Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025
UIARGONAUT.COM
FOR, OF AND BY THE STUDENTS SINCE 1898
Migrant program gets cut Students and staff distraught after closure Anna Capello and Emily Morales ARGONAUT
The university’s College Assistant Migrant Program (CAMP) was
shut down after federal government cuts to funding on Sept. 15. The U.S. Department of Education Office of Migrant Education officially notified CAMP that its five-year grant would not be renewed. The grant expired on June 30, with a grace period lasting up until Aug. 2. Typically, CAMP is notified in March whether its funding will
be renewed for the next year. CAMP staff and participants said they were devastated to hear the news of the program being defunded. Evelina Arevalos, the director of CAMP at UI, said, “It’s hard to see the chapter close because it’s more than just a program; it’s a family.” Over the decades, CAMP has provided
an environment for its students to have support, family and a place to feel like they belonged. Louie Cortez, a junior at UI and former CAMP student, said, “The program gave me a place to call home… now I worry that future students won’t have the same support, encouragement or community.” Students who were in
the program prior to the shutdown have expressed a need for a formal group or organization to keep the support going. Students are planning to restart the CAMP Organization of Students that ran from 2000-2014, according to UI-CAMP’s Instagram page. This would allow them to keep the sense of community between fellow students who come from
migrant farmworking backgrounds. CAMP was nationally established in 1972 and established on the UI campus in fall of 1999 to help first-year college students from migrant farmworking backgrounds pursue a higher education. Programs like CAMP often provide a sense of security for students... SEE CAMP, PAGE 2
John Keegan | University of Idaho
UI defender Amalia Fonua out-jumps BSU defender Siena Zunino to clear the ball in the Sept. 18 soccer game against Boise State, pictured above. See Gallery on page 12 for more
Ballard Wing residents to Idaho budget cuts will stay move to Stevenson Wing Displacement will begin for students in December or January Austin Kieckhefer ARGONAUT
University of Idaho students living in Ballard Wing, a section of the Wallace Residence Center, will be moved to Stevenson Wing either at the end of this fall semester or the start of the spring semester, depending on the state of Stevenson’s construction. Current Ballard residents will be moved to Stevenson for the remainder of the academic year so that construction and renovations can begin in Ballard, according to the UI website. Students living in Ballard expressed concerns over the lack of communication about how the transfer to Stevenson will occur. “I was informed about a week ago by my roommate. There has been no official confirmation,” said Emmeline Fields, a second-year general education major. “From what I’ve heard, there News, 1
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is going to be a price increase, too.” “I understand and agree with why the university needs to renovate the building. I believe Ballard needs renovation; I just wish I was informed sooner.” said Tadman Nettles, a second floor resident of Ballard. Students were not informed prior to or during move-in week of future renovation plans. John Kosh, the director of business development marketing and communications at UI, was asked for more information about the Stevenson construction. “Our first priority is to communicate directly to impacted residents, so they have clear guidance before we release anything externally,” said Kosh in an email. Kosh said to expect a clearer timeline in the “coming weeks.” Stevenson’s construction remains on schedule. UI has consistently held a policy that requires all registered freshman to live on campus. The construction project is set to increase the number of beds in all housing areas to help accommodate the growing enrollment numbers, while still adhering to the oncampus living policy. Before construction, Opinion, 9
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Theophilus Tower, Wallace Residence Center and the LLCs held roughly 2,074 beds combined. By fall 2027, UI estimates around 2,110 beds in total. During Stevenson’s renovation and shutdown, the North Campus Communities were used to house displaced students. “The on-campus living requirement is essential to the success of our students and their connection to the UI community,” said Erik Elordi, the executive director of campus services, in a previous story by The Argonaut. This construction is part of the university’s $162 million construction project renovating Theophilus Tower, Wallace Residence Center and the Elmwood Apartments, as well as tearing down and building new South Hill Apartments. Ballard’s construction will start once Stevenson’s construction is completed. Theophilus Tower recently finished its top floor’s renovations, with the remaining floors that require work to be completed during the summers of 2026 and 2027. UI began construction and
remodeling quickly after the project was approved by the Idaho State Board of Education in November 2024 with the old South Hill Apartments’ demolition. The construction project is scheduled to be completed in August 2026. Stevenson Wing and the Theophilus Tower began construction in May 2025. The construction to the freshman-priority wing comes at a time when enrollment is at a high, with the university reporting housing at 92% capacity at the beginning of the fall semester. The four wings of the Wallace Residence Center can house up to 800 students. Ballard, Willey, Gooding and Stevenson Wings are connected by the dining hall. Typically, Ballard, Willey, and Gooding are reserved for first-years, with Stevenson reserved for upperclassmen. The renovations to Wallace Residence Center will update 1,056 beds, improve lounges, study spaces and community areas and provide sustainable upgrades. Funding for housing upgrades comes from universityissued long-term bonds, according to the project website.
in FY2027 UI will see $5M cut; all state agencies to resubmit plans Joshua Reisenfeld ARGONAUT
Idaho’s Division of Financial Management told state agencies that the Fiscal Year 2026 budget cut of 3% will continue into 2027 on Wednesday, Sept. 17. University of Idaho President Scott Green informed UI faculty and staff of this at the university faculty meeting held that day. Five house bills were signed into law in 2025 that reduced state revenue for the 2026 fiscal year by over $450 million. HB 25 gradually increases the amount of sales tax revenue allocated for the Transportation Expansion Congestion Mitigation program. HB 40 reduces the state’s flat income tax rate by 0.4%, expands exemptions for some U.S. military pension income and removes capital gains and losses on precious metals for income tax purposes. HB 93 provides refundable tax credits of
University of Idaho
up to $5,000 ($7,500 for special needs students) to pay for some K-12 education expenses (see “Lawsuit” on page 3). HB 231 provides grocery tax credits to offset state sales tax with $50 million in allocated funds. HB 304 reduces state property tax by $100 million starting in 2025. Gov. Brad Little issued an executive order on Aug. 15 to cut midyear spending for state agencies by 3% to avert a deficit. The fiscal year began in July. These cuts reduced UI’s 2026 budget by $5 million, which will continue forward. The directive also requires all state agencies to eliminate general fund budget requests for replacement items, new equipment or vehicles which replace aging models, in FY2027. All state agencies and departments must resubmit their FY2027 budgets by Oct. 3 to be in compliance. “This effort is about ensuring that Idaho government remains lean, efficient and aligned with the values of our taxpayers,” IDFM administrator Lori Wolff wrote in the Sept. 17 budget memo.
Volume 127, Issue no. 3
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