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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Boise

Bell suggests tapping UI reserves; Nellis says they’ve eroded

JFAC Co-Chair Maxine Bell questions University of Idaho President Duane Nellis on Monday. She asked whether the UI could tap its reserves; Nellis said they've "eroded" and that's a concern. (Betsy Russell)
JFAC Co-Chair Maxine Bell questions University of Idaho President Duane Nellis on Monday. She asked whether the UI could tap its reserves; Nellis said they've "eroded" and that's a concern. (Betsy Russell)

JFAC Co-Chair Rep. Maxine Bell, R-Jerome, said the University of Idaho has exercised good fiscal management and has maintained reserves in tough times. She told UI President Duane Nellis, "I hope you can find some one-time ways to help us through this." Nellis responded, "I do worry, though. ... If we were to have a major windstorm or flood or some significant event, fire, we're very, very concerned about that. ... What if a major piece of research equipment breaks for a project that is bringing in millions of dollars?" Some flexibility is needed to deal with such situations, he said. "We've gradually eroded that base, and are very concerned about that."



Betsy Z. Russell
Betsy Z. Russell joined The Spokesman-Review in 1991. She currently is a reporter in the Boise Bureau covering Idaho state government and politics, and other news from Idaho's state capital.

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