Blaming the Victims

From the Tucson Citizen, regarding the recently released White Paper proposals:

"Some proposals stepped out of the realm of a particular college, including one by BIO5 Director Vicki Chandler, who proposed an umbrella program for graduate training within molecular life sciences.
Her proposal advocated establishing a program "to simplify recruitment and admission of graduate students, highlight the excellent faculty and training programs currently at UA and standardize first year education; all of which should increase the recruitment of more of the top graduate students in the country." Chandler added that the "low number of quality graduate students at UA is often cited as a reason faculty go elsewhere."

http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/ss/local/99562.php

Let us suggest the possibility that graduate students go elsewhere because they are made more competetive offers from other schools. Many of our 'peer' institutions offer graduate students a more reasonable teaching schedule, dissertation funding, even dental insurance. So here's a heads-up: even if you 'highlight' your great faculty, some people won't come because they're really attached to the idea of not burying themselves in debt, getting good healthcare and learning on a more reasonable schedule while not teaching a huge course load and trying to conduct their own research.

If graduate students are the key to attracting quality faculty, then offer them more.