Editorial | Focusing priorities

The stimulus bill that passed the House and the Senate in February included an amendment that has potential to void the job offers of international students who wish to stay in the U.S.

The amendment restricts the hiring of foreign workers with H-1B visas by firms accepting funds from the Troubled Assets Relief Program.

In response, the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly passed a proposal to raise awareness of the amendment among students and faculty. The ultimate goal of the proposal is to encourage the University administration and local congressmen to lobby against the amendment.

While this is an important issue, it is sadly not the only thing on the University's list of issues contained in the stimulus package to address.

For instance, the University must already focus energy toward combating proposed tax-break reductions that could significantly affect funding at the university level. The University relies on both tuition and donations for funding. However, the Obama administration has decreased the amount of tax breaks one can receive for making donations to charitable organizations, including universities.

The University's current Making History capital campaign has raised nearly two-thirds of its $3.5 billion goal, but in order to keep the campaign on track and funding in check, the University should focus on insuring the continuation of donations.

The fact that foreign workers are having their job offers rescinded is unfortunate and an issue that should be resolved. But the University cannot fight against any unfair legislation if it does not have the money to pay for it.

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