Budget cuts are back in the UNC System, and are affecting A&T. During the 2011-12 academic year, the UNC System is expected to make cuts anywhere from 7 to 15 percent.

As a result, each institution within the system would make cuts. From there, departments would make cuts where deemed necessary.

For A&T that means cuts would be made from the individual colleges.

More specifically, the College of Arts and Sciences, the largest college, which makes up 55 percent of all student credits and encompasses 34 percent of all majors offered, will see a $1.6 million cut.

This current academic year, Arts and Sciences has seen some of these cuts already. In order to combat the affect the cut could take on students and faculty, the college offered vacant positions.

Vacant positions are those that the college has reserved to be filled at any time.

This year, those vacant positions provided enough cuts so the college did not have to use other resources. Upon the end of this academic year, the college will receive those positions back to make available because it was not a permanent cut.

However, for this next academic year, the college plans to offer the same vacancies. Former Interim Dean and current Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies of Arts and Sciences, David Aldridge, thinks those positions will be taken away permanently.

There will be approximately 11.3 vacant faculty positions and one staff vacancy position offered.

Currently, the entire budget for Arts and Sciences is $21 million. Of that budget, $1.6 million will be cut next academic year.

Although Aldridge is not worried about the cuts at this point in time, he does recognize that if asked to give more than the proposed $1.6 million, students may see the differences.

“It’s not an immediate problem,” said Aldridge. “But it really robs the university of things in the future- the ability to create new programs, the ability to handle growth in programs and it also robs flexibility.”

Apart from the vacant positions Arts and Sciences plans to offer for the cuts, it also has projected reducing its operating budget by $133,000.

The operating budget is used for various entities including: photocopiers, paper, ink, computer software, etc.

The current operating budget is $720,000.

Aldridge says that most of the college’s budget is for personnel and faculty.

The proposed cuts have not been neither declined nor accepted. The Board of Trustees will make that decision.

In case the Board does not accept the recommendations, the next place Arts and Sciences will have to look is at filled positions. This is where the possible cuts could directly affect students.

“It’s largely a matter of figuring out how to make cuts with the least damage to enrolled students,” continued Aldridge. “As long as we can stick to $1.6 million, we can offer students the classes they need. If we’re asked for another $1.6 [million] it could start to make an impact.”

There have been rumors that the College of Arts and Sciences has offered its auxiliary services to be taken by the cuts. This would include the Blue and Gold Marching Machine, WNAA 90.1 FM station, the T.V. studio and The A&T Register.

Setting the record straight, Aldridge said those services have not been offered up as of yet.

The College of Arts and Sciences main contribution to those previously mentioned services is to sustain the personnel who oversee the respective organization.

“We are trying to sustain enrollment. Our objective is to maintain the ability to offer courses. We are looking very hard at auxiliary programs that are not involved in the classroom,” said Aldridge.

There will be cuts made across the board for A&T’s colleges. Aldridge was not aware of other specific colleges cuts, but he admitted that traditionally, Arts and Sciences does not receive the highest number.

It is his belief that it is hard to cut the College of Arts and Sciences without cutting the ability to enroll students.

With the UNC System making cuts to its 17 institutions, there have also been rumors to eliminate an institution from the system totally.

“UNC [system] probably does have one too many institutions at this time,” said Aldridge. “I’m not the only one who believes that. Former president [Erskine] Bowles thought the same.”

With two UNC System institutions, A&T and UNC-G, having such close proximity, stirs have been created that the two will merge into one.

“I’ve been here 31 years and those rumors predate me,” commented Aldridge. “Obviously, one university would be cheaper than two, but not a lot cheaper. Both institutions have strong identities. But nothing is off the table in these times. The university [A&T] has a strong chancellor, it will continue to press forward.”

Currently, Arts and Sciences receives about $8.5 million in extramural funding, mainly from federal budgets.

In order to continue on its path, Aldridge says the college will have to rely more on Title 3 types of funding and state funding.

Aldridge encourages students to help with cuts and the sustainability by working hard in the classroom and stop withdrawing from classes.

Governor Bev Perdue recently released her 2011-13 spending plan, which could directly affect the UNC System. However, her plans are to stonewall budget cuts for as long as possible and make changes so the system will see a 6 percent cut instead of the current proposed 7 to 15 percent.

• Jasmine Johnson