State Legislature yanks capital projects funding from EMU, WCC at last minute

The move came in the wee hours of last Thursday night as the Legislature rushed to wrap up its business with a flurry of activity, including votes on the capital aid budget for the state’s community colleges, colleges and universities.

“What concerns me and a number of colleagues is the message this sends to us after what we did to hold the line on tuition for working families,” said EMU Regent Jim Stapleton, who is the chairman of the regents’ finance committee. “Everyone (in Lansing) said they would remember what we did with the zero, zero, zero (a zero percent increase in tuition, fees and room and board for this school year) when it came to the capital outlay.”

Mike Boulus, the executive director of the Presidents Council, State Universities of Michigan, said those schools who got left out, which also included Western Michigan University, had the right to be angry about the process.

“This is not about projects and value,” he said. “They were looking for 56 votes to get the bill passed and that’s what they got. It was a lame-duck (Legislature) that was looking to go home. It’s a very sloppy process.”

The process started earlier in the fall. EMU regents’ approved asking the state for 75 percent of the $38 million cost to renovate Strong Hall in late October.

The building was built in 1957 and has not had any significant renovations since then, university officials have said.

Under the normal procedure, the state would cover 75 percent of the cost and the university would cover the rest if the state decides to fund it.

Plans call for modernizing classrooms and lab spaces and adding new technology, along with updating the fire suppression systems and replacing structural, mechanical and electrical systems.

The request was sent off to the Legislature, joining requests from a variety of other universities.

Eastern’s request won approval at the committee level and in early versions of bills in both the state House and the state Senate, as did WCC’s request. After both the House and Senate approved the bills, the two chambers got together to iron out the differences.

Somewhere late Thursday, that ironing smoothed EMU and WCC right out of the money.

“It was a Republican-controlled process,” Whitworth said. “The Senate called the shots on it and we have Democratic (legislators). It was purely political.”

As the night wore on, state Rep. Alma Wheeler-Smith, D-Salem Township, introduced an amendment on the floor of the House to add Eastern’s funding back into the bill. State Rep. Rebekah Warren, D-Ann Arbor, did the same for WCC.

Both failed. However, the University of Michigan's Ann Arbor campus got $30 million towards the $64 million cost of renovating the G.G. Brown Memorial Laboratories.

“It got to a point where it was fitting money available to projects,” Wheeler-Smith said. “It was a matter of fighting. Then a decision was made by who got projects funded recently and Eastern Michigan University had gotten funding in 2008 (for Pray-Harrold).”

WCC also got funding in 2008, the last capital outlay bill, Whitworth said.

The bill passed the House and the Senate and is expected to be signed into law.

The last-second yanking of the money has Eastern officials seeing red.

“The Legislature for years has called on universities to hold the line on tuition,” said Leigh Greden, EMU’s executive director of government and community relations.

Greden said the Legislature passed up a chance to reward universities who kept tuition down, which might have provided an incentive for other universities to follow suit.

“When we don’t raise tuition, clearly there are fewer resources available for things, including infrastructure improvements."

Wheeler-Smith said she had long conversations with lawmakers about Eastern’s tuition increase freeze.

“Yes, Eastern held the line, but that wasn’t enough to sway enough votes,” she said.

Greden said he didn’t expect there to be any long-term fallout.

“We’re doing great things at Eastern and making sure (legislators) know about it.”

David Jesse covers higher education for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at davidjesse@annarbor.com or at 734-623-2534.