Opinion

Tier one status brings money, plans

The Texas Senate unanimously approved House Bill 51 late Sunday. This bill is partly designed to ensure more universities in Texas are given the premier tier one designation, including UH.

The tier one title ensures UH will receive compensatory, scaled grants from the Competitive Knowledge Fund, based on its annual research budget. The number to aim for is $150 million, with UH currently falling short, spending about $75 million yearly.

Though it may seem like a lot, in research terms, $75 million is only about enough to collide half a dozen subatomic particles.

Alternately, the exciting field of bioengineering is fiscally more manageable. According to high-level sources in the Office of Scientific Intelligence, an entire human being can be reconstructed better, faster, and stronger with little more than $6 million.

The measure passed unanimously in both the Texas State Senate and House of Representatives, a virtual miracle in itself. The average state congress can’t unanimously pass a nonbinding resolution declaring which month will be statewide ‘floral awareness month,’ much less a bill with any real teeth.

Texas is hoping to garner a few more tier one universities. Currently, California has nine tier one universities and New York has five.

Of course, California schools spend most of their $150 million on peace, love, and hash – a natural advantage they alone enjoy.

Texas is hoping to prove it has the facilities and faculties to make an impression in fields such as biomedical sciences, community advancement and arts and human enrichment, according to the University’s Web site.

What is arts and human enrichment research? The Web site’s answer is about as exuberant as could be hoped for from a research-oriented standpoint.

‘The culture focus delves in the various forms of social and psychological interaction while promoting critical thinking about global issues and problems ‘hellip; [The faculty] are storytellers and scholars.’

Doubtless, with a few extra million dollars, UH and folks within this cluster could really make a dent in those ‘global issues and problems.’ Thanks to the Texas State Senate, it’s likely to happen in the near future.

UH may even be so well financed through the bill, it can consider hiring someone to research exactly why colliding subatomic particles is so significant and vital.

Kevin Cook is an English junior and may be reached at [email protected]

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