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July 25, 1986 - Image 15

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Publication:
Michigan Daily, 1986-07-25

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The Michigan Daily - Friday, July 25, 1986- Page 15
Regent sees 'U' autonomy threatened

By PHILIP LEVY from the state is Regent Deane Baker around this dependence on the state,
Under Gov. James Blanchard, the (R-Ann Arbor). at least in the near future. The only
state has pressured the University At last week's regents meeting, universities that can avoid the
and other public institutions to limit Baker advocated defying the gover- dilemma are private institutions with
in-state tuition, and to divest holdings nor's threat to veto the University's huge endowments, like Harvard
in companies that do business with state appropriation if Michigan raised University. While the University has
South Africa. in-state tuition more than 4.3 percent. initiated a massive capital campaign,
The University's responses to the He portrayed it as an important called the Campaign for Michigan,
two demands have differed markedly. showdown for the University's the funds raised will not approach the
The Board of Regents for the past autonomy, saying "liberty dies a little necessary level for independence.
three years has bowed to the gover- bit at a time." Regent Nellie Varner (D-Detroit)
nor's pressure and frozen, or sharply BAKER LOST in his attempt to op- said, "No matter how much we say
limited, in-state tuition. Yet, on the pose Blanchard. Although he is not we're autonomous on the issue of ap-
divestment issue, the University has bitter, he warned that "if Blanchard propriations, we are clearly not
taken the state to court, claiming a continues (his intervention), the autonomous. We need the cooperation
violation of its constitutional University will suffer seriously and of the governor." In setting this year's
autonomy. irreparably." tuition, Varner said, it was in the long
THERE SEEMS to be no clear per- "Is it much of a step from a gover- term interests of the University to
ception among administrators and nor telling you how you can use your cooperate with the governor.
regents of where the University's money to who can teach or what kind Every year, the governor signs a
autonomy begins and ends. The state of courses can be taught?" Baker bill appropriating millions of dollars
constitution gives the regents power asked. The University's autonomy is to the University. The only way to cir-
to run the University, and some of- very closely tied to its intellectual cumvent Blanchard's veto threat
ficials insist this independence must freedom, he added. would be for the state legislature to
be- preserved. But most ad- But there are practical limits on override such a veto.
ministrators and regents recognize this autonomy. Almost half the THIS YEAR, the legislature was
that this autonomy must be balanced University's funding comes directly supportive of the University,
with the practical realization thatthp from the state. Baker acknowledge allocating more money than Blan-
state provides half of the University's that if the state withdrew its funding, chard recommmended in his budget.
operating budget each year. the University would soon be And, according to Cathy Wilbur, aide
The University official most in- bankrupt. to Higher Education Subcommittee
sistent on maintaining independence THE UNIVERSITY thus has no way Chairman, Senator William Seder-

burg, (R-E.Lansing), "it is felt political. It is Blanchard's view that
strongly in the legislature that the "the (Michigan) tax payers don't
universities are autonomous and need to pay twice," according to Lyn-
should be able to make their own ne Schaefer of the state budget office.
decisions without the governor
pressuring them on it." Her commen- The sources of the conflict - the dif-
ts, however, do not necessarily in- ferent political interests of the
dicate enough legislative support to University and the state - are certain
override a veto. to remain, though, so the issue is
Baker claimed Blanchard's recent likely to remain prominent in the near
actions on tuition were purely future.
Tuition

8-
7.
6-
Tuition: 5-
percentage 4-
increase3
2-
1-
0.

O Out-of-state
U in-state

1984-85

1985-86 1986-87
Year

Regents increase instate tuition 4.3 percent-

v

(continued from Page 1) .
who objected to any increase in in-
state tuition. "If we continue to raise
these rates... our constituents won't
be able to send their children here,"
Nilcn- caid

THE VOTE on in-state tuition was and professional students.
separated from the vote on other Smith thought this eight percent in-
tuitions at the request of Regent crease was unfair to graduate studen-
Veroncia Smith (R-Grosse Ile). The ts, and voted against it. Baker also
second 6-2 vote raised the tuition of dissented, calling the increase, "an
out-of-state undergraduate, graduate, unfair burden because we have been

1986 87
Cr n griw. m

Graduate"
Business Administration (MBA)
Dentistry
Law
Medicine

8.0
15.2
8.0
9.0
9.2

1238
13 72
2090
2700
3164
2508
3654
4024
4320
4374
5050
5894
5194
6884

forced to limit in-state tuition." tuition increases were necessary to
Regents who voted for the increase maintain that quality.
cited as reasons the need to maintain In the budget package that the
the University as a "world-class in- board passed, financial aid from the
stitution", the high number of ad- University will increase by eight per-
mission applications, and financial cent.
aid increases. IN OTHER actions, the regents sp-
In response to Neilsen's suggestion pointed deans for the College of
of another in-state tuition freeze, Engineering and the College of Ar-
University President Harold Shapiro chitecture and Urban Planning.
said such an action would have, " Charles Vest, who had served as in-
serious impact on our capacity to terim dean, was approved for
sustain programs. Even with the engineering. Before taking the
current budget, we are just holding hadbin oite dean in aydest
our own."ha been associate dean for academic
affairs in engineeringsince 1981.
REGENT Thomas Roach (D- The regents named Robert Beckley
Saline) supported Shapiro and dean of architecture and urban plan-
guessed that families would say 'yes' ning. Beckley is currently at the Un-
if asked, "are you willing to bear iversity of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
another $100 in order to attend a
world-class institution?" Think You're Pregnant?
A number of regents who supported Free-Pregnancy Test
the administration brought up the Completely Confidential
dramatic increase in applications this
year. They said it showed that the Pregnancy Counseling Center
University was prospering because of 529 N. Hewitt, Ypsilanti
its high quality and reiterated that Call: 434-3088 (any time)
Special Purchase
ATARI 520 ST
360 K Disk Drive
High Res Monochrome Monitor
Basic, Logo, Word Processor
$499.00
at
CHELSEA COMPUTER
334 S. State St., Ann Arbor
(above Bivouac)
663-0090

8.0
8.0
8.0
(MBA) 10.5
8.0
9.0
9.2

0. - W.

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