HSU budget cuts met with resistance
Times-Standard 2/13/07
According to HSU professor and University Budget Committee co-chair Saeed Mortazavi, the campus operates on a budget of approximately $90 million. To figure out where to best make the mandated $5 million reduction, the committee asked campus vice-presidents to outline a 7 percent reduction in overall expenditures.
On Monday, the budget committee opened the process to the campus and the media to encourage transparency in what has been a difficult and contentious process.
During a break, Mortazavi expressed his disappointment in those who outlined where more money was needed rather than options for reduction.
Steve Butler, vice-president of Student Affairs, refused to offer options for cuts to the board. Student Affairs oversees student support programs like the career center, disability resource center, counseling services, child care program, housing, campus police and enrollment management. Student Affairs also oversees athletics and campus clubs.
”You are not going to have that student in the classroom if we don't maintain their physical and emotional health,” Butler said, adding that he will not cut or scale back police positions because it would jeopardize campus safety.
When the budget panel asked where the cuts were in his presentation, Butler said to Mortazavi that he won't cut anything, and if he did, he would have to “eliminate the multi-cultural center.”
One University Budget Committee member asked Butler, “So you should not have any cuts and the other three divisions should have to take up your slack?”
The Academic Affairs Department, which oversees campus professors, course work and the campus library among others, represents approximately 60 percent of the budget. Aside from a 7 percent reduction, Provost and Vice-President Richard Vrem said that the Academic Affairs Department still has 2006-2007 budget cuts to implement.
He said that the total percentage would likely not come off the top of every program, but that some of the more expensive course work that serves a smaller number of students would be on the chopping block.
The goal Vrem said he was operating under is to minimize the impact to student programs and course work so as not to hurt future enrollment numbers. He said that Academic Affairs is taking a close look at eliminating some minors, many electives and increasing class sizes to cut down on costs.
He told the budget committee that individual departments should be able to decide for themselves what is important.
Vrem also warned that cutting curriculum too deep in too many areas could jeopardize Humboldt State's accreditation, and asked that the University Budget Committee keep that in mind when making decisions.