Increase students' subsidy for child care

One would be mistaken to think this, as students today continue to boundlessly outgrow the rubric illustrated by "Animal House." To call us diverse would be an understatement.

Thus, facets other than dorm life and early-morning exams inevitably come into play - factors like child care.

Clearly there is a need for child care on this campus as roughly 2,500 to 3,500 students are parents too.

Clearly there is no facility to serve these needs.

Clearly the roughly $30,000 provided to help subsidize these student-parents' needs falls far short of demand.

And finally there appear to be cards on the table that might do something about it.

Prior to an hour-long conversation with the Associated Students Senate Wednesday night, University of Arizona President Peter Likins heard an earful.

He got to hear the call to the audience as a handful of student-parents took the floor to decry the child-care deficit and the UA's shortsightedness.

"It's a special challenge for you who are trying to do it on your own, and you have my respect," Likins told the student-parents when he took the senate floor.

He then spelled out some options he has on the table - options that included building a new facility or creating a sort of co-op, where student-parents and other university members play prominent roles. He even mentioned combining a new facility with the Student Health Center and Center for Disability Related Resources.

These are great ideas, and it's good to see the folks upstairs thinking. The co-op idea strikes an especially positive chord, as it would provide not only child care, but a learning experience for all involved.

However, as Likins rightly pointed out to the senators, each of these options take time - in fact they take more time than they should. Although he was able to build an entirely new facility during his time at Lehigh University, Likins no doubt understands that his options are limited in dealing with a state Legislature traditionally opposed to adequately funding anything... let alone a proactive university package that includes the word "subsidy."

In the interim, another option therefore must be found.

Through inheriting a legacy of questionable-to-poor management under the Koffler and Pacheco administrations, Likins has taken a lot of flack on issues ranging from the CatCard fiasco to the sorry state of our Memorial Student Union - and now with the child care question.

With each of the former controversies, the president has proven surprisingly sharp and versatile, and he should be commended for his current concern regarding the child care question.

With that comes the expectation to turn the concern into action.

Although a new facility may not be feasible in the immediate future, to increase the student-parent child care subsidy above a measly $30,000 would be great step - and perhaps the only feasible step in the short-term.

Looking to the future, administrators eyes should turn a more permanent solution - preferably one involving bricks and mortar.