Symington approves state budget with $7.8 million increase for UA

The budget passed both houses of the Legislature Wednesday.

The state university system received a total of $681.6 million. The University of Arizona and Arizona Health Sciences Center received $289.1 million, Arizona State University received $270.8 million and Northern Arizona University was given $95.1 million.

The universities received an additional $27.1 million for operating expenses and $19.9 million for salary increases, a 7.4 percent increase over last year's budget. ASU East will receive an additional $3 million for capital improvements to its campus.

"I think, at this point, we should be grateful," said Student Regent Jonathan Schmitt. Schmitt said the governor's office helped lobby the Legislature to maintain the level of funding it had proposed in January and that this is the biggest funding increase in years. He also said compromises were reached on two out of three budget footnotes the Arizona Board of Regents opposed.

The footnote threatening the Arizona International Campus of the UA was eliminated and a mandate tying professor pay raises to teaching time was limited to $4 million from $8.2 million.

The UA will receive a $7.8 million funding increase for 1998.

"It was a respectable year," said Greg Fahey, associate vice president for state relations for the University of Arizona.

Fahey said the money will be used for undergraduate education, technology and library improvements.

The budget also includes $559,000 for the UA Sierra Vista campus and $427,500 for the Arizona Health Sciences Center's Rural Rotation program. Rural Rotation gives UA medical students experience in rural medical facilities.

Christine Thompson, executive director of the Arizona Students' Association, said the funding for undergraduates was part of a legislative trend in the last few years.

"It's a good year for students in the budget, except for law students," Thompson said.

Included in the budget was a footnote that would reduce funding at the state's two law schools in hopes of forcing the regents to raise tuition.

Schmitt, an agriculture senior at the UA, said the regents were "adamantly opposed" to the footnote and will continue looking at it.

"My biggest concern is that the Legislature bypassed the process," Schmitt said. He said the Legislature should have heard input from students and others about the move.

Fahey said that both the UA and ASU lobbied to have the footnote removed but were unsuccessful.

Minority Whip Herschella Horton, D-Tucson, said Democrats also disagreed with the footnote.

"I don't think the Legislature should mandate tuition increases or decreases," Horton said. She said it is the regents' job to set tuition.

At the budget signing, Symington said the law school footnote and a footnote tying faculty salaries to classroom time were still up to the board to decide.

"I don't think on the face of it, it has any legally-binding impact," Symington said.

Horton said the footnote worked like a law.

"A shell game is a shell game is a shell game," Horton said.

Randall Gnant, R-Scottsdale, who introduced the footnote, said the goal was to raise tuition as soon as possible, though it does not have the force of law.

"The reason for that is because they are subsidized so much," Gnant said of the law schools.

Symington, however, said the Legislature should not have a say in most of the regents' policies.

"It's their job to make these decisions and we need to stay out of their way once the budget process ends," Symington said.

Gnant said he intended to try to raise medical school tuition next year as well as tuition for any other subsidized graduate program.

Thompson said she was afraid the footnote would set a precedent for the Legislature.

"(We're) extremely disheartened that the Legislature now wants to have a say in setting tuition," Thompson said.

On the whole, however, Fahey, Schmitt and Thompson said they are happy with the budget.