OCTOBER 10, University President John T. Casteen, III sent an alarming e-mail. He announced that the University budget would be cut by over $10 million, a full 7 percent reduction in state funding. Most students probably read only until the sixth paragraph, which says, “Your deans and vice presidents have been looking for ways to adjust spending — without affecting services to the students.” While students breathed a sigh of relief and went about their daily lives, there were others in our community who did not get off the hook that easily. We, the students, should demand a share of the sacrifice.
The current plan leaves staff and faculty members to bear the largest burden of the budget cuts. As these University members read the e-mail, they no doubt noticed the deferral of their scheduled 2 percent salary increase. This increase, which had been slated for November, has been postponed for all faculty and staff until next July with a further option for review at that time.
With gas prices at a higher level than ever before and the Consumer Price Index a full 5 percent higher than last year’s level, this deferred raise is hardly a luxury.
Yet while those around us scrimp and make sacrifices, most students will go about their days without any noticeable changes. Governor Tim Kaine and President Casteen should be applauded for spreading the burden of the budget shortfall by forgoing layoffs in favor of an across-the-board deferment of salary increases. Still, the burden was not extended far enough. Our status as students does not excuse us from our responsibilities as community members.
It is a strange breed of paternalism that shelters students when everyone who makes our University experience possible is asked to pitch in. Clearly, students are members of the University community, and we should ask to be treated as such, in good times and bad. By sharing in the shortfall that we all face, students can help lessen the load borne by others.
While it is far too late to reinstate the pay increase, we should demand that we receive no special treatment. There is still the matter of $10 million in funding that will be cut and students should reject the caveat, “without affecting services to students,” and suggest in its place, “with the smallest possible impact on the community as a whole.” In the long run, according to the C-Ville Weekly, student tuition will increase, but there needs to be short-term sacrifice on the part of students to match that of staff.
Where could student sacrifice play a role? Anywhere from decreased bus service to shorter gym hours. Perhaps Clemons stops ordering movies for non-academic purposes or the library in Clark closes an hour earlier. Of course, those suggestions are all small potatoes compared to a $10 million deficit. There are bigger ticket items that can be deferred as well, from the $8 million all-sport bubble practice field the Board of Visitors approved last week to the restoration of the 100 Lawn and Range rooms which cost, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, an average of $11,000 per room.
Yes, these changes would certainly impact students, but they would also more equitably distribute the burden of the economic downturn. In addition to this moral imperative, there is a practical concern to recognize. Even under the current plan, it is quite dubious to say students will be entirely unaffected. By showing that faculty and staff salary is the first thing to go in times of economic hardship, the University harms its recruitment potential. While students may be getting off easy this year, the future for students will be worse when the University cannot recruit or retain the world-class faculty and staff we have become accustomed to.
Although some may believe that the effect of a 2 percent salary increase deferment is minimal, that is not necessary so. Imagine if you were choosing between two jobs, one of which paid 2 percent more than the other. Or more realistically, imagine choosing between one job where an annual salary increase was guaranteed and another where the increase would be a matter of chance. In truth, the effect on both potential and current faculty and staff is even worse, since you don’t get a salary increase any time the economy falters, which is exactly when you need it.
Ultimately, students must be included in the budget management plan for both moral and practical reasons. As students, we must ask to be treated as equals in the community, even when the going is tough, and we must stand side by side with the staff and faculty with whom we share the University experience.
Isaac Wood’s column usually appears Mondays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at i.wood@cavalierdaily.com.
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