As the Governor and legislators grapple with how to fill our state's $2.2 billion budget deficit, UNC officials jetted off to the ACC Tournament in the state's airplane at taxpayer expense.
UNC officials are claiming it's a business trip. Unlikely story since UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp's wife, teenage son and pre-teen daughter were also along for the ride. I don't know about you, but I don't take my wife and 2 kids on a business trip. Also three employees "who work in fundraising and university relations" went along as well (Rams Club more than likely).
And the excuse for taking the state plane according to the N&O:
Advancement Matt Kupec wrote, "Incidentally, the trip will cost less
than if we had used commercial flights."
By my rough count, Delta has 10 flights a day from RDU to Atlanta. US Air has flights available for as low as $138 round-trip. So for Thorpe and the 3 members of his family, it would cost $552.
From the N&O story: the state Department of Commerce charges $770 an hour for the use of the jet, or $1,025 an hour for athletics-related events.
If the flight is an hour each way, that's $2,050 total expense for the flight. If Thorpe had flown commercial his price would be about a quarter of that.
I don't have a problem with the Chancellor representing the university at the ACC Tournament, I just have a problem with him using a more expensive mode of travel when the taxpayers are picking up the tab.
Did you see this part of the story? Sounds like the taxpayers won’t be picking up the tab after all.
“Lisa Katz, a spokeswoman for UNC-CH, said a university-affiliated foundation will reimburse the state for the flight. The Thorps will reimburse the foundation for their children’s travel, she said.
The Thorps will fly home Sunday on a private jet owned by trustee Don Stallings, who is providing it free.”
Driving to Atlanta would’ve been a much cheaper alternative. It isn’t so far from Chapel Hill that driving is unfeasible. I can understand that the chancellor receives a free ticket and travel but I would prefer that he used the cheapest possible travel since my tuition is going up next fall and funding from the legislature will be considerably less because of the recession.
Porter,
Do you honestly believe the Thorps would be “reimbursing” the foundation at all if the story wasn’t exposed in the paper?
What about the taxpayer-funded labor required to complete all the paperwork and reports involved in this ordeal?
The plane still needs to get back to NC from Atlanta, even if the Thorps aren’t on it. Who will pay for the return flight?
Answer these questions before you declare that there will be no “tab” for the taxpayers to pick up.
So let me get this straight.
You’re original post cites all the expenses of the trip without including the part of the story about the reimbursement and now your response is about the possible taxpayer labor involved in the “ordeal?”
And wouldn’t there be a paperwork cost if they took a commercial flight as you recommend? Isn’t there a paperwork cost when a chancellor travels anywhere, regardless or how he or she travels?
I am not sure Thorp should have used a state plane either, but it seems like if you are going to cite a story about it, you ought to cite the parts that address your objections and well as the parts that support them.
Porter,
Number 1 – it wasn’t my post.
Number 2 – if the Thorps flew commercial on their own dime, no there would be no taxpayer labor involved
Number 3 – you didn’t address the other two questions in my comment