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UVM students are pushing back against recent cuts made to the school's budget.
Students are fighting to keep the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) alive alleging that the college is doing well despite the UVM administration stating that the cuts were necessary for the continued financial viability of the institution.
The UVM administration’s announcement to cut multiple programs within the college of arts and sciences has met with fierce resistance from the student body. The university claims to be responding to a sharp decline in interest in these programs offered by the college. However, data gathered by students show a different story. While the interest of majors in arts and sciences at the school has declined by 13% from 2010 to 2020, students claim that the administration has played a direct role in that decrease.
The student-led organization UVM United Against the Cuts stated, “since 2010, UVM also reduced by 22% the number of students it accepts each year into the College of Arts and Sciences. The reduction in majors thus reflects not just fluctuating student interest but also administrative design.”
The student group claims that the administration is slowly lowering the numbers to make it appear as if there’s been a sharp drop in interest rates for the college of arts and sciences. The data suggests that the college of arts and sciences serves 4,483 students within their majors, which is the most out of any college in the university’s system. In addition to serving the most majors, all other colleges rely on the college of arts and sciences to fulfill major requirements.
The Burly Beaver spoke with Catherine Miller(note: at Catherine’s request her last name has been changed to protect her identity) who is dual majoring. Her psychology major is part of the College of Arts and Sciences. With all the cuts within CAS, the issue of the quality and availability of educational options came up, but Miller didn’t feel her opportunities were limited. “I agree with this change, as over the years UVM has become more specialized in other areas, such as business and environmental science, both of which have their own colleges. Overall I am not concerned.”
The programs within the College of Arts and Sciences that were cut were deemed unsustainable UVM—after financial aid—has generated 200 million in net gains within the last 5 years. Compared to other undergraduate colleges within the institution, CAS brought in 88 million dollars worth of tuition since 2016. Despite that large enrollment within the college, the budget allocated to fund faculty, courses, and other programs in CAS is 54 million dollars. 34 million dollars generated by CAS has been redirected by top executives to cover other priorities, including over 23 million to facilitate salaries and benefits of the same executives who moved the money. This results in a manufactured deficit—claims the student group fighting the cuts—that is one of the reasons the administration plans to cut programs.
UVM administration also conveys the pandemic as a threat to financial stability, which justifies the hard choice of the cuts, but this may be only partially true, according to statistics gathered by those opposing the cuts.
The 2020 financial report brought forward by the president declared UVM is financially sound and they have actually increased their net position by 24 million. The federal CARES act helped offset 45 million dollars worth of increased costs due to the pandemic, which further destabilizes the administration’s claims.
Additionally, UVM’s reserve fund of 34 million has been reported untouched as of last May. Even with a reserve, UVM’s endowment has been valued at over half a billion dollars, which puts the university in a stable financial condition for the future.
Miller commented on the financial situation saying, “I am by no means an expert in this topic, but I do think it is important to at least listen to both sides of the argument. I can understand removing some courses from CAS in order to benefit students, but I don’t agree with lining the pockets of anyone in particular, especially if they aren’t even teaching. From the information I have received, UVM has taken time to hear students, through forums via Microsoft Teams, but the question is: will they listen?”
Many students are actively working against the cuts, helping to educate people to make them understand why CAS is so valuable and needs to be protected. The website uvmnited.org as well as various social media channels including @save.uvm.cas, and their youtube channel UVM United have been formed by the students taking a stand to help protect CAS. While there is a strong student force fighting for CAS, not all students understand what is at stake.
Miller elaborated on how the university makes announcements and how it may be keeping students in the dark.
“One issue I’ve found is the college’s use of email. They seem to send emails every other day with little to no new information. This has caused a lot of students in CAS who are not directly affected by these changes to turn a blind eye. I’m sure there is a lot more information to take into consideration, but a lack of interest from students not directly affected. They’re being vague and spamming students with so much useless information that intentionally or unintentionally causes useful information to be lost or overlooked. It’s similar to what’s been happening with covid information. We get so many emails about it that it’s hard to tell what has actually changed.”
For more information about the CAS, issues visit the website: https://uvmunited.org/
Visit their connect page to find their videos with various members of the liberal arts community expressing their support against the cuts.
By Lucas Mccarthy
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