Politics & Government

Editor's Column: What Does Price Lab's Closure Say About Our Leaders?

Price Laboratory closing is a big story that doesn't appear to be losing steam.

University of Northern Iowa leaders have misled us all.

Or, they haven't been open and have lost our confidence in closing the doors on Price Lab School and other academic programs.

Or is it that leaders have developed a plan that will make UNI stronger in the long run?

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As journalists, we hear different sides of stories. Our job is to make sense of it, give stakeholders a voice and present news in a fair and accurate way.

That has been been our approach in covering the important news about closing , the teaching lab for college students and school to 350-plus children and academic programs. 

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The tough times facing UNI remind me of a similar series of events at the University of Iowa a few years back when the school had several graduate programs on the chopping block.

For comprehensive coverage of the closure and other budget cuts, visit the Cedar Falls Patch topic page. Get notified of the latest on Price Lab and other UNI and community news by signing up for the Cedar Falls Patch newsletter

Rumors swirled about which programs would be cut or spared and how many jobs would be lost. Faculty were angry, administrators were vilified and students were caught in the middle.

Empathizing with Faculty, Administrators and Students

I empathized with the devastated professors, some of whom had devoted a career's worth of work to their programs. I also empathized with the administrators whose hands were tied by the budget and were forced between one unpopular choice and another.

As journalists, we try to stay above the fray, which helps us call things for what they are.

For example, students and their families have every right to be upset, particularly those in their twilight at Price Lab, when they find out in the 11th hour their school will close at the end of the year.

Planning, timing and transparency should have been better.

But it's also hard not to feel for the administrators, who have been talking for years about their dire situation, including the likelihood of program closures and layoffs. They've appeared before the Legislature and the Iowa Board of Regents to plead their case, yet some of the most severe budget cuts in the nation have come their way in recent years.

No one said much at that time, and now it appears too late.

The Public Didn't Respond Until it Was Too Late

Unfortunately, it takes a decisive act like the closure of Price Lab for the public to get involved. If the outrage occurred a few years ago, this may have been a very different story.

It's with this mindset of trying to see all sides that Cedar Falls Patch will keep covering this story.

We want our readers to know about the college students holding as a sign of protest, just as much as we want you to hear about vision of how these changes can make UNI stronger in the long run.

We want you to know about the faculty voting , as much as we want you to know how shifting values of what is a public good versus a private service affects funding at the legislative level.

As we try to walk the fine line of fairness to all sides, we do at times hear from people who feel there is more to the story. For example, last week we reported about Allen making . The university felt the statements were accurate but did not provide enough context. We didn't take our article down, but we happily expanded it to include a fuller explanation.

Please Join in the Discussion

One of my favorite parts about Patch is this model is just as much about us sharing information with you as it is providing a forum for everyone to share information.

We will continue digging for answers and covering events, but I also ask you not to be a passive reader.

Please join in the discussion. If you are actively involved or just a bystander who cares, take part in our Local Voices platform to post blogs at your leisure. Post a letter to the editor though our announcement module, or submit pictures or video through Cedar Falls Eyes and Ears Tumblr page.

B.A. Morelli is an associate regional editor for Iowa.


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