Since I returned from Christmas break, I have read several Collegian articles criticizing students' lack of interest in the Future Committee and its proposals to cut spending in each college by 10 percent. Because such cuts will inevitably lead to the termination or consolidation of some majors, some people seem shocked that students in these majors are not fighting to keep their programs intact. When the committee's draft report for the College of Agricultural Sciences was distributed last fall, it was suggested that my major be combined with two others in the college to produce a single, broader course of study from the three. I thought it was an excellent idea, one which would not only reduce some of the overlapping in agronomy, horticulture and plant science but also would allow me to take more classes in these related areas. I wondered why no one had thought of it sooner.
Cost cutting is a positive process through which every business can reduce inefficiencies.
The fact that these spending cuts are mandatory should not strike fear in the hearts of deans, department heads or students. It only means that plans which were already on the drawing board must be put into place now instead of later. If I were given no deadline for a homework assignment, chances are I'd never begin working on it. When an academic deparment is left to its own devices to try and maintain a high level of economic efficiency without motivation, improvements come, but slowly. It is human nature to work only as hard as is required.