Last week some engineering students and professors at UNLV gathered to protest budget cuts they believed would eliminate their departments. The problem is, no one actually suggested cutting engineering.

The engineering departments were listed as the most expensive, which isn't surprising. But no one suggested that because they were expensive they should be eliminated. The university simply allowed the media, taxpayers, professors and students to draw their own connections.

Somehow, these students and teachers ended up protesting about nothing and no one bothered to clarify that for them. One of two possibilities explains why this happened. Either the engineering students and teachers need better reading comprehension skills, or the leadership at UNLV needs to have the integrity to explain the situation with some honesty, and to stop misleading and manipulating the already-worried students.

My money is on the latter possibility.