THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, October 17, 1995 TAG: 9510170267
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SERIES: Election '95: You asked ...
LENGTH: Medium: 86 lines
This week, our question for the candidates comes to us from . . . Iowa?
Yes, through the magic of the Internet, Portsmouth native Andy Ryder, now a graduate student at Iowa State University, keeps up with news of Hampton Roads via Pilot Online and votes by absentee ballot.
He e-mailed us this question: ``What commitment are you willing to make to the funding of higher education in Virginia?''
Ryder said he graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1993 and went out to Iowa, but he has since kept track of the situation in Virginia's colleges and universities.
He's concerned about ``the degradation of the state funding base'' and wonders what legislators plan to do about it.
The background:
Ryder is not alone in his concern. Virginians interviewed across the state this summer uniformly said they are afraid the state is giving short shrift to education at all levels. Saving money by cutting education budgets, they said, is only a short-term gain, at the expense of a certain long-term loss.
Virginia's colleges and universities began taking heavy budget cuts during Gov. L. Douglas Wilder's administration, as the state tried to balance its budget without a tax increase in the face of a recession. As a result, universities began raising tuition to make up the loss. This year, Virginia's average tuition became the second-highest in the nation.
The candidates in Ryder's home districts are: in the 13th Senate, Sen. Fred Quayle, a Republican, and challenger Johnny Joannou, a Democrat who once held the seat; and in the 80th House, Del. Kenneth Melvin, a Democrat, and Republican F.E. ``Dutch'' Andrews.
The answers:
Quayle: ``The record is clear on my commitment to funding higher education. I was one of the co-patrons of the Senate budget amendment that restored funds to six colleges that had been cut. I also voted to provide funds for the campus in downtown Norfolk. Gov. Allen is correct in requiring our institutions of higher learning to weed out programs and personnel that are not productive. We need to concentrate on the students and their needs as we face the 21st century. I am committed to seeing that higher education in Virginia remains one of the most outstanding values among all schools in the country, as rated by Money magazine.''
Joannou: ``In 1980, Virginia residents had to pay 40 percent of the tuition to attend a state university out of pocket. By 1994 that number had risen to 60 percent. We cannot allow this trend to continue. It is vital to the future of Virginia that we allow every Virginian, who has the desire, to receive a college education. We must support our higher education system if we are going to compete in the 21st century. I will commit to supporting our colleges at a level that will continue to make higher education accessible to all Virginians.''
Melvin: ``My commitment is to advocate a dramatic increase in the funding for higher education. Higher education suffered perhaps more than any other state-run program in the last recession. We cut to the bone in order not to increase taxes. But that made the cost of a college education in Virginia one of the highest in the nation. In my opinion, all Virginians who are qualified to attend college ought to be able to afford to, within reason. That is one of my priorities as a legislator. I would suggest that an increase of 7 to 10 percent in state funding would be appropriate at this point.''
Andrews: ``Much more of the cost has been placed on the students through the burden of tuition. We must invest in higher education, because we have to be as technically advanced to compete with other states and other nations, such as Germany and Japan. It was technology that brought Motorola, IBM and other companies to Virginia. And part of the payback from these companies must come in the form of tax dollars to support education. However, I am opposed to just throwing more money at higher education. The presidents and department heads need to take more teaching jobs. It won't hurt them to get in and do some of the work, some of the teaching, and not be so elitist.'' ``You Asked'' is a regular feature of The Virginian-Pilot's coverage of the 1995 General Assembly elections. Readers can send in questions to be asked of the candidates in their districts. MEMO: Staff writer Tony Wharton compiled this column.Staff writer Tony Wharton
compiled this column.
ILLUSTRATION: Photos
From left, House candidates, Del. Kenneth Melvin and F.E. Andrews,
and Senate candidates, Sen. Fred Quayle and Johnny Joannou, voice
different responses to funding problems in Virginia's universities.
KEYWORDS: COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS by CNB