Some colleges are cutting back in new ways

September 14, 2009 – 12:00 pm – No Comment

I have seen my fair share of ways that colleges can be wasteful. As far as spending goes, I have always wondered who let my Alma Mater leave the huge football stadium lights on all the time. Leaving that many lights on when no one is around to enjoy it seems pretty wasteful to me. Also, the college spends so much money on pine straw two to three times a year, there has to be a cheaper way to landscape…How about grass guys?

Anyway, Time.com compiled a list of some of the cutbacks that colleges all across the country are going through with. Some of them I can agree with, but some of them seem like they could actually hurt the overall student body.

As far as maintenance goes, SUNY in Canton will be mowing lawns fewer times a month which will save the school $25,000 annually. Pitzer College will be able to save $80,000 a year just by power-washing the windows and sidewalks.

In academics you can expect some cuts at most colleges. Ivy League Stanford laid off 49 staffers (not faculty?) from it’s school of business. Arizona State University lost 48 undergraduate programs from its catalog. Following that trend Idaho State University cut some language classes including German, Russian, Arabic, and Chinese. They are just getting rid of the unpopular classes.

Campus dining is always a place where I was able to see money being lost by the minute. After all, most colleges offer some kind of buffet and when there is a buffet involved, food will be wasted and hence, money will be wasted. Harvard will be doing away with hot breakfasts in the dorms and this will save them $900,000 a year. The College of Wooster simply closed an entire dining hall.

These colleges are also cutting back on supplying faculty parties. Carleton College will be able to save nearly $4,000 per year by not offering shrimp and wine during parties held for the faculty.

There are also plenty of colleges that are cutting athletics and communications. A college I read about is even doing away with landlines to save a thousand dollars or so (hey, I suppose every little bit counts, right?). You can see the rest of the list at the link to the source at the bottom of the article.

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