Student-supported legislation fails after Gregoire vetoes

The end of the 2008 legislative session left something to be desired for UW lobbyists, who worked to gain funding for UW projects including support for student-parents, better access to mental health care, the Husky Stadium renovation and more rights for transfer students.

“I think that all the students were celebratory after the end of the session because we had built so much support with the Legislature for our top priorities,” said junior Bryce McKibben, director of the ASUW Office of Government Relations and president of the Washington Student Lobby (WSL). “The vetoes of some of those priorities came as a complete surprise to us. There is some sort of disconnect between students and the office of the governor.”

Gov. Chris Gregoire vetoed $1.1 million in funding for child care for students at two- and four-year institutions in the state, despite bipartisan support for child care issues.

The governor’s veto was part of a trimmer budget, which was finalized last Tuesday. Gregoire slashed $15 million in spending from the state operating budget in a move to conserve state finances. The additional savings created a projected $850 million reserve fund in preparation for a possible deficit of more than $2 billion next year due to the nation’s weakening economy.

The veto, however, may have an impact on degree completion.

“Lack of adequate child care is one of the top three barriers to degree completion for student parents,” said Sarah Reyneveld, vice president of the Graduate and Professional Student Senate (GPSS).

More student-parents will be on waiting lists, and there is the potential for more students to drop out due to a lack of adequate funding, Reyneveld said. The veto specifically affects graduate and professional students because a disproportionate number of these students are student-parents of nontraditional age, she said.

“We see this as an access and retention issue,” Reyneveld said. “Without access to child care, student-parents end up falling through the cracks and not completing their degrees.”

Since the policy bill was passed by the Legislature, the UW will receive a small increase in funding proportional to what is contributed to child care from student fees. However, the small increase isn’t the entire solution.

“This is really like putting a Band-Aid on the problem,” Reyneveld said.

Child care funding was the top priority for both ASUW and the WSL, McKibben said.

“I don’t get the impression that there’s even a lot of recognition that they vetoed our number-one priority,” he said.

Counselor funding at UW vetoed

Mental health access, as a part of student leaders’ focus on campus safety, was another top priority for lobbyists.

Lobbying by GPSS and ASUW representatives seemed to have paid off when the state House of Representatives operating budget was released and included $88,000 for a new mental health counselor position at the UW.

However, the victory became short-lived when Gregoire vetoed the funding for the new counseling position.

“Safety means preventative measures, including our response to mental health coverage,” Reynevald said. “Safety cannot be addressed without addressing mental health care issues.”

The UW Counseling Center has seen a 30 percent increase in the total number of students seeking access this year, Reynevald said.

“UW lags behind peer institutions and student to mental health provider ratio,” she said. “This will definitely have repercussions on students.”

Gregoire expressed support for campus safety legislation and suggested electronic notification systems — not mental health funding — as a way to address campus safety.

Student representatives don’t see campus safety as a choice between these strategies, Reynevald said.

“We came in supportive of the governor’s campus safety proposals,” she said. “It was very disappointing at the 11th hour for the governor to veto both [child care and mental health care] initiatives.”

Transfer student bill vetoed, Husky Stadium renovations delayed

Another significant hit to Washington student lobbyists was Gregoire’s veto of HB 2783, which addressed rights guaranteed to transfer students and suggested systems for monitoring their progress.

Like most of the proposed legislation, funding for the Husky Stadium renovation went through a series of ups and downs during the session.

The bill did not pass, but a letter to Seattle and King County officials — signed by Speaker of the House Frank Chopp, Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown and Gregoire — kept the legislation alive for at least another year.

The letter proposes that a legislative task force specifically evaluate King County projects, including the Husky Stadium renovation, to secure funding for these projects. The task force is expected to have a final report Dec. 1, 2008.

“We don’t have a lot of time left with Husky Stadium,” McKibben said.

Student representatives will continue to move forward until the next legislative session.

“We hope the governor is going to come around and address the needs of students,” McKibben said. “Policymakers need to understand why these [issues] are so important for students in terms of access to higher education.”

[Reach reporter Sarah Jeglum at news@thedaily.washington.edu.]