Editorial: Disparity in funding has to be aired

University Regent Steve Sisolak believes that UNLV is getting shortchanged by the Legislature. Sisolak says that figures supplied to him show that the University of Nevada, Reno receives $10,373 per student compared to only $7,310 at UNLV.

UNR officials cite a number of reasons why such a disparity exists. For instance, they say the Reno campus has higher operating expenses for maintaining the school of medicine and other expensive graduate programs. In addition, they note UNR has a higher percentage of students in high-cost undergraduate programs, such as engineering and nursing. While some of these factors may contribute to a disparity, it is not clear to Nevadans that they account fully for the wide gap in per-student funding.

To put this in perspective, North-South funding disparities have simmered since Las Vegas cemented itself as the state's economic power in the 1980s. At the state government level, some Southern Nevada fears have been accentuated because the legislative leadership is dominated by Northern Nevadans, even though the South has an overwhelming population advantage. One notable example of why Southern Nevadans wonder if they are being treated fairly was a complicated tax shift passed in the early 1980s that resulted in millions of dollars being sent from Southern Nevada to Northern Nevada. It took legislation a decade later to correct this imbalance.

So Southern Nevadans have reason to be suspicious that they may not be getting their fair share of higher education dollars. But suspicions alone don't necessarily equate to evidence. Southern Nevada must be careful not to get caught up in retribution or in settling old scores. As the debate is joined, it is hoped that sectionalism will be left at the door.

This should not be misconstrued, though, to suggest that the status quo should be immune from a top-to-bottom review. The regents, legislators and the governor need to examine this thoroughly and not sweep any funding disparities under the rug. If UNLV students are getting short shrift of funding, the Legislature needs to correct this imbalance. Any identifiable inequities that can be remedied during this legislative session should occur. But care should be taken to make sure this is done right; a quick fix may only exacerbate the situation.

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