. If the lawmakers
prevail and the university system is forced to cut back,
Northern Arizona University-Yuma's campus would
weigh such options as a hiring freeze and increased
class sizes, the head of the campus said.
Editorial: The fallout begins
ASU Web Devil
1/29/09
On Wednesday, the horrific mess that is the budget
crisis of 2009 landed its first major blow. That blow
took the form of mandatory furloughs — multiple-
day unpaid leaves of absence — for all ASU faculty,
staff and administrators. All 12,000 of them.
Obviously, the side effects of the furloughs, which
will range from 10 to 15 days, will be harmful to the
basic functionality of the University; the day-to-day
flow of the school will likely be disrupted, papers
could go unprocessed, phone calls may go
unanswered, classes may inevitably be canceled.
However, those effects — which will manifest them-
selves immediately, as the days of leave are to be
taken before the fiscal year ends in June — will pale
in comparison to the furlough requirement’s
devastating human effects.
Opinion: What happens if
Polytechnic closes down?
ASU Web Devil
1/29/09
A “New American University.” Considering ASU’s
current financial predicament, it sounds like a bad
joke now, doesn’t it? The looming budget cuts
have taken center stage in Arizona, and students
at all three universities are awaiting their
educational fate. No matter what sectors of ASU
are forced to endure the budget cuts in the worst
way, the students, faculty and staff will all feel its
pinch. There are numerous ways the budget can
be sliced and chopped up, but there is one option
that is being discussed for the budget cuts that
shouldn’t be: closing the Polytechnic campus.
Crow, students unite against a
common foe
ASU Web Devil
1/29/09
The Arizona Legislature’s recent proposal to cut
education spending has quite predictably caused
an uproar at Arizona’s three state universities.
People from all parts of the higher-education
community, from freshmen undergraduates to
the three university presidents, have raised their
voices in tones of panic and dissent. Two events
this week helped to underscore the sense of worry
and outrage that students, faculty and administrators
are currently feeling. On Tuesday evening, ASU
President Michael Crow gave a presentation at the
Tempe Center for the Arts. In the speech, Crow
connected the vision of the New American University
— as a large, affordable, accessible institution of
post-secondary education — to a seldom-
remembered proposition, made by some of the
Founding Fathers in the summer of 1787, for the
creation of a national university.
Nearly 2,000 march at state
capitol to protest
proposed university budget cuts
ASU Web Devil
1/29/09
Nearly 2,000 community members and students
from Arizona’s universities packed Wesley Bolin
Memorial Park outside the state capitol building
Wednesday to protest proposed budget cuts that
could strip the universities’ budgets by up to 40
percent next year. Wearing black clothes and
carrying signs saying “40% = death” and “Don’t
abandon us,” students rallied for several hours
to oppose budget cuts that could be approved
by legislative committees on Thursday. Mark
Appleton, ASU Undergraduate Student
Government president, said he was pleased
with the number of students who showed up for
the demonstration, which was organized in just
one week by the Arizona Students’ Association.
“I think this turnout is phenomenal,” he said.
Anti-hazing bill to go through
the Ariz. House
ASU Web Devil
1/29/09
An anti-hazing bill in the Arizona Legislature targets
fraternities and sororities at universities across the
state that engage in what it calls “harmful” behavior
for the purpose of initiating their members. House
Bill 2387, the unlawful hazing law, would bar anyone
employed by or attending an educational institution
from forcing others to engage in harmful activities
“for the purpose of pledging, being initiated into …
or maintaining membership in any organization.”
Rep. Ed Ableser, D-Tempe, said he sponsored
the bill in response to incidents involving fraternity
hazing,
Committee prevents NAU from receiving SPEED
funds
Jackcentral.com
1/29/09
Funds allocated by the Arizona state government
to NAU, ASU and U of A are being withheld upon
further review by a key committee in the budgetary
process. The Stimulus Plan for Economic and
Educational Development (SPEED) was passed
in 2007 to stimulate the economy by providing up
to $1 billion for the three universities. However,
the Joint Committee on Capital Review (JCCR),
which reviews state expenditures, declined to re-
view many of the projects proposed by the three
universities. In a Nov. 13 JCCR meeting, in which
no university representatives were present, state
senator and JCCR Chairman Russell Pearce
said the university projects need to be delayed
due to changes in the state’s economy.
NAU facing “horrifying” budget cuts
Jackcentral.com
1/29/09
On Jan. 16, the state legislature announced a series
of proposals for the magnitude of the cuts in university
funding in response to the economic crisis and growing
state deficit. The greatest proposed cut would be a
reduction of $243 million for the rest of fiscal year 2009
— which ends June 31 — and $388 million for fiscal
year 2010. NAU would receive a cut of $31.2 million in
FY09 and $48.7 million in FY10. Tom Jenney, director
of the Arizona Federation of Taxpayers, said the state
needs to cut funding due to the size of the financial
shortcomings, predicted to be as much as $1.6 billion
this year and $3 billion next year.
Newly appointed team will provide budget solution
alternatives to legislature
UA Daily Wildcat
1/29/09
In an attempt to find a more efficient way to balance
Arizona's $1.6 billion budget shortfall, the members
of the Arizona Board of Regents and state university
presidents announced to a crowd of more than 2,000
students gathered outside the state capital in Phoenix
that they have created the Fiscal Alternative Choices
Team. The team will be lead by Ted Ferris, who was
director of the Arizona Joint Legislative Budget
Committee for 12 years.
United, students fight for future
UA Daily Wildcat
1/29/09
More than 1,100 students left Tucson for the state
Capitol yesterday morning with one goal in mind:
to reaffirm the importance of their civil rights and
the value of their education. UA protesters stood
side by side with equal parties from Arizona State
University and Northern Arizona University to form
a crowd some 3,000 people strong. This unique
partnership of Arizona's three universities
displayed the power of the student voice and the
communities' support of higher education, protest
organizers said. Arizona Board of Regents officials
said it was the largest protest they had seen since
the Vietnam War. The protest spoke incredibly for
the youth of Arizona and the value they place on
their education, said Tommy Bruce, president of
the Associated Students of the University of
Arizona.
Students decry health plan
UA Daily Wildcat
1/29/09
Some graduate students are voicing discontent
with their UA health coverage options now that
the UA has renewed its current contract with
Aetna Student Health. The details of the new
policy haven't yet been decided, but students
fear increases in their out-of-pocket costs, in
addition to concerns about the current quality
of care. Hope Jones, president of the Associate
Graduate Council for the College of Science,
said the UA falls in the lowest percentile of
graduate student healthcare programs among
Research 1 Institutes.
ABOR approves involuntary leave for UA staff
UA Daily Wildcat
1/29/09
UA employees could become victims of involuntary
unpaid leave as early as mid-February. The Arizona
Board of Regents declared a state of financial
emergency for Arizona's three public universities
Tuesday. The decision approved the use of furloughs,
involuntary leaves of absence, causing a stir of panic
for some UA employees. "Reaction to the budget cuts
in general, and declaration of financial emergency,
has been a huge source of worry and stress for UA
faculty and staff," said Allison Vaillancourt, vice
president of UA Human Resources. "People are
wondering if they should be looking for other jobs,
and some excellent people have turned down offers
to come to the U of A because they are worried about
our financial situation." The state of financial
emergency declaration was a specific measure that
includes only the approval of the use of furloughs,
Regent David Martinez said.
Recession on Top of Energy Crisis May Mean Power
Boost for Universities
The Chronicle of Higher Education
1/29/08
For many Americans, the confluence of a recession
and a growing realization that the nation needs to
end its reliance on fossil fuels seems like a double
whammy of bad news. But for the nation's research
universities, it may be a golden opportunity. At its peak
in the late 1970s, federal spending on energy research
and development came to about $8-billion a year.
Energy research now gets about $3-billion a year in
government support, well below federal research
budgets for defense (about $80-billion), biomedical
fields ($30-billion), and space ($10-billion), according
to the American Association for the Advancement of
Science. But the figure for energy research is now
likely to grow quickly, corporate and university officials
say.
ASU orders unpaid furloughs due to budget crisis
Associated Press/abc15.com
1/28/09 4:48 pm
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) -- Arizona State University on
Wednesday ordered unpaid mandatory furloughs
of up to three weeks for all employees to help find
savings needed in the current school and fiscal
years because of the state's budget crisis.
President Michael Crow said the furloughs will
save $24 million. That's more than a third of the
savings needed by Arizona State under a $100
million cost-cutting plan ordered by the Board of
Regents for the entire university system.
Researcher: University budget
cuts lesser of evils
KTAR.com
1/29/09 7:31am
One education expert says universities -- despite their
complaints about funding cuts by the state -- can stand
budget cuts better than many programs. "Universities
can raise tuition, universities have federal dollars they
can tap into. Universities have fund-raising -- some
much more successful than others -- research grants,
the list goes on. Universities have a variety of different
funding sources," said Matthew Ladner, a researcher
for the Goldwater Institute, a conservative think tank.
Ladner said the Arizona Legislature will be better off
if it cuts money from the university system to help wipe
out the current $1.6 billion budget deficit, rather than
slashing money for other state programs and services.
University system
facing major budget cuts
KVOA News 4
1/29/09
Over 1,000 University of Arizona students showed up
at the capital Wednesday to protest proposed budget
cuts to the university system. Chris Nagata says, "Our
message was more than sent out, just with the sheer
volume of students at the capital today." Kendal
Nystedt adds, "We really want to build this as a long
term movement, that's not only looking to not cut out
our budgets, but actually expand them, and make
the investment in education." Some economists say
the budget cuts have to happen. Dr. Byron Schlomach
is an economist with the Goldwater Institute. "If you
don't want any cuts in the universities, if you don't
want any cuts in education, tell us where the cuts
are going to be, or please step up, and suggest a
tax increase," says Schlomach. To help deal with
the budget crisis, the Arizona Board of Regents
has given state universities the authority to
employ furloughs.
Ariz. House chairman outlines
new budget proposal
msnbc.com
1/28/09 9:13 a.m. MT
PHOENIX - A revised proposal to close Arizona's
budget shortfall now includes smaller cuts for health
care for the poor, universities, community colleges
and the state's social-welfare agency. A cut for the
K-12 public school system remains intact but with
more flexibility on where to cut, a key lawmaker said.
House Appropriations Chairman John Kavanagh,
R-Fountain Hills on Tuesday outlined his revision
of a proposal he initially developed with his Senate
counterpart. Both are intended to close a projected
shortfall of nearly $1.6 billion in the state's $9.9 billion
budget for the current fiscal year, now more than half
over.
Ariz. lawmakers not waiting for
federal stimulus
MSNBC.com
1/28/09 1:05 p.m. MT
PHOENIX - Arizona lawmakers are pushing to
approve changes to the current state budget to
eliminate a big shortfall without waiting to see
what money may be coming from a planned
federal economic stimulus package. The federal
stimulus package is expected to contain money
to directly help the states, chiefly by increasing
the federal government's partial reimbursements
to states for costs of health care for the poor.
Lesson in backlash: Universities get their say
The Arizona Guardian
1/28/09 17:31
The presidents and students of the state's three
universities struck back against state law-
makers Wednesday at a Capitol rally, saying
the Legislature's proposed budget cuts would
degrade the institutions and threaten Arizona's
economic vitality. ASU president Michael Crow,
UA president Robert Shelton and NAU president
John Haeger said they were prepared to absorb
a combined $100 million in cuts. However, they
said, any further reductions would fundamentally
alter the state's university system, reversing about
20 years' worth of progress while raising tuition to
unknown levels. About 2,000 vocal students from
all three universities rallied together 1960s-style
in Wesley Bolin Plaza.
Students
Protest Arizona Education Cuts
npr.org 1/28/09
All Things Considered, · Students from across Arizona
are demonstrating Wednesday at the state Capitol against
budget reductions in education funding. Some of their
professors canceled classes to allow them to attend the
protest. Listen Now [3 min 45 sec] add to playlist
ASU orders unpaid furloughs
Video Clips from 12 News & azcentral.com
1/29/09