Hi all,

Thanks so much to all of you who have supported and encouraged us, and a special thanks to the students who took the time to show up at the hearing.

Here’s an update for those who have asked: Overall, given the dire fiscal circumstances, I feel a bit more optimistic after today’s hearing. Our legislators seemed sincere in their repeated sentiments about how crucial it is to minimize the cuts to higher education, and surprisingly, two Republican Senators (Bob Coffin and Randolph Townsend) even suggested that now may be the time to consider raising taxes to cover the shortfall, which is now projected at roughly $900 million according to Speaker Buckley (many different numbers are circulating in the media).

Throughout, the spirit of the legislators’ comments was, almost without exception, ‘What can we do to help? Are there statutes we can revise to give higher ed more autonomy? Are there specific policies standing in the way of flexibility for NSHE?’ While we are still in an extraordinarily tough situation, I came away today encouraged.

7 students from the North were able to testify during public comment, (including 3 grad students: Jill Murdock, Dave Johnson, and me; Eli Reilly, the ASUN President and 2 ASUN COLA Senators) and about the same number via videoconference spoke from the South. What was especially helpful was that, even without coordination, each of us had a different angle on how the cuts would be detrimental to us personally, and to the public.

Going forward, we can all take action to demonstrate our opposition to cuts of this magnitude (although there will undoubtedly be cuts of some level):

TAKE ACTION!

Go to www.leg.state.nv.us and click on the ‘Meetings’ link to get information about the town hall meeting held concurrently in Reno (at City Hall) and Las Vegas on Saturday, 2/13 – our representatives want to hear our ideas.

Write, email, or call your representatives to share your feelings on the budget, and any suggestions for what we can do to save money or create new revenue – all options are on the table (you can click the ‘Who’s my legislator?’ link on the Legislature web site above).

Perhaps most importantly, talk to your friends, family, and colleagues about what’s happening, and get them engaged in the process, as it still seems that a lot of folks have no idea what we’re facing.

Take care,
Matt Smith
GSA VP for External Affairs