QUAKE CENTER: THIRD OF BUDGET ELIMINATED

The Center for Earthquake Studies on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University received a financial shakeup Thursday. About a third of its budget $65,000 was vetoed by Gov. John Ashcroft.

Director Michael Coe said the funding represented "a pretty big chunk" of the center's operating budget. But he said the action would not close down the center.

"Obviously, it will mean some tight purse strings for us," said Coe.

The veto did not come as a total surprise to Coe or the university. That's because the funding was not included in the governor's original budget package in January, but was put back in by the Missouri General Assembly during the regular session.

The center and its former co-director David Stewart came into the national limelight during Iben Browning's earthquake prediction last Dec. 3. But Coe doesn't feel the center's role in that controversy led to the loss of funding.

"I don't think it was a repercussion. I think it was due to state funding shortages," said Coe.

Tony Moulton, state budget director, agreed.

"From our point of view, Southeast Missouri State was giving direct support to the earthquake center for some time," he said. "This is a responsibility that Southeast has shouldered voluntarily. We felt they might be able to pick up more of the costs."

But the state budget director admitted that could be more difficult in the face of $317,000 in vetoed funding and $1.6 million in withholdings, which were slashed from Southeast's budget Thursday. That figure did not include the earthquake funding veto, which came from the State Emergency Management Agency budget.

Southeast President Kala Stroup said Thursday: "There isn't any money to take up the slack."

She said, "The money that was cut was earmarked for emergency preparedness efforts in the region." The loss of money clearly limits the scope of the center, she said.

"It isn't that we would close the center, but we won't be able to do all the out-reach functions," said Stroup.

Stewart, the center co-director, resigned Dec. 11 amid controversy over what critics saw as his support of Browning's prediction of a major earthquake occurring along the New Madrid Fault.

Stewart remains on the university faculty and assists the center with various projects, Coe said.

Moulton said the Browning prediction last December was really "a peripheral issue" to the funding issue.

He said there remains a standing need for earthquake preparation, warning systems and education, particularly in the southeast quadrant of the state. "That was not diminished by the flurry of events last fall," he said.

Ironically, it marks only the second year of state funding for the center.

"The governor felt this was a definite priority early last year when the budget was formulated," said Coe. That was not long after a major California earthquake, and he said there was heightened interest in earthquake hazard reduction.

"Since then, other issues have come to the forefront. Obviously, the governor's office doesn't have the same ranking of priorities as we would," said Coe.

The director said the center receives its funding from several sources, including state and federal grants and contracts for specific projects. "This was the only general state funding appropriated specifically for the center," he said.

The university provides the facilities, and pays for center overhead.

"We're hoping the university can make up some of the reduction in funds, but that's not my decision to make," he said.

The earthquake center currently operates with a staff of three, including Coe. He said a vacated clerical position would probably remain unfilled.

Coe maintained the funding loss will limit continued growth of the center. "Since its inception in April of 1989, the center has been growing, in terms of staff and programs," he explained. "Now, future growth is definitely in question."

Craig Rodick, fiscal officer with the State Emergency Management Agency, said agency officials were disappointed to learn of the budget cuts for the earthquake center.

Rodick said it is somewhat unusual for state funding to be eliminated in only the second year of a program's operation. He said the earthquake flap last December might have had some impact. "Mostly, I've heard it was just a matter of tight state finances," he said.

"We were all for the earthquake center staying open," said Rodick. "The earthquake threat is still very much there. It didn't go away because Browning's prediction didn't come true. We still need to plan and prepare for earthquakes."