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Show Legislative Outcome THE STATE CAPITOL was the scene of critical legislative action that resulted in drastic cuts in Weber State College's budget for next year. (Signpost photo: Scott Miller) i r 1 ! - R n to Vf h:wnr-nw -t&JP S.kr 'mil; .CI! r?f ir if hlf il Hi ii " I ' H If Hit II If -T If v . La ' ls. ; ...- t m m m BE . - kit J f 1 t r t r t Text: Loretta Park lt the end of February, the Utah State Legislature closed the door on its regular session, and the state felt the impact of the decisions that were made in those months. Weber was dealt with a lower budget than requested, no physical education addition, program cuts, and no salary increases for administrators, faculty or staff. The legislators authorized Weber State's expenditures at $39,747,800 for 1986-87. This was an increase in this year's base budget of $2,684,300. Weber's base budget was $37,063,500. The increase in the total budget will cover increases in electricity, benefits and insurance rates. It did not cover a proposed addition to the physical education building. The physical education building was number eight this year on the priority lists of the following personsgroups: Governor Norman H. Bangerter, the Utah Board of Regents, the Utah Department of Facilities, Construction and Management, and all the presidents of institutions of higher education. There were some senators and representatives on the subcommittee who felt Weber's need was not even that high. Areas such as skill centers and youth correction centers needed facilities, too. Some of the legislators on the committee saw the addition as an athletic facility, not an educational facility, according to Dr. Gary Willden, chair of the health, physical education, recreation and dance department. Weber has waited eight years to build the addition. "The current gymnasium is not even equal to some of the area high schools in usefulness to its students," said Robert J. Folsom, director of architectural and engineering services. It was part of a $30 million bond that was before the Legislature. Dr. Willden said that WSC has 60,000 square feet of academic area for physical education in comparison to area high schools with one-fourth the enrollment of Weber's. Clearfield High School has 88,000 square feet and Bountiful High School has 79,000 square feet. Weber serves more undergraduates in its physical education program than Utah State University, and USU has three times the facilities-190,000 square feet, according to Dr. Willden. 'The need for additional space is critical," he said. The current gymnasium was designed for an enrollment of 5,000 when WSC's enrollment was 3,500. Enrollment has increased to 10,000 students, and the projected enrollment for the year 2,000 is between 14,000 and 15,000, said Dr. Willden. The most critical need, he said, is for academic space. "There is a misunderstanding that the addition is an athletic facility, but it is designed to serve academic needs," he continued. There is no place in the existing building to research kinesiology (the study of the human body in motion), he said. "It is like teaching reading without the alphabet." Not only is the college doing without the new physical education addition, but it has had to cut some programs. Welding, cosmetology, construction, and some groups of courses in child development and family relations have been cut from the college's curriculum. Some of these courses will not be offered after this quarter and some will not be offered after next year. Faculty and staff members felt the cuts in their pocketbooks. The Legislature did approve a .36 increase in salaries for all of higher education. This left Weber with $100,000. This will cover promotions for faculty members and a bonus for the staff. The administration decided that there was not enough money to distribute for salary increases. The legislature did appropriate $311,000 for academic equipmentcomputer instructional. The administration distributed $200,000 to ASWSC for its computer literacy program. ASWSC has approved a surcharge of $1 per credit hour in student fees to match the $200,000. The funds will help improve the number of computers available to students on campus. Preventive maintenance and public relations are going to be affected by the budget. Preventive maintenance may feel the ax next year, according to Dr. Jerald T. Storey, vice president for business affairs. Parking lots, roads, sidewalks and roofs may not get repaired as quickly or not at all. "It will come back to haunt you. The problems become magnified when left alone," he said. If the price of supplies increases in cleaning and other areas, the frequency of certain services may also be cut, Dr. Storey said. "I don't know where to cut," said Dean Hurst, vice president for college relations. Public relations helps bring funds into the college, but if funding is cut from public relations, it will be defeating its purpose. "You need to invest capital to gain capital," Hurst said. The cuts will have an impact on mailings to alumni and donors, he said. The college relations department is examining the possibility of consolidating their services with printing services on campus, thus "streamlining an already skinny body." The area Hurst is mainly concerned about is the athletic program. The athletic program has fixed costs, he said. "We have to maintain our eligibility," Hurst said. "Without a certain number of sports, we can't compete." The NCAA requires that each college maintains a certain number of sports in order to be eligible for a class of competition. "You can't just lop off a sport because it's not generating any revenue," he said. There could be a cut in scholarships because of the increase in tuition and fees plus an increase in board and room in the Residence Halls, Hurst said. Increased funding for higher education will be a problem legislators will have to deal with again next year. 'The issue is, are we going to pay more money for education -not the University of Utah or Utah State versus Weber," said Dr. Nadauld. There are other groups who are competing with education for a bigger slice of the pie, he said. Social services, the corrections systems, and the transportation department all need more funding. "We seem to be funding yesterday's problem," he said. Enrollment in higher education is expected to increase drastically in the next few years. Public education is already feeling the pains of this growth now, he said. "There won't be a public education crisis tomorrow, but a higher education crisis. |