With tens of millions in taxpayer dollars being directed to the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine, and with the creation of the Oklahoma State University Veterinary Medicine Authority, there were many ecstatic press release quotes issued - by OSU, by legislative sponsors, the Oklahoma Farm Bureau, the Dean of CVM and others.
Indeed, larger budgets and needed oversight are welcomed, except we ask the question: Did legislators know the full extent of issues when they directed tens of millions of dollars to CVM?
We reviewed every article and press release we could find - and not one of them mentioned the significant challenges facing CVM.
We were curious whether the legislature was fully aware of the depth and scope of problems facing CVM when they voted on giving them tens of millions of taxpayer dollars. So we talked to someone who would know - a person who works with OK legislators, who responded to us this way:
“I think there was awareness that things were tough, but they made it sound like it was just old buildings and old equipment. Bad decisions in the past, stuff like that. Maybe some more money would help recruiting. Update the campus. There was definitely no discussion about so many people leaving and hospital services shutting down, things like that. No.”