Ivy Tech deserves state funding, too

In his recent budget proposal, Gov. Frank O'Bannon announced that while he was holding funding steady for public universities such as IU and Purdue, he was going to give money to Ivy Tech state colleges to fund four new campuses.\nEnrollment continues to climb at Ivy Tech, and the college needs to expand to meet students' needs. This community college serves a different type of student than those who enroll in the state's four-year colleges, and this group must be served.\nWhile IU's enrollment continues to grow, Ivy Tech has increased its student enrollment by more than 6,000 students in the past five years. Today, Ivy Tech's enrollment stands at 68,524, which will probably increase next year. The money proposed by O'Bannon might help ease some of the burden of finding space to accommodate the ever-growing number of students enrolled. \nOne fact that should be mentioned is the amount of funding Ivy Tech is set to receive. O'Bannon has allotted a small portion of his education budget to community colleges. The budget, which is now in front of the House Ways and Means Committee of the General Assembly, allots $2.2 million in funds for community colleges, far less than anticipated. While this is a vast improvement on the $500,000 budget previously given to community colleges, the fact remains that instead of expanding to eight campuses -- as hoped --Ivy Tech will receive funding for only four. \nThe campuses will cost about $1 million during the next two years, said Thad Nation, a spokesman for the governor. \nThe amount of funding for Ivy Tech in O'Bannon's plan would not even make a dent at the IU campuses, nor would it put Ivy Tech on a level to compete with the University. The funding will make community colleges accessible to more students, and, in the end, this justifies the funds allotted to the college.\nStaff vote: 11-3-4