The University will suffer another round of substantial budget cuts for the next fiscal year, as announced Friday by the Office of the Governor. The University has worked to mitigate how these cuts directly affect students and employees, but there is no denying that these latest cuts will have a more visible effect on some programs. Some may even be at risk for elimination. Nevertheless, the administration must continue to ensure these cuts do not diminish the quality of the core University experience and that students are continuously kept in the loop about any changes.
A number of public colleges, such as Louisiana State University and State University of New York, Albany, are planning to eliminate or consolidate programs to help make up the difference left by significant budget cuts. Faced with a 23 percent drop in state funding, LSU will cut jobs, programs and financial aid. The situation is even grimmer at SUNY Albany: The school will completely eliminate its French, Spanish, Italian theater and classics programs. Although the University takes in a much smaller percentage of its overall budget from state appropriations - thus giving the school more of a buffer from declining support - it is not immune to the effects of a sluggish economy. For example, the Spanish minor was placed on moratorium last fall because demand outpaced the department's resources, and existing faculty members had to focus solely on keeping up with teaching the department's majors.
Of course, the University has strived to make accommodations that benefit existing students, faculty and staff members during recent years. Rather than issuing layoffs, the University has opted to eliminate job vacancies and institute a hiring freeze. Furthermore, employees have retained their fringe benefits.
But with financial resources continuing to decline and vacancies remaining unfilled, many programs may get the boot. Melody Bianchetto, assistant vice president for budget and financial planning, indicated that the University would cut programs only for "strategic changes based on demand." If necessary, it would make sense - though by no means be desirable - to cut low-demand programs, but more popular ones may be at risk, as well. The overwhelmingly popular Spanish minor, for example, was eliminated partly to make it easier for Spanish majors to enroll in necessary classes and to reduce notoriously long waitlists. Clearly, student interest alone is not sufficient to sustain a major or minor, which may mean other popular programs may be placed under the microscope.
Although eliminating programs is at times inevitable, doing so often leaves students in limbo. Needless to say, fourth-year students are disadvantaged if classes they need to graduate with a certain degree are unexpectedly not offered. But other students also are affected. Underclassmen who have not fulfilled the necessary requirements to declare a major that is set to be phased out, for example, may need to find an alternate area of study, even after devoting several semesters to fulfilling prerequisites.
The University must ensure students are well-acquainted with the appropriate details of any changes before they take effect. The way in which the College dealt with the Spanish minor, for example, demonstrated a lack of empathy for students. The announcement was abrupt, and the information relayed to prospective Spanish minors was inadequate. Even though the University allowed some prospective minors to appeal and gain placement in the program, the tone of the memorandum seemed aloof and included the line, "It might interest you to know that the Director of the Office of Career Services has assured us that minors do not matter to employers."
The latest round of budget cuts comes as no surprise. After all, state funding at the University has plunged 28 percent since 1985. If program cuts are inevitable, though, the University must understand that how and when it presents this information to students significantly affects their response and resulting frustration.
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