U of R budget worries
I would like to respond to the Dec. 8 story about concerned faculty and staff from the University of Regina (U of R) writing to the university’s administration about possible cuts to academic programming.
Our province’s universities are facing significant budgetary constraints due to underfunding by our provincial government. In a province that can afford more MLAs and more statues, we ought to be embarrassed post-secondary education is left to wither on the vine.
U of R vice-president of external relations, Barb Pollock, advised that we all have to “tighten our belts”. Belt-tightening is never ideal in a booming province, but when it must be done, it should be done equally. Students have done their fair share of the heavy lifting — this year alone, some U of R students faced tuition fee hikes of nine per cent and even more in auxiliary and mandatory fee increases.
Faculty have also carried their fair share of the load. The U of R is currently in the midst of the largest wholesale austerity exercise in recent history and its sights are aimed at academic programs and faculty.
The university’s senior administration, however, has been spared from belt-tightening. Amazingly, bonuses might still be in order for the university’s highest-paid members! I don’t think that is anybody’s definition of belt-tightening.
The university’s administration needs to get real and disclose its salaries and contracts, slash administration spending and take any notions of administration bonuses off the table.
Kent Peterson, Regina Peterson is Saskatchewan representative, Canadian Federation of Students.
Regarding the Dec. 8 story, “U of R profs concerned about cuts”: Why, in this period of greatest non-renewable resource extraction, are universities being myopically underfunded?
Where’s the “Saskatchewan advantage”?
We could be the envy of Canada, and the world, by taking advantage of our economic position and parlaying our good fortune into attracting increasing numbers of bright young minds, stellar scholars, and the creativity and innovation they foster.
Why is “good enough” not OK for our stadium, but fine for our universities?
The provincial government is squandering a golden opportunity for Saskatchewan to lead!
It should start properly funding
our universities!
Marc Spooner, Regina Spooner is an associate professor, faculty of education, University of Regina.