1993_02 The Daily Collegian February 1993

              2 — Opinion
The Daily Collegian
Monday, Feb. 8,1993
IDITORIAL
Ray of hope
for future
Bureaucracy, as defined by the American Heritage
Dictionary, is "an administrative system in which the
need to follow complex procedures impedes effective
action."
As the long list of CSUF President John Welty-
appointed committees continued to grow (always
looking and examining and investigating and approx£
mating, never actually getting its hands inside the
heart of the matter), it seemed for a moment as if *
bureaucracy was embedded in the halls of the Thomas
Administration Building.
Yet after 4,000 pink cards signed by students were
placed in every conceivable place in Welty's office,
inside his microwave, on his desk, and even inside his •
computer, and after Student Coalition Against Real
Educational Disaster (SCARED) members met with
Welty, University Provost Alex Gonzalez and Paul
Bissonnette to discuss their distresses, progress began.
Fortunately, the same bureaucratic door which the
administration had previously been hiding behind was
swung open with a ray of hope for the future.
The administration's ears were suddenly perked for
listening, as if all the time they had been closed, only
to open up for a group of determined students with
real complaints and real concerns. Demands were
speedily met—the university's add/drop period was
extended. Kennel Bookstore's book buy-back was
extended, deans were asked to accommodate as many
students as possible in their classes—and progress was
not hindered by administrative red-tape.
It showed, in an old-fashioned sort of way, that
students are still a concern for administration—an idea
which in past semesters seemed to be forgotten.
The reports of growing administrative salaries while
class sections were wiped out took its toll, and the
faith of the students in an administration to lead them
out of the dark tunnel of economic destitution was
lost
The administration was blinded in a cloud of its own
analyses of budgets, numbers, and graphs. The class
sections they were cutting out were merely schedale
numbers on a piece of paper.
They had yet to see the real effect these decisions
were causing, until it met up with them at their front,
door, 4,000 cards reading "Mad As Hell" all over the
place.
No committee was appointed to overlook the
situation. No studies were commissioned. No paper¬
work was involved, save for the few hundred copies of
Welty's memo decreeing add/drop's extension which
were seni. to the aniversity community.
Correction
An article appearing in the Feb. 2 edition of the Daily
Collegian contained inaccurate information concerning
funding for the Instructional Related Activities depart¬
ment It should haxe stated that.the CSUF Athletic
Corporation nas decreased IRA funding to zero.
the: mrmM
Commentary
Wasted taxpayer money
By Phil Ray
Ed. Note.'JHr. Ray is director of research at the
American Federation of State, County, and Municipal
Employees (AFSCME). AFL-CIO.
Remember the $600 hammers and toilet seats at the
U.S. Defense Department?
Such waste and abuse continues.
It was recently disclosed that the American tax-payer
has been reimbursing government contractors for such
outrageous expenses 3f Christmas parties, tickets to
sporting events, and health club memberships.
Why does this gross waste and mismanagement of
taxpayers' dollars continue? A recent investigation by
the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
found that the federal government has failed to prop¬
erly monitor and audit government contractors. As a
result, minimal control exists over contract c6sl
reimbursements.
The "serious deficiencies"1^ the federal procurement
system have, according to OMB, resulted in billions of
dollars in wasted taxpayer money. \
The House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investi¬
gations, which recently held hearings on the new OMB
report, has been investigating the problems with the'
federal procurement system for the past ten years.
According to Congressman John D. Dingell (D-MI).
"the OMB report shows that this and the previous
administration went too far in contracting out govern¬
ment functions."
The subcommittee pushed for more auditors as
government functions were increasingly turned over to
private companies. Ironically, the Bush Administra¬
tion, in its zeal to save money, persisted in cutting the
number of auditors despite convincing evidence that
they represented a wise investment.
_ s AFSCME is against contracting out. Although
public sector unions are often viewed as taking this
position only to protect jobs, it is not just an issue of
employment.
Governments are charged with the responsibility to
manage and protect public resources and to deliver
high quality services.
Contracting out is not the solution to fiscal distress
nor does it represent innovation in the publi^ sector. It
is an expensive approach to public serviccaelivery.
The OMB report is further evidence to support this
claim. With respect to federal contracting, we will
never know exactly how expensive.
According to the report, there have been many
instances in which contracts were closed without being
audited. In addition, a significant number of contracts
were awarded without a pre-award audit. In other
words, contracts were assigned without anyone
knowing whether the price was reasonable.
See Column, page 3
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