Spring Break
URI, brace yourself
Issue date: 9/9/08 Section: Editorial/Opinion
09/09/08 - There is no question that the state's budget crisis has hit home at the University of Rhode Island.
What's surprising about this is probably not so surprising to faculty members, among them President Robert L. Carothers, who can remember a similar situation in 1992.
It's a familiar scene - Rhody was faced with receiving less money and more students 16 years ago, yet somehow the university survived. Not only did it survive, it prospered.
Now, in the midst of one of the worst financial crises the state has ever seen, four-day academic weeks have been suggested to compensate for rising energy costs and an increase in expenses. But it's also possible that tuition, like in 1992, will increase mid-year instead. While that's certainly not good news for anyone, it's something students must take to heart.
Just as the university is reevaluating it's distribution of funds, we, as students, must reevaluate the reason we sought an education at URI - a quality education and a degree that means something outside university walls.
Though departments were forced to scale down their budgets, and in some cases their faculty thanks to a retirement incentive, it has not said goodbye to the wisdom that trickles down to students.
Some students will ask why pay more for less? To that, we have to consider our education as an investment. And while the price is high, the benefit of such an investment is nothing short of priceless.
Furthermore, URI is not the only institution facing financial woes. College tuition is on the rise across the country at public and private institutions alike.
Earlier this year Carothers announced that as state funding dwindles, the university would seek increased funding from private endowments, and essentially operate as a private institution in the future.
URI is now an increasingly attractive place for college-bound high school students. With new residence halls and state-of-the-art facilities in URI's future, the university is moving on up, and administration is determined not to let the state's crisis impede on the university's progress.
By strategically redistributing its funding to compensate for the $12 million that it lost to state budget cuts for fiscal year 2009, the university is hoping to function as efficiently as possible.
Furthermore, the university has accepted more students than ever before, gaining an extra $700,000. Unfortunately, these measures alone will not sustain the growing campus.
What's surprising about this is probably not so surprising to faculty members, among them President Robert L. Carothers, who can remember a similar situation in 1992.
It's a familiar scene - Rhody was faced with receiving less money and more students 16 years ago, yet somehow the university survived. Not only did it survive, it prospered.
Now, in the midst of one of the worst financial crises the state has ever seen, four-day academic weeks have been suggested to compensate for rising energy costs and an increase in expenses. But it's also possible that tuition, like in 1992, will increase mid-year instead. While that's certainly not good news for anyone, it's something students must take to heart.
Just as the university is reevaluating it's distribution of funds, we, as students, must reevaluate the reason we sought an education at URI - a quality education and a degree that means something outside university walls.
Though departments were forced to scale down their budgets, and in some cases their faculty thanks to a retirement incentive, it has not said goodbye to the wisdom that trickles down to students.
Some students will ask why pay more for less? To that, we have to consider our education as an investment. And while the price is high, the benefit of such an investment is nothing short of priceless.
Furthermore, URI is not the only institution facing financial woes. College tuition is on the rise across the country at public and private institutions alike.
Earlier this year Carothers announced that as state funding dwindles, the university would seek increased funding from private endowments, and essentially operate as a private institution in the future.
URI is now an increasingly attractive place for college-bound high school students. With new residence halls and state-of-the-art facilities in URI's future, the university is moving on up, and administration is determined not to let the state's crisis impede on the university's progress.
By strategically redistributing its funding to compensate for the $12 million that it lost to state budget cuts for fiscal year 2009, the university is hoping to function as efficiently as possible.
Furthermore, the university has accepted more students than ever before, gaining an extra $700,000. Unfortunately, these measures alone will not sustain the growing campus.
