The state of privacy

How will you remember this academic year? Some may see the transition of president from Adam Herbert to Michael McRobbie as noteworthy. Others may point to the news of the Jill Behrman murder trial that consumed the campus and the community. Maybe it will be a bittersweet memory, such as James Brown, the “Godfather of Soul,” gracefully performing at IU in September 2006 before his surprising death in December. It’s possible that some will remember the Wade Steffey tragedy above all.\nAs notable as those and other events are, the editorial board can’t help but reflect on how one topic has recurred in this newspaper. We see the topic of outsourcing recurring all too often – in national news pieces, opinion columns, even our own editorials. Today’s editorial marks the fourth time we’ve addressed the idea of outsourcing since the beginning of the year. And we suspect it won’t be the last, especially given IU’s potential outsourcing of both the bookstore and residential dining.\nBut don’t blame IU. Our administrators, who are employees of the state, are merely taking the lead from their big boss, Gov. Mitch Daniels.\nIt’s not surprising that Daniels has sought to outsource the state’s services, such as the Hoosier Lottery and now portions of the Family and Social Service Administration. As the founder of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, Daniels knows how to properly meld the roles of public and private organizations. Before assuming the governorship, Daniels headed the Office of Management and Budget, overseeing the assembly of the federal budget. A similar office has since been implemented in Indiana’s government for budget management and fiscal responsibility.\nWe take all of these as positives in endorsing the new plan to privatize the FSSA as well as compliment Daniels for his initiative in reforming Indiana’s budget.\nHowever, we offer the governor and the rest of the state the same advice we gave IU’s board of trustees when considering their own outsourcing agenda: Proceed with caution.\nOutsourcing portions of the state’s welfare system – which the FSSA works with – may lead to budgetary gains and cost savings, but no net gain in state surpluses is worth the loss in one’s livelihood that can result when outsourcing goes awry. In this instance, public employees are slated to resume work with a private firm, Dallas-based Affiliated Computer Services. We hope this trend continues if outsourcing remains on the state’s agenda.\nAdditionally, let’s not forget the essential services the FSSA provides. About 600,000 Hoosiers receive food stamps through the state’s welfare programs, and 1.1 million residents total receive benefits from the FSSA. No family or individual must be affected by this transition, lest our endorsement be retracted.\nWhile cost savings and efficiency gains are positives for Daniels’s outsourcing agenda, any damage done to the welfare of our residents is not acceptable. We anxiously await the results.