Shedding Light on the Hidden Budget Issues

How institutions repair themselves post-pandemic era has been the question that we are now seeing being answered. This year, Frostburg State University has seen some of the most intense budget cuts to date. “The budget is tight this year for several reasons. Our tuition revenues haven’t returned to pre-covid levels,” is President Ronald Nowaczyk’s explanation, he then goes on to say, “We have begun a transition to a less centralized budgeting model.” Which begs the question, what will that look like? Budget cuts have not been across the board, they have been selected based on their importance to the campus itself. Rather than a system that equally slims, trims, and cuts all areas; clear favoritism is being displayed. While student workers, faculty, and staff have been witnessing these extreme budget cuts, administrators are still looking to hire some positions that hold some of the highest paychecks in the university and are attending out of town conferences that do more harm than good. As well as proposing new payment plan ideas that will further harm students rather than help them. How will this treatment affect student retention rates, graduation rates, and the overall future for FSU? Administration has repeatedly said, “a reminder should be sent to all faculty and staff that we serve others and not ourselves.” Is that true? This isn’t the first-time students and staff have felt an intense frustration with the president, seen through change.org, several petitions have been created against him. Some in hopes that their education would be fixed how they see fit, and some in hopes to get the president fired altogether. When will the campus start to see improvement? Will anything be addressed? More than halfway through the semester Artie Travis titled an email, “Lane University Center New Hours.” This simple email that was incorrectly titled held an important quote that was discreetly placed in between two paragraphs. He finally admits, “With the increasing utility costs and personnel expenses, encompassing regular employees and student staffing, our expenses have continued to surpass our revenue. Despite our best efforts, we find ourselves facing a budgetary shortfall that requires immediate attention.” The budget issue, that everyone knew about months before the semester even started, was finally whispered a few weeks after midterms. What hope does that leave for faculty, students, and staff about administration?