MONTREAT
COLLEGE
V olume XXIX, Number 15
ALETHEIA
Montreat College
May 7, 1997
Budget Improvements Continue to Be
Made
By Christian Malone
Seven weeks ago, a financial con
troller was hired to handle school fi
nances due to budgetary problems. Ru
mors buzzed that the school was close
to bankruptcy. Though it’s still too early
for the problems to be solved, things are
better under control in preparation for
the 1997-98 school year.
In response to the rumors, Palin
Spruance, Montreat’s controller assured,
“Absolutely not, we’re a long way from
that situation.” Vice President for Fi
nance & Information Technology Dirk
Wilmoth added, “Montreat College has
$ 19 million in assets, so, financially, we’re
fine.”
Right now, the budget is being re
evaluated for the upcoming year, and
changes are being made which
Spruance feels will help balance the bud
get and overcome the problems it expe
rienced this year, when it experienced a
demonic $666,000 deficit.
A committee called S.C.O.R.E. (Se
lect Committee On Reducing Expendi
tures) was recently formed to look at
ways the school can amend the current
budget in order to cut back expenditures
and find ways to save money. This will
include more competitive buying (shop
ping multiple places for the best price on
supplies) and holding a volunteer clean
up at the end of the school year involv
ing faculty, staff, and their families, which
will make clean up much cheaper than
in the past.
A long-term decision was to change
the budgetary planning from a twelve-
month budget to a six-month budget. The
faculty and staff will reevaluate the bud
get every semester.
Spruance feels this will keep faculty
and staff from overspending. He stated,
“Many faculty and staff, upon receiving
their budgets, go out and spend their
money right away, leaving them little
money for the rest of the year. By hav
ing a six-month budget, they won’t be
able to spend as much money at one
time.”
A large part of the financial prob
lems came from a drop in SPAS rev
enue the past year. SPAS’ budgeted
revenue was $3.01 million for‘96-97. It
ended up pulling in only $2.33 million.
Continued on Page 3
Campus Trusts Luck Of The Draw
By Lisa Griffin
Final exams were not the only cause
of stress and disruption among students
this week, anticipation rose as Montreal
attempted their first ever room lottery to
assign dorm rooms for the upcoming
school year.
In the past rooms have been as
signed on a first come, first serve basis,
which many students felt was unfair.
Senior Amy Harkelroad voiced, “1 wish
they had used the lottery system in the
years past, I have been wanting a room
on second floor for three years, but
someone always beat me to it.”
Howerton R.A. Alan Hines also
spoke out. “ 1 think the room drawing is
a great idea, it gives everyone a fair
chance at the room that they want.”
The process went as follows, stu
dents wanting to remain in their present
rooms had first dibs on that room, but if
they wished to change rooms, they had
to count on the luck of the draw.
Student’s names were put in a bowl and
randomly drawn out. When a name was
selected, that student got their choice of
the remaining rooms.
The tension mounted in Howerton
lobby on Wednesday night as a room full
of rowdy guys gathered to stake their
claims.
A confident Nathan Flaugaard
voiced, “I'm not worried, I already have
my room requested.”
A nervous, yet sarcastic Phil Quinn
remarked, “This is the biggest night of
my life.”
According to second floor Ander
son RA Sarai Fortney, the drawing
seemed to go smoothly in Anderson and
most people got the room of their choice.
Fortney explained. “Most of the girls re
quested the same room as this year, and
the people who did participate in the
drawing seemed to be pleased with what
they got”.
Many requests were simple. Ander
son resident. Crystal Lingerfelt just
wanted “a room with ample water bal-
Contin lied on Page 3