“Absurdity” is a word that might apply to a number of things going on in the Kansas Legislature these days, but a state legislator’s use of that term to summarily dismiss all of the Kansas Board of Regents’ requests for program enhancement funds disrespects both higher education and the legislative process.

Rep. Virgil Peck, R-Tyro, a member of a Kansas House budget subcommittee didn’t want to just reject the requests, he wanted to send a special message about his general disregard for state universities. Over the protests of a couple of Democrats and moderate Republicans, the subcommittee followed Peck’s suggestion to add a note to the regents’ request, chastising the schools for daring to suggest how they could use some additional funding to better serve the state. He said the note should refer to “the absurdity of some of the enhancement requests.”

In the budget atmosphere that state officials have created, it may be impossible to fund the requests, but that doesn’t mean they are without merit. Finding it difficult in recent legislative sessions to gain approval for general financial support for their institutions, the regents and state universities have tried to target “enhancements” that respond to specific educational and economic development goals stated by state legislators.

Kansas University was seeking funds for a new Drug and Vaccine Discovery Institute and to provide modest merit-based salary increases for the KU School of Medicine faculty. Those address specific legislative desires to boost the transfer of university research to commercial ventures and provide more doctors and nurses for Kansas. Emporia State was seeking funds for its nursing program; Wichita State and Kansas State wanted support for their technology and architecture programs. These are the exact areas that legislators have said universities should address.

Another concern frequently expressed by legislators is the rising cost of tuition, and, yet, at the same time Peck was disparaging the regents’ requests, he suggested that universities raise tuition to fund the enhancements. Was he serious or just being sarcastic?

There is reason to wonder whether Peck even examined the proposals or simply looked at the total price tag and verbally threw them in the trash. He reportedly joined the subcommittee the same day the hearing was held, so he might not have had much time to do his homework.

Something tells us Peck wasn’t very interested in the details of this proposal or any opinion that might differ from his own. After all, he reportedly was the force behind the House Local Government Committee’s bill that would prohibit community college and university personnel from using their work titles when writing any kind of an opinion piece for a newspaper.

State universities understand that the state’s fiscal situation is dire, but they wouldn’t be doing their job if they didn’t put forth some forward-looking ideas for legislators to consider. All they want is a fair hearing, but that apparently was too much to ask in Monday’s subcommittee session.