TO CLIPS INDEX February 14, 15, & 16, 2009

Governor may put a tax hike to the voters
The Arizona Republic 2/14/09
Faced with a sliding economy and deepening state
deficit, Gov. Jan Brewer's office is quietly making
plans for a spring special election at which voters
would be asked to raise taxes and loosen spending
mandates on certain state programs, The Arizona
Republic has learned. The proposal remains in its
infancy, and details are few. But the Governor's Office
is contemplating a temporary increase in taxes that
would generate $1 billion annually for the state for a
period of two or three years, two sources with know-
ledge of the discussions told The Republic under
condition of anonymity. Additionally, voters would be
asked to ease protections that currently block law-
makers from redirecting or cutting funds for voter-
approved programs, such as a 2006 initiative that
increased tobacco taxes to fund early-childhood
education.

Editorial: Don't balance budget on backs of
universities
The Arizona Republic 2/15/09
Arizona State University is slicing, retrenching,
shutting down, putting off and scaling back.
The West campus won't have graduate programs.
The Polytechnic campus will shrink its scope to
a single college. Departments will consolidate.
Academic programs will end. Freshman
applications will close five months early. The
depth and breadth of the cuts at the state's
largest university are a shock. But they shouldn't
be a surprise. Universities receive the largest
amount of state money that has no legal protection.
So they took the biggest hit in the Legislature's
package to close the $1.6 billion gap in the fiscal
2009 budget. You ain't seen nothing yet.

Finding money for your college education
The Arizona Republic 2/15/09
Arizona universities and colleges are seeing the
effects of tough economic times. More students
are seeking financial aid for college this year
compared to last year. "We are seeing an increase,
there's no question about that," said Craig Fennell,
executive director of student financial assistance at
Arizona State University. He said students who had
not applied before are now applying. And students
who have applied are coming back for assistance
because their family's economic circumstances
have changed in some way, which is making it
harder for them to afford college, he said.

College-bound still have options for loans
The Arizona Republic 2/15/09
College-bound high-school students are beginning
to figure out how to afford their post-secondary
educations. Students are filling out the federal-aid
application, known as FAFSA, and are sifting through
scholarships. How students get loans depends on
what type of institution they attend: Borrowing directly
• Arizona State University uses a direct-loan program,
meaning students borrow money from the government
for federal student loans. Chandler-Gilbert Community
College follows the same model. • As federal financial
aid stays strong, ASU's own grants and scholarships
are also remaining steady and have increased over
time, said Craig Fennell, executive director of student
financial assistance for ASU. He tells students to fill
out a FAFSA instead of assuming they don't qualify
for aid.

Biodesign Institute cuts high school program
The Arizona Republic 2/14/09 8:00 AM
An Arizona State University science education pro-
gram that last year trained 58 high school teachers
and students from 24 Arizona schools in 14 districts
is the latest victim of the state's economy. The Bio-
design Institute hosted the six-week bioscience
high school internship last summer. Student/
teacher teams from Tempe, Phoenix, Chandler,
Mesa, Tolleson, Buckeye and other Valley schools
joined ASU bioscience researchers tackling cures
for infectious diseases and cancer, decontamination
of groundwater and other studies. A grant had
allowed the program to expand last summer to
include teachers. Before January, when sobering
sales-tax collections were realized, the institute
had hoped to expand the internship to include
more opportunities for Valley students.

Community struggles with ASU West's new
role, new name
The Arizona Republic 2/14//09 8:00 AM
Does "New College" say "West Valley" to you? It
sure doesn't to Barbara Ridge, who helped lead
the movement to found Arizona State University's
West campus 25 years ago. "I think New College
is a silly name," Ridge said. "I think they could
do better than that." It nonetheless is the new
name of ASU West or, more officially, Arizona
State University at the New College campus.
Assistants and administrators already have
started answering the telephone with the new
tag. It's just part of what Glendale Mayor Elaine
Scruggs called the "insulting" degradation of
the West campus, which has been a source
of pride and hope for the 15 cities and towns
that lie west of Phoenix.

ASU developing flexible-display screens
The Arizona Republic 2/14/09
Mobile phones, laptops and televisions of the
future will have display screens that can bend,
fold and roll up. The military, high-tech
manufacturers and academia have made
Arizona ground zero for bringing the technology
into mainstream use. They are pinpointing key
materials and testing manufacturing techniques
needed to make the sophisticated screens at
Arizona State University's Flexible Display Center.
The goal is to incorporate the flexible material in
everything from entertainment devices to tools
that aid soldiers. Based at the ASU Research
Park at Loop 101 and Elliot Road in Tempe, the
center recently renewed a cooperative agreement
with the Army, which is providing $50 million over
the next five years to operate the facility. The Army
signed an initial agreement with ASU in 2004
worth $43.7 million to establish the center.

Businesses fear ripple effect from cuts at
ASU West
The Arizona Republic 2/14/09 8:00 AM
An exodus of students from Arizona State University's
West campus could result in a loss of patrons to
area businesses. Rows of bars and restaurants, as
well as a handful of apartment complexes, cater to
the campus' nearly 10,000 students. Hotels scattered
across Phoenix also offer special rates to campus
faculty and out-of-town visitors. However, new budget
cuts announced by ASU President Michael Crow will
eliminate all graduate programs offered at the West
campus, as well as move its nursing program to
Phoenix. Crow added that the campus could eventually
be shut down. The actions are part of an $88 million,
university-wide budget reduction. The West branch will
soon offer only one undergraduate liberal-arts program
and be renamed New College. School officials said
they could not estimate what percentage of the West
campus student body would disappear because of
the cuts.

Opinion: Jodi Beckley Liggett: Public has right to
participate in state budget process
The Arizona Republic 2/13/09 9:06 PM
Our elected officials are engaged in the unenviable
job of trying to balance the state's budget in the face
of huge revenue shortfalls. They recently completed
dealing with a $1.6 billion deficit for fiscal 2009 and
are faced with the daunting task of finding over $3
billion to cut for 2010. The complexity of this under-
taking should not be an excuse for policymakers to
cut the public out of the process and make decisions
behind closed doors. We understand the need to
move decisively in a crisis. But the public has a
fundamental right to participate in government that
must be respected. We were profoundly disappointed
to see one legislator say of the 2009 budget hearing
process, "We don't want to have 300 people sign
up just to whine."

Opinion: Eric Meyer: Dems, GOP must work
together on 2010 budget
The Arizona Republic 2/13/09 9:20 PM
Party doesn't matter when education, health care,
the future of our children and our state's economic
vitality are at stake. Deep budget cuts are looming
statewide for schools, state agencies and our
health-care system. People will lose their jobs.
As a Scottsdale Unified School Board member,
I unwillingly have to make mandated budget cuts
to our children's school funding. For example, our
children will have to learn math without new text-
books that include new math standards. We will
have larger class sizes and fewer course offerings.
Our classrooms will lack the technology that
prepares our students for college and the work-
force.

ASU community outreach
Arizona Republic 2/13/09 2:44 p.m.
After years of expanding, Arizona State University
community outreach programs are taking a hit
as the Legislature scales back funding and
the economy continues to slide. ASU officials say
the effects of the economy and the Legislature's
widespread cuts will inevitably trickle down to the
community and limit ASU's ability to provide the
same level of outreach services. In 2002, when
Michael Crow became ASU's president, he
pushed faculty members and academic units to
foster community ties and increase educational
outreach efforts. An ASU Web site is now dedicated
to community service. The ASU in the community
site notes 1,165 outreach programs and touts the
difference the university is making "in the lives of
community members every day." Gene Garcia, an
education professor, former dean of ASU's
Education program and current vice president for
ASU's Education Partnerships program, said he
has had to scale back his outreach efforts.

College-readiness study didn't track out-of-state
students
The Arizona Republic 2/13/09 7:02 PM
A college readiness study released last month tried
to determine whether local students were adequately
prepared to handle college-level math and English
courses. But it did not give the full story for Northeast
Valley schools. The Arizona Community Foundation
study released in January aimed to measure how
well high schools prepared their college-bound
students by tracking Maricopa County high school
students who entered one of the three state
universities or Maricopa Community Colleges.
However, the study did not track students who
attended out-of-state universities, which is the
destination for many students in the Scottsdale,
Cave Creek, and Fountain Hills school districts.
The study reported that Scottsdale's five high
schools had college enrollment rates for the
Class of 2006 hovering from 62 to 72 percent. In
fact, when students bound for college out-of-state
were included, four of Scottsdale's high schools
had more than 80 percent of their 2006 students
pursuing higher education.

College enrollment for 2006 grads
The Arizona Republic 2/13/09 7:02 PM
An Arizona Community Foundation study released
in January measured college readiness of Maricopa
County high school students. But the study, conducted
by Arizona State University professor David Garcia,
used data only from students who entered Arizona
State University, the University of Arizona, Northern
Arizona University, and Maricopa County community
colleges. Since Northeast Valley high schools send
many students to out-of-state schools, the study did
not give the whole story for Scottsdale, Cave Creek,
and Fountain Hills high schools. These are some
self-reported college enrollment figures for the 2006
class.

Editorial Opinion: Flagstaff ready to benefit from
federal stimulus
Arizona Daily Sun 2/15/09
The stimulus package has been set. What's in it for
Flagstaff and will it be enough to right what's wrong
with the economy, both local and national? .....On
the education front, Flagstaff is particularly exposed
during a deep recession because of the outsized
role that Northern Arizona University plays in the
community. The stimulus package includes money
to the states to backfill budget cuts at both the
university and K-12 levels, and it couldn't come at a
more opportune time. The layoff process at NAU and
FUSD for fall 2009 is about to begin, and the sooner
each entity can learn what its federal allocation will
be, the less disruptive it will be for the employees
and community alike. We urge our state representative,
Tom Chabin, a Flagstaff Democrat, to stay on top of the
federal education funding to assure it is not diverted by
Republican legislative leaders to other programs.

Bills for proposed UA Science Center questioned
Arizona Daily Star 2/16/09
The city will conduct an "internal review" of payments
to the University of Arizona for the UA's planned
Science Center complex downtown, Tucson City
Manager Mike Hein said Thursday. Hein said the
review was prompted in part by political pressure
from the state Legislature, which has threatened to
revoke the tax-increment financing district Tucson
has relied on to fund downtown and Rio Nuevo re-
development. But some city accountants have been
questioning the UA's invoices for months. In October,
Rio Nuevo Finance Manager Stacie Bird asked Hein
to sign a memo that said Hein approved "expenditures
the City does not allow on other District projects." If he
didn't sign, she wanted a meeting with him and UA
officials to talk about the spending.

Home uses UA students' 'green' skills
Arizona Daily Star 2/16/09
Many families of four would not consider a 1,050-
square-foot, student-built home with a washing
machine in the carport and a state highway just
over the sound wall to be a prime example of the
American dream. But for Diane Daly, Eric Wagner,
son Bruno, 6, and a baby scheduled to be born
any day now, the "flow-through" home, built over
the past three semesters by UA students, is a
good fit. The students were enrolled with the
University of Arizona College of Architecture and
Landscape Architecture. "I think it's really neat,
and it kind of feels like it was made for us," said
Daly, who works part time for the Water
Conservation Alliance of Southern Arizona.

Guest Opinion: Wielding raw power isn't good
leadership
Arizona Daily Star 2/15/09
Over the past several weeks you could not pick
up a newspaper or turn on a news program with-
out being touched by stories of individuals who
are facing financial ruin or organizations that have
become victims of a financial system gone mad.
Few would deny that we are in a sort of economic
tsunami where the forces of the market have
collided with a fundamental aspect of human
nature that wants whatever it can get. The result
is the system seems to have buckled and is in
danger of collapsing under the weight of its design.
It is clear that business as usual is over. .....And
last month at the Board of Regents meeting at
the University of Arizona, business leaders stood
with university presidents and student
representatives to say no to shortsighted solutions
that would threaten the futures of our children and
devalue the research that drives innovation. We
were comforted to know that even in these difficult
times leadership is easy to recognize and can be
the beacon that guides our lawmakers.

Taxpayers lost big on Rio Nuevo bond sale
Arizona Daily Star 2/15/09
When other communities across the country were
pulling out of the bond market in December as the
failing economy pushed interest rates higher,
Tucson forged ahead with a Rio Nuevo bond issue.
The move potentially cost taxpayers more than $10
million in extra interest — money that could have
gone into projects instead — because the municipal
bond market recovered in January and February,
experts interviewed by the Arizona Daily Star said.
One municipal bond expert put the potential loss
at as much as $18 million.

For Lopes, budget cuts to education a low point
Arizona Daily Star 2/15/09
PHOENIX — Bow tie-wearing state Rep. Phil
Lopes is back this year for his seventh session
in the Legislature. But the Tucson Democrat,
who represents West Side District 27, is no
longer the leader of House Democrats. Lopes
says that unexpected demotion has given him
more time to study bills and focus on his big
issue, health care. ....Q: Is this the toughest
legislative session you've been through so far?
A: Oh yeah, and it's the worst. When we finished
that 2 a.m. session (to pass the 2009 budget fix),
I came home and said to my wife, "This is not
why I wanted to be in the state Legislature."
We're destroying universities and public
education.

Don't destroy education, lawmakers told
Arizona Daily Star 2/14/09
Backed up by cheers and standing ovations from
an exuberant crowd, dozens of parents, teachers
and educational leaders called on members of a
legislative committee meeting at Flowing Wells
High School on Friday to do all they could to spare
public education from further state budget cuts.
Speakers asked members of the House of
Representatives Education Committee to look
at all options — including raising taxes — to help
offset budget cuts they said would devastate the
state's K-12 and higher-education systems.

Expect climate 'surprises,' UA expert says
Arizona Daily Star 2/14/09
CHICAGO — It's time to expect the unexpected.
The director of UA's Institute for Environment and
Society issued the warning Friday with two other
experts during a symposium to address climate
change. The debate on why the world is warming
has ended, according to the presenting scientists.
Now that it's established that humans at least
partially responsible, they say, it's critical to focus
on how climate change might affect life in the
21st century and what can be done to manage
the impacts. But while society anticipates
changes, it must also be aware that the predictions
are shrouded with uncertainties and likely under-
estimated, the scientists said. "Be prepared.

Water research institute of UA, ASU, NAU is axed
Arizona Daily Star 2/14/09
The shutdown of a three-university water research
institute will hurt the state's ability to prevent or deal
with a water crisis, several researchers and outside
officials say. The Arizona Water Institute, head-
quartered at the University of Arizona, will close in
July because of the major budget cuts the Legislature
ordered recently for universities. University officials
said they eliminated the institute and its $1.2 million
annual budget because of the magnitude of the state-
wide cuts — $142 million total. Some of the institute's
work can continue under other university programs,
at a reduced scale, they said. The institute plans and
supports research on some of the state's major water-
supply issues and water-quality problems. It's noted
for drawing on the expertise of a wide variety of
agencies and other groups. "I don't want to say
that the impact was small. It is an important institute
that we closed, but the impact is not nearly as great
as if it were the only entity" for this work, said Leslie
Tolbert, UA's vice president for research, graduate
studies and economic development.

5 finalists named for dean of UA law school
Arizona Daily Star 2/14/09
University of Arizona officials have named five finalists
for the next dean of the James E. Rogers College of
Law. The finalists — who include one woman and
one UA law professor — will visit campus over the
next six weeks to meet with university officials and
other members of the law school's community,
according to news release.

UA chief wants slower science center development
Associated Press/Tucson Citizen
2/16/09 3:00 AM EST
TUCSON, Ariz. -- The president of the University of
Arizona wants to slow development of the school's
science center at downtown Tucson's Rio Nuevo
project because of budget cuts ordered by state
lawmakers. Robert N. Shelton says school officials
approached Mayor Bob Walkup and City Manager
Mike Hein about adjusting the pace of the project.
Plans had called for construction to begin this fall
with a completion date of 2012. The university
must make $57 million in state-mandated cuts
before June 30, on top of a nearly $20 million cut
taken last July.

Editorial: Legislators should keep hands off our
TIF allotment
Tucson Citizen 2/14/09 8:20 a.m.
Legislative threats to yank millions of dollars in
funding from Tucson's downtown redevelopment
are unfair and shortsighted. And the threats are
based on information that is outdated and
irrelevant. Nonetheless, Tucson officials must
take the threats seriously as legislators who are
desperate to erase a massive budget deficit look
to grab every available dime. And when the
legislative grilling continues next week, those
defending Tucson's position should be far better
prepared than they were this week. At issue is
Tucson's use of tax increment financing for Rio
Nuevo downtown projects. TIF allows the city to
keep, instead of sending to the state, increased
sales tax revenue in a given geographic area to
spend within that area.

Editorial: UA forecast: browner, drier
Tucson Citizen 2/15/09 8:20 a.m.
The University of Arizona campus is known for red-
brick buildings, sparkling fountains and the green
and grassy Mall. Forget the last two. As part of its
budget-cutting efforts, UA will halt some of its land-
scaping and shut off the fountains.

UA to students: Don't go to Mexico
Tucson Citizen 2/13/09 8:14 p.m.
Spring break for University of Arizona students
frequently means a trip south of the border.
But this year, UA officials hope collegians will
choose another fun-in-the-sun destination. UA
Dean of Students Carol Thompson sent an e-
mail last week alerting students to be aware
of a travel advisory from the U.S. Department
of State that warns of increased border violence
tied to gang wars.

250 urge lawmakers to end the bleeding in
education budget
Tucson Citizen 2/14/09 7:05 p.m.
Educators and parents told members of the Arizona
House Education Committee Friday that education
should be viewed as part of the solution for the
economic woes of Arizona - not as a target for
millions of dollars of cuts. The committee met at
Flowing Wells High School Friday morning, greeted
by people waving signs that said "Don't kill public
school," "Education cuts don't heal" and "Don't
slash and burn public education." At a news
conference before the meeting, public education
advocates urged people to call and write their
legislators. Committee chairman Rich Crandall,
R-Mesa, told the crowd, "We don't have all the
answers, but we are searching for them."

State law may save ASU West from chopping
block
Phoenix Business Journal 2/13/09
The 25-year-old state law that created ASU West
could keep Arizona State University President
Michael Crow from closing that campus. Crow
has said massive budget cuts might force the
closure of the ASU West campus in west Phoenix
and/or the ASU Polytechnic campus in Mesa. The
university was hit with $88 million in cuts in the
most recent attempt to rein in the state budget.
It faces additional cuts of $160 million for fiscal
2010. Closing ASU West could run into some
legal hurdles, however, because the campus
was mandated in 1984 by an Arizona law
calling for the state to maintain an ASU campus
in western Maricopa County. That has attorneys,
state legislators and West Valley leaders
examining legal options to block its possible
closure. The Polytechnic campus in Mesa, which
has 5,000 students enrolled, was not created
by state law.

Senate agenda: ADEQ; community college
funding and ASRS investment policies
azcapitoltimes.com 2/16/09
Some Senate committees are taking a break
from marathon hearings this week, but others
will resume tackling big agencies and complex
programs. The Senate Natural Resources, Infra-
structure and Public Debt Committee will look
into the Arizona Department of Environmental
Quality on Feb. 16. Senate Appropriations will
also look into the Arizona Department of
Environmental Quality on Tuesday. Some of
the agency's programs had been a perennial
flash point between former Gov. Janet
Napolitano and Republican lawmakers.
....On the same day, the Senate Education
Accountability and Reform Committee will
look into the funding of community colleges
and delve into, among others, the equalization
formula.

Democrats push for universities to keep more
tuition money
azcapitoltimes.com 2/16/09
Democratic lawmakers are pushing to prevent a
portion of the tuition paid by university students
from being diverted to the state's general fund to
help Arizona universities weather the financial
storm that has already resulted in more than
$200 million in cuts to higher education this year.
An automatic shifting of 40 percent of tuition to
the general fund does a disservice to the three
universities and the students and parents paying
the fees, said Rep. Rae Waters, an Ahwatukee
Democrat and the sponsor of H2521. "It amounts
to a backdoor tax on higher education," Waters
said. The legislation would prevent tuition money
from being transferred to the state's general
account.

Brewer may put tax hike to voters
Associated Press/KVOA News 4
2/15/09
PHOENIX - Gov. Jan Brewer's office reportedly
is making plans for a spring special election
at which voters would be asked to raise taxes
and loosen spending mandates on certain
state programs. The Arizona Republic reported
Saturday that Brewer's office is contemplating
a temporary increase in taxes that would
generate $1 billion annually for the state for a
period of two or three years. Voters also would
be asked to ease protections that currently block
lawmakers from redirecting or cutting funds for
voter-approved programs, such as a 2006
initiative that increased tobacco taxes to fund
early-childhood education, the newspaper
reported.

Forum puts focus on crisis in education
Sierra Vista Herald 2/15/09 3:17:45 am MST
SIERRA VISTA — “The Crisis in Education: A
Problem We Can’t Afford,” a forum on education
and competitiveness, will be held at 11 a.m. on
Feb. 26 at the Center for Academic Success
conference room, 900 Carmelita Drive. The
guest speaker will be Joe Yuhas, executive
director of Solutions Through Higher Education.
Yuhas’ group promotes awareness about the
role that higher education plays in ensuring
economic prosperity for our nation. He will
speak about the challenges of producing
enough educated, highly skilled workers to
compete in global markets. “This crisis is
especially acute in Arizona, which lags
behind the rest of the nation in college
completion and other key measures of
educational performance,” according to
the group’s press release.

Munger launches 'ImagineArizona'
White Mountain Independent 2/13/09
TUCSON - Tucson-based business and
community leader, former Arizona Republican
Party State Chairman and former president of
the Arizona Board of Regents, John Munger,
announced the formation of "ImagineArizona,"
an Arizona political action committee. The
mission of ImagineArizona is to craft bold yet
practical public policy ideas for Arizona based
on the fundamental American principles of
limited government and the empowerment of
free people. ImagineArizona will support the
implementation of sound policies for promoting
dynamic economic growth to create new jobs
and private investment, implementing true
reform in Arizona's educational and health-
care systems, rebuilding Arizona's
infrastructure and protecting its natural
resources.

Deadline could reduce fall class by thousands
ASU Web Devil 2/16/09
The University’s plan to move the application dead-
line to March 1 could reduce next fall’s incoming
freshman class by anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000
student compared to fall 2008, officials said. The
plan is part of a list of actions the University could
take to cope with significant cuts expected to the
2010 budget. But Diana Bejarano, a University
Student Initiatives spokeswoman, said that even
with the new deadline, which is five months earlier
than usual, the University still wants all qualified
students to apply.

Struggling students will receive more financial
help
UA Daily Wildcat 2/16/09
The Arizona Board of Regents has increased the
"Set Aside Grant," which would allow qualifying
students to receive an extra $500 in financial
aid. The change was enacted by the regents at
their Dec. 4 meeting in Tempe. John Nametz,
director of student financial aid, said the roughly
$2.2 million increase would allow the maximum
amount of grant aid received by a student to in-
crease from last year's $8,500 to $9,000 in the
coming year. This means if you are a student
who had previously been ineligible for aid be-
cause your expected family contribution was
over the $8,500 equity, you may now be eligible
for aid. Furthermore, if you are already a student
who receives financial aid, your grant money
could increase by $500, he said.

Foundation to maintain scholarships
UA Daily Wildcat 2/16/09
While the UA is being forced to make financial
cuts in several aspects of student life, those
students receiving endowed or university
scholarships can rest assured knowing that
their scholarships are safe - at least for now.
Students who have previously been awarded
a continuing scholarship by the university, such
as the Wildcat Excellence Award, will continue
to receive that scholarship, said John Nametz,
director of the Office of Student Financial Aid.
"Any awards, certainly, that a student has in
hand will be honored," he said.

UA to save money by cutting green
UA Daily Wildcat 2/16/09
Recent statewide budget cuts have eliminated
a little more green from the UA campus. Starting
Friday, Feb. 13, all 14 fountains on the UA
campus were shut off, said Chris Kopach,
associate director of Facilities Management.
In an effort to save money, the UA has also
decided not to replant flowers around campus,
said Al Tarcola, director of facilities management.
Dead flowers will be removed, but not replanted.
Most fountains previously ran from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
seven days a week, Tarcola said. The changes will
hopefully save the university a noticeable amount
of money, and allow it to put funding towards other,
more glaring needs

Shelton Speaks Before Special House Committee
on Education
UA News 2/13/09
University of Arizona President Robert N. Shelton
spoke before the Arizona House of Representatives
Committee on Education during a special public
meeting in Tucson on Feb. 13. The meeting was
held at Flowing Wells High School at the request
of the House committee members who asked
educational representatives from Southern Arizona
to speak on the impact of current and potential bud-
get cuts in fiscal year 2009-2010.

Questions on Tuition for New GI Bill
Inside Higher Ed 2/16/09
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has posted
a preliminary, state-by-state list of the maximum
amount of tuition and fees payable to veterans
under the new Post-9/11 GI Bill, and the numbers
are causing some confusion – not least because
they are in many cases higher, and in some cases,
much higher, than anticipated. Under the new GI
Bill, which goes into effect in August, eligible
veterans can get their tuition covered up to the
cost at the most expensive public college in the
state, based on undergraduate resident tuition
and fees, in addition to receiving housing and
book stipends. The estimated price-tag for the
legislation is high: $28.1 billion over the first five
years and $78.1 billion through 2018.

Coaches aren't exempt from furlough programs
USA TODAY 2/16/09
The economic downturn is becoming a leveling force
between some NCAA Division I athletics departments
and their universities at-large. Arizona State, Clemson,
Maryland and Utah State are in the middle of
mandatory furlough programs that apply to all school
personnel, including coaches. And Harvard on Tuesday
will begin offering buyouts to roughly 10% of its 16,000
non-faculty employees, including those in athletics who
meet the eligibility criteria. The furlough rules are being
carried out in different ways — for example, coaches
are not always being forced to stay away from the work-
place while on a furlough day — but each is resulting in
salary losses for athletics employees as the universities
attempt to make up for large budget shortfalls or cuts in
state funding. ....But even at Arizona State — whose
athletics program is financially self-supporting except for
"very nominal" assistance from the university, says
athletics director Lisa Love — football coach Dennis
Erickson and men's basketball coach Herb Sendek are
being forced to lose 12 days' pay between Feb. 2 and the
close of the school's fiscal year, June 30.