Illustarion by Josh Hagler

Some misguided words and deeds have led our university in the wrong direction as of late. Hearts are in the right place; minds are not.

I'm referring specifically to the Alumni Plaza and the ongoing pay raise debates.

I was fully aware of the whole idea behind the Alumni Plaza before Alumni Association President Sandra Ruhl's Wildcat commentary. In her editorial, Ruhl said all the alumni wanted to do was to "give a gift to their alma mater - a wonderful outdoor space in the heart of campus for informal and formal gatherings, relaxation, performances and celebrations."

It's true that the alumni have been criticized unfairly for having only the best of intentions for the UA, and I do appreciate what they do.

But the main reason for constructing the plaza, at least from an administrative perspective, isn't to give current students a place to sit, but to attract potential students to the UA.

The powers that be want the Alumni Plaza constructed so they can slap it on the front of a brochure and send it to college-bound students around the country. The picture of the plaza will, if the administrators get their way, compel students from the other side of the country - those who don't have the financial means to fly out here and check out the university firsthand - to come live in Tucson.

That's a nice idea. But what the Alumni Association has done here - and, you'll have to forgive the clichˇ - is put the wagon before the horse.

Everyone knows there's a severe shortage of on-campus housing right now. The Alumni Association could have put its combined efforts and $2.7 million into constructing a new dorm or two, so future students will have a place to stay on campus rather than having to scurry for an apartment at the last minute. With the construction of the Alumni Plaza and a continued shortage of dorms, the overcrowding situation is only bound to worsen.

The same misguided approach has been related to proposed pay raises for state - and more specifically, UA - employees.

Gov. Jane Dee Hull advises against the raises for two reasons: It would cost the state another $124 million it doesn't have, and it would likely cause more than 2,000 state employees to lose their jobs. Granted, those numbers may be a bit inflated, but it's na•ve to assume that no one would be laid off if these raises go into effect.

The recession has forced everyone to make sacrifices. Nationally, millions of Americans have already lost their jobs. Locally, UA has had to cut dozens of classes to compensate for its $16 million-plus loss in funds this year. State employees should count their blessings in that they're still collecting paychecks instead of unemployment checks.

University lobbyists are playing the sympathy card in an effort to push the pay raises through. UA vice president for government relations Greg Fahey said in Friday's Wildcat that if workers making $82,000 a year or more don't receive a raise from the state, "the signal will be that we just don't care about these people."

This may sound harsh, but it may be a bit tough for hundreds of thousands of recently laid-off Arizonans to feel bad for those state employees making more than $82,000 a year who won't be getting a raise.

Naturally, like any other debate in the Legislature, this all comes down to politics. The battle is just another tired one between the Republican-controlled House and the Democrat-controlled Senate.

The Senate approved a minimum $1,500 raise for state employees making less than $30,000 a year, along with a 3.5 percent pay increase for those in the $55,000 to $82,000 range. The Senate knows the state can't afford it. They don't care. They want the issue. Dare I say they would even prefer it if the House were to vote down the pay raises, as it would play right into state Democrats' hands come election '02.

Democrat challengers for the House would have the perfect opportunity to attack Republican incumbents. When campaign fliers are mailed out come September and October, look for the phrase, "so-and-so House Republican voted AGAINST pay raises promised to thousands of state employees."

That's all this is about.