Write us a 300-word letter to the editor. [email protected]PAGE 9 JANUARY 27, 2015 THE QUICK TAKES ON LIFE FROM OUR EDITORS Y esterday, University of Idaho President Chuck Staben made a proposal to the Joint Finance-Appro- priations Committee (JFAC) of the Idaho State Legislature, requesting the state fully fund a 3 percent pay increase for UI faculty and staff.In return, he promised to freeze tuition at the current rate for in-state undergraduate students. If the state approves Sta- ben’s proposal, the 2015-2016 academic year will be the first time UI in-state undergraduate students do not see an increase in tuition in over two decades. Staben’s promise follows a request by Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter for a 3 per- cent pay increase for all state employees, including those in higher education. Otter made the request at the beginning of the legislative session and offered $5.5 million from the state for the State Board of Education to distribute among Idaho schools. With the distribution, UI would need to cover about half the money that makes up the 3 percent increase — approxi- mately $1.6 million — unless legislators decide to provide the additional funding and cover the full cost of an increase. With his request, Staben’s first-ever presentation to JFAC showed his potential as a leader for UI. His proposal is a reflection of his desire to find a solution to help UI employees — whose salaries are roughly 85 per- cent of those at peer institu- tions — as well as ease the ever-growing financial burden on students, yet maintain the overall quality of the academic experience at UI. Staben’s proposal showed he is willing to stand up for students, faculty and staff at UI, as well as any students looking to attend UI in the future. But, no matter how well intentioned Staben’s proposal is, students should be accustomed to disappointment when it comes to state funding for edu- cation. Staben’s proposal, while noble, will likely be unproduc- tive in actually influencing a fund shiſt and increasing state CEC funding — as unfortunate as that reality may be. If the state refuses to comply with his proposal — and it’s likely they won’t — it’s clear students should expect a tuition increase, just as they’ve seen every year prior in order to keep up with university costs and fulfill Otter’s request for employee raises. ough a fully state funded CEC is improbable, students should be wary of what a de- clined proposal and a state man- date for salary increases could mean for their tuition rates. As the legislature moves forward in considering pro- posals and determining state funding, students have an increased stake in this year’s legislative session — one that could actually impact their bank accounts. ere’s no simple solution to stopping tuition increases or paying employees competitive wages, but Staben is clearly try- ing to solve both issues and for that he must be commended. — EB OUR VIEW Sweet tooth Some days, all I want is cheesecake. —Erin Benjamin Netanyahu Why does his address to Congress have to be in March? I can’t wait to hear what he has to say. —Andrew George Wood He’s our legislative reporter down in Boise this semester and he’s slaying. Check out his stories in e Argonaut and online, and follow him on Twitter @GeorgiePine7 for live coverage. —Kaitlyn Super Bowl It is like some kind of cult holiday. Everyone gets together with friends and family and gorges on almost as much food as we force feed on anksgiving. What does that say about a nation? —Claire Artsy Does that word describe you? If so, you should probably apply to join the Blot team. Yay for creative people. —Katelyn False spring All this warm weather is confus- ing my brain. I keep thinking I must have lost a couple months somehow: there’s no way it’s really January. —Daphne #toolate Of course UI tuition has a chance of freezing the year I gradu- ate. at WOULD happen to me. —Amber Driving > walking Aſter a year and a half without a car, I finally saved up enough to purchase another vehicle. Perfect timing, too — now I can drive home to watch the Super Bowl. —Korbin Amazing staff Again, when things go bad, I’m reminded I work with great people here at e Arg. —Stephan Newbie Wait, I say stuff and you put it in the paper? —Jack Weekend What a fun time. Can’t wait til next Sunday. #bandwagonfan —Ryan My friends and mentors have been hassling me to get a girlfriend for a while. So in an effort to meet new people, I subjected myself to the lowest form of matchmak- ing there is: Tinder. Swipe leſt. Leſt. Leſt. Leſt again. Wow, she looks interesting. Swipe right. Those who have explored the strange world of Tinder know what I’m talking about. For those who don’t, the premise is simple. e app syncs through Facebook and shows the profiles of other — pre- sumably single — people in the area. Users decide whether or not they are interested in the person based on profile pictures taken from Facebook and a brief personal description. If a user swipes left on a person, they are not inter- ested. If both users swipe right on each other, they get matched and enter into a message conversation. is is where Tinder gets sassy. “is screen would look a lot better with a conversation in it,” or “Tinder can’t do the typing for you.” Thanks Tinder, starting a conversa- tion with a complete stranger is not awkward enough without you acting like a snarky, slightly inebriated wingman. It helps to have some kind of common interest with the person, but nothing can escape the natural hesitation and self- doubt that comes with staring at a blank screen. Call me unoriginal, but I start out with a joke. I usually make fun of the fact that I play the trombone. I’ve also been known to try a few knock-knock jokes now and then. Cheesy? Yes. Effective? Re- sults may vary. On the Palouse, there is a large Greek showing on Tinder. With two healthy Greek systems only eight miles apart, sorority signs and smiling faces were a common sight for me while surf- ing the app. And although almost every WSU sorority girl passed on me — go figure — I had my fair share of success meeting in- die, literary types near Moscow. Let me be clear (insert Obama voice over): Tinder is shallow, and it has no problem embracing the stereotype. It’s not helpful to people looking for a serious relationship — if this wasn’t obvious before. It combines the need for quick entertainment with the instinct to judge people by their looks, which is an easy thing to do. When users reject somebody, a red “Nope” sign appears on the person’s picture as it slides off the screen. At first, I found this to be a crude and unneces- sary way to pass on somebody. But the more time I spent on the app, the more I realized how comical the red sign and the entire app was. e trick to Tinder is not taking it seriously and embracing the oddity of it all, the swiping, the weird conversations and the awkward moment when you get matched with a classmate you don’t have much interest in. e app doesn’t try to pretend to be something it’s not, and in a strange way I respect that. It’s an app to check between classes, and it allows users to have a fun conversation with someone new. For me, it served as a reminder of how many people out there are looking to be a little less lonely, and a reminder of how many people want to get laid. In large part, it’s what every generation is like in their early 20s. But with millennials, it comes out in apps like Tinder and the number of other offshoot dating apps designed for hooking up. And yes, we will all look back 20 years from now and be embarrassed by the shallowness of it all, but we’re not there yet, so until then, swipe away. Ryan Tarinelli can be reached at [email protected]Time with Tinder My experience with the notorious dating app Andrew Jenson Ryan Tarinelli Argonaut Staben’s strong proposal Staben proposal to JFAC a strong move, but may not gain approval
Yesterday, University of Idaho President Chuck Staben made a proposal
to the Joint Finance-Appro-priations Committee (JFAC) of the Idaho State Legislature, requesting the state fully fund a 3 percent pay increase for UI faculty and staff.In return, he promised to freeze tuition at the current rate for in-state undergraduate students.
If the state approves Sta-ben’s proposal, the 2015-2016 academic year will be the first time UI in-state undergraduate students do not see an increase in tuition in over two decades.
Staben’s promise follows a request by Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter for a 3 per-
cent pay increase for all state employees, including those in higher education. Otter made the request at the beginning of the legislative session and offered $5.5 million from the state for the State Board of Education to distribute among Idaho schools.
With the distribution, UI would need to cover about half the money that makes up the 3 percent increase — approxi-mately $1.6 million — unless legislators decide to provide the additional funding and cover the full cost of an increase.
With his request, Staben’s first-ever presentation to JFAC showed his potential as a leader for UI.
His proposal is a reflection of his desire to find a solution to help UI employees — whose salaries are roughly 85 per-cent of those at peer institu-
tions — as well as ease the ever-growing financial burden on students, yet maintain the overall quality of the academic experience at UI.
Staben’s proposal showed he is willing to stand up for students, faculty and staff at UI, as well as any students looking to attend UI in the future.
But, no matter how well intentioned Staben’s proposal is, students should be accustomed to disappointment when it comes to state funding for edu-cation. Staben’s proposal, while noble, will likely be unproduc-tive in actually influencing a fund shift and increasing state CEC funding — as unfortunate as that reality may be.
If the state refuses to comply with his proposal — and it’s likely they won’t — it’s clear students should expect a tuition increase, just as they’ve seen
every year prior in order to keep up with university costs and fulfill Otter’s request for employee raises.
Though a fully state funded CEC is improbable, students should be wary of what a de-clined proposal and a state man-date for salary increases could mean for their tuition rates.
As the legislature moves forward in considering pro-posals and determining state funding, students have an increased stake in this year’s legislative session — one that could actually impact their bank accounts.
There’s no simple solution to stopping tuition increases or paying employees competitive wages, but Staben is clearly try-ing to solve both issues and for that he must be commended.
— EB
our view
Sweet tooth Some days, all I want is cheesecake.
—Erin
Benjamin Netanyahu Why does his address to Congress have to be in March? I can’t wait to hear what he has to say.
—Andrew
George Wood He’s our legislative reporter down in Boise this semester and he’s slaying. Check out his stories in The Argonaut and online, and follow him on Twitter @GeorgiePine7 for live coverage.
—Kaitlyn
Super Bowl It is like some kind of cult holiday. Everyone gets together with friends and family and gorges on almost as much food as we force feed on Thanksgiving. What does that say about a nation?
—Claire
Artsy Does that word describe you?
If so, you should probably apply to join the Blot team. Yay for creative people.
—Katelyn
False springAll this warm weather is confus-
ing my brain. I keep thinking I must have lost a couple months somehow: there’s no way it’s really January.
—Daphne
#toolateOf course UI tuition has a
chance of freezing the year I gradu-ate. That WOULD happen to me.
—Amber
Driving > walkingAfter a year and a half without
a car, I finally saved up enough to purchase another vehicle. Perfect timing, too — now I can drive home to watch the Super Bowl.
—Korbin
Amazing staffAgain, when things go bad, I’m
reminded I work with great people here at The Arg.
—Stephan
NewbieWait, I say stuff and you put it in
the paper?—Jack
WeekendWhat a fun time. Can’t wait til
next Sunday. #bandwagonfan—Ryan
My friends and mentors have been hassling me to get a girlfriend for a while. So in an effort to meet new people, I subjected myself to the lowest form of matchmak-ing there is: Tinder.
Swipe left. Left. Left. Left again. Wow, she looks interesting. Swipe right.
Those who have explored the strange world of Tinder know what I’m talking about.
For those who don’t, the premise is simple. The app syncs through Facebook and shows the profiles of other — pre-sumably single — people in the area. Users decide whether or not they are interested in the person
based on profile pictures taken from Facebook and a brief personal description.
If a user swipes left on a person, they are not inter-ested. If both users swipe right on each other, they get matched and enter into a message conversation.
This is where Tinder gets sassy. “This screen would look a lot better with a conversation in it,” or “Tinder can’t do the typing for you.” Thanks Tinder,
starting a conversa-tion with a complete stranger is not awkward enough without you acting like a snarky, slightly inebriated wingman.
It helps to have some kind of common interest with the person, but nothing can escape the natural hesitation and self-doubt that comes with staring at a blank screen.
Call me unoriginal, but I start out with a joke. I usually make fun of the fact that I play the trombone. I’ve also been known to try a few knock-knock jokes now and then.
Cheesy? Yes. Effective? Re-sults may vary.
On the Palouse, there is a large Greek showing on Tinder. With two healthy Greek systems only eight miles apart, sorority signs and smiling faces were a common sight for me while surf-ing the app. And although almost every WSU sorority girl passed on me — go figure — I had my fair share of success meeting in-die, literary types near Moscow.
Let me be clear (insert Obama voice over): Tinder is
shallow, and it has no problem embracing the stereotype. It’s not helpful to people looking for a serious relationship — if this wasn’t obvious before.
It combines the need for quick entertainment with the instinct to judge people by their looks, which is an easy thing to do.
When users reject somebody, a red “Nope” sign appears on the person’s picture as it slides off the screen. At first, I found this to be a crude and unneces-sary way to pass on somebody. But the more time I spent on the app, the more I realized how comical the red sign and the entire app was.
The trick to Tinder is not taking it seriously and embracing the oddity of it all, the swiping, the weird conversations and the awkward moment when you get matched with a classmate you don’t have much interest in. The
app doesn’t try to pretend to be something it’s not, and in a strange way I respect that.
It’s an app to check between classes, and it allows users to have a fun conversation with someone new. For me, it served as a reminder of how many people out there are looking to be a little less lonely, and a reminder of how many people want to get laid.
In large part, it’s what every generation is like in their early 20s.
But with millennials, it comes out in apps like Tinder and the number of other offshoot dating apps designed for hooking up.
And yes, we will all look back 20 years from now and be embarrassed by the shallowness of it all, but we’re not there yet, so until then, swipe away.
The poeple of the United Methodist Church: open hearts, open minds, open doors.
Pastor: Susan E. Ostrom Campus Pastor: John Morse 322 East Third (Corner 3rd and Adams) Moscow ID, 83843
1015 NE Orchard Dr | Pullman(across from Beasley Coliseum)
www.concordiapullman.orgWorship Services
Sundays | 8 & 10:45 a.m.College Students
Free Dinner & Gathering Tuesdays | 6 p.m.
Rides available by contacting Ann at [email protected] or (509) 332-2830
CONCORDIA LUTHERAN CHURCH
Exploring God is better in community
Sunday Worship Gathering 10AM
The Nuart Theatre 516 S. Main St. Moscow ID
7PM SUB BALLROOM (U of I campus)
For more information: 509-880-8741
experienceresonate.comfacebook.com/resonatechurch
Unitarian Universalist Church of the Palouse
We are a welcoming congregaton that celebrates the inherent worth and dignity of
every person. Sunday Services: 10:00 am
Coffee: After Service Nursery & Religious Education
Minister: Rev. Elizabeth Stevens
420 E. 2nd St., Moscow 208-882-4328
For more info: www.palouseuu.org
Worship Service Fellowship 00
“Fueling passion for Christ that will transform the world”Service Times
Sunday 9:00 am - Prayer Time 9:30 am - Celebration 6:00 pm - Bible Study Thursday 6:30 - 8:30 pm - CROSS - Eyed at the Commons Aurora room Friday 6:30 pm- Every 2nd and 4th Friday U- Night worship and fellowship at The CROSSing
The poeple of the United Methodist Church: open hearts, open minds, open doors.
Pastor: Susan E. Ostrom Campus Pastor: John Morse 322 East Third (Corner 3rd and Adams) Moscow ID, 83843
1015 NE Orchard Dr | Pullman(across from Beasley Coliseum)
www.concordiapullman.orgWorship Services
Sundays | 8 & 10:45 a.m.College Students
Free Dinner & Gathering Tuesdays | 6 p.m.
Rides available by contacting Ann at [email protected] or (509) 332-2830
CONCORDIA LUTHERAN CHURCH
Exploring God is better in community
Sunday Worship Gathering 10AM
The Nuart Theatre 516 S. Main St. Moscow ID
7PM SUB BALLROOM (U of I campus)
For more information: 509-880-8741
experienceresonate.comfacebook.com/resonatechurch
Unitarian Universalist Church of the Palouse
We are a welcoming congregaton that celebrates the inherent worth and dignity of
every person. Sunday Services: 10:00 am
Coffee: After Service Nursery & Religious Education
Minister: Rev. Elizabeth Stevens
420 E. 2nd St., Moscow 208-882-4328
For more info: www.palouseuu.org
Worship Service Fellowship 00
“Fueling passion for Christ that will transform the world”Service Times
Sunday 9:00 am - Prayer Time 9:30 am - Celebration 6:00 pm - Bible Study Thursday 6:30 - 8:30 pm - CROSS - Eyed at the Commons Aurora room Friday 6:30 pm- Every 2nd and 4th Friday U- Night worship and fellowship at The CROSSing
The poeple of the United Methodist Church: open hearts, open minds, open doors.
Pastor: Susan E. Ostrom Campus Pastor: John Morse 322 East Third (Corner 3rd and Adams) Moscow ID, 83843
1015 NE Orchard Dr | Pullman(across from Beasley Coliseum)
www.concordiapullman.orgWorship Services
Sundays | 8 & 10:45 a.m.College Students
Free Dinner & Gathering Tuesdays | 6 p.m.
Rides available by contacting Ann at [email protected] or (509) 332-2830
CONCORDIA LUTHERAN CHURCH
Exploring God is better in community
Sunday Worship Gathering 10AM
The Nuart Theatre 516 S. Main St. Moscow ID
7PM SUB BALLROOM (U of I campus)
For more information: 509-880-8741
experienceresonate.comfacebook.com/resonatechurch
Unitarian Universalist Church of the Palouse
We are a welcoming congregaton that celebrates the inherent worth and dignity of
every person. Sunday Services: 10:00 am
Coffee: After Service Nursery & Religious Education
Minister: Rev. Elizabeth Stevens
420 E. 2nd St., Moscow 208-882-4328
For more info: www.palouseuu.org
Worship Service Fellowship 00
“Fueling passion for Christ that will transform the world”Service Times
Sunday 9:00 am - Prayer Time 9:30 am - Celebration 6:00 pm - Bible Study Thursday 6:30 - 8:30 pm - CROSS - Eyed at the Commons Aurora room Friday 6:30 pm- Every 2nd and 4th Friday U- Night worship and fellowship at The CROSSing
The poeple of the United Methodist Church: open hearts, open minds, open doors.
Pastor: Susan E. Ostrom Campus Pastor: John Morse 322 East Third (Corner 3rd and Adams) Moscow ID, 83843
1015 NE Orchard Dr | Pullman(across from Beasley Coliseum)
www.concordiapullman.orgWorship Services
Sundays | 8 & 10:45 a.m.College Students
Free Dinner & Gathering Tuesdays | 6 p.m.
Rides available by contacting Ann at [email protected] or (509) 332-2830
CONCORDIA LUTHERAN CHURCH
Exploring God is better in community
Sunday Worship Gathering 10AM
The Nuart Theatre 516 S. Main St. Moscow ID
7PM SUB BALLROOM (U of I campus)
For more information: 509-880-8741
experienceresonate.comfacebook.com/resonatechurch
Unitarian Universalist Church of the Palouse
We are a welcoming congregaton that celebrates the inherent worth and dignity of
every person. Sunday Services: 10:00 am
Coffee: After Service Nursery & Religious Education
Minister: Rev. Elizabeth Stevens
420 E. 2nd St., Moscow 208-882-4328
For more info: www.palouseuu.org
Worship Service Fellowship 00
“Fueling passion for Christ that will transform the world”Service Times
Sunday 9:00 am - Prayer Time 9:30 am - Celebration 6:00 pm - Bible Study Thursday 6:30 - 8:30 pm - CROSS - Eyed at the Commons Aurora room Friday 6:30 pm- Every 2nd and 4th Friday U- Night worship and fellowship at The CROSSing
Wednesdays @Campus Christian Center12:30 pm Simple Holy Communion1 pm Free lunch! Sundays9:30 am Holy Eucharist5:00 pm CandleSong - Taizé style chants & quiet (1s t -3rd Sundays) 5:00 pm Welcome Table Alternative Worship (4th Sunday)5:00 pm Evensong - In the Anglican trad ition (5th Sunday)
Worship ServiceFellowship (coffee & donuts) 30 9
00
If you would like your belief-based organization to be included in the religion directory please contact Student Media Advertising at 885-5780.
Sunday Worship 10:00 a.m.
Pastors:Mr. Kim Kirkland Senior PastorMr. Nathan Anglen Assistant Pastor
960 W. Palouse River Drive, Moscow882-0674
www.bridgebible.org
I AM SO DONE WITH YOU GUYS!
♪ Agony! ♫ ... Something something ... ♫ the one thing you want is just out of reach! ♪
Well, yes ... oh no.
Is it causing you ... agony?
OK, I get that you just saw the movie “Into the Woods,” but I’m tired of all your puns and random outbursts of singing.
Senka, ♪ are there giants in the sky? ♫
Yes, ♫ there are giants in the sky! ♪
The Idaho Legislature might have been ad-journed, but that hasn’t stopped the ridiculous political moves coming from Boise.
The latest one comes from Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter.
Otter vetoed a bill last week that would have al-lowed Idaho chil-dren with severe forms of epilepsy to be treated with non-psychotropic oil extracted from can-nabis plants.
Cannabidiol, the extracted cannabis oil also known as CBD oil, helps reduce the amount of life-threatening seizures among children with an intractable form of epilepsy. And here’s the best part — it wouldn’t get them high in the process.
Allowing access to CBD oil would have made a world of difference for the children who suffer from epilepsy as well as their families who continue to search for treatments.
In Otter’s veto order, he said there were too many questions and problems with the legislation.
Otter goes on to write in the message that he plans to issue an order that would allow the Department of Health and Welfare to study “an expanded access program for treatment-resistant epilepsy in children.”
But this is not the time for a study, and this is not the time for cautious lead-ership when it comes to the health and well-being of Idaho children.
It’s commendable that Otter would want to slow the legislative process down and find out more information about the ex-tracted oil, but this is not the topic to do it on.
The need for CBD oil is immediate and the knowl-edge base proving these treatments are effective is too large to be ignored.
Although Otter’s sympathy for the families affected by his decision seem genuine, he should not drag his feet on a pol-
icy that could help many families across Idaho.
Many other states have approved similar CBD oil legislation to allow chil-dren with severe epilepsy
to be treated. Among states where medi-cal marijuana is illegal, 12 states have approved the use of CBD oil, including conser-vative strongholds such as Kentucky and Alabama.
Even if CBD is not completely effective in stopping seizures, there is certainly enough evidence to suggest CBD won’t be harmful to these children. With this in consideration, parents deserve the right to treat their children with CBD oil and Otter owes it to them to make treat-ments available.
In Otter’s statement, he argues that the legisla-tion does not address “the potential for misuse and abuse with criminal intent.”
This argument is laugh-able. If someone were to misuse it, they would have a hard time getting high off of CBD oil with it having such a low THC content.
Critics of the bill have said it opens up the door to-ward marijuana legalization in the state. The slippery slope argument is weak and tired. This is a reasonable bill that places practical restrictions on cannabis for a practical purpose.
Like with so many other topics, Idaho is once again falling behind the rest of the country. With changing public perception across the nation and in the state, it’s time for Idaho to relax its laws on cannabis.
This was one of the few times the legislature did their jobs and passed posi-tive legislation. This was the time for Otter to step up.
Instead, he offered skepticism and a longer wait time for the children and families pleading for a legal treatment.
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208-883-4779
Check out our Vandal tye dye
Like us on Facebook
The Yarn Underground, LLC
knit. spin. crochet. felt. create
See www.yarnunderground.com for full schedule
10 % Student Discount
Congratulations to the UI Department of Chemistry
Fall 2015 Graduates
B.S.
Rachel A. Peterson Cesar E. Torres Luna
Sara M. Winzer
Ph.D.
Dale C. Guenther Adetayo M. Mustapha
Right before the winter break, professors, roommates and friends all ask one question — “How will you spend your winter break?”
It puts students on the spot, so they panic and say they are going on a grand adventure to the Alps or some-thing.
Well, I’m here to be frank about the actual break plans of most col-lege students. That’s right, almost every col-lege student on the planet will do these few things over break.
The first thing students will do is sleep. For days. In fact, it’s likely they will snooze almost every day until late into the day when they do decide to get up. After dead week and finals, students could use the break from grueling work
and study.A little sleep
goes a long way making up for sleepless all-night-ers in preparation for finals. Maybe a full hibernation over break will make up for the week of all-nighters in order to complete projects and papers.
When they aren’t sleeping, which won’t be often, students will probably be watching some silly shows on Netflix or binge-watching their favorite TV series they haven’t been able to watch in four months because of school. If they aren’t doing that, then they are simply star-
ing at the TV screen trying to recollect their souls. They call it dead week for a reason.
The last essential activity students will take part in during break is eating. As always, college students love free food. While being at home doesn’t always guarantee free food, students get
a lot more high-quality, homemade meals at home for free than they do here. Also, it’s not Bob’s or ramen, so that’s a step up at least.
Food is one of the greatest pleasures in life,
and when it is a home-cooked meal from a parent, it is 10 times greater. Or if it is free — then it is also great.
After these three necessities, it is up to each student to make the most of the rest of their break. I plan on visiting a hot spring to get some more relaxation before attempting to conquer the next semester of upper division classes.
That is the key to the entire winter break. If students have the time and the means, they should take it. One month may feel like a long time when in the middle of it all, but by the time classes start up, that month will feel like it didn’t last long enough.
Winter break to-do list All the things a college student accomplishes over winter
The first time I met University of Idaho President Chuck Staben, he was wearing workout pants and what looked like an old sweatshirt.
It was a Sunday — just a day after Staben officially began his tenure as the university’s 18th president.
At the time, I was waiting to meet a videog-rapher outside of the Administration Audito-rium for a story. I got there early and was checking my phone when I heard footsteps down the halls and saw a silhouette by the door.
On the day after he took office, Staben appeared to be taking a stroll in the dark and quiet Administration Building, taking in the university he had just inherited.
He introduced himself and asked if I wanted any tea. I regretfully declined. It was a surprising and unexpected interaction, to say the least.
Little did I know, it would be the first of many interactions, as I would spend the next year and a half following and reporting on his administration.
Staben and his new cast of administrators face a daunting challenge. They hope to in-crease UI’s enrollment while at the same time creating a college-going culture in a state that regularly ranks near the bottom in college go-on rates.
In fact, Idaho ranked last in the nation in college go-on rates, according to a 2010 study by the National Center for Higher Education Man-agement Systems.
One thing is for sure, if Staben can solve UI’s enrollment problems, he will become a saint to this university.
There seems to be small but promising signs that UI enrollment will be headed in the right direction soon. Although the university saw a dip in overall enrollment for a third consecu-tive year, enrollment of in-state undergraduate freshmen went up 1.2 percent in fall 2015. It might be small, but the numbers show growth in a critical demographic for the university.
No, enrollment will not spike in one school
year. The growth will be gradual and Staben will need to manage expectations as the univer-sity continues forward.
But for now, I’m optimistic. After large changes at the upper administration level, UI now has the new personnel to tackle enrollment.
The direct admission policy implemented by the State Board of Education at Staben’s urging this year should have a positive effect on next year’s numbers. The VandaLink programs set up at multiple community colleges in Idaho should also help to increase transfer student enrollment.
Administrators are also looking to provide more money for student scholarships, as well as a different way of packaging scholarships.
Make no mistake, enrollment will define Staben’s tenure at UI.
Increasing enrollment is critical. Without it, the university will continue to fall fur-ther behind peer institutions and shrink its regional influence.
Without it, talented and hard-working faculty and staff will continue to leave UI to take higher-paying positions at intuitions that
have the funds to pay them what they are worth. Without it, the university will have no choice but to continue to pay faculty and staff below market value.
As many on campus already know, low salaries make it that
much harder to find qualified candidates for open positions.
Perhaps Staben’s tenure will become anoth-er one of UI’s many short-lived presidencies.
Perhaps Staben will solve the enrollment problem and in doing so help UI too.
I wish all the best to Staben and the new crew of administrators. They seem to have the enthusiasm and experience to solve UI’s enroll-ment problems.
