Danny Lawhon 2/1

So the big news coming out of the UM Curators meeting this week involved the big, bad budget. The squeeze put on both the university and Joe Student seems to become tighter every year. Of course, rising tuition costs isn't new. Nor is an underfunded higher education department in the state. To me, the story coming out of this year's numbers is the perceived gap between what is given and what is needed — the UM system asserts that it needs $100 million — $100 million! — more dollars to keep up with inflation costs than what is being given by the state. The system's hands are a bit tied by the MOHELA bill.

As a student, I feel relieved my tuition is likely to go up just 4.1 percent this year. Based on the money shortage, God knows they could have raised it by double digits again. As a citizen, I'd have mixed feelings — if I had children, then I'd be sighing alongside my real self while simultaneously wondering if we aren't doing the state a bit of a disservice. And as a reporter, both sides of the coin can be seen and deserve to be heard. In short, what a mess. I know Reuben already mentioned it in lecture, but the university's ever-morphing financial timeline is a shell idea that — in this state, anyway — could have a long shelf life.

Progress:  Sometime in the next couple of weeks, an interview with the outgoing interim president will surface, and in between, I'll hopefully make some headway on these Study Abroad programs' allocations.