In the upcoming months, students will be coming to the University of Idaho campus to decide whether or not to become future Vandals. Parents and guardians of these upcoming students trail along Hello Walk asking their tour guides question ranging from, “What are housing options like?” and “Where’s my kid going to eat?” But in Spring 2020, a new question is surfacing, “How will the budget deficit affect my kid?”.
The budget deficit will have an impact on students, whether or not they chose to believe it.
Many students feel that the university’s budget isn’t their problem and won’t affect them after they complete their degrees, but it will.
Outside of President C. Scott Green’s Presidential Memos, the budget isn’t regularly talked about among UI’s student population. Students make memes about it on the well-known “UIdaho Memes for Scott’s Tots” Facebook page, but we generally don’t have serious conversations about it.
It’s time this mentality changes.
The future of the university is not something to be complacent about, nor is our education.
Nobody expects students to eat, sleep and breathe budget books, but understanding the basics of the decisions the university is making regarding the budget and how it affects the student experience is important.
University administrators are currently nailing down the details it needed to solve the budget crisis, making this as important of a time as any for students to be paying attention.
Changes are already happening. Across the university, 112 people having already accepted voluntary leave to save the university money. The base salaries total $8,446,431, but there is still a long road ahead till we reach a complete resolution. Some of the positions that have been vacated will need to be refilled making the total savings from these plans smaller than reported. While the next steps of the university aren’t confirmed, there have been conversations aboiut outsourcing, program cuts, cutting employees and more.
The administration cannot factor student opinions into the decision-making process if they don’t know what they are. Students need to speak up by going to budget related meetings, asking questions and giving feedback to administrators.
When professors and faculty bring up the limitations that have already affected their departments, ask questions. Read statements and articles put out breaking down the budget to make sure that you have a greater understanding of what’s happening. It is crucial to stay informed.
As students, it is our responsibility to be informed about our education and where our money may be going.
– Editorial Board