Budget cuts interfere with student academia

By Staff Editorial     12/3/09 6:00pm

As if you weren't sick enough of hearing about the economy, it appears Rice is instituting a 5 percent general fund budget cut effective in July (see story, page 4). Though no plans have yet been finalized regarding what budgets in particular are to be cut, we feel the need to both applaud and to warn the powers that be about the possible decisions facing them.Dean of Undergraduates Robin Forman maintains that these cuts will not come out of the colleges' budgets - which are funded by the "student fees" portion of tuition - and we stand behind his decision. At the same time, however, cutting budgets from the college masters and resident associates might be problematic. The masters' budgets, for example, fund college courses, which are often some of the most unique classes one can find at Rice. Additionally, possible trips to symphonies and potential lectures may have to be shelved for fiscal reasons.

We feel, as a general rule, that budgets cut should be those that least impact students' academic pursuits. Rice should not cease to be a foundation of academic opportunity, regardless of the dreary financial decisions that lie ahead.

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