Jason Poreda

Call Dick Clark and break out the champagne! It's a party every student in Arizona is invited to, because our beloved schools might be getting a raise from good old mom and dad, the state Legislature.

That's right, for the first time in three years, after cut upon cut, there is talk about giving the universities more money instead of seeing what they can do with nothing in their wallets. It's about time we see more money from the state that the university's name bears. Finally, we might be able to afford things that we need - like paper - and hire more people we need - like professors. Both are essential to a place of learning, or so we found out after a few years of having very little of anything.

Although nothing is set in stone, the fact that Gov. Janet Napolitano is even pushing for this has lived up to the expectations voters had when they put her in office two years ago. This was the kind of policy change and shift in direction that we all expected, and now it's up to the Legislature to sink the open shot.

Of course with the way it has screwed the students in this state for the past few years, it won't just miss the shot; it'll steal the ball and run off the court, laughing at us the whole time.

The Arizona university system needs this money. And if we don't get it, these schools will fade into the background and you'll be itching to go to Pima Community College instead of becoming a Wildcat.

The plan proposed by Napolitano would raise state funding for the university system by 6.1 percent, which would translate to about $8 million more than we had this year, plus a little more in salary increases. In the grand scheme of things, this is a drop in the bucket. But the plan proposed by the governor is a huge step in the right direction and will be a lift to struggling universities. Anything is better than nothing, or in this case, way less than nothing.

Students, faculty and staff can rejoice and cheer at this turnaround, but even as the celebration begins and a wave of relief washes over, remember this still needs to get past the Legislature.

Of course, with all the pressure placed on our stingy Legislature from so many different places, opposition to this increase in funds is slowly dwindling. Letting this funding increase go through would go a long way in repairing the Legislature's damaged reputation with those here on campus, as well as actually repairing these schools, which so many want to see compete on the national stage.

This proposal will go a long way toward making that happen, especially when every state in the country is battling budget problems, and universities everywhere are still having their funding cut. If the UA and the other Arizona schools can move in a more positive direction when everyone is tightening their belts, then we might be able to jump to the front of the pack.

It's hard to argue against giving money to education, but surely some people will, legislators among them. And that is a very sad thing. It's not as if the universities are trying to pull a fast one on Arizona - the crumbling buildings at NAU are right there in plain sight. The Arizona university system needs this money. And if we don't get it, these schools will fade into the background and you'll be itching to go to Pima Community College instead of becoming a Wildcat.

So get out there and show the state money-grubbers that we mean business and want our money back. Do whatever you can to show that we not only want the UA to get more money to improve things, but we need it. Otherwise, things could get a lot worse than they are now. So if the Legislature is listening, please throw us a bone here! We came to this state university expecting a quality education; we didn't expect to sit on the floor with no syllabi because there are no chairs or paper.

Jason Poreda is a political science and communication senior who thinks it's about damn time. He can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.