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St. Cloud State University
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Saigo juggles budget
By Drew Sandholm
Published:
Thursday, March 27, 2003
Media Credit: Adam Masloski
Roy Saigo speaks in the AMC ballroom Monday about the budget, the plans that university officials have for the next school year and the future.
The $4.5 million dollar Minnesota state budget deficit has plagued state businesses, institutions and residents, among other organizations. Nearly every aspect of Minnesota life has been directly or indirectly affected by the increasingly ominous problem. SCSU is no exception.
Now SCSU administration worry its allocations of state granted funds will dissolve with the tentative state budget resolution. To prepare for decreases in state aid, among other budget woes, university administration held a 'University Town Hall Budget Meeting' to discuss the current budget situation.
Held at the Atwood Memorial Center's Ballroom, the hour and a half long program began with a presentation by SCSU President Roy Saigo and SCSU provost Michael Spitzer, as well as other prominent administration officials.
The Microsoft Power Point presentation illustrated several different budget scenarios which might affect the university. Changes in the budget situation include tuition and living cost increases for students and little to no increased salary or health insurance for SCSU faculty. A menagerie of scenarios was demonstrated, from best to worst case. In all cases, state allocations are predicted to reduce significantly.
With a seemingly ominous economic future for SCSU budget, administration officials say they are striving for adequate solutions to the mounting budget problems.
"We're going to continue to consider whatever options are put before us," said SCSU provost Michael Spitzer. "We will try to refine our decision making process more clearly, particularly as we get a better sense of our allocations."
Spitzer and other officials, including President Saigo, stressed their reluctant attitude towards tuition hikes. Saigo stated that while other colleges and universities continue to raise tuition, to live up to its 'tradition of excellence and opportunity,' it's important an SCSU education remains affordable.
SCSU student opinion on the budget situation seems overwhelmingly disapproving of the current budget situation, including possible tuition increases and loss of state funding.
"We can't survive with these allocation reductions," said fourth year SCSU political science major Gordie Loewen. "We need to get out there and let us administration know that we can't afford to pay for any more increases."
Not only was tuition increases one of the methods discussed which would adequately resolve the budget problem, other solutions were proposed and debated during the question and answer session.
The possibility of shutting down the university during winter break, lowering university building temperatures by a few degrees, a four day work week for the summer session and maintenance general care of SCSU were among some of the proposals by both the officials presenting and by the crowd, composed of predominantly university employees and faculty.
"I don't know what kind of press or publicity was done for it (the conference)," Loewen said, "but I don't think hardly any students knew about it and that's a failing of the organizers because students are obviously the most important constituents of this university."
With over a hundred people in attendance, only one half dozen students attended the budget meeting. In actuality, the majority of few students at the conference were student government members. Seemingly no significant amount of students attended the meeting, except for SCSU graduate student Tomasz Polinceusz.
"I came because this is my school and I care about what decisions are being made," said Polinceusz. "I pay tuition and I want to know what I am going to be paying for next year."
Although considered by administration officials to be a success, President Saigo was disappointed with the poor student turnout. Pleased with the high numbers of people in attendance, he felt the lack of student involvement and attendance at the meeting was unfortunate.
"Students should learn early on that they are a part of administration decisions," Saigo said. "This is an activist campus and students learn by taking stands based upon their values."
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