Students speak about budget situation

With the recent $8.8 million reduction in state funding for this fiscal year, the University of Northern Iowa is facing a challenge that will significantly shape the institution's future. Many proposals have been brought to the table to address this challenge as well as future budget woes, including temporary and permanent lay-offs and a one-time tuition surcharge for the spring semester.

As the state Board of Regents and regents institution heads meet to discuss plans for closing the budget gap, many UNI students are voicing their opinion about the university's future.

Baker Hall Demolition

Plans to renovate or rebuild Baker Hall have been on the table for some time now, but several logistic issues combined with budget problems have quenched the idea. The university currently plans to demolish Baker and renovate Bartlett Hall to house the Baker offices, with hopes to bid for construction in 2011.

Many students are speaking out against the Baker demolition, including Kyle Woollums, a freshman modern languages major who has created a Facebook group called "Save Baker Hall!", which as of press time, has 57 members.

Woollums also commented on the Northern Iowan Web site, defending the building and arguing for its renovation on three grounds: (1) Baker Hall is an important part of campus history, (2) Baker Hall's art deco architecture should be preserved and (3) Baker Hall's space is needed.

"Faculty could be more cramped in the smaller and older Bartlett and students will be more cramped in the residence halls, as more than 350 students will be displaced if Bartlett does indeed become an office building," he said. "While it is said that students could double up in current double-as-single rooms, demand is incredibly great for single rooms and lowering the number of these rooms will go against UNI's mantra of ‘students first.'

"I firmly believe that if Baker Hall is demolished, UNI will quickly see the large mistake (it will have) made, not unlike the realization they had directly after demolishing the Old Administration Building," he added.

The accompanying renovation of Bartlett Hall is also receiving opposition from some other students.

"I'm upset about it," said Annisa Brown, a resident assistant in Bartlett. "I mean, we're adding all these surcharges and yet we're going to tear down a building, renovate this one and get a new residence hall. It's ridiculous."

"Everyone's really upset about it," said Lauren Wayman, a junior elementary education major and Bartlett resident. "I think they should have asked us our opinions first before they went ahead and made the (decision to renovate Bartlett)."

Shorter Semesters   

Religions professor Susan Hill recently reintroduced a 2002 proposal to the Faculty Senate that calls for the institution of a 14-week semester. The proposal also entails an increase in class periods from 50 to 60 minutes for Monday/Wednesday/Friday classes and 75 to 90 minutes for Tuesday/Thursday classes.

Such a suggestion could save the university on operation and maintenance costs and therefore help UNI meet future financial and sustainability issues.

Trever Braet, a senior electronic media major, thinks the proposal is a good idea.

"I see how adding 10 minutes to a class would be helpful," he said. "Reducing the two weeks I think is also a good idea. By the end of the semester it does drag on — not that we've been in class for so many hours, but that we've been here for so many weeks, tends to be what gets to me. So I can see that being a viable solution."

Many students, however, opposed the idea.

"I can barely pay attention in a 50-minute class as it is," said Ellen Phillips, a junior elementary education major. "I don't think that teachers would know how to use that 10 extra minutes to really help learning. You know, 10 extra minutes in a day doesn't really do that much, but then they're still going to be cutting out days. I don't think it'll really make up for the learning lost in two weeks.

"Everything feels crammed enough as it is; it's going to be a lot worse with two less weeks," she added.

"I can't stand being in a class for an hour and 15 minutes, because I don't have the attention span for it," said John Preston, a junior philosophy major who moved his classes to Monday/Wednesday/Fridays for that reason.

Preston also argued that such a change would not allow students enough time to reflect on what they've learned, basing his opinion off a former class that tried to cram several subjects into one class period.

"We would go through two or three sections (in every class) — I didn't even have time to do an assignment, reflect and learn before we were on to the next subject," he said. "I didn't like that at all."

Regardless of whether or not the proposal ever comes to fruition, religions professor James Robinson believes that it shows the faculty's willingness to change in order to meet the university's changing financial needs.

"It shows that we, as a faculty, are willing to think outside the box," he said. "We are willing to experiment with new ideas to meet the crisis. We're not just thinking in the same old ways and tightening our belt for the umpteenth time."

Tuition Surcharge

One suggestion provided by Regents President David Miles for reducing the budget gap was a one-time tuition surcharge for the spring 2010 semester. As of press time, it is not known whether or not the university will adopt such a surcharge or how large it would be, although the Board of Regents has suggested an amount of $100.

Northern Iowa Student Government President Adam Haselhuhn has already stated his disapproval of a surcharge coupled with next year's inevitable tuition increase. Several UNI students echo his opposition.