News Highlights

Pizza and politics a popular forum

Piepho, Sheran, Brynaert and Robinson addressed students at a political forum Tuesday.

2006-10-04

By Robb Murray

Mankato Free Press

The cynic would suggest that, while the south Ballroom of Minnesota State University, Mankato's student union was surprisingly full with more than 150 students, that it was the free pizza — not the political candidates — that pulled in the crowd.

The pizza was good. No doubt about that. But if it were just the pizza, wouldn'tthe students have ducked out of there as soon as the last swallow of pepperoni slid downtheir throats? Most students hung around Tuesday in the Centennial Student Union ballroom and heard what Republican and Democratic candidates from the Mankato area had to say about higher education.

Elected office hopefuls in attendance included Republican Mark Piepho andDemocrat Kathy Sheran, both of whom are vying for Senate District 23, and Republican Luke Robinson and Democrat Kathy Brynaert, who are vying for House District 23B.Tuition, of course, was the first and most pressing issue discussed. Since the late1990s, tuition has risen nearly 90 percent.

Brynaert: "I would seek a dialogue with (the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system) and see what it would take to freeze tuition but maintain current levels of service."

Robinson: "We need to put some funding back in so you're not seeing a 15 percentincrease every year." Robinsonalso proposed a plan for students to be able to lock in atuition rate that wouldn't change for four years.

Sheran, noting that state appropriations for higher education have been cut, said, "Ithink that's unacceptable and I think that's wrong."

Piepho: "Education and higher education are among my top priorities." But, he added,radical changes to funding may not be realistic. "People need torealize these things don't happen overnight."

All candidates were asked about the higher education funding reforms offered byGov. Tim Pawlenty and Democratic challenger Mike Hatch. Pawlenty's plan would offertwo free years of college for students who graduate in the top quarter of their class, andtwo more free years for those who pursue careers in science or math. Hatch's plan wouldroll tuition back for everyone.

Neither Democrat was thrilled with Pawlenty's plan for its exclusion of three fourths of the students in high schools.

Sheran: "The best way to assist students is to make sure every student has access tohigher education ... It is the state's obligation to make sure all students have access."

Brynaert: "I'm not terribly fond of either proposal." She added that, while Pawlentyhas said he'll use the state's budget surplus to help fund his program, she's not certainthe surplus even exists. Inflation hasn't been factored in, and until it is, no oneshould be making plans to spend it. She also said Pawlenty's plan doesn'taddress tuition, and does nothing for current students.

Piepho objected to Hatch's plan to fund his proposal partly by closing off tax loopholes.

"We need to be careful with loopholes," he said, and suggested the amount of moneygained by closing loopholes isn't easily predicted.

Robinson agreed, saying closing tax loopholes would equate to nothing more thandouble taxing business. Doing that, he said, could cause those businesses to leave the state.

They also addressed textbook costs. Robinson suggested, and Piepho agreed with, atextbook rental system that would save students tons of money; Brynaert worried that meddling with the textbook system should be done only in such a way that preserves academicfreedom and instructor choice; Sheran said the state should fund an analysis of the issue to find out the best ways to move forward with a plan to save students money.

Student Nolan Chenevert enjoyed the chance to hear the candidates, especially Brynaertand Robinson, whom he knew nothing about until Tuesday.

"It was better than I expected," said Chenevert, a social studies major from NorthBranch who calls himself a conservative.

Student Natalie Perry, a senior majoring in English and political science, alsoliked what she heard.

"I really liked the part about renewable resources," she said.

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