In a meeting with The Argonaut’s editorial board Friday, University of Idaho President Chuck Staben addressed recent campus issues and goals for the remainder of the 2016-2017 academic year. Staben answered questions about the new tobacco-free and dry tailgating policies, the recent euthanizing of feral cats on campus and his 10-year strategic plan for the university.
The meeting helped clear up some of the misunderstandings surrounding recent events, while also shedding light on his plans for the future of UI.
In regards to the new tobacco policy on campus, Staben said the policy shouldn’t have come as a shock to students and staff. The original draft of the policy was set to be implemented in August 2015, so the summer start date was already in motion.
When it comes to enforcing the policy, Staben said there has been very little resistance from smokers when asked to put out their cigarettes. Staben also said that most of the community will agree this policy produces positive results, and responses have been cordial from students and staff.
Perhaps the most notable policy change this fall has been the absence of alcohol at university tailgating events.
UI tailgating is dry following a vote from the Idaho State Board of Education that denied UI’s proposal for alcohol-friendly tailgating zones, reinforcing the state’s policy of alcohol-free public lands. Staben said the Moscow Police Department will be focusing on behavior at tailgating events, rather than actively pursuing tailgaters to find out what is in their drinks. This parallels what authorities have told The Argonaut in recent interviews.
The meeting with Staben also brought up the controversy that recently captured statewide headlines.
The early summer incident of cats being euthanized on campus is one that Staben is well aware of. Last Friday, Staben charged a task force with investigating the rules and procedures that are meant to be followed in the case of pest management.
Staben also provided the editorial board with a glimpse of his vision for the university’s future. Staben said part of the plan to make UI a better institution is to make wages for faculty and staff competitive with the rest of the nation.
This presents a challenge. Revenue needs to increase in order to increase the school budget, which would help accomplish that goal. The university’s biggest source of revenue is students, which is why Staben said his focus is to increase enrollment and retention.
Some successes have already come through with Idaho’s Direct Admission, even though the exact numbers have yet to be calculated. Staben said further steps to decrease the burden of college on students is to eliminate the application fee for first-year students in the future.
Also on the UI administration’s radar is the Idaho Arena, something Staben said he’s wanted to see come to fruition since he came to campus in 2014. The arena would replace the Cowan Spectrum as the home for the UI men’s and women’s basketball teams.
Staben said fundraising for the Idaho Arena has gone well, and that the project will be entering its public phase soon, meaning that plans to begin building the arena aren’t far off.
Staben plans to address the university about the successes and challenges of the goals he has set out for this year at the State of the University Address Oct. 5.
—CW