Students plung into fridgid waters, B4
Governor supports tuition freeze, A3
THE STATESMAN
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2013
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA DULUTH
WWW.UMDSTATESMAN.COM
With enrollment down and deficits up, UMD looks to balance a tough budget BY MAEGGIE LICHT and KIM HYATT licht096@d.umn.edu hyatt045@d.umn.edu
All seats were filled in the Kirby Ballroom Tuesday at noon as faculty and staff gathered for the Campus Budget Forum. The meeting was held to discuss issues, delineate plans, and to dismiss the rumor of the university misplacing millions of dollars. Chancellor Lendley Black opened the forum by addressing the rumor head on. “There are rumors being spread about our budget challenges; that we are missing money,” Chancellor Black said. “That’s absurd and not true. We haven’t lost any money.” Chancellor Black later joked, “There’s no envelope of money in my desk.” The money hasn’t been misplaced. There’s just less of it, he said. The university saw a decrease in student enrollment, and consequently has less money coming in through tuition. Chancellor Black noted that the decline had been predicted due to national trends. The lower enrollment caused a net result loss of $2.4 million in tuition and fees. The school’s top priority is to stabilize enrollment, according to Chancellor Black. UMD is 80
percent tuition-reliant, meaning that most of the money keeping the university’s doors open is coming from the pockets of students. If enrollment numbers continue to decline, the university could face major cuts to combat the loss of tuition money. In addition to the $2.4 million loss in tuition and fees, the university faces another million-dollar deficit. Chancellor Black explained that in 1997, the University of Minnesota Twin Cities recalculated its fringe pool benefits. Fringe benefits consist of various benefits provided by an employer, such as medical insurance and paid holidays. These benefits are in addition to an already existing salary or wage. This recalculation was not done at UMD. After 16 years, the university discovered the fringe pool was missing money, specifically for grad students and teacher assistants, according to Michael Mullins, a UMD instructor and member of the budget policy committee. This miscalculation ultimately “drained the pool,” according to Chancellor Black. “Essentially, we’ve been funding more TAs than we had the money for because we weren’t budgeting them the way we should have,” Chancellor Black said.
In a Budget Policy Committee meeting on Feb. 1, 2013, concerns regarding the fringe pool were addressed. The meeting’s minutes, which can be found online, read: “Members asked about the fringe pool deficit and noted that they are being asked to make cuts. Mike noted it dates back to the late 1990s when handling of graduate assistant fringes should have changed and didn’t. Because of surpluses, it took years to spot the problem but there is now a recurring issue totaling a deficit of approximately $3M.The hope is that the deficit can be handled centrally, but going forward academic units will have to cover the salary and fringe for graduate assistants.” The loss of funding had some faculty members speaking out at Tuesday’s forum. “Students will be harmed,” said Michael Pfau, president of the University Education Association. Pfau also said he was concerned that faculty could lose their jobs. Mullins, who attended the budget forum Tuesday, said he hopes that students will become more informed about this issue. “Faculty, students and staff are hoping for more answers,” said Mullins in a phone interview Tuesday evening. “But today’s forum was a good process to be open and discuss this problem.”
UMD building recognized for “being green”
ALEX LEONE/STATESMAN
UMD Chancellor Lendley Black speaks to faculty members on Feb.19 about the current UMD budget.
UMD hosts special guests in honor of Black History Month BY GRAHAM HAKALA hakal045@d.umn.edu
ALEX LEONE/STATESMAN
Reflected against the night sky on Feb. 19, the James I. Swenson building earned another award in the green/sustainable construction category from the Minnesota Construction Agency (MCA). BY SHANNON KINLEY kinle005@d.umn.edu
Once again, the James I. Swenson Civil Engineering Building received recognition for its sustainable and energy efficient building. This time, it was awarded the 2013 Award of Excellence in the green/sustainable construction
category from the Minnesota Construction Agency (MCA). Since it opened a little over two years ago, the building received the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification, the Educational Facility Design Award from AIA (American Institute of Architects), and the Evergreen Award from EcoStructure magazine..
“We’re really proud that the building has received quite a few awards in architecture, and I was very pleased to see it also win an award in sustainable construction,” said Executive Vice Chancellor Andrea Schokker.
see GREEN BUILDING, A3
Even when the cards are stacked against them, there are those who show extreme courage in the face of intense adversity. Two such men visited UMD on Friday to share their stories. As part of its celebration of Black History Month, UMD hosted two guest speakers for a presentation called “Profiles in Courage.” Speaking at the event was Lt. Col. (Ret.) Hiram Mann, a WWII veteran and member of the Tuskegee Airmen, and Col. (Ret.) Nathan Thomas, a civil rights advocate who participated in several marches, including the Birmingham Campaign in 1963. Lt. Col. Mann shared personal stories about being African American in the U.S. military during a time when segregation still divided the country along racial lines. “Persevere,” said Mann. “When someone tells you can’t do something, go in there and show them that you can do it. Prove to them that they were wrong…. All the adverse comments people made about (The Tuskegee Airmen)— we proved them wrong.” Mann entered the Army Air Corp as a pre-aviation student in 1942, and completed his pilot’s training in 1944. He flew combat missions in Europe during WWII in the 332nd fighter group that would later be referred to as the “Tuskegee Airmen.” The Tuskegee Airmen were the
first African American aviators in the US armed forces, though they were not officially referred to by that name until long after the war. Thomas spoke about being drafted into the military during the Vietnam War, as well as his political activism on the home front during the height of the civil rights movement. Thomas participated in the 1963 Birmingham Campaign, as well as the 1965 demonstration in Selma, Alabama. It was during these marches when Thomas was witness to the violent treatment of protesters by white police on horseback. Thomas credited the success of the civil rights movement with the importance of community action and involvement. “We need to be a part of a community,” said Thomas. “The collective bargaining power that you have in a community is more valuable than any power you have with the United States Government.” Thomas’ military career spans over 39 years and involves campaigns in Vietnam and Desert Storm. He also holds multiple postgraduate degrees in various areas, including political science and human resource management. “I could stand here and relate to you all the stuff about Birmingham or Selma, and you’ll say, ‘Oh yeah, that’s old stuff. It’ll never happen again,’” said Thomas, see GUEST SPEAKERS, A3
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