Editorial: Pitt, Corbett should work together to prevent privatization

According to the Department of Education, Pitt ranks as one of the most expensive public schools… According to the Department of Education, Pitt ranks as one of the most expensive public schools in the country. But if recent funding trends continue unchecked, it might not even qualify as a government-supported institution.

As you might have heard, Pitt officials are now considering privatizing the University — or at least, they’ve threatened to do so in the near future. If Gov. Tom Corbett slashes our budget a few more times, Director of Commonwealth Relations Charles McLaughlin said administrators will have to weigh the benefits of “not being affiliated with the state.”

Ending all ties with Pennsylvania’s government would radically change our school, to almost every student’s disadvantage. For one thing, the University might have to eliminate its branch campuses and dismantle some of its community outreach programs and less prominent departments. For another thing, Pitt would probably stop charging differential tuition for in-state and out-of-state students, jacking prices for commonwealth residents. And so long as it receives no government money, the University could entirely disregard the Right-to-Know Law, concealing even more of its spending practices.

Needless to say, we’re not looking forward to these developments, and we hope students do everything in their power to prevent them. Unfortunately, that’s not much — voting Corbett out of office and lobbying legislators for more funding might be the only viable courses of action available to undergraduates. At the same time, we hope both Corbett and Pitt recognize that students aren’t pleased with how they’ve managed our finances.

For the past two years, Corbett has drastically downsized our appropriations, but refused to compensate for budget deficits by raising taxes. And Pitt administrators, for their part, have yet to disclose a majority of their financial records, a gesture that might improve relations with the state and allow outsiders to identify unnecessary expenditures.

We’re even more disappointed by the rationales both parties have employed to justify their actions. Pitt officials claim the state’s budget cuts forced them to raise tuition, but they previously said such raises were assured, although the amount wasn’t fixed. And Corbett maintains that his cuts are a means of holding universities accountable, but he hasn’t explained how this is the case. Indeed, it appears the governor isn’t interested so much in keeping people honest as cutting funds from institutions that aren’t likely to support him in the next election.

Until both parties admit that they bear some of the blame for the current budget debacle, standoffs will persist from year to year. Honesty, and a willingness to engage in levelheaded discussions, will go much further than recriminations. And that seems like something both sides can agree on.