Sun editorial:

Budget-cutting victim

College of Southern Nevada campus in Moapa Valley to close thanks to Gov. Gibbons

Wed, Jul 16, 2008 (2:07 a.m.)

A two-room modular building in Moapa Valley that has been used as a College of Southern Nevada campus for 15 years now stands for something else. It has become an unwitting symbol of Gov. Jim Gibbons’ reckless disregard for the future of Nevada.

The Education First moniker associated with one of his past ballot initiatives certainly cannot apply to this governor or his administration. As reported by Charlotte Hsu in the Las Vegas Sun on Saturday, the cream blue building soon will no longer exist to serve the 10,000 people of the rural valley 45 miles northeast of Las Vegas.

The valley’s residents have Gibbons to thank for that.

The Moapa Valley campus, which is scheduled to close in June 2009, is one of many victims of state budget cuts. But this one hurts more than most because there are no adequate educational alternatives for those residents.

Keeping that campus intact is important because it enables high school students to take night classes as well as participate in sports and other extracurricular activities. The campus also serves older residents who work in Las Vegas and gives young Mormon men an opportunity to earn college credits before going off on religious missions.

English professor Felicia Campbell, the longest-tenured professor at UNLV, told Hsu for a separate story that this is the biggest round of educational budget cuts she has seen since arriving on campus in 1962. State archivist Guy Rocha said the budget cuts appear to be the deepest since the Great Depression.

We can thank Gibbons for that.

UNLV itself is not immune to budget cuts, but at least that university campus is not disappearing. Sadly, the same cannot be said for the community college in Moapa Valley.

At a time when Nevada ought to be increasing its investment in education, both rural and urban, it is doing the opposite. Students are being hung out to dry and employers’ dreams of a better-educated workforce are withering away.

We have Gibbons to thank for that.

Discussion: 5 comments so far…

By sgold7211

7/16/08 at 5:29 a.m.

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CSN has for years wasted the monies that it has received from the state on pet projects and CSN administration follies. How much was wasted on the name change? How much was wasted on recruiting students overseas? How much was wasted on hiring unneccesary high priced administrator jobs from out of state for friends of past and current presidents of CSN? How much money has been paid out by CSN in the last five years to settle lawsuits caused by past and current CSN administrators?

Did you know that most CSN classroom space is used only 3-4 days a week for about 8-10 hours per day? The CSN administration does not even maximize thier classroom space that they already have on the main campus sites.

This budget shortfall would have happened with or without Gov. Gibbons. I don't support him but in this case he is just the convienant whipping boy.

Please tell me, since the state revenue shortfall, what would you do to cut and balance the budget? Would you close a satellie campus that supports hundreds of students of close a main campus site that supports tens of thousands?

CSN is like any other state agency and must step up and cut during this recession.
By Cannon_Asesrb

7/16/08 at 7:23 a.m.

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(from the editorial)"At a time when Nevada ought to be increasing its investment in education, both rural and urban, it is doing the opposite."

Let's add to this

"at a time when Nevada ought to be increasing health care expenditures...

"at a time when Nevada ought to be increasing park and recreation expenditures...

"at a time when Nevada ought to be increasing road construction...

"at a time when Nevada ought to be increasing <insert pet project here>..."

We get it Las Vegas Sun editorialist. You solution is raise taxes. We get it. Heck you haven't met a governmental expenditure you didn't like. Tell you what, be honest and you will feel better. Be honest and come out an say. "HEY RAISE OUR TAXES TO PAY FOR ALL THESE PROGRAMS!" Trust Papa Government since the government knows best! Give Papa Government more tax money.

Let me guess Las Vegas Sun editorialist you won't be happy until the tax rate is oh let's say 95% (after all you do have to give the little people the illusion of keeping *some* of their money) so that Papa Government can provide everything, according to your liberal desires, for all of us, right?
By Teaser

7/16/08 at 10:50 a.m.

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Cannon: You will eventually want and need new roads and road improvements. That's just a fact, no matter where you live. How, specifically, do you propose to pay for that?
By nancy

7/16/08 at 12:13 p.m.

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Most states realize that during a recession many people who lose their jobs return to college, particularly community colleges, so they can learn new skills to re-enter the workforce. To dismantle the college when it's needed the most is self defeating during an economic downturn. Nevada needs to enact a steady funding source for education. Every entity--casinos, non-gaming businesses, legislators and residents--need to come together and support legislation in the upcoming session that will once and for all provide a steady funding source for Nevada's state employees and education system. If we fail to do so, this state has no future and Governor Gibbons should be thrown out of office.
By Cannon_Asesrb

7/16/08 at 6:51 p.m.

Suggest removal

Teaser, duh, you pay for that by raising taxes to 95% like I suspect the Sun editorialist would think is a peachy keen idea. Actually, that is somewhat unfair, the Sun editorialist probably wants 100% taxes with a jacka... er donkey... er democrat government because only the wise guys/gals in the government know best. Actually it is not about taxation per se, it is about power. Government has power over us to the extent that they tax us.

Teaser, you mention eventually I will want and need new roads. Yes, eventually I want a new house and a pony in addition to roads. However, seeing as how I don't have the means to obtain either, at this moment, I have to wait. If I was the government, I would just steal your money... er tax you... to pay for my house and pony right now. Or, perhaps I can just wait until I can afford it. Nah... waiting is too radical, I know.