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| Fiscal year end
limits spending allowances |
By Leslie
Rasimas
Staff Writer |
With
four weeks left in the fiscal year, academic departments on
campus have mixed feelings on how the budget is spent.
Dr. David P. Haney, department of English chairperson, said
he spent money for five months before he knew the department’s
budget this year.
“The problem is timing,” Haney said. “In order
to spend wisely, you really need a year-long plan. I didn’t
have that kind of information in July. I didn’t have
any budget information until November.”
The department of English has spent their budget wisely, Haney
said.
The summer budget for the department is $500. All of that
money was spent on paper.
“We’ve bought tons of Xerox paper which is our big
expense over the summer,” he said.
The next fiscal year presents a problem with larger items
like furniture and renovations on the budget.
“Most faculty offices in [Sanford Hall] have desks that
were probably here when the building was built in the 1960s,”
he said.
It would cost approximately $50,000 to replace the faculty
desks in Sanford Hall.
“We don’t have enough money to fix Sanford Hall,”
Haney said.
A broken elevator costs $40,000 to replace because it is too
old to fix. One classroom is equipped with a vibrating floor
because of its location above the ancient heating system,
he said.
“That used to be the [graduate assistants’] room.
They had to buy Dramamine so they could look at their computers,”
Haney said.
The department of English has enough money for paper and chalk,
but large items are difficult for any department to afford
because of repeated budget cuts.
“We need these big things that we can’t pay for.
They tend to be so expensive that there is never a possibility
to pay for them,” he said.
Department of biology chairperson Dr. Vicki Martin said she
is dealing with major budget issues right now.
“Our budget has been significantly cut the last two years,”
she said.
These budget cuts affect the quality of the laboratories and
amount of equipment available to students.
“We simply do not have the funds to buy needed equipment.
I’m talking about basic equipment like microscopes. A
microscope is as important to a biologist as a hand is to
the human body. When you don’t have the equipment you
need, then obviously it affects the program,” Martin
said.
The amount of money remaining in the budget is unrealistic
to support seven laboratories this summer, she said.
“That’s why there are laboratories with people using
toothpicks,” Martin said.
A portion of the department of Biology will be moving into
a new building in a few weeks, she said.
“In all respects, it is basically an empty building.
We don’t have the funds to equip the [teaching] laboratories.
It is going to be difficult to teach classes without microscopes,”
Martin said.
Dr. Paul H. Gates, professor in the department of communications,
said that department also suffers from lack of funds.
“Of all our concentrations, broadcasting is the most
equipment dependent,” he said.
The department lost money for major purchases for broadcasting
during the May 2003 reversion of funds. There is not enough
money or time to make those purchases now, he said.
“As far as big projects go, those aren’t possible,”
Gates said.
Budget cuts have affected all departments on campus. The faculty
use all possible resources to enrich the classroom and teach
students. Budget items of lesser importance are cut.
“Travel has been eliminated. It’s usually the first
to go and the most visible to faculty,” he said. “It’s
one of those areas that does not directly involve the classroom.” |
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