$200,000 could have helped administration offset budget cuts

The Graduate and Professional Student Council voted 12-10 yesterday to deny the administration a refund that would help offset budget cuts.

The funding in question concerned $200,000 that was meant to go to graduate student tuition waivers for fall 2001. The Arizona Board of Regents did not give out the money in time, causing an overflow in funding.

The $200,000 would have gone to help the university fulfill a $15.8 million state-mandated budget cut, a number that is nearly $2 million more than administrators had originally planned.

Giving the funds back might cause the administration to believe that graduate students do not need the money, said Ryan Moeller, GPSC webmaster.

"There is no solid promise," he said.

The funds would be better used for health insurance and teaching assistant workload, Moeller said.

Kirsten Price, president of GPSC, did not agree with the vote, saying the graduate students should have given back the money to promote cooperation between the administration and graduate students in the future.

She added that the administration would likely look for the $200,000 from other departments instead.

"Finding $200,000 somewhere else could hurt more," Price said.

Catherine Chaput, GPSC at-large representative, said voting against taking funds from GPSC would not result in a loss for other departments because most have already stabilized their budgets for possible future cuts.

"Graduate money is a strategic save," she said.

Linda Pierce, GPSC representative, said she believed the best tactic would be to sympathize with the administration but still stand firm in keeping the funds.

"Our rhetorical posturing is important," Pierce said.