Money, Money, Money
Story by PJ Marolt
Photo by Dylan Benedict
Story was originally posted in Backdrop Magazine’s Volume 15, Issue 4 in May 2022.
Students express concerns about OU’s budget.
The Baker University Center is home to many Ohio University funded organizations that have been impacted by the budget cuts in Athens, Ohio, on Nov. 1, 2021.
Rumors about Ohio University circulate as several changes of life are made for students: Classes from several departments have become unavailable, there is reduced staffing and general revenue has been declining for a few years now.
OU announced on May 15, 2020, that they were letting go of more than 50 faculty members and more than 140 administrators which is what might have caused many to be frustrated with how OU has handled being in financial need. Students have been left questioning how this is possible.
Kristin Leibensperger, an OU freshman studying physics and French, says that the modern language department can only offer two upper level French courses right now and that it is difficult to schedule them.
“What makes it all frustrating is seeing money being wasted in various locations; a big example being the stickers that they put up across campus,” Leibensperger says. “Yes, I fully understand that to get enrollment up, you have to make the campus attractive; but the stickers do not look good and they are widely expensive. That money could have gone to something useful.”
Other language departments have also felt the effects of the university’s budget cuts. Andy Chrvala is a senior studying both German and history.
“Ohio University’s budget cuts have drastically affected me both personally and educationally as a language major. With a large staff in the German program when I came here, I felt like I was welcomed into a family,” Chrvala says. “A family that had lots of things to teach me and help me along my path in my chosen language. Due to budget cuts I lost many members of that family and not only are those people instructors for me but they’re also people I can lean on and talk to about issues that I’m having in my life.”
Chrvala also says that he would have done things differently if he’d known what he does now about the current state of the department.
“… I probably wouldn’t have pursued this path. Not to mention that amount of workload that falls on the shoulders of small numbers of professors that they don’t necessarily have to do but they do for the language majors,” Chrvala says.
Compared to today's OU, there was a more abundant selection of classes to choose from in years past, staffing was higher and the coronavirus wasn’t a household name. However, this marked the year that kickstarted the pandemic, and many attribute this to be why OU lost a significant number of students and revenue.
Freshman Alexis Rohrer, who is undecided in her major, also feels upset about the situation.
“I find it disheartening that we have had to let go of some amazing professors and take hits to our financials in so many different areas. I think that because we are losing such valuable resources for the school, we are not getting the same value of education or overall experience that students have had before us,” Rohrer says.
However, the university reassures students that despite the changes they have experienced, OU maintains a strong financial status.
Is OU in financial trouble? According to interim Vice President for Finance & Administration, Joe Trubacz and Associate Provost for Academic Budget & Planning John Day, it is not.
When asked if students had to worry about OU’s finances, they said in a joint statement, “Ohio University is financially strong with very healthy reserves that will allow us flexibility in times where we must address imbalances between revenues and expenses created by shifts in enrollments.”
Essentially, OU has money saved up for unprecedented times like the pandemic so they can get any financial troubles sorted out. The question is, will they?
Ellen Gill, an OU senior studying English pre-law and sociology-criminology, seems hopeful for the future of OU’s financial situation. Gill is a student trustee, has actively participated in budget meetings and is on the Budget Planning Council.
“I am optimistic about the financial status of Ohio University as a result of our substantial reserves, comparatively strong financial position in the state, and recent efforts to better forecast revenue and expenses,” Gill says.
As for her reasoning, she says, “My optimism is reinforced by increasing first-year enrollment and the substantial federal funding that offset COVID-19 related expenses. While we are still operating in a financial deficit, the changes being made right now provide an opportunity to right-size departmental budgets and prepare for a predictable financial future.”
Gill has advice for fellow students who may be frustrated with OU and its finances.
“I advise students to take advantage of the financial reports available to them. While President Sherman and Interim Vice President Trubacz can answer their questions, so can their chief financial administrative officer, their dean, and their student trustees,” Gill says. “In order to most efficiently hear concerns and act upon them, students should go to the person most able to enact local change and move those concerns upward.”
A significant part of the concerns from students is the uncertainty surrounding where the financial revenue actually goes at OU. When asked about the topic, Day said that all revenues are, “pooled together,” and that one can’t specifically say where a particular student's tuition money went. Trubacz added that some other entities, like Housing & Residence and Culinary Services, have separate budgets.
Despite any disagreements regarding the university’s financial standings, it is evident that the budget cuts are impacting the lives of students. The departments that have taken hits will likely continue to struggle as time goes on, potentially leading to more departments closing down, thus eliminating further majors.
All in all, money is a heavily discussed topic for OU right now. The cause of students’ problems relies on what OU is doing to lift itself out of financial concern, which would be the aforementioned cuts to programs, faculty and the general OU way of life.
Regardless of if these cuts are made to perhaps underused or underappreciated things, the power remains with the students to decide what aspects of OU make it a great university.