Legislature shouldn't put financial burden on few

The bill proposed by state Rep. Debbie McCune that would "grandfather" current students to a set tuition and make across-the-board hikes illegal would destroy Arizona universities.

If this bill is passed, it will be yet another example of the state Legislature's attempts to drive all three state universities into the ground. By doing this, they would be ripping away the powers of the Arizona Board of Regents to decide what tuition is best for the university system as a whole. The board would become powerless to reconcile university budgets if the Legislature decides yet again to cut funding from universities that are already bleeding.

At first glance, this bill may seem like a good, or even fair one. The idea of holding tuition at a set rate seems like a cure-all to the tuition woes that so many students have struggled with over the past few years. Look deeper into this proposed legislation, however, and it becomes clear this couldn't be further from the truth.

Potential logistical problems and concerns about some students paying more than their colleagues obscure the real issue: how to repair our universities' dwindling budgets.

That is a decision best left to the Board of Regents, the group of people whose job it is to figure out what is best for all the state's universities, not the Legislature, which deals with everything from prisons to alternative fuel programs.

In an effort intended to make universities more affordable ÷ at least for those lucky enough to enroll prior to a big hike ÷ the Legislature may end up co-opting the board's much-needed flexibility to fix current problems or anticipate a potential budget cut.

Take last year as an example: Instead of repairing decades' worth of problems in one year, changes with such a grandfather clause in effect would have taken at least four. How many more programs or departments would have been cut if the UA had to wait for the tuition raise to kick in? Things would be a lot different, to be sure.

Students and the state Legislature need to keep the big picture in mind. Hurting the university as a whole to help a few students afford the growing price of an education is not the answer.

Opinions Board

Opinions are determined by the Wildcat opinions board and written by one of its members. They are Shane Dale, Caitlin Hall, Saul Loeb, Jason Poreda, Justin St. Germain and Eliza Tebo.