Editorial: Organizations should curb excess spending

As is traditional, the Husky Week of Welcome saw students showered with free hot dogs, T-shirts and activities. All weekend, the festival atmosphere was undeniable and enjoyable but in our revelry, it is important not to lose sight of the economic depression that has been impacting the school.

The University of Connecticut was put at a disadvantage last year when the administration was forced to make severe budget cuts all throughout campus, and while the school has admirably been trying to maintain standards of quality in the face of dropping funds, it is not hard to imagine that the lean times will continue through this year, if they do not get worse.

Perhaps the most striking results of these cuts were the elimination of certain staff positions, notably some teachers. According to a Daily Campus article in February, about half the adjunct professors in the English and math departments lost their jobs because of the cutbacks.

With this in mind, we urge every department and student group on campus to take special care in planning their expenses in the coming year. Free tchotchkes, dinners and training retreats may cost pennies individually, but their combined weight may be the difference between offering a class and not being able to afford an instructor for it. If Gov. Rell decides that another budget cut is necessary, the meager fat in one's budget may be just enough to survive through to the next year without dying. Serious decisions need to be made if that chip clip or T-shirt is going to sway anyone's opinion as much as the money it demands.

While student groups do not directly affect the university's budget, the lesson should be just as applicable. At The Daily Campus for example, we have cut out of our budget as much as we can that doesn't pertain to our production and the training of our staff. This includes a student newspaper conference that we have been attending twice annually for years.

No one can be sure when things will be better, but for the moment, it is advantageous to focus on the goals of the university as a whole, not just departments as a part. And that will always be split between education and blisteringly good basketball.

If we can refocus our individual efforts on what makes us - both as groups and as a school - exceptional, we may be able to come out of this financial crisis with a much clearer sense of community and purpose. And perhaps that will not have been worth the months of agonizing scraping it will demand, but we are willing to bet it will be worth more than a stamped plastic Frisbee.