Student Senate's General Fee Advisory Committee voted to reallocate $570,000 from different Ohio University departments last night, with athletics taking the biggest cut.
The $500,000 cuts are less than 4 percent of the Athletics Department's $13.6 million budget for 2007. The cuts will bring the department back to its 2005 budget in the areas of travel and entertainment and honoraria and other expenses.
Athletics is the only unit we're looking at that has the opportunity to bring in revenue
said Patrick Heery, Academic Affairs commissioner and co-chairman of the committee. If they were to utilize that they could probably compensate for the loss.
The nine-member committee voted unanimously to make cuts, with one member abstaining. Two members were not present.
The committee's report is due to the Budget Planning Council on May 18. Once the council makes any additional comments, it will be submitted to OU President Roderick McDavis. The Board of Trustees will discuss the recommendations at its June meeting.
Starting in 2004, the Athletics Department budgeted based on a promised university increase in funding of $1.5 million during three years. The department only received $800,000 and this year faced an additional $241,000 reduction. In January, the department cut four sports teams to save about $685,000.
The committee also discussed the intentions of the general fee, questioning whether it should fund University Judiciaries and Career Services.
The Ohio Board of Regents sets stipulations for the spending of university general fees. Of the eight approved categories, Judiciaries and Career Services could be argued to fit into only one ' a student or university social center.
The committee voted that both departments do not fit in this category.
This committee is trying to correct what was basically illegal behavior on the part of the university Heery said.
The committee voted to cut Career Services by almost $13,000 and Judiciaries by $2,600, mostly focusing on printing costs for each department.
In 2007, Career Services was budgeted for almost $500,000. Judiciaries was budgeted for almost $270,000.
The committee also voted on requests submitted by different departments.
At almost $340,000, Arts for Ohio received the largest share of the funds. The program, which would allow students to attend fine arts events for free, is scheduled to be in place by 2009, said Chris Diehl, Residence Life commissioner and secretary of the committee.
The committee also voted to give more than $100,000 to Counseling Services, $65,000 to Student Activities Commission and more than $32,000 to Psychological Services.
If Judiciaries and Career Services are no longer funded by the general fee, the committee voted to grant requests from all departments and increase funding to Arts for Ohio.
If you stop funding these things that are questionable under the general fee
look what you can do
said Dominic Barbato, president of Graduate Student Senate.
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