YSU finds the right mix in dealing with budget

Just about everyone on the campus of Youngstown State University will feel the pain caused by state government's decision to slash funding for higher education, which has resulted in YSU's operating budget losing $3.1 million.
Full-time students will have to pay $120 more in tuition for the spring semester, department budgets campus-wide will be cut by $1.4 million, 15 vacant jobs will not be filled, and employees have been put on notice that contract talks next year are going to be difficult.
The fiscal crisis management plan was approved by the board of trustees this week on a 7-1 vote. The dissenter was Bill Knecht, who found fault with President David Sweet's decision to boost the university's reserve funds by $1 million. Yes, the $1 million could have negated the need for a tuition increase, but as Sweet correctly pointed out, there could be more financial trouble brewing in Columbus.
Another round of cuts in state funding for non-mandatory programs would inevitably result in YSU's receiving even less money from the Ohio Board of Regents. Given the negative opinions expressed by majority Republicans in the House and Senate about higher education, it is prudent for the university to anticipate the worst.
Unions: But building up YSU's reserve funds will not solve the institution's financial problems. Trustee Joseph Nohra put it succinctly when he said, "Others must be willing to share in these difficult times. ... I, for one, am not going to be willing to give away the store." The unions representing faculty and staff would do well to consider Nohra's comments in the context of today's economic realities, rather than using them as a call to arms.
The trustee is right when he says that the university "can't always look to gouging the students" to make up for the budget shortfalls. The reason the latest round of tuition increases did not cause an uproar on campus is because Sweet and his top administrators did a good job of alerting students to the fact that they would be asked to pay more to attend YSU, but that more money would be available for student loans and grants.
The administration has gone to great lengths to ensure that no one constituency on campus bears the burden created by state government, but as Trustee John Pogue observed, "I think we're going to face very, very substantial financial problems" in the coming months.
Campaign: For that reason, YSU alumni and other supporters who believe that the future of the Mahoning and Shenango valleys is inextricably tied to the university need to join the president's campaign in Columbus to stop Republican Gov. Bob Taft and the Republican controlled General Assembly from making any further cuts in higher education funding.