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Get less, pay more

The University of La Verne suffered budget cuts in all departments last year due to a shortfall in tuition revenue and is still feeling the repercussions of those cuts with the start of the new school year.

This year brought hope with the biggest entering class in ULV history, thereby bringing in the largest amount of tuition the school has seen, one would assume.

School records were set not only in the number of admissions to ULV, but also the number of students who chose to enroll for the fall semester.

ULV welcomed 559 new students this year, out of 1,191 admissions and 2,000 applicants. This was a significant increase from last fall where 1,690 students applied and 950 were admitted with only 400 deciding to enroll at ULV.

One would think that with such an increase, the University would not have to continue to operate on a tighter budget. Especially with more students attending, more money is needed to satisfy the needs of these students.

The administration now enforces the cancellation of classes with less than seven students enrolled. How are students expected to get the classes they need to graduate on time if the school decides to cancel a class on them last minute?

Also, lab fees have been increased (some more than doubled this year) to supplement courses in many departments. Why not cut back on that and save the students money. Aren’t we already paying for our classes?

But the administration at ULV seems to have a whole different way of viewing these situations. Even though the school should be generating more money than it did last year, ULV will not be reassessing the budget for the current year. This year’s budget was set last spring.

According to Provost Dick McDowell, some funds are being allocated towards needs this semester, but most of the income will go toward the following year. This means the students who suffered through budget cuts last year will have to do so again this year even though there is more money at the University.

With more students, more money is pouring into the University. But where is the money going?

The University has added more sections of popular classes to accommodate the educational needs of the students and it has increased housing facilities by returning to the Sheraton Fairplex when the housing shortage became an issue.

McDowell said the University will “respond to specific needs required to support the student body.”

There’s no doubt that the University is giving its students what they need to survive. But aren’t we always taught in class to not just do the bare minimum to pass? We’re told to go above and beyond. So why can’t the University do the same for us?

Instead of waiting for problems to arise and repairing them with quick-fix solutions, why not allocate money back to departments and clubs and things the students can really benefit from?

It’s the simple things like paper, supplies, money for research or class projects and trips that would help supplement our education. Or how about sprucing up the run-down facilities, so buildings like the Supertents won’t leak anymore? Founders Hall could also use a once over in its crackled hallways and leaky loft.

Or dare we say it, go ahead and bring back the men’s volleyball program. One student’s tuition and housing fees alone would cover that cost.

Why not give students the excellent education full of opportunities that they have paid for?

The students currently paying tuition (which went up this year from $10,250 a semester to $10,750) have paid money for this academic year and should therefore reap the benefits in this academic year.

The total enrollment and net revenue will not be cleared until November. After that, budget planning for the 2005-2006 academic year will begin, with most of the work being done in the spring semester. The Board of Trustees will then vote on the budget late in the year.

“The total impact will be felt primarily by the budget for next year,” McDowell said.

Until then, is the money just going to sit around and wait to be used? What good will it do next year that it can’t do this year?

Students paying tuition should not have to suffer; we should get the education we are paying for.

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Unsigned editorials represent the opinion of the Campus Times Editorial Board.

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