THE SEMESTER has begun on a seemingly depressing note. Classes are swollen, faculty are complaining and students have returned to find services that used to be taken for granted are now costing money. I have my own stories to add to this tale of financial woe: Fourth-year students desperate to get into Politics classes have banged on the door (and some have burst into tears), my wait lists were at unprecedented highs, and my first-year Echols scholars agonized over finding sufficient upper-division classes to remain at the minimum 15 hours required for good standing in the Echols Program. Parents of prospective Echols Scholars call daily to determine whether the budget cuts will make the University a less attractive option for their children. Alas, it's very easy to find causes for grief.
Although complaining may temporarily relieve stress, it doesn't solve structural problems. It's easy to blast politicians in Richmond, the weak economy and Osama bin Laden for the current state of Virginia's finances. But the fact is that the numbers are what they are, the problems are real, and debates over the cause of these ills are largely moot, especially with another fall of the budget axe due momentarily. As members of the University community we must face our responsibilities and
recognize that this time is painful for all of us. There are no easy answers, no quick fixes, and public diatribes only add to the general negative energy and make matters worse for all of us. We're all in this together, and must face this fiscal unpleasantness as a community.
I have always found it best in moments of extremity to focus on constructive solutions rather than fault-finding. The fact is that the University has weathered worse, and these times will pass.
For students worrying about paying for printing, I ask: Would you rather have been in the class listening to President Roosevelt in Memorial Gym in 1940? Or facing the Vietnam War in 1968? For faculty complaining about the pay freeze and the lack of new hires, consider that our institution has historically retained superb faculty despite stringent economies, and that the administration has made professorial retention a core priority during this crisis. Taking such an expansive view is not naive or excessively optimistic: It's a practical means of putting a real problem in perspective. I have no doubt that we will emerge from this budget crisis in many ways stronger than when we entered it. There's nothing like emergency to force confrontation of painful and difficult issues of management, resource allocation and, above all, institutional priorities.
There is no doubt that we will all have to make material sacrifices over the coming years. The staggering deficits and stringent cuts will be felt in all corners of our community. University administrators are to be credited for acting before things reached the crisis point: Hiring was frozen in the College last November, which helped prevent potential layoffs this November. Deans and development officers have been lobbying our friends and alumni for private support, and they have responded with cordial generosity. The friendship and good will that this institution has built for itself, especially among alumni, may well be what helps us endure in the end.
Nevertheless, endurance will be bitter. Students, faculty and the University administration must be willing to face these challenges if we are to remain strong in this time of need. I offer the following suggestions.
For students, accept higher tuition as an unfortunate fact of life. We simply can't make ends meet without it. In-state students pay less than 30 percent of the market cost of their education, and the fact is that the University can't afford the difference. It's true that the University has sold itself as a "bargain," and indeed in-state tuition has been artificially cheap for almost 10 years. But bargains end when the needs of the institution begin: That large an in-state subsidy simply can't work anymore. I don't like it any more than you do, and no one is eager to pay more money. Nevertheless I believe that Virginia parents are well aware of how bad the state budget is, and will understand that the resources for maintaining tuition simply do not exist. I would propose that the increase differential be used solely for academic purposes: retaining and hiring faculty, and to further the core academic mission of the College.
Wouldn't you rather pay marginally more than go through unmitigated hell every time you are closed out of a class? It's these types of trade-offs that you'll need to debate. We simply can't afford to increase class sizes and hire faculty with our current resources. As consumers you'll need to pay more for the services you want, and it's the challenge for the Governor and the Board of Visitors to make sure your extra tuition goes toward the core academic services you value.
For my colleagues on the faculty, my advice is to stop public complaining. We're all hurting, but public excoriations only sap everyone's morale. Taking the position that the lack of a pay increase means that you will stop doing extra "work," such as advising, only makes it harder for everyone else. Dean Ayers is to be credited for handling a terrible situation in the most statesmanlike manner possible: He knows how bad things are, and has done everything humanly possible to plug holes in the budget and enlist the help of the administration in countering external offers. He believes, as do I, that we will weather the storm if we pull together and keep up the University's good name. University officers, like military commanders, must maintain morale while addressing unpleasant business. It does little good to disparage our institution before our peers, or to vent our frustrations on students and parents. We must accept our essential powerlessness in this process and attempt to do our jobs as best we can with the best attitude possible. Let's be honest: Many people in this economy are hurting far worse than we are.
For administrators, this is a time to focus relentlessly on the core values and services of this institution. I've said for years that we exist to educate students, and we need to keep that charge. Every avenue of private or endowment funding that is available must be used to maintain faculty, keep classes accessible and help the students achieve the academic goals that brought them here in the first place. If this means that capital projects are delayed a few years, so be it. Our alumni friends need to be educated as to the realities we face, and should be encouraged to help meet academic needs. We can wait on a new arts center or basketball arena; we can't wait on the torrent of undergraduates desperate to get into classes or faculty facing competitive external offers. As with a business, in times of cutbacks we return to the fundamentals: in this case, our students and faculty.
So, although short term pain and financial sacrifice are inevitable, the University can endure and even prosper in this crisis by developing a sense of community and common purpose in the face of adversity. Jefferson founded this institution during a period of national crisis, and would be proud to see us working together to preserve his mission during another.
(James R. Sofka is a professor of Politics and directs the Echols Scholars Program.)
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