Governor Candidate Says Ohio Has Too Many State Schools

[mbenecke]

So many people who aren’t in education have very vocal opinions about education.

[Globetrotter]

My take: First of all, Vivek who tf asked you? Is the university system broken? No! So don't fix it. Ohio universities emerged organically and provide a rich diversity of options. Nobody needs this consolidation. You're going to lose to Amy Acton any. Go be a billionaire somewhere else and leave Ohioans alone.

Thank you

[Globetrotter]

God I hope you're right, but I think Ohioans are bound and determined to become Alabama of the north. The one saving grace could be his name being Vivek may prevent the insane racism of this state to keep him at bay.

I fully expect him to be our next Governor though because Ohioans mostly suck.

What cracks me up about college consolidation talk is why aren’t we addressing our local school system first? We have so many small school districts around us that could easily be consolidated into each other. Eventually the small universities like Lourdes (RIP) will die off and that should provide some stability for the larger state institutions. Sadly population shrink is going to be a big hit to states like ours in the upcoming decades.

Politically speaking though I’m not shocked Ohio has turned the way it has, the Democratic Party has become too coastal after 8 years of a president from Illinois. It’s turned the Midwest more red and less purple in the last 10 years

They aren't asking themselves why has population shrunk. What has the current administration done in Ohio to make it a place that people with families want to stay.

[footballguy51]

So many people who aren’t in education have very vocal opinions about education.

Meanwhile, those of us actually in education often feel very confused when people claim we have tons of cash laying around. We do? Where is it hiding? It's certainly not ending up in my pockets.

Don't forget, administrative bloat isn't just salaries. It's often seen in costs associated with unnecessary regulation and oversight. For example, Ohio Senate Bill 1 that went into place required a complete restructuring of things. DEI offices and programs had to be eliminated. New courses in Civics had to be created. A system had to be created to make all course syllabi publicly searchable (because obviously the random person on the street should know exactly what is being taught in Organic Chemistry). Outside of Ohio law, the federal government updated Title II and now require any document that is uploaded by a public institution to be ADA compliant, meaning a screen reader must be able to read it. Math professors are just not posting documents anymore, because screen readers cannot read Math equations and therefore every document would have to be littered with alt text explaining every equation. But, there is now a team, or several teams, that are strictly dedicated to reviewing every webpage and every online resource to ensure compliance under this recent revision to the law. Not saying ADA is bad, but there's costs associated with every step of this process and the new federal digital accessibility standards have created a ton of work. We have a new position on campus called the State and Federal Compliance Officer because new regulations are constantly being thrown at us and financial ramifications are compounding if you are found in violation.

Administrative costs additionally include amenities. We have parking lots all over campus because everybody wants to have their car on campus. We cover parking lot maintenance with parking pass fees. We have a really nice student recreation center. Student fees and memberships from public patrons pay for this to operate. We have some really nice dining facilities on campus. Meal plans pay for these facilities. BGSU has done a lot of work of trying to ensure we remain cost neutral where we can. The Student Union has to be self-funded, meaning any of their costs (supplies, salaries, etc.) have to be covered by revenue generated. Other self-funded areas include the student rec center, parking services, and the BGSU Foundation. We also have offices that are completely grant funded. We have programs that operate strictly on student fees or donors, where the student pays to be part of it or a donor pays for the students to participate.

Administrative costs include the rising cost of labor. This is seen in pay increases for faculty and staff. It's also seen in pay increases for student labor. The student labor cost, although minimal on the budget overall, is very impactful on a department level. Every year minimum wage increases, and most students are earning minimum wage. Department budgets are staying flat for student employment, so students are earning more money but there's no extra money to give them. So, student staff is reduced to stay in budget, but that work must still be done. So now we're paying overtime to employees, hiring additional employees, or paying outside contractors to do work.

In truth, the State of Ohio has been giving a very similar amount of money to state schools, but the costs to operate have increased. What once amount to 75% or more of their budget is now well below 50%. Universities now are tasked with a greater need to generate revenue over providing a public service, but state law also restricts increases on tuition. So, that's why BGSU is seeking donations on days like BGSU One Day.

I realize people don't want to pay the taxes and we're always seeking tax breaks. But, taxes, in all forms, pay for public services. Education (K-12 and higher ed), police, fire, roads, paramedics, parks, libraries, health departments, social services, etc. all operate off tax dollars. When tax dollars decrease, either the services need to also decrease or they need to be supplemented with revenue from other sources. Don't be surprised if eliminating property taxes (if that were to happen) coincides with massive increases in income and/or sales tax or dramatic decreases in offered resources. Don't be surprised if local festivals disappear, or if everything starts having admission charges for participation. Every kid that wants to play a high school sport might have to pay $100+ per sport because there's a cost for travel, equipment, coaches, referees, and facilities. Checking out a book at the library might cost you money. The police will charge you $50 to come to your house and write a police report about the break-in that occurred.

Sorry, I ended up on a soapbox.

Is there some administrative waste? I'm sure there is, just like at any corporation. If you want to argue that people making the large salaries shouldn't be making that salary, that's a discussion to be had, but that discussion should also translate to CEO's of private corporations (why is the CEO of Walmart making what they're making while their employees are on food stamps?). But, I also know that many employees at BGSU are doing the work of 2-3 full-time employees.

When did education transform from being a public need to a public nuisance? Was it when we taught things that made people uncomfortable? Was it when educated people started asking questions that people didn't want to answer? We should be investing in education, not tearing it down.

[footballguy51]

God I hope you're right, but I think Ohioans are bound and determined to become Alabama of the north. The one saving grace could be his name being Vivek may prevent the insane racism of this state to keep him at bay.

I fully expect him to be our next Governor though because Ohioans mostly suck.

What cracks me up about college consolidation talk is why aren’t we addressing our local school system first? We have so many small school districts around us that could easily be consolidated into each other. Eventually the small universities like Lourdes (RIP) will die off and that should provide some stability for the larger state institutions. Sadly population shrink is going to be a big hit to states like ours in the upcoming decades.

Politically speaking though I’m not shocked Ohio has turned the way it has, the Democratic Party has become too coastal after 8 years of a president from Illinois. It’s turned the Midwest more red and less purple in the last 10 years

They aren't asking themselves why has population shrunk. What has the current administration done in Ohio to make it a place that people with families want to stay.

Trust me, my wife and I had very serious talks about whether we could have another child. With a history of miscarriage, and the new laws regarding abortions, it was a real threat to personal safety to consider getting pregnant, possibly having a miscarriage, and then possibly needing to seek necessary medical care. Would we find a doctor that would help us? Would we need to travel to another state? Would it be easier to just not try for another? These are questions many couples are having. For every child that isn't born, that contributes to a population decline in the state.

I also realize right now that we're venturing into dangerous waters of political discussions on the basketball board, so I will happily stop offering my thoughts in order to not cause waves.

[Globetrotter]

So many people who aren’t in education have very vocal opinions about education.

Meanwhile, those of us actually in education often feel very confused when people claim we have tons of cash laying around. We do? Where is it hiding? It's certainly not ending up in my pockets.

Don't forget, administrative bloat isn't just salaries. It's often seen in costs associated with unnecessary regulation and oversight. For example, Ohio Senate Bill 1 that went into place required a complete restructuring of things. DEI offices and programs had to be eliminated. New courses in Civics had to be created. A system had to be created to make all course syllabi publicly searchable (because obviously the random person on the street should know exactly what is being taught in Organic Chemistry). Outside of Ohio law, the federal government updated Title II and now require any document that is uploaded by a public institution to be ADA compliant, meaning a screen reader must be able to read it. Math professors are just not posting documents anymore, because screen readers cannot read Math equations and therefore every document would have to be littered with alt text explaining every equation. But, there is now a team, or several teams, that are strictly dedicated to reviewing every webpage and every online resource to ensure compliance under this recent revision to the law. Not saying ADA is bad, but there's costs associated with every step of this process and the new federal digital accessibility standards have created a ton of work. We have a new position on campus called the State and Federal Compliance Officer because new regulations are constantly being thrown at us and financial ramifications are compounding if you are found in violation.

Administrative costs additionally include amenities. We have parking lots all over campus because everybody wants to have their car on campus. We cover parking lot maintenance with parking pass fees. We have a really nice student recreation center. Student fees and memberships from public patrons pay for this to operate. We have some really nice dining facilities on campus. Meal plans pay for these facilities. BGSU has done a lot of work of trying to ensure we remain cost neutral where we can. The Student Union has to be self-funded, meaning any of their costs (supplies, salaries, etc.) have to be covered by revenue generated. Other self-funded areas include the student rec center, parking services, and the BGSU Foundation. We also have offices that are completely grant funded. We have programs that operate strictly on student fees or donors, where the student pays to be part of it or a donor pays for the students to participate.

Administrative costs include the rising cost of labor. This is seen in pay increases for faculty and staff. It's also seen in pay increases for student labor. The student labor cost, although minimal on the budget overall, is very impactful on a department level. Every year minimum wage increases, and most students are earning minimum wage. Department budgets are staying flat for student employment, so students are earning more money but there's no extra money to give them. So, student staff is reduced to stay in budget, but that work must still be done. So now we're paying overtime to employees, hiring additional employees, or paying outside contractors to do work.

In truth, the State of Ohio has been giving a very similar amount of money to state schools, but the costs to operate have increased. What once amount to 75% or more of their budget is now well below 50%. Universities now are tasked with a greater need to generate revenue over providing a public service, but state law also restricts increases on tuition. So, that's why BGSU is seeking donations on days like BGSU One Day.

I realize people don't want to pay the taxes and we're always seeking tax breaks. But, taxes, in all forms, pay for public services. Education (K-12 and higher ed), police, fire, roads, paramedics, parks, libraries, health departments, social services, etc. all operate off tax dollars. When tax dollars decrease, either the services need to also decrease or they need to be supplemented with revenue from other sources. Don't be surprised if eliminating property taxes (if that were to happen) coincides with massive increases in income and/or sales tax or dramatic decreases in offered resources. Don't be surprised if local festivals disappear, or if everything starts having admission charges for participation. Every kid that wants to play a high school sport might have to pay $100+ per sport because there's a cost for travel, equipment, coaches, referees, and facilities. Checking out a book at the library might cost you money. The police will charge you $50 to come to your house and write a police report about the break-in that occurred.

Sorry, I ended up on a soapbox.

Is there some administrative waste? I'm sure there is, just like at any corporation. If you want to argue that people making the large salaries shouldn't be making that salary, that's a discussion to be had, but that discussion should also translate to CEO's of private corporations (why is the CEO of Walmart making what they're making while their employees are on food stamps?). But, I also know that many employees at BGSU are doing the work of 2-3 full-time employees.

When did education transform from being a public need to a public nuisance? Was it when we taught things that made people uncomfortable? Was it when educated people started asking questions that people didn't want to answer? We should be investing in education, not tearing it down.

Thank you

[HoopsFan]

Wait, what! I always come to Ay Ziggy for political opinions

HoopsFan

My tuition was $220 a quarter when I got here...I can't remember what room and board was, but my summers at Cedar point paid for a year of tuition.

[Bgsu2016]

They aren't asking themselves why has population shrunk. What has the current administration done in Ohio to make it a place that people with families want to stay.

Well this brings up another good point. We are hemorrhaging folks to southern states where growth is occurring. While I found success around here, for many that is south of the Ohio River. Puts in a heck of a bind, we’re essentially subsidizing Texas, Tennessee, the Carolinas and Florida employee base with our tax dollars. We educate them and they leave.

I’m not sure what can be done to stop this, between tax friendly policies and a much warmer climate it’s hard for a BG grad to say I’d rather work at Owens Corning than a nice office in Nashville