Lawrence Journal-World opinion section

To the editor:

On March 3, the Journal-World reported Kansas University Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little’s response to Gov. Sam Brownback’s decision to lop over $7 million from the KU budget. In the chancellor’s words, “A $7.18 million cut presents significant challenges and will require difficult decisions moving forward.”

The chancellor is certainly correct. This sudden reduction in funding requires that tough decisions about prioritizing programs and even personnel positions be made. For those who care about the future of KU, the prospect of reading many articles about the damaging effects of budget cuts is painful.

But there are those who have no cause for concern about what cuts the chancellor will decide to make. They are the Chinese Communist Party officials in Beijing who are running the CCP’s global Confucius Institute program. For ten years KU has faithfully served as a propaganda partner of the CCP in their joint operation of the KU Confucius Institute. Chancellor Gray-Little and other KU administrators have repeatedly expressed support for this partnership. As a result, CCP officials have no reason to worry about the Journal-World publishing this headline: KU Closes Confucius Institute; Chinese Communist Party Agents Return Home.

This is not right. When Chancellor Gray-Little maintains funding for the CCP’s KU Confucius Institute, as she undoubtedly will, she should also explain why serving the CCP, by operating the KU Confucius Institute, is more important than those programs and positions she will be cutting or eliminating.