Commission mission

Educashion iz varry impoortent. \nIn fact, some people go so far as to suggest that the economic future of the state of Indiana is dependent on the success of public institutions like IU. Over the past 30 years, however, higher education's share of state general appropriations has declined by about 5 percent. That may not seem like a lot of money to at first, but given the billions of dollars it takes to run IU, it's a substantial chunk of change, the kind of money that proverbially "makes the world go 'round."\nNeedless to say, when the Indiana Commission for Higher Education recommended a 2.5 percent increase in state operating appropriations for IU for 2007-08, and a 4.2 percent increase for 2008-09, it was a welcome development. University-wide, there are many worthy programs that could use the money. And while the state specifies the uses for a certain portion of the funds, the others are for IU to use at its discretion. The University could do anything from beefing up its international programs to funding pilot energy efficiency projects. There is no department on campus that couldn't find a use for more cash. \nBut there are a couple problems for the commission's recommendations:\nFirst, it's not enough. This might seem a little ungrateful, but the fact is that this year's funding is increasing 2.5 percent while the inflation rate is 3 percent. So while the University's funds from the state aren't declining as much as they did in past years when annual growth was 1.5 percent, they're still declining in real-dollar terms. \nSecond, this recommendation is by no means a guarantee that the measure will pass. The proposition to allocate these funds must first make its way through the state legislature, after which the governor must sign off on it. And increasing our funding is not as simple as it sounds. Although IU is indisputably better than Purdue, the state government has to take into account the funding of all of Indiana's public institutions of higher education. A change in IU's cash flow might cause others to call for a similar boost, and any across-the-board budget allocation would require some serious moolah.\nWhile we realize that finals are coming up, support from the IU community could be critical to making sure this proposal doesn't fizzle out on its way through the hands of the powers that be. Think of it this way: If you get sick of catching up on your reading, you can always take a study break and write letters to your favorite state senator or representative urging passage of a bill that increases IU's funding.\nRegardless, we encourage you not to step away from this money and blindly trust in the benevolence of our state officials. It is much too important an opportunity to be ignored. While you are here on campus to cultivate your future, keep in mind that money does not grow on trees.